NASA is missing from Oshkosh

On Day Three of EAA AirVenture 2025, there is no booth for NASA on the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport leaving a hole where a big tent once was.

At present stands a NASA with an Artemis future, but also an uncertain one. On July 9, President Donald Trump announced Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as interim NASA Administrator, taking the role from Janet Petro who was in place since the start of the Trump administration.

Duffy now has two roles and despite sharing commitment for NASA still had his priorities.

“But again, this is my main priority: aviation, aviation safety, ATC modernization. Getting this done is critical for this administration, for the President, for me, for the FAA. So you will not see a skip in the beat,” said Duffy on Tuesday.

There was no specific reason for NASA’s absence. On Tuesday night, NASA did host a talk and trivia game at Theater in the Woods featuring various NASA personell, however, it was not advertised from NASA itself.

A lack of promotion and no presence at the America’s biggest airshow comes as cuts to NASA’s social media accounts and comms departments pour in since early June.

Last year, NASA featured a large inflatable SLS and put heavy focus on the X-59 supersonic aircraft.

Until a new permanent administrator is nominated and put in place, NASA’s communication and public outreach may lack in substance.

“If you don’t know the mission of NASA, that’s a problem,” Duffy said yesterday.

Without a NASA presence at the worlds largest fly-in convention, the general public will still have little understanding of NASA’s mission.