I left academia not long after our satellite got de-funded (it's still in orbit, operating and sending telemetry, just the Navy's side of the satellite that is.

I left academia not long after our satellite got de-funded (it's still in orbit, operating and sending telemetry, just the Navy's side of the satellite that is.) Recessions will also hit even harder - when the next grant cycle hits in the winter/fall, a lot of good teams are going to get screwed. I really hate the inconsistency and the waxing and waning - fwiw, there were times my team just grabbed grant money and spun wheels on old research, so it's not just that the money dries up easily, I don't think there's good accountability when the money is flowing either.