http://gizmodo.com/how-a-government-shutdown-would-affect-science-and-tech-1426859370?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow [quote]The country's space agency almost always gets hit hard in situations like this. Should the shutdown take effect, pretty much all of NASA will be shut down, so you can kiss the possibility of more mind-blowing water discoveries away. Mission Control in Houston, however, will stay up and running to keep our astronauts on the International Space Station in good shape. That's fewer than 600 or the agency's 18,000 employees, though, so it's hardly a consolation.[/quote] Other organizations that would be affected by a government shut down: [b]-National Institute of Health[/b] (would be hit hard, but not entirely crippled) [b]-National Science Foundation[/b] (no payments during a shut down) [b]-Centers for Disease Control[/b] (severely limits spotting and investigating diseases) [b]-Smithsonian[/b] (kiss your employment there goodbye) [b]-National Zoo[/b] (same fate as the Smithsonian) On the bright side, our friends over at the NSA will be completely unaffected.