Time to Advocate for NASA on the Hill

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Former Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye in front of the NASA building in Washington, DC. (The Planetary Society)

There is no rest for the weary when it comes to reminding Congress about the importance of NASA. Even with last week’s successful Artemis II mission, it will be another uphill battle for supporters of NASA pushing against proposed White House cuts to NASA’s programs in Fiscal Year 2027.

Fortunately, the Planetary Society is making such advocacy easier by sponsoring another Day of Action in Washington, DC on April 19th and 20th. This gives you the chance to reach out to your own members of Congress and highlight all of the great work NASA has already accomplished as well as plans for the future.

You can register to participate at the Planetary Society’s Day of Action site. Registration includes:

  • Online and in-person advocacy training from The Planetary Society’s space policy team;
  • At least three meetings with congressional offices booked for you by The Planetary Society with opportunities for more; and
  • Access to special events, social gatherings, and space-themed experiences for you and fellow members while you’re in D.C.

Here is a comment from one of the earlier participants, Marko K.:

As I am a late bloomer in my passion for space, participating in the day of action has introduced me to people similar to myself and others who have dedicated their lives with this love of the cosmos. It is an extremely fulfilling experience to help promote funding for NASA and instill the importance of supporting it to the decision-makers in our government.

It is very encouraging that Congress reversed most of the Fiscal Year 2026 cuts proposed by the White House last year. When you add the successful Moon mission just last week, it should be an easy sell to Congress. Even so, eternal vigilance is needed here.

Even if you cannot participate in this event, sending a letter to your congressional members is the next best thing. We need to maintain pressure if we want to reverse these potential cuts so NASA can continue with its great work.

Movie: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

On May 22, The Mandalorian will go from our TV screens to the movie screens with the premiere of The Mandorian and Grogu.

Overall, this is the story in the film (and this trailer helps to visualize it all):

The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.

Not too descriptive, but basically the movie is a mash up of the old Star Wars icons, such as TIE fighters, Jabba the Hutt, and All Terrain Armored Transports (or AT-AT walkers), as well as the unique creations of the TV series, including our green friend Grogu.

I would have liked to see the Andor series brought to the big screen as well, but it may be a bit too cerebral for today’s movie goers. The Mandalorian and Grogu has the feeling of the many comic book superhero films filling the theaters these days, but it is still a little more than that.

In describing Disney’s new Mandalorian series back in 2020, a Guardian critic stated:

First, this is a western. Second, Pascal can do a fair bit with dialogue and movement. He is a badass, for sure, but he is also cynical and purposeful, with a weary wit. He is Robocop. He is Clint Eastwood. He is Ryan Gosling in Drive. He is not messing about and neither is the series, as an over-the-odds, off-the-books job takes our man to a secret bunker crawling with black-and-white stormtroopers, which feels like walking into an underground club in 50s Paris and finding it full of uniformed Nazis. 

This is a fair assessment of what we saw in the three TV seasons. If the movie can maintain this energy, with its usual tinge of humor, it will be worth the ticket price, and more.

Artemis II Was a Success

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

We are now one step closer to putting astronauts on the Moon, again.

The Artemis II crew safely landed off the coast of California earlier today after a 10-day, 694,481 mile trip around the Moon. Now NASA needs to spend some time reviewing the results, including the 7,000 images taken of the Moon and surroundings.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated:

Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and human exploration farther than ever before. As the first astronauts to fly this rocket and spacecraft, the crew accepted significant risk in service of the knowledge gained and the future we are determined to build. NASA also acknowledges the contributions of the entire NASA workforce, along with our international partners, whose expertise and commitment were essential to this mission’s success. With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again.

I like that part about never giving up the Moon again, though I doubt anyone in the 1970s thought it would be so easy to walk away from the lunar accomplishments and shut down the Apollo program. We were dealing with a war-torn world and a troubled presidency then, and little has changed today.

We shall see if we have changed at all.

Pic of the Week: Earthset from Orion

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Earth as seen by the Artemis II astronauts on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

This week’s image was captured by the Orion spacecraft Integrity during its Moon flyby on April 6, 2026. It puts a lot of today’s politics into perspective.

As the Earth was setting, NASA pilot Victor Glover stated:

And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side.

The photo above can be found with many other photos in NASA’s Astronomy Pictures of the Day Archive.

Note: As Carl Sagan said of Earth, in part, many years ago:

That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there…

Martian Helicopters Give NASA More Options

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): One of the tires on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity captures on March 23, 2026. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

With NASA’s announcement the other week about its plan to use helicopters again on Mars, at least we know we will have something to augment the two remaining rovers.

The Mars rovers continue to do a bang-up job on the Martian surface, but the bangs are also taking a toll on the tires of at least one rover (as shown above). After 14 years of service, the Curiosity Mars rover has needed some mission modifications and software updates to avoid further damage to its tire tread. Fortunately, the Perseverance Mars rover is having no problems to date with its tires, meaning it should be fine until at least 2031.

In terms of a future Mars mission, NASA announced:

NASA will launch the Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, the first nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft, to Mars before the end of 2028…When SR-1 Freedom reaches Mars, it will deploy the Skyfall payload of Ingenuity‑class helicopters to continue exploring the Red Planet.

You may remember the Ingenuity helicopter from its test on Mars between 2021 and 2024 when if flew 72 missions. The helicopter had accompanied NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. The planned Skyfall mission will build on this success. You can see an video of these new helicopters here.

Having two rovers and multiple helicopters on the Martian surface later this decade should provide sufficient coverage for both ongoing science as well as scouting efforts for future missions to the planet.

In addition, the test of a nuclear powered spacecraft will give us some additional options for getting to the planet. The Space Reactor‑1 Freedom spacecraft involves the participation of the private sector – particularly Lanteris Space Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Busek. Notice no mention of SpaceX this time. That is a positive development in that we have many companies working on getting us to Mars, including Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab, and others, which is how it needs to continue going forward.

A grand plan for our expansion into space needs the support of many mission types, companies, and minds (as well as temperaments).