Space Stories: New Lunar Lander on Display, Caltech Approves a Radio Telescope, and Missing Galactic Dark Matter

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Astrobotic Technology’s Griffin-1 lunar lander. (Astrobotic Technology)

Here are some recent space-related stories.

—Satnews: “Pittsburgh’s Moonshot: Astrobotic Unveils Griffin-1 Lander Ahead of Historic NASA ‘Moon Base II’ Mission“

Emerging as a powerful symbol of regional industrial pride and the rapid privatization of deep-space logistics, Astrobotic Technology has officially unveiled its massive Griffin-1 lunar lander. The vehicle, which has been formally designated by NASA as the primary infrastructure vehicle for the Moon Base II task order under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, represents a critical stepping stone toward establishing a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on the lunar surface. Unlike smaller, first-generation commercial scouts, the Griffin platform is an “infrastructure-class” logistics vehicle engineered to transport heavy industrial cargo. Boasting a massive 625 to 650-kilogram payload capacity, the stout aluminum isogrid lander is designed to ferry bulky machinery, scientific sensor arrays, and alternative energy installations directly to the rugged, hazardous terrain of the lunar south pole.

—Newser: “Giant Nevada Project Could Transform Astronomy“

Caltech has approved the final design for the Deep Synoptic Array, a $200 million radio telescope project that will blanket a chunk of desert with 1,650 dishes over roughly 120 square miles—an array designed to scan the sky about 100 times faster than any existing telescope. Backed in part by Schmidt Sciences, the philanthropic effort of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy, the project is slated to be finished by 2029 and will be powered by a supercomputer that turns torrents of radio signals into sharp images on the fly.

—W.M. Keck Observatory: “Astronomers Discover Third Galaxy Without Dark Matter“

Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have discovered the third known galaxy apparently lacking dark matter, part of a strange linear structure that may have formed during a violent collision between galaxies. The discovery strengthens evidence for a rare and previously unseen process in which ordinary matter becomes separated from dark matter, offering astronomers a powerful new way to study one of the universe’s greatest mysteries.

Note: Here is the podcast version of this post.

A Day in Astronomy: Dogs in Space

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Laika in a training capsule prior to her mission. (Sputnik / Alamy)

On this day in 1960, the Soviet Union sent two dogs into space on a sub-orbital flight – Otvazhnaya and Malyok. Both returned from the trip safely.

Between 1951 and 1966, it is estimated that the Soviets sent 48 dogs into space on both sub-orbital and orbital flights, while China sent only two dogs into space on sub-orbital flights. The United States did not send any dogs into space. Of the 48 Soviet dogs, 20 died in space. Both Chinese dogs survived.

Little Otvazhnaya, which means “brave” in Russian, flew on the most missions of any of the dogs. She flew on five sub-orbital missions between July 1959 and September 1960.

The most famous Soviet space dog, Laika (pictured above), was the first dog to fly on an orbital flight on November 3, 1957. She did not survive the mission.

One of the Russian canine cosmonauts has a link to the Kennedy family. Strelka, one of the first dogs to orbit the Earth and survive, had six puppies, including one named Pushinka, or “Fluffy.” Pushinka was presented as a gift to President John F. Kennedy’s family in 1961.

Image (Credit): Letter from President Kennedy to Soviet Chairman Krushchev thanking him for Pushinka. (JFK Library)

More UFO Data Released by Uncle Sam

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): One of the UFO images released by the federal government on June 12, 2026. (U.S. Department of War)

If you are monitoring the release of UFO information (or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, if you prefer), then you are lucky because another batch of information was released by the federal government two days ago. It included the photo you see above, which has the following description:

This image is an artistic interpretation of a 2022 incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) reported near Colorado Springs, Colorado. This image is derived from the first-hand narrative description contained in “FBI-UAP-D002, FD-1057, Unresolved UAP Report, Colorado Springs, 2022”.

In this case, I would have preferred an actual photo versus an “artistic interpretation,” but this is what Uncle Sam has to share these days.

The new batch also includes redacted documents, like the one from the FBI below.

I am not expecting that any of this will lead to the next Disclosure Day, but take a look if you are interested.

Image (Credit): One of the UFO documents released by the federal government on June 12, 2026. (U.S. Department of War)
Posted in UFO

Podcast: You Can Provide Comments on Proposed Grant Rules Impacting NASA

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Information from OMB’s “Learn About the Regulatory Process” page. (OMB)

As noted in a prior posting, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is politicizing the grant process for science, including space-related grants.

A recent episode of the Planetary Society’s Planetary Radio podcast covered this proposed change and suggested ways that all of us can push back on these changes.

For specific guidance on what you can do, this page from the Planetary Society provides useful instructions. As the site states:

The OMB proposal would allow political appointees to usurp agency autonomy and cancel any grant at any time if that person decides the work is no longer convenient. The proposed rules would make scientific peer review only advisory while political appointees decide what (and who) gets funded.

The site provides clear instructions to help you write at least two paragraphs that can then be used to challenge this proposed policy. In this case, form letters are not helpful because they would be grouped together as one comment.

The American Astronomical Society has its own page explaining how you can respond to this particular OMB proposal.

And remember, if you want to submit comments but remain anonymous rather that providing all of your personal details to OMB or even the Planetary Society, you are allowed to do that as well per these OMB instructions. So don’t let that be a factor that holds you back.

Comments must be submitted by July 13th, so that still gives everyone a month to think this through and put forward a solid set of concerns.

Movie: Disclosure Day is Here

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Emily Blunt in Disclosure Day. (Universal Pictures)

Here are some comments on Disclosure Day, which is premiering in theaters today. Rotten Tomato gives it an 81 percent on the Tomatometer. You can also see the final trailer on the website, which includes commentary from Stephen Spielberg.

James Berardinelli from Reelviews:

Ultimately, Disclosure Day won’t go down among Spielberg’s greatest or best-remembered films, although ufologists may disagree. There are just too many basic flaws. However, I appreciate its scope and ambition, and it does enough to represent solid, blockbuster-level entertainment. 

Kyle Smith from The Wall Street Journal:

As attempted profundity, this doesn’t quite land, and neither does much else. Mr. Spielberg combined fairy tale with sci-fi beautifully in his 2001 masterpiece, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Disclosure Day is underwhelming when it tries to do the same.

Allen Almachar from The MacGuffin:

Above all else, it is a movie about understanding – about making connections to help overcome troubling times. Yes, this is a movie about aliens, but more importantly, it is a movie about us.

Overall, the reviews are not stellar, but we all need a thrilling summer movie and this may be as good as it gets.

You decide.