Television: Season Three of Foundation is Coming Soon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Apple TV+

While our own local empires struggle, we need to turn our eyes to the galactic empire in Foundation, soon to return for a third season on Apple TV+. Mark your calendar for the appearance of the season premiere on July 11.

The trailer for season three indicates there will be no shortage of death-defying adventures. It looks like Mission Impossible in space. The first two seasons did not disappoint, so I am eager to see where this season takes us.

Here is the set up for season three from Apple TV+ Press:

Set 152 years after the events of season two, The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled. As both of these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears in the fearsome form of a warlord known as “The Mule,” whose sights are set on ruling the universe by use of physical and military force as well as mind control. It’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live and who will die as Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleons and Demerzel play a potentially deadly game of intergalactic chess.

This is a show where you do not want to get too attached to the characters. They tend to disappear as often as those in the Game of Thrones.

If you are new to the series, I would not necessarily recommend the season recaps you can find on YouTube. The story line is too disjointed for an easy summary. Also, I do not know why you would want to miss these amazing earlier episodes. This is not Star Trek. Instead, it’s a long movie, where every episode builds on the earlier one.

I recommend you sit through all of the first two seasons to become immersed in this galaxy. You owe it to yourself, and you will not be disappointed.

The Atlantic Council Likes Space Robots

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Christopher White from Pixabay.

If you have not heard of the Atlantic Council you are not alone.

The Atlantic Council defines itself defines itself as a nonpartisan organization that is “…an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders.”

So what does it have to say about the current state of the US space program? It seems to want more robots, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. It also claims China is moving in this direction.

In a recent article, the Atlantic Council proposed the following to improve the space program for this century:

  • Modernize NASA’s organizational structure by integrating the robotic and human initiatives;
  • Reformulate NASA’s Artemis campaign by changing its plan so that early flights are robotic, with work and preparations being performed by intelligent machines ahead of crewed missions; and
  • Equip lunar robots with virtual reality so intelligent space exploration machines could enable scientists, engineers, and others on Earth to become active participants in the exploration of the Moon, distant planets, and beyond.

Fortunately, the article is not recommending the removal of humans from space flight, but rather the use of technology to enhance these missions, reduce overall costs, and broaden public and scientific support. This would include the expansion of private sector involvement. It’s not a bad idea as NASA struggles with the Artemis mission and potentially other missions due to budget cuts.

Of course, the amazing telescopes that we are trying to maintain and expand upon are already top of the line technology that have expanded public support for astronomy, but this has come at great cost (exceeding cost projections) and has not been protected from budget cuts.

A mix of approaches sounds fine, but a reliable flow of funds with clear expectations also sound nice. We are not going to get that with this White House based upon what we have seen so far. Just finding a leader for NASA that is palatable to the White House is proving impossible.

New ideas should always be welcome, but what is really essential at the moment is stable leadership. Without that all other efforts will go nowhere.

NASA Administrator Nominee To Be Replaced

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by succo from Pixabay.

The White House has changed its mind on Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator who was ready to be confirmed by the US Senate. A friend of Elon Musk, Mr. Isaacman made the mistake of giving donations to a few Democratic candidates in the past. This is forbidden unless you are Donald Trump, who has made many donations to Democratic candidates over the years, including Hillary Clinton.

NBC News noted that President Trump stated:

After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA…I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.

It is not clear how political donations has anything to do with putting America first, but this is all we know to date.

Mr. Isaacman has been unceremoniously tossed aside just as Elon Musk is stepping down from his DOGE role after badmouthing the recent Republican House budget bill. Is there a connection?

All we know is that Mr. Musk is losing a friend and customer in the NASA role with Isaacman’s departure. This does not come at a good time as SpaceX struggles with its Starship rocket.

It appears Mr. Musks plans are undergoing a rapid unscheduled disassembly.

Update: Jared Isaacman tweeted about the recent news, stating, in part:

I am incredibly grateful to President Trump @POTUS, the Senate and all those who supported me throughout this journey. The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry.

Space Quote: US Astronomy Students Are Looking Overseas

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Kamil from Pixabay.

“Historically we’ve been a department that has really tried to make a culture where people minoritized in the field feel like they have a home…The current administration is really driving against that, which has really caused a lot of damage to how people are feeling about their place in astronomy, and whether they feel they have a place here in our country.”

-Statement by University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Astronomy & Astrophysics department chair Jonathan Fortney in a Lookout Santa Cruz article. He was discussing recent federal cuts at UCSC as well as NASA. He said his students are looking overseas now for educational and career opportunities given the continuing cuts in US astronomy programs.

Pic of the Week: Galaxy Cluster Abell S1063

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Galaxy cluster Abell S1063. (ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, H. Atek, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), R. Endsley)

This week’s image comes from the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb). The colorful image shows galaxy cluster Abell S1063 at its center. You can get dizzy if you stare at it too long. You are looking far back in time, which would make anyone dizzy.

Here is a description of what you are seeing:

This behemoth collection of galaxies, lying 4.5 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Grus (the Crane), dominates the scene. Looking more closely, this dense collection of heavy galaxies is surrounded by glowing streaks of light, and these warped arcs are the true object of scientists’ interest: faint galaxies from the Universe’s distant past.

Abell S1063 was previously observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Frontier Fields programme. It is a strong gravitational lens: the galaxy cluster is so massive that the light of distant galaxies aligned behind it is bent around it, creating the warped arcs that we see here. Like a glass lens, it focuses the light from these faraway galaxies. The resulting images, albeit distorted, are both bright and magnified — enough to be observed and studied. This was the aim of Hubble’s observations, using the galaxy cluster as a magnifying glass to investigate the early Universe.

The new imagery from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) takes this quest even further back in time. This image showcases an incredible forest of lensing arcs around Abell S1063, which reveal distorted background galaxies at a range of cosmic distances, along with a multitude of faint galaxies and previously unseen features.