The NASA crew from the International Space Station (ISS) wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas in this colorful video.
Best wishes to everyone.
Christmas Message from the ISS
NASA Accomplishments in 2024
NASA has plenty of good news to share from 2024, as highlighted in its NASA: Best of 2024 video and accompanying press release.
Just a few of these accomplishments include:
- In February, the first Moon landing through the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety.
- After launching into space in February, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission is successfully transmitting first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate.
- In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the space station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft following launch of their flight test. With Starliner’s arrival, it was the first time in station history three different spacecraft that carried crew to station were docked at the same time. Starliner returned uncrewed in September following a decision by NASA. Wilmore and Williams, now serving as part of the agency’s Crew-9 mission, will return to Earth in February 2025.
- Deployed NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in space, marking a successful test of its composite boom technology.
- Awarded nearly $45 million to 21 higher-education institutions to help build capacity for research, and announced the recipients of grants that will support scientific and technical research projects for more than 20 universities and organizations across the United States.
The long list from which this was taken is impressive. However, we also need to note a few of the problems this year. This includes troubled commercial missions to the Moon, a Boeing crew stranded on the International Space Station after a problematic Starliner test, delays in the SpaceX Starship rocket tests, a cancelled Moon rover, budget cuts at NASA as well as layoffs at JPL, cost overruns on the Mars Sample Return mission, and a delay in the Artemis II and III launch dates.
This does not override the accomplishments, but it puts them into context at a time of changing administrations in Washington. This will come with hard questions about the viability of current missions as well as the cost of future missions.
I agree 2024 has plenty of proud moments. That said, 2025 will be a very challenging year for NASA. The agency will need solid answers to hard questions, cost effective options for struggling missions, and plenty of public support to weather calls for additional budget cuts.
I have confidence NASA will come out of this even stronger, even if it is a bit bruised in the process.
Books for NASA Foodies
If you are a foodie and still looking for a holiday gift or just a fun gift, you might want to check out these two space-related books.
The first book by Vickie Kloeris, Space Bites: Reflections of a NASA Food Scientist, discusses the thinking that goes into the food prepared for NASA’s astronauts. In this case, Ms. Kloeris worked with the food eaten by astronauts on the space shuttles and the International Space Station.
Former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino stated:
During her decades-long career at NASA, my friend and colleague Vickie Kloeris made sure my fellow astronauts and I were well-fed and healthy while in space. Space Bites is not only a compilation of stories of her amazing career but also a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of human space travel. Read this book to be inspired and to learn, and don’t be surprised if it also leaves you hungry for some space food.
It might be the perfect book after holidays if you want some insight into the space program.
However, if you want to sample the astronaut food, you might want to check out this older book by Charles T. Borland and Gregory L. Vogt, The Astronaut’s Cookbook: Tales, Recipes, and More. It contains recipes allowing you to create astronaut-worthy meals without the freeze drying.
The book covers a lot of territory: Appetizers, Beverages, Bread and Tortillas, Cookies, Sandwiches, Desserts, Main Dishes, Soups and Salads, Vegetables, and Future Space Foods.
David W. Hughes from Astronomy Now noted:
Charles Bourland has just retired from his job as NASA’s ‘director of space foods’, and Gregory Vogt was an astronaut trainer. They have provided us with a fascinating insight into the job of the space dietician and nutritionist, as well as a wondrous collection of recipes for the meals that were served on Skylab, Apollo, thespace shuttle and the International Space Station. … This an intriguing book, well written, and colourfully reproduced with a host of appetising pictures.
It may not be fantastic food, yet you can eat like an astronaut (and maybe suffer like an astronaut). When you sit down to dine on this strange fare, you can be pretty certain that no one else in your neighborhood will have such a dinner that evening.
Pretty Confusing Security Issues with Musk
I am confused about the role of Mr. Musk at SpaceX.
The news is reporting that Mr. Musk may have trouble accessing some of the SpaceX facilities because he lacks a security clearance due to his questionable behavior with drugs and foreign officials. And yet the same reports note that his upcoming job with the Trump administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency may provide him with those security clearances anyway.
So we are to believe that Mr. Musk is a security risk in the private sector, but his quasi-governmental role will make all of those concerns moot? It sounds like you can buy yourself a security clearance in this country at the right price (in this case, by financing a presidential campaign), national security be damned.
And now we hear that he has been sending tweets supporting Nazi-adjacent parties in Germany. I don’t think this is the best way to gain or maintain a high level security clearance in any democratic nation.
I am hoping someone inside government follows up on these issues. The companies under his control remain deeply embedding in the U.S. Government in highly critical areas.
It does appear the various military branches have concerns about his behavior and have initiated investigations. However, none of this appears to be slowing down his movement into a government position. For all we know, while these reviews are underway Mr. Musk will be given access to even more secrets, including highly-classified military secrets, as part of his role to reduce the size of the government.
And if that is the case, who in the various government agencies will question him when he can recommend the elimination of the party making the complaint? As they say, the caller is in the house.
None of this sounds very good for the space industry or the Nation as a whole.
UFO Panic: Someone Needs a Stargazing Class
The ongoing panic related to drones it getting pretty silly. I am just glad we are not shooting down small airplanes or trying to take out a star system.
For example, Maryland’s former Governor Larry Hogan recently claimed to have “personally witnessed” drones outside his house. However, he was actually looking at Orion’s Belt.
Maybe he should check with employees at the University of Maryland’s observatory to learn about upcoming stargazing events for the public. Oh wait, the observatory is currently closed due to budget cuts.
I wonder who was governor when that happened.
Our Awesome Universe 