Space Stories: NASA Kills Student Program, NASA Science Groups Stalled, and Moon Mission Untouched So Far

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Maicon Fonseca Zanco from Pixabay

Here are some recent stories of interest related to changes at NASA.

—Science: “DEI Order Grounds NASA Program to Link Undergraduates with Mission Scientists“

At NASA, officials are moving quickly to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order directing agencies to cease funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. NASA has already informed researchers supported by one high-profile program for undergraduate students that several of the agency’s spacecraft contractors will no longer take part in the program, following the agency’s guidance. And NASA has warned the researchers that it is likely to kill grants that have already been awarded.

—Space News: “NASA Pauses Work of Science Groups, Citing Trump Executive Orders“

NASA has directed a set of science committees to pause their work, citing recent Trump administration executive orders, a move that canceled one meeting and put planning for others on hold. NASA Headquarters sent memos Jan. 31 to the leaders of several committees, known as “analysis groups” or “assessment groups,” that provide input to the agency’s astrophysics and planetary science divisions. The memo said NASA needed to determine if the groups’ activities complied with new executive orders.

—Orlando Sentinel: “Despite DEI Demise, NASA Still Touts Goal to Land 1st Woman, 1st Person of Color on Moon“

NASA continues to highlight goals of landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface even amid the agency’s recent shutdown of diversity, equity and inclusion programs — also known as DEI — under executive orders from President Trump. “With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are exploring the moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars,” reads the Artemis mission statement on NASA’s website. “We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the moon. NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” The announcement NASA would send the first woman to the moon came under Trump’s first presidency.

Space Quote: A Close Call in 2032?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by dlsd cgl from Pixabay.

“We do want to keep an eye on it. We do take it seriously, but we want to put it in perspective … There’s still a very low probability that it would even impact the Earth at all.”

-Statement by Kelly Fast, the acting planetary defense officer for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, as quoted by National Pubic Radio. She is referring to asteroid 2024 YR4, which is between 30 feet to about 300 feet in diameter. Scientists believe the asteroid has about a 1.6 percent chance of hitting the Earth in 2032.

Pic of the Week: Jupiter’s Swirling Polar Region

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Jupiter’s north polar region. (Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
Image processing by Brian Swift © CC BY)

This week’s image comes from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which captured these images of Jupiter’s north polar region. The spacecraft came within 6,800 miles of the clouds you see.

Launched in August 2011, the Juno spacecraft has been studying Jupiter since 2016 to better understand the origin and evolution of the planet.

You can learn more about the Juno mission here.

Space Quote: Okay, Elon, We Already Took Care of It

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The CST-100 Starliner approaching the ISS during an earlier uncrewed test flight in May 2022. (NASA)

“The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

-Statement tweeted by Elon Musk regarding the two astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) following issues with the Boeing Starliner. Of course, the issue was already resolved by NASA via mission rotations, so Mr. Musk’s comments are needless and self-serving. It’s just one more chance for him to get attention as though he has not already done enough to warrant it, including that very odd hand gesture he made on stage.

Space Stories: Advertising in Space, Israeli Astronaut, and Mysterious Deep Space Signals

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: BrandinginAsia.com

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Space News: “Astronomers Seek Global Ban on Space Advertising“

Astronomers are calling on nations to ban advertising in space that can be seen from the ground, calling it the latest threat to the dark and quiet sky. At a briefing during the 245th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society earlier this month, the organization rolled out a statement calling for bans on “obtrusive space advertising” because of the interference it could cause for groundbased astronomy. Obtrusive space advertising is defined in U.S. federal law as “advertising in outer space that is capable of being recognized by a human being on the surface of the Earth without the aid of a telescope or other technological device.” Such advertising is banned in federal law through prohibitions on granting launch licenses for missions carrying payloads to carry out space advertising.

—Jewish News Syndicate: “Israeli Female Astronaut Will Go to Space with NASA“

Israel has reached an agreement with NASA to send the first Israeli woman astronaut into space, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel said on Monday. The remarks come as Israel is expanding cooperation in space technology with longtime allies such as the U.S., Italy and Azerbaijan, as well as with regional parties to the landmark 2020 Abraham Accords such as the United Arab Emirates.

—Anexartiti: “20 Mysterious Signals Discovered! What Could They Mean for Astronomy?“

A team of researchers from Australia has made a remarkable discovery by identifying over 20 intriguing signals from deep space. This achievement has been compared to the daunting task of finding a single grain of sand on a vast beach. Utilizing innovative technology pioneered by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), these findings have been documented in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.