Big Cuts May be Planned for NASA

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

If things can get worse for NASA under the current White House, it appears they will.

Both The Planetary Society and The Mars Society are warning their members about a potential 50 percent cut to the NASA program.

In a press release earlier today, The Planetary Society stated:

Should these cuts come to pass, the result would be nothing short of an extinction event for space science and exploration in the United States.

The Mars Society issued a similar warning, stating:

These cuts will almost certainly entail the shutting down of the Mars Curiosity rover, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Voyager and New Horizon interstellar probes, among others, and derail almost all plans for future American planetary exploration and astronomy missions.

The Mars Society President and Founder Dr. Robert Zubrin went further in his condemnation of the proposed cuts to the agency’s Space Science Directorate, stating:

It is not merely the crown jewel of NASA. It is the gothic cathedral of our age, carrying the banner of our society’s highest ideal – the search for truth through science. Destroying it would be wanton crime not only against science, but civilization itself.

We can only hope this is more bluster from the White House similar to tariffs that are immediately pulled back or even NASA personnel cuts that are canceled at the last minute. Bipartisan push back from Congress is also very likely.

During his inauguration, President Trump spoke about a U.S flag on Mars, yet there is little chance of that happening under this administration or anytime soon should these budget cuts occur.

Pic of the Week: Athena Lands on Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Athena approaching the Moon on March 6, 2025. (NASA)

This week’s image is from earlier today when Intuitive Machines’ Athena lunar lander was approaching the Moon’s South Pole. The good news is that the lander made it safely to the surface. However, the lunar lander may have landed in an odd way, creating solar generating issues similar to the company’s first attempt at landing this time last year.

NASA and Intuitive Machines are still trying to determine the status of the lander as well as its exact location. The lander’s goal was to land in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon’s South Pole. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter should help to pinpoint the lander’s location and orientation in the next few days.

Hopefully, some if not all of the planned experiments are still possible. But for now it’s just a matter of waiting for more news on the mission.

SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Delayed

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH satellites being prepared for launch inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Thursday, February 27, 2025. (NASA)

While NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) and Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) missions were expected to launch last weekend, they have been delayed until Thursday, March 6th. The launch will take place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

SPHEREx will spend two years collecting data on the origins of the universe by studying more than 450 million galaxies as well as more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way. You can learn more about the satellite’s mission by watching this Jet Propulsion Laboratory video.

PUNCH will be focused on events here in our own solar system. Consisting of four small satellites in low Earth orbit, the mission will study the entire inner heliosphere to learn how the Sun’s corona becomes the solar wind. You can learn more about the mission by watching this NASA video.

Thursday should be a busy day with these two satellites being launched and Intuitive Machines’ Athena lunar lander touching down on the Moon.

Blue Ghost Lands on Lunar Surface

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Blue Ghost completed a precision landing in Mare Crisium at 2:34 a.m. CST on March 2 , touching down within its 100-meter landing target next to a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille. (Firefly Aerospace)

Above is the first image shared by the Blue Ghost lunar lander as it touched down on the Moon. Being the first attempt by Firefly Aerospace to land on the Moon, it is an impressive feat. The lunar lander will spend the next 14 days conducting planned experiments on the Moon using the various NASA instruments it is carrying.

In a press release, Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, stated:

Firefly is literally and figuratively over the Moon…Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface with 10 NASA payloads and a plaque with every Firefly employee’s name. This bold, unstoppable team has proven we’re well equipped to deliver reliable, affordable access to the Moon, and we won’t stop there. With annual lunar missions, Firefly is paving the way for a lasting lunar presence that will help unlock access to the rest of the solar system for our nation, our partners, and the world.

It is a bold statement by a bold company, and hopefully the start of many more such missions down the road. NASA should also be thrilled with what appears to be a solid success for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro shared her enthusiasm, stating:

This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all…We have already learned many lessons – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will improve our ability to not only discover more science, but to ensure the safety of our spacecraft instruments for future human exploration – both in the short term and long term.

Congrats to everyone involved in this mission.

Anti-Government Rhetoric Diminishes NASA Employees

Posted on by onespaceman2000

It is a sad day when false slurs from the White House could subject federal employees to harassment from the public.

ProPublica writes that NASA employees have been warned to be careful when out in public and not raise any attention to the fact that they work for the federal government.

Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, stated:

We are all very proud to work for the space program…But in the current environment, with a lot of negative rhetoric coming in our direction, I want you all to please use caution.

So now our proud NASA employees are expected to hide mission patches and other symbols related to their work? How about a U.S. flag patch? Can they still proudly support the national flag?

All of this is getting ridiculous.