A UFO Over California?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Night sky over Sacramento, CA on March 17, 2023. (Associated Press)

UFOs came up again last week pertaining to lights over Sacramento, California. As fireballs streaked across the night sky, a few citizens thought they might be watching fireworks or even the arrival of distant visitors to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

The explanation for the lights was interesting, but not because it was a UFO. It turns out the International Space Station (ISS) dumped a 683 pounds of Japanese communications equipment back in 2020. It took that long for the equipment to return towards Earth as a molten mass. The US Space Force later confirmed this explanation.

As noted in an earlier post, this ISS debris is not unusual, and can contain huge objects such as a cargo capsule.

The BBC recently noted that your chance of being struck by space debris is one in a trillion. So you can look up, but don’t worry about covering your head.

The New Space Force Anthem

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Baltimore Oriole, the Maryland State Bird. (Statesymbolsusa.org).

You may not have heard the news, but the U.S. Space Force now has its own anthem, similar to other military services. Here are the lyrics to the new song called “Semper Supra” (Latin for “Always Above”) first unveiled at the 2022 Air & Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, September 20th:

We’re the mighty watchful eye,
 Guardians beyond the blue,
 The invisible front line,
 Warfighters brave and true.
 Boldly reaching into space,
 There’s no limit to our sky.
 Standing guard both night and day,
 We’re the Space Force from on high.

You can hear the anthem here. It is not something I will be humming in the shower, but maybe some will like knowing the words to this new song, like knowing the name of the Maryland State Bird (Baltimore Oriole) or Maryland State Reptile (Diamondback Terrapin Turtle).

And you can read more about the anthem itself here.

Image (Credit): Diamondback Terrapin Turtle, the Maryland State Reptile. (Statesymbolsusa.org)

Canada Wants its Own Space Force

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Canadian Space Agency.

It was only a matter of time. Canada wants to develop its own version of the US Space Force later this year. According to media reports, the Canadian Space Division would eventually employ about 270 people, versus about 16,000 in the US program.

The two nations are not alone. A quick check on Wikipedia shows space forces in numerous countries, from Italy to Peru, though the definition of “space force” is pretty wide.

Even with their growth, not everyone is a fan. The Cato Institute had this to say in its 2020 report, Space Force: Ahead of Its Time, or Dreadfully Premature?:

This investigation determines that the Space Force’s establishment is hobbled by unclear goals and uncertain effects, contending that the Space Force lacks a clearly defined organizational culture and a clear strategic purpose, both core elements of organizational success, and that the decision to create the service is premature at best and irresponsible at worst.

Not a ringing endorsement, but maybe a sign that some more thinking needs to go into the role of these new organizations. Yet just as the air force was a natural break away from the army, the space force is a natural offspring of the air force. What comes after that? Maybe a Lunar Force or a Martian Force when we start to occupy space. I would love to see those recruitment videos.

Image (Credit): Image from a US Space Force recruitment video. (USSF)

Television: Space Force, the TV Show

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Source/Credit: Netflix.

It did not take long for the newly-created U.S. Space Force to be the butt of jokes, but its mission is critical, as has already been noted in earlier postings on this site. Even so, a little bit of humor goes a long way, and the Netflix series Space Force has plenty of humor to go around. Season two starts Friday, February 18th. Here are trailers for season one and two.

Steve Carell is perfect as the leader of U.S. Space Force as it bungles along and eventually faces an international crisis on the moon. Mimicking reality, the U.S. and China have designs on the Moon and it may not be big enough for both nations. Given the accompanying cast, such as John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, and Ben Schwartz, you know this will be one strange space ride. Patton Oswalt will join the cast in season two as a bumbling astronaut, so things can only get more insane. Think of it as a combination of The Office and The Right Stuff giving birth to “The Wrong Stuff.”

We all need a laugh at the moment, so tune in and lighten up. After that, you can look into the work of the official U.S. Space Force and start worrying again.

Note: Here is the mission statement of the real U.S. Space Force (that word “Guardians” is really in there):

The USSF is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Guardians to conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision makers military options to achieve national objectives.

Source/Credit: Official flag of the official U.S. Space Force.

Note: The real Space Force is protecting our satellites rather than running missions to the Moon, Mars, and Europa. TV shows have more latitude on such things.