• Podcast: Discussing Science Fiction and Astronomy with Andy Weir & Rob Manning

    If you have not yet tapped into The Planetary Society’s podcast Planetary Radio, then now is the time to do so. Host Mat Kaplan and his guests had a great time on the recent podcast, One Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning. Both Andy Weir (author of…

  • NASA Claims U.S. in a Space Race with China, Again

    A recent Politico interview with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson covered old ground about the Chinese taking possession of the Moon and yet seemed to get some media play in the quiet post-holiday period. As I said, it is nothing new (see this earlier news clip) nor should it be a surprise. Yes, the U.S. is…

  • Top Astronomy Stories in 2022

    Given that 2022 was a busy year, I thought I would highlight the top astronomy stories on the site – the good and the bad covering space missions to TV shows. Unlike other websites, I waited until the new year to create the list just in case we were visited by extraterrestrials. In this way,…

  • Space Quote: Is Opaque SpaceX the Only Game in Town?

    “Nobody really knows anything about the financials of SpaceX…No balance sheet or financial report is available. We have a very large company of 10,000 people — a main contractor to NASA and the Defense Department — and there is absolutely no information available on its financial health.” -Statement by Pierre Lionnet, the research and managing…

  • Space Stories: Chinese Space Partnerships, Approaching Comet, and European Rocket Shortage

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —SpaceNews.com: “China Looks to Build Space Partnerships with Gulf Nations“ China is aiming to grow cooperation with emerging space nations including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Space was named as one of a number of priority areas for the next three to five years during the first China-Gulf…

  • Pic of the Week: Stunning Auroras

    This week’s image is from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Year in Images 2022 collection and shows a view from the International Space Station (ISS). Here is the description of the image from the ESA: Aurorae observed by ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard the International Space Station for her Minerva Mission. She shared these images…

  • A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Astronomer Johannes Kepler

    It was on December 27, 1571 that German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer Johannes Kepler was born in the Free Imperial City of Weil der Stadt. He is best remembered for his laws of planetary motion, though he had many discoveries, including: Kepler’s name is also attached to a NASA space telescope launched into space in 2009 that was designed…

  • Looking to Experience Mars? It is Possible Today

    The Mars Society is looking for volunteers who want to experience what it would be like to live on Mars. Don’t worry, you do not need to spend months traveling to get there, but you can experience the cold and isolation of the Red Planet while never leaving the Blue Planet. The Mars Society is…

  • Passengers on the “Uncrewed” Orion

    Much has been discussed about the test dummies used on the Orion capsule during the recent Artemis I mission. And stories abound about the snoopy doll (show below) being the “zero-gravity” indicator on the Orion. But have you heard about the four Danish passengers on the capsule? The Danish company Lego had four toy astronauts…

  • Why Attack a Telescope?

    A recent Phyls.org article, “Chile’s ALMA Observatory Resumes Work After Cyberattack,” discusses a recent hacking incident at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The telescope was offline for about two months after the attack. The ALMA telescope in northern Chile is a key asset in the search for early galaxies with…