• Space Stories: Damaged Space Antenna, Dark Matter as Weighty Matter, and a Stable Ocean on Enceladus

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —SpaceNews.com: “Key Antenna in NASA’s Deep Space Network Damaged“ One of the largest antennas in NASA’s Deep Space Network was damaged in September and may be out of service for an extended period, further straining the system. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed Nov. 10 that the 70-meter antenna…

  • Bookshelf: The Giant Leap by Caleb Scharf

    If you are looking for a new book to read, you might want to check out The Giant Leap by Caleb Scharf, who is director of astrobiology at Columbia University and the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Here is a quick blurb from the publisher: The story of life has always…

  • Space Quote: The New Galileo, or Just a Dreamer?

    “This is an example from the modern world of what the Vatican did at the time of Galileo…People have their own prejudices. I don’t have any problem with that…The whole idea of doing science is to maintain an agnostic point of view, be curious, wonder over the possibilities…It’s what makes science exciting.” -Statement by Israel-born…

  • The New Glenn Launch to Mars Scheduled for Tomorrow

    Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is scheduled to be launched tomorrow afternoon with two Martian probes on board. A lot is riding on tomorrow’s launch. The mission is important for Blue Origin, as it tests its new rocket with its first real mission. It is also important to NASA, which is using the probes to…

  • Congresswoman Seeks More Data on Interstellar Comet

    Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is very interested in obtaining some additional observational data from NASA regarding the interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS. In her letter to NASA (shown below), she said the information is “…of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system.” It appears this…

  • Pic of the Week: Pismis 24

    This week’s amazingly vibrant image was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It shows a young star cluster, called Pismis 24, which is approximately 5,500 light-years away. Here is the rest of the story from the European Space Agency (ESA): What appears to be a craggy, starlit mountaintop kissed by wispy clouds is…

  • Movie: The Age of Disclosure

    If you have questions about UFOs, now fashionable called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to presumably add some seriousness and move it away from the kooky crowd, you might want to check out the upcoming film The Age of Disclosure. It will be available on November 21 on Amazon Prime as well as at select theaters.…

  • If at First You Don’t Succeed: Jared Isaacman is Really Back

    President Trump has had a change of heart on Jared Isaacman, his initial nominee for NASA administrator until he withdrew that nomination earlier this year. Earlier today, the President posted the following: Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the…

  • Space Stories: New Exoplanets in a Binary Star System, the Secret “Athena” Plan for NASA, and an Interstellar “Tunnel”

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —University of Liege: “Three Earth-sized Planets Discovered in a Compact Binary System“ An international team of researchers has just revealed the existence of three Earth-sized planets in the binary stellar system TOI-2267 located about 190 light-years away. This discovery, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, is remarkable as it…

  • A Day in Astronomy: The Arrival of the Expedition 1 Crew at the ISS

    It was 25 years ago on this day that the Expedition 1 crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), which marked the beginning of very successful space collaboration between five space agencies from the United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan, and Canada. The Expedition 1 crew, arriving at the ISS aboard a Russian…