• Whatever Happened to Bigelow’s Space Hotels?

    Do you remember all of the talk about inflatable space hotels? Back in 2018, the U.S. space company Bigelow stated these expandable space station components would be launched by 2021: With the two launches of B330-1 and B330-2 expected in 2021, the time is now in 2018 to begin BSO activity. These single structures that…

  • Canada Wants its Own Space Force

    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…

  • Does Musk Still Want Mars?

    It was Stephen R. Covey who said, “When you have too many top priorities, you effectively have no top priorities.” Is that where we are today with Elon Musk as he buys Twitter and puts his fortune and name on the line? I thought he was the man with ideas for transforming our auto industry…

  • The Latest on Exocomets

    We have all heard about exoplanets and exomoons, but what about exocomets? It appears the bodies we can observe outside of our solar system are getting even smaller. In a Scientific American article, “Ukrainian Astronomers Discover ‘Exocomets’ around Another Star,” we learn about Ukrainian astronomers who found five such comets using data from NASA’s Transiting…

  • Bernie Sanders Has Questions About Private Space Companies

    In a recent The Guardian newspaper editorial, Bernie Sanders had some questions about the role of private companies, such as Blue Origin and SpaceX, in the future of space exploration or, as he sees it, space profiteering. In his editorial, “Jeff Bezos is worth $160bn – yet Congress might bail out his space company,” he…

  • Earth Day: Let’s Cut Back on Satellites

    An article in Nature is encouraging a new approach to satellites as we recognize Earth Day. The article, “The Case for Space Environmentalism,” highlights the growth of satellites (estimated to reach more than 100,000 by the end of the decade) and related debris as well as its impact on professional astronomy, public stargazing, and the…

  • Pic of the Week: Stars and Planets over Portugal

    This week’s photo is an amazing night shot in Portugal showing planets, stars, and galaxies. Here is the full description from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day: The mission was to document night-flying birds — but it ended up also documenting a beautiful sky. The featured wide-angle mosaic was taken over the steppe golden fields in Mértola, Portugal in 2020. From such…

  • White House: U.S. Anti-Satellite Testing to End

    Earlier this week, Vice President Harris announced that the United States will no longer conduct anti-satellite missile testing in space. In her statement, she highlighted the dangers caused by the related satellite debris. From Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, she stated: I am pleased to announce that as of today, the United States commits…

  • A Day in Astronomy: The Launch of Salyut 1

    On this day in 1971, the Soviet Union launched Salyut 1, mankind’s first space station. The station was visited only once by a Soyuz 11 crew for 24 days, who had to cut their mission short do to technical problems, including an electrical fire. The crew died of asphyxia on the trip back to Earth.…

  • Podcast: More on the James Webb Space Telescope

    I wanted to highlight another astronomy interview from Alan Alda’s Clear+Vivid podcast, in this case involving a mother and daughter team. Astronomers Natalie and Natasha Batalha discuss “Looking for Life on Alien Worlds” using the new James Webb Space Telescope. The two guests discuss upcoming efforts to better understand the 5,000+ planets that have already…