• RIP: Ed Smylie, NASA Engineer

    Last month, former NASA engineer Ed Smylie passed away at the age of 95. He is best known for his efforts leading a NASA team that saved the Apollo 13 crew after the capsule experienced the onboard explosion of an oxygen canister. His quick efforts saved the crew, allowing them to return home safely. You…

  • A Day in Astronomy: President Kennedy’s Call to Put a Man on the Moon

    On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress and called for landing a man on the Moon. An excerpt from that address is provided below: First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on…

  • Space Quote: Oops – Sorry About All That Excitement About K2-18b

    “We found the data we have so far is much too noisy for the proof that would be needed to make that claim…There’s just not enough certainty to say one way or the other.” –Statement by Rafael Luque, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago, regarding stories last month about the possible detection of…

  • Upcoming International Space Development Conference

    You may not like the idea of spending any part of the summer in hot and humid Florida, but the National Space Society has a good reason for you to go anyway. It is holding its 43rd annual International Space Development Conference from June 19 to 22 in Orlando, Florida. Some of the guests during…

  • Pic of the Week: Flower Moon from the ISS

    While it almost looks like the Death Star on the horizon, you are looking at this month’s Flower Moon, as captured by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers from the ISS. This month’s Moon was called the “Three-Milkings Month” back in 703 AD, but now it has a Native American name, either the Flower Moon, the Corn…

  • Podcast: Terra-forming Mars

    I recommend you check out the recent episode from the Cool Worlds Podcast about the water and atmosphere on Mars and how it has changed and may change again, with and without the intervention of humans. The episode, “Edwin Kite – Early Mars, Terraforming/Settling Mars,” is a discussion between podcast host David Kipping and Edwin Kite, Professor…

  • Space Stories: New Bacterial Species at NASA, Geologic Life on Venus, and Water Found in Distant Solar System

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —SciTechDaily: “NASA Just Found New Signs of Life Inside Venus – Geologic Life, That Is“ Vast, circular features on the surface of Venus may be signs that the planet is still geologically active. That’s according to new research based on data collected over 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan…

  • Ed Helms and Lunar Nukes

    Actor Ed Helms is making his rounds to sell his book Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups. One of the stories he tells is about the US “planting nukes on the moon.” Is this true? Yes, it was a top secret effort called Project A119, with the goal of exploding a hydrogen bomb…

  • NASA Advisory Groups Share Concerns About Budget Cuts

    NASA Watch published a letter from representatives of the agency’s advisory groups, including: The letter highlights the importance of science initiatives at NASA at a time when drastic budget cuts are being considered, and quotes Carl Sagan: Cutting off fundamental, curiosity-driven science is like eating the seed corn. We may have a little more to…

  • One More Nation Signs the Artemis Accords

    With the recent addition of Norway, 55 nations have now signed the Artemis Accords. And what do the Artemis Accords ask of nations? Here is the purpose of the agreement, which started back in 2020: The purpose of these Accords is to establish a common vision via a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best…