• Space Stories: SPHEREx Starts Mapping, Studying an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere, and Explosive Diamonds

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Engadget: “NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Has Begun its Mission to Map the Entire Sky in 3D“ A space observatory designed to map the entire sky over a period of two years to further our understanding of the early universe has started snapping images. SPHEREx, which launched in early March,…

  • Happenings with the Chinese Space Station

    The Chinese space program continues to operate and advance as NASA faces daunting cuts and general disorientation under the Department of Government Efficiency (a misnomer if there ever was one). On April 24, China sent three new astronauts (the Shenzhou-20 crew) to its Tiangong space station, while three astronauts (the Shenzhou-19 crew) safely returned from…

  • May the 4th Be With You

  • Trump Administration Proposes 25 Percent Cut to NASA’s Budget

    It should come as no surprise at this point that NASA will fall victim to massive budget cuts like so many other civilian agencies. While it will not disappear like the US Agency for International Development, it will be severely wounded as the result of a proposed 25 percent cut to its budget. The White…

  • Space Quote: Escaping the Aches and Pains of Earth

    “You’re floating, and your body, all these little aches and pains, and everything heal up, and you feel like you’re 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything, and ready to do your mission work. So, I love being in orbit. It’s a great place to be for me and my physiology.”…

  • Pic of the Week: Here Comes the Sun

    This week’s image comes from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Using a newly developed Visible Tunable Filter, it is able to produce detailed images of the Sun’s surface. Carrie Black, NSF program director for the NSF National Solar Observatory, stated: When powerful solar storms hit Earth, they impact critical infrastructure…

  • Space Stories: Kuiper Launch, NASA Workforce Cuts, and Prepping for Moon Landing

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —ABC News: “Amazon Launches First Kuiper Internet Satellites, Taking on Starlink“ The first 27 satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband internet constellation were launched into space from Florida on Monday, kicking off the long-delayed deployment of an internet-from-space network that will rival SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellites are the first of…

  • Podcast: The Planetary Society’s 45th Anniversary

    if you missed the April 5th event celebrating the Planetary Society’s 45th anniversary, you can still tap into it via the Planetary Radio podcast. Here is a little more on the event and related discussion: Join us aboard the historic RMS Queen Mary for a celebration of The Planetary Society’s 45th anniversary. In this special…

  • Space Quote: Gambling with the NASA Administrator Nominee

    “In my early 20s, I was fortunate to experience business success at a young age, and I spent time in casinos as an immature hobby…The legal matters referenced were, in fact, forms of negotiation and were all resolved promptly. The incident at the border, following my return from the Olympics, stemmed from a payment issue…

  • Where Is This? April 2025 Quiz

    Take a look at the image above. Can you determine where this image originated? Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Where is This? The Answer Sheet” page.