• Movie: The Mandalorian and Grogu

    On May 22, The Mandalorian will go from our TV screens to the movie screens with the premiere of The Mandorian and Grogu. Overall, this is the story in the film (and this trailer helps to visualize it all): The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling…

  • Artemis II Was a Success

    We are now one step closer to putting astronauts on the Moon, again. The Artemis II crew safely landed off the coast of California earlier today after a 10-day, 694,481 mile trip around the Moon. Now NASA needs to spend some time reviewing the results, including the 7,000 images taken of the Moon and surroundings. NASA…

  • Pic of the Week: Earthset from Orion

    This week’s image was captured by the Orion spacecraft Integrity during its Moon flyby on April 6, 2026. It puts a lot of today’s politics into perspective. As the Earth was setting, NASA pilot Victor Glover stated: And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon.…

  • Martian Helicopters Give NASA More Options

    With NASA’s announcement the other week about its plan to use helicopters again on Mars, at least we know we will have something to augment the two remaining rovers. The Mars rovers continue to do a bang-up job on the Martian surface, but the bangs are also taking a toll on the tires of at…

  • Space Stories: A New Type of Telescope to Spot Exoplanets, Walking Martian Robots, and Terraforming Mars in 15 Years

    Here are some recent space-related stories. —Astronomy.com: “Could this Telescope Find Life on Alien Worlds?“ The ExoLife Finder (ELF) looks like no telescope ever built. A spectacular crown of 15 five-meter mirrors perches atop a sprawling metal lattice, resembling petals on a 10-story-tall mechanical flower — more sculpture than observatory. It is a fundamentally new type…

  • Artemis Quote: A New Feat for Humanity

    “From the cabin of Integrity here, as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything…

  • Where are the Chinese in this Moon Race?

    Now that Artemis II is well underway as NASA prepares for an eventual crewed landing on the Moon, one might ask where the Chinese are in their own race for the Moon. The answer is that the Chinese are moving along with their program as well, as noted in a recent Ars Technica article that…

  • Movie: Dune: Part Three Returns in December 2026

    With all eyes on the Moon mission, it is worth revisiting the musings of Frank Herbert as he provided one possible path for mankind. While the Dune: Part Three movie is not set to premiere until December, the first trailer is out to prepare us for what is to come, and it is a powerful…

  • Space Quote: OMB is Just in Time to Ruin the Moon Party

    “The Planetary Society is deeply disappointed by this budget proposal. The White House’s budgeting office has put forward the same budget cuts to NASA and NASA Science that were rejected by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress last year. This proposal needlessly resurrects an existential threat to U.S. leadership in space science and exploration.” -Statement from…

  • Pic of the Week: The Artemis II Crew

    This week’s image shows the Artemis II crew – NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, NASA Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. It looks like a movie poster, which makes sense given that it is one of the better shows this year and lasts for 10 days. You can…