• Space Quote: Senator’s Warning About NASA Cuts

    “When you pull the plug on major space science, it’s like eating your seed corn; it’s so damaging to our entire ecosystem when it comes to American leadership and innovation in this area…We will lose engineers, we will lose others to China. In fact, they are launching a major space exploration initiative.” –Statement by Maryland…

  • Good Article: Understanding Rogue Planets

    Scientific American magazine has an interesting article on rogue planets, titled “How Many Rogue Planets Roam the Milky Way?” It discusses those lonely exoplanets that may or may not have started in a solar system, but nonetheless now drift in the darkness alone. The article discusses a new paper from a team of astronomers at…

  • The Internet Satellite Race Continues, Almost

    Amazon hopes to challenge SpaceX’s Starlink system, but not just yet. The launch planned for earlier this week place 27 internet satellites into orbit as part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper was scrubbed at the last minute. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) launch, scheduled for last Wednesday, was delayed due to bad weather. If all goes…

  • Planetary Society Decries NASA Budget Cuts

    Earlier today, the Planetary Society issued a press release condemning recently announced proposed science cuts at NASA. This is the same week that the Senate heard from the nominee for NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman, who stated in his written testimony: I am an advocate for science. During these missions to space, my crew & I…

  • Pic of the Week: Swan Song for Stars

    This image is from the ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week website. It shows a colorful planetary nebula called Kohoutek 4-55, which is about 4600 light-years away. The ESA/Hubble website defines what you are seeing in this way: A planetary nebula, a glowing shell of material thrown off by a star. A small central region of…

  • Today’s NASA Nominee Hearing

    It appears Mr. Isaacman will become the next NASA Administrator based on his careful answering of questions at his nomination hearing, but there was some weakness in his support for a Moon mission in both his prepared testimony as well as his answers to later questions. In his prepared statement, Mr. Isaacman’s emphasis was Mars…

  • Space Stories: A New Crew Arrives at the ISS, More Changes at NASA, and Student Rover Competitions

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —South China Morning Post: “Rocket Carrying NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim, 2 Russian Cosmonauts Docks with Space Station“ Jonny Kim, a former Navy SEAL, Harvard Medical School graduate and now a NASA astronaut, blasted off with two cosmonaut crewmates aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket early Tuesday, chased down the International…

  • Democrats Question Musk on NASA Ties

    Timing is everything, and the Democrats opening an investigation into Elon Musk’s role at NASA the same week that the Senate grills the nominee for NASA Administrator smacks as bad timing for all the parties involved. The ranking members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform are concerned about Mr. Musk having a role…

  • Space Quote: Great Teamwork Saved Starliner

    “”Thankfully, these folks are heroes. And please print this. What do heroes look like? Well, heroes put their tank on and they run into a fiery building and pull people out of it. That’s a hero. Heroes also sit in their cubicle for decades studying their systems, and knowing their systems front and back. And…

  • Protect NASA Astrobiology Research

    The astrobiology community is looking for individuals to show their support for NASA’s efforts in this area. In a white paper highlighting the benefits of astrobiology research, some of the key points are: Preserve Astrobiology Leadership: Astrobiology is a pillar of NASA’s mission with a storied legacy that must be safeguarded. Unprecedented Discoveries Ahead: Mars,…