• Space Quote: The Cutting Continues at NASA

    “Good work by @NASA this week:-Eliminated their unused Purchasing Cards (~80%)-Terminated ~$420M in unneeded contracts, including $45M ($15M each) to three separate consultants, all for “Change Management Support Services”” -Statement on Twitter/X by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The specific “unneeded” contacts being cut beyond the three provided contracts is unclear. What is the…

  • Astronomy Question: The Coldest Planet

    Multiple Choice: What is the coldest planet in our solar system? A. JupiterB. SaturnC. UranusD. Neptune Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Wernher von Braun

    On this day in 1912, Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was born in Wyrzysk (once German, now Polish). He became an aerospace engineer for both the Germans during World War II as well as the Americans following the war. Wernher von Braun designed the V-2 rocket that terrorized Great Britain during the war. He…

  • You Knew It Was Coming – NASA Modifies Artemis Language

    As I had noted earlier, the Trump administration’s deconstruction of DEI was bound to lead to a change in the Artemis mission language. Here is the old language from the NASA site (from the time of the first Trump administration): And now the new language on today’s page: See any differences? That last sentence discussing…

  • Television: Murderbot is Almost Here

    After all the speculation, the Murderbot television series from Apple TV+ premieres on May 16. If you are a fan of The Murderbot Diaries books by Martha Wells, you know what you are in for. And if you are new to this story, you have missed out on some great storytelling. I can only hope…

  • Pic of the Week: Very Different Neighborhoods

    This week’s image is from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It shows what appears to be two close neighbors – a star and a galaxy – but looks can be deceiving. Here is more from NASA about this image: This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling spiral galaxy paired with a prominent star,…

  • What’s Next for Boeing’s Starliner?

    With the first Boeing Starliner crew now back on Earth after an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), it is time to ask whether there will be a third Starliner attempt. According to Reuters, NASA is currently considering a third uncrewed attempt. Steve Stich, chief of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, stated the following…

  • Space Stories: JWST Exoplanet Images, Nearby Exoplanets Located, and Exoplanet Biosignatures,

    Here are some recent stories of interest related to exoplanets. —Webbtelescope.org: “NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide“ The first planet outside our solar system was discovered in the 1990’s, but it wasn’t until more than a decade later astronomers actually obtained a direct image of one. It’s extremely difficult to image an exoplanet,…

  • Blue Ghost: Mission Accomplished

    NASA and Firefly Aerospace plan to have a news conference tomorrow at 2pm to discuss the end of the Blue Ghost mission on the Moon. The lunar lander set down on March 2. It began its mission immediately, knowing the disappearance of the Sun on March 16 would mark the end its work. Those speaking…

  • A Different Take on the Lunar Eclipse

    If you were lucky enough to capture the total lunar eclipse last Friday, you are lucky. However, the image above shows a very different view of the event from an even luckier little craft on the Moon’s surface. That’s right, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander took a moment away from its work to snap this…