• Space Stories: NASA Kills Student Program, NASA Science Groups Stalled, and Moon Mission Untouched So Far

    Here are some recent stories of interest related to changes at NASA. —Science: “DEI Order Grounds NASA Program to Link Undergraduates with Mission Scientists“ At NASA, officials are moving quickly to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order directing agencies to cease funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. NASA has already informed researchers supported…

  • Movie: Mickey 17 Premieres Next Month

    Last April I mentioned the pending arrival of the movie Mickey 17, based on Edward Ashton’s book Mickey 7. Well, the movie premieres in theaters on March 7 (even though the poster above has the date 1/31/25). The first trailer was released four months back, while the second trailer came out two weeks ago. Both…

  • Space Quote: A Close Call in 2032?

    “We do want to keep an eye on it. We do take it seriously, but we want to put it in perspective … There’s still a very low probability that it would even impact the Earth at all.” -Statement by Kelly Fast, the acting planetary defense officer for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, as quoted…

  • Study Findings: An Evaporite Sequence from Ancient Brine Recorded in Bennu Samples

    Nature abstract of the study findings: Evaporation or freezing of water-rich fluids with dilute concentrations of dissolved salts can produce brines, as observed in closed basins on Earth and detected by remote sensing on icy bodies in the outer Solar System. The mineralogical evolution of these brines is well understood in regard to terrestrial environments, but poorly constrained…

  • Astronomy Question: Space Odyssey Businesses

    Multiple Choice: What commercial brand listed below was shown in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey? A. Hilton Hotels. B. Macy’s department store.C. Aeroflot airlines.D. BBC news. Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • Pic of the Week: Jupiter’s Swirling Polar Region

    This week’s image comes from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which captured these images of Jupiter’s north polar region. The spacecraft came within 6,800 miles of the clouds you see. Launched in August 2011, the Juno spacecraft has been studying Jupiter since 2016 to better understand the origin and evolution of the planet. You can learn more…

  • Happy Lunar New Year!

  • Space Quote: Okay, Elon, We Already Took Care of It

    “The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.” -Statement tweeted by Elon Musk regarding the two astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) following issues with the Boeing Starliner. Of…

  • Space Stories: Advertising in Space, Israeli Astronaut, and Mysterious Deep Space Signals

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Space News: “Astronomers Seek Global Ban on Space Advertising“ Astronomers are calling on nations to ban advertising in space that can be seen from the ground, calling it the latest threat to the dark and quiet sky. At a briefing during the 245th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society…

  • It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s That Dumb Car

    A near-Earth object (NEO) recently designated as 2018 CN41 ultimately was deleted because it was determined to be the Tesla Roadster launched into space back in 2018. As noted in an Astronomy article, this type of confusion over orbiting objects, including legitimate spacecraft looping past the Earth, need to be better cataloged and shared among…