• Blue Ghost Lunar Lander on its Way to the Moon

    Earlier today, a SpaceX rocket successfully launched Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission. If it makes it to the lunar surface, it will be the second US mission to land on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in the 1970s. Firefly Aerospace issued a press release noting its the initial success of the…

  • Space Stories: The Disappearance of Dark Skies in Chile, Subaru Telescope Gets New Eye, and Roman Telescope Previews

    Here are some recent stories related to astronomy telescopes. —Sky & Telescope: “Industrial Project Threatens Dark Chilean Skies“ When a study in 2023 crowned Cerro Paranal the darkest observatory site in the world, astronomers must have felt reassured to have chosen the right spot. The 2,635-meter (8,645-foot) mountain in Chile’s Atacama Desert is home to the European Southern…

  • Ice Delays New Glenn Rocket Launch and Firefly Heads to the Moon

    Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launch was pushed off again earlier today when ice was found building up on one of the lines related to the hydraulic systems. At 3:09 a.m. EST, Blue Origin stated: We’re standing down on today’s launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch…

  • Movie: Star Trek: Section 31

    While we await the return of the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a new Star Trek film will premiere later this month, and this time it focuses on the dark side of the Federation. On January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere on Paramount+. If you anything about Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the…

  • Space Quote: Naming the First Space Shuttle

    “NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letter from the space-oriented “Star Trek” group asking that the name “Enterprise” be given to the craft. This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space program.” -Statement in a September 3, 1976 letter to President Richard Nixon from the Deputy Assistant to the…

  • Space Stories: Aliens Using Black Holes, Fire Approaches JPL, and New Approaches for the Mars Sample

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Universe Today: “Scientists Propose New Method to Detect Alien Civilizations via Black Holes“ A new paper looks at another way we might be able to detect advanced civilizations, and at its center is the need for energy. The more advanced a civilization becomes, the greater their need for energy…

  • Pic of the Week: Icelandic Volcanic Fissure

    This week’s image comes from NASA’s Earth Observatory. It is an image from last November showing a volcanic fissure on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula not far from the country’s capital, Reykjavík Here is more about the image from the NASA site: The image…shows lava coming from an eruptive fissure near Stóra Skógfell peak, along the Sundhnúkur…

  • Another Proposal: Moving NASA’s HQ

    This is not the same as invading Greenland or renaming the Gulf of Mexico, but one more Republican proposal is on the table. This one, from Florida’s Governor DeSantis, calls for NASA to move its headquarters from Washington, DC to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Florida Today quotes the Governor stating, They have this massive building…

  • New Glenn Rocket Launch Planned for January 10

    It appears the New Glenn rocket test will take place this Friday, January 10. Blue Origin is using the language “no earlier than,” but this is the best estimate at the moment. Here is the language from the company’s press release: New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) is targeting no earlier than Friday, January 10, from…

  • Podcast: The Future of NASA and the Space Industry

    For a good summary of the current situation at NASA and the potential potholes ahead, I recommend you listen into The Planetary Society’s Planetary Radio podcast titled “Space Policy Edition: The Challenges of Change at NASA.” You can hear host Casey Dreier, who is Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, talk with Marcia…