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This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
nasawatch@spaceref.com | Voice +1.703.787.6567 | RSS Feed | Twitter | Advertising | Important Disclaimer
Vice President Pence Swears in New NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (with video)
"It is a great privilege for me to be here today, to be able to usher in on behalf of the President of the United States what we believe is a new chapter of renewed American leadership in space with the swearing-in of the newest Administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine," said Vice President Pence."
Message from the Administrator: Greetings From Jim Bridenstine
"Greetings! It is my great pleasure to join the NASA team today. In the last few days, I have heard numerous times, "welcome to the NASA family." It truly feels like a family, and I am humbled to be a part of it. I want to thank the President and Vice President for the confidence they have placed in me and the entire NASA family as we continue NASA's critical missions. I also want to thank Robert Lightfoot for his strong leadership as the Acting Administrator during a time of transition and for his decades of service to NASA and our nation. His legacy is one of commitment to our mission and leadership in all capacities. NASA has a history of great leaders from the early days of Hugh Dryden and James Webb to our most recent leaders, Sean O'Keefe, Michael Griffin, and Charlie Bolden. I will do my best to serve our storied agency to the utmost of my abilities as we reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. NASA represents the best of our country. We lead, we discover, we pioneer, and we inspire. I look forward to our journey together. Ad astra, Jim Bridenstine"
@NASA HQ briefing underway pic.twitter.com/TLwNKCQwKl
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) April 23, 2018
Keith's note: I took this picture in the "press spray" today at NASA HQ of the all hands senior staff meeting with newly sworn-in NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Vice President Pence. This all happened at the last second. We did not expect this kind of access and then suddenly one of the VP's press people was escorting us past lots of security check points. FWIW everyone in the room seemed to be happy that the leadership issue had been settled and that Bridenstine is on board. At the meeting Pence said that President Trump wanted Bridenstine "in the Oval Office before the day is out".
The Reinvention of NASA, Harvard Business Review
"NASA today is a very different beast from the NASA of the 1960s. Though many would call that decade NASA's golden age, we'd argue that NASA's innovation and influence is even greater today."
"Since the Apollo program, NASA has faced funding cuts, competition from other nations for space leadership, and a radical restructuring of its operating environment due to the emergence of commercial space - all of which have forced the organization to change its ways of thinking and operating."
Categories: Commercialization, News
NASA Invites Media to Swearing-In of New Administrator James Bridenstine
"Media are invited to see Vice President Mike Pence swear in Jim Bridenstine as NASA's new administrator at 2:30 p.m. EDT Monday, April 23, at the agency's headquarters in Washington. The ceremony will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Following the swearing-in, Vice President Pence and newly sworn-in NASA Administrator Bridenstine will speak live with three NASA astronauts currently living and working aboard the International Space Station."
Why a 7 year old walked out of school alone, CNN
"Seven-year-old Havana Chapman-Edwards was the only student at an Alexandria, Virginia, elementary school to participate when students across the nation walked out of school in support of school shooting victims, according to her mother."
Keith's note: Watch the video. Look at what Havana Chapman-Edwards is wearing and what she wants to be when she grows up.
Keith's 19 April update: The vote tally today is 50 to 49. Jim Bridenstine is the next administrator of NASA. Vice President Pence was present in case there was a 50/50 tie. Sen. Flake waited until the last minute to vote yes and then Sen. Duckworth cast the final vote (No) for the day. Sen. McCain was not present for voting today. When/where Bridenstine will be sworn in is not known. But there is extreme interest in having Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot to hand over the Keys to NASA to Bridenstine before Lightfoot leaves NASA on Friday.
Confirmed, 50-49: Confirmation of Exec. Cal. #609 James Bridenstine, of Oklahoma, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration @NASA
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) April 19, 2018
Keith's note: I guess ULA has adopted a humpback whale as a standard unit of measure with which to compare launch vehicles. In so doing Tory Bruno is now mocking - my mockery - of his original infographic with whales - except his original used trucks and tanks - and likely had its inspiration in part from Elon Musk's space Tesla. This is kind of like featuring Space Shuttle Enterprise in the opening of "Star Trek Enterprise" when in fact Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after the original USS Enterprise in a TV show. Or something like that - with time travel.
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at the 34th Space Symposium Colorado Springs, CO
"You know, since day one of our administration, President Trump has been working to keep his promise to restore America's proud legacy of leadership in space, because the President knows that space exploration is essential to our national security, it's essential to our nation's prosperity. But the President and I also understand it is essential to the very character of America. The work each of you do in the skies and in space supports our armed forces, spurs scientific discovery, drives innovation, helps America's farmers feed the world, creates the jobs of the future, and fills the rising generation with wonder and pride. The companies represented here today, and the thousands of American companies that form your supply chains, employ men and women in all 50 states - men and women who helped build the most advanced rockets, spaceships, and satellites in the world."
Categories: TrumpSpace
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Approves Bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2018
"The U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, chaired by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), today approved the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 5503) by a vote of 26-7. The bill was introduced by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), chairman of the Space Subcommittee, and cosponsored by Chairman Smith along with 17 committee members.
- Authorizes $20.74 billion for NASA for fiscal year 2018, the level enacted in the recent Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, and $21.21 billion for NASA for fiscal year 2019
- Supports President Trump's vision of American space leadership by funding Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft
- Supports NASA using American private sector innovation and investments to unlock the economic potential of outer space"
Officially announcing that @SpaceX will start production development of the Big Falcon Rocket 🚀 in the @PortofLA!
— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) April 16, 2018
This vehicle holds the promise of taking humanity deeper into the cosmos than ever before. #SOTC2018 pic.twitter.com/2TtGy9NERX
SpaceX moving fast on Mars rocket development, BFR tent spied with more tooling, Teslarati
"Spotted inside the temporary structure thanks to open flaps and a human desire for a breeze amidst the warm Los Angeles springtime, the main cylindrical component is truly vast - large enough that the eye almost glazes over it at first glance. Dwarfing the humans clambering about it, very rough estimates using knowledge of the tent's reported area (20,000 square feet) and size comparisons with machinery blueprints suggest a diameter of around 8-10 meters (26-36 feet), loosely conforming to the expected 9m diameter of BFR, as of CEO Elon Musk's IAC 2017 update."
Categories: Commercialization
Aerospace Corporation White paper: Cislunar Development: What to Build - and Why
"The Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) released a new policy paper that explores future opportunities in cislunar space - essentially, the space inside the moon's orbit and the orbital area around the moon. Cislunar Development: What to Build - and Why discusses the possible applications for cislunar space - for example, outposts on the moon, extraterrestrial mining operations, interplanetary waystations - and determines the infrastructure that will be needed to realize those ambitious goals. Author Dr. James Vedda, senior policy analyst with CSPS, says that the cislunar region remains a largely underdeveloped resource, and any coherent, long-term strategy for space commerce and exploration will need to make better use of it."
Categories: Commercialization
Keith's earlier note: Sources report that the nomination of Rep. Jim Bridenstine to be NASA Administrator is now moving forward in the Senate along with other nominees. A vote could happen soon.
Keith's update: The floor debate and vote on Bridenstine's nomination could come as early as this Thursday thus allowing Robert Lightfoot to handover the reigns of NASA to Jim Bridenstine before Lightfoot departs on Friday.
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Exec. Cal. #609 James Bridenstine, of Oklahoma, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration @NASA
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) April 16, 2018
(revised) @NASA MSFC Center Director Todd May has talked to #NASA employees about new plans for the first 4 @NASA_SLS flights to be on identical rockets with @NASA_Orion but without crew. The first launch would be in 2021. First launch with a crew would be EM-5 in 2025/26 #34SS pic.twitter.com/z9DKCsciNe
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) April 16, 2018
Per our earlier tweet about @NASA_SLS changes, @NASA PAO says "Todd May says this is not what's being discussed for the first flights of SLS. He says he never said no crew on these flights." That said @NASAWatch stands by its earlier tweet.
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) April 16, 2018
Keith's update: NASA quietly posted the International Space Station Transition Report pursuant to Section 303(c)(2) of the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-10) a few days ago.
"This report responds to direction in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-10, hereafter "the Act"), Section 303(c)(1), to submit to Congress a report evaluating the International Space Station (ISS) as a platform for research, deep space exploration, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) spaceflight in partnership with its four foreign space agency partners, and the commercial space sector (see Appendix for text of the reporting requirement, excerpted from the Act)."
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Markup NASA Authorization Act of 2018
"TUESDAY, April 17, at 10 a.m. EDT, the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will meet to consider the following legislation: H.R. 5503, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2018, introduced today by Rep. Brian Babin (R- Texas). The legislation authorizes the programs of NASA for fiscal years 2018 and 2019."
Keith's 13 April note: According to this text of HR 5503 the ISS Transition Report has been submitted to Congress. So when will NASA release it to the public?
Sec. 202. ISS Transition (a) Findings
"(4) The ISS transition report, submitted pursuant to section 50111(c)(2) of title 51, United States Code, provides an explanation of NASA's plans to foster the development of private industry capabilities and private demand with a goal of ending direct NASA support for ISS operations by the end of fiscal year 2024.
(5) The plans laid out in the ISS transition report are conditionally flexible and require feedback to inform next steps. In addition, the feasibility of ending direct NASA support for ISS operations by the end of fiscal year 2024 is dependent on many factors, some of which are indeterminate until the Administration carries out the initial phases of the ISS transition plan."
- What About That Space Station Transition Plan NASA?, earlier post
- Did NASA Deliver The ISS Transition Plan To Congress Required By Law? Update: No, earlier post
- Is NASA Going To Break The Law By Not Delivering An ISS Transition Plan To Congress?, earlier post
- Senators Blast NASA and OMB Over Future Of ISS, earlier post
- Is Privatizing ISS A Smart Thing To Do?, earlier post
- White House Plan To Defund ISS By 2025 Moves Ahead, earlier post
- Reaction To Proposed OMB Space Station Funding Cuts, earlier post
"The United States depends on space across the full spectrum of military operations. These space systems, both U.S. government satellites and those of commercial and international partners, are vulnerable to a wide array of threats, ranging from jamming and cyberattacks to direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. While the need to improve the resiliency of space systems to different forms of attack is often discussed publicly, the progress other nations are making in developing and deploying counterspace weapons is not. Space Threat Assessment 2018 reviews and aggregates open-source information on the counterspace capabilities and activities of other nations, focusing in particular on China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The report also assesses the space and counterspace activities of select other nations and some non-state actors. This report is not a comprehensive assessment of all known threats to U.S. space systems because many capabilities and activities are not publicly known. Instead, it provides an unclassified assessment that aggregates and highlights publicly available information and makes it accessible for policymakers and the general public." Read the full report here.
Categories: Military Space
NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 20 April 2018 - Final External Materials Experiment Activated 
The outside of the International Space Station is a harsh environment but scientists are taking advantage of the extreme conditions to conduct advanced space research.