RD Promotion Process Survey (Jan 2016), LaRC Survey at Surveymonkey “The RD Promotion Process Team is evaluating the efficiency and transparency of the promotion process for AST’s and technicians in RD. The top-level goals of this team are to evaluate and recommend improvements to the RD promotion process that will improve the efficiency and transparency of these processes for all AST’s and technicians in RD.” Keith’s 1 Feb update: The […]
Why investors are following Musk, Bezos in betting on the stars, Washington Post “The new space investors are catching up with the slow, but growing development of the commercial space sector, which NASA has been fostering for years. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, NASA has awarded billions of dollars in contracts to commercial companies so that they could develop rockets to fly cargo and, eventually, astronauts […]
NASA isn’t going to touch B.o.B.’s flat-Earth rant, Washington Post . “Here’s the anthology of the bizarre-o flap: The rapper began sharing images and whack-job conspiracy theories in support of his position on Sunday. After astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stepped in to school him, B.o.B. threw shade at the scientist and the space agency in a diss track. … Tyson even enlisted his nephew to pen a song responding to […]
My Aunt, Judy Resnik, by Jenna Resnik “You can shape your destiny and create your future, if only you try. Go find your ‘other world’, and remember that if you shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. The sky’s the limit, people! Lastly, during all of your future endeavors, don’t let what anyone else thinks get in your way, because as Aunt Judy said, […]
McCarthy Introduces Legislation to Reinstate Ban on Russian Rocket Engines “Today, Congressman Kevin McCarthy introduced legislation to reinstate congressionally imposed restrictions on the purchase of RD-180 rocket engines (Russian rocket engines) for military space launches. This bill repeals language from the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that not only allows for the unlimited purchase of Russian rocket engines, but also undermines months of transparent debate and bipartisan policy the […]
NASA Remembers Its Fallen Heroes, 30th Anniversary of Challenger Accident “NASA will pay will tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency’s Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 28, the 30th anniversary of the Challenger accident. NASA’s Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration […]
Accomack Supervisors Blasted With Issues, Eastern Shore Post “The rocket that malfunctioned at Wallops Island in October 2014 showed a grim picture of what could happen to nearby landowners. NASA’s blast zone is worrying those who reside inside, people whose families have lived on the farms for generations. Some are scared of property damage while others are wondering just how the designation will shape their future. “It ought to be […]
An astronaut’s complaint about the president perfectly captures what is wrong with NASA, TechInsider “During a Reddit AMA from the International Space Station on Jan. 23 Astronaut Scott Kelly called out the US government for its lack of financial support for NASA. When a Reddit user asked Kelly what he’d like to see the next president of the United States do, Kelly had an interesting answer: “I would like the […]
Space Advocates Like To Talk To Themselves (Sept 2015) “Rick Tumlinson and his New World Institute had all the space advocates in Washington all pumped up for his “Pioneering Space National Summit” event in February 2015. No media were allowed in. If one were to believe all of the pre-game hype, discussions were to be had amongst the pillars of the space community, and momentous statements intended to break the […]
OPM Status “Applies to: Applies to: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC area are CLOSED. Emergency and telework-ready employees required to work must follow their agency’s policies, including written telework agreements.” Snow Covered Washington DC Metro Area Seen From Space “The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this natural-color image of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. on January 24, 2016.”