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Personal Things On Board Odysseus – Resting On The Moon
Personal Things On Board Odysseus – Resting On The Moon

Keith’s note: A few weeks ago a robotic explorer named Odysseus completed a journey – one not unlike its mythological human namesake undertook – and struggled ashore at the south pole of the Moon. While injured and out of sorts for a while, Odysseus managed to accomplish much of what it had been tasked to do – starting with a precision landing in a place no human or droid has ever visited before. The way that Odysseus made it to the lunar surface involved some truly heroic thinking the mission control team – rather fitting for a space droid named after a hero.

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 11, 2024
103 Ways To Say Water In Space
103 Ways To Say Water In Space

Keith’s note: I have been living with the image in my mind of the Pioneer plaques and Voyager Golden Records heading across the outer solar system and into interstellar space for half a century. To me, that was the most Carl Sagan – of Carl Sagan – ideas. All these years later – despite its Disco era origins – it transcends time well – which is exactly what you want a message to the inhabitants of another solar system to embody. Well, NASA just did something as cool – and in some ways even cooler. More at An Astrobiology Droid Asks And Answers ‘How Many Ways Can You Say Water’?

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 9, 2024
Will Mars Sample Return Ever Return A Mars Sample?
Will Mars Sample Return Ever Return A Mars Sample?

Keith’s note: Mars Sample Return, however well-intentioned and lauded by advisory committees, has been tossed around and modified and rescheduled so many times that it is no longer clear what it should do – or if it is even needed. It has always been somewhat gospel that NASA would not send human crews to Mars until a sample return mission had allowed the question of current life to be addressed. The current scenario has a Mars sample return to Earth in 2033 and (one would guess) basic findings a year later. A decade ago NASA talked about sending humans to Mars in the mid 2030s. Now it is the 2040s. Given the increasingly slow pace and out of control costs with which NASA develops human spaceflight capabilities, in order to meet a mid 2040s goal, basic mission design and hardware development needs to happen shortly after the sample comes back to Earth. Add in recent JPL layoffs, private plans by SpaceX et al to simply go there regardless of a sample return mission, and China’s plans to do sample return sooner than the U.S., and the entire NASA Mars Sample Return paradigm has become hopelessly clouded and conflicted. Given incredible advances in nanotechnology and genomics perhaps it is time to consider in situ life detection missions that actually look for life instead of sniffing around the edges. Here is what NASA OIG said the other day:

  • The trajectory of the MSR Program’s life-cycle cost estimate, which has grown from $2.5 to $3 billion in July 2020, to $6.2 billion at KDP-B in September 2022, to an unofficial estimate of $7.4 billion as of June 2023 raises questions about the affordability of the Program. Characteristics intrinsic to big and complex missions like the MSR Program are hard to quantify in estimates but can drive project costs upwards throughout development. These include fully understanding the mission’s complexity, initial over-optimism, a less than optimal design/architecture, and the team’s ability to perform to expectations. When developing its cost and schedule estimate for KDP-C, and as the MSR Program addresses its architecture issues, Program management must consider these intrinsic characteristics and not attribute past cost growth to just the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, or supply chain issues.
  • Additionally, MSR Program formulation is impacted by coordination challenges between NASA and ESA. While communication processes are formally documented and being followed, NASA and ESA are experiencing issues related to schedule transparency, asynchronous design progress, and mass allocation, which appear to stem from differing operational approaches, acquisition strategies, and agency funding mechanisms. The CCRS project team noted that significant progress has been made addressing interface issues between the two entities.
  • The MSR Program recently acknowledged it likely cannot meet the life-cycle cost estimate and launch dates established at KDP-B. A September 2023 report by an Independent Review Board recommended the Program consider modifications to specific mission designs. Accordingly, it is critical that before the MSR Program is approved to proceed from formulation into development, viable alternatives to the Program’s mission architecture are considered—including mission launch and sample return alternatives—as well as the value of the samples returned, the Program’s schedule, life-cycle cost estimate, and the Agency’s historic leadership position in space exploration.
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  • NASA Watch
  • March 1, 2024
Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved
Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved

“The integration of biology and spacefaring has led to the development of three interrelated fields: Astrobiology, Bioastronautics, and Space Bioprocess Engineering. Astrobiology is concerned with the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, while Bioastronautics focuses on the effects of spaceflight on biological systems, including human physiology and psychology. Space Bioprocess Engineering, on the other hand, deals with the design, deployment, and management of biotechnology for human exploration. This paper highlights the unique contributions of each field and outlines opportunities for biologists to engage in these exciting avenues of research. By providing a clear overview of the major fields of biology and spacefaring, this paper serves as a valuable resource for scientists and researchers interested in exploring the integration of these disciplines.” More here: “Astrobiology, Bioastronautics, And Space Bioprocess Engineering: Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved

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  • NASA Watch
  • February 6, 2024
An Amazing Interview About The Little Mars Helicopter That Could
An Amazing Interview About The Little Mars Helicopter That Could

Keith’s note: You’ll never hear about this from NASA – but WBUR’s “OnPoint” program just covered the amazing saga of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter [Listen here]. I’ve listened to lots of space coverage – for a very long time – as a young boy and not so young adult. I have to say, “on Point” host Meghna Chakrabarti did a truly masterful interview with the Ingenuity team. Not only did she do her homework in advance, but she took the time to tease out the special little things from the team that made this little project a big success. More below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • February 6, 2024
NASAWatch On CGTN: Breaking Some News About Chinese Moon Samples
NASAWatch On CGTN: Breaking Some News About Chinese Moon Samples

Keith’s note: I was on CGTN tonight talking about China’s space activities. [Audio] The discussion touched on newly-announced collaboration between China and Egypt. I mentioned that NASA recently announced that U.S. researchers are now free to submit requests for samples from China’s Chang’e 5 lunar sample return mission. Apparently I broke a little news tonight according to CGTN. NASA’s 29 November 2023 email to researchers announcing this opportunity is below:

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  • NASA Watch
  • December 14, 2023
The Artemis Generation Uses Webb To View The Heart Of Our Galaxy
The Artemis Generation Uses Webb To View The Heart Of Our Galaxy

Keith’s note: One of the more profound things generated by the Webb Space Telescope is this view of the center of our galaxy. Contrary to what you’d think, the observation team’s Principal Investigator on this image wasn’t some middle-aged, tenured professor. Instead, he’s an undergrad at UVA. According to a NASA release “There’s never been any infrared data on this region with the level of resolution and sensitivity we get with Webb, so we are seeing lots of features here for the first time,” said the observation team’s principal investigator Samuel Crowe, an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. “Webb reveals an incredible amount of detail, allowing us to study star formation in this sort of environment in a way that wasn’t possible previously.” The Artemis Generation is making its mark. See “UVA’s Young, Rising Astronomy Star” for more about Samuel Crowe.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 26, 2023
Talking About Euclid’s Stellar Cartography On BBC World Service
Talking About Euclid’s Stellar Cartography On BBC World Service

Keith’s note: I just did an interview on BBC World Service’s program “Outside Source” a few minutes ago about the stunning new imagery from Euclid. I used the stellar cartography scene from “Star Trek Generations” as my illustrative image (on radio). They’ll be playing this during the day and posting it online to a weekly audience of 364+ million. I emphasized how this is the sort of mission that has applicability to everyone everywhere – scientist or non-scientist alike. Meanwhile here is my [Audio] of the interview. I’ll post the BBC’s link later.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 7, 2023
Annual NASA OIG Report: Great Science – Poor Project Management
Annual NASA OIG Report: Great Science – Poor Project Management

Keith’s note: The annual NASA OIG look at issues confronting NASA is out and nothing has changed. NASA still accomplishes astonishing things yet that is challenged by the fact that NASA still cannot figure out what things cost or deliver them on time. “… Despite these important achievements, substantial cost growth and lengthy schedule delays continue to impact not only human space flight programs, like the Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, but also other major science and exploratory programs, projects, and missions. In addition, the International Space Station’s planned retirement at the end of the decade poses a challenge for the Agency as it seeks to maintain an active human presence in low Earth orbit. The Agency also faces long-standing challenges managing its information technology; overseeing contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements; ensuring it attracts and retains a highly technical and diverse workforce; and managing outdated infrastructure and facilities.” Full report: OIG 2023 Report on NASA’s Top Management and Performance Challenges

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 1, 2023
Asteroid Bennu Sample Contains Carbon And Water
Asteroid Bennu Sample Contains Carbon And Water

According to NASA “Initial studies of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and brought to Earth by NASA show evidence of water and high-carbon content, which together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock. NASA made the news Wednesday from its Johnson Space Center in Houston where leadership and scientists showed off the asteroid material for the first time since it landed in September.” Keith’s note: A student in the audience at JSC asked the NASA OSIRIS_REx panel “where did asteroid Bennu come from?” A basic question people in the real world might want to know. The NASA panelists laughed at his question and the audience chuckled at NASA’s reaction. Not a smart thing for NASA SMD and PAO staff to do. Just sayin’.

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 11, 2023
NASA Decides To Let New Horizons to Continue Exploring Outer Solar System
NASA Decides To Let New Horizons to Continue Exploring Outer Solar System

Keith’s note: According to NASA SMD PAO: “NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons’ mission of exploration of the outer solar system. Beginning in fiscal year 2025, New Horizons will focus on gathering unique heliophysics data, which can be readily obtained during an extended, low-activity mode of operations. While the science community is not currently aware of any reachable Kuiper Belt object, this new path allows for […]

  • NASA Watch
  • September 29, 2023
IMF Lauds India For A Moon Landing Costing Less Than A Big SciFI Movie
IMF Lauds India For A Moon Landing Costing Less Than A Big SciFI Movie

Keith’s Note: According to the Times of India: “I congratulate you on the Moon landing. But as an economist let me congratulate you for doing it in a budget less than that of the movie, ‘Interstellar’. Bravo!” International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Georgieva was quoted by a source as saying at a meeting during the G20.” FYI “Interstellar” cost $165 million. “Gravity” cost $100 million. “The Martian” cost $108 million. Chandrayaan-3 will end up costing around $75 million. Just sayin, NASA.

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  • NASA Watch
  • September 12, 2023
NASA’s UAP Report – That Is Not Really A UAP Report – To Be Released
NASA’s UAP Report – That Is Not Really A UAP Report – To Be Released

Keith’s note: As was the case with the prior NASA UAP event no one will actually say anything other than “we need to looking this UFO UAP thing“. According to NASA PAO: “NASA will host a media briefing at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 14, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington to discuss the findings from an unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) independent study team it commissioned in 2022. About 30 minutes before the briefing, the agency will publish the team’s full report online, which aims to inform NASA on what possible data could be collected in the future to shed light on the nature and origin of UAP. The report is not a review or assessment of previous unidentifiable observations More

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  • NASA Watch
  • September 12, 2023
NASA Wants To Turn New Horizons Off
NASA Wants To Turn New Horizons Off

Keith’s note: A story is now widely circulating within the planetary science community that NASA SMD has asked for cost estimates to put the New Horizons spacecraft into hibernation. This would halt all Kuiper Belt science – which is an especially baffling thing for NASA to do since a Decadal Survey supported the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in the first place. A fully functional, billion dollar mission is to be turned off for lack of a few million dollars – with no plan if or when to turn it back on. Space leaders have protested but that was answered with silence from NASA. In June you may recall that I posted “There May Be A Second Kuiper Belt And New Horizons Is Headed There“ that noted “In a meeting today of the NASA New Horizons Science Team a presentation strongly suggests that our solar system actually has a second Kuiper Belt.” Papers are in work but now NASA SMD wants to shut the spacecraft off before it can build on these findings or make any other discoveries. As I noted in Hijacking New Horizons SMD wanted to get rid of the current New Horizons team and convert the mission into a heliophysics mission instead. Now, apparently, that idea has evaporated and, lacking a plan as to what to do next, shutting New Horizons off and disbanding its team is the only option Nicky Fox and her team can come up with. All for a few million dollars. What a waste of money. I hope GAO, OIG, and OGC are looking into this. I have to think that OSTP and NAC would find this to be problematical as well.

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  • NASA Watch
  • September 5, 2023
NASA Prefers Old Space Droids Over New Space Droids
NASA Prefers Old Space Droids Over New Space Droids

Keith’s note: The Twin Voyagers are amazing envoys. 46 years after leaving Earth with rudimentary electronics that are mostly dead they are still sending data back to Earth from Interstellar space – albeit a tiny amount since that is all that they can do. Still, it is well worth the effort to keep listening since they are traversing unexplored territory. The Voyagers left when Star Wars was first screening and people played Pong in bars while listening to Disco music. Flash forward to today: NASA has the New Horizons spacecraft transiting through the Kuiper Belt. It is fully functional with vastly greater capabilities undreamt of when the Voyagers were built. But NASA has decided that they can save a few dollars by disbanding the New Horizons team, rearrange the deck chairs, and drop in some heliophysics guys to check in on the spacecraft once in a while. Given the billion dollars spent thus far on the mission – and having a fully functional modern explorer truly going where no droid has gone before armed to the teeth with sensors – ought to be an opportunity NASA milks for all it is worth. What a bargain. Meanwhile India lands a droid on the Moon for less than the cost of a blockbuster SciFi movie. There is a petition on change.org you can sign if you want to send a message to NASA et al about this sad situation – go here and add your name. More info at Hijacking New Horizons and Space Leaders Sign Letter Protesting Changes In New Horizons’ Mission.

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 28, 2023
India Moon Landing Interviews On DW And CGTN
India Moon Landing Interviews On DW And CGTN

Keith’s note: I did an interview with Deutsche Welle about Chandrayaan-3. They aired an intro piece before me where they talked with a family in India and their children’s reactions to the landing and I almost had tears in my eyes since, as I said in my interview that was me as a little boy. [DW Audio]. I also did an interview with CGTN talking about how the Moon is a place that everyone can and should visit. [CGTN Audio]

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 23, 2023
Chandrayaan-3 Landed Safely On The Moon
Chandrayaan-3 Landed Safely On The Moon

Keith’s note: India’s Chandrayaan-3 has landed safely at the Moon’s south pole. India is the first nation to visit this part of the Moon and only the fourth nation to land successfully on the Moon. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at ISRO mission control and made some rousing comments – among which where these words in English: “This mission was not India’s alone … The global south can achieve these things. We can all aspire to the Moon and beyond … the sky is not the limit”. Over 8 million people were watching the YouTube live stream. How often does NASA do that? There is a vast soft power potential opportunity for NASA. India has signed the Artemis Accords. NASA is no longer the only show in town. Let’s see if NASA can truly tap the abundance of pent-up, raw enthusiasm for space exploration resident within Earth’s Global South. Or will NASA just issue more press releases.

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 23, 2023
Jim Burke
Jim Burke

Keith’s note: Sources report Jim Burke, retired from JPL and past program manager of the Ranger program in the 1960s has died at the age of 97. More to follow. Ad Astra.

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 21, 2023