And this stunt cost taxpayers stupid amounts of money for a totally pre-scripted event – one done simply for the backdrop and to satisfy some egos. All of NASA HQ was raided to pay for this and other NSpC dog and pony shows. https://t.co/gKj1bZ8atB — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) October 6, 2021 Keith’s note: It is rather strange that the NASA History Office decided to remind people of these lavish National […]

Keith’s note: During the daily White House press briefing today space made the news again: Kristin Fisher (Fox): “You know the Biden administration – they just announced its intention to retain the National Space Council – and this is on top of the White House voicing its support for the Space Force and NASA’s Artemis program. I mean – these are three programs or policies that President Trump and the […]

Keith’s note: According to James Miller at NASA who emailed “NASA Internal Memo: National Space Council UAG Update from Chair, ADM Jim Ellis” to lots of the usual suspects within the DC space wonk choir, the National Space Council (NSpC) and its Users Advisory Group (UAG) are still alive and active (surprise) with all of their Trump-nominated members: “… our UAG executive Committee (ExCom) has continued to meet on a […]

Keith’s note: The usual suspects are telling me that the Biden Administration has decided to keep the National Space Council (NSpC). As to what its real role will be is still TBD. These same usual suspects also wanted to keep the Trump space advisory status quo in place – specifically the NSpC. They even sent the Biden White House a letter saying so (see “Big Aerospace Wants Biden To Keep […]

NASA Internal Memo: National Space Council UAG Update from Chair, ADM Jim Ellis, UAG “As you can see from the Transition Summary, activities of the UAG encompassed a broad range of space and space-related activities, bringing together broad representation from associations, manufacturers, educators, national security experts, and policy makers. Some of our efforts were directed at issues in direct support of NSpC activities; others were self-generated and represented original concepts, […]

NASA’s Climate Communications Might Not Recover From the Damage of Trump’s Systemic Suppression, Time “Soon after, I was told by higher-ups including JPL’s director of the Office of Communication, also a career employee rather than a political appointee, to stop reporting on and sharing climate-related content from other government agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service and the Department of Energy–groups I’d been collaborating […]

Keith’s note: Jim Bridenstine has announced that he is leaving NASA. His last day will be 20 January 2021. I really did not know much about Jim Bridenstine when his name started to bubble up as a possible NASA Administrator choice in 2017. Given the chaos and amateurish way the Trump Landing Team (more like a “boarding party”) conducted itself I was predisposed to think that they’d pick a loyalist […]

National Space Council Releases Report on Space Policy Accomplishments “Over the past four years, it has been my great privilege to serve as chair of the National Space Council, and I am proud of the tremendous progress our Administration has made to advance U.S. national space power,” said Vice President Mike Pence. “With a revived National Space Council at the helm of a whole-of-government approach, the Trump Administration has successfully […]

It bears repeating that Scott Pace and his team put an immense amount of heart and soul into their time at the National Space Council. They paid attention to a lot of things that had not been paid attention to for a very long time. They created something for others to build upon. https://t.co/U5VyWVHHSp — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) December 31, 2020

Report: National Strategy for Planetary Protection “Today, the National Space Council released the National Strategy for Planetary Protection. This Strategy will advance the Nation’s role in the sustainable exploration of space by appropriately protecting other planetary bodies and the Earth from potentially harmful biological contamination from space exploration activities. Planetary protection refers to the policy and practice of protecting scientific investigations by limiting biological contamination of other planetary bodies and […]

National Space Policy of the United States of America “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that space operations are consistent with the following principles. – It is the shared interest of all nations to act responsibly in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of space activities. Responsible space actors operate with openness, transparency, and predictability to maintain the benefits of space for […]

Vice President Mike Pence is set to name a cadre of Artemis astronauts, Ars Technica “Vice President Mike Pence will announce a cadre of 18 astronauts from whom NASA is likely to choose the commanders, pilots, and mission specialists who will go to the Moon as part of the Artemis Program. Multiple sources said Pence would release a list of names on Wednesday at the National Space Council meeting in […]

Vice President Mike Pence to Convene Eighth Meeting of the National Space Council “The Eighth Meeting of the National Space Council will take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 9th, 2020 at 12:30 PM EST. The meeting will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. The meeting will be livestreamed here on NASA TV, and additional details will be forthcoming. Following NASA’s COVID-19 response protocols, the […]

More lies from the White House about @NASA – #NASA was great before you arrived and will continue to be great after you are long gone. #LaunchAmerica #Crew1 https://t.co/AVK7zHSjFB — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) November 16, 2020 Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX on today's launch. It’s a testament to the power of science and what we can accomplish by harnessing our innovation, ingenuity, and determination. I join all Americans and the […]

Why is Vice President Pence using the political campaign @Mike_Pence account with 5.8 million followers – not the @VP account with 10.1 million followers? Isn't this an official visit? Why not use both and increase his official visibility further? #LaunchAmerica #Crew1 #NASA https://t.co/fJE8WhH27K — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) November 15, 2020

Looking forward to addressing the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee tomorrow. At the least, I believe you will all enjoy my opening remarks. I'm hoping there will be some insightful questioning.https://t.co/bynbQXz7Rp — Greg Autry ?????????? ?? ?? (@GregWAutry) November 9, 2020 Keith’s note: You would think that after Joe Biden’s win that hearings on Trump Administration appointees would be moot. I guess not. Senators could be off focusing […]

Trump administration removes head of Federal climate program that oversees key reports, Washington Post “[Michael Kuperberg’s removal] seems quite consistent with decisions at NOAA and elsewhere,” said Kathy Jacobs, director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona, who ran the third National Climate Assessment. “[It’s] a last-minute attempt to remove people who may not be perceived as supporting the president’s agenda.” Kuperberg’s removal […]

Keith’s note: A lot of people want Jim Bridenstine to stay at NASA. There’s even a petition online. It should be no surprise to people that I am a fan of Jim Bridenstine – starting with my posts prior to his nomination and confirmation. And I’d like to see him stay in the job. But as Jim notes in these quotes from Irene Klotz, it is preferable for an incoming […]

A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn’t budging, Washington Post “No agency head is going to get out in front of the president on transition issues right now,” said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The official predicted that agency heads will be told not to talk […]