Keith’s note: According to this memo: “As directed by President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14303, “Restoring Gold Standard Science” (May 23, 2025), this memorandum provides guidance to Federal departments and agencies (agencies) on implementing Gold Standard Science in the conduct and management of all aspects of their scientific activities, from research design to public communication. By adopting these standards, agencies will strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the United States continues as the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science. As directed by the EO, each agency shall report to me the actions they are taking to implement this Guidance within 60 days (by August 22, 2025). More details on the contents of this required report are outlined in Section 3 of this memorandum.” Full memo below.

Keith’s note: Science agency funding is under heavy scrutiny by DOGE, OMB, OPM and other Administration offices – whether it is for supposed DEI sins, perceived waste, or other things that do not resonate with the White House’s plans. NSF is already having a tough time. NASA is certain to be under similar stresses very, very soon. And of course there are long-standing synergies between NSF – and NASA – and NOAA etc. in terms of interagency research collaboration.

• According to “Trump team freezes new NSF awards — and could soon axe hundreds of grants” at Nature: “All new research grants have been frozen at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) — an action apparently ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to cut spending and workers across the US government. DOGE is also now reviewing a list of active research grants assessed in February by the NSF for terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and considering more than 200 of them for termination, NSF staff members have told Nature.”
• According to “Ranking Member Lofgren Urges NSF to Ignore Inflammatory Cruz Report, Releases Democratic Staff Report in Rebuttal”: “Today, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) sent a letter to National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan urging the Director to disregard Senator Ted Cruz’s inflammatory report in any NSF grantmaking decisions. In addition to the letter, the Ranking Member also transmitted a Minority Staff Report that details how Senator Cruz’s report is deeply flawed, and his demand for grant cancellations is therefore misinformed.”
• Meanwhile NASA has already been sending form letters like this out to grantees: “TO: NASA Grant Recipient FROM: NASA Shared Service Center (NSSC), Grants Activities Branch SUBJECT: “Hold” on grants in response to the Executive Order, Executive Order 14222, “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative On February 26, 2025, the President of the United States of America signed an Executive Order titled, “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative.” The purpose of this letter is to notify you that the following NASA grants are placed on “HOLD” until further notice to allow NASA the opportunity to review and determine the next steps. No further activities shall be performed as of today, March XX, 2025. Drawdowns in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Program Support Center, Payment Management System shall be made only for the costs incurred as of today. NASA appreciates your patience and support. With regards, … “

“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“

NASA: Mars Curiosity Rover’s Labs Are Back in Action “NASA’s Curiosity rover is analyzing drilled samples on Mars in one of its onboard labs for the first time in more than a year.” “‘This was no small feat. It represents months and months of work by our team to pull this off,’ said Jim Erickson, project manager of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion […]

NASA OIG: NASA’s Management and Development of Spacesuits, NASA OIG “NASA continues to manage an array of design and health risks associated with the EMUs used by ISS crew. In addition, only 11 of the 18 original EMU Primary Life Support System units – a backpack-like structure that performs a variety of functions required to keep an astronaut alive during a spacewalk – are still in use, raising concerns that […]

Orbital ATK Sues DARPA Over MDA’s SSL GEO Satellite Servicing Contract, SpaceQ “The days of on-orbit servicing, or satellite servicing, living in obscurity are over. On February 7, Orbital ATK, Inc. and their subsidiary Space Logistics LLC, filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Virginia to stop the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from awarding Space Systems Loral (SSL), a subsidiary of Canada’s MDA, a contract to […]

NASA OIG: Audit of the Mars 2020 Rover Project “The largest risk to the Mars 2020 schedule is the Project’s Sample and Caching Subsystem (Sampling System), which will collect core samples of Martian rocks and soil and place them on the planet’s surface for retrieval by a future robotic or human mission. At Preliminary Design Review (PDR), three of the Sampling System’s critical technologies were below technology readiness level (TRL) […]

NASA FISO Presentation: The SmallSat Revolution – Your World Now Now available is the October 26, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speaker was Peter Wegner (Spaceflight Industries) who discussed “The SmallSat Revolution: Your World Now!” Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download. Related: NASA to Hold Media Call on New Small Satellite Missions to Study Earth “NASA will host a teleconference […]

NASA FISO Presentation: An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology Now available is the October 19, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speakers was Steve Robinson (UC Santa Cruz) who discussed “An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology.” Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download. Marc’s note: An interesting concept. Is there a future commercial application for this concept should […]

NASA iTech Fosters Technology Needed for Journey to Mars “NASA is seeking innovative technology for the agency’s future exploration missions in the solar system and beyond, including the Journey to Mars, from other U.S. government agencies, academia, the aerospace industry and the public through the new iTech initiative.” “NASA’s iTech initiative is a yearlong effort to find innovative ideas through a call for white papers that address challenges that will […]

NASA FISO Presentation: NASA Collaboration with SpaceX’s Red Dragon Mission “Now available is the September 21, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speakers was Philip McAlister (NASA HQ) who discussed “NASA Collaboration with SpaceX’s Red Dragon Mission”. Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download. NASA to have limited role in SpaceX’s planned Mars campaign, Spaceflight Now “Expertise, input and advice from seasoned […]

NASA FISO Presentation: Low-Latency Teleoperations for the Evolvable Mars Campaign “Now available is the September 7, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speakers were Mark Lupisella, Jack Bleacher and Michael Wright of NASA GSFC who discussed “Low-Latency Teleoperations for the Evolvable Mars Campaign“. Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download.

NASA FISO Presentation: Telerobotics from Mars Orbit – Lessons from Robotic Exploration for Human Missions to Mars “Now available is the August 31, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speaker was Jim Bell (ASU) who discussed “Telerobotics from Mars Orbit – Lessons from Robotic Exploration for Human Missions to Mars“. Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download.

NASA FISO Presentation: NASA Space Portal – A Framework for Space Exploration and Development in the 21st Century? “Now available is the August 17, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speaker was Dan Rasky (NASA ARC) who discussed “NASA Space Portal – A Framework for Space Exploration and Development in the 21st Century?” Note: The audio file and presentation are available online and to download.

NASA FISO Presentation: The Deep Space Network – The Next 50 Years “Dr. Leslie J. Deutsch is the Deputy Director of the Interplanetary Network Directorate at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This Directorate provides information services to spacecraft exploring the solar system and beyond. The Directorate’s facilities include NASA’s Deep Space Network, the giant antennas used to communicate with these spacecraft.” Note: The audio file and presentation are available online and […]

NASA FISO Presentation: Design Space for Space Design – Cybernetics, Human-Centered Design “Tibor Balint is a researcher at the Royal College of Art, School of Design, finalizing his second PhD in Innovation Design Engineering. He spent 4 years at NASA-HQ as the Senior Technical Advisor; the Program Executive for GCD at STMD; and a Senior Technologist at OCT. At JPL he worked for 8 years as a mission architect and […]

NASA FISO Presentation: The Film Evaporation MEMS Tunable Water Microthruster Array “Miniaturization of satellite systems provides potential for reduced launch and operations costs – Small sats i.e. micro, pico, nanosats are emerging technologies. – Cubesats (4 inches cube) are low cost alternative for some applications. Propulsion systems resist miniaturization – Viscous losses at small scale – Low mass fraction due to power processing mass – Excessive power demands for small […]

NASA FISO Presentation: Near Real-Time State Models – a Foundational Technology for Space Automation and Robotics, SpaceRef “Now available is the June 22, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speaker was Gary Barnhard of Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc. (XISP-Inc) who discussed Near Real-Time State Models – a Foundational Technology for Space Automation and Robotics.” Includes: Presentation and audio recording of the telecon.

Keith’s note: According to the last page of NASA INNOVATIVE ADVANCED CONCEPTS (NIAC), PHASE I APPENDIX NNH15ZOA0001N-NIAC_A3“, 21 August 2015: “7. NIAC Virtual Q&A Forum NASA will host a virtual forum that will address key aspects of this Appendix. The date targeted for this forum is tentatively Wednesday, September 9, 2015. Specific details for the forum will be posted on the following website: http://www.nasa.gov/niac.” Despite the language in the Appendix, […]