Keith’s note: Question to NASAWatch readers: A lot of you give Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro a free pass to do absolutely whatever the White House tells her to do – even if it is to preside over the firing of 1/3 of the work force she leads and cutting out a massive chunk of her agency’s budget. And every week she just tells you to go along with what she says and to “Embrace The Challenge”. And the excuse is that “she is told to do this”. I totally get the whole notion that y’all want to stay employed – at the greatest exploration entity the world has ever assembled. But if everyone at NASA just does what they are told to do – even if it aids in enabling this disaster – then why should others outside of NASA try and keep your budget and your pre-eminent team mates in place? Thoughts? Put them in the comments section.

Keith’s note: In response to the skinny budget the Surface Biology and Geology development team at NASA JPL has been given a stop work order – all travel, subcontracts, and development is to cease. I am hearing also that Mars Odyssey and Juno teams will also be getting a stop work order soon.

Keith’s note: I co-authored an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle with Lisa Gray: “Make America Great in Space Again? Pfft. Trump is wrecking what we already have.“ — “When it comes to exploring the cosmos, the Trump administration’s quasi-official mantra is “Make America Great in Space Again.” But here’s the thing: NASA is already great. Right now.” More below.

Keith’s note: Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist at NASA Goddard, has died. According to the Washington Post: “After a lifetime of helping others see eclipses, Espenak recently announced he is in hospice care for a chronic lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. After he shared his own “farewell” in a post on Facebook, members of the scientific community have been commemorating his impact on the eclipse world — calculating, predicting and photographing the phenomenon.” Ad Astra Fred.

Keith’s note: According to multiple social media postings Canada’s first astronaut, Marc Garneau, has died at the age of 76. In a statement, his wife Pam said “He passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family”. Garneau was elected to Parliament in 2008 and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Transport. Ad Astra Marc.

Keith’s note: As reported the other day NASA is pulling out of the ISSRDC conference. China is signing up customers for its space station which it is expanding. The new customers cut their teeth on the ISS. But wait: the Administration is all about beating China everywhere. So, instead of using ISSRDC to globally promote the value of an American-led space station so as to keep a U.S. lead intact someone at NASA got the bright idea to pull NASA out of the conference all together causing it to be cancelled. Full ISS National Laboratory/CASIS statement below:

Keith’s note: NASA SMD just issued this solicitation notice: in response to Request for Information: Conference on Lunar, Planetary and Space Sciences issued in November 2024: Decision Made Not to Solicit Partnership Proposals – one Q&A response says “NASA will not be providing any financial support to the partner. Under the partnership approach, NASA partners on a collaborative basis with an entity that hosts its own conference. Under this arrangement, NASA pays for its own contributions to the partnership, while the partner covers the other conference costs, including providing the venue. NASA HQ also intends to participate in this conference as a venue for the dissemination and exchange of information and ideas among the lunar and planetary science communities.” Full notice below.

Keith’s note: In April, the Administration abruptly dissolved 12 federal advisory committees tasked with guiding various NSF directories and programs. The committees comprised around 200 leaders in the sciences along with business, education and policy experts. On 21 May 2025 89 members of the recently dissolved committees sent a letter to the acting director of the NSF, the chair of the National Science Board, and the chairs and ranking members of the committees of the Senate and House of Representatives with oversight responsibility for the NSF. The letter makes the case to the administration that the disestablishment of the committees, along with numerous other extremely concerning policy decisions taken by the administration, threatens American leadership in the sciences and poses a significant risk to the American economy. Full letter below

Keith’s note: The Aerospace Industries Association has written a letter to Congress regarding NASA FY 2026 budget request: “The proposed $18.8 billion NASA budget for FY26, a 24.3 percent reduction from FY25 levels, would be detrimental to the renowned reputation of the United States in space exploration, science, earth science, technology research, and STEM education. Moreover, a 50 percent reduction in NASA’s science funding would severely hinder the United States’ ability to lead in groundbreaking scientific discoveries, such as searching for new life forms in deep space. Notably, NASA and other science agencies play a crucial role in ensuring that Americans lead as the world’s top space scientists, engineers, and technical experts. Ongoing efforts to reduce the federal workforce, combined with these cuts, threaten thousands of highly skilled jobs and may push America’s brightest minds to seek opportunities overseas.” Full letter below.

Keith’s note: Janet Petro is a master in the art of not reading the room. Massive budget cuts, draconian personal layoffs, well-liked Administrator nominee bounced for intra-White House political food fights – and yet its all ‘Don’t Worry – Be Happy’ from the 9th floor. Embrace The Challenge y’all.

Keith’s note: How do NASA and other agencies hire at the same time they’re RIFing their workforce to reduce head count? Are these replacement hires? Where do empty slots come from when reducing a workforce? Can you get RIFed and walk out of NASA and get in line to apply for your old job at NASA Oh then there’s loyalty oath vibe. See OPM Memo: “Merit Hiring Plan“ Embrace The Challenge y’all. Salient points below:

Keith’s note: Space analyst Laura Seward Forczyk just tweeted that the ISS Research & Development Conference has been cancelled. If this is true (and my sources tell me that it really is true) then NASA has decided to stop telling people why LEO research is important. The FY 2026 budget reduces research on ISS – but does not cancel it. OMB documents talk about commercial LEO space stations picking up on that work from ISS. So why not promote a generation of ISS research – the basis upon which the next LEO effort will be based? Clearly NASA has absolutely no idea what they are going to do after the budget cuts take effect and 1/3 of its work force has been RIFed. Oddly there’s the ‘Beat China’ meme in these budget documents and White House rhetoric. Fine. The best way to let China win in LEO is to diminish ISS as fast as possible and let China attract more customers in the interim years. This is baffling in the extreme. Embrace The Challenge y’all.

Keith’s note: Michael Altenhofen – who joined NASA from SpaceX in January 2025 as a “special “Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator” has been named as Deputy Chief of Staff according to his LinkedIn page. If he was a ‘Special Government Employee (SGE)’ then his 130 days will be up very soon.

Keith’s note: The President only found out about this “prior associations” issue (whatever that is) with regard to Jared Isaacman months after his nomination, a lengthy confirmation process, with a Senate vote on the calendar for this week. Just sayin’

Keith’s note: Jared Isaacman just tweeted this: “I am incredibly grateful to President Trump the Senate and all those who supported me throughout this journey. The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry.

Keith’s note: My sources and various news outlets are reporting White House spokesmouth confirmation that Jared Isaacman is not going to head NASA. The nomination of Jared Isaacman was inspired. His un-nomination is beyond stupid. He is – or would have been – a bright light at NASA at a time when that is really needed – a true believer in the agency, its people, and its potential. Ad Astra Jared.

Keith’s note: that feeling you get when you grew up watching Star Trek – thinking that NASA was the key to that future – and then seeing today’s FY 2026 NASA budget request from the White House and realizing that you’ve been robbed.

Keith’s note: as I predicted several days ago …. Janet Petro’s latest Embrace the Challenge update: “Today, NASA published a technical supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request released May 2. The supplement includes the Congressional Justifications for our programs and mission areas, as well as my letter to Congress highlighting key points of the budget request. We are currently assessing the priorities and impacts to our teams and programs, and I have asked our leadership team to move forward with discussing their specific areas with you soon. Please take time to review the additional information on the budget documents online at: https://www.nasa.gov/budget. Looking ahead, there’s growing expectation the Senate will take up the nomination of Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA’s next administrator in the near future. While the timing of a vote hasn’t been officially announced, there is a strong sense of momentum. A confirmation would mark a new chapter in leadership at NASA – one rooted in innovation, vision, and a clear passion for exploration. I know many of you are looking forward to what lies ahead. Embrace the Challenge”

Keith’s note: Soon-to-be-NASA-Administrator Jared Isaacman just posted this on Twitter in response to some comments. “My position on the subject is simply that of a somewhat informed, lifelong space enthusiast cheering on NASA and industry. I remain nothing more than that until the Senate decides if I am fit for a new job or not. That said, the answers I submitted to the Commerce Committee’s questions for the record remain my position. For those curious, I would recommend reading the answers carefully, as many draw conclusions based on what they think they know about me vs. what I have put in writing. [More below]

Keith’s 28 May Update: I just did an interview with Al Jazeera about the SpaceX Starship 9 flight Audio. Keith’s 27 May note: I just did live coverage of the SpaceX Starship Flight 9 mission on Bloomberg Radio. After two last minute holds the rocket lifted off re-using a first stage that had already flown – 29 engines were being re-flown – and one of them was being flown for its third flight. After staging the first stage was brought back – but under heightened stress loads to test the vehicle. Just as the landing burn was going to happen telemetry stopped and SpaceX confirmed that “Heavy just demised” in SpaceX lingo. The Ship (second stage) made its way into space and tested some engines. The plan was to deploy 8 Starlink demonstrators but the payload door would not open properly so that task was aborted. Upon re-entry the vehicle lost control and spun and was eventually lost.