Keith’s note: A media question asked the crew about the removal of the initial “First woman and first person of color” aspirational tag line for Artemis from all NASA websites and materials (by the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI purge.) The answer in a nutshell was that this initial decision had been made a while back such that it will still happen – no matter what – even if it takes a little longer to come to pass. I just Googled and found one remaining example. Let’s see if the anti-DEI squad at NASA PAO deletes it. Or, since it came to pass, if they’d just let it be.

Keith’s note: I was just on BBC World with Astronaut Cady Coleman. We were both asked for a final favorite impression of Artemis II. I said “the crew’s loss for words”. That resonated with me. At one point at Everest Scott Parazynski and I were practicing photo stances for his summit activities with 4 small Apollo 11 moon rocks that Scott eventually took to the summit. I held up the rocks and eclipsed the Moon – with pieces of the Moon – at the foot of Mt. Everest. No one else other than the two of us have ever done that. How do you express that instant of cosmic Zen? I have tried and it’s still incomplete. All these years later I think of that trip every day and feel a responsibility – when I can – to explain the adventure of exploration whenever I can – as incomplete as my words will always be – hopefully so as to inspire others to take up the challenge to explore and convey the value of exploration to an ever-widening audience.

Keith’s note: The President was on Fox the other day and was talking about NASA and said this in response to the ArtemisII mission … “I’m the one that started that program. NASA was closed. It was totally closed. There was grass growing on the runways. I went there. I was there in Florida. Got pictures of all of their facilities. They had grass growing out of their cracked asphalt in Florida and elsewhere. And you know I said this is terrible – let’s start it up. So we started it up and it gave great pride – everybody watched that the other day.” Bullshit. He did not start NASA’s program to return to the Moon. NASA was not “closed”. And for the past two fiscal years in a row he has put forth a budget request that would cripple large parts of NASA. But NASA’s Press Secretary Bethany Stevens @NASASpox and AA for Communications Will Boyington @Will_Bo simply amplified it on their Twitter accounts – with no comments i.e. tacit approval. And @NASAAdmin approved of it as well. There is a hearing on NASA’s FY 2027 budget next week which might be interesting. Or not.

Keith’s note: The Artemis II astronauts (and their mascot “rise”) will hold a news conference at 2:30 pm EDT today Thursday to discuss their mission around the Moon. Apparently they had no fun whatsoever. You can watch on NASA’s YouTube channel or watch other options. I will be live on BBC World News at between 2:30 – 3:30 PM EDT to provide live commentary on their comments.

Keith’s note: According to the NASA Force page: “NASA Force is a new hiring initiative—developed in partnership with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management … Highly skilled early- to mid- career engineers, technologists, and innovators join NASA for focused term appointments, typically 1–2 years with the possibility of extension … The first opportunity opens on April 17 and closes April 21.” More

Keith’s note: According to “NASA Is the Most Underrated Brand“ by Mia Silverio: “On Friday, four astronauts returned to Earth after venturing deeper into space than anyone has gone before. The mission, Artemis II, sent a rocket weighing 5.7 million pounds around the moon and back, setting the stage for a future lunar landing. This incredible feat is a timely reminder that American excellence still exists — if only under the NASA logo.” Totally agree – and as NASAWatch readers have certainly noticed by now I have more than a few things to say about NASA’s immense – yet totally under-utilized – reach, branding, and soft power.

Keith’s note: According to a memo from OSTP: “President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority” (December 18, 2025), established the bold and ambitious goal of enabling near-term use of space nuclear power by deploying nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030. As directed in the EO, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will coordinate implementation of these goals through the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power (Initiative). This memorandum provides guidance to Federal departments and agencies (agencies) on achieving the President’s priority for space nuclear power through this Initiative.” Full memo.

Keith’s note: Last year I was trying to retire. Circumstances at NASA changed that. I needed financial help to run a beefed-up NASAWatch to handle the traffic and y’all were very kind and funded it for a year. My long-time business partner Marc Boucher and I are now working a total overhaul of the site as it moves into the future. Lots of new things will be added. Meanwhile I am going to try and get back to my interest in Astrobiology on my Astrobiology.com website which I also host. And maybe I can finally finish my book on Astrobiology expeditions. We’re doing a soft launch of our crowd funding campaign today. FYI I am not drawing any salary from this. The funds go to what it takes to run the site and add new talent to it. Anything you can spare will help keep NASAWatch going. Thanks in advance. Ad Astra y’all.

• Note: The button below goes to the secure Stripe financial payment system. The payment will be made to SpaceQ Media Inc. which is handling our donations. It will appear as “SPACEQ MEDIA INC.” on your credit card statement. This is not a tax deductible donation.

Keith’s note: An enlargement of this image from the splashdown of Artemis II is all over space Twitter. There is a bright colored region on the heat shield. Armchair experts and space influencers all have an opinion. That’s all they have – from one blurry pic. Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin said this in response. When he has an answer he’ll tell us. So chill and focus on some #MoonJoy. More below

Keith’s note: TV producers are chasing me around.

• Wednesday: CNN International [Audio][Video]; BBC World News [Audio]; Deutsche Welle [Audio]; and Deutsche Welle again (Live launch coverage) [video].
• Thursday: CNN [Audio]; Bloomberg Adria [Audio]; CNN [Audio]; BBC [Audio]; I24 (Israel) [Audio]; Deutsche Welle [Video]
• Friday: CNN [Audio]; BBC World News [Audio].
• Saturday: Yardwork
• Sunday: CNN 6:30 am EDT [Audio]
• Monday: CNN 7:40 am EDT [Audio]; Deutsche Welle[Audio]; Al Jazeera English [Audio]; Deutsche Welle – Artemis II lunar flyby [Video]
• Tues/Wed/Thurs: Yard work, dentist
• Friday: News Nation 6:30 pm EDT [Audio 1][Audio 2] ; Deutsche Welle (live re-entry); Al Jazeera English: [Audio]; BBC World News [Audio].
• Saturday: Al Jazeera Arabic [Audio]

Keith’s note: Last year NASA was going through a brutal downsizing effort. To make things worse The Administration’s budget request for FY 2026 would have imposed draconian cuts to NASA. Now the White House is as it again with proposed budget FY 2027 cuts that would cripple large parts of NASA. I needed your financial support last year to keep NASAWatch running. I need help again. I tried to retire but … I am not drawing any salary from this. The funds go to what it takes to run the site and add new talent to it. NASAWatch is a tiny presence when it comes to immense NASA. Sometimes it squeaks with a loud voice – thanks to you.

• Note: The button below goes to the secure Stripe financial payment system. The payment will be made to SpaceQ Media Inc. which is handling our donations. It will appear as “SPACEQ MEDIA INC.” on your credit card statement. This is not a tax deductible donation.

Keith’s note: Former Deputy/Acting NASA Administrator Fred Gregory posted this on Facebook and it is reposted here with his permission. “What an accomplishment after such a long multi-generational pause between our moon adventures. Somehow this current excitement must be sustained, motivated not by a competitive adversary but an intense curiosity of what’s out there and why learning and exploring and discovery allows a civilization to survive. After more than 2 years Artemis 2 clearly represents what we can do, but I don’t see or feel the underlying motivation nor excitement to do much more.” More below

Keith’s note: According to a press release from Planetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Chu and Bacon: “Last week, President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request, which proposes to cut NASA’s overall budget by 23% and cut NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) by 47%. This request would also terminate more than 40 space missions, including the Mars Sample Return mission led by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a first-of-its-kind mission to return samples from Mars to Earth and unlock groundbreaking insights into the planet’s history and the potential for past life.” More below

Keith’s note: The Artemis II mission got off to a slow start. Then it hit the road at warp speed. The novelty of a Moon mission and swelling media coverage all helped to push some of the bad news aside for a few minutes every hour. Real pictures exceeding the best SciFi splashed out on social media and TV. Many people were pleasantly caught by surprise that this was even happening. But soon the crew will be home. And the hoopla will subside – and then quickly disappear. Humanity just mounted its first mission to another world in half a century and we’re already moving on the latest war or scandal. This happened after the first Apollo missions. Are we doomed to see history repeat itself with Artemis? Or can NASA and the broader world community keep this nascent era of interplanetary exploration alive and at the forefront on people’s daily lives – especially the “Artemis Generation”. Follow-through and building momentum is harder than the hardest rocket science. Just sayin’ More to follow.

Keith’s note: I received notice that Dave Mobley from NASA Marshall died in February and that there is a celebration of life on 12 May 2026 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm at Monte Sano State Park Lodge (see flyer below). I did not know Dave that well but I recall clearly getting into several public arguments with him at design reviews at MSFC in 1990-1993 when I worked at NASA at Space Station Freedom Level II in Reston. We all spent a lot of time in Huntsville since all we ever seemed to do in those days was redesigns. At the end of the day we all went to the Greenbriar for dinner. And the space station still flies overhead. Ad Astra Dave.

Keith’s note: according to this article “The U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s  first director, Edward “Ed” Buckbee, has died. He was 89. Hailed as a visionary, he assembled and managed the world’s largest space and rocket exhibition and founded the highly successful U.S. Space Camp and Aviation Challenge programs, according to his biography with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation.” Buckbee’s efforts inspired many, many young people over the decades – some of whom went on to become scientists, engineers, astronauts – and one even became NASA Administrator. As we set foot once again on a path back toward the Moon, I can only hope that people like Ed Buckbee are remembered alongside the other legends of America’s exploration of space. Ad Astra Ed.

Keith’s note: The exploration of space holds endless resonances with the exploration of Earth:

• On 6 April 1909 Matthew Henson became the first African American to reach the North Pole.
• On 6 April 2026 Victor Glover became the first African American to reach the Moon

Keith’s note: Jared Isaacman was on CNN’s State of the Union today talking about Artemis II, NASA’s FY 2027 budget proposals, and … life in the universe. [Audio] He was also on CBS’ Face The Nation today talking about Artemis II and NASA’s FY 2027 budget proposals [Audio].

Keith’s note: The following note was sent to NASA employees by Jared Isaacman today: his take home quote: “I encourage the workforce to leave the politics for the politicians and remain focused on the mission.“ Full text below.

Keith’s note: Last night NASA and White House cheered the TLI burn to send Artemis II to the Moon. Less than 12 hrs later – on Good Friday (and Passover) when people aren’t at work – OMB drops a massive punitive cut to NASA. What a nice way to say “well done NASA“. I can’t wait to see how NASA PAO spins this one.