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: 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 around 6:30 am EDT; NewsMax at 7:45 am EDT
• Monday: CNN – between 7:00 am and 10:00 am EDT

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.

Keith’ note: Today’s OMB FY 2027 budget request drop can be summarized (by me) as follows: ‘We’re on our way back to the Moon for the first time in half a century. We’e going to dominate space. Let’s celebrate by gutting the remainder of NASA’s budget to show how much we actually support space exploration.’

• According to Space Policy Online: “the Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget request for NASA proposes deep cuts to everything other than human exploration. For FY2027, the agency would be cut 23 percent to $18.8 billion, the same level the White House proposed for FY2026. Congress rejected the FY2026 proposal and kept the agency funded at roughly the same level as FY2025. Whether they will do that again this year remains to be seen. … for NASA, it says it supports “the safe and timely return of Americans to the Moon and funds first elements of a permanent American presence on the lunar surface,” while cutting “unnecessary and overpriced activities.”

• According to NASA FY 2027 Budget Request from OMB Pages 67-69: “The Budget continues to support the safe and timely return of Americans to the Moon and funds the first elements of a permanent American presence on the lunar surface. Across the board, the Budget leverages the expertise and ingenuity of America’s commercial space industry to advance the Nation’s interests in space. By cutting unnecessary and overpriced activities, the Budget strengthens the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) focus and ensures that every dollar spent propels America’s dominance in the final frontier. The Budget requests $18.8 billion in discretionary budget authority for NASA for 2027, a $5.6 billion or 23-percent decrease from the 2026 enacted level.”

Keith’s note: NASAWatch turns 30 on 1 Apr 2026 (not a joke). It started as “NASA RIFWatch” on 1 Apr 1996 with this post “RIF at NASA In Summer 1997?”. The website was first hosted on a Mac Classic II on a 128 kbps ISDN line in a little condo in Reston, Virginia (see 20 Years Ago Today: The Seeds of NASAWatch). I sincerely doubt there will be many future birthdays for this website – under my editing. Meanwhile Dan Goldin and I have a friendly interaction going over on LinkedIn 😲. Meanwhile, here are a few things from those early days that are still online:

• Rogue Webmasters, Government Executive, 1 Oct 1996
• NASA’s Most Important Asset, Gerry Griffin, 31 December 1996
• Changes in Thinking At NASA November 29, 1996, PBS News Hour

Keith’s 11 Nov 2025 note: 75% – 3/4 of the people on this planet have never seen humans walk on another world. We’re suddenly in a race to go back to the Moon and we are not clearly in the lead. The next time humans walk on the Moon will be the first time this happens as far as most of humanity is concerned. History is just history. Instead of grainy, flickering black and white imagery on a hulking television we’ll all see people bouncing on the Moon in 4K streaming on our cellphones. How does NASA adapt to this paradigm shift? So far, it is not doing that well. More below.

Keith’s note: there’s some plans in under serious consideration at NASA Ames to do some “phone book updates” aka organizational changes. Most notable is the flattening of the ARC Science Directorate (Code S) into 4 divisions: Space Biosciences, Earth Science, Astrophysics, and Planetary Science / Astrobiology. Flattening = eliminating existing branches. Meanwhile ARC also wants to create an Astrobiology Office at the center’s directorate level. Not sure how this new directorate interacts with SMD Astrobiology management or efforts at other NASA centers. No one at PAO is going to comment on this because of that “predecisional” safety word thing. Stay tuned.

Keith’s note: The path NASA was on included ISS and one, maybe two, LEO space stations requiring heavy subsidies – plus the mini-lunar space station Gateway. Funding was lacking for this big space party which was always over budget and years behind schedule. And oh yes, let’s land people on the Moon. The fact that all the big players (old space and new space alike) who always need more money and (risk little of their own) complain off the record to media means that Jared Isaacman must have struck the right nerve – with precision. This whole thing needs to be rebooted. That’s the plan and it’s long overdue. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: Space fans worry online about lack of awareness about Artemis II. Only now do they see the need to engage with the public. Duh. Try talking to folks outside your bubble – every day. Jared Isaacman says 2027 will have monthly NASA moon missions. OK. Start talking that up. Now.

Keith’s note: NASA HQ is further adjusting its NASA Advisory Committee by removing some current of its members. This note from NASA Administrator is being sent out to some NAC members.

Keith’s note: Dr. Kate Marvel at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (gutted by NASA and DOGE) has left the agency. According to E&E News “Kate Marvel announced Tuesday that she’d quit her job at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies due to ongoing uncertainties about science funding and the ability to conduct climate research under the Trump administration.” On BlueSky she noted: “I just resigned from NASA. It breaks my heart to leave, but I’ve become convinced the best path forward is to do the best science I can, and that can’t be here anymore. I’m still in love with the promise of those four magic letters. Ad astra per aspera, and remember: Earth is the only good planet.”

Keith’s note: NASA PAO has posted a how-to article on interviews with Artemis II crew today for media who either have no idea how to do an interview or for media in a hurry. Lots of leading questions are suggested. And there’s a link to request an interview (you can’t request one by email). No mention of questions about the current president are offered – so someone at HQ 9th floor will likely issue a reprimand – and make an update.

Keith’s note: Yesterday I taped a long form 16 minute interview with David Levitz at Deutsche Welle about NASA’s big Moon plan changes. Yes, I am excited – and after waiting 50 years for this, I am a little impatient too. Let’s go back to the Moon – to stay. Video

Keith’s note: the following was posted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman: NASA Team Members, We are calling today’s event Ignition because it represents the start of a transformative journey for NASA. In the few short months since I began this role, we have moved quickly. That urgency reflects the reality of great power competition, the importance of our mission, and the implications if we fail to meet the moment and come up short. Taxpayers support NASA because we can change the world in air, space, and science. As an agency, we can no longer endure externally imposed and self-inflicted distractions, attempting excessive multi-billion-dollar endeavors at once, forgoing the iterative, evolutionary approach to success, and jumping straight to the dream state. The results are captured in most OIG reports. Tens of billions are wasted, time is lost, and exploration and discovery suffer. The world has been waiting for the headlines only NASA is capable of delivering. It is time to focus and deliver. More below

Keith’s note: according to this press release: “NASA will host a public event at 9 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 24, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington to outline how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and accelerating preparations for America’s return to the surface of the Moon by 2028. The program will open with remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, followed by a series of high-level panels providing updates on mission priorities, including sending the first astronauts to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, establishing the initial elements of a permanent lunar base, getting America underway in space on nuclear propulsion, and other objectives.” With a line-up like this and follow-on presser something will be announced. Science missions are still in limbo, workforce issues continue, but we’ll be seeing monthly lunar landings starting in 2027, and what to do about Gateway? Oh yes: How is NASA going to win the “second space race” and “make NASA great in space again”? etc. Ad Astra y’all.

Keith’s note: According to the Washington Space Business Roundtable: “At today’s WSBR Flagship Luncheon & Silent Auction, Rep. Mike Haridopolos reflected on the turnaround in sentiment that NASA has seen in the last 12 months. … The Space Subcommittee Chairman praised Administrator Jared Isaacman – a “James Bond for America” – for restructuring the Artemis program to increase the mission cadence while putting safety first. He likened the energy level in his district (Florida’s Space Coast) to the Apollo days.” Movie poster below.

Keith’s note: Recently everyone in the space bubble was jumping up and down about the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s liquid rocket launch. They even held the infamous “Space Prom”. That was last week. For years NASA Goddard employees maintained a display in Building 28 dedicated to Robert Goddard. GSFC management has recently decided to remove this display to make room for a snack bar seemingly without regard for its historical significance. Oh well.

“Each year, Space Science Week at the National Academies of Science brings together leaders across the space science disciplines to explore the latest developments and discuss the future of the field from a variety of perspectives, from planetary protection to astrophysics to Earth science and applications from space. Join us for Space Science Week 2026 from March 23 to 27.“

Keith’s note: The Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) has issued this update: “Dear Colleagues, The SBAG steering committee wishes to share a “save the date” for the next SBAG meeting. SBAG 35, which will be a fully virtual meeting, will take place within the window of June 8–11, 2026. The specific timeslots within those dates will be shared in the coming weeks.” More below