Keith’s note: The politicos at White House and NASA were complaining about DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) in space exploration the other day. They seem to have missed the fact that it was the Trump 1.0 team who aded “first woman” to the NASA Artemis tagline. Oh well. You may recall that I mentioned an outrageous example in March 2025 of DEI-infused censorship at NASA: You Can Still Read NASA’s Deleted “First Woman” Graphic Novels. Two illustrated novels with “First Woman” in their titles featured two young girls, who happened to be brown skinned, yearning to become astronauts and explore the universe. Imagine what they could have become in future volumes of these stories with some of the new AI tools everyone now has access to. More below – including some animated AI examples.

Keith’s note: By now you’ve heard all the goofy talk of a comet from outside our star system that might be an interstellar spaceship coming around the sun. I was reminded of something else that happened on this date – 30 October 1938: The infamous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater. It drove a lot of people slightly nuts – including my grandmother. She listened to the broadcast along with my father on this Croydon AM/Shortwave radio. And the radio still works. If the comet sends a probe toward Grovers Mill, New Jersey, be scared. Very scared.

Keith’s note: A year ago NASA and other government agencies were trying to broaden outreach to all Americans. NASA had a particular focus on reaching underserved communities. That has now evaporated. Instead, government agencies such as the Department of Labor have decided that 1950’s white males with chiseled features in heroic poses should be the symbol of what America is all about.

(Originally posted 30 Sep 2025) To The NASA Family: Selfish, shortsighted power brokers are toying with America’s technological leadership in a game of brinksmanship. People suffer as a result. It is people who enable science agencies and research organizations to discover and explore the unknown. From subatomic structure and the chemistry of life – to the structure of the universe and the tools to explore it – NASA is singular in its ability to explore existence at every known scale of time and cosmic organization. More below

Keith’s note: While current NASA space science is fighting for its existence, some people are not deterred and dream big. Have a look at: “Seeking The Worlds Of Avatar: Prospects for Detecting Moons Orbiting a Giant Planet in Alpha Centauri A’s Habitable Zone“ (I modified the title): “We focus our simulations on α Centauri A, orbited by a hypothetical giant planet consistent with candidate detections in Very Large Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope observations. We find that such a facility would be capable of detecting ∼Earth-mass moons in a five year campaign, assuming a Saturn-mass planet. More generally, we simulate expected detection limits for a variety of levels of astrometric precision.” According to the official “Avatar” series website: In orbit around α Centauri A is “Pandora one of fourteen moons that orbit the gas giant Polyphemus.” We’ll all be going back to Pandora in December in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (trailer). While Space Science may be suffering – we can never allow the b*stards to take our dreams away.

Keith’s note: NASA’s budget is going to be slashed one way or another. Despite all the talk about making NASA more focused – or efficient – or “greater”, NASA science will suffer. Scores of missions will either be canceled, shutdown, or put on indefinite pause. Meanwhile Europe and our officially designated foe China surge ahead to fill gaps that we have created. NASA has yet to find the secret sauce wherein they can walk and chew gum at the same time. i.e. do astonishing things that no one has done before while conveying the scientific value of these accomplishments to decision makers and simultaneously, the practical, everyday utility to people and families as they try and make it through their daily lives. For what it is worth, as I have noted before: NASA has led space science and “Made America Great In Space” for more than half a century. Let’s not let that science leadership fade. Let’s expand it further. This won’t happen on its own. NASA must get its act together, find its mojo again, and put forth the multiple reasons why we should use and explore space – tailored to the various audiences who need – and deserve – to be informed. One size does not fit all. While NASA needs to learn how to explain itself to citizens and policymakers, how it explains its accomplishments on the global stage should be simple. Very simple – since NASA has led the way by:

• touching the sun
• visiting every planet in our solar system
• discovering over 6,000 planets orbiting other stars
• launched the first weather and Earth resource satellites
• sending humans to walk on another world
• doing the first offworld search for life
• moving an asteroid
• finding water on the Moon and Mars
• discovering oceans inside icy moons
• sailing across interstellar space
• peering back to the dawn of the universe
• developing a global brand that all nations aspire to

Keith’s note: OK so I am ‘back’. Thanks for all the kind words, support etc. Let’s get down to business. The month of September is going to be the hardest yet for NASA. Multiple budget profiles will collide with one another – in an inelastic fashion. Missions will be on hold and operate in holding pattern mode. Other missions will simply die at the hands of budgeteers. And the people of NASA – regardless of where their paycheck comes from – will still be called upon to lead humanity’s exploration of space while being stressed from multiple directions. Meanwhile, the political people inside the glass doors on the 9th floor of NASA HQ simply don’t care what happens to the agency’s workforce – or keeping them informed. As if you had not already figured that out. That said, NASA is already ‘Great In Space”. No “Again” required. Despite the political rhetoric over the years, NASA has begun humanity’s expansion into interstellar space (see image). No one else has done that. And NASA’s lead will be rather hard to eclipse. Anyway – here is my top ten take on things to be aware of in September . Warning – it is not pretty – but it is also not without hope. [More below]

Keith’s note: Special thanks to some NASA JPL folks who called me on Friday – out of the blue – people I did not know – until now. While some temporary NASA HQ employees try to destroy America’s space exploration leadership by decimating the agency’s workforce, the people who actually do the exploring will remain undeterred and undaunted. #DareMightyThings

Keith’s note: I posted this note elsewhere last night wherein I wear my heart on my spacesuit sleeve. Oh well. Things change quickly. The latest Executive Order banning unions at NASA pushed me over the edge. That said, this note is still where my head is at. I originally thought that I’d just dial things down, live in the woods with my wife, and people would just go elsewhere for NASA tidbits. Well, I am flattered and rather shocked at the sheer number supportive emails and notes I have gotten in the past week – many of them rather long – mostly from people I simply did not know. I do now. That said, here’s my original note. Please take care of yourselves but do NOT stop the fight to keep the enemies of NASA from destroying American space exploration leadership. If not now, then when? – if not you, then who?

• Earlier note: FYI Actor Bruce Willis, 70, is suffering from dementia. I will be 70 in 2 months. I lost two parents to Alzheimer’s. Life is short. Talent and a lifetime of memories can evaporate in a moment. If you are wondering why I am on hiatus from NASAWatch this is part of the reason why. It takes a toll – especially after 30 years of doing it. I came out of retirement and was (re)running it at 125% of capacity – and still the attack on NASA continued – undaunted. I am just one person. Unless many, many more stand up and speak out then there is little else that I can do that I have not already done. But I guess I will try (again) – but not just yet. Ad Astra y’all

Keith’s note: I just saw this Space Frontier Foundation post over on Facebook “Why does space still struggle to compete for attention, resources, and belief?” My answer: Because you space people cannot read the room outside your space bubble where the rest of humanity lives – the people who pay for the whole space party one way or another. The same people who struggle to pay bills and stay afloat. Link your dreams to their needs and you will get more support. If people do not understand your interest then find a new way to talk to them – in ways that resonate with them – not with other space fans. Otherwise just sit down.

Keith’s note: Joe Rothenberg, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight and former Director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, had this to say last night on LinkedIn: “What is happening at NASA has long term and potentially unrecoverable consequences to U.S. scientific and technology leadership in not only space but in technology that impacts our quality of life on Earth. Clearly the actions of the current Administration and NASA leadership have mortgaged America’s space and scientific research capabilities, well beyond the point of being able to be recovered by any potential restoration of funding by Congress. The nation’s space program in its early days inspired career pursuits in science and engineering, resulting in not only America’s leadership in space, but in developing technology that has significantly improved medical, communications, and numerous quality of life applications. America now faces the strong possibility of the reverse happening, the indiscriminate cuts in our nation’s scientific research program budgets, and government and civilian workforce, will discourage the next generation from pursuing careers in engineering and sciences. The implications of which are not only loss of leadership in these areas, but also a signicant weakening of our economic and military leadership and a continued downward position of the U.S. on the world stage.”

Keith’s note: According to “CBS News poll: Most Americans favor U.S. returning to moon, going to Mars“: “There is a lot of public favor for the idea of the U.S. returning to the moon, and also for eventually going to Mars. About two-thirds do, while a third does not. Younger Americans who are not old enough to remember the first moon landing are especially in favor, perhaps looking forward to seeing that exploration in their lifetimes. These views generally cut across ideological and party lines, as well.”

Keith’s note: This was written and originally posted here by Mark V. Sykes, Ph.D., J.D. Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute: “This statement is my opinion and does not reflect an official position of the Planetary Science Institute.: Institutions are reeling from the spray of executive orders from the White House since late January. Activities in support of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) have been particular targets, with the cancellation of large numbers of research and other grants and contracts and the bizarre purging of material from government websites (including, for a time, information about the airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb, the Enola Gay). (More below)

Keith’s note: According to “The first rule in Trump’s Washington: Don’t write anything down“ in The Washington Post:

• “Within the Interior Department, top officials are telling U.S. Geological Survey center directors not to put the words “reduction in force” or “RIF” – both terms for federal layoffs – in memos or emails, according to an employee there. At the Education Department, political appointees are scrambling to move staff around to make up for resignations and firings, but refusing to issue reassignments in writing, said a former staffer there.”

• “At one NASA center on the West Coast, staff no longer have conversations at their cubicles, an employee said: Any chats happen inside an office, with the door closed, and most people prefer to talk outside on the lawn, escaping the building entirely. “Nothing is written down,” the employee said. “Nothing.”

Keith’s note: I witnessed some utterly insane, idiotic, and foolish nonsense at NASA today – some in full view – a lot of it behind the scenes. Time to get back to the book I am reading – “No Picnic on Mt Kenya” which is about 3 Italian soldiers who broke out of a British POW camp during WWII in Africa to climb Mt Kenya – because why not – and then they went back to the camp. Crazy is my north star right now. Oh yes: Readers from 1996 era NASA RIF Watch may remember this image. This is what happens when you take out too many vital parts of a space thing. Or a space agency.

Keith’s note: Up until last year NASA always made mention of Juneteenth and what it represents to NASA and to our nation. Not any more. Why is that Janet?

Keith’s note: NASA is consolidating social media accounts (yes this was needed). The FY 2026 NASA Budget Request from the White House eliminates STEM funding, removes all public affairs staff at the field centers, cuts NASA HQ PAO staff, and reduces the overall communications and outreach budgets. And of course diversity, equity, and inclusion is now a forbidden concept. So where is the plan that NASA is following in order to do all of this? Is there a plan for this at NASA? Or does NASA just have a concept of a plan? One would assume that all of these dramatic changes to the public face of NASA are being done according to some overall guidance – yes? What follows are some random questions off the top of my head about the effective education and public outreach and engagement plan that the world’s pre-eminent space agency would need in order to continue to lead the way – and also expand that lead. Or maybe they don’t actually care to have a plan. Or know how. (More below)

Keith’s note: according to “What government programs should be slashed? NASA nears top of list, poll finds“ in the Miami Herald: “In the latest Marquette Law School Poll, 63% of respondents said they would be willing to reduce spending on NASA and its space program to shrink the federal budget deficit. Meanwhile, just 37% said they would not be willing to cut it. And just 5% said sending astronauts to Mars or back to the moon is a major priority, while 39% said this is important, but not a top concern. A majority, 56%, said it should not be a priority at all.” (deep sigh) NASA has touched the sun, visited every planet in our solar system, has spaceships traversing interstellar space, and has telescopes that look back toward the dawn of the universe – yet NASA Public Affairs and other communications and outreach efforts at the agency consistently fail to convey these awesome, exciting accomplishments to the public. Only NASA could make America’s unparalleled accomplishments in space exploration so boring that such a large portion of the public wants to cut space funding. Ad Astra y’all.

Keith’s note: a week ago I posted Erasing NASA Diversity Abstracts Is Not That Easy saying “The NASA DEI Erasure Squad has been busy. If you search for past LPSC abstracts on DEI, DEIA, diversity etc. you’ll see that they have disappeared and prior meeting agendas have been altered.” Well they have been busy and huge amounts of material are simply vanishing. USRA did this stealthily until too many people started to notice – only then did they have the notion that they should say something using some classic Orwellian Double Speak. (More below)