Keith’s note: NASA likes to talk about all the wonderful ways that they do things that affect everyone and improve their lives. But how they do this is inconsistent with regard to large portions of our country and large sectors of society. And it is often out of date and regularly misses the point when it comes to what real people are thinking about in terms of their life’s priorities. This popped up in Congress today while Jared Isaacman was testifying. More below.

Keith’s note: There will be a Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Hearing: “Strategic Trajectories: Assessing China’s Space Rise and the Risks to U.S. Leadership” Thursday, 4 Dec at 9:00 AM EST. Watch live here, Here is the charter. One tweet from the committee said “China’s rapid progress in space is a serious concern for the U.S.—threatening our leadership, national security, and economic future. Tomorrow, we will examine this challenge and what America must do to stay ahead.” OK, so enough arm waving. If you want NASA to effectively compete with China in space then don’t endorse NASA budget cuts and deep personnel cuts in FY 2026 as put forth by the Administration. All this rhetoric is just hot air. Do something. Or just sit down. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: Testimony from Jared Isaacman at his confirmation hearing on 3 December 2025: “Thank you Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and distinguished members of the committee. I am honored and grateful to be here before you again as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” More below.

Keith’s note: NASA Public Affairs has issued a bunch of pre-re-nomination reviews regarding Jared Isaacman to be come NASA administrator. Read the glowing words of support below.

Keith’s note: on Wednesday 3 Dec the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a nomination hearing for Jared Isaacman (NASA) and Steven Haines (Commerce) at 10:00 am EST. It will be live streamed on the committee website and on YouTube. Meanwhile, NASA TV does not seem to have it listed. According to Marcia Smith “Sen. Cruz has already announced the Commerce committee will vote on Isaacman’s nomination next Monday, Dec. 8, at 5:30 pm ET, along with seven others. … Senate vote can be anytime thereafter.” There is talk of trying to fast track this vote so we could see Isaacman on the 9th floor in a week or so.

Keith’s note: House Science Committee Democrats just issued this press release that includes a letter and detailed spreadsheet listing GSFC changes to personnel, programs, and facilities in excruciating detail – and requests NASA feedback. My quick take: It would seem that no one is doing any real work at GSFC until next spring since everything is moving, being sold off, rebuilt, closed down. Other centers have similar albeit more localized changes like this but all of the actions have not hit them yet. So NASA will have lost staff, lose budget (programs, missions etc.) one way or another, and everyone is moving their offices or waiting for people to get to their new locations before resuming work. ‘Time for a new NASA phone book’ as we’d say at NASA. Full text and links below.

Keith’s note: This press release came out from Senator John Cornyn about a meeting with Jared Isaacman and then goes into a litany of complaints about retired space shuttle destinations: “Mr. Isaacman committed to follow Sen. Cornyn’s provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, now law, to move the Space Shuttle Discovery in one piece from Virginia to its rightful home in Space City.” OK – a summary:

1. The bill never says “Space Shuttle Discovery” and you could meet the requirement in the bill with a Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo capsule. Or a commercial vehicle. Or a Soyuz in Washington, DC.
2. Moving a spacecraft “in one piece” – well if it is a shuttle either they will have to recreate the 747 carrier aircraft ($$$$) or do major highway modifications in northern Virgina ($$$$). In other words vastly more money will be needed than has been called for to date.
3. If the money is not found and or the infrastructure is unavailable then Discovery will not be moving. So you can support the unlikely move but not lose the orbiter at the same time.
4. Congress could get more descriptive and add money but at a time when dozens of missions are being cancelled that is going to be problematical.
5. Nice summary here at Transfer of a Space Vehicle: Issues for Congress online at Congress.gov
6. And of course you should check out the folks at KeepTheShuttle.

Keith’s note: Last week a large group of former NASA astronauts sent a letter to Senators Cruz and Cantwell in support of Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA Administrator. His (re)nomination hearing will be held on Wednesday. Letter below.

Keith’s note: AI is the hot thing now: bubble or no bubble. NASA and the space community just lost much of its workforce. The OSTP Genesis Mission which talks about a “moonshot” AI effort makes no mention of NASA. But NASA is going to the Moon. Will NASA enter uncharted territory with AI to backfill for lost capability? Or will it be left behind to do more – with less? Or will NASA’s incredible charter and stellar workforce be energized to figure out a better path – “as only NASA can”? THAT is the challenge before Jared Isaacman. May The Force Be With Him 🚀 (image created with @Grok)

Keith’s note: the other day Russia broke the only launch pad it has that can launch Soyuz or Progress missions to the ISS. Space social media is all over the place with what needs to be fixed and how long it will take, cost, etc. NASA has not said much of anything other than admitting “yea, we noticed”. SpaceX is doing just fine. Boeing Starliner – well, not so much and they are not going to be in a position to do much heavy lifting for a while until they prove – for the fourth time – that their system works. As was the case after the loss of Columbia we’re back to a single string of crew launch capability i.e. no back-up. And you will recall all of the arm waving and fuss that the incoming Administration had about two “stranded” astronauts on ISS. Cargo supply to ISS is better off (Dragon, Cygnus, JAXA). Yet, when you add in the ticking clock for splashing ISS and what a reimagined Artemis will look like and NASA is going to have its hands full in 2026. With fewer staff and a significantly smaller budget projection, this is going to be a challenge. ‘Per Aspera’ is going to be more pronounced as we do the whole ‘Ad Astra’ thing.

Keith’s note: I was only at NASA a short time in 1987 and was put on the Voyager Neptune “interstellar mission” status report distribution list (L). How cool. Nearly 40 years later I posted (R) about the one-light-day mark that will be reached a year from now. We’re actually heading to the stars – truly Ad Astra. No other nation has actually gone interstellar – and no one else will do so any time soon. It may be just a space nerd bench mark – but one would think that if NASA was going to hop on the ‘Make America Great In Space (Again)’ / ‘Keep America Great In Space’ bandwagon, they’d be looking for things NASA has accomplished like this – those with profound implications. We may be in a ‘race’ (back) to the Moon but no one is going to beat the U.S. into the cosmos any time soon. Oh yea there are two block buster movies coming out soon that deal with interstellar travel. Easy things to hang some outreach on – maybe even a teachable moment. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: NASA’s global branding reach is astonishing with immense soft power projection potential – if only NASA knew how to take full advantage. Have a look at this video of a landslide in Sri Lanka. Someone wearing a NASA logo t-shirt pops in and out of view. Yes, a landslide in Sri Lanka – on Twitter. Even when it is passive or unintentional, NASA’s branding constantly shows up. Oh yes: you don’t see the Chinese Space Agency CNSA’s logo on people’s t-shirts. So we’re winning the space race on that front. But isn’t global reach what it’s all about in the end? Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen will be back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee from early January through the end of February 2026 for another field season of research, leading an international field team of graduate students and scientists from the United States, Canada, and Austria. His work is coordinated through the Carl Sagan Center within the SETI Institute, and we will be posting their updates at Astrobiology.com. More

Keith’s note: As part of the amputation of NASA Goddard, the Fitness Center is being closed. Who needs healthy employees, I guess. Memo below. Update: a reader notes: “This action seems to violate a NASA requirement for field centers to have such facilities. Per NPR 1800.1E 3.2.2.1(c), “3.2.2.1 Centers shall: c. Operate fitness facilities with hours of operation meeting most users’ needs and work schedules. Center fitness facilities operate in NASA-funded space, which may also include swimming pools, indoor basketball courts, locker rooms, and restrooms.”.

Keith’s note: There is a little global softpower projection on ABC Australia’s ABC Arts about the Artemis Accords with Jess Bush from “Star Trek Strange New Worlds” and Mike Gold from Redwire Space. You can view it here on Instagram or here on Facebook.

Keith’s note: A press release from Representatives Chu, Bacon et al urges “Strong Final FY26 Appropriations for Space Science and Exploration.” Full text and letter below.

Keith’s note: This is how a NASA person speaks truth to power. You can leave NASA but NASA never leaves you. It’s that ‘Right Stuff’ we all share. Senator Mark Kelly posted this via @SenMarkKelly to deal with the ‘Wrong Stuff’ issued by the White House: “When I was 22 years old, I commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and swore an oath to the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school, four space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired – which I did after my wife Gabby was shot in the head while serving her constituents. In combat, I had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia. I did all of this in service to this country that I love and has given me so much. Secretary Hegseth’s tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death. If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

Keith’s note: The White House, Department of Energy, and OSTP just launched a big flashy national AI thing called “Genesis Mission”. The Executive Order says “This order launches the “Genesis Mission” as a dedicated, coordinated national effort to unleash a new age of AI‑accelerated innovation and discovery that can solve the most challenging problems of this century.” Alas, there is no mention of NASA in the Genesis fact sheet and the press release mentions NSF, NISH, and NIH – but not NASA. There is no mention either of NASA things like space, astronomy, or aviation. NASA is trying to understand the scope and origin of the universe, search for life on other worlds, and build spaceships unlike any ever built before – and it is employing advanced computing and AI in all of this. But NASA apparently does not pass muster when it comes to inclusion in the White House/OSTP Genesis Mission.

Keith’s note: This email was sent to employees at the Engineering Technology Directorate at NASA GSFC. It would appear that these GSFC employees are now going to be working on “national security technologies” – despite the fact that NASA is a civilian space agency. Full email below.

Keith’s note: Remember DOGE? Well, it no longer exists as a thing with that name – although some of the chaos it caused is now formally part of OPM and other parts of the agency. According to Reuters: “U.S. President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate, ending an initiative launched with fanfare as a symbol of Trump’s pledge to slash the government’s size but which critics say delivered few measurable savings. “That doesn’t exist,” Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOGE’s status. It is no longer a “centralized entity,” Kupor added, in the first public comments from the Trump administration on the end of DOGE.”