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: 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.

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: I originally posted this on 7 August 2019. Give today’s political events I thought it was worth reposting. — In light of the naked racism and politics of division coming from the White House – and the impact that it has had on societal events of late – I need to say something. We are stronger as a result of our diversity – not weakened by it. Humanity […]

Keith’s note: I first wrote “Rocket Boys, Vulcans, and Wandering Apollo Rockets” for StarTrek’s official website in 2002 the day after the “Enterprise” episode “Carbon Creek” first aired. The story was clearly inspired by my friend Homer Hickam’s book “Rocket Boys” Well, that episode was on TV last night.
Curiously, after 15 years, and several pivots, NASA seems to be moving back toward the Moon again (which happens to be my favorite destination for human exploration as well as Homer’s) and interstellar object 1I/’Oumuamua (previously A/2017 U1) is passing through our solar system – echoes of the plot of yet another Star Trek tale i.e. “Star Trek First Contact”.

Von Braun Symposium speech Oct. 29, 2015, Wayne Hale “Two years ago I spoke to this conference and told you that we need to fly soon and fly often. We need to figure out how that can be done. Today we are not two years closer to the first human flight of our exploration systems. If anything we are farther away. No wonder I’m frustrated. If we are honest with […]

Keith’s note: Looks like all the invitees to this gun shooting team building event are from JSC Code NA – Safety and Mission Assurance Office. This was sent out the day after the Navy Yard shootings here in Washington, DC. I wonder if these JSC “safety” folks would have announced such a team building event the day after that horrible shooting incident they had at JSC a few years ago? […]

As Times Change, She Returns to the Basics of Dining, NASA LaRC “I’ve been at NASA Langley for more than 30 years,” said Cheryl Cleghorn, the center’s outreach and protocol coordinator. “I’ve seen lots of changes in the last five or six years.” Many of them involved money. “Before, NASA was given its budget and did what it was going to do with it,” Cleghorn said. “Now we’re collaborating and […]

The Epic Struggle Between Birds and Pigs Moves to Space with a NASA Science Twist “For nearly three years, millions of gamers have used physics in the battle between birds and pigs in the video game Angry Birds. In cooperation with NASA, Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, creator of the Angry Birds franchise, announced its newest game, “Angry Birds Space,” on Thursday, March 8. NASA and Rovio are working together to teach […]