This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
Uncategorized
LATEST
Dear NASA: Why Are We Going To Europa When Earth’s Oceans Are So Screwed up?
Dear NASA: Why Are We Going To Europa When Earth’s Oceans Are So Screwed up?

Keith’s note: Today’s “Obvious Question Begging An Answer Award” goes to Dennis Lees for his op ed Earth’s ocean is in crisis. Why spend $5 billion to study the one on Jupiter’s moon Europa? in the LA Times which asks “As a marine ecologist, I’ve studied marine sedimentary ecosystems since 1972. My studies show that our current knowledge of these ecosystems is quite poor. Therefore, in this age of existential threats to species habitability and survival on Earth, I have serious objections to spending $5 billion on a project to explore the sea on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, to see if it contains chemicals that might support life. What real good will that do us? Can you imagine how much good it would do to spend those funds here to learn how our own oceans function and how to deal with injuries we humans are causing? What are our funding priorities? What benefits will knowing the chemistry of Europa’s sea create for us here as our planet becomes less habitable?”. If NASA has not explained this mission adequately to the broader scientific community – especially one wherein oceanography is constantly evoked – then maybe NASA PAO (Marc Etkind et al) need to do some clean up. IMHO the first thing you’d want to see is a response to the LA Times from NASA JPL Center Director Laurie Leshin and/or NASA SMD AA Nicky Fox (and whomever does the semi-invisible chief scientist stuff at NASA HQ) – with a broadcast via NASA’s vast web and social media presence. NASA should take these rather simple and credible questions as a challenge to be more transparent to its “stakeholders”. NASA needs to not only speak in a rational way to the scientific community since their support is often needed to keep the NASA science gravy train running but also to the remaining 99.999999% of humanity in the real world who is faced with existential problems right now – and is being asked to pay for these missions.A good place to start would be with the “Artemis Generation” since they are the ones who are going go home with excited questions about space for their parents and the parents need to give quality answers that feed these dreams.. At least that is what happened to those of us who are the “Apollo Generation” and look what we did. Just sayin.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • October 23, 2023
UAP Hearing In Congress
UAP Hearing In Congress

Keith’s note: OK. 3 expert military aviation witnesses with solid careers serving their country are currently talking about UAP sightings in public before Congress. No tin foil hats, no talk of abductions or Elvis. Just details about totally inexplicable aerodynamic performance. Just sayin’. One witness said he can’t comment in open session if government has had contact with aliens and that non-human biological remains have been recovered from crashes. The whole Life in the universe thing is a long standing feature of NASA’s research portfolio. This congressional testimony begs an inquiry to NASA Public Affairs. Alas, if I asked Marc Etkind and NASA PAO to comment they’d either 1. not respond 2. tell me that they have a committee that is working on the topic and that I am welcome to read their report whenever it comes out.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • July 26, 2023
Yea We Changed Some Things Around
Yea We Changed Some Things Around

Keith’s Note: we did the big move to WordPress. Now I need to figure out how to get NASAWatch back out on the racetrack again. We picked a slow time to do this. And then NASA decided to try and launch SLS on 29 August. Oh well.

  • NASA Watch
  • August 14, 2022
Blue Origin Is Having A Bad Week
Blue Origin Is Having A Bad Week

Blue Origin “Gambled” with its Moon lander pricing, NASA says in legal documents, The Verge “Overall, NASA effectively called BS on that argument, saying “Blue Origin made a bet and it lost.” Blue Origin “made an assumption about the Agency’s HLS budget, built its proposal with this figure in mind, and also separately made a calculated bet that if NASA could not afford Blue Origin’s initially-proposed price, the Agency would […]

  • NASA Watch
  • September 30, 2021
That White House R&D Memo NASA Won't Talk About
That White House R&D Memo NASA Won't Talk About

Multi-Agency Research and Development Priorities for the FY 2023 Budget, OMN/OSTP “This memorandum outlines the Administration’s multi-agency R&D priorities for formulating fiscal year (FY) 2023 Budget submissions to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The priorities covered in this memo require continued investments in R&D; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and engagement; STEM workforce development; technology transfer and commercialization; and research infrastructure, with emphasis on Historically Black […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2021
NASA Usually Ignores Whatever GAO Asks Them To Fix
NASA Usually Ignores Whatever GAO Asks Them To Fix

GAO: Priority Open Recommendations: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, GAO “In April 2020, GAO identified 12 priority recommendations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since then, NASA has implemented one of those recommendations when it calculated the Space Launch System program’s developmental cost growth using a baseline adjusted to reflect the scope of work planned for its first mission. GAO also closed two recommendations as not implemented. Since […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 28, 2021
Let's Do Some Rocket Math
Let's Do Some Rocket Math

Watch TIME’s Exclusive Footage of NASA’s Most Powerful Rocket Ever Under Construction, Time Time’s Jeffrey Kluger says “A rocket this big does not come cheap. Developing both the SLS and the ground systems that will support it will cost $11.5 billion, NASA says. And this is for a rocket that, unlike the space shuttle or the reusable boosters built by SpaceX, will be flown once and thrown away. According to […]

  • NASA Watch
  • April 22, 2021
What We Know About Biden And Artemis At T+2 Weeks (Update)
What We Know About Biden And Artemis At T+2 Weeks (Update)

Keith’s update: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki just made the following comments at the daily press briefing: “Kristen … asked a great question about the Artemis program – which I dug into and I am very excited about it now to tell my daughter all about it. So .. for those of you who have not been following it as closely, through the Artemis program, the United States government […]

  • NASA Watch
  • February 4, 2021
Mars Perseverance Media Briefing
Mars Perseverance Media Briefing

Keith’s note: NASA held a Mars Perseverance media briefing today. I asked a question that follows up on my earlier post “NASA’s Mars 2020 Websites Are Not Ready For Prime Time” wherein I noted that NASA PAO and the Aeronautics and Technology directorates are not paying all of the attention to this mission as you’d expect them to be. My question: “My question should be addressed to people who are […]

  • NASA Watch
  • January 27, 2021
Heads Up Michoud and Stennis

Heads up Michoud and Stennis. #HurricaneDelta pic.twitter.com/EPycGeaG7B — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) October 7, 2020 Keith’s note: Let’s hope that the SLS hardware weathers the storm.

  • NASA Watch
  • October 7, 2020
SMD Sends A $2 billion Astrobiology Mission to Mars and Then Forgets About Astrobiology
SMD Sends A $2 billion Astrobiology Mission to Mars and Then Forgets About Astrobiology

Keith’s note: NASA has an Astrobiology rover heading to Mars. Time to dial up the Astrobiology stuff, right? Guess again. Check out the NASA SMD website. Do a search for Search for “astrobiology”. These are the top search results – yes they are rather stale. Not exactly the top shelf outreach that you’d expect SMD to be doing for a $2 billion Astrobiology mission on its way to Mars. Just […]

  • NASA Watch
  • September 3, 2020
Just Remember: Pence Said "By Any Means Necessary"
Just Remember: Pence Said "By Any Means Necessary"

Boeing tried to amend bid after guidance from NASA official, raising concerns it received inside information, Washington Post “A person with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation said: “I can tell you with 100 percent confidence that no laws were broken. What we are talking about are conversations that occurred outside the normal dictated channels but didn’t violate the […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 20, 2020
Webb Launch Delayed Again
Webb Launch Delayed Again

Keith’s note: At a ASEB virtual meeting today SMD AA Thomas Zurbuchen announced that Webb will not be launch in March 2021 saying “That is not in the cards right now.” Delays due to COVID-19 resulted in single shifts of work instead of the planned double shifts. No new launch date has been offered but Zurbuchen was optimistic that a launch in 2021 is still possible.

  • NASA Watch
  • June 10, 2020
Doug Loverro Was Asked To Resign And He Has

NASA HEOMD AA @DouglasLoverro was asked to resign and he has agreed to do so. Details to follow. — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 19, 2020 Well @VP Pence told @JimBridenstine and @NASA to land on the Moon by 2024 "By any means necessary". So @DouglasLoverro did and the powers that be got nervous. So he is gone. So much for the whole #Artemis #Moon2024 thing. #NASA no longer takes risks. […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 19, 2020
NASA Has A "Many Voices" Problem When It Comes to CASIS
NASA Has A "Many Voices" Problem When It Comes to CASIS

Keith’s note: In a public Zoom telecon today between the National Academies of Science, NASA, CASIS, ASGSR, news media, public etc. about the recent CASIS IRT report Craig Kundrot, Director of NASA Space Life & Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA) said that CASIS is no longer going to be issuing grants. That’s odd since this is not mentioned anywhere in the IRT report. So I asked Kundrot via email […]

  • NASA Watch
  • April 17, 2020
NASA SLS Cost Exceeds Congressional Agency Baseline Commitment
NASA SLS Cost Exceeds Congressional Agency Baseline Commitment

NASA OIG: NASA’S Management of Space Launch System Program Costs and Contracts, OIG “NASA continues to struggle managing SLS Program costs and schedule as the launch date for the first integrated SLS/Orion mission slips further. Rising costs and delays can be attributed to challenges with program management, technical issues, and contractor performance. For example, the structure of the SLS contracts limits visibility into contract costs and prevents NASA from determining […]

  • NASA Watch
  • March 10, 2020
Detailed Insight Into GAO Ruling on Blue Origin DoD Contract Award Protest
Detailed Insight Into GAO Ruling on Blue Origin DoD Contract Award Protest

GAO: Decision Matter of: Blue Origin Florida, LLC File: B-417839 “Blue Origin Florida, LLC, of Merritt Island, Florida, protests the terms of request for proposals (RFP) No. FA8811-19-R-0002, issued by the Department of the Air Force, for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement, which seeks to procure commercial item launch services for NSSL missions. Blue Origin alleges that several terms of the RFP unduly restrict […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 22, 2019
Correction

Keith’s note: According to Dr. Philip Schein he had clearly stated his intention to retire from the CASIS board several months ago after 5 years of service. He then formally submitted a letter of resignation to the CASIS board. He was not voted off of the board or “removed” as we previously reported. Our original posting was based on multiple sources within and outside of CASIS. Alas, CASIS itself simply […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 19, 2019
Mark Sirangelo is leaving NASA

Mark Sirangelo is leaving NASA. — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 24, 2019 NASA Statement from @JimBridenstine on Mark Sirangelo's departure from @NASA pic.twitter.com/Rj25xTYgoL — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 24, 2019

  • NASA Watch
  • May 23, 2019