Keith’s note: Yesterday I sent the following email to NASA JPL employee Ron Baalke yesterday about two inaccurate tweets he has posted (and retweeted) regarding the Challenger accident. I cc:ed JPL and NASA HQ PAO. The tweets are still out there misinforming people. No one at NASA seems to care that a NASA employee is perpetuating misleading information. Yes, its a “private” Twitter account – one that goes out of […]

Trump Names Former Climate Scientist Erik Noble to NASA Advisory Role, Wired “Trump named Autry his White House liaison, a role NASA Watch editor Keith Cowing calls “traditional” – and Noble his White House senior advisor at NASA. That’s less typical. “Does that mean he’s at NASA, or is he just another liason?” Cowing says. “My guess is these guys are two peas in a pod.” Which is to say, […]

National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy “The National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy (Strategy) and the forthcoming National NearEarth Object Preparedness Action Plan (Action Plan) together seek to improve our Nation’s preparedness to address the hazard of near-Earth object (NEO) impacts by enhancing the integration of existing national and international assets and adding important capabilities that are currently lacking. The Strategy and Action Plan build on efforts at the National Aeronautics and […]

Denver aerospace company pays $100,000 to settle kickback allegations, Denver Post “United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing Corp. formed to provide cost-efficient spacecraft launch services to the federal government, has paid the United States $100,000 to settle allegations that a subcontractor paid its employees kickbacks in order to win contracts. As a result of the preferential treatment, Centennial-based ULA, and by extension, the U.S. government, […]

Keith’s note: You’ve done it again. Twice in one week I have had to delete comments and close down commenting on a post. You folks need to stay on topic and not engage in personal attacks and pick fights. From now on if you comment inappropriately you will get banned on the first offense with no warning.

Keith’s note: The election is over. Comments that do not relate to postings on this blog, comments that overtly go after Clinton or Trump on things un-related to the topic – or space, and all of the other political stuff that is showing in comments up will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned. I am no longer going to spend a lot of time warning people – I’ll just […]

Keith’s note: According to this press release from Deals Secure Group Holding Company GP, Elite Capital & Co. Limited, and Dr. Faisal Khazaal, LLD. Law Group, LP: “Dr. Khazaal was one of those who participated in the funding of the spacecraft LightSail. Being recognized for his participation he was granted ownership of a square centimeter of this spacecraft as a symbolic property for his belief in the importance of space […]

Saving NASA’s ARM and the Journey to Mars, Op Ed, Louis Friedman, Space News “The House Appropriations Committee may have just induced such a paralysis by proposing to block funding for NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). This mission represents the first step in the Journey to Mars, advances needed technologies for Mars and gives Orion and SLS their first real exploration mission. If their action to stop ARM is allowed […]

Mysterious website slams Elon Musk as ‘American Swindler’, Politico “A mysterious new website has popped up accusing billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk of cronyism and inappropriate ties to top political leaders. But who, exactly, is behind the site remains unclear, as its sponsors have taken steps to hide their identities. The focal point of WhoIsElonMusk.com is a slickly produced video, posted just days ago, that slams Musk as an “American Swindler” […]

Industry Jockeys Over ICBM Motors For Commercial Space Launch, Defense News “Newer companies generally use liquid-fuel rocket technology, considered more cost-effective for certain missions. It only makes financial sense to build a commercial version of a launch vehicle fueled by solid ICBM rocket motors if the US government pays the majority of the cost, argued Richard DalBello, Virgin Galactic vice president for business development and government affairs. “I have heard […]

Keith’s note: DISQUS – the commenting system we use – is acting up tonight. If you cannot post your comments try again later.

Keith’s note: Recent news stories claim that Apollo astronauts reported hearing strange music during their mission. NASA has debunked this claim with a statement issued today. “While listed as ‘confidential’ in 1969 at the height of the Space Race, Apollo 10 mission transcripts and audio have been publicly available since 1973. Since the Internet did not exist in the Apollo era, NASA has only recently provided digital files for some […]

McCarthy Introduces Legislation to Reinstate Ban on Russian Rocket Engines “Today, Congressman Kevin McCarthy introduced legislation to reinstate congressionally imposed restrictions on the purchase of RD-180 rocket engines (Russian rocket engines) for military space launches. This bill repeals language from the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that not only allows for the unlimited purchase of Russian rocket engines, but also undermines months of transparent debate and bipartisan policy the […]

Keith’s note: Per my earlier post about the whole topic of harassment as it is being discussed at the American Astronomical Society Meeting. This is how astronomers respond (Click below). In this case Jeffrey Silverman, a member of the faculty at the University of Texas Austin. I’m not sure I take the AAS membership that seriously any more. They complain (rightfully so) about something and then their members negate whatever […]

Keith’s 10:15 am note: NASA sources report that NASA SMD has decided to cancel the launch of Mars InSight in 2016 due to problems with the French seismometer. There is a design flaw in the instrument – one that prevents it from being able to maintain the vacuum needed to operate on the surface of Mars – or for that capability to be adequately tested prior to launch so as […]

Guess what out did #AstronomyNight tonight on Twitter – and no one at @WhiteHouse or @NASA seems to understand. https://t.co/hY3balJCQk — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) October 20, 2015

Stay the Course To Mars, OpEd, Chris Carberry and Joe Cassady, SpaceNews “What should be made clear, however, is that the next president will not need to reinvent our national space policy. The overall policy direction is fine, but despite a lot of progress with architectural elements and growing support from a number of stakeholders and policymakers, a clear pathway (including necessary precursors) has yet to be fully articulated.” Keith’s […]

NASA’s Mars Announcement: Present-day transient flows of briny water on steep slopes, Planetary Society “This is one of many reasons I’m glad that The Planetary Society is advocating an orbit-first approach to human exploration. If we keep our filthy meatbag bodies in space and tele-operate sterile robots on the surface, we’ll avoid irreversible contamination of Mars — and obfuscation of the answer to the question of whether we’re alone in […]

NASA’s Response to Orbital’s October 2014 Launch Failure: Impacts on Commercial Resupply of the ISS, NASA OIG “Orbital’s Return to Flight Plan contains technical and operational risks and may be difficult to execute as designed and on the timetable proposed. … This tight schedule does not include a test flight for the modified system and provides limited opportunities for qualification and certification testing. … when calculating the cost to NASA […]