TYB
Defense policy chief John Plumb to step down in May
March 29, 2024
WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb will be stepping down in May, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed March 29.
Plumb is leaving his post two years after being confirmed as the first assistant secretary of defense for space policy, a position that Congress established in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
In a statement, a spokesperson confirmed that Plumb “announced to his team his intent to depart in early May,” but did not elaborate further.
Plumb’s portfolio includes space policy but also nuclear weapons, cyber, missile defense, electromagnetic warfare and countering weapons of mass destruction.
Confirmed in 2022
Plumb, a former Aerospace Corp. executive, was nominated by President Biden in July 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in March 2022.
Most recently, Plumb has overseen the drafting of a commercial space integration strategy. “It’s an exciting time for innovation in space and there’s major opportunities for the department to leverage,” he said.
With regard to space security, Plumb has worked on efforts to develop “norms of behavior” in the space domain, and has voiced concerns about China’s and Russia’s developments in anti-satellite weapons.
https://spacenews.com/defense-policy-chief-john-plumb-to-step-down-in-may/
Meet EELS: NASA’s Trailblazing Autonomous Snake-Bot for Alien Seas
29 March 2024
Researchers are developing an advanced snake-like robot, named the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), with the ambition to explore the vast and alien oceans beneath Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Equipped with innovative autonomous features and designed to navigate challenging terrains, EELS stands as a testament to NASA’s commitment to unearthing the secrets of extraterrestrial life.
NASA scientists are advancing the frontiers of space exploration with the creation of a serpentine robot, capable of enduring the extraterrestrial conditions of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Engineered for autonomy, EELS is expected to delve into the icy depths where life might exist, navigating through the moon’s geological uncertainties with its segmental, flexible design.
The cleverly designed robot boasts an impressive length of over 14 feet, with a specialized “perception head” adorned with sensors and cameras to make sense of its surroundings. Its technology-packed head includes tools for vision such as LiDAR and stereo cameras, complemented by a barometer for environmental awareness. The EELS robot must rely on its intelligent decision-making system for self-navigation due to the remote and isolated landscapes of Enceladus’ subsurface oceans.
Enceladus is a prime candidate for this mission as previous probes hint at its capability to support life, partly due to the presence of mid-ocean geological activity spotted by Cassini probe. The observed jets, shooting plumes of water into space, also signify points of entry for EELS to access these hidden seas.
While the initial tests involved simulations within glacial conditions on Earth, the EELS project promises to accomplish more than interplanetary exploration. Its adaptability could be vital in investigating Earth’s own extreme ecosystems, providing us with a glimpse into the operational prowess of such advanced robotic technology before it journeys to the moons of Saturn.
The advanced robotics industry is continuously growing, and the development of the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) represents a significant leap forward in the field of space exploration robots, particularly those designed to explore extraterrestrial environments. Such innovations are part of the broader planetary science technology market, which is seeing considerable investment from both governmental and private sectors, aiming to further our understanding of the cosmos as well as to push the limits of where and how we can explore.
Industry Trends and Market Forecasts
The space robotics industry is experiencing a surge, given the increasing interest in space exploration by countries and private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others. Market research suggests steady growth in the coming years due to potential missions slated for deep space exploration, asteroid mining, and planetary research. Additionally, the push for autonomous robotics in space is expected to see significant research and development investments, given the challenges of remote operation over vast interplanetary distances.
In terms of market forecasts, the space robotics sector is expected to expand at a notable CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) over the next decade. This growth is driven by factors including advancements in AI and machine learning, which are crucial for the autonomous decision-making systems seen in robots like EELS. The market is also likely to be influenced by the decreasing cost of sending missions to space due to reusable launch systems and increased competition in the aerospace sector.
Issues Related to the Industry or Product
Despite the exciting progress, there are formidable challenges facing the industry. One of the primary issues is the harsh conditions of space environments, which require robots to be exceptionally resilient. The isolation and communication delay in sending and receiving signals from Earth pose another significant challenge for deep space robotics, necessitating high degrees of autonomy such as that which EELS must demonstrate. Furthermore, technological reliability, durability under extreme conditions, and the ability to carry out complex tasks without human intervention are all crucial factors in the development of space exploration robots.
In addition, the enormous costs associated with space exploration can be a limiting factor, and this places emphasis on the importance of international collaboration and funding diversification. Ethical and legal considerations also arise when exploring celestial bodies, such as planetary protection protocols to avoid biological contamination, which must be carefully observed in missions like the one proposed for Enceladus.
https://ytech.news/en/meet-eels-nasas-trailblazing-autonomous-snake-bot-for-alien-seas/
What was that rattle last night? Earthquake? UFO? Or…?
Mar. 29, 2024 at 1:04 PM PDT
FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) - Did you feel it?
Judging by the calls and emails that came in, a lot of people - from the Town of Champion up to the Gouverneur area - felt something Thursday night.
And that something was strong enough to shake the ground and make some houses rattle.
What was it? Well, it was not an earthquake, or a visitor from beyond. The answer is much closer to home.
This: Fort Drum officials tell us the Air National Guard was training, and the training involved dropping 500 pound bombs on Range 48.
https://www.wwnytv.com/2024/03/29/what-was-that-rattle-last-night-earthquake-ufo-or/
Life could exist on Venus after all – despite its toxic clouds
Mar 29, 2024
Continuing our hunt to find life in the solar system outside Earth, we turn our thoughts to Venus.
Specifically, the clouds of Venus.
Venus’s cloud layer extends 30-40 miles above the surface and, unlike its blisteringly hot and high-pressure surface, actually has milder temperatures that could support some extreme forms of life.
For years, many scientists thought life might be able to survive in the clouds, but more recently the idea has been rejected based on the highly toxic droplets of sulphuric acid found throughout.
Now however, a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has shown that the building blocks of life actually can survive in concentrated sulphuric acid – raising hopes that life could too.
The researchers found that 19 amino acids essential to life on Earth are stable for up to four weeks when placed in vials of sulphuric acid at concentrations similar to those in Venus’s clouds.
‘It doesn’t mean that life there will be the same as here. In fact, we know it can’t be. But this work advances the notion that Venus’s clouds could support complex chemicals needed for life.’
Previously, the team has also shown that some fatty acids and nucleic acids can remain stable in sulphuric acid, but the researchers emphasise that ‘complex organic chemistry is of course not life, but there is no life without it’.
This means that just, because Venus’s clouds may be able to support life, does not mean there is life in the clouds.
Life on Venus: the lowdown
Thirty miles up from Venus’ surface, the temperature is around 30-70C
Pressure here is similar to Earth’s surface
‘Extremophile’ microbes could exist in this temperature range
Some Russian Venera probes detect particles in Venus’ lower atmosphere about a micron in length, roughly the same size as a bacterium on Earth – but this does not mean life was found on Venus
Dr Sanjay Limaye, from the University of Wisconsin who was not involved with this study said: ‘Now, with the discovery that many amino acids and nucleic acids are stable in 98% sulphuric acid, the possibility of life surviving in [the clouds] may not be so far-fetched or fantastic.
‘Of course, many obstacles lie ahead, but life that evolved in water and adapted to sulphuric acid may not be easily dismissed.’
However, the team are well aware that Venus’s cloud chemistry is messier than test tube conditions, and still, more research needs to be done to study the trace gasses also found in the planet’s clouds.
The findings are published in the journal Astrobiology.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/life-could-exist-on-venus-after-all-despite-its-toxic-clouds/ar-BB1kKYu1
Maybe the official UFO-watchers can do better
March 29, 2024
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, according to the adage. AARO (the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office) seems a little bit unclear on that.
The recent statement of the official government “UFO Hunters,” AARO, is that it has not found any “empirical” evidence of any technology “not of this earth.” If by evidence one means incontrovertible, physical proof beyond any doubt, then yes, we have no evidence. If instead one uses a more reasonable definition, such as credible eyewitness accounts by experts, by means of air, ground, and radar observations, all at the same time and place, then there are massive amounts of evidence, and the reports keep coming in.
None of this is proof, but many of these data are indeed evidence.
AARO, almost from its beginning, has suffered from what might be called a lack of candor when making statements to the public. It dutifully reports, and correctly, that the great majority of UFO accounts are readily explainable as ordinary phenomena — but it gratuitously adds that those few that are not explained, probably could be, if more data were available. “Probably could be” is not a scientific statement and does not reflect the rigorous, disciplined analysis that AARO claims as its mantle. Moreover, it sounds very much as if its conclusions have already been reached beforehand.
For context, remember that AARO is dealing with subject matter that could change the course of human history. It deserves much more intensity than a routine procedural inquiry. If it actually does find, and reports, that there is a significant likelihood that even one UFO sighting, even without proof, is evidence of spacecraft from another planet — one cannot overstate the implications. AARO’s secondary mission, then, is to instill confidence in the public mind that it has no hesitation in reporting all the facts, accurately, no matter what they are, nor whose apple cart is upset.
Is it doing that?
No. From its beginning, AARO was openly disinterested in revisiting government records of past UFO reports and instead stated that it would be focusing only on new reports as they come in. In open testimony before Congress, some officials amazingly seemed unaware of the cumulative historical data that are available, much of it professionally documented, which might offer clues not only as to what UFOs are, but how best to proceed investigating them. When pressed, they reluctantly agreed to “look into” reports that congressmen specifically mentioned but seemed remarkably incurious. There was no indication that they would be turning over every stone. The attitude seemed to be that’s not my job, but if you really must insist, a routine inquiry will be made; we hope that satisfies you.
At the least, knowing what mistakes have been made in the past (such as intimidating witnesses, jumping to conclusions, and failing to gather all available data), can be used to create effective protocols and policies going forward. Numerous forensic clues for which technology did not exist in the 1950s might be applied now to what criminologists might call cold cases. Possibly, they could solve some of the most spectacular UFO sightings — for example, those that occurred over the White House decades ago. Doesn’t AARO consider that worth looking into? Apparently not.
That lack of interest in historical context is a glaring omission, which, AARO seems, appallingly, to shrug off.
It is no wonder, then, that some potential witnesses indicate a distrust of AARO and therefore will not report to it. If “the truth is out there,” then the bureaucratic attitude might be that’s a good place for it.
The situation is made more complicated by hordes of hoaxsters and UFO cultists, who clutter up the files with false and misleading reports. Unfortunately, there is a tendency to indict honest and competent reports by association with them.
The UFO phenomenon, whatever it turns out to be, if ever we find out what it is, may fall into the category of so-called “far out physics,” something so unlike what we might expect that we have nothing in our experience to which to relate it. Dark matter, dark energy, and singularities in the cosmos are in that category. Our best scientists have failed to solve those mysteries.
Until we get a reliable agency, with aggressive methods of getting at the truth, we may not know whether we are simply uninformed, perhaps by an incompetent agency, or being stonewalled. AARO can do much to dispel such notions, but only by expressing more curiosity about UFOs. In order to succeed, it needs to go where no investigation has gone before.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/03/maybe_the_official_ufo_watchers_can_do_better.html
'Swarm' of UFOs buzzed US Air Force base as 'mystery drones' spotted near nuclear assets
07:21 ET, MAR 29 2024
A "swarm" of mysterious drones has been spotted around a US Air Force base that is known to house nuclear assets. In this revealing video, Chris Lehto, a podcaster who often talks about UFOs, said that one of NASA's high-flying research planes was used to try and identify these strange crafts.
The objects seen in December are thought to have been controlled by a foreign power trying to gather information on America's most important defence sites. A spokesperson for Langley Air Force Base told the War Zone blog: "none of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety."
Chris pointed out that the object's apparent target Langley Air Force Base regularly uses an area of sea off the coast of Virgina where former Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves claimed to have detected multiple "unknown objects" in US airspace
He added: "Graves said one of the objects was visually reported as 'a cube within a transparent sphere.' I'm a retired F-16 pilot I flew for 18 years and I've never heard of anything of that description particularly if it's flying in high winds.", reports the Daily Star.
Chris said that the area around Langley Air Force Base and the US Navy shipyards at Norfolk is where some of America's top warships are.
He said: "The incidents got so bad that additional assets were called in including the Whiskey Bravo 57F high-flying research plane that NASA owns.
"According to The War Zone this spate of bizarre drone incursions deeply underscores the still growing threats that uncrewed aerial systems [UAS] present on and off traditional battlefields."
People who love watching planes saw two air patrols ready for combat over the area in mid-December. They also saw the high-tech NASA plane flying perfectly round circles around Langley, even when the wind was really strong.
Now the reason why these air patrols were happening has been revealed. A spokesperson from the USAF said: "To protect operational security, we do not discuss impacts to operations.
"We don't discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation. Langley continues to monitor our air space and work with local law enforcement and other federal agencies to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities, and assets."
"There's tons of important assets here; nuclear assets as well just an amazing amount of military hardware is it actually China on the east coast of the United States? because that would be quite interesting. Or is it people operating drones just in the general area? Is that what sparked all this activity?," Chris pondered.
"Or, is it UAPs? Could it actually be UAP incursions are picking up or now they're actually taking them seriously? ".
Chris says that the incident is embarrassing for the US Air Force. "Its airspace getting penetrated for weeks on end is clearly not the best look especially after major lapses in domain awareness and air defence capabilities were recently spotlighted by the Chinese 'spy balloon' saga," he said.
Langley also houses two F-22 fighter planes that patrol the sky near Washington DC. "Naval Station Norfolk the largest naval base on the east coast," Chris said, while highlighting the other important military equipment at the base.
"It's home to roughly half of America's carrier Fleet and it's located just to the southeast a host of other military installations are also dotted throughout the broader area including Naval Air Station Oceana that's where Ryan Graves operated out of and that's the Navy's Master tactical jet base on the East Coast also has Navy special warfare's East Coast headquarters."
The War Zone noted that unexplained drone incursions have been logged at military bases across the US. They wrote: "Military aircraft are also routinely encountering drones in various test and training ranges and other restricted military operating areas. America's nuclear power plants have had very troubling encounters with drone swarms."
"Yet the frequency and nature of the incursions in Virginia sound eerily similar to the bizarre claims of unidentified drone swarms roving over the plains of Colorado in the Winter of 2019-2020."
"The government response to those incidents was something of a meek sideshow compared to what clearly occurred regarding the Langley incidents - a sign of just how much more seriously these incidents are being taken."
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/swarm-ufos-buzzed-air-force-32469252
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9iCuvv6JnM