TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
February 22, 2025
Rima Hyginus
Rima Hyginus is a spectacular fissure, some 220 kilometers long, found near the center of the lunar near side. Easy to spot in telescopic views of the Moon, it stretches top left to bottom right across this lunar closeup. The image was made with exaggerated colors that reflect the mineral composition of the lunar soil. Hyginus crater lies near the center of the narrow lunar surface groove. About 10 kilometers in diameter, the low-walled crater is a volcanic caldera, one of the larger non-impact craters on the lunar surface. Dotted with small pits formed by surface collapse, Hyginus rima itself was likely created by stresses due to internal magma upwelling and collapse along a long surface fault. The intriguing region was a candidate landing site for the canceled Apollo 19 mission.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Sets Coverage for Intuitive Machines’ Next Commercial Moon Launch
Feb 21, 2025
Carrying NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The mission will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Live launch coverage will air on NASA+ with prelaunch events starting Tuesday, Feb. 25. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Follow all events at:
After the launch, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander, Athena, will spend approximately one week in transit to the Moon before landing on the lunar surface no earlier than Thursday, March 6.
The lander will carry NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
Among the items on Intuitive Machines’ lander, the IM-2 mission will be one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the Moon.
A drill and mass spectrometer will measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases from lunar soil in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau in the Moon’s South Pole. In addition, a passive Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) on the top deck of the lander will bounce laser light back at any orbiting or incoming spacecraft to give future spacecraft a permanent reference point on the lunar surface.
Other technology instruments on this delivery will demonstrate a robust surface communications system and deploy a propulsive drone that can hop across the lunar surface.
Launching as a rideshare with the IM-2 delivery, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft also will begin its journey to lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the Moon.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-intuitive-machines-next-commercial-moon-launch/
NASA, SpaceX Move Launch of Space Telescope, Sun Missions
February 21, 2025
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 10:09 p.m. EST (7:09 p.m. PST) on Friday, Feb. 28, for the launch of the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions.
The new date will allow additional time to ensure the vehicle’s readiness ahead of liftoff.
SPHEREx and PUNCH will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The SPHEREx mission (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) will improve our understanding of what happened in the first second after the big bang and search for key ingredients for life in our galaxy.
The PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) will observe the Sun’s corona as it transitions into the solar wind.
The prelaunch news briefing now will be held at 3:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 27, with coverage streaming live on NASA+.
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation.
For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the event at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
The SPHEREx and PUNCH live launch broadcast will begin at 9:15 p.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 28, and stream live on NASA+.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spherex/2025/02/21/nasa-spacex-move-launch-of-space-telescope-sun-missions/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/punch/
https://spacenews.com/house-members-seek-more-details-on-doge-activities-at-nasa/
https://democrats-science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/SST%20RM%20Lofgren%20Foushee%20Sykes%20-%20Letter%20to%20Acting%20Administrator%20Petro%20-%20DOGE%20Follow-Up%20-%202.21.25.pdf
House members seek more details on DOGE activities at NASA
February 21, 2025
Top Democrats on the House Science Committee say they want more information about the work the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is doing at NASA, calling the lack of transparency “ominous and unacceptable.”
In a Feb. 21 letter to NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro, three members of the House Science Committee said the agency’s response to an earlier letter about what DOGE, the government initiative with SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk as its de facto leader, was doing at NASA was insufficient.
The original letter, signed by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), ranking members of the full committee and its space subcommittee respectively, asked if DOGE had accessed any classified or proprietary data and requested that NASA “pledge to protect such data, information, or systems from any and all access that would violate any and all NASA policies and procedures, federal laws and regulations, and official protocols.”
The agency’s response, submitted Feb. 13 by Marc Hone, acting associate administrator for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, said that DOGE had found a person who would work at NASA in support of the organization, but did not identify the person or provide additional information about that person’s work.
“I have confirmed with NASA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Protective Services that DOGE has identified an individual who will be employed by NASA,” Hone wrote.
“As such, he will have all necessary access to NASA owned or managed resources as required for his duties, in compliance with all laws and regulations regarding the protection of IT resources and classified information.
NASA also complies with all applicable Executive Orders and associated supplemental guidance.”
In their new letter, Lofgren and Foushee, joined by Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), ranking member of the investigations and oversight committee, said the agency’s response was unsatisfactory.
“The lack of transparency surrounding DOGE’s presence and activities within NASA is ominous and unacceptable,” they wrote.
They wrote that it was “critical” that NASA identify the person working for DOGE inside NASA, citing concerns about the backgrounds of other DOGE employees and because it appeared DOGE assigned that person to NASA on its own.
“If true, DOGE’s power to embed a senior official at NASA without the agency’s input or approval makes the Committee’s oversight of this individual all the more vital,” they wrote.
They also noted a lack of information about what DOGE will be doing at NASA.
“We do not know whether his primary function will be to observe agency activities; to advise on agency policies; or perhaps to exercise an extraordinary decision-making authority related to the policymaking process, procurement actions, or operational matters,” the letter stated.
“We do not even know whether this individual will report to the NASA Administrator, to another senior NASA official, or directly to the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk.”
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Musk’s role with both DOGE and SpaceX has brought up consistent concerns about conflicts of interest.
The agency’s response did not mention how the agency was mitigating those conflicts, but Petro told reporters after a Feb. 12 speech that the agency would use its “very strict conflict-of-interest policies” overseen by its legal office.
“Setting aside the fact that DOGE employees work for a man who also serves as the CEO of SpaceX – an inherent conflict of interest if there ever was one – NASA’s vetting arrangement requires elaboration,” the agency stated.
The members included in their letter 11 questions about the activities of DOGE within NASA.
They range from the name of the “DOGE Agent” working at NASA to that person’s access to classified and sensitive information and how the agency is managing conflicts of interest.
They requested a response from NASA by March 7.
Petro noted in a Feb. 14 memo to agency employees that DOGE “has arrived onsite at the agency. We anticipate that they will start reviewing our contracts to find efficiencies.”
DOGE, on its website, has listed “savings” it has identified through canceling contracts and other measures.
The only entry for NASA as of Feb. 21 is a subscription to the Politico Pro news service, a contract valued at $10,600. However, the savings listed from canceling the contract was $0.
Workforce updates
The status of NASA’s workforce has been in limbo since anticipated firings of probationary civil servants at the agency on Feb. 18 did not materialize.
That reprieve came even as similar firings took place at other government agencies. NASA said Feb. 20 that there would not be sweeping layoffs of probationary civil servants at NASA for the time being.
“After working with OPM [Office of Personnel Management] and a careful evaluation of our workforce and mission requirements, probationary separations will be performance-based or voluntary in accordance with agency policy,” an agency spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
NASA added that about 5% of its employees, or roughly 900 people, took advantage of a buyout known as the Deferred Resignation Program, where employees resign now but continue to be paid through the end of the fiscal year.
Petro, in a Feb. 21 memo to employees, said many of the employees participating in the buyout will start “administrative leave” this week and rest in the coming weeks.
She added that probationary employees “align with our mission, contribute to national security or public safety, or fall under another valid exemption category” in the White House’s executive order calling for workforce reductions.
“We remain committed to supporting our workforce and ensuring our agency stays strong and ready to meet the challenges ahead, while simultaneously continuing to monitor all employee performance, ensuring American citizens have an excellent and efficient workforce at NASA.”
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A Pandora's box, I reckon
Einstein wins again! Quarks obey relativity laws, Large Hadron Collider finds
February 21, 2025
Is there a time of day or night at which nature's heaviest elementary particle stops obeying Einstein's rules? The answer to that question, as bizarre as it seems, could tell scientists something very important about the laws of physics governing the cosmos.
In a first-of-its-kind experiment conducted at the world's most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists have attempted to discover if the universe's heaviest elementary particle — a particle not composed of other smaller particles — always obeys Einstein's 1905 theory of special relativity.
More specifically, the team operating the LHC's Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector wanted to know if one of the rules upon which special relativity is built, called "Lorentz symmetry," always holds for top quarks.
Lorentz symmetry states that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers who aren't accelerating. That means that the results of an experiment should be independent of the orientation of the experiment, or the speed at which it runs.
However, some theories suggest that, at extremely high energies, special relativity fails as a result of Lorentz violation or Lorentz symmetry breaking. The laws of physics could therefore differ for observers in different frames of reference.
That would mean that experimental observations would depend on the orientation of the experiment in space-time (the four-dimensional unification of space and time).
That would result in a shakeup in many of our best theories of the cosmos, including the standard model of particle physics, which is founded on special relativity.
"Remnants of such Lorentz symmetry breaking could be observable at lower energies, such as at the energies of the LHC, but despite previous efforts, they have not been found at the LHC or other colliders," the CMS collaboration wrote in a statement.
The CMS team set about searching for such remnants of Lorentz symmetry breaking using pairs of nature's heaviest elementary particle, the top quark.
Quark around the clock!
Quarks are the particles in the standard model of particle physics that bind together and comprise particles like protons and neutrons.
There are six "flavors" of quark with increasing masses: up, down (found in protons and neutrons), charm, strange, top, and bottom. The heaviest of these is the top quark, possessing around the same mass as a gold atom (about 173 giga-electronvolts).
The CMS researchers reasoned that, if the collisions between protons accelerated to near-light-speeds in the LHC depend on orientation, then the rate at which top-quark pairs produced by such events should vary with time.
That is because, as Earth rotates, the direction of the proton beams generated for particle collisions in the powerful particle accelerator changes. Thus, the direction of the top quarks created by such collisions should change, too.
Wildly, that means that the number of quarks created should depend on what time of day the collisions occur!
Thus, if there is a preferred direction in space-time and signs of Lorentz symmetry breaking, there should be a deviation from a constant rate of top quark pair production in the LHC dependent on the time of day the experiment is conducted!
Using data from Run 2 of the LHC, which was conducted between 2015 and 2018, the CMS collaboration found no such deviation.
That means that they found no sign of Lorentz symmetry breaking, and thus no evidence of top quarks defying Einstein no matter what way proton beams are orientated (or what time of day collisions occurred).
So, Einstein's theory of relativity is safe around the clock. Well, for now, at least.
The upgraded LHC's third and more powerful operating run began in 2022 and is set to conclude next year. The team will look for signs of Lorentz symmetry breaking in higher-energy proton-proton collisions.
"The results pave the way for future searches for Lorentz symmetry breaking based on top-quark data from the third run of the LHC," the CMS collaboration wrote.
"They also open the door to scrutiny of processes involving other heavy particles that can only be investigated at the LHC, such as the Higgs boson and the W and Z bosons."
https://www.space.com/Quark-Large-Hadron-Collider-heaviest-elementry-particle-obeys-Einstein
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269324005379?via%3Dihub
https://www.home.cern/news/news/physics/clocking-natures-heaviest-elementary-particle
20 years of satellite data reveal 'staggering' levels of glaciers melting, sea levels rising
February 22, 2025
Over the past 20 years, glaciers worldwide have lost 273 billion tonnes of ice to a warming world, and this ice loss has driven sea levels to rise at an accelerated pace, according to a decades-long comprehensive analysis based on satellite data.
A time series of yearly ice loss from glaciers between 2000 and 2023 shows the melting ice has resulted in a nearly 2-centimeter (0.7-inch) rise in global sea levels.
"To put this in perspective, the 273 billion tonnes of ice lost annually amounts to what the entire global population consumes in 30 years, assuming three liters per person a day," Michael Zemp, a glaciologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, who co-led the analysis, said in a statement.
The findings are based on two decades of observations gathered by several U.S., German and European satellites — some of that data even came from including a few satellites that were not originally designed to monitor glaciers globally.
The observations were then analyzed by a large collaboration of 35 research teams led by scientists from the University of Zurich and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
This analysis also revealed that the amount of melted ice swung widely across regions, ranging from 2% in the Antarctic to 39% in Central Europe, according to a study on the team's results.
Other places witnessed a similar trend: New Zealand lost 29%, Western Canada and the U.S. 23%.
"These numbers are staggering," study co-author Noel Gourmelen of the University of Edinburgh told The Guardian. "They serve as a reminder that things are changing fast in some regions."
Hidden within the results is the alarming trend of accelerated ice loss, scientists say, rising from 231 billion tonnes per year between 2012 and 2023 to 314 billion tonnes per year in the past decade.
"This is really important as it confirms the pace of glacier melting is accelerating over time," Andrew Shepherd of the Northumbria University in England, who was not involved with the new study, told The Guardian.
"Even small amounts of sea level rise matter because it leads to more frequent coastal flooding."
"Every centimeter of sea level rise exposes another 2 million people to annual flooding somewhere on our planet," he added.
Scientists emphasize that the amount of ice that will be lost in the coming years will depend on the extent to which human-driven climate change limits pumping planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.
"Every tenth of a degree of warming that we can avoid will save some glaciers, and will save us from a lot of damage," Zemp told the BBC.
https://www.space.com/the-universe/climate-change/20-years-of-satellite-data-reveal-staggering-levels-of-glaciers-melting-sea-levels-rising
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/CryoSat/Glacier_melt_intensifying_freshwater_loss_and_accelerating_sea-level_rise
Photos from space show the Texas company Firefly Aerospace preparing to land on the moon for the first time
February 22, 2025
A new mission to land on the moon is beaming back stunning photos that put our world into perspective.
Look closely at the above image. There are two worlds in the photo. The moon is a tiny dot in the distance, visible below Earth.
The photo comes from the uncrewed Blue Ghost spacecraft, built by the Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace. The mission is en route to descend to the lunar surface on March 2.
Success would make Firefly the second private company to ever land on the moon, just one year after a historic touchdown by Intuitive Machines.
The mission is a harbinger of a new era in space, where companies race to the moon to build the infrastructure for a future economy of lunar tourism, mining, and exploration.
Photos from the Blue Ghost spacecraft
The below image, which Firefly released on February 12, shows Earth reflecting off the spacecraft's solar panel. Believe it or not, the moon is in this photo, too. See it?
On its way to the moon, the spacecraft has crossed over 715,000 miles in space.
As it crept closer to the moon, the spacecraft conducted a critical engine burn to insert itself into lunar orbit, where it's set to hang out until it's time for landing.
A few hours after the burn, the spacecraft sent its first up-close images of the moon.
"I almost started crying because we're finally at the moon," Ray Allensworth, the director of Firefly's spacecraft program, told Business Insider.
Looking at the photos is "really surreal," she said.
Blue Ghost has 10 experiments and plans to capture a lunar sunset
Blue Ghost is carrying 10 experiments and instruments for NASA, including a system to collect samples of moon dust and a radiation-tolerant computer that will test whether the technology can survive the extreme radiation on the moon.
If the mission successfully lands on the moon, its payloads are set to operate for about 14 days, which is a complete lunar day.
If all goes to plan, one of its final acts will be to capture the lunar sunset, studying how the sun causes moon dust to levitate, a mysterious phenomenon observed by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan.
Until then, Blue Ghost is orbiting the moon while its human operators prepare for landing.
Photos from fresh new spacecraft headed to the moon have been scarce since NASA ended the Apollo program, with no US moon landings since 1972 until last year's Intuitive Machines mission.
These images could become common again, though, if Firefly has its way.
"Ultimately, our goal is that we're going to the moon at least yearly and hopefully increase that cadence over time," Allensworth said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/photos-from-space-show-the-texas-company-firefly-aerospace-preparing-to-land-on-the-moon-for-the-first-time/ar-AA1zyUg1
https://spacenews.com/kapta-space-exits-stealth-mode-with-bold-plans-for-space-based-target-tracking/
Kapta Space exits stealth mode with bold plans for space-based target tracking
February 21, 2025
After nearly three years operating in stealth mode, Seattle-based startup Kapta Space emerged on Feb. 21, announcing plans to demonstrate metasurface antenna technology for space-based radar.
The company aims to solve one of the defense sector’s most elusive challenges: continuous tracking of moving targets from orbit.
Kapta Space, founded by Milton Perque, formerly of Echodyne, and Adam Bily, an alumnus of Apple and Astranis, secured $5 million in seed funding to support its space-based electronically-steered radar technology.
The investment round was led by MetaVC Partners, a firm focused on metamaterials technology and backed by Bill Gates, with additional participation from Entrada Ventures and Blue Collective.
New approach to space-based radar
Kapta is adapting metasurface technology — currently used in electronically-steered antennas in the wireless communications industry — for space-based imaging and tracking applications.
Metasurface technology is a way of controlling and shaping electromagnetic waves using specially designed ultra-thin materials, making antennas smaller and lighter for applications like radar and wireless communication.
Kapta wants to produce a lower-cost and more energy-efficient alternative to traditional Active Electronically Steered Arrays (AESAs).
The company envisions its metasurface arrays being used in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for geospatial imaging, as well as military applications such as tracking ground-based targets.
“This is not a science project,” Perque, Kapta’s CEO, told SpaceNews. “This is high-readiness level technology that has been produced in the thousands and backed by hundreds of millions of private investment.”
Perque brings deep expertise from his time at Echodyne, which specializes in metamaterial electronically scanned array radar systems.
Defense is the key market
Kapta’s main focus is on the military market. In 2023, the company secured a nearly $1.8 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an electronically-steered antenna for spaceborne radar.
Kapta has also obtained security clearances necessary to execute classified defense contracts.
Perque said the company aims to address the long-standing challenge of Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) — the ability to track slow-moving ground targets from space.
“GMTI is incredibly challenging, and it has never existed in space at scale,” Perque said.
DARPA decades ago attempted to develop a constellation of radar satellites for moving-target detection and high-resolution imaging.
However, these efforts were ultimately abandoned due to high costs and technical obstacles, including the need for large, high-power antennas and real-time data transmission.
Consequently, the Department of Defense shifted GMTI capabilities to aerial platforms.
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More recently, the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Air Force have collaborated on a space-based GMTI initiative leveraging SpaceX’s Starshield satellite technology.
Kapta sees significant untapped defense market potential for space-based radar beyond GMTI, including applications in maritime domain awareness, space-based ballistic missile defense, and space domain awareness.
Road to space deployment
Kapta’s immediate goal is to get its technology into space as quickly as possible.
The DARPA SBIR project will serve as a foundational step toward building a one-meter-square antenna for aerial and space-based demonstrations.
To further its development, the company is actively seeking additional private and military investment.
“We are reaching out to the combatant commands and trying to understand if there are certain priorities or key capability gaps that we could service,” Perque explained.
To validate the ability to maintain custody of moving targets, Kapta plans an in-orbit demonstration involving at least two, possibly three, satellites, he said.
These satellites would not only track moving objects but also transfer tracking custody between themselves — something that is difficult to achieve with current systems.
Perque started Kapta literally in his basement in 2022.
“I was able to get some meetings with some DARPA program managers, and we started talking about space situational awareness, and what an electronically steered metasurface antenna and radar could do,” he said.
This led to the SBIR contract and the security clearances needed to understand moving-target tracking requirements.
While Perque recognizes that Kapta faces a steep climb in the defense market as a startup, he remains optimistic:
“We’re very energized because we have a solution that can meet a myriad of mission sets,” he added.
“A key focus for us has been understanding the requirements and then building something that someone wants.”
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Self-imaging of structured light in cylindrical systems unveils a new form of space-time duality
February 21, 2025
Photonics researchers from Tampere University, Finland, and Kastler-Brossel Laboratory, France, have demonstrated how self-imaging of light, a phenomenon known for nearly two centuries, can be applied to cylindrical systems, facilitating unprecedented control of light's structure with great potential for advanced optical communication systems.
In addition, a new type of space-time duality was explored for powerful analogies bridging different fields of optics.
In 1836, Henry F. Talbot performed an experiment, where he observed light patterns that naturally reappear after some propagation without the use of any lenses or imaging optics—a self-imaging phenomenon nowadays of then termed the Talbot effect.
Recently, researchers interested in sculpting light from the Experimental Quantum Optics Group (EQO) in Tampere University, as well as the Complex Media Optics group at Kastler Brossel Laboratory, in Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, have teamed up and investigated the self-imaging Talbot effect in cylindrical systems in greater depth than ever before.
The presented interesting fundamental physics and powerful applications in optical communications have now been published in the journal Nature Photonics.
Exploring the effect of self-imaging in cylindrical geometries
Light traveling in a so-called ring-core fiber experiences a self-imaging process, albeit in an angular position.
"As light enters the fiber at a specific angular position of the ring-like fiber core, it first spreads around the entire cylindrical core and then perfectly recombines to form the original field via the self-imaging process," explains Doctoral researcher Matias Eriksson, one of the leading authors of the study.
Importantly, this self-imaging in angular positions is only half of the fundamental phenomenon in cylindrical geometries.
A similar interference effect also appears in a closely related property of light known as orbital angular momentum, which allows light to rotate particles around the optical axis, i.e., make them orbit on a ring-like path.
Fundamentally, both properties, angular position and orbital angular momentum, are considered complementary variables, which means that the precise definition of one leads to imprecision of the other property.
The team now combines the self-imaging in angle and orbital angular momentum for the first time in a single experiment, for unprecedented control of the light's spatial structure.
But the study doesn't stop there, the researchers also explore the intriguing connection to the time domain and demonstrate a powerful application for optical communication.
Bridging two popular fields in optics
A fundamental idea in optics is the so-called space-time duality, which suggests that many effects that are observed spatially can also be seen in the light's temporal structure.
Based on this principle, the generalized self-imaging in time occurs for a periodic train of optical pulses and its corresponding frequency comb, i.e., light containing only well-defined and equally spaced frequencies.
In their work, the researchers unveil a new form of space-time duality by showing the strong link between angle/angular momentum and time/frequency.
"This means that the physical phenomena observed in these two fields are broadly connected, and the processing techniques from one may be used for the other," explains the other leading author Jianqi Hu, who was a postdoc fellow at Kastler Brossel Laboratory and is currently a researcher at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
Fundamental effect triggers application in optical communication
Benefiting from this deeper fundamental insight into self-imaging and its accompanying advanced modulation capabilities, the researchers additionally demonstrate a powerful application for optical communication.
"The generalized self-imaging effect can be cleverly tuned to encode, convert, and decode information in the light's orbital angular momentum values such that they can act as independent communication channels," says Eriksson.
As such, the current study shows that the theoretical promise of a loss-less and crosstalk-free operation for a vastly increased data rate is within reach, which could have a profound impact on the future of optical telecommunications.
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-imaging-cylindrical-unveils-space-duality.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-025-01622-3
Saltzman bars Space Force staff from Mitchell Institute events
February 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman has barred all Space Force personnel from participating in any events sponsored by the Mitchell Institute, pending further instructions.
The ban was conveyed to Space Force and US Space Command leaders in a Thursday evening email blast signed by Maj. Gen. Steven Whitney, Space Force staff director.
“CSO has directed that all Guardian participation with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is stopped until further notice. Instructions will follow when he clears future participation.
This does not affect participation at the AFA’s Warfare Symposium, only Mitchell Institute sponsored events,” the email states. “I ask that you disseminate this guidance to your teams.”
The email does not list a reason for the decision. However, it follows hard on the heels of the Feb. 19 release of a new Mitchell report calling on the Defense Department to more clearly define the Space Force’s role in warfighting.
The report, which was based on a workshop attended by Guardians, also found that Saltzman’s overarching theory of space power, dubbed “Competitive Endurance,” gives the impression of being weighed toward defensive operations rather than offensive actions — and that there continues to be some hesitancy within the Guardian corps about warfighting in space.
A spokesperson for the Space Force was unable to respond by press time.
While maintaining 501c3 status as an independent think tank, Mitchell traditionally has advocated for the importance of US military air power and the US Air Force, and increasingly in recent years for space power and the Space Force.
Indeed, it was named for Army Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, who according to the organization’s website, “was a visionary of early airpower and the importance it would play in post-world-war global security and future wars.”
In response to a request for comment from Breaking Defense, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Mitchell Institute dean, said that Saltzman “is dedicated to infusing a warfighting attitude in the Space Force.”
Nonetheless, he said, “for decades, military personnel were prohibited from saying ‘warfighting’ and ‘space’ in the same sentence. Circumstances are far different now given adversary actions.
The Space Force leadership knows this and is pressing hard to evolve the service.
“Mitchell Institute will continue to advocate for the Space Force, and the absolute need to increase their resources, personnel, and authorities that are all essential to realize ‘peace through strength’ for our nation,” he added.
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/saltzman-bars-space-force-staff-from-mitchell-institute-events/
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/dod-needs-to-clarify-space-force-roles-and-missions-mitchell-workshop/
CityAge America and the U.S. Space Force Association Launch ‘Space Cities’ to Propel North America’s Space Economy
Feb 21, 2025, 1:50 PM ET
As the space economy accelerates into a new era, CityAge America and the U.S. Space Force Association (SFA) are proud to launch Space Cities, a groundbreaking initiative designed to unite the visionaries, innovators, and policymakers shaping the future of the space economy for North America and its global allies.
Launching on May 29, 2025, at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., Space Cities will convene top decision-makers across government, industry, and investment to chart the course for an economic sector expected to exceed $1.8 trillion within the next decade, involving major strategic private and public sector investments.
“Space isn’t just about rockets, as important as they are — it’s also about launching the industries, partnerships, and talent pipelines that will power the space economy,” said Bill Woolf, President and CEO of the Space Force Association.
“Space Cities will bring together decision makers and investors in the space economy, to forge the collaborations necessary to secure America’s leadership in space.”
Space Cities, an ongoing campaign, will serve as a vital nexus between government, private industry, and research institutions, with the U.S. Space Force Association providing strategic leadership.
It welcomes all space leaders to join Space Cities at www.Space-Cities.com, though space for the inaugural May 29th session is limited to 100.
Space Cities will focus on key priorities, including, but not limited to:
• Space Infrastructure & Supply Chains – Developing the essential systems to sustain and expand the space economy.
• Education, Workforce Development & Talent Pipelines – Cultivating the next generation of space pioneers, from engineers to cybersecurity experts.
• Public-Private Partnerships – Strengthening synergies between government agencies, businesses, and research institutions.
• Space Security, Cybersecurity & AI-Driven Technologies – Safeguarding critical space assets and infrastructure.
• Urban & Economic Development – Ensuring cities and regions capitalize on the development and infrastructure opportunities emerging from the space economy.
• Space Tourism – The development of space ports and suborbital flights, and even space-based tourism.
• Space Sustainability – Strategies to ensure that the space economy remains sustainable as it grows.
"From spaceports and satellite networks, to AI-driven space technologies and cutting-edge STEM education, the space economy is defining the next frontier of North America's growth,” said Miro Cernetig, CEO of CityAge America.
“Space Cities are where leaders will connect, collaborate, and accelerate progress to shape that future."
https://cbs4indy.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/788084383/cityage-america-and-the-u-s-space-force-association-launch-space-cities-to-propel-north-americas-space-economy/
https://ussfa.org/
https://space-cities.com/
Several killed after roof collapses in busy Peru shopping mall
Updated Sat 22 February 2025 at 2:27 am GMT-8
A roof collapse leaves several dead and dozens injured at a mall in northern Peru.
At least 29 others were injured in the deadly roof collapse at the Real Plaza mall, in the coastal city of Trujillo, according to the Peruvian government.
There are fears the death toll will rise as rescue efforts step up to find people under the debris.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/several-killed-roof-collapses-busy-102741738.html