TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 22, 2025
SuperCam Target on Ma'az
What's the sound of one laser zapping? There's no need to consult a Zen master to find out, just listen to the first acoustic recording of laser shots on Mars. On Mars Rover Perseverance mission sol 12 (March 2, 2021) the SuperCam instrument atop the rover's mast zapped a rock dubbed Ma'az 30 times from a range of about 3.1 meters. Its microphone recorded the soft staccato popping sounds of the rapid series of SuperCam laser zaps. Shockwaves created in the thin Martian atmosphere as bits of rock are vaporized by the laser shots make the popping sounds, sounds that offer clues to the physical structure of the target. This SuperCam close-up of the Ma'az target region is 6 centimeters (2.3 inches) across. Ma'az means Mars in the Navajo language.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Hubble Captures a Neighbor’s Colorful Clouds
Mar 21, 2025
Say hello to one of the Milky Way’s neighbors! This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a scene from one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
The SMC is a dwarf galaxy located about 200,000 light-years away. Most of the galaxy resides in the constellation Tucana, but a small section crosses over into the neighboring constellation Hydrus.
Thanks to its proximity, the SMC is one of only a few galaxies that are visible from Earth without the help of a telescope or binoculars.
For viewers in the southern hemisphere and some latitudes in the northern hemisphere, the SMC resembles a piece of the Milky Way that has broken off, though in reality it’s much farther away than any part of our own galaxy.
With its 2.4-meter mirror and sensitive instruments, Hubble’s view of the SMC is far more detailed and vivid than what humans can see.
Researchers used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to observe this scene through four different filters. Each filter permits different wavelengths of light, creating a multicolored view of dust clouds drifting across a field of stars.
Hubble’s view, however, is much more zoomed-in than our eyes, allowing it to observe very distant objects.
This image captures a small region of the SMC near the center of NGC 346, a star cluster that is home to dozens of massive young stars.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-captures-a-neighbors-colorful-clouds/
Shocking Spherules!
Mar 21, 2025
Last week the Perseverance Science Team were astonished by a strange rock comprised of hundreds of millimeter-sized spheres… and the team are now working hard to understand their origin.
It has now been two weeks since Perseverance arrived at Broom Point, situated at the lower slopes of the Witch Hazel Hill area, on the Jezero crater rim.
Here, a series of light- and dark- toned bands were visible from orbit, and just last week the rover successfully abraded and sampled one of the light-toned beds. It was from this sampling workspace where Perseverance spied a very strange texture in a nearby rock…
The rock, named “St. Pauls Bay” by the team, appeared to be comprised of hundreds of millimeter-sized, dark gray spheres.
Some of these occurred as more elongate, elliptical shapes, while others possessed angular edges, perhaps representing broken spherule fragments.
Some spheres even possessed tiny pinholes! What quirk of geology could produce these strange shapes?
This isn’t the first time strange spheres have been spotted on Mars. In 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity spotted so-called, “Martian Blueberries” at Meridiani Planum, and since then, the Curiosity rover has observed spherules in the rocks of Yellowknife Bay at Gale crater.
Just a few months ago, Perseverance itself also spied popcorn-like textures in sedimentary rocks exposed in the Jezero crater inlet channel, Neretva Vallis.
In each of these cases, the spherules were interpreted as concretions, features that formed by interaction with groundwater circulating through pore spaces in the rock.
Not all spherules form this way, however. They also form on Earth by rapid cooling of molten rock droplets formed in a volcanic eruption, for instance, or by the condensation of rock vaporized by a meteorite impact.
Each of these formation mechanisms would have vastly different implications for the evolution of these rocks, so the team is working hard to determine their context and origin.
St. Pauls Bay, however, was float rock — a term used by geologists to describe something that is not in-place.
The team are now working to link the spherule-rich texture observed at St. Pauls Bay to the wider stratigraphy at Witch Hazel Hill, and initial observations have provided tantalizing indications that it could be linked to one of the dark-toned layers identified by the team from orbit.
Placing these features in geologic context will be critical for understanding their origin, and determining their significance for the geological history of the Jezero crater rim and beyond!
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/shocking-spherules/
NASA to Launch Three Rockets from Alaska in Single Aurora Experiment
Mar 21, 2025
Three NASA-funded rockets are set to launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, in an experiment that seeks to reveal how auroral substorms affect the behavior and composition of Earth’s far upper atmosphere.
The experiment’s outcome could upend a long-held theory about the aurora’s interaction with the thermosphere.
It may also improve space weather forecasting, critical as the world becomes increasingly reliant on satellite-based devices such as GPS units in everyday life.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute owns Poker Flat, located 20 miles north of Fairbanks, and operates it under a contract with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, which is part of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The experiment, titled Auroral Waves Excited by Substorm Onset Magnetic Events, or AWESOME, features one four-stage rocket and two two-stage rockets all launching in an approximately three-hour period.
Colorful vapor tracers from the largest of the three rockets should be visible across much of northern Alaska. The launch window is March 24 through April 6.
The mission, led by Mark Conde, a space physics professor at UAF, involves about a dozen UAF graduate student researchers at several ground monitoring sites in Alaska at Utqiagvik, Kaktovik, Toolik Lake, Eagle, and Venetie, as well as Poker Flat.
NASA delivers, assembles, tests, and launches the rockets.
“Our experiment asks the question, when the aurora goes berserk and dumps a bunch of heat in the atmosphere, how much of that heat is spent transporting the air upward in a continuous convective plume and how much of that heat results in not only vertical but also horizontal oscillations in the atmosphere?” Conde said.
Confirming which process is dominant will reveal the breadth of the mixing and the related changes in the thin air’s characteristics.
“Change in composition of the atmosphere has consequences,” Conde said. “And we need to know the extent of those consequences.”
Most of the thermosphere, which reaches from about 50 to 350 miles above the surface, is what scientists call “convectively stable.”
That means minimal vertical motion of air, because the warmer air is already at the top, due to absorption of solar radiation.
When auroral substorms inject energy and momentum into the middle and lower thermosphere (roughly 60 to 125 miles up), it upsets that stability.
That leads to one prevailing theory — that the substorms’ heat is what causes the vertical-motion churn of the thermosphere.
Conde believes instead that acoustic-buoyancy waves are the dominant mixing force and that vertical convection has a much lesser role.
Because acoustic-buoyancy waves travel vertically and horizontally from where the aurora hits, the aurora-caused atmospheric changes could be occurring over a much broader area than currently believed.
Better prediction of impacts from those changes is the AWESOME mission’s practical goal.
“I believe our experiment will lead to a simpler and more accurate method of space weather prediction,” Conde said.
Two two-stage, 42-foot Terrier-Improved Malemute rockets are planned to respectively launch about 15 minutes and an hour after an auroral substorm begins.
A four-stage, 70-foot Black Brant XII rocket is planned to launch about five minutes after the second rocket.
The first two rockets will release tracers at altitudes of 50 and 110 miles to detect wind movement and wave oscillations.
The third rocket will release tracers at five altitudes from 68 to 155 miles. Pink, blue, and white vapor traces should be visible from the third rocket for 10 to 20 minutes.
Launches must occur in the dawn hours, with sunlight hitting the upper altitudes to activate the vapor tracers from the first rocket but darkness at the surface so ground cameras can photograph the tracers’ response to air movement.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/sounding-rockets/nasa-alaska-rockets-aurora-experiment/
NASA to Cover Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cargo Space Station Departure
Mar 21, 2025
After delivering more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA and its international partners, Northrop Grumman’s uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station on Friday, March 28.
Watch NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure at 6:30 a.m. EDT on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
This mission was the company’s 21st commercial resupply mission to the space station for NASA.
Flight controllers on the ground will send commands for the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port, then maneuver the spacecraft into position for release at 6:55 a.m.
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers will monitor Cygnus’ systems upon its departure from the space station.
Cygnus – filled with trash packed by the station crew – will be commanded to deorbit on Sunday, March 30, setting up a re-entry where the spacecraft will safely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
The Northrop Grumman spacecraft arrived at the space station Aug. 6, 2024, following launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-cover-northrop-grummans-21st-cargo-space-station-departure/
Scaling a mountain, NASA rover sends home glorious Martian view
March 22, 2025
Tens of millions of miles beyond Earth, a nuclear-powered, car-sized rover is climbing a Martian mountain.
NASA's Curiosity rover, while investigating Mars' past, has snapped over 683,790 pictures as it's rumbled over 21 miles of unforgiving desert terrain since 2012, and a recent view shows the space agency's robot overlooking a vast Martian wilderness.
Some 3.7 billion years ago, a large object smashed into Mars, leaving the sizeable, 96-mile-wide Gale Crater we see today.
When the region's surface rebounded after the powerful collision, it left a central peak, Mount Sharp, which preserves layers of the intriguing, and watery, Mars past.
From its perch in the foothills of the 3.4-mile-high mountain, you can see over an expanse of plains, called Aeolis Palus, and beyond that the hilly walls of Gale Crater.
In the foreground, Martian hills are shadowed in the low sunlight.
This view, captured on March 18, 2025, was the Curiosity rover's 4,484th Martian day, or Sol, on the Red Planet. (A Martian Sol is a bit longer than a day on Earth, at 24 hours and 39 minutes.)
Today, the Martian world we see is 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth. But evidence gathered by rovers and spacecraft operated by NASA and other space agencies shows this wasn't always the case.
A vast Mars ocean may have blanketed a swath of the world, and lakes once fed gushing rivers and streams.
As Curiosity has scaled Mount Sharp, it has encountered rocks with minerals (sulphates) that show when Mars began to dry out.
It has also revealed ripple formations on the surface, which is compelling evidence of small waves breaking on lake shores billions of years ago.
Observations like this suggest that Mars once was warm, wet, and quite habitable before it gradually transformed into the extremely dry and frigid desert we see today.
"Taken together, the evidence points to Gale Crater (and Mars in general) as a place where life — if it ever arose — might have survived for some time," NASA explained.
Still today, there's no certain proof microbial life ever existed on Mars. But Curiosity's robotic sibling, the Perseverance rover, has found intriguing rock samples that could potentially show evidence of past microbial activity.
(The samples must be robotically returned to Earth to inspect.)
Curiosity is currently headed to a new destination on Mount Sharp, a place home to expansive and compelling "boxworks" formations. From space, they look like spiderwebs.
"It’s believed to have formed when minerals carried by Mount Sharp's last pulses of water settled into fractures in surface rock and then hardened," NASA explained.
"As portions of the rock eroded away, what remained were the minerals that had cemented themselves in the fractures, leaving the weblike boxwork."
What more might the boxworks reveal? Godspeed, Curiosity.
https://mashable.com/article/nasa-mars-curiosity-rover-imagery
NASA astronaut talks being stranded in space for 9 months: 'God was there, even in darkest moments'
Friday, March 21, 2025
After spending nine grueling months in space, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore was rescued alongside fellow astronaut Suni Williams.
Wilmore expressed that his faith in Jesus was key to his enduring the experience.
His return has captured public attention this week, and his statements have had a significant impact.
As reported by CBN News, Wilmore shared that his journey was filled with challenges, but that his trust in God gave him the strength he needed.
"My feeling about all of this goes back to my faith. It's tied to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is working out His plan and purposes for His glory through all of humanity, and how that plays out in our lives is meaningful and important," the astronaut said.
Wilmore and Williams landed in the Gulf of America after encountering several technical difficulties aboard the spacecraft.
During their stay on the space station, they had to deal with extreme conditions and uncertainty about their return to Earth.
A journey full of challenges
Wilmore explained that, although the mission had a scientific purpose, it was also a journey of spiritual growth for him. "
I was never alone. God was there, even in the darkest moments," he stated. His testimony has been received with great interest by the Christian and scientific communities.
"I understand that He works in all things, some for the good — see Hebrews Chapter 11 — and others seem not so good to us.
But all things work together for His good, for all who believe," the astronaut added.
During their nine months in space, the astronauts participated in numerous experiments and station maintenance tasks.
However, the technical challenges and unexpected extension of their mission tested their physical and emotional stamina.
Wilmore's return marks the end of a mission that pushed him beyond his human and spiritual limits.
NASA has emphasized the importance of the mission and the astronauts' courage, while his statements have reinforced the impact of faith in extreme situations.
Wilmore is an elder at Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas.
Tommy Dahn, Wilmore's pastor, told Fox26 that the astronaut has been a member of the church for the past 17 years and has made a point of staying active, even during his time in space.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/nasa-astronaut-stranded-in-space-god-was-there-even-in-darkest-times.html
NASA Earth-Observing Satellite Mission Spots Mysterious “Impact Structure” in Remote Australian Outback
March 21, 2025
An ancient impact site in a remote corner of northern Australia was recently spotted by Earth-observing satellites monitoring our planet’s resources.
The images, captured in early February by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, revealed the Land Down Under’s Amelia Creek impact structure, a one-by-five-kilometer canoe-shaped feature where an ancient collision with a space object deformed the region’s rock strata.
The massive asteroid that created the feature, believed to be as much as 1300 feet across, is recognizable after the passing of 600 million years by structural folds still visible in the surrounding sedimentary and volcanic rock layers.
Tracing an Impact to Its Ediacaran Roots
The event occurred during the Ediacaran Period, which borrows its name from South Australia’s Ediacara Hills.
This crucial period in Earth’s early history saw the rise of the first large soft-bodied complex organisms, whose fossil remains represent the earliest evidence of the evolution of multicellular animals, or metazoans, known to scientists.
Although these inhabitants of the ancient Earth would come along later in the 96-million-year period comprising the Ediacara, as Earth emerged from the preceding Cryogenian Period, where the planet was blanketed in ice, most of the surface world was void of any life.
The same cannot be said of the surrounding shallow seas, where a diverse assemblage of Ediacaran biota began to flourish, including wormlike aquatic beasts and fernlike oceanic organisms that protruded several feet from their locations on the ocean floor.
These bizarre denizens of Earth’s Ediacaran seas were also likely among the casualties of the impact that collided with the area known today as the Davenport Range in northern Australia.
Despite erosion removing much of the impact structure’s features over the eons, its characteristic elongated shape can still be clearly seen in satellite imagery.
Landsat 8’s Operational Land Manager Spots an Impact Structure
On February 3, 2025, the Landsat 8 satellite’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) spotted the Amelia Creek impact structure in the imagery it collected as it passed over northern Australia.
Analysis of the new imagery revealed a 10-kilometer area of deformation in the surrounding rock, visible to the north and south of the primary impact site.
The crater’s elongated shape suggests that the asteroid that left its mark at the time of impact hundreds of millions of years ago would have struck at a shallow angle.
Compared with the deeper, symmetrical features found at impact sites like the Chicxulub crater, which is associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Amelia Creek impact structure’s appearance suggests a far more oblique angle of impact.
However, the destruction it caused remains visible today.
Shock Waves and Shatter Cones
While the satellite images collected by Landsat 8 in February clearly show what remains of this ancient asteroid impact site, additional clues can be found at ground level, including fan-shaped structures embedded in nearby quartzite rock first discovered in the 1980s.
These rare structures, known as shatter cones, are a telltale signature of an impact event resulting from the shock waves produced when the object collides with the Earth.
In the case of the Amelia Creek impact site, all the shatter cones in the area fall within a crescent-shaped pattern toward the south of the crater, which further supports the oblique angle of the asteroid’s strike.
Although shallow-angle impacts are believed to cause less severe damage than those at deeper angles like Chicxulub, it remains unclear how much damage the Amelia Creek asteroid might have caused 600 million years ago when it collided with what is now northern Australia.
Still, the oblique approach angle would have allowed the asteroid more time to burn off portions of its mass during reentry, which also sometimes leads to asteroids separating into several smaller fragments during an airburst prior to impact.
There is some geological evidence that two additional, much larger impacts may have occurred during the Ediacaran Period, both of which may have had far more devastating global effects.
It has been theorized that creatures that once thrived during this period, known as acritarchs, might have succumbed to global changes that occurred in the aftermath of these impacts.
https://thedebrief.org/nasa-earth-observing-satellite-mission-spots-mysterious-impact-structure-in-remote-australian-outback/
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154061/an-asteroids-bite-in-an-australian-mountain-range
Stunning space photo captures bright blue shock wave around double star system
March 22, 2025
Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky.
As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical "Skyscapes" that connect both Earth and the night sky.
This image features a deep field view of the Cassiopeia constellation immersed in the glow of ionized hydrogen gas, where the two small planetary nebulas can be found, Abell 6 and the larger HFG1.
Both nebulas are the leftover remnants from the last phase of a medium star like our sun.
HFG1 features a prominent bluish arc-shaped shock wave, known as a bow shock, created as the binary star system V664 Cas speeds through our Milky Way galaxy.
Bow shocks are crescent-shaped structures formed by the friction of solar wind coming from a star and the interstellar medium, the space between stars.
V664 Cas is a binary system consisting of a white dwarf, a stellar corpse, and a red giant star, only a few million miles apart from each other.
The other small bright bluish ball visible to the left of center in the image is known as Abell 6.
This small planetary nebula, like others like it, was formed by gases in the outer layers of a dying star.
The nebula we see today is a shell of dust and gas that was ejected from a star as it exhausted its supply of fuel to sustain nuclear fusion in its core.
These kinds of planetary nebulae have a short life span of only about 10,000 years.
After that point, they become invisible due to a lack of ultraviolet light emitted by the stars that created them.
This image was captured in HaOIII and RGB light from the Dark Sky Alqueva Observatory in Cumeada, Portugal.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/stunning-space-photo-captures-bright-blue-shock-wave-around-double-star-system
Saturn's rings will 'disappear' this weekend. Here's why this phenomenon happens in cycles
March 21, 2025
Saturn's iconic rings will seemingly "disappear" from view this weekend as they align edge-on with Earth for the first time since 2009.
Every 13 to 15 years, the planet's rings align perfectly with our line of sight, making them appear nearly invisible to viewers on Earth.
This fleeting phenomenon, known as the "ring plane crossing," will occur Sunday (March 23) at 12:04 p.m. EDT (1604 GMT), when Earth passes through Saturn's ring plane, according to In-the-Sky.org.
Unfortunately, this ring plane crossing will be out of reach for most skywatchers to see.
For those in mid-northern latitudes, Saturn is close to the pre-dawn sun and well below the slanted morning ecliptic for observers at mid-northern latitudes.
Skywatchers in mid-southern latitudes will have the best chance to see Saturn without rings, but will have to compete with morning twilight over the eastern horizon.
The ringed planet completes one orbit around the sun every 29.4 Earth years. During this cycle, the visibility of Saturn's rings when viewed from Earth changes because the planet rotates on an axis tilted at 27 degrees. Sometimes the rings are tilted so that we have a good view of them, and sometimes we view them edge-on, so that they are either impossible to see or appear as a thin line crossing the planet's disk.
Saturn's rings are primarily made of water ice, along with small particles of rocks and dust. They are believed to be remnants of comets, asteroids or shattered moons that were torn apart by the planet's powerful gravity.
While Saturn's rings stretch 170,000 miles across (273,600 kilometers), they are only about 30 feet (10 meters) thick, making them appear thin and wispy when viewed from any angle.
However, when aligned edge-on with Earth, they reflect very little light and are nearly impossible to see.
Our view of Saturn shifts during the planet's orbit around the sun. When Saturn is tilted toward us, we see the upper side of its rings. Whereas when the planet is tilted away from us we see the lower side of its rings.
As Earth transitions between these perspectives, our planet passes through Saturn's ring plane. As a result, we experience a ringless view of Saturn because we are in line with the edge of its rings.
The planet's rings have been gradually tilting toward an edge-on alignment for the past seven years. Thankfully, however, this edge-on view is merely a temporary effect.
Saturn's rings will slowly begin to tilt back toward Earth and will appear as a thin line within a few hours. Over the next several months, they will gradually become more and more visible.
In 2032, they will be at their best again during their period of maximum tilt as seen from Earth.
Even though the planet's iconic rings won't be visible for a while, viewers can still look for the bright planet as it rises low on the eastern horizon just before sunrise.
The best time to see Saturn this year will be during opposition — when Earth is between the planet and the sun — on September 21, 2025. During opposition, Saturn will be at its brightest in Earth's sky.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/saturns-iconic-rings-will-disappear-this-weekend-heres-why
Star Catcher completes first ground test for space power beaming service
March 21, 2025
Star Catcher Industries said it beamed concentrated solar energy over 100 meters March 21 to satellite solar arrays on the ground at EverBank Stadium, Florida, in its first demo of a capability planned for space.
The Jacksonville, Florida-based startup said it successfully powered multiple off-the-shelf solar arrays, validating its vision for a space-based power grid that would not require customer satellites to be retrofitted or equipped with custom receivers.
“This demonstration marks the first end-to-end test of our space power beaming technology, proving we can collect and wirelessly transmit energy with the precision needed for space applications,” said Star Catcher co-founder and CEO Andrew Rush.
“Today’s success puts us one step closer to eliminating power constraints in space and unlocking new capabilities for satellites and the customers they serve.”
Star Catcher did not disclose how much power was transmitted during the test.
The venture plans a larger demonstration this summer at a former Space Shuttle landing site at Cape Canaveral, where it aims to beam hundreds of watts of energy across more than a kilometer to multiple simulated satellites.
While the solar arrays in both tests remain stationary, the 200 power-beaming satellites Star Catcher envisions would be operating in low Earth orbit, supplying energy to spacecraft also moving in LEO.
The startup has not set a timeline for its first in-orbit demonstration or when it could provide commercial services.
https://spacenews.com/star-catcher-completes-first-ground-test-for-space-power-beaming-service/
https://star-catcher.com/
Former NASA astronauts endorse Isaacman as administrator
March 21, 2025
Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts have signed a letter endorsing Jared Isaacman as the agency’s next administrator, calling on the Senate to consider his nomination as soon as possible.
The letter, sent to the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Isaacman is “uniquely qualified” to lead the agency and asked them to hold a confirmation hearing for him as soon as possible.
“We believe that Jared Isaacman is uniquely qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture.
As an entrepreneur, pilot, and having commanded two groundbreaking space missions, he brings credibility and capability to make a difference now,” states the letter, signed by 28 former NASA astronauts and posted to social media March 21 by one of them, Garrett Reisman.
“Jared will be able to apply his vision and business acumen to make NASA a continued leader and fulfill its mission of exploration, inspiration, and discovery while expanding commercial opportunities that benefit all Americans,” the letter continued.
“Jared has a genuine passion for space exploration and will bring a renewed energy and sense of purpose to NASA.”
Donald Trump announced in December his intent to nominate Isaacman, the billionaire founder of payment processing company Shift4, as NASA administrator in December, a nomination that became official Jan. 20, the day Trump was inaugurated as president.
Isaacman is best known in the space community as the commander of the Inspiration4 private astronaut mission in September 2021 and of the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission three years later.
His nomination is under the jurisdiction of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has yet to schedule a hearing to consider the nomination. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the committee, said in February that the committee was “still waiting for the paperwork to be completed” before scheduling a hearing.
“NASA has a difficult mission and therefore requires steady leadership. We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to hold Mr. Isaacman’s confirmation hearing as soon as practical,” the former astronauts stated in the letter.
The signatories primarily served as astronauts on shuttle and space station missions, although one, Rusty Schweickart, flew on Apollo 9 in 1969.
Other notable signatories include Bob Cabana, who after his astronaut career was director of the Kennedy Space Center and NASA associate administrator; Bill Readdy, who became associate administrator for space operations; and John Grunsfeld, a veteran of several Hubble repair missions who later served as associate administrator for science and, during the 2024 election, backed a group called “Space Cadets 4 Harris” that supported Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The astronauts are not the only former NASA officials to support Isaacman’s nomination. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at the Satellite 2025 conference March 11 he expected Isaacman to be an “amazing” NASA administrator.
“I think he’s got all the tools to be what could be the most consequential NASA administrator given the era in which we live in now,” Bridenstine said of Isaacman, urging the Senate to confirm him quickly.
“The sooner he gets confirmed, the better NASA is going to be. So, let’s not leave it linger. The worst thing for the agency is to leave it linger.”
https://spacenews.com/former-nasa-astronauts-endorse-isaacman-as-administrator/
https://bsky.app/profile/astro-g-dogg.bsky.social/post/3lkwd6hw5dk2l
ICYMI
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/trump-ngad-fighter-air-force/
https://twitter.com/OfficialCSAF/status/1903124294156038193
Trump Announces F-47, the Air Force’s New Sixth-Gen Fighter Built by Boeing
March 21, 2025
President Donald Trump announced March 21 that Boeing has been selected to build the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, which will be called the F-47.
Trump made the announcement from the White House, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, and Lt. Gen. Dale R. White, military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.
Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin to build the world’s first sixth-generation fighter, which the Air Force said will be faster, more maneuverable, and more stealthy than anything built to date. Trump said the plane has been flying for “five years” in tests leading up to this announcement.
“It’s something the likes of which nobody has seen before,” Trump said. “In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability to what it can have, to payload.”
The Air Force said the F-47 will fly during the Trump administration, which ends in January 2029. NGAD’s future had been in question after former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall paused the program last summer to review its costs and requirements.
Hegseth claimed that Kendall and former President Joe Biden’s administration was “prepared to potentially scrap it.”
During the program pause, the Air Force conducted an analysis of whether the program, in which the manned fighter would operate with semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), was still required.
The Air Force’s internal review and a blue-ribbon outside panel of former senior officials concluded a manned NGAD fighter was necessary to achieve air superiority in 2030 and beyond.
Allvin pitched Trump on the program earlier this year and briefed Hegseth this month. Allvin had hinted at his recommendation to Trump on March 3 at the AFA Warfare Symposium.
“I want to give the President as many options as we possibly can. So that means, yes, keep on the modernization. Yes, NGAD. Yes, CCA. Yes, survivable bases,” Allvin said then.
NGAD is seen as the successor to the fifth-generation air-to-air F-22, built by Lockheed Martin, but will be produced in greater numbers, Trump and Allvin said.
“Compared to the F-22, the F-47 will cost less and be more adaptable to future threats—and we will have more of the F-47s in our inventory,” Allvin said in a statement.
“The F-47 will have significantly longer range, more advanced stealth, be more sustainable, supportable, and have higher availability than our fifth-generation fighters.
This platform is designed with a ‘built to adapt’ mindset, and will take significantly less manpower and infrastructure to deploy.”
A major feature of the F-47 will be its ability to coordinate and control CCAs. Trump made reference to the CCA program in his Oval Office remarks, saying the F-47 will be able to fly with “many, many drones,” and Allvin also reiterated their importance.
“We believe that this [F-47] provides more lethality,” he said. “It provides more modernized capability in a way that is built to adapt.
This, along with our Collaborative Combat Aircraft the President talked about with drones, this is allowing us to look into the future and unlock the magic that is human-machine teaming.
1/2
2/2
And as we do that, we’re going to write the next generation of modern aerial warfare. This enables us to do this.
The manner in which we put this program together puts more control in the hands of the government, so we can update and adapt at the speed of relevance, at the speed of technology.”
The service’s first CAAs—General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Andruil Industries’ YFQ-44A—will fly this summer and are designed to carry missiles, but the role of future versions of drones will likely be expanded to expand to a variety of missions, such as electronic warfare, sensing, and more.
The Air Force has planned billions of dollars in NGAD’s research and development in the coming years. It is expected to be the most advanced fighter jet in history and America’s first sixth-generation fighter.
The aircraft will likely pair with the F-35 as the backbone of the Air Force fighter fleet for decades to come.
The F-35 is a multirole, fifth-generation plane designed primarily for air-to-ground and sensing, while NGAD has been described as an air-to-air fighter that can operate in contested environments, such as the airspace near China.
The engines competing to power the NGAD—GE’s XA102 and Pratt & Whitney’s XA103—have passed design reviews for the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion program. Those power plants have new technology that allows increased thrust and range.
The Navy intends to award a contract for its sixth-generation fighter, the F/A-XX, in the coming months, though the programs are separate.
“A cost-plus incentive-fee contract was awarded for engineering and manufacturing development, which will mature, integrate, and test all aspects of the NGAD Platform,” an Air Force official said of the deal.
“The contract will produce a small number of test aircraft, which will be used to perform testing. The contract also includes competitively priced options for low-rate initial production aircraft.” The official said further details were not being disclosed for security reasons.
Boeing’s selection is a major coup for the firm at a time when it is struggling mightily. The company has faced cost overruns, delays, and issues on the VC-25B presidential aircraft, KC-46 Pegasus tanker, the T-7A Red Hawk trainer, as well as its space and commercial aircraft programs.
The delays on the VC-25B—better known as the new “Air Force One”—have prompted ire from Trump, who renegotiated the price of the aircraft with Boeing during his first term and has complained about the delay, which may result in the aircraft not being fielded during his current term.
Trump has suggested the military should look at alternative options. Boeing’s NGAD win is also big for its fighters division, after its X-32 demonstrator lost out to what became the F-35.
The company is also building new F-15EX fighters for the Air Force.
2/2
ATLAS raises the bar: Next-Gen SDA system partners to win
March 21, 2025
U.S. Space Forces - Korea established its first forward operating Combined Joint Space Operations Center on March 10, supporting exercise Freedom Shield 2025 and phase two of POLARIS HAMMER - KOREA.
Within the exercise environment, the CJSpOC facilitated the operational command and control of combined space forces in the Korean theater to achieve the combined forces commander's objectives.
It operated around-the-clock, enabling SPACEFOR-KOR, along with Space Operators from the Republic of Korea and additional partner nations, to continuously coordinate, plan, integrate, synchronize and execute space operations, providing tailored space effects on demand.
This milestone marks the first time a CJSpOC has been rapidly stood up with forces deployed directly to support a combined exercise, enhancing real-time space domain awareness and operational support, and it was accomplished through a mix of commercial and defense technology, demonstrating how the commercial space sector’s innovative capabilities provide pathways to enhance the resilience of Department of Defense space capabilities and strengthen deterrence.
“Everything is non-classified as we are using commercial internet to connect with commercial providers to provide products that we can then use for warfighter needs,” said Col. John Patrick, SPACEFOR-KOR commander.
“By leveraging commercial we're able to double, triple or even quadruple the number of space sensors, satellites, people and overall data we have at our disposal and pivot to new technologies in months and days versus years and tens of years.”
The CJSpOC integrated five capabilities coming together in time and space to include a SpaceX Starshield terminal, Joint Commercial Operations Cell, Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking Cell, Night Owl Lite and Beast+.
These capabilities along with other USSF and multinational partner commercial assets, supported FS25 globally.
Provided by U.S. Pacific Fleet Command, a Starshield terminal, a larger version of Starlink and tailored for government use, delivered commercial internet via satellite broadband.
This capability proved essential for the CJSpOC, whose multinational Joint Task Force-Space Defense Commercial Operations cell included participants from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Republic of Korea, with additional teams operating globally.
Leveraging commercial ground assets, these teams focused on tracking space objects and providing early warnings of potential adversary actions in space, aligning with the DoD's efforts to drive more effective integration of commercial space solutions into national security space architectures.
“Because we exist at the non-classified level, it makes working with our multinational partners extremely easy,” said Kirsten Bingley, a U.S. contractor with the JCO.
“We can bring them in on the ground level and show them everything we have without having to try to run through security barriers.
It helps the alliance happen by giving us a place to talk space and start making those foundational understandings click together.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, based in Los Angeles, employed its Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking Program cell, utilizing space assets to conduct ground reconnaissance and gather imagery.
The TacSRT team provided warfighters with on-demand access to synthesized, publicly available information.
Further bolstering CJSpOC's capabilities, the 109th Hawaii Air National Guard contributed their space electronic support systems, Night Owl Lite, a geolocation system for signals intelligence, and Beast+, a system designed for analyzing jamming activities.
However, commercial capabilities do not replace classified military intelligence and space operations; instead they serve as an additional tool for SPACEFOR-KOR.
Through these partnerships, SPACEFOR-KOR enhances its ability to protect and defend the space domain while maintaining space superiority alongside allies and partners.
FS25 is an annual exercise that aims to enhance the combined, joint, all-domain and interagency operating environment, thereby strengthening the alliance’s response capabilities.
It is a defense-oriented exercise featuring live, virtual and field-based training that engages alliance forces and governmental agencies.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4131474/space-forces-korea-stands-up-first-forward-operating-cjspoc-in-support-of-fs25/
Nix this please.
This is the correct article.
Space Forces - Korea stands up first forward operating CJSpOC in support of FS25
March 21, 2025
U.S. Space Forces - Korea established its first forward operating Combined Joint Space Operations Center on March 10, supporting exercise Freedom Shield 2025 and phase two of POLARIS HAMMER - KOREA.
Within the exercise environment, the CJSpOC facilitated the operational command and control of combined space forces in the Korean theater to achieve the combined forces commander's objectives.
It operated around-the-clock, enabling SPACEFOR-KOR, along with Space Operators from the Republic of Korea and additional partner nations, to continuously coordinate, plan, integrate, synchronize and execute space operations, providing tailored space effects on demand.
This milestone marks the first time a CJSpOC has been rapidly stood up with forces deployed directly to support a combined exercise, enhancing real-time space domain awareness and operational support, and it was accomplished through a mix of commercial and defense technology, demonstrating how the commercial space sector’s innovative capabilities provide pathways to enhance the resilience of Department of Defense space capabilities and strengthen deterrence.
“Everything is non-classified as we are using commercial internet to connect with commercial providers to provide products that we can then use for warfighter needs,” said Col. John Patrick, SPACEFOR-KOR commander.
“By leveraging commercial we're able to double, triple or even quadruple the number of space sensors, satellites, people and overall data we have at our disposal and pivot to new technologies in months and days versus years and tens of years.”
The CJSpOC integrated five capabilities coming together in time and space to include a SpaceX Starshield terminal, Joint Commercial Operations Cell, Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking Cell, Night Owl Lite and Beast+.
These capabilities along with other USSF and multinational partner commercial assets, supported FS25 globally.
Provided by U.S. Pacific Fleet Command, a Starshield terminal, a larger version of Starlink and tailored for government use, delivered commercial internet via satellite broadband.
This capability proved essential for the CJSpOC, whose multinational Joint Task Force-Space Defense Commercial Operations cell included participants from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Republic of Korea, with additional teams operating globally.
Leveraging commercial ground assets, these teams focused on tracking space objects and providing early warnings of potential adversary actions in space, aligning with the DoD's efforts to drive more effective integration of commercial space solutions into national security space architectures.
“Because we exist at the non-classified level, it makes working with our multinational partners extremely easy,” said Kirsten Bingley, a U.S. contractor with the JCO.
“We can bring them in on the ground level and show them everything we have without having to try to run through security barriers.
It helps the alliance happen by giving us a place to talk space and start making those foundational understandings click together.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, based in Los Angeles, employed its Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking Program cell, utilizing space assets to conduct ground reconnaissance and gather imagery.
The TacSRT team provided warfighters with on-demand access to synthesized, publicly available information.
Further bolstering CJSpOC's capabilities, the 109th Hawaii Air National Guard contributed their space electronic support systems, Night Owl Lite, a geolocation system for signals intelligence, and Beast+, a system designed for analyzing jamming activities.
However, commercial capabilities do not replace classified military intelligence and space operations; instead they serve as an additional tool for SPACEFOR-KOR.
Through these partnerships, SPACEFOR-KOR enhances its ability to protect and defend the space domain while maintaining space superiority alongside allies and partners.
FS25 is an annual exercise that aims to enhance the combined, joint, all-domain and interagency operating environment, thereby strengthening the alliance’s response capabilities.
It is a defense-oriented exercise featuring live, virtual and field-based training that engages alliance forces and governmental agencies.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4131474/space-forces-korea-stands-up-first-forward-operating-cjspoc-in-support-of-fs25/
ATLAS raises the bar: Next-Gen SDA system partners to win
March 21, 2025
The U.S. Space Force achieved a significant milestone with the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS) March 14 as it concluded an additional test that demonstrated momentous progress in preparation for fielding the capability.
This marked ATLAS’s 10th Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Capability Integrated Test (SCIT), which commenced Feb. 24 at Vandenberg SFB, Cali.
The Space Force conducted the SCIT with an integrated test force (ITF) comprising representatives from Mission Delta 2’s 18th Space Defense Squadron, Mission Delta 2 Detachment 1, the 2nd Space Sustainment Squadron, Space Delta 12’s 1st Test and Evaluation Squadron, and the 96th Cyberspace Test Group’s 45th Test Squadron.
For the first time, a coalition partner was integrated into SCIT, a major step in the U.S. Space Force’s goal of full integration with key international partners by the time ATLAS is fielded.
“SDA, as an enterprise function, has far-reaching connections across the combined force,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Jordan Mugg, 18th Space Defense Squadron commander. “It’s fitting we put a Canadian officer into ATLAS training at first opportunity.”
Already a certified Orbital Analyst on the Space Defense Operations Center with two years of crew experience, Royal Canadian Air Force Capt. Tristan Blaikie “breezed through the course, and we project he’s paved a new path for our exchange members, fully integrated into next-gen SDA systems through which we can partner to win,” Mugg said.
What is the ALTAS program?
ATLAS is the service’s next-generation SDA analysis system designed to modernize and enhance the capabilities of the Space Defense Operations Center.
ATLAS will provide an agile, modern platform capable of addressing emerging space threats. Key features include integrated bi-directional messaging that connects SDA, as an enterprise function, across the combined force, delivering a timely and accurate space picture to warfighters.
The ITF across Space Operations Command and Space Training and Readiness Command is a hallmark of intra-service cooperation to focus on Minimum Viable Capability-Release while assuring requirements validation.
Throughout SCIT 10, the test squadrons, working shoulder-to-shoulder with space operators, provided credible and timely analysis of the system’s capabilities.
“Having operators and testers together in the ITF is critical to ensure warfighter needs are supported by delivering a fully burdened operational system and reduces time in the feedback loop when compared to a traditional acquisition,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Amber Johnson, 2nd Space Sustainment Squadron commander and acquisition materiel leader.
“Successful completion of SCIT 10 represents a significant milestone in progress toward certifying and maintaining a highly advanced and robust SDA tracking system and provides evidence that ATLAS will be ready for operational acceptance in the fall of 2025.”
https://www.spoc.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4130950/atlas-raises-the-bar-next-gen-sda-system-partners-to-win
Russia and Ukraine Trade Blame for Attack on Gas Pumping Station in Kursk Region
March 21, 2025
Russia and Ukraine on Friday accused each other of shelling a gas pumping station in the southwestern Kursk region overnight, days after the two warring sides agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.
Earlier, the Ukrainian military and Russian pro-war bloggers reported a strike on the nonfunctioning Sudzha gas pumping and metering station, with images showing a huge fire lighting up the night sky.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces dismissed Russian military bloggers’ claims that it was responsible for the attack, calling it part of a “campaign to discredit Ukraine.”
“Today, the enemy has ramped up its planned destructive information influence with another provocation — it fired artillery at this facility [in Sudzha],” the General Staff claimed in a statement.
“The [Sudzha] station was repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves,” it added, citing what it said were similar incidents last summer.
Later on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that retreating Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region attacked the Sudzha gas pumping station, calling it a “deliberate provocation… aimed at undermining the peace initiatives of the U.S. President.”
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia continued transporting natural gas to Europe through the Sudzha hub until Kyiv declined to extend a transit deal at the start of 2025.
The town of Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people, was the largest Russian settlement to be seized by Ukrainian forces during a surprise cross-border incursion last August. Russia said it had regained full control of Sudzha last week.
The reported strike on the Sudzha gas station came after Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure, but questions remain about its implementation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Kyiv of violating the ceasefire with an attack on an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar region.
Later on Friday, the Kremlin appeared to suggest that the attack could lead to a disintegration of a ceasefire deal.
“This information more than clearly shows how much faith one can have in the word of Zelensky and his team,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
However, he said the Russian military would continue to adhere to a 30-day order to stop attacks on energy sites in Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin issued earlier this week.
“The order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is in effect, and the Russian Armed Forces are currently refraining from striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in accordance with the agreement that was reached between the United States and Russia.”
Russian law enforcement authorities later announced that they launched a criminal investigation into the gas pumping station attack, which they are treating as an act of terrorism.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/21/russia-and-ukraine-trade-blame-for-attack-on-gas-pumping-station-in-kursk-region-a88433
https://t.me/news_sirena/37509
Zelensky visits Ukraine’s front line ahead of peace talks
22 March 2025 • 3:48pm
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukraine’s frontline Donetsk region on Saturday, as Russia continued to launch drone attacks across the country despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire.
Mr Zelensky met commanders of drone units near the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian troops have fended off Russian assaults for months as Moscow’s forces have slowly advanced in a gradual bid to capture the entire region.
”I visited the command post of the Tactical Group Pokrovsk and met with the commanders of the Drone Line, which united the finest unmanned systems units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
On Saturday, it was announced that a family of three, including a 14-year-old girl, had been killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia following an attack on Friday night.
“Russia has once again violated the ceasefire and killed a 14-year-old child in Zaporizhzhia with,” Mr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said.
He added that a Shahed was responsible for the attack, referring to the Iranian-style kamikaze drones that Moscow has deployed throughout the war.
The bodies of the daughter and father were pulled out from under the rubble while doctors unsuccessfully fought for the mother’s life for more than 10 hours, regional head Ivan Fedorov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Four more people were killed in other parts of the country, officials said.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a limited ceasefire after US President Trump spoke with both leaders this week, though it is not yet clear when it might take effect and what targets would be off limits.
But hours after the agreement was announced, Russian forces on Wednesday conducted an airstrike on the energy infrastructure of Slovyansk, a city of 100,000 people in the Donetsk region. Such strikes have continued since.
Delegations from both countries will hold separate talks on implementing a ceasefire with the US in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/22/russia-ukraine-peace-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news/
Russian attacks kill seven in Ukraine, officials say
March 22, 202512:21 PM UTC
Russian attacks killed a family of three late on Friday in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and four more people in the country's north and east, officials said.
Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on social media the city had been struck more than 10 times, with a 14-year-old girl and her parents killed in the attacks and 12 people wounded, including an infant.
At the scene, rescue teams sifted through piles of debris amid the din of a buzzsaw, and could be seen carrying away at least one body.
"Russian terrorism continues to destroy families all over Ukraine," First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X on Saturday in response to the attack.
Prosecutors in the northeastern Sumy region said late on Friday that Russian forces dropped at least six guided bombs on the village of Krasnopillia, killing two people and injuring at least two.
In eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, the focal point of Russian forces' steady westward advance, two people were killed and nine wounded in Russian attacks on Friday, according to governor Vadym Filashkin.
In the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, acting regional governor Yuri Slyusar said a Ukrainian drone struck the 17th floor of an apartment building, injuring two people. Air defences destroyed a number of drones, Slyusar wrote on Telegram.
In Voronezh, another southern Russian region near Ukraine, Governor Alexander Gusev said more than 10 Ukrainian drones were destroyed. No damage or casualties were reported. Reuters could not independently verify reports from either side.
The Kremlin said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a call with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to observe a 30-day ceasefire on energy targets.
That accord fell short of a wider agreement that Washington had sought, and which was accepted by Ukraine, for a blanket 30-day ceasefire.
Both sides have traded accusations in recent days of compromising peace efforts as air attacks have continued.
Talks on implementing a ceasefire are scheduled for next week in Saudi Arabia and, separately, with Russian and Ukrainian officials.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-attacks-kill-five-ukraine-officials-say-2025-03-21/
Drone Intrusion Sparks Security Alert at AIIMS
Updated: 22-03-2025 18:10 IST
A drone crash at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jammu and Kashmir's Sambha district, has heightened security concerns, officials reported Saturday.
The device fell onto a residential building inside the 'no-flying zone' campus, causing an alert. Police quickly responded after residents reported the incident Friday night.
Vijaypur police seized the drone from the building's roof. An FIR is filed, and ongoing investigations look into potential violations of law. Authorities stress the importance of adhering to no-fly regulations in sensitive areas.
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3317791-drone-intrusion-sparks-security-alert-at-aiims
Burchett calls for government transparency on UAPs, spending: ‘We deserve to know’
03/21/25 9:06 PM ET
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called for the government to reveal what it’s spending taxpayer money on relating to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) amid growing calls from lawmakers for increased transparency on the issue.
“They’re spending tens of millions of dollars on this subject. And then they turn around tell us they don’t exist,” the Tennessee Republican told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill” Friday.
Burchett stressed the need for greater government transparency on extraterrestrial life while discussing the recent hiring of former intelligence officer and UFO whistleblower David Grusch by Rep. Burlison (R-Mo.).
“I think he can help us ask questions that need to be asked, that should be asked, that maybe we’re not asking the right questions because we’re not supposed experts on this,” Burchett said of Grusch.
“I want to know what they’re spending the money on,” he later added.
The topic of UAPs has received greater attention from Congress in recent years, with congressional hearings in 2024 and 2023 diving deeper into whether or not government sectors are withholding evidence from lawmakers.
“They need to they need to disclose everything and do it now,” Burchett said on Friday. “America needs to know. We need to demand that of our elected officials.
Quit joking around about little green men and flying saucers. We’re spending tens of millions of dollars on something that, goddamnit, we deserve to know. Give us the information.”
Grusch, an Air Force veteran and former member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, made headlines in 2023 after he claimed the government is withholding information about UFOs and UAP and that it has recovered nonhuman crafts with nonhuman species inside, among other things.
He was appointed to Burlison’s office as a senior adviser for an initial period of four months, NewsNation reports.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5208628-burchett-uap-ufo-government-transparency/
UFO filmed 'coming out of the ocean' as stunned viewers quote the same Bible verse
15:11, 21 Mar 2025
A UFO filmed 'coming out of the ocean' saw stunned viewers quoting the same Bible verse.
The footage, apparently shot in Daytona, Florida, was shared on TikTok and shows a very bright constant light in the sky, with others nearby.
One of the shocked people on the audio describes how what they are capturing on camera rose out of the water.
"We are seeing real alien activity going on," claims one eye-witness. While another concerned sounding person describes feeling like his heart is coming out of his chest.
The eye-witness continues by saying that one of the lights is flying around the other.
She says: "They're circling. It came out of the ocean. That is not a moon. It's not the sun. It's 10 o'clock at night.
"There are ships, I don't know what these things are."
She continues: "They are flying around it. One above it, there's one on each side of it. I don't know if you can see. They are going towards that (the bright glowing light)."
Despite only having been uploaded to the platform for a couple of days the video has been watched more that 2.3 million times.
And viewers were seemingly amazed by what they saw, descending on the comments in their thousands, with some bringing in a religious perspective.
One wrote: "Am I the only one that gets HAPPY to see these videos??? It’s pretty exciting to me."
To which the video poster replied: "Its not always happy encounters with these things although im acting like its my first time it wasnt the first time they have been this close to me im panicking because i never seen so many of them so close i know it looks like they were far but they were not that far from us."
Another viewer said: "I really was never a Christian, I have my doubts about it, but one day I opened the Bible to a verse that said Angels will roam above mountains and valleys. That’s where mine stay in my city.
And a third added: "Notice how the NEVER BOTHER ANYBODY. They don’t steal land, kill ppl nor destroy kingdoms. AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAY THEY ARE.
The ppl in the Bible knew and they were not afraid of the AT ALL.
Meanwhile the footage was also shared to a popular alien subreddit group, which has more than 1.1 million members.
Some commenters commended how clear the footage was, while others pointed to theories of UFOs coming from the ocean.
One viewer wrote: "Top quality UAP video commentary. No scary music or voice over, solid and genuine-seeming reaction commentary."
And another said: "It's been happening for millennia. Just that we now have cameras to take footage of it and instantly share it with the rest of the online community all over the world.
It's been here all along. Ezekiel's 'wheels within wheels' from the Bible."
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/ufo-filmed-coming-out-ocean-34908000
https://www.tiktok.com/@cocosongz/video/7483266918166695198
Exopolitics Week in Review Ep 439
March 22, 2025
Topics
Elon Musk plans the first starship missions to Mars by 2026, followed by manned missions in 2029/2031
Paul Wallis brings up important facts about horticulture and the contribution of the Anunnaki in developing this science for feeding large ancient civilizations after devastating cataclysms.
Collective humanity is in the midst of a metamorphosis and struggling to understand what's happening.
Surprised to hear that the US military lacks the capacity to track, identify and/or take down low altitude drones flying over bases.
JP Witnesses to TR-3B at Eglin AFB and Coming Forward - Update 44
Today is the release of the remaining JFK Assassination files.
Fascinating article on how humans have developed psychic abilities such as mind reading but the brain largely turns this ability off for most of the population.
I have mixed feelings about the role Major Donald Keyhoe played in the development of UFOlogy in the 1950s.
Exciting new discoveries of what lies beneath the Giza plateau and how these support claims that the pyramids were used as power plants, weapons platforms, energy conductors, etc.
Q & A with Dr. Michael Salla, George Kavassilas, Alex Collier & JP
UAP whistleblower David Grusch officially approved for position at congressman @RepEricBurlison’s office.
Dilemma of a Star Trek Future Webinar - April 5, 2025
https://exopoliticstoday.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ScLGuHKOU
Q & A with Dr. Michael Salla, George Kavassilas, Alex Collier & JP
Mar 20, 2025
Recorded live on September 19, 2024 The Return of the Jedi Admirals is an inspiring and revealing disclosure of behind the scenes unfoldments far above the horizon of earthly games of control and oppression.
Presented here is the Q & A session that followed the Live webinar. The Entire webinar is available on Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/returnofjediadmirals
Topics include the Navy Jedi Admirals return, Saving the children and MedBeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK0JA-lnOVg
Dr Steven Greer: Alien Technology Can Travel to Mars in 30 Seconds
Mar 21, 2025 4:00 PM
Dr. Steven Greer discussed the potential of alien technology and its implications for space travel. Dr. Greer rejects traditional views, suggesting that our understanding of physics is limited.
He asserts that alien spacecraft utilize a technology he refers to as "transdimensional interstellar travel," which enables them to navigate space-time differently than conventional physics would suggest.
This technology, he claims, could allow travel to Mars in as little as 30 seconds.
Dr. Greer argues that while the scientific community may not fully understand or accept these concepts, they have been proven, albeit within classified circles.
He envisions a future where, should humanity achieve global peace, such technologies could revolutionize our approach to space travel and energy consumption.
However, he emphasizes that extraterrestrial civilizations are cautious about interacting with Earth until humanity overcomes its violent tendencies and unsustainable practices.
https://www.vladtv.com/article/310102/dr-steven-greer-alien-technology-can-travel-to-mars-in-30-seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtJO5fxokJA
Dr Steven Greer Introduces Airline Pilot Tony Ferreira, Who Saw Alien Spacecraft
Mar 22, 2025 12:00 PM
Dr. Steven Greer introduced Tony Ferreira, a seasoned airline pilot with 25 years of flying experience who's encountered multiple UFOs.
Ferreira shared remarkable sightings, describing mysteriously large orbs that appeared mid-flight at the same altitudes as commercial airplanes.
On one occasion, an orb changed colors and vanished before him and his copilot could report it.
In another instance, a light unexpectedly darted across the sky while he was observing a satellite, an experience he recounted to his colleagues.
Despite advancements in technology, Ferreira noted the challenges of capturing such phenomena, given the limitations of commercial aircraft equipment.
Discussing the nature of these sightings, Ferreira speculated they could be either extraterrestrial or man-made, potentially part of the C5 initiative linked to heightened consciousness.
https://www.vladtv.com/article/310108/dr-steven-greer-introduces-airline-pilot-tony-ferreira-who-saw-alien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwxFQMbW1sc