Obviously all the cool Earth people plus some from elsewhere
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 6, 2025
Moonquakes Surprisingly Common
Why are there so many moonquakes? Analyses of seismometers left on the moon during the Apollo moon landings reveal a surprising number of moonquakes occurring within 100 kilometers of the surface. In fact, 62 moonquakes were detected in data recorded between 1972 and 1977. Many of these moonquakes are not only strong enough to move furniture in a lunar apartment, but the stiff rock of the moon continues to vibrate for many minutes, significantly longer than the softer rock earthquakes on Earth. The cause of the moonquakes remains unknown, but a leading hypothesis include tidal gravity from and relative heating by our Earth. Regardless of the source, future moon dwellings need to be built to withstand the frequent shakings. Pictured here, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside a recently deployed lunar seismometer, looking back toward the lunar landing module.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
2nd piece of space junk landed on Saskatchewan farmland in 2024
Apr 06, 2025 5:00 AM PDT
Space junk rained down on Saskatchewan farmland twice in 2024, and no one seems able to explain why the debris failed to burn up in the atmosphere.
Last April, Saskatchewan farmer Barry Sawchuk found a big chunk of space debris on his land near Ituna, just west of Yorkton, that turned out to be part of a Space X rocket.
The second time was on Dan Kennedy's farm, about 15 kilometres southeast of Hodgeville, Sask. Kennedy's son, Travis, found the panel, which is about the size of a laptop computer, last August.
"He was combining fields of lentils on our land and just came across this object in the field, got out and stopped and realized that wasn't normal and looked like something that fell from the sky," Kennedy said.
He estimates the debris fell sometime between when he sprayed the field on Aug. 6 and Aug. 16 when his son ran the combine.
"The piece was about 18 inches wide and about 24 inches tall," Kennedy said. "It sort of looked like a control board that looked to be some programming stuff that might have gone through this board."
A friend of Kennedy's who once worked at SED Systems — a communications company located on the University of Saskatchewan campus — tracked down a phone number for Space X in California.
Kennedy said he texted back and forth with someone at Space X who requested that he send the piece back to them, "so we just sent it back to California, to SpaceX."
Kennedy says the company owned by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk sent him a cheque for $3,900 US for returning the debris.
The debris found on Kennedy's farm came from a Starlink satellite, says Samantha Lawler, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina.
Lawler says there are more than 7,000 Starlink satellites currently in orbit, and it's concerning that this junk isn't burning up during re-entry to the atmosphere.
"If they are dropping pieces of junk on us that's a really big problem, especially because here in southern Canada we are kind of under the densest band of them," Lawler said.
With so many satellites in lower orbit new rules on how to dispose of them are needed because even burning up in the atmosphere doesn't eliminate a problem, Lawler said:
"It's adding all of this metal to the upper atmosphere … but pieces making it to the ground is really, really quite scary,"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/2nd-piece-of-space-junk-landed-on-saskatchewan-farmland-in-2024-1.7502192
Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols Legacy Lives on in New Space Camp Set for 2026
April 6, 2025
The late Nichelle Nichols, best known for playing Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek and its subsequent feature films, was also a NASA pioneer.
In the late 1970s, Nichols began working with NASA as a contractor and helped recruit women and minority candidates into the space program.
Now, Nichols’ legacy will continue as, per Trek Movie, The Nichelle Nichols Foundation and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama have teamed up for a new space camp geared toward women.
Nichols’ work with NASA was the focus of the documentary, Woman in Motion.
The Nichelle Nichols Space Camp will begin in January 2026 and will be open to young women between the ages of 14 and 18 years old.
The three-day camp will combine astronaut training, like zero-gravity drills and spacesuit testing, with new topics like colonizing Mars and possibly contacting extraterrestrial life.
Star Trek Alums are Involved
Walter Koening, who played Chekov in Star Trek, serves on the board of directors for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation, and Bonnie Gordon, who voices the ship’s computer in the animated Star Trek: Prodigy, will serve as a camp counselor, chaperone, and advocate for the campers.
Nichols Inspired Thousands to Join NASA
Dan Madsen, publicist for the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp, and a personal friend of Nichols, reflected on the actress’s work with NASA, saying, “She was involved with NASA back in the ‘70s, really promoting the space program and really trying to encourage women and minorities to become a part of it.
And she went around for, I don’t know how many different cities promoting the fact that women and minorities have a place in the space program.
I think she’s signed up something like 8,000 candidates during her time that she worked with NASA.”
A NASA Astronaut Reflects on Trek
Madsen noted that Nichols was instrumental in inspiring astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, to join NASA.
Jemison even appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled “Second Chances.” In a previous interview with C-SPAN in 1994, Jemison talked about the impact Nichols’ Star Trek role had on her.
“A program (Star Trek) where it put women in non-traditional roles. So maybe Lieutenant Uhura was maybe the first woman that you saw every day, every week, on television who worked in a technical field. So that was very exciting.
And also, she was African which was a very different kind of feel from television back then. So I was very much like Lieutenant Uhura,” Jemison said.
Going to Mars?
A main goal of the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is to inspire young would-be astronauts to think big, and that includes going to Mars.
A press release from the camp described the goal stating, “It’s not hard to imagine some of our Space Camp cadets living this dream as future female astronauts and being among some of the first human beings to set foot on the red planet.
With the right inspiration, hard work, and technology, we will grow to become an interplanetary species that will travel way beyond Mars.”
The Nichelle Nichols Space Camp will take place from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19, 2026, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Registration for the camp is not yet open, but scholarships and financial aid will be available to those who are eligible. Donations are also being accepted on the camp’s official website.
Nichols’ documentary Woman in Motion is streaming on Paramount+.
https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-nichelle-nichols-legac-space-camp/
https://nichellenichols.foundation/nichelle-nichols-space-camp/
Missile Defense Agency opens door to commercial firms for “Golden Dome” project
April 6, 2025
The Pentagon is looking beyond traditional defense contractors to tackle one of the most ambitious components of its proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system: space-based interceptors that would destroy enemy missiles in flight.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Space Force announced plans to host a conference later this month specifically encouraging participation from commercial firms outside the traditional defense industry.
“Non-Traditional Defense Contractors are highly encouraged to attend as MDA is extremely interested in innovative and disruptive capabilities and approaches that will support the SBI program,” according to a notice published last week.
Focus on early interception
The conference, scheduled for April 20-May 2 in Huntsville, Alabama, will explore space-interception concepts, with particular interest in ways to destroy missions in their boost phase.
“MDA is interested in concepts that are capable of boost-phase intercept,” the notification stated.
This phase occurs during a missile’s initial ascent through Earth’s atmosphere immediately after launch, when missiles are traveling more slowly and on more predictable trajectories, making them vulnerable to interception.
The agency is also soliciting concepts for later-stage missile interception, including post-boost, early midcourse, and midcourse intercept capabilities, encompassing both kinetic and non-kinetic systems.
A modern “Star Wars”
The Golden Dome concept represents a revival of space-based missile defense ideas first explored during the Reagan administration’s Strategic Defense Initiative, colloquially known as “Star Wars.”
That program was ultimately shelved due to technological limitations and prohibitive costs.
Recent advancements in space technology have renewed interest in orbital defense systems.
Still, the Golden Dome project faces significant hurdles, as it aims to protect the entire United States from advanced threats including both ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The project remains in its conceptual phase with substantial technological and organizational obstacles to overcome.
The administration’s outreach to non-traditional contractors signals recognition that breakthrough approaches may be necessary to make such a system feasible, both technologically and economically.
Such a system would represent a dramatic expansion of current U.S. missile defense capabilities, which rely primarily on ground- and sea-based interceptors.
The addition of a space layer would provide global reach and reduce reaction time—but it would also require a constellation of highly specialized satellites and robust command-and-control architecture.
https://spacenews.com/missile-defense-agency-opens-door-to-commercial-firms-for-golden-dome-project/
https://sam.gov/opp/35acd4bbe1a748a4ae8cfc42d5e76034/view
STARCOM Deputy Commander strengthens space training partnerships in France
April 3, 2025
U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Cantore, deputy commander of Space Training and Readiness Command, traveled to Toulouse, France, March 25-29 to strengthen international space training partnerships and advance STARCOM’s role in warfighting readiness.
His engagements with French and NATO space leaders focused on aligning training efforts, improving interoperability, and exploring opportunities for collaboration to enhance space capabilities.
The visit began with Cantore attending the Distinguished Visitor Day at AsterX, France’s premier space-focused military exercise.
During the event, he engaged with space leaders from allied nations, commercial partners, and exercise leaders, and spent time on the ops floor, gaining insight into how participants trained together – working shoulder to shoulder as one integrated, autonomous force. STARCOM’s Aggressors from Space Delta 11, were involved in the exercise’s red cell, providing a thinking adversary that forced participants to respond to realistic, adversarial challenges.
STARCOM’s participation underscored the importance of threat-informed training in sharpening operational capabilities and fostering integration among allies.
Cantore then visited the Toulouse Space Campus, where he met with Maj. Gen. Philippe Adam, commander of French Space Command, to discuss expanding joint training and education initiatives.
Building on the already strong relationship between U.S. and French space forces, their conversation focused on current training opportunities, ongoing efforts, as well as future training requirements.
They explored opportunities to better integrate in future exercises, discussed space cadre development, and identified ways to strengthen their partnership, ensuring shared priorities in the space domain.
Later, Cantore visited the NATO Space Centre of Excellence, where discussions centered on their evolving approach to space training, doctrine development, and operational support.
Centre leaders expanded on their mission and ongoing efforts to enhance NATO’s space capabilities.
They also explored ways for STARCOM and NATO to increase opportunities for joint training and exercises, improving interoperability and ensuring collective readiness in the face of emerging challenges.
Cantore’s visit to France reinforced STARCOM’s ongoing commitment to enhancing interoperability and readiness through meaningful conversations with international partners.
These discussions highlighted the shared goals and responsibilities in space operations, ensuring the U.S. Space Force and its allies are prepared for future challenges.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4145497/starcom-deputy-commander-strengthens-space-training-partnerships-in-france/
U.S. Marshals capture fugitive hiding in Taylorsville crawl space after multi-day pursuit
Updated Sat, April 5th 2025 at 10:28 AM
A man with several felony warrants was detained by U.S. Marshals Friday after being found hiding in a crawl space of a Salt Lake City residence.
Taylorsville police said they learned of several no-bail warrants recently issued for 62-year-old Guy William Fenstermaker on March 20.
That same day, an officer spotted the black Ford F150 that Fenstermaker was believed to be driving and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
Fenstermaker reportedly fled at a high speed and was not immediately located. The vehicle was later tracked by license plate recognition cameras, which showed it being towed days later.
On April 1, officers received a tip that Fenstermaker was at a residence near 1700 East and Rosecrest Drive in Salt Lake City. Over the following days, officers observed him entering and exiting the home.
On April 4, the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team launched an operation to apprehend Fenstermaker.
Authorities contained the residence and attempted multiple times to make verbal contact, but were unsuccessful. They later observed a man at the backdoor, who returned inside when spotted.
VFAST members entered the home and found Fenstermaker hiding in a crawl space between the basement ceiling and the subfloor of the second story. Fenstermaker was reportedly noncompliant with commands to surrender and had to be physically removed by first responders.
Fenstermaker was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, a third-degree felony, and interfering with a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor.
https://kutv.com/news/local/us-marshals-capture-fugitive-hiding-in-taylorsville-crawl-space-after-multi-day-pursuit
Washington Coast Guard Use a Tiny Helipad for Drone: ‘Utterly Adorable’
April 6, 2025
It’s common knowledge that helicopters require a helipad to help with their landing. What isn’t common is using a helipad for a drone.
However, Washington Coast Guard went viral after a picture was taken of them trying to land their drone on a tiny helipad in front of them.
People quickly debated whether this was a personal choice or according to some rules. What people did agree on at the end was that the whole situation was adorable, especially with how tiny the helipad is.
Some even pointed out that it might be a requirement for drones to land on a helipad.
In the picture shared, three Washington Coast Guard members are standing together with a tiny helipad in front of them. One of the three is holding the controller in his hands, probably trying to land the drone on the helipad.
You can see in the picture that they are by the beach. However, you can’t see the drone. People in the comments quickly shared their own stories and knowledge about drones.
How Did People React to the Washington Coast Guard?
People in the comments quickly left their thoughts regarding the three Washington Coast Guard and their drone. Some shared how they also have a helipad for their drones.
“I have an orange one. It’s great for grassy areas,” one person wrote. A reply to the comment said, “Also if you’re on gravel.” Another reply said, “Also snow.
Sucks when you land next to it and can’t use your drone at least a day until it is completely dry again.”
The comments also pointed out how the Washington Coast Guard’s helipad was adorable. “Well it’s still adorable,” one person wrote. Another replied by saying, “It’s sooo cuteee.”
Someone also wrote, “Idk why I just think this is all so cute and adorable.” The comments about how cute it was that the Washington Coast Guard were using a helipad kept coming.
“What I see here is utterly adorable. Aww it’s so teeny. I want to see the drone it must be so cute,” one person added.
Aside from the comments saying that the situation was cute, others pointed out that the Washington Coast Guard using a helipad is normal.
People Saying the Helipad Is Normal
Along with the different reactions, some shared their knowledge and clarified that drones require helipads. One person wrote:
“Licensed drone operating often involves a designated, marked, and cleared landing zone. Especially when they’re larger units.”
One Redditor replied to that comment by saying, “Most professional drones also have a function that simply returns them to where they took off from and these platforms make it easier.”
Another person chimed in and said, “Yes and the pad marks that location for other people to be aware of which helps keep that location clear.” One person joked that this doesn’t happen.
“Have you met people? Unless there are a mildly inconvenient climb or restraint, that pad will be trampled,” they wrote.
A new conversation started where people said that the Washington Coast Guard were required to use this helipad. One person wrote:
“I s**t you not. There is a non-zero chance this was required per some regulation or some higher up.
We had a drone in Afghanistan that the BSO forced them to use the helipad for takeoff and landing.”
https://thenerdstash.com/washington-coast-guard-use-a-tiny-helipad-for-drone-utterly-adorable/
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1jr0m6a/the_coast_guard_brought_a_tiny_helipad_for_their/