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This story could be an incredible found footage movie experience, if done right.
First half would be the set-up, second half would be the delivery.
Blair Witch meets Black Hawk Down (or something like that).
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 9, 2025
HH 49: Interstellar Jet from Webb
What's at the tip of this interstellar jet? First let's consider the jet: it is being expelled by a star system just forming and is cataloged as Herbig-Haro 49 (HH 49). The star system expelling this jet is not visible it is off to the lower right. The complex conical structure featured in this infrared image by the James Webb Space Telescope also includes another jet cataloged as HH 50. The fast jet particles impact the surrounding interstellar gas and form shock waves that glow prominently in infrared light shown here as reddish-brown ridges. This JWST image also resolved the mystery of the unusual object at HH 49's tip: it is a spiral galaxy far in the distance. The blue center is therefore not one star but many, and the surrounding circular rings are actually spiral arms.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Inside the mine housing the federal government's retirement records, now in DOGE's spotlight
Updated April 7, 2025, 4:27 PM PDT
BOYERS, Pa. — As you ride in a golf cart into the mouth of the Iron Mountain limestone mine, the temperature change is immediately noticeable.
The natural climate control provided by the rough-hewn stone walls of the decommissioned mine — a day’s drive from the nation's capital and about an hour outside Pittsburgh — helped make it an ideal site for the federal government to process and store retirement records beginning in 1960.
Sixty-five years later, when so much is now done online, this mine is largely still how the Office of Personnel Management manages the documents of the 100,000 or so retirements from federal service each year.
Processing a retirement can take months, with a single missing signature sometimes setting the task back days or weeks.
“It is still done on paper,” said Alita Haniwalt, an OPM program manager in retirement claims. “I think it becomes overwhelming because there are no two retirements that are the same.”
Over the years, the warehouse-like OPM space inside the mine — which is 220 feet underground — has accumulated more than 400 million individual records, spread across 26,000 file cabinets, in some places stacked 10 high.
Cardboard boxes and paper files in manila envelopes seem to sprout from shelves and pile up on tables as they’re shuttled from station to station.
In the days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the mine quickly drew the attention of Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, a Tesla board member and Musk friend, said he was recruited to the project after he walked into a meeting where it was already being discussed.
“They were talking about how it’s a place where all the papers are stored for a manual retirement process. It’s been around for decades.
It’s been tried to be digitized for decades, unsuccessfully, and it’s a painful, slow process,” Gebbia said. “And they turn and look at me and go: 'Joe, you know how to build digital products with great user experience. Can you help us?'”
NBC News was granted rare and exclusive access to the mine Monday, when DOGE staffers arrived to tour it and plan the next steps in modernizing the OPM operation there.
In February, under the direction of DOGE, OPM staffers processed their first all-digital, no-paperwork federal retirement. The team was given a one-week goal, and it completed the retirement in two days.
“It really became a proof point and a rallying cry to everyone to say this is possible. Now we get to go build the product behind that and actually do something that’s scalable,” Gebbia said.
Matt MacIsaac, who runs day-to-day operations at the mine for OPM, said that while Musk’s Oval Office invocation of his workplace as a location ripe for a DOGE overhaul initially surprised him, he supported the modernization push.
“We’re ready to make this process better, make it more efficient and really get what we need for the civil servants,” said MacIsaac, who has worked for OPM since 2009 and in the mine since 2016.
Gebbia said the overhaul won’t involve closing the mine office, where 450 OPM employees work. The larger Iron Mountain facility bills itself as "a highly secure and resilient location" not only for storing records, but also as a data center.
“So the mine will always be here, and so will these paper records, but we can build a process where there’s no new paper added to the mine, step one, and step two, we can build a process where no paper has to leave the mine,” Gebbia said.
Gebbia said federal retirees could see changes as early as May 1. "We're working at startup speed, so we're working through iterations right now, and our next one will be testing with retirees on May 1," he said. "We're moving at an incredible pace."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/mine-federal-government-retirement-records-doge-rcna200101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWlrN5Rsg9U
NASA nominee Jared Isaacman faces Senate confirmation hearing
04/09/25 9:52 AM ET
Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s pick to lead NASA, will testify before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday morning.
Isaacman, who previously worked with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to test the company’s new spacesuits on the first private spacewalk. He helped fund the flight and was one of four people aboard.
The confirmation hearing comes less than a month since the return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who spent more than nine months on the International Space Station after the Boeing Starliner mission was upended by aircraft issues.
The president suggested last month that he would pay overtime costs to them for their trouble.
Senators will also question Olivia Trusty on her nomination to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission.
The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT.
https://thehill.com/video-clips/5239975-watch-live-nasa-chief-hopeful-jared-issacman-senate-confirmation-hearing/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqejrlbfB84
NASA Welcomes Bangladesh as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Apr 08, 2025
ollowing a signing ceremony Tuesday in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, NASA congratulates Bangladesh as the 54th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity.
“We are thrilled by Bangladesh’s signature of the Accords,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Bangladesh affirms its role in shaping the future of space exploration.
This is about ensuring that our journey to the Moon – and beyond – is peaceful, sustainable, and transparent.
We look forward to working together, to learning from one another, and to seeing how Bangladesh’s incredible talent and vision contribute to humanity’s next great chapter in space.”
Ashraf Uddin, the secretary of defense for Bangladesh,signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country.
Charge d’Affaires Tracey Jacobson for the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, participated in the event, and Petro contributed remarks in a pre-recorded video message.
“Bangladesh’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
“By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.”
In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, a first-ever set of practical guidelines for nations to increase safety of operations and reduce risk and uncertainty in their civil exploration activities. That group of signatories has grown to more than 50 countries today.
The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements, including the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-bangladesh-as-newest-artemis-accords-signatory/
NASA photo strikingly captures devastation of Gyeongsang wildfires
09 Apr. 2025, 18:33
A U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) picture showed the devastating aftermath of last month's massive wildfires that broke out in North Gyeongsang last month, with a horizontal brown scar stretching across the southeastern region of the peninsula in a satellite image released Tuesday.
The image, captured on Friday by NASA’s high-resolution Earth observation satellite Landsat 9, uses a combination of visible and shortwave infrared bands to distinguish between burned areas and unburned vegetation.
NASA previously released another satellite image on March 22, a day after the wildfire broke out in Uiseong, showing a large smoke plume near Andong.
Based on data from fire and thermal anomaly detections, the agency confirmed the fire had spread to the East Sea coast by March 25.
"Light rain moved over the area and helped officials contain the blaze by March 28," said NASA. "Smoke and clouds ultimately cleared, allowing Landsat 9 to observe a burned area stretching more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the coastline."
The scale of the wildfire can also be inferred from estimated greenhouse gas emissions. On Tuesday, the National Institute of Forest Science estimated that the wildfires that burned between March 21 and 30 in the Gyeongsang region released approximately 3.66 million tons of greenhouse gases.
Based on the affected area of 48,239 hectares (119,201 acres), the agency estimated emissions of 3.245 million tons of carbon dioxide, 272,000 tons of methane and 143,000 tons of nitrous oxide, released primarily from the combustion of tree leaves and branches.
The amount accounts for about 9.2 percent of the annual net greenhouse gas absorption by Korea’s forests, which stands at 39.87 million tons. It is equivalent to 34.36 million mid-sized cars driving round-trip between Seoul and Busan.
The Korea Forest Service plans to release a detailed report on the actual area and volume of forest damage on Monday, following the completion of ongoing on-site inspections.
While the actual damage area often turns out to be smaller than the initially announced, in some cases, the final assessment reveals greater damage.
“If the actual area and volume of burned forest turn out to be larger than expected, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions could also increase,” said an official from the National Institute of Forest Science.
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-04-09/national/socialAffairs/NASA-photo-strikingly-captures-devastation-of-Gyeongsang-wildfires/2281511
NASA reschedules super pressure balloon launch attempt
08 April 2025, 11:52 PM
NASA this morning (Wednesday April 9) cancelled an attempt to launch a super pressure balloon from Wānaka Airport, and has scheduled another attempt for tomorrow.
This is the sixth super-pressure balloon campaign held in New Zealand since 2015 and NASA is planning two test flights this year. Two balloons were successfully launched from Wānaka during NASA’s last visit in 2023.
NASA will begin flight preparations in the early-morning hours tomorrow (Thursday April 10) and will continue to evaluate real-time and forecast weather conditions throughout the morning.
If weather is favourable for launch, lift-off is scheduled between 9.00am and 1.00pm local time.
Public access to Wānaka Airport and roadside parking beside the airport is not permitted on the morning of the launch attempt.
State Highway 6 Wānaka-Luggate Highway from Mt Barker to Church Road and State Highway 8A Shortcut Road will be closed for the launch.
Light vehicles may detour via Camp Hill Road. Heavy vehicles will detour via Cemetery Road. A message board will be installed on State Highway 84 notifying of motorists of the closure status.
Immediately after lift-off, the balloon will be visible for kilometres around – the best viewing points will be on the hill on the Hāwea side of the Red Bridge by Kane Road or on the Hāwea Flat side of the Clutha River.
https://wanakaapp.nz/NewsStory/nasa-reschedules-super-pressure-balloon-launch-attempt/67f61913cccf16002e5a02e2
https://video.ibm.com/channel/nasa-csbf-ldsd
Sols 4505-4506: Up, up and onto the Devil’s Gate
Apr 08, 2025
Earth planning date: Monday, April 7, 2025
Over the weekend, we completed our drive up the steep side of a canyon, up onto “Devil’s Gate,” a small butte which forms part of the ridge along the top of the canyon and now we can see down into the next canyon.
It is always true that we are going somewhere no one has been before – that's the idea of an exploratory mission after all, and everyone kind of gets used to it, we don't stop to think about it.
But today, coming over the top of a hill like this and fully looking for the first time into an area that we have only had glimpses of before, it really brings it home that the mission is doing something extraordinary, something out of this world …. and brings that feeling of awe back into focus.
We did not pass SRAP (Slip Risk Assessment Process) a couple of times as we climbed up the side of this canyon, meaning that the contact science instruments (APXS and MAHLI) had to stand down for that day’s planning.
However, this morning, in addition to a brand new vista, we saw that all six wheels are firmly on the ground and we passed SRAP quickly this morning, which must have been a relief to the rover planner in charge of assessing it today! (no one wants to be the bearer of bad news, day after day!)
Bedrock here has both flat bedrock and amazing large nodular features, which appear to have “wind tails” caused by winds consistently blowing in the same direction.
This is a Touch and Go plan, so APXS and MAHLI are focusing on a single target, the brushed “Coronado” target on the flat bedrock in front of us.
ChemCam will use LIBS to investigate the nodular features at “La Cumbre Peak.”
Near the rover, Mastcam will image some small diagenetic features at “Boulder Oaks” and the LIBS target.
The 3x2 (2 rows of 3 images) “La Jolla Valley” mosaic focuses on a very nodular patch, just outside of the workspace reachable by the arm.
Further from the rover, the 6x2 mosaic (2 rows of 6 images) “Los Penasquitos” looks at an amazing almost vertical vein.
This discontinuous vein stretches for about 6 meters (about 18 feet), with vein fins sticking above the surface at various points, like a series of shark fins breaking the bedrock surface.
Much further afield, ChemCam will acquire a long distance image on "Condor Peak,” which appears to have large scale vein networks, known as “boxwork structures” and may be an early example of the boxworks we are hoping to reach in Fall 2025.
The ENV (Environmental and Atmospheric group) planned a Mastcam “tau” measurement, to look at dust in the atmosphere.
There is a paired Navcam activity, looking at dust devils towards the north of the crater on the first sol and towards the south on the second sol.
A suprahorizon movie and our usual DAN and REMS measurements round out this plan.
Let’s see what the next drive will reveal to us!
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4505-4506-up-up-and-onto-the-devils-gate/
Sixty Years in Canberra: NASA’s Deep Space Network
Apr 08, 2025
Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43), a 230-foot-wide (70-meter-wide) radio antenna at NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia, is seen in this March 4, 2020, image.
DSS-43 was more than six times as sensitive as the original antenna at the Canberra complex, so it could communicate with spacecraft at greater distances from Earth.
In fact, Canberra is the only complex that can send commands to, and receive data from, Voyager 2 as it heads south almost 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) through interstellar space.
More than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away, Voyager 1 sends its data down to the Madrid and Goldstone complexes, but it, too, can only receive commands via Canberra.
As the Canberra facility celebrated its 60th anniversary on March 19, 2025, work began on a new radio antenna.
Canberra’s newest addition, Deep Space Station 33, will be a 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna.
Buried mostly below ground, a massive concrete pedestal will house cutting-edge electronics and receivers in a climate-controlled room and provide a sturdy base for the reflector dish, which will rotate during operations on a steel platform called an alidade.
When it goes online in 2029, the new Canberra dish will be the last of six parabolic dishes constructed under NASA’s Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program, which is helping to support current and future spacecraft and the increased volume of data they provide.
The network’s Madrid facility christened a new dish in 2022, and the Goldstone, California, facility is putting the finishing touches on a new antenna.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/sixty-years-in-canberra-nasas-deep-space-network/
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/eclipses-science-nasa-firsts-heliophysics-big-year-highlights/
Eclipses, Science, NASA Firsts: Heliophysics Big Year Highlights
Apr 08, 2025
One year ago today, a total solar eclipse swept across the United States. The event was a cornerstone moment in the Heliophysics Big Year, a global celebration of the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system.
From October 2023 to December 2024 — a period encompassing two solar eclipses across the U.S., two new NASA heliophysics missions, and one spacecraft’s history-making solar flyby — NASA celebrated the Sun’s widespread influence on our lives.
Annular Solar Eclipse
An annular (or “ring of fire”) solar eclipse occurred Oct. 14, 2023, and kicked off the Helio Big Year with a bang.
Millions of people across North America witnessed the Moon crossing in front of the Sun, creating this brilliant celestial event. NASA’s live broadcast had more than 11 million views across different platforms.
Before the eclipse, NASA introduced the 2023 Eclipse Explorer, an interactive map to explore eclipse details for any location in the United States.
NASA shared tips on eclipse safety, including through a video with NSYNC's Lance Bass and even with an augmented reality filter.
Scientists also studied conditions during the annular eclipse with sounding rockets, balloons, and amateur radio.
Total Solar Eclipse
On April 8, 2024, millions of people across North America experienced a total solar eclipse that darkened parts of 15 U.S. states in the path of totality.
Ahead of the event, NASA hosted a widespread safety campaign, handed out over 2 million solar viewing glasses, and produced an interactive map to help viewers plan their viewing experience.
On eclipse day, NASA also hosted a live broadcast from locations across the country, drawing over 38 million views.
Researchers studied the eclipse and its effects on Earth using a variety of techniques, including international radar networks, scientific rockets, weather balloons, and even high-altitude NASA WB-57 jets.
Several NASA-funded citizen science projects also conducted experiments. These projects included more than 49,000 volunteers who contributed an astounding 53 million observations.
“We have opened a window for all Americans to discover our connection to the Sun and ignited enthusiasm for engaging with groundbreaking NASA science, whether it’s through spacecraft, rockets, balloons, or planes,” said Kelly Korreck, a Heliophysics program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“Sharing the excitement of NASA heliophysics with our fellow citizens has truly been amazing.”
Science Across the Solar System
NASA’s heliophysics missions gather data on the Sun and its effects across the solar system.
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. 9, 2023, and was installed on the International Space Station nine days later.
This mission studies atmospheric gravity waves, how they form and travel through Earth’s atmosphere, and their role in space weather.
On Nov. 4, 2024, the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) mission also launched to the space station, where it studies the solar wind, with a focus on what heats it and propels it through space.
The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission ended after 16 years studying Earth's highest clouds, called polar mesospheric clouds.
NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) also ended after three successful years studying the outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere, called the ionosphere.
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Voyager has been operating for more than 47 years, continuing to study the heliosphere and interstellar space. In October 2024, the Voyager 1 probe stopped communicating.
The mission team worked tirelessly to troubleshoot and ultimately reestablish communications, keeping the mission alive to continue its research.
While the goal of the NASA heliophysics fleet is to study the Sun and its influence, these missions often make surprising discoveries that they weren't originally designed to.
From finding 5,000 comets to studying the surface of Venus, NASA highlighted and celebrated these bonus science connections during the Helio Big Year.
Solar Maximum
Similar to Earth, the Sun has its own seasons of activity, with a solar minimum and solar maximum during a cycle that lasts about 11 years.
The Helio Big Year happened to coincide with the Sun's active period, with NASA and NOAA announcing in October 2024 that the Sun had reached solar maximum, the highest period of activity.
Some of the largest solar storms on current record occurred in 2024, and the largest sunspot in nearly a decade was spotted in the spring of 2024, followed by a colossal X9.0 solar flare Oct. 3, 2024.
Viewers across the U.S. spotted auroras in their communities as a result of these storms, proving that you can capture amazing aurora photography without advanced equipment.
The Big Finale: Parker's Close Approach to the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe holds the title as the closest human-made object to the Sun. On Dec. 24, 2024, Parker made history by traveling just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface at a whopping 430,000 miles per hour.
"Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.
Parker Solar Probe’s close approach capped off a momentous Heliophysics Big Year that allowed NASA scientists to gather unprecedented data and invited everyone to celebrate how the Sun impacts us all.
In the growing field of heliophysics, the Helio Big Year reminded us all how the Sun touches everything and how important it is to continue studying our star’s incredible influence.
A Big Year Ahead
Though the Helio Big Year is over, heliophysics is only picking up its pace in 2025. We remain in the solar maximum phase, so heightened solar activity will continue into the near future. In addition, several new missions are expected to join the heliophysics fleet by year’s end.
The PUNCH mission, a set of four Sun-watching satellites imaging solar eruptions in three dimensions, and EZIE, a trio of Earth-orbiting satellites tracing the electrical currents powering Earth’s auroras, have already launched.
The LEXI instrument, an X-ray telescope studying Earth’s magnetosphere from the Moon, also launched through NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative.
Future missions slated for launch include TRACERS, which will investigate the unusual magnetic environment near Earth’s poles, and ESCAPADE, venturing to Mars to measure the planet’s unique magnetic environment.
The last two missions will share a ride to space. The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will look back at home, studying ultraviolet light emitted by the outermost boundaries of our planet’s atmosphere.
The IMAP mission will instead look to the outermost edges of our heliosphere, mapping the boundaries where the domain of our Sun transitions into interstellar space.
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