TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
May 15, 2025
A Plutonian Landscape
This shadowy landscape of majestic mountains and icy plains stretches toward the horizon on a small, distant world. It was captured from a range of about 18,000 kilometers when New Horizons looked back toward Pluto, 15 minutes after the spacecraft's closest approach on July 14, 2015. The dramatic, low-angle, near-twilight scene follows rugged mountains formally known as Norgay Montes from foreground left, and Hillary Montes along the horizon, giving way to smooth Sputnik Planum at right. Layers of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere are also revealed in the backlit view. With a strangely familiar appearance, the frigid terrain likely includes ices of nitrogen and carbon monoxide with water-ice mountains rising up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet). That's comparable in height to the majestic mountains of planet Earth. The Plutonian landscape is 380 kilometers (230 miles) across.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
A Tough Drill at Witch Hazel Hill
May 14, 2025
After a busy few months exploring the outer slopes of the Jezero crater rim at an area named “Witch Hazel Hill,” the Perseverance Science Team was eyeing another sample of these truly ancient rocks, which likely predate Jezero crater itself.
The target? A rock containing spherules, which could shed a light on volcanic- or impact-related processes occurring in Mars’ most ancient past.
After a search of several outcrops, the “Hare Bay” abrasion patch at “Pine Pond” revealed suitably accessible and spherule-bearing bedrock for sampling.
On Sol 1483 of the mission, sampling was a-go… But Mars wasn’t keen to give its secrets away too easily.
As data began arriving on Earth, it became clear Perseverance had managed to drill into the rock but had stopped short of retracting the drill and storing the sample.
It transpired that this rock was particularly hard — a far cry from the crumbly rocks of the upper crater rim that fell apart when faced with Perseverance’s drill bit.
This isn’t the first time a hard rock has gotten in the way of sampling; an extremely hard-to-crack boulder on the Jezero fan top stopped the drill short.
This time though, the drill penetrated the rock as expected, but faulted during retraction.
After a few sols of hard work by the engineering team, however, there were smiles all round as images of the successfully retracted drill reached Earth.
But Mars wasn’t finished with surprises yet.
The “Bell Island” core contained the spherules the team were looking for, but the sample tube was overfilled.
This meant that excess core length would prevent the sample from being sealed. In the end, the team opted to execute a dump activity to clear at least some of the sample out of the tube.
This activity succeeded in removing enough sample that the tube can now be sealed in the future. As has been the case in the past on Mars, the most exciting discoveries often require a little Perseverance…
https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/a-tough-drill-at-witch-hazel-hill/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2025/05/14/nasas-voyager-1-revives-backup-thrusters-before-command-pause/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/
NASA’s Voyager 1 Revives Backup Thrusters Before Command Pause
May 14, 2025 12:13 PM
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have revived a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft that had been considered inoperable since 2004.
Fixing the thrusters required creativity and risk, but the team wants to have them available as a backup to a set of active thrusters whose fuel tubes are experiencing a buildup of residue that could cause them to stop working as early as this fall.
In addition, the mission needed to ensure the availability of the long-dormant thrusters before May 4, when the Earth-bound antenna that sends commands to Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 went offline for months of upgrades.
Thruster Clogging
The Voyagers launched in 1977 and are hurtling through interstellar space at around 35,000 mph (56,000 kph).
Both spacecraft rely on a set of primary thrusters to gently pivot them up and down as well as to the right and left in order to keep their antennas pointed at Earth so they can send back data and receive commands.
Within the primary set of thrusters are other thrusters that control the spacecraft’s roll motion.
Seen from Earth, the roll motion rotates the antenna like a vinyl record to keep each Voyager pointed at a guide star it uses to orient itself.
Both spacecraft have a primary and backup set for these roll movements.
(Another set of thrusters, intended to change the spacecrafts’ trajectory during the flybys of the outer planets, were revived on the spacecraft in 2018 and 2019, but they can’t induce roll motion.)
To manage the clogging tubes in the thrusters, engineers switch between the sets of primary, backup, and trajectory thrusters of both Voyagers.
But on Voyager 1, the primary roll thrusters stopped working in 2004 after losing power in two small internal heaters.
Engineers determined the broken heaters were likely unfixable and opted to rely solely on Voyager 1’s backup roll thrusters to orient the star tracker.
“I think at that time, the team was OK with accepting that the primary roll thrusters didn’t work, because they had a perfectly good backup,” said Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL, which manages the mission for NASA.
“And, frankly, they probably didn’t think the Voyagers were going to keep going for another 20 years.”
But without the ability to control the spacecraft’s roll motion, a variety of issues would arise that might threaten the mission, so the engineering team decided to reexamine the 2004 thruster failure.
They began to suspect that an unexpected change or disturbance in the circuits that control the heaters’ power supply had effectively flipped a switch to the wrong position.
If they could turn the switch back to its original position, the heaters might work again, enabling them to reactivate the primary roll thrusters and use them if the backup roll thrusters that have been used since 2004 become completely clogged.
1/2
Communications Pause
The solution required some puzzle-solving. The team would have to turn on the dormant roll thrusters, then try fixing and restarting the heaters.
If, during that time, the spacecraft’s star tracker drifted too far from the guide star, the long-dormant roll thrusters would automatically fire (thanks to the spacecraft’s programming).
And if the heaters were still off when they fired, it could trigger a small explosion, so the team needed to get the star tracker pointed as precisely as possible.
It would be a race, and the team faced additional time pressure:
From May 4, 2025, through February 2026, Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43), a 230-foot-wide (70-meter-wide) antenna in Canberra, Australia, that’s part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, would be undergoing upgrades.
It would be offline for most of that time, with brief periods of operation in August and December.
Although the Deep Space Network has three complexes equally spaced around the globe (in Goldstone, California, and Madrid, in addition to Australia) to ensure constant contact with spacecraft as Earth rotates, DSS-43 is the only dish with enough signal power to send commands to the Voyagers.
“These antenna upgrades are important for future crewed lunar landings, and they also increase communications capacity for our science missions in deep space, some of which are building on the discoveries Voyager made,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager and director of the Interplanetary Network at JPL, which manages the Deep Space Network for NASA. “We’ve been through downtime like this before, so we’re just preparing as much as we can.”
The team wanted to make sure the long-dormant thrusters would be available when the dish is back online briefly in August, by which time the thrusters currently in use on Voyager 1 might be completely clogged.
The advance work paid off: On March 20, the team watched as the spacecraft executed their commands.
Because of Voyager’s distance, the radio signal takes over 23 hours to travel from the spacecraft to Earth, meaning everything the team saw happening had occurred almost a day earlier.
If the test had failed, Voyager might already have been in danger. But within 20 minutes, the team saw the temperature of the thruster heaters rise dramatically and knew they had succeeded.
“It was such a glorious moment. Team morale was very high that day,” said Todd Barber, the mission’s propulsion lead at JPL.
“These thrusters were considered dead. And that was a legitimate conclusion. It’s just that one of our engineers had this insight that maybe there was this other possible cause and it was fixable. It was yet another miracle save for Voyager.”
2/2
Pretty in Pink
May 14, 2025
The spiral galaxy known as Messier 81 (M81) has a rosy tint in this June 1, 2007, composite image that incorporates data from NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes, and NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer.
Discovered by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774, M81 is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky. It is located 11.6 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major.
The galaxy’s spiral arms, which wind all the way down into its nucleus, are made up of young, bluish, hot stars formed in the past few million years.
They also host a population of stars formed in an episode of star formation that started about 600 million years ago.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/pretty-in-pink/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-81/
https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/vesta/nasa-studies-reveal-hidden-secrets-about-interiors-of-moon-vesta/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08949-5
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02533-7
NASA Studies Reveal Hidden Secrets About Interiors of Moon, Vesta
May 14, 2025
Analyzing gravity data collected by spacecraft orbiting other worlds reveals groundbreaking insights about planetary structures without having to land on the surface.
Although the Moon and the asteroid Vesta are very different, two NASA studies use the same technique to reveal new details about the interiors of both.
In the lunar study, published May 14 in the journal Nature, researchers developed a new gravity model of the Moon that includes tiny variations in the celestial body’s gravity during its elliptical orbit around Earth.
These fluctuations cause the Moon to flex slightly due to Earth’s tidal force — a process called tidal deformation — which provides critical insights into the Moon’s deep internal structure.
Using their model, the researchers produced the most detailed lunar gravitational map yet, providing future missions an improved way to calculate location and time on the Moon.
They accomplished this by analyzing data on the motion of NASA’s GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) mission, whose spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, orbited the Moon from Dec. 31, 2011, to Dec. 17, 2012.
In a second study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on April 23, the researchers focused on Vesta, an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Using NASA’s Deep Space Network radiometric data and imaging data from the agency’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid from July 16, 2011, to Sept. 5, 2012, they found that instead of having distinct layers as expected, Vesta’s internal structure may be mostly uniform, with a very small iron core or no core at all.
Both studies were led by Ryan Park, supervisor of the Solar System Dynamics Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and were years in the making due to their complexity.
The team used NASA supercomputers to build a detailed map of how gravity varies across each body. From that, they could better understand what the Moon and Vesta are made of and how planetary bodies across the solar system formed.
“Gravity is a unique and fundamental property of a planetary body that can be used to explore its deep interior,” said Park. “Our technique doesn’t need data from the surface; we just need to track the motion of the spacecraft very precisely to get a global view of what’s inside.”
Lunar Asymmetry
The lunar study looked at gravitational changes to the Moon’s near and far sides. While the near side is dominated by vast plains — known as mare — formed by molten rock that cooled and solidified billions of years ago, the far side is more rugged, with few plains.
Some theories suggest intense volcanism on the near side likely caused these differences. That process would have caused radioactive, heat-generating elements to accumulate deep inside the near side’s mantle, and the new study offers the strongest evidence yet that this is likely the case.
1/2
“We found that the Moon’s near side is flexing more than the far side, meaning there’s something fundamentally different about the internal structure of the Moon’s near side compared to its far side,” said Park.
“When we first analyzed the data, we were so surprised by the result we didn’t believe it. So we ran the calculations many times to verify the findings. In all, this is a decade of work.”
When comparing their results with other models, Park’s team found a small but greater-than-expected difference in how much the two hemispheres deform.
The most likely explanation is that the near side has a warm mantle region, indicating the presence of heat-generating radioactive elements, which is evidence for volcanic activity that shaped the Moon’s near side 2 billion to 3 billion years ago.
Vesta’s Evolution
Park’s team applied a similar approach for their study that focused on Vesta’s rotational properties to learn more about its interior.
“Our technique is sensitive to any changes in the gravitational field of a body in space, whether that gravitational field changes over time, like the tidal flexing of the Moon, or through space, like a wobbling asteroid,” said Park.
“Vesta wobbles as it spins, so we could measure its moment of inertia, a characteristic that is highly sensitive to the internal structure of the asteroid.”
Changes in inertia can be seen when an ice skater spins with their arms held outward. As they pull their arms in, bringing more mass toward their center of gravity, their inertia decreases and their spin speeds up.
By measuring Vesta’s inertia, scientists can gain a detailed understanding of the distribution of mass inside the asteroid: If its inertia is low, there would be a concentration of mass toward its center; if it’s high, the mass would be more evenly distributed.
Some theories suggest that over a long period, Vesta gradually formed onion-like layers and a dense core.
But the new inertia measurement from Park’s team suggests instead that Vesta is far more homogeneous, with its mass distributed evenly throughout and only a small core of dense material, or no core.
Gravity slowly pulls the heaviest elements to a planet’s center over time, which is how Earth ended up with a dense core of liquid iron.
While Vesta has long been considered a differentiated asteroid, a more homogenous structure would suggest that it may not have fully formed layers or may have formed from the debris of another planetary body after a massive impact.
In 2016, Park used the same data types as the Vesta study to focus on Dawn’s second target, the dwarf planet Ceres, and results suggested a partially differentiated interior.
Park and his team recently applied a similar technique to Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, using data acquired by NASA’s Juno and Galileo spacecraft during their flybys of the Jovian satellite as well as from ground-based observations.
By measuring how Io’s gravity changes as it orbits Jupiter, which exerts a powerful tidal force, they revealed that the fiery moon is unlikely to possess a global magma ocean.
“Our technique isn’t restricted just to Io, Ceres, Vesta, or the Moon,” said Park. “There are many opportunities in the future to apply our technique for studying the interiors of intriguing planetary bodies throughout the solar system.”
2/2
NASA to Participate in Next Private Astronaut Mission Teleconference
May 14, 2025
NASA will join a media teleconference hosted by Axiom Space at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 20, to discuss the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
Briefing participants include:
Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
Allen Flynt, chief of mission services, Axiom Space
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX
Sergio Palumberi, mission manager, ESA (European Space Agency)
Aleksandra Bukała, project manager, head of strategy and international cooperation, POLSA (Polish Space Agency)
Orsolya Ferencz, ministerial commissioner of space research, HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit)
To join the call, media must register with Axiom Space by 12 p.m., Monday, May 19, at: https://axiomspace.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ut8jLK0cRjyfaZXu3Ch3sA#/
The Ax-4 launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than 9:11 a.m., Sunday, June 8, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During the mission aboard the space station, a four-person multi-national crew will complete about 60 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot.
The two mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 for eight days in orbit.
The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-participate-in-next-private-astronaut-mission-teleconference/
Hubble Pinpoints Young Stars in Spiral Galaxy
May 14, 2025
In this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope peers into the spiral galaxy NGC 1317 in the constellation Fornax, located more than 50 million light-years from Earth. Visible in this galaxy image is a bright blue ring that hosts hot, young stars.
NGC 1317 is one of a pair, but its rowdy larger neighbor, NGC 1316, lies outside Hubble’s field of view. Despite the absence of its neighboring galaxy, this image finds NGC 1317 accompanied by two objects from very different parts of the universe.
The bright point ringed with a crisscross pattern is a star from our own galaxy surrounded by diffraction spikes, whereas the redder elongated smudge is a distant galaxy lying far beyond NGC 1317.
The data presented in this image are from a vast observing campaign of hundreds of observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.
Combined with data from the ALMA array in the Atacama Desert, these observations help astronomers chart the connections between vast clouds of cold gas and the fiercely hot, young stars that form within them.
ALMA’s unparalleled sensitivity at long wavelengths identified vast reservoirs of cold gas throughout the local universe, and Hubble’s sharp vision pinpointed clusters of young stars, as well as measuring their ages and masses.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-pinpoints-young-stars-in-spiral-galaxy/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/nasas-magellan-mission-reveals-possible-tectonic-activity-on-venus/
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt5932
NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus
May 14, 2025
Using archival data from the mission, launched in 1989, researchers have uncovered new evidence that tectonic activity may be deforming the planet’s surface.
Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission.
On Earth, the planet’s surface is continually renewed by the constant shifting and recycling of massive sections of crust, called tectonic plates, that float atop a viscous interior.
Venus doesn’t have tectonic plates, but its surface is still being deformed by molten material from below.
Seeking to better understand the underlying processes driving these deformations, the researchers studied a type of feature called a corona.
Ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of miles across, a corona is most often thought to be the location where a plume of hot, buoyant material from the planet’s mantle rises, pushing against the lithosphere above.
(The lithosphere includes the planet’s crust and the uppermost part of its mantle.) These structures are usually oval, with a concentric fracture system surrounding them. Hundreds of coronae are known to exist on Venus.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the new study details newly discovered signs of activity at or beneath the surface shaping many of Venus’ coronae, features that may also provide a unique window into Earth’s past.
The researchers found the evidence of this tectonic activity within data from NASA’s Magellan mission, which orbited Venus in the 1990s and gathered the most detailed gravity and topography data on the planet currently available.
“Coronae are not found on Earth today; however, they may have existed when our planet was young and before plate tectonics had been established,” said the study’s lead author, Gael Cascioli, assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “By combining gravity and topography data, this research has provided a new and important insight into the possible subsurface processes currently shaping the surface of Venus.”
As members of NASA’s forthcoming VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission, Cascioli and his team are particularly interested in the high-resolution gravity data the spacecraft will provide.
Study coauthor Erwan Mazarico, also at Goddard, will co-lead the VERITAS gravity experiment when the mission launches no earlier than 2031.
Mystery Coronae
Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Magellan used its radar system to see through Venus’ thick atmosphere and map the topography of its mountains and plains.
Of the geological features the spacecraft mapped, coronae were perhaps the most enigmatic: It wasn’t clear how they formed.
In the years since, scientists have found many coronae in locations where the planet’s lithosphere is thin and heat flow is high.
“Coronae are abundant on Venus. They are very large features, and people have proposed different theories over the years as to how they formed,” said coauthor Anna Gülcher, Earth and planetary scientist at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
“The most exciting thing for our study is that we can now say there are most likely various and ongoing active processes driving their formation. We believe these same processes may have occurred early in Earth’s history.”
1/2
The researchers developed sophisticated 3D geodynamic models that demonstrate various formation scenarios for plume-induced coronae and compared them with the combined gravity and topography data from Magellan.
The gravity data proved crucial in helping the researchers detect less dense, hot, and buoyant plumes under the surface — information that couldn’t be discerned from topography data alone.
Of the 75 coronae studied, 52 appear to have buoyant mantle material beneath them that is likely driving tectonic processes.
One key process is subduction: On Earth, it happens when the edge of one tectonic plate is driven beneath the adjacent plate.
Friction between the plates can generate earthquakes, and as the old rocky material dives into the hot mantle, the rock melts and is recycled back to the surface via volcanic vents.
On Venus, a different kind of subduction is thought to occur around the perimeter of some coronae.
In this scenario, as a buoyant plume of hot rock in the mantle pushes upward into the lithosphere, surface material rises and spreads outward, colliding with surrounding surface material and pushing that material downward into the mantle.
Another tectonic process known as lithospheric dripping could also be present, where dense accumulations of comparatively cool material sink from the lithosphere into the hot mantle.
The researchers also identify several places where a third process may be taking place: A plume of molten rock beneath a thicker part of the lithosphere potentially drives volcanism above it.
Deciphering Venus
This work marks the latest instance of scientists returning to Magellan data to find that Venus exhibits geologic processes that are more Earth-like than originally thought.
Recently, researchers were able to spot erupting volcanoes, including vast lava flows that vented from Maat Mons, Sif Mons, and Eistla Regio in radar images from the orbiter.
While those images provided direct evidence of volcanic action, the authors of the new study will need sharper resolution to draw a complete picture about the tectonic processes driving corona formation.
“The VERITAS gravity maps of Venus will boost the resolution by at least a factor of two to four, depending on location — a level of detail that could revolutionize our understanding of Venus’ geology and implications for early Earth,” said study coauthor Suzanne Smrekar, a planetary scientist at JPL and principal investigator for VERITAS.
Managed by JPL, VERITAS will use a synthetic aperture radar to create 3D global maps and a near-infrared spectrometer to figure out what the surface of Venus is made of.
Using its radio tracking system, the spacecraft will also measure the planet’s gravitational field to determine the structure of Venus’ interior. All of these instruments will help pinpoint areas of activity on the surface.
2/2
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-observes-first-visible-light-auroras-at-mars/
NASA Observes First Visible-light Auroras at Mars
May 14, 2025
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover made history by detecting them for the first time from the surface of another planet, and MAVEN confirmed the detection.
On March 15, 2024, near the peak of the current solar cycle, the Sun produced a solar flare and an accompanying coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive explosion of gas and magnetic energy that carries with it large amounts of solar energetic particles.
This solar activity led to stunning auroras across the solar system, including at Mars, where NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover made history by detecting them for the first time from the surface of another planet.
“This exciting discovery opens up new possibilities for auroral research and confirms that auroras could be visible to future astronauts on Mars’ surface,” said Elise Knutsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo in Norway and lead author of the Science Advances study, which reported the detection.
Picking the Right Aurora
On Earth, auroras form when solar particles interact with the global magnetic field, funneling them to the poles where they collide with atmospheric gases and emit light.
The most common color, green, is caused by excited oxygen atoms emitting light at a wavelength of 557.7 nanometers.
For years, scientists have theorized that green light auroras could also exist on Mars but suggested they would be much fainter and harder to capture than the green auroras we see on Earth.
Due to the Red Planet’s lack of a global magnetic field, Mars has different types of auroras than those we have on Earth.
One of these is solar energetic particle (SEP) auroras, which NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission discovered in 2014.
These occur when super-energetic particles from the Sun hit the Martian atmosphere, causing a reaction that makes the atmosphere glow across the whole night sky.
While MAVEN had observed SEP auroras in ultraviolet light from orbit, this phenomenon had never been observed in visible light from the ground.
Since SEPs typically occur during solar storms, which increase during solar maximum, Knutsen and her team set their sights on capturing visible images and spectra of SEP aurora from Mars’ surface at the peak of the Sun’s current solar cycle.
Coordinating the Picture-perfect Moment
Through modeling, Knutsen and her team determined the optimal angle for the Perseverance rover’s SuperCam spectrometer and Mastcam-Z camera to successfully observe the SEP aurora in visible light.
With this observation strategy in place, it all came down to the timing and understanding of CMEs.
“The trick was to pick a good CME, one that would accelerate and inject many charged particles into Mars’ atmosphere,” said Knutsen.
That is where the teams at NASA’s Moon to Mars (M2M) Space Weather Analysis Office and the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), both located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, came in.
The M2M team provides real-time analysis of solar eruptions to the CCMC for initiating simulations of CMEs to determine if they might impact current NASA missions. When the simulations suggest potential impacts, the team sends out an alert.
1/2
At the University of California, Berkeley, space physicist Christina Lee received an alert from the M2M office about the March 15, 2024, CME.
Lee, a member of the MAVEN mission team who serves as the space weather lead, determined there was a notable solar storm heading toward the Red Planet, which could arrive in a few days.
She immediately issued the Mars Space Weather Alert Notification to currently operating Mars missions.
“This allows the science teams of Perseverance and MAVEN to anticipate impacts of interplanetary CMEs and the associated SEPs,” said Lee.
“When we saw the strength of this one,” Knutsen said, “we estimated it could trigger aurora bright enough for our instruments to detect.”
A few days later, the CME impacted Mars, providing a lightshow for the rover to capture, showing the aurora to be nearly uniform across the sky at an emission wavelength of exactly 557.7 nm.
To confirm the presence of SEPs during the aurora observation, the team looked to MAVEN’s SEP instrument, which was additionally corroborated by data from ESA’s (European Space Agency) Mars Express mission.
Data from both missions confirmed that the rover team had managed to successfully catch a glimpse of the phenomenon in the very narrow time window available.
“This was a fantastic example of cross-mission coordination. We all worked together quickly to facilitate this observation and are thrilled to have finally gotten a sneak peek of what astronauts will be able to see there some day,” said Shannon Curry, MAVEN principal investigator and research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder).
The Future of Auroras on Mars
By coordinating the Perseverance observations with measurements from MAVEN’s SEP instrument, the teams could help each other determine that the observed 557.7 nm emission came from solar energetic particles.
Since this is the same emission line as the green aurora on Earth, it is likely that future Martian astronauts would be able to see this type of aurora.
“Perseverance’s observations of the visible-light aurora confirm a new way to study these phenomena that’s complementary to what we can observe with our Mars orbiters,” said Katie Stack Morgan, acting project scientist for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“A better understanding of auroras and the conditions around Mars that lead to their formation are especially important as we prepare to send human explorers there safely.”
2/2
Another First: NASA Webb Identifies Frozen Water in Young Star System
May 14, 2025 11:00AM (EDT)
Is frozen water scattered in systems around other stars? Astronomers have long expected it is, partially based on previous detections of its gaseous form, water vapor, and its presence in our own solar system.
Now there is definitive evidence: Researchers confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice in a dusty debris disk that orbits a Sun-like star 155 light-years away using detailed data known as spectra from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
(The term water ice specifies its makeup, since many other frozen molecules are also observed in space, such as carbon dioxide ice, or “dry ice.”) In 2008, data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope hinted at the possibility of frozen water in this system.
“Webb unambiguously detected not just water ice, but crystalline water ice, which is also found in locations like Saturn’s rings and icy bodies in our solar system’s Kuiper Belt,” said Chen Xie, the lead author of the new paper and an assistant research scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
All the frozen water Webb detected is paired with fine dust particles throughout the disk — like itsy-bitsy “dirty snowballs.” The results published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Astronomers have been waiting for this definitive data for decades.
“When I was a graduate student 25 years ago, my advisor told me there should be ice in debris disks, but prior to Webb, we didn’t have instruments sensitive enough to make these observations,” said Christine Chen, a co-author and associate astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
“What’s most striking is that this data looks similar to the telescope’s other recent observations of Kuiper Belt objects in our own solar system.”
Water ice is a vital ingredient in disks around young stars — it heavily influences the formation of giant planets and may also be delivered by small bodies like comets and asteroids to fully formed rocky planets.
Now that researchers have detected water ice with Webb, they have opened the door for all researchers to study how these processes play out in new ways in many other planetary systems.
Rocks, Dust, Ice Rushing Around
The star, cataloged HD 181327, is significantly younger than our Sun. It’s estimated to be 23 million years old, compared to the Sun’s more mature 4.6 billion years.
The star is slightly more massive than the Sun, and it’s hotter, which led to the formation of a slightly larger system around it.
Webb’s observations confirm a significant gap between the star and its debris disk — a wide area that is free of dust.
Farther out, its debris disk is similar to our solar system’s Kuiper Belt, where dwarf planets, comets, and other bits of ice and rock are found (and sometimes collide with one another).
Billions of years ago, our Kuiper Belt was likely similar to this star’s debris disk.
“HD 181327 is a very active system,” Chen said. “There are regular, ongoing collisions in its debris disk.
When those icy bodies collide, they release tiny particles of dusty water ice that are perfectly sized for Webb to detect.”
Frozen Water — Almost Everywhere
Water ice isn’t spread evenly throughout this system. The majority is found where it’s coldest and farthest from the star. “The outer area of the debris disk consists of over 20% water ice,” Xie said.
The closer in the researchers looked, the less water ice they found. Toward the middle of the debris disk, Webb detected about 8% water ice.
Here, it’s likely that frozen water particles are produced slightly faster than they are destroyed. In the area of the debris disk closest to the star, Webb detected almost none.
It’s likely that the star’s ultraviolet light vaporizes the closest specks of water ice. It’s also possible that rocks known as planetesimals have “locked up” frozen water in their interiors, which Webb can’t detect.
This team and many more researchers will continue to search for — and study — water ice in debris disks and actively forming planetary systems throughout our Milky Way galaxy.
“The presence of water ice helps facilitate planet formation,” Xie said. “Icy materials may also ultimately be ‘delivered’ to terrestrial planets that may form over a couple hundred million years in systems like this.”
The researchers observed HD 181327 with Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), which is super-sensitive to extremely faint dust particles that can only be detected from space.
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2025/news-2025-119
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/another-first-nasa-webb-identifies-frozen-water-in-young-star-system/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08920-4
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-us-nuclear-base-hidden-under-greenland-s-ice-for-decades/ar-AA1EIZFe
The U.S. Nuclear Base Hidden Under Greenland’s Ice for Decades
May 14, 2025
While flying above the Arctic Circle last spring, a team of NASA scientists testing a new radar system over northern Greenland detected something unusual.
Deep into the ice sheet, their instruments showed, sat a cluster of settlements connected by a network of tunnels, like a bygone civilization frozen in time.
“It’s like flying over another planet, and it’s hard to imagine anyone or anything ever being able to survive there,” said NASA scientist Chad Greene, who was on the plane.
What the scientists saw on their screens wasn’t a lost civilization but remnants of a U.S. military base built under the ice during the Cold War.
The base was part of an ambitious and clandestine Pentagon plan, known as Project Iceworm, to build a network of nuclear-missile launch sites beneath the Arctic ice.
The underground site, which was designed to store 600 medium-range ballistic missiles, reveals the extent of U.S. involvement in Greenland going back over half a century.
Camp Century, as the outpost was called, was partially constructed in 1959, and abandoned in 1967 after the ice sheet was deemed too unstable to support the proposed missile-launch network. Over the years, ice accumulated and the facility is now buried under at least 100 feet of ice.
The camp was known to some before the recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration overflight as an ostensible research facility, but its real military purpose was classified until 1996. Greene and his colleagues captured the first full picture of the camp in its entirety in December.
More than just a relic of Cold War folly, Camp Century is a reminder of the U.S.’s longstanding presence on the Danish territory of Greenland, a position that at times has been controversial. Historically, to maintain sovereignty over Greenland, Denmark has had to relinquish part of the territory to the U.S.
President Trump has gone even further. Trump has criticized Denmark for failing to adequately secure Greenland, the world’s largest island, and threatened to take the territory by force in the name of American national security.
The U.S. already has the right to establish bases in Greenland if it wishes to do so, according to a 1951 treaty with Denmark that enabled it to construct Camp Century, something Danish politicians have reminded Washington of publicly in recent weeks.
Officials in Greenland and Denmark have attempted to fend off Trump by demonstrating they are open to an enhanced American military presence while rejecting a full U.S. takeover of the territory.
At one point during the Cold War, the U.S. maintained 17 bases in Greenland, including Camp Century, and kept about 10,000 troops there. Today, the number of forces has shrunk to fewer than 200 in one base, the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as the Thule Air Base.
The presence of U.S. nuclear weapons has historically been a source of friction with Denmark. The U.S. military at the time didn’t disclose Camp Century’s nuclear-related purpose to Copenhagen, a self-declared nuclear-free zone.
In 1968, a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber crashed near the Thule Air Base, causing the payload to rupture and disperse, leading to radioactive contamination of the sea ice.
The incident led to public controversy in Denmark, as did the revelation that the U.S. stored nuclear weapons at the Thule Air Base without informing Copenhagen or Greenland.
Recently, Trump’s campaign to take control of Greenland, and reporting in The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. is stepping up espionage on the island, has unsettled Greenlanders, pushing them closer to Denmark.
Mineral-rich Greenland has been a part of U.S. Arctic security considerations since the beginning of World War II. At the time of the German occupation of Denmark in 1940, Greenland was a Danish colony.
The U.S. was concerned about the Germans occupying the island as a base for military operations closer to America.
1/2
In 1941, the Danish representative to Washington, contravening directives from Copenhagen, signed a deal that transferred responsibility for Greenland’s defense to the U.S. and gave Washington the right to establish bases on the island.
After the end of the war, the U.S. refused Denmark’s demand that it leave Greenland, and instead offered to buy it for $100 million. Denmark rejected the offer. In 1951, the Danish parliament ratified the 1941 treaty, allowing the U.S. to maintain troops on the island.
“In the 1940s Denmark learned that if you say no to the U.S., the U.S. will go ahead anyway,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, senior researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies.
The Trump administration has caused fear in Greenland that this is still the case, he said. “Denmark has been allowed to maintain sovereignty over Greenland by outsourcing some of it—security—to the U.S.,” Gad said.
The Pentagon publicly hailed the construction of Camp Century as an achievement of engineering, but its real purpose remained classified, even to many of the men who served there.
Robert Weiss, a physician who was in his 20s in 1962 when he cut short his residency at New York’s Bellevue Hospital to deploy to Camp Century, said he believed the base was merely a research station, until the Pentagon’s secret plans were declassified almost 30 years ago.
He says he didn’t pay much attention to geopolitics, though he was aware that the base’s location was strategic.
“We did realize that it was important; that the Russians could come over the top of the Pole,” said Weiss, who did two tours in northern Greenland.
With 21 interconnected tunnels spanning nearly 2 miles, carved directly into the ice sheet, the base was powered by a nuclear reactor that had been dragged more than 130 miles across the ice sheet. Sleeping quarters, a gym, latrines, labs and a mess hall supported about 200 military personnel.
“When I got there, it was blowing snow and minus 50 degrees,” Weiss remembered. With no reason to venture outside, where there was little daylight in the winter, he would stay underground for weeks at a time.
The underground caverns were reasonably warm, the food was good and beer was available in the evenings. “It wasn’t very hard living from that standpoint,” he said. The harsh climate prompted jokes among the men on the base.
“We used to say that there was a pretty girl behind every tree,” Weiss said. “Of course, there was one problem: There were no trees.”
Only one woman, a Danish doctor, is known to have set foot on the base. It took six decades and extremely sophisticated equipment for the scale of Camp Century to be exposed.
When Greene, who is a cryospheric scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, flew over northern Greenland, his team was testing a radar instrument known as UAVSAR, which can see through ice, much like a sonar penetrates water.
They were hoping to map the bottom of the Greenland and Antarctic ice bed, where glaciers rest on continental bedrock kilometers below the surface of the ice, to forecast how much and how fast the sea level will rise.
Weather dictates where NASA scientists fly in extreme regions such as northern Greenland, and they selected the route just before takeoff. The discovery of Camp Century happened by chance, but was a thrill of a lifetime, Greene said.
“You see how the buildings and tunnels were connected, how people had to move about in their day-to-day life, and think what a wild experience it must have been to be stationed there,” he said.
2/2
NASA worker stole Apollo moon rocks for unthinkable act
Updated: 16:45 EDT, 14 May 2025
Thad Roberts was a 25-year-old intern at NASA's Johnson Space Center when he promised to give his girlfriend the moon.
But unlike so many young lovers before him, he actually delivered on that promise.
In 2002, Roberts enlisted his girlfriend Tiffany Fowler (who was also a NASA intern at the time) and another intern named Shae Saur to help him break into Johnson Space Center and steal 17 pounds of moon rocks worth up to $21 million.
The trio used their NASA IDs to slip into the space center after hours and make off with a 600-pound safe containing moon rocks brought back from every Apollo mission.
But what Roberts and Fowler did next was even more shocking.
Immediately after the heist, the couple scattered the moon rocks across Roberts' bed and had sex on top of them.
The story has recently resurfaced on Instagram, where one user posted: 'First man to ever say 'I'll give you the moon' and did. A real one right there mate!!!!'
Wild as it may seem now, the stunt triggered an international manhunt after the group tried to sell the stolen samples online for a hefty price — and Roberts ended up serving 10 years in prison.
Following the romantic gesture, Roberts and his accomplices listed the moon rocks for $2,000 to $8,000 per gram on the website of the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp, Belgium.
A Belgian rock collector spotted the online posting and contacted the FBI who concocted a plan to catch the thieves.
The agents had the collector email the interns, who had listed the rocks for sale under the pseudonym 'Orb Robinson,' and say he was interested in buying them.
A fourth accomplice — Gordon McWhorter — had set up the online listing and corresponded with the collector.
'Contact my brother and sister-in-law in Pennsylvania to set up a meeting,' the collector wrote. But these supposed American relatives would actually be undercover FBI agents.
'Orb' agreed to meet at an Italian restaurant in Orlando, Florida on July 20, 2002.
When Roberts, McWhorter and Fowler showed up to the meeting, Roberts said: 'I'm just hoping you don't have a wire on you.'
FBI agent Lynn Billings — who sat across from him at the restaurant — was, in fact, wearing a wire.
'I think they're trying to trick me. You know, just catch me,' Roberts was caught saying on tape.
But despite his suspicions, the audio recordings of the meeting suggested that Roberts and his accomplices totally fell for the FBI's ruse.
All three of them seemed excited and giddy, with MacWhorter joking that he tipped a waitress $30 just to make her day. Roberts said he was so excited he couldn't finish his meal, and offered it to Fowler.
Billings and her partner then went with the thieves back to a hotel room where they were keeping the stolen moon rocks. The agents arrested them on the spot.
Saur was arrested in Houston, Texas later that same day. Ironically, it was the 33rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Roberts, Fowler and Saur all pled guilty to conspiracy to commit theft and interstate transportation of stolen property.
On October 29, 2003, Roberts was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for his leading role in the moon rock heist, and for stealing dinosaur bones from a Utah museum.
Those fossils turned up during an FBI search of his house.
Fowler and Saur were sentenced to 180 days of house arrest and 150 hours of community service, while McWhorter received six years in prison.
The moon rocks Roberts and his associates stole from NASA were rendered scientifically useless due to contamination.
The interns also destroyed three decades worth of handwritten research notes by a NASA scientist that had been locked in the safe.
Roberts was released from prison early in 2008, and has since become a theoretical physicist, philosopher of physics and an author.
During a 2011 interview with NBC News, he was asked what it was like to have those stolen moon rocks in his possession.
'I, like many others, am filled with awe when I reflect upon how those rocks demonstrate humanity's limitless potential,' Roberts said.
'But that awe does not live within those rocks. It belongs to all of us.
From experience I can say that there are more appropriate, and more productive, ways to come face-to-face with our magnificent insignificance than stealing a piece of the moon.'
'Whatever you do, don't repeat my mistakes,' he added.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14711635/nasa-intern-stole-apollo-moon-rocks-disappearance.html
US Mint begins sales of coin honoring innovative NASA space shuttle
May 15, 2025
The United States Mint is ready to launch the next $1 coin in its American Innovation series, honoring NASA's space shuttle.
The mint on Thursday (May 15) will open sales for the golden coins beginning at noon EDT (1600 GMT).
Rolls of 25 coins struck at either the mint's Philadelphia ("P") or Denver ("D") facilities, will cost $36.25, while bags of 100 coins from either of the two mint locations will run $125.50 each.
Florida's governor chose the space shuttle to represent the state in the U.S. Mint program, which highlights U.S. ingenuity.
"NASA's space shuttles made history as the world's first reusable spacecraft," Kelvin Manning, acting director o NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said in a statement released by the mint.
"Today, as we endeavor to send American astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars, NASA and Kennedy Space Center continue to innovate new technologies, build new partnerships, inspire the Artemis Generation and enable new discoveries for the benefit of everyone on Earth."
From April 1981 through July 2011, the shuttle flew from two Florida launch pads on 135 missions and returned to a landing at Kennedy Space Center on 78 of those flights.
In between, the winged orbiters were serviced and then mated again with an external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters within facilities located on Florida's space coast.
Though it suffered two tragedies, claiming the lives of 14 astronauts, the space shuttle also opened Earth orbit to more people and more types of people, flying the first American women and minority crew members into space.
Its capabilities enabled the retrieval and repair of satellites, the deployment and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope and the assembly of the International Space Station.
"The space shuttle, officially known as the Space Transportation System, remains one of the most iconic and influential spacecrafts in history," said Kristie McNally, the mint's acting director.
"It played a pivotal role in advancing space exploration. We are honored to celebrate this major achievement."
The Florida American Innovation $1 coin depicts a space shuttle lifting off from Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center.
An exhaust plume from its twin boosters fills the lower edges of the design with stars in the background. Included are the inscriptions are "United States of America" and "Florida."
U.S. Mint medallic artist Eric David Custer sculpted the image and Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) illustrator Ron Sanders designed it.
The heads-side design of all of the coins in the American Innovation program features the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions "In God We Trust" and "$1."
There is also a privy mark in the form of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation. Mint AIP designer Justin Kunz created the design and medallic artist Phebe Hemphill sculpted it.
Incused on the coin's edge are "2025," the mint mark ("P" or "D"), and "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of Many, One").
There is a limit of 10 of each roll or bag of coins per household order. In total, the mint is selling 9,100 rolls of the Philadelphia-struck coins; 8,050 rolls of Denver-struck coins; 3,650 bags of coins from Philadelphia; and 3,450 bags of coins from Denver.
In addition to their availability from the mint's website, the space shuttle coin rolls and bags will also be sold through the mint's sales centers at the Philadelphia and Denver mints and from the mint's headquarters coin store in Washington, D.C.
The mint is not introducing the American Innovation dollars into circulation, though the coins are legal tender.
Introduced in 2018, the American Innovation $1 Coin program has included three previous space-themed entries.
In 2019, Delaware celebrated astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, who invented a system for classifying the stars that is still in use today.
A year later, the mint released Maryland's coin, which honored the Hubble Space Telescope.
In 2024, the mint released Alabama's coin depicting the Saturn V rocket, which flew the first astronauts to the moon.
Florida's space shuttle dollar will be followed by Texas' coin honoring Mission Control later this summer.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-051525a-space-shuttle-us-mint-american-innovation-florida-dollar-coin.html
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/american-innovation-dollar-coin-products—florida-available-on-may-15
UK firm beams solar breakthrough: 13x more power sent from space down to Earth
Updated: May 15, 2025 08:14 AM EST
UK-based startup Space Solar has successfully completed crucial tests of its power-beaming technology, with an aim to deliver wireless power from space.
The company said that space-based solar power could provide reliable, uninterrupted clean energy around the clock and in any weather, addressing the intermittency issues faced by traditional wind and solar sources.
“A solar panel in space delivers 13x the amount of energy that the same panel on Earth generates, because there is no night, no weather and no atmosphere in space.”
The company has recently concluded its 18-month, $2.26-million “Cassidi” project, which was funded by the UK Space Agency and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Comprehensive assessment of key technologies
The Cassidi project involved a comprehensive assessment of Space Solar’s key technologies.
“In a remarkably short timeframe, the project has advanced key aspects of the design, including the wireless power beaming, in-space assembly process and the ground receiver,” added the press release.
The project has resulted in a comprehensive 1,700-page sub-system design document outlining the blueprint for its modular solar power satellite, named Cassiopeia (Constant Aperture Solid State Integrated Orbital Phased Array).
Space Solar’s “Harrier” demonstrator successfully developed and tested their power beaming technology, which was a key achievement of the project.
Using pre-fabricated solar reflectors
This system has the ability to steer the energy beam through a full 360 degrees electronically, eliminating the need for moving parts. This solid-state approach is central to the projected cost-effectiveness of the Cassiopeia satellite.
“The power beam is low intensity and safe, and transmits through the atmosphere and weather with almost zero loss in efficiency,” highlighted the press release.
“It works exceptionally well in combination with other renewables, with the potential to contribute to grid resilience by delivering power where it’s needed most, cost competitive with terrestrial renewables.”
Space Solar’s ambitious concept involves launching the Cassiopeia satellite, equipped with pre-fabricated solar reflectors and thousands of lightweight photovoltaic modules, into orbit.
This orbiting power plant will then capture solar energy and wirelessly beam it down to ground-based receivers using high-frequency radio waves.
The company claims this method will provide a consistent and reliable energy source, unaffected by weather conditions or the day-night cycle.
Viability confirmation for clean energy
The Cassidi project was a collaborative effort, involving 22 partner organizations, and has reportedly confirmed both the technical and economic viability of Space Solar’s system.
This successful demonstration paves the way for the company’s ambitious timeline.
“Space Solar is now accelerating towards deployment, with plans to deliver a megawatt-scale commercial system within five years and expand to a full product range from 30 MW to GigaWatt-scale within twelve years,” remarked the company.
This breakthrough could offer a promising pathway towards a future with clean, continuous, and globally accessible energy.
The successful completion of the Cassidi project signifies a tangible step closer to making wireless power from space a reality.
“The breakthrough project heralds a paradigm shift in clean energy generation, and gives further confidence that space-based solar power (SBSP) can be deployed on a commercial scale from 2030,” concluded Space Solar.
https://interestingengineering.com/space/uk-firm-beams-solar-breakthrough-13x-more-power-sent-from-space-down-to-earth
https://www.spacesolar.co.uk/space-solar-study-advances-commercial-space-based-solar-power/
Kosmos 482's Final Descent Captured in One Haunting Image
15 May 2025
More than 50 years ago in the early 1960s, the Soviet space program embarked on a bold new undertaking to go where no human had gone before.
The Venera mission to explore Earth's nearest orbital neighbor, Venus, is to date the only mission to have successfully landed spacecraft on the deeply inhospitable planet.
But, of the 29 probes dispatched on the Venera mission, only 16 landed on or orbited the nearby world.
Most of the remainder got temporarily stuck in Earth orbit, falling back to the surface in the same year they were launched. One probe, renamed Kosmos 482, took a little more time to return.
Launched in March 1972, it spent just over 53 years stuck looping through space before finally plunging through our atmosphere on 10 May 2025 in an uncontrolled reentry that captured the global imagination.
Now, images captured by a German radar station present what is likely to be the last time we'll ever see the failed probe.
The data, captured by Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR on 8 May 2025, shows the tumbling roll of Kosmos 482 as it falls through space.
As for where it ended up, that is currently unknown and is likely to remain unknown, unless more data becomes available.
"The Soviet-era object was last spotted over Germany at 08:04 CEST on 10 May by our colleagues at Fraunhofer FHR as it passed through the sky over their antenna.
Because the descent craft was not spotted one orbit later, at the expected 09:32 CEST pass, the reentry can be assumed to have occurred between these two times," the European Space Agency explained on its tracking blog for the object.
"A precise time and location of its reentry have so far not been identified. We have not received any reports on direct visual observations of the final reentry or of any impacts on ground."
Currently, based on extremely detailed modeling, the best estimate for where it fell is somewhere in the Indian Ocean. This is probably for the best.
The conditions on Venus are perhaps most aptly described as hellacious.
Surface temperatures average around 464 degrees Celsius (867 Fahrenheit), and atmospheric pressure is about 92 times higher than the atmospheric pressure at sea level here on Earth.
Oh, and it rains sulfuric acid (which evaporates before it hits the ground, but any descending spacecraft still needs to get through the atmosphere).
All this to say that the Venera probes were built to be extremely sturdy, and scientists thought it likely that Kosmos 482 would at least partially survive the searing heat of reentry to hit the ground intact or in chunks.
No one wants a Venus lander raining on their heads.
There is, unfortunately, still a lot of defunct junk circling our planet. Once the scope of the problem started to emerge, space agencies began to push a spacecraft design philosophy called Design for Demise.
It is what it sounds like: objects sent into Earth orbit should be designed in such a way that they will harmlessly burn up on reentry.
However, not all manufacturers have adopted this approach, and we're still sending spacecraft into Earth orbit faster than they can come down.
In addition, even spacecraft that are designed to burn up can release ozone-depleting chemicals into Earth's atmosphere.
Humanity has been treating low-Earth orbital space with reckless abandon.
We were relatively lucky that the descent of Kosmos 482 caused no known problems, but it's a sobering reminder that even space, for us, is not limitless.
https://www.sciencealert.com/kosmos-482s-final-descent-captured-in-one-haunting-image
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/1922217351652512221
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf7GRinP4gc
Johnson Space Center could be upgraded for Mars missions
May 14, 2025
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, filed a bill this week to prepare NASA's Johnson Space Center as mission control for future Mars missions.
Why it matters: Houston, one of the first words uttered on the moon, could once again dust off its moniker of Space City.
Driving the news: Cornyn's bill, filed Tuesday, would upgrade the space center's training facilities, research labs and Mission Control Center, modernizing the site for crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit and allowing researchers to review samples from the moon and Mars.
The bill also calls for transforming the Neutral Buoyancy Lab for commercial space and Department of Defense operations, plus refurbishing astronaut training aircraft and buildings at Ellington Field.
What they're saying: "I am proud to lead this legislation to not only send humans back to the moon, but to the next frontier of Mars, where technological advancements and untold scientific discoveries await," Cornyn said in a statement.
The intrigue: It's the latest space-focused push from Cornyn, who also sponsored a bill this year to send space shuttle Discovery to Houston and another calling for more coordination on spacecraft orbiting Earth.
Between the lines: In announcing the legislation, Cornyn said the bill is crucial to keeping the United States competitive as the space race with China "accelerates."
Cornyn's also introduced the FIGHT China Act and another bill to study the security threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party this year.
What's next: The bill, which has no co-sponsors, was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, chaired by fellow Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
It's unclear whether it has broad support.
https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2025/05/15/houston-johnson-space-center-mars-john-cornyn
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1722
CenSec reconfirmed as Denmark’s national defence, space, and security cluster
May 15, 2025
CenSec, Denmark's national cluster for defence, space, and security, has been reaffirmed as a key player within Europe’s security and innovation ecosystem.
The Danish Board of Business Development has granted CenSec DKK 44.1 million, confirming its status as the country's official innovation cluster for the period 2025–2028.
As Denmark’s designated cluster, CenSec brings together small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), major industry stakeholders, research institutions, and public authorities.
This strategic collaboration fosters the development of dual-use technologies and supports both national and European objectives in defence, space, and security.
Dustin Wilden, CEO of CenSec, highlighted the importance of the cluster in the current geopolitical landscape.
“In an era of rising geopolitical instability and growing demands on Europe’s security and technological sovereignty, Denmark must be a reliable and forward-leaning partner.
The renewed designation of CenSec is not just a recognition – it affirms our strategic role in strengthening Europe’s defence, space and security ecosystem,” he stated.
Wilden emphasised the need for innovation-driven collaboration in response to evolving threats such as hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, and challenges in space and maritime domains.
“CenSec brings together industry, academia and government to accelerate critical technologies, foster strategic partnerships, and enhance operational readiness.
Our mandate has never been more vital: we are helping secure Denmark’s place – and contribution – in a safer, more resilient Europe,” he added.
The funding will support CenSec in delivering initiatives that enhance strategic matchmaking, knowledge sharing, competence development, and cross-border cooperation.
It will also facilitate partnerships aligned with European defence and space policy priorities.
CenSec actively contributes to the European Defence Fund (EDF) and other EU initiatives aimed at building a resilient and competitive industrial base in Europe.
Established in 2004, CenSec previously held the national cluster designation from 2021 to 2024, and it remains committed to fostering innovation and security in the defence, space, and security sectors.
https://defence-industry.eu/censec-reconfirmed-as-denmarks-national-defence-space-and-security-cluster/
China launches satellites to start building the world’s first supercomputer in orbit
Updated: 8:13pm, 15 May 2025
China has launched the first batch of satellites for its space computing constellation, a system that could rival the most powerful ground-based supercomputers once fully deployed.
Twelve satellites, each equipped with intelligent computing systems and inter-satellite communication links, were sent into orbit aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre around noon on Wednesday, according to state-owned Guangming Daily.
They are part of the Three-Body Computing Constellation, space-based infrastructure being developed by Zhejiang Lab.
Once complete, the constellation would support real-time, in-orbit data processing with a total computing capacity of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS) – or one quintillion operations per second – the report said.
paywall
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3310506/china-launches-satellites-start-building-worlds-first-supercomputer-orbit
Space mission discovers ‘bullet-like’ winds shooting from a supermassive black hole
15 May 2025
Researchers have discovered that ultra-fast wind surrounding a supermassive black hole is not smooth and continuous as previously assumed, but instead resembles a rapid-fire stream of gas ‘bullets’.
The energy carried by these gas ‘bullets’ is far greater than anticipated, offering new insights into how galaxies and their central black holes evolve together.
The discovery was made by an international research team led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and featuring Professor Christine Done from our Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy.
Professor Done is one of only two European scientists supported by the European Space Agency to be part of the Japanese/USA X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) which is observing hot gas plasma wind blowing through galaxies.
A galactic puzzle
It is widely believed that every galaxy harbours a supermassive black hole at its centre - objects with masses millions of times that of the Sun.
Over cosmic time, these black holes and their host galaxies are thought to have evolved together in a tightly linked process.
Yet, because of the vast difference in their size and mass, the exact mechanisms behind this interaction remain unclear.
Making the co-evolution of galaxies and black holes one of the most profound mysteries in modern astrophysics.
A crucial clue in solving this puzzle lies in the powerful gas flows - known as outflows or winds - that are expelled from the regions around black holes at extremely high speeds.
These winds are believed to influence co-evolution in two major ways: by regulating the growth of black holes through feedback that limits the inflow of matter, and by injecting vast amounts of energy into their host galaxies, potentially shutting down star formation.
Ground-breaking discovery
Using the powerful spectroscopic capabilities of XRISM, the research team observed winds travelling at 20 to 30% of the speed of light from a supermassive black hole.
They discovered for the first time that these winds were made up of at least five distinct gas components, each moving at different velocities.
It suggests that gas is being intermittently ejected like a geyser or channelled through gaps in the surrounding interstellar medium, challenging long-standing theories of galaxy/black hole co-evolution.
The energy carried by these winds is over 1,000 times greater than that of galactic-scale winds, dramatically altering our understanding of their role.
Such a breakthrough observation was only possible thanks to XRISM’s exceptional capabilities in resolving the velocity structure of the winds.
https://www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2025/05/space-mission-discovers-bullet-like-winds-shooting-from-a-supermassive-black-hole-/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08968-2
Solestial banks $17 million and welcomes new CEO
May 15, 2025
Solar energy startup Solestial raised $17 million in Series A funding to expand manufacturing of silicon photovoltaics for space applications.
The Tempe, Arizona startup also announced May 15 that its campaign to scale up production to 1 megawatt annually will be led by new CEO Margo de Naray, former Astra senior vice president and general manager of space products and services.
De Naray joined Solestial because she saw strong product-market fit.
Solestial’s technology relies on silicon rather than gallium or rare-earth elements, reducing supply chain issues.
In addition, Solestial photovoltaics are designed to anneal (or cure) solar cell radiation damage.
And they require no cover glass, which improves flexibility and reduces mass, De Naray told SpaceNews.
Solestial photovoltaics have been delivered to dozens of customers and flown on five satellites.
The company will begin producing solar cells “for multi-kilowatt satellite programs in the second half of the year,” De Naray said.
Tremendous Potential
AE Ventures led Solestial’s investment round. New and existing Solestial investors participating in the round included Crosscut Ventures, Zeon Ventures, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation’s ME Innovation Fund, Airbus Ventures, General Purpose Venture Capital, Industrious Ventures, Stellar Ventures and Techstars.
“Space solar is a critical bottleneck in a rapidly growing industry with an ever-expanding set of missions — from national security to lunar exploration,” AE Ventures partner Beckett Jackson said in a statement.
“Solestial is uniquely positioned to serve spacecraft manufacturers with mass production of a lightweight, radiation-hardened solution at lower cost and a fraction of the lead time of the current standard.”
Airbus Ventures led Solestial’s 2022 seed round. Financial support for the Series A round reflects accelerating demand for this technology, Airbus Ventures partner Mat Costes said in a statement.
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has worked with Solestial to co-develop solar power modules.
“We see tremendous potential in Solestial’s technology and are pleased to deepen the relationship and support their development,” Komi Matsubara, Mitsubishi Electric business innovation vice president, said in a statement.
Leadership Transition
“We are thrilled to welcome Margo to lead Solestial into its next chapter,” Stan Herasimenka, Solestial co-founder and former CEO, said in a statement.
“This transition allows me to continue developing our cutting-edge technology, while Margo brings additional strategic leadership and operational experience to deliver at scale.”
Prior to Astra, De Naray was a Cargill managing director and an Intel operations manager.
https://spacenews.com/solestial-banks-17-million-and-welcomes-new-ceo/
https://spacenews.com/lawmakers-raise-alarm-over-rumored-cuts-to-commercial-satellite-imagery-funding/
Lawmakers raise alarm over rumored cuts to commercial satellite imagery funding
May 14, 2025
Lawmakers raised alarms May 14 over reported plans by the Trump administration to slash funding for commercial satellite imagery procurement — a move critics say could undercut U.S. intelligence capabilities and contradict stated White House priorities.
During a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces subcommittee, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), the ranking Democrat, called out what he described as “rumors” that the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), under direction from the Office of Management and Budget, had been ordered to scale back funding for commercial imagery in its fiscal year 2026 budget request.
“I am especially concerned about the rumor that the National Reconnaissance Office, at the direction of OMB, has slashed commercial imagery funding lines in the FY26 budget,” Moulton said during the session on national security space programs.
Rep. George Whitesides (D-Calif.) echoed Moulton’s concerns, warning that reductions in funding for commercial remote sensing by both the NRO and the U.S. Space Force “seem to go against stated administration priorities.”
In a recent executive order, President Trump directed the Pentagon to favor commercial technologies in defense procurement.
Any reductions in commercial imagery buys would be concerning, he said, “partly because there’s so much going on in space and there’s such a great demand for this data,” Whitesides added.
“It also seems to go against stated administration priorities, and we also want to make sure that we’re maintaining a sort of a wide base of suppliers.”
Neither lawmaker provided specifics on the size or scope of the proposed cuts.
‘We very much value commercial capabilities’
The hearing featured testimony from senior defense and intelligence officials, including NRO Director Christopher Scolese, Andrea Yaffe from the Pentagon’s space policy office, Vice Adm.
Frank Whitworth who heads the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the top procurement officer in the U.S. Space Force.
Scolese, whose agency is responsible for developing and operating the nation’s spy satellites and also for procuring commercial satellite imagery for U.S. government use, did not directly confirm or deny the rumored budget reductions.
However, he emphasized the critical role of commercial data in supporting defense and intelligence missions.
“We very much value the commercial capabilities and intend to keep on using those,” Scolese said. “It’s largely based on demand, of course, but commercial is absolutely critical to what we’re doing.
And I would add, it’s not just the commercial imagery, it’s also commercial RF and also newer phenomenologies as we’re working with industry to go off and help advance those.”
Whitworth declined to comment on potential cuts, noting that commercial imagery procurement is handled exclusively by the NRO, while NGA focuses on using and analyzing the imagery once obtained.
1/2
The NRO has increasingly turned to commercial satellite providers for imagery in recent years, most notably through its Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract — an expansive, $4 billion, 10-year initiative launched in 2022.
The EOCL marked the largest commercial imagery deal in the agency’s history, with Maxar Technologies receiving the bulk of the contract, up to $3.24 billion. Smaller portions went to BlackSky and Planet Labs.
EOCL aims to leverage high-resolution, electro-optical imagery — captured in visible light — provided by private satellite constellations. Although the deal spans a decade, the funding must be approved annually by Congress.
Industry sources said the administration is considering cuts that could affect the EOCL contract. Commercial Earth observation data is widely used by the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies.
Moulton argued that such cuts would hinder access to critical imagery and also undercut innovation in the fast-growing commercial space sector.
“Across the board, there are companies outpacing DoD innovation in satellite communications, remote sensing, space domain awareness, and defending our satellites on-orbit,” he said.
“Yet despite consistent pressure from this subcommittee, the culture shift to maximize the benefit of commercial space continues to meet considerable resistance.”
Moulton also expressed worries over broader reductions reportedly proposed in the Space Force’s fiscal 2026 budget.
“I was willing to criticize the previous administration for failing to invest more in space, and I will criticize this one for the same failure,” Moulton said. “Cuts to the Space Force would be catastrophic.”
Cuts to the NRO’s budget would come amid a broader reshuffling within the U.S. intelligence community.
The Trump administration has moved to reduce personnel across key agencies including the CIA, NSA, NRO, and NGA, citing efficiency efforts.
The hearing on Wednesday also marked NRO Director Scolese’s final appearance before the subcommittee, according to Strategic Forces Chairman Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.).
The administration has not publicly announced a leadership change at the NRO.
A spokesperson for the agency said in a statement to SpaceNews that Scolese “continues to serve, at the pleasure of the President, as the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office.”
2/2
Drone Captures Jaish Terrorists Hiding In Building Moments Before Pulwama Encounter
Last Updated: May 16, 2025, 03:19 IST
Three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists were captured on the drone camera, hiding in their hideout before being neutralised by the security forces at Tral in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The drone footage showed them taking shelter in an under-construction building, holding their weapons.
Three terrorists – all linked to Jaish – were gunned down in an encounter that broke out early this morning in Pulwama. The security forces had received inputs about the presence of terrorists.
The terrorists were identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat, all of whom were associated with Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM, sources said.
Inspector General of Police VK Birdi said that it is being investigated whether or not the slain terrorists played any role in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed.
Earlier today, the encounter started in the Tral area of Awantipora in Pulwama, which was the second encounter in J&K in three days.
It has only been five days since the “understanding" between India and Pakistan to halt military operations on the Line of Control and International Border, and two encounters have taken place since then in the Valley.
On May 10, the day when the “understanding" was reached after Pakistan DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart with the proposal, India had warned Pakistan that any more terrorist activities on Indian soil would be considered an “Act of War" and an appropriate response would follow.
To avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and killed over 100 terrorists and destroyed their headquarters and training centres deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan launched an offensive mission against India in response, sending drones and missiles to strike Indian cities and military installations.
All such efforts were thwarted by the Indian air defence systems. In return, India launched strikes on Pakistani military bases and destroyed 11 airbases, inflicting major damage and causing embarrassment to Pakistan.
https://www.news18.com/india/drone-captures-jaish-terrorists-hiding-in-building-moments-before-pulwama-encounter-video-9337729.html
Drone attacks cut power across Khartoum state two years into Sudan war
May 15, 20256:33 AM PDT
Drone attacks cut power across Khartoum and the surrounding state, authorities said on Thursday, as Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries pressed on with a campaign of long-distance attacks more than two years into their war with Sudan's army.
The RSF, which has largely been pushed out of central Sudan in recent months, has switched tactics from ground assaults to drone attacks on power stations, dams and other infrastructure in army-held territory.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/drone-attacks-cut-power-across-khartoum-state-two-years-into-sudan-war-2025-05-15/
Hungary Claims Downed Spy Drone Part of ‘Months-Long Intelligence War’ With Ukraine
May 15, 2025, 6:09 pm
Hungary claims its air defenses shot down a drone, allegedly sent from Ukrainian territory, near the border.
“A Hungarian radar detected and then shot down a drone by the Hungarian Armed Forces, which could be a new chapter in the secret service war between Hungary and Ukraine,” the Magyar Hírlap media outlet reported on May 12.
The drone was reportedly intercepted near Tokaj, in the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county along the Tisza River.
Though the incident allegedly occurred last week, Hungarian media only recently disclosed the details.
“According to sources familiar with intelligence matters, this incident is part of a months-long intelligence war between Ukraine and Hungary,” the report reads.
Hungarian officials claim Ukrainian services may have used the drone to “test the readiness of the Hungarian Armed Forces,” and even accused Ukraine of “planning sabotage operations” with trained personnel in the Transcarpathia region.
In a follow-up article on May 14, Magyar Hírlap added: “Regardless of whether we really shot down a Ukrainian drone over Tokaj, one thing can be said: on Ukrainian territory, there is an order of magnitude more experience in using drones than here.”
The report contrasted Ukraine’s battlefield-hardened military with Hungary’s training-based military experience: “Ukrainian military personnel have to fight for their lives every day,” while Hungarian soldiers encounter such tech “at pre-planned shooting ranges” or “in comfortable training classrooms.”
“If the drone really arrived, what did the Ukrainian military want in the Tokaj area?” the article reads. “Certainly not to take risks, but rather to test the readiness and capabilities of the armed forces.”
The claim comes just days after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had dismantled a Hungarian spy ring in Zakarpattia, revealing the first case of a NATO state being accused of espionage against Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the SBU, two Ukrainians were recruited by Hungarian military intelligence to assess support for a possible Hungarian “peacekeeping contingent” and gather sensitive military data.
One suspect, a 40-year-old ex-soldier from Berehovo district, was allegedly activated in September 2024 and passed on Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) positions and troop losses.
A second suspect, a woman and former AFU service member with access to an air base, is accused of reporting on Ukrainian aircraft and defenses. In a short statement, she appears to admit spying.
“The SBU counterintelligence documented every step of the Hungarian agents and detained the suspects at their places of residence,” the agency stated.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó responded: “It is clear that anti-Hungarian propaganda is often used in Ukraine… that in many cases has turned out to have no basis whatsoever.”
However, independent media outlets in both countries have reported that the SBU’s claims appear credible.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – who has frequently voiced support for Russia and accused Ukraine of discriminating against ethnic Hungarians – called an emergency Defense Council meeting over what he described as an “unprecedented operation.”
On May 14, Hungarian lawmaker Máté Kocsis accused Ukraine of waging a large-scale political campaign against Hungary, saying Budapest had long known about “intensive anti-partisan activities” by Ukrainian intelligence but chose not to escalate tensions.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/52730
Days after ceasefire, drone wreckage spotted near border in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar
Updated - May 15, 2025 08:06 pm IST
Several days after a ceasefire was enforced between India and Pakistan, the wreckage of a drone was found near the international border in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district on Thursday (May 15, 2025). A damaged camera was spotted detached from the unmanned aerial vehicle, which was 5 to 7 feet in length.
The residents of 12A village in the Anupgarh area, who spotted the damaged drone on the Forest department’s land, immediately alerted the police.
After the police cordoned off the area, senior officers from the Border Security Force (BSF), Army and Indian Air Force arrived at the spot to examine the object.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/days-after-ceasefire-drone-wreckage-spotted-near-border-in-rajasthans-sriganganagar/article69579479.ece
Sudan demands China act against RSF drone use, accuses UAE
May 15, 2025
(PORT SUDAN) – The Sudanese government on Thursday demanded that China take a firm stance on Chinese-made drones used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to bomb civilian and military sites across the country and disable the technology used to operate them.
Since the start of the year, the Rapid Support Forces have intensified bombing of power stations and dams, as well as civilian and military airports in a number of cities, using advanced Chinese-made drones.
In a statement received by the Sudan Tribune news outlet, the official spokesperson for the Sudanese government and Minister of Information, Khalid Aleisir, said:
“We, in the government of Sudan, see that the involvement of the Abu Dhabi regime in fuelling the war and committing massacres against the Sudanese people necessitates the Chinese government taking a firm and urgent stance to disable the technology used to operate these drones, in order to preserve its international credibility and in respect for its historical and firm relations with Sudan and its people.”
Aleisir said China, a friendly state to Sudan and its people with whom it has historical relations and mutual strategic interests, was requested to intervene urgently with the Abu Dhabi regime, which he said had violated commitments under arms purchase contracts from China and what is known as the “End-user certificate (EUC),” by enabling what he called the rebellious Rapid Support Forces militia to acquire Chinese-made suicide and strategic drones.
He said the Rapid Support Forces were using the weapons to threaten Sudanese national security by targeting and destroying vital facilities, hospitals, power and water stations, and fuel depots, in addition to committing crimes against humanity and grave violations of international humanitarian law by bombing unarmed civilians, hotels and health facilities, and killing women and children.
The minister added that the Abu Dhabi regime’s supply of Chinese-made weapons to the militia clearly contradicted the historical positions of the People’s Republic of China and its deep relations with Sudan and its people, embodied by prominent landmarks, including the famous Friendship Hall building in Khartoum.
The Sudanese army accuses the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of providing strategic drones to the Rapid Support Forces capable of carrying 50 kg of explosives and equipped with an anti-jamming system, some of which launch from airports inside Chad.
On May 6, the Sudanese government cut diplomatic relations with the UAE and declared it an aggressor state, accusing Abu Dhabi of providing strategic weapons to the Rapid Support Forces.
The decision to sever relations came a day after Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast, was hit by drone attacks that targeted an air and naval base, oil facilities, a port, a power station and a hotel.
https://sudantribune.com/article300914/
Nation-State Chinese Hackers Hit Drone Sector in Supply Chain Attacks
May 15, 2025
Dubbed Earth Ammit and believed to be tied to Chinese APTs, the hacking group was seen launching two attack campaigns between 2023 and 2024, targeting organizations across multiple sectors to compromise trusted supply chains.
Named Tidrone and Venom, the campaigns hit military, heavy industry, software services, satellite, technology, media, and healthcare organizations, using both open source and custom tools to achieve malicious goals.
The Tidrone campaign was initially detailed in September 2024, after the Chinese hackers were seen abusing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and remote desktop access to deploy the Cxclnt and Clntend backdoors, steal information, and disable security protections.
In a fresh report, Trend Micro explains that the Venom campaign occurred prior to Tidrone, targeting service providers and technology companies in Taiwan, and heavy industry firms in South Korea.
“Earth Ammit’s strategy centered around infiltrating the upstream segment of the drone supply chain.
By compromising trusted vendors, the group positioned itself to target downstream customers – demonstrating how supply chain attacks can ripple out and cause broad, global consequences,” Trend Micro notes.
Earth Ammit, the cybersecurity firm says, used a combination of two types of supply chain attack techniques in these campaigns: the group tampered with legitimate software used by the target companies and compromised upstream vendors to deliver malware to the connected systems.
The Venom campaign relied on web server vulnerability exploitation for webshell deployment, followed by the deployment of open source proxy tools and remote access tools to achieve persistence.
Next, the attackers harvested credentials from the victim, to use them in attacks against downstream customers.
In Tidrone attacks, the hackers targeted service providers for code injection and the distribution of malware to their customers.
Next, they deployed their customized backdoors for cyberespionage purposes, Trend Micro notes.
Follow-up activities included privilege escalation, establishing persistence, credential dumping, the disabling of security software, and information collection.
In addition to Cxclnt and Clntend, Earth Ammit used customized tools such as Screencap (screen capture tool) and Venfrpc (fast reverse proxy), both adapted from utilities available on GitHub.
The threat actor was also seen relying on fiber-based techniques for evasion.
“In the Venom campaign, Earth Ammit primarily leveraged open-source tools, likely due to their accessibility, low cost, and ability to blend in with legitimate activity.
However, as the operation matured, they shifted toward deploying custom-built malware – notably in the Tidrone campaign – to increase precision and stealth in targeting sensitive sectors,” Trend Micro notes.
https://www.securityweek.com/chinese-hackers-hit-drone-sector-in-supply-chain-attacks/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/insurance-company-drone-surveillance_l_6823490de4b0993b52bf118a
Your Insurance Company May Be Using A Drone To Spy On Your Property From The Air
May 15, 2025, 07:00 AM EDT
Every few years, I get a notice from my insurance company informing me that — usually unbeknownst to me — an inspector has strolled around my property looking for potential hazards or issues of concern to my insurer.
The notice will sometimes include a list of things they want me to address, perhaps like a tree branch that’s too close to the roof.
Recently, I realized that my insurance company may be keeping tabs on my property in a way I never expected, by checking out my home from the air — and your insurance may be doing it, too.
Some insurance companies are now using drones to do property inspections from the air. In some cases, insurers are using the results of these inspections to refuse to insure the property altogether.
This may be especially concerning for property owners in certain areas at high risk of natural disasters, where insurance options may already be limited as insurers have been dropping customers.
I talked to experts to find out why insurance companies are using drone inspections – and what you can do if an aerial inspection impacts you.
Drone inspections are becoming more common.
The use of drones for inspections on a widespread basis is becoming more routine.
“Property insurers have been using drone technology for many years in assessing damage from natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires to process claims quicker,” said Mark Friedlander, senior director of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute.
“The technology is now being used by many national and regional insurers to inspect the exterior condition of homes in making underwriting decisions for the property.”
Here’s why insurance companies use drone inspections.
For insurance companies, drone inspections offer several benefits.
Friedlander noted that this approach is more efficient and precise than inspections performed by humans and avoids the risks or potential hazards involved when an inspector must physically walk around a property.
When enlisting a drone to help with a property inspection, insurers are especially interested in checking out parts of the property that are difficult to see from ground level. In particular, this is a great way for an insurer to get a bird’s eye view of the roof.
“They would see if there’s any patches or cuts into the roof that will lead to a claim tomorrow,” Mike Koba, of Koba Capital Insurance Brokerage, said.
1/2
Insurance companies have often used Google Maps to assess properties — but while those images may be several years old, a drone allows for real-time views of a property’s current condition.
Koba says insurers will sometimes perform an aerial inspection before deciding whether to insure a property at all — this is especially common with large commercial properties — but may also use this as part of the routine ongoing process to decide whether to renew an existing policy.
In addition to checking out the condition of the roof or other major components, drone inspections can also reveal something on the property that your insurance company didn’t know about.
“While the focus is primarily on roof condition, aerial inspections may also capture unreported additions to homes such as swimming pools, gazebos and trampolines,” says Friedlander.
“In some cases, this type of discovery could result in a premium adjustment or disqualify your property from being insured if it no longer meets the carrier’s underwriting criteria.”
What if a drone inspection finds an issue?
If your insurer notifies you that a drone inspection revealed an issue, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should panic or prepare for higher insurance premiums.
Koba says insurance companies will typically give the property owner a short period of time — often around 45 days — to correct the issue.
If you believe the insurance company’s information is incorrect, you can also present evidence or documentation to prove the accurate condition of the property.
Know your rights and options as a property owner.
If you’re like me, the idea of a drone checking out your property without your knowledge might give you Big Brother vibes, but experts say it is most likely perfectly legal for an insurer to inspect your property this way.
Candise Shanbron, managing partner of Cernitz Law, says there are a variety of federal, state and local laws regarding the use of drones which in some cases prohibit drone users from conducting surveillance that would violate a reasonable expectation of privacy without the property owner’s consent.
However, she notes that there are often exceptions for licensed business entities that have a legitimate interest in the property — which would typically include insurance companies and insurance adjusters.
While laws about what — if any — disclosures or advance warning an insurer must provide about drone inspections are in many cases vague and vary by location, Shanbron says insurers will often make customers aware of this possibility out of an abundance of caution to avoid any legal liability.
Unfortunately, if an insurer decides to raise your premiums or cancel your policy based on issues found via a drone inspection, there’s probably not much you can do about it from a legal standpoint, Shanbron said, as long as the insurer complies with any applicable laws regarding rates and coverage.
If, however, an insurer tries to deny coverage of a claim based on a drone inspection (or any other grounds), she does encourage property owners to consult with an attorney specializing in insurance claims.
2/2
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14713407/Britain-pay-drone-patrols-Western-Balkans-Keir-Starmers-desperate-bid-grip-stopping-migrants-reaching-English-Channel.html
Keir Starmer will pay for drone patrols in the Balkans as part of desperate bid to stop migrants reaching the English Channel
Updated: 02:25 EDT, 15 May 2025
New drone patrols in the Western Balkans will be paid for by the UK in a desperate bid to slash the number of illegal migrants making it to the English Channel.
Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Albania last night before talks today on building co-operation aimed at closing down one of the main routes for migrants trying to enter Europe illegally.
He is also expected to discuss Albania's part in a radical scheme designed to 'offshore' the processing of thousands of migrants landing in Italy – an initiative some ministers believe could one day be copied by the UK.
The Prime Minister is under pressure to step up action to tackle the Channel migrant crisis following a surge in arrivals since Labour came to power.
Arrivals this year have topped 12,000 – a 40 per cent rise from 2024. More than 600 crossed on Monday as the PM was giving his speech vowing a crackdown on immigration.
The leap in numbers threatens to make a mockery of Labour's plan to 'smash the gangs', with ministers now resorting to blaming the fine weather for the increase in illegal crossings.
But Sir Keir will today insist that progress is being made in tackling the organised crime gangs trafficking migrants to the UK.
He will say that working alongside Albania – much of which was started by the last Conservative government – is 'delivering security' in both countries.
'Our joint work to deter, detect and return illegal migrants is further proof that intervening upstream to protect British shores and secure our borders is the right approach,' he will say.
'Every step we take to tackle illegal migration overseas, cripple the criminal networks that facilitate it and stem the finance streams that fund it is delivering safer streets in the UK and reducing the strain on taxpayer-funded services.'
The UK is already funding new drones to track migrants being trafficked through the mountainous border region with Kosovo, where vehicle access is difficult.
Some are equipped with automatic registration plate recognition cameras – enabling them to spot any British vehicles thought to be linked to Albanian smuggling gangs.
1/2
The PM will announce plans today to expand the scheme, including more intelligence sharing and new drone patrols on key routes through neighbouring Montenegro and North Macedonia.
The Albanian authorities will also be supplied with new forgery detection machines to make it easier to recognise fake passports.
The Western Balkans is a key passage for migrants trying to enter the EU.
An estimated 100,000 people attempted the route last year, thousands of whom are thought to have crossed the Channel in a bid to get to the UK illegally.
More than 12,000 migrants from Albania made their way across the Channel in small boats in 2022 – up from just 50 two years previously. Numbers are down by 95 per cent since Rishi Sunak signed a returns deal with Albania in 2023.
Sir Keir will today announce new 'support' designed to help migrants deported from Albania find local jobs instead of trying to cross the Channel again.
The Prime Minister will hold talks later with Albania's socialist leader Edi Rama, who won a record fourth term in office in elections last weekend on a platform of taking the former communist state into the EU.
He is expected to discuss Albania's 'offshoring' deal with Italy, but sources played down the prospect of a breakthrough.
Italy had hoped to process 36,000 Mediterranean migrants a year at camps built in Albania. But the deal signed last year has been mired in legal problems in the Albanian courts.
Sir Keir expressed interest in the scheme after discussing it with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni on a visit to Rome last year.
Labour scrapped the last government's flagship Rwanda scheme within days of coming to office, despite warnings that efforts to tackle the Channel crisis would fail without a credible deterrent.
Ministers have not ruled out schemes to 'offshore' the processing of Channel migrants abroad. But a source said the difficulties with the Albania-Italy deal underlined the fact it would not be 'straightforward'.
Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp last night branded the Prime Minister's trip to Albania 'pure theatre' – and accused him of 'flying out for a handshake in Tirana to claim credit' for previous Tory initiatives.
He added: 'If Starmer is so serious about cracking down on illegal migration, he should never have scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even started. We have seen from Australia that offshore deterrents work.
'Yet under Labour, 2025 is already the worst year on record for Channel crossings, with over 12,000 crossings and rising.'
2/2
Kyle Larson Reveals UFO Sighting, Says He’d Race in Outer Space if Aliens Have Tracks
May 15, 2025
Kyle Larson, a name synonymous with speed and adaptability in NASCAR, has revealed a fascination that extends far beyond any race track on Earth.
During a revealing interview, Larson discussed his willingness to race in outer space if the opportunity ever arose, and even shared his own account of spotting what he believed could have been a UFO.
This passionate declaration adds a new layer to the legacy of a driver already regarded as one of motorsport’s most multi-talented figures.
In a 2019 “12 Questions” segment with well-known journalist Jeff Gluck, Kyle Larson was asked if he believed life might exist beyond our planet, and whether those beings could be racing somewhere out in the cosmos.
Larson responded enthusiastically, saying, “I believe there’s life in outer space. I don’t know if they race, though. Maybe. Wow.”
His candid answer left little doubt about his open mind and adventurous spirit, as he openly admitted to his belief in extraterrestrial life.
Kyle Larson’s confidence in his answer came from personal experience.
He described a specific instance while driving through Sacramento, near the ARCO Arena, spotting a curious set of small, colorful lights moving erratically across the sky.
“What the hell is this?” he recalled asking himself. He explained that it wasn’t a drone, since “there were multiples and they were flying fast. Pretty low to the ground.
Probably 50 feet off the ground. But just little lights. Maybe I was crazy for a second. But no, I swear I saw something funny.”
Taking things a step further, Kyle Larson expressed a genuine eagerness to be known as one of racing’s first intergalactic participants, stating that he would love to be introduced as someone “out of this planet” in the event he ever races beyond Earth.
While such dreams may seem far-fetched, his bold statements fuel excitement within the racing world, raising questions about the limits of human ambition and the mysteries still lurking in the universe.
If such ambitions remain simply a dream, one thing is clear: Kyle Larson’s vision, talent, and curiosity set him apart as one of the sport’s most extraordinary personalities.
His interest in racing in outer space signals not only a passionate drive to break barriers but also a belief that there’s always someplace new to chase victory, even if that place lies among the stars.
https://slicksandsticks.com/2025/05/15/kyle-larson-dreams-of-racing-in-outer-space/
REVEALED: Never-before-seen footage of UFO dubbed The Cigar soaring over US border
Updated: 00:23 EDT, 15 May 2025
An Army veteran and former border patrol agent has revealed shocking and unexplained sightings taking place at the US southern border.
Bob Thompson, who spent 14 years with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is now showing the world a never-before-seen UFO spotted near Arizona.
The unidentified object, called 'The Cigar,' was recorded by a CBP reconnaissance plane in early 2020, capturing the mysterious craft flying at a high rate of speed.
Thompson told NewsNation's Ross Coulthart that the UFO had a short, cylindrical body with no visible wings or propellers. Moreover, CBP cameras didn't even see a visible heat trail from an engine, so its method of propulsion is still a mystery.
Thompson said he has spoken to more than 100 CBP agents who have witnessed strange and unidentified objects flying along the US border.
While coordinating the airspace along the southern border, Thompson added that he's also seen all sorts of different UFO designs invading US territory.
'I've seen orbs that were off in the distance. I've seen crafts that were cigar-shaped, I've seen triangles,' the whistleblower said.
Although many of these accounts are being dismissed as drones, likely flown by drug cartels trying to sneak into the US, Thompson claimed that there's more going on that just illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
'No one likes to talk about it freely. I think it's just still a taboo subject,' Thompson said on Reality Check with Ross Coulthart.
The never-before-seen video was taken just months after another UFO sighting involving a strange craft that had the shape of a rubber duck.
That November 2019 sighting took place as CBP was following a group who crossed the US border illegally in Arizona's Buenos Aires National Wildlife Area.
Similar to the cigar UFO, which had no visible heat trail, the rubber duck UFO's thermal signature did not match any known planes or drones.
The cigar video was taken near the same wildlife preserve and Thompson admitted that the US border patrol still has no idea what the object was.
The whistleblower added that the cigar-shaped object could have been a new missile being tested, but there's simply no way to know for sure without a full investigation.
Despite the Office of the Director of National Intelligence mandating that incidents like this be collected and investigated, Coulthart noted that there's been 'a deafening silence' about recent UFO cases.
Thompson noted that unexplained aircraft aren't the only thing being seen along the border. CBP agents have also spotted terrifying 'portals' opening into the sky.
'I got told that they witnessed a portal opening up in the sky and there were pictures of it on a camera that I was able to see,' Thompson revealed.
The veteran CBP officer added that agents knew these weren't glowing orbs or some other type of UFO and actually witnessed the portals as they were opening up out of thin air.
Thompson's claims are just the latest unexplained accounts coming out of Arizona, where Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents show several Air Force pilots have encountered 'swarms' of UFOs in recent years.
On January 19, 2025, an unidentified object actually struck an F-16 Viper fighter jet, damaging the canopy and forcing the $63 million aircraft to land.
So far, the FAA hasn't found any conclusive evidence that the object was extraterrestrial.
Luis Elizondo, a former government intelligence officer who became a UFO whistleblower, recently led a congressional hearing on UFO sightings and government disclosure. He told NewsNation that Arizona has become a UFO hotspot.
'A lot of people reporting a lot of things out of Arizona, particularly on the border,' Elizondo disclosed.
Aside from Thompson's report of portals opening up over Arizona, government authorities have been quick to dismiss the UFO claims as drone sightings.
Trump Administration border czar Tom Homan has said that many of these sightings are likely high-tech drones carrying drugs over the US border or spying on US military bases in the area.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14711823/Never-seen-footage-UFO-dubbed-Cigar-soaring-US-border.html
https://youtu.be/TWEYxDZlwcw?si=-g9mnGGXFs4y9_Qw (UFOs at the border: Whistleblower's new video | Reality Check)
https://youtu.be/-KKlsOpZhM4?si=y7AtJB4rV0_iUGHF (Watch the complete 'Hunting UFOs: The Desert Sky Mystery,' a NewsNation special report)
https://youtu.be/20HCVb5T9w0?si=fCs_YBCLwv5zkM2v (Hunting UFOs: On the ground at famous sighting spots)
'Hunting UFOs': Radar reveals alleged underground chasm in American Desert
May 15, 2025
NewsNation special correspondent Ross Coulthart sets out in search for UFOs in the American desert with UFO investigators Jeremiah Horstman & Alexandra Caldwell.
Exclusive photos are shown of choppers allegedly escorting strange objects, a mysterious "soldier" who may have pursued them in the mountains, and what they believe could be the entrance to a deep underground military base.
Australian treasure hunter Paul Duggan also maps out what he believes is a strange chasm underground.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/podcasts-newsnation/reality-check-with-ross-coulthart/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIgxuiVkzrk
Extraordinary UFO Experiencer - You Will Believe The James Gilliland Story - Free UFO Documentary!
May 14, 2025
You Will Believe The James Gilliland Prepare for paradigm shift! Journey into the extraordinary world of James Gilliland's documented ET encounters.
Blake and Brent Cousins of Third Phase of Moon present a mind-expanding, FREE documentary unveiling astonishing video evidence that will challenge everything you thought you knew.
Witness contact. Believe the unbelievable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrAmLUvH0A
https://www.youtube.com/@EcetiStargateOfficial
https://www.eceti.org/
https://www.ufonews.co/post/new-mojave-ufo-footage-and-the-ufo-disclosure-pope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDQGYp4TjEI
Mojave UFO Footage and the UFO Disclosure Pope
May 14, 2025
Recent developments in the UFO disclosure movement have converged across religious, scientific, and governmental fronts, suggesting that humanity may be approaching a turning point in our understanding of UFOs.
New Pope Disclosing UFOs?
The Vatican has emerged as an unexpected player in the UFO disclosure landscape. The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has been labeled as the potential “disclosure pope” by former Vatican advisor Daniel Sheehan, who previously served as general counsel to the Jesuit headquarters in the US.
According to Sheehan, Pope Leo XIV shares a fascination with the intersection of science and theology similar to his namesake Pope Leo XIII, who founded the Vatican Observatory in the 1800s.
Sheehan claims this pope sees it as his mission to help humanity prepare for the reality of non-human civilizations, though no public statements from Pope Leo XIV about UFOs or extraterrestrial life have been verified.
This Vatican connection deepens with the revelation that President Jimmy Carter, who famously reported his own UFO sighting before becoming president, allegedly approached the Vatican in the 1970s to gain access to their UFO files.
While Carter did visit the Vatican in June 1980 and became the first US president to stay overnight there, no public record exists of UFO discussions during this visit.
Interestingly, when Carter approached then-CIA director George Bush Sr. about UFO information, his request was reportedly blocked.
The Catholic Church has shown increasing openness to the concept of extraterrestrial life, with the Vatican acknowledging in 2009 that belief in alien life does not contradict Catholic teachings, and the late Pope Francis even stating he would baptize extraterrestrials if they requested it.
UFO sighting VIDEO in the Mojave Desert
In a separate development, remarkable footage has emerged from the Mojave Desert near 29 Palms, California. A witness staying in a remote cabin reported observing a pulsating hexagon-shaped object in the sky that hovered for approximately 15 minutes.
The object was described as brighter than a full moon with irregular, jerky movements, and at one point appeared to morph from its hexagonal shape into a more circular form with an empty center.
This was reported to NUFORC. Investigators ruled out conventional explanations such as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, which occurred three hours before the sighting, or satellite activity, due to the object’s unusual movements.
The Mojave Desert has long been recognized as a UFO hotspot with hundreds of reported sightings over the years, making this documented encounter particularly noteworthy for researchers. Find video here.
NASA Surgeon’s UFO Claims
Perhaps most compelling are the claims from Dr. Gregory Rogers, a former NASA chief flight surgeon who worked with the space agency during the 1990s.
Rogers alleges that he was shown CCTV footage of a flying saucer inside a military hangar, marked with US Air Force insignia, suggesting possible reverse-engineered technology.
According to Rogers, the craft was approximately 20 feet wide with a seamless surface, a shallow dome, three black triangles on its upper half, and no visible control surfaces.
Most remarkably, Rogers claims the saucer levitated three feet off the ground, rotating clockwise before reversing direction and coming to a complete stop.
When Rogers inquired about the craft’s origin, an Air Force major allegedly gestured upward and simply stated, “We got it from them.”
1/2
Rogers’ account gains credibility when placed alongside similar testimonies from astronauts who have reported UFO encounters.
Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper maintained throughout his life that he encountered UFOs multiple times during his career, including a 1963 sighting during his Mercury Atlas 9 mission when he reported a greenish object approaching his capsule, corroborated by radar from Australia’s tracking station.
Cooper also reported a 1951 sighting of a metallic saucer-shaped disc while piloting an F-86 over Germany and a 1957 observation of a silent flying saucer that allegedly landed on tripod legs at Edwards Air Force Base.
Cooper claimed photographic evidence from the Edwards incident was confiscated by the Pentagon.
More recently, former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, a veteran of multiple space missions and the 311th human to reach space, reported a close encounter in August 2024 while piloting his private aircraft near Houston, Texas.
Flying at approximately 9,000 feet, Chiao described how two spherical metallic orbs roughly three feet in diameter passed within 20 feet of his plane — a dangerously close proximity that could have resulted in a collision.
Notably, these objects weren’t detected on radar, weren’t broadcasting FAA-required transponder signals, and air traffic control never alerted him to their presence.
UFO Briefing at Capital Hill
These developments coincide with increased governmental attention to the phenomenon. On May 1, 2025, a congressional briefing titled “Understanding UAP Science, National Security, and Innovation” brought together key experts organized by the UAP Disclosure Fund.
The panel included notable figures such as Avi Loeb, Christopher Mellon, Dr. Eric Davis, Mike Gold, and whistleblower Matthew Brown, who provided information about the “Immaculate Constellation” to journalists Jeremy Corbell and Michael Shellenberger.
The briefing yielded significant revelations, including Dr. Loeb’s urging Congress to invest $1 billion in tracking technology while revealing interstellar metal recovered from the Pacific during one of his investigations.
Eric Davis spoke about a secret program recovering UFOs since the 1950s, while Christopher Mellon highlighted 1,800 military UAP reports despite suspicious gaps in radar data.
Tim Gallaudet discussed where a classified UFO memo was erased from his computer, and Mike Gold disclosed uninvestigated UAP images in NASA’s archives, including a “tic tac” object photographed on Mars.
As UFO disclosure builds momentum across multiple fronts — scientific, governmental, and religious — the question remains how much longer the truth can be contained.
All eyes remain on the US government, which was reportedly preparing to release more UAP-related documents, though a scheduled UFO hearing appears to have been canceled.
Meanwhile, countries like Japan and institutions like the Vatican are stepping into the spotlight, transforming the conversation about UFOs from fringe conspiracy theory to worldwide phenomenon deserving of serious investigation.
The convergence of these developments — Vatican interest, documented sightings, and insider revelations — suggests we may be approaching a pivotal moment in humanity’s understanding of unidentified aerial phenomena.
Whether through governmental disclosure, religious interpretation, or scientific discovery, the search for answers continues to gain momentum across the globe.
2/2
Every President Since Roswell Has Known | Stephen Bassett
May 14, 2025
In this interview, host Cristina Gomez speaks with disclosure activist Stephen Bassett about the 78-year UFO truth embargo and why it's finally collapsing.
Bassett reveals why Donald Trump will likely be "the disclosure president," discusses how every president since Roswell has known about non-human intelligence, and explains the race between the Doomsday Clock and his Paradigm Clock.
Learn about Congressional UFO hearings, military witnesses who've seen UFOs shut down nuclear missiles, and what happens the day after disclosure. Is humanity ready for the biggest revelation in history?
https://youtu.be/17Ks_xxi9UU?si=V977KUUUt4R2_Ric
www.paradigmresearchgroup.org
Rep. Eric Burlison, David Grusch & AARO walk into a SCIF… (w/ updates on Elizondo, FBI hearing this week, et.)
May 14, 2025
Ask a Pol asks:
Do you know why there's no UAP hearing in the US House Oversight Committee this week?
Key Burlison:
“I don't. There's, there's not a lot of communication, I believe, happening between the Oversight and — I have not heard why we're not having the hearing tomorrow,” Rep. Eric Burlison exclusively tells Ask a Pol.
“I had a [briefing] with AARO yesterday — and David Grusch was with me — and David gave them more information, I think, than they gave us…“
Burlison on Elizondo: “he wanted to have time to vet it”
“He's a US citizen, he's a patriot, he's only done things to attempt to be loyal to his country, and at the UAP [roundtable], when he showed the photo to me, he said the caveat that he's not vetted this and that he was just handed this and he almost hesitated to show us because he wanted to have time to vet it, but he wants to be transparent,” Burlison says. “Give the guy a break. Give him a break. I would rather have people err on the side of being being aggressive in their disclosure then to be overly cautious.”*
*Congress knows the Ask a Pol Army is a force: “I think that your listeners should understand that — and hopefully they do understand that — and look, don't you want all of it out there?”
Caught our ear:
“The irony is, one of the reasons why we postponed the previous hearing in the SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) with Lou Elizondo and others was that we were, we were trying to get David Grusch there,” Burlison says. “He still doesn't have his clearance, and he has other issues that are pressing for him that he has to get back home.”
“It's unfortunate, but on Thursday, we're going to have that [classified SCIF briefing]. I don't know who all is going to be in it.
Apparently Lou is not because of all this kerfuffle,” Burlison tells us. “Then we have a briefing with the FBI in the afternoon. So this is UAP Week*…”
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/burlison-grusch-aaro-elizondo-fbi-walk-into-bar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18GmFXZXeOc