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Happy Friday
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
May 16, 2025
Messier 101
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last entries in Charles Messier's famous catalog, but definitely not one of the least. About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almost twice the size of our own Milky Way. M101 was also one of the original spiral nebulae observed by Lord Rosse's large 19th century telescope, the Leviathan of Parsontown. Assembled from 51 exposures recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 20th and 21st centuries, with additional data from ground based telescopes, this mosaic spans about 40,000 light-years across the central region of M101 in one of the highest definition spiral galaxy portraits ever released from Hubble. The sharp image shows stunning features of the galaxy's face-on disk of stars and dust along with background galaxies, some visible right through M101 itself. Also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 lies within the boundaries of the northern constellation Ursa Major, about 25 million light-years away.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Hubble Captures Cotton Candy Clouds
May 16, 2025
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling cloudscape from one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors, a dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Located 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies.
This view of dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud is possible thanks to Hubble’s cameras, such as the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) that collected the observations for this image.
WFC3 holds a variety of filters, and each lets through specific wavelengths, or colors, of light.
This image combines observations made with five different filters, including some that capture ultraviolet and infrared light that the human eye cannot see.
The wispy gas clouds in this image resemble brightly colored cotton candy. When viewing such a vividly colored cosmic scene, it is natural to wonder whether the colors are ‘real’.
After all, Hubble, with its 7.8-foot-wide (2.4 m) mirror and advanced scientific instruments, doesn’t bear resemblance to a typical camera!
When image-processing specialists combine raw filtered data into a multi-colored image like this one, they assign a color to each filter. Visible-light observations typically correspond to the color that the filter allows through.
Shorter wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet are usually assigned blue or purple, while longer wavelengths like infrared are typically red.
This color scheme closely represents reality while adding new information from the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see.
However, there are endless possible color combinations that can be employed to achieve an especially aesthetically pleasing or scientifically insightful image.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-captures-cotton-candy-clouds/
NASA Welcomes Norway as 55th Nation to Sign Artemis Accords
May 15, 2025
Following an international signing ceremony Thursday, NASA congratulated Norway on becoming the latest country to join the Artemis Accords, committing to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space.
“We’re grateful for the strong and meaningful collaboration we’ve already had with the Norwegian Space Agency,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro.
“Now, by signing the Artemis Accords, Norway is not only supporting the future of exploration, but also helping us define it with all our partners for the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
Norway’s Minster of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country during an event at the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA) in Oslo.
Christian Hauglie-Hanssen, director general of NOSA, and Robert Needham, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires for Norway, participated in the event. Petro contributed remarks in a pre-recorded video message.
“We are pleased to be a part of the Artemis Accords,” said Myrseth. “This is an important step for enabling Norway to contribute to broader international cooperation to ensure the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.”
In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, the first set of practical guidelines for nations to increase safety of operations and reduce risk and uncertainty in their civil exploration activities.
The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-norway-as-55th-nation-to-sign-artemis-accords/
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/
Deimos Before Dawn
May 15, 2025
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured this view of Deimos, the smaller of Mars’ two moons, shining in the sky at 4:27 a.m. local time on March 1, 2025, the 1,433rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
In the dark before dawn, the rover’s left navigation camera used its maximum long-exposure time of 3.28 seconds for each of 16 individual shots, all of which were combined onboard the camera into a single image that was later sent to Earth.
In total, the image represents an exposure time of about 52 seconds.
The low light and long exposures add digital noise, making the image hazy. Many of the white specks seen in the sky are likely noise; some may be cosmic rays.
Two of the brighter white specks are Regulus and Algieba, stars that are part of the constellation Leo.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/deimos-before-dawn/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/nyregion/nasa-office-columbia-seinfeld-toms-restaurant.html
NASA Office Above ‘Seinfeld’ Diner Is a Target of Trump Budget Shrinkage
May 16, 2025, 3:00 a.m. ET
Upstairs from the diner made famous by “Seinfeld,” teams of NASA scientists have spent nearly six decades expanding human knowledge about Earth’s climate and the atmospheres of other planets.
But now, those researchers are about to be displaced to an uncertain future.
NASA has told the more than 100 people who work at its Goddard Institute for Space Studies that they have to leave Armstrong Hall, a Columbia University-owned building at Broadway and West 112th Street, by the end of May.
The building is better known to TV viewers as the home of Tom’s Restaurant, the diner whose facade appears in “Seinfeld” episodes, and to Gen Xers as the place that inspired Suzanne Vega’s 1980s song, “Tom’s Diner.”
The move, NASA says, is part of a Trump administration cost-cutting push, but it appears unlikely to save money. In fact, it may wind up costing taxpayers more.
While NASA says it has canceled the lease, it actually remains in effect, because the lease is between Columbia and a different federal agency.
So the annual rent of $3 million is still due, whether the scientists are there or not, according to a Columbia official with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal matters.
That means that there is no cost savings to the government for vacating the offices — only disruption, at least for now.
“There is no logic behind this,” said Kostas Tsigaridis, a research scientist at the institute and at Columbia.
The move appears to be another instance of the chaos and confusion wrought by the Trump administration’s frenzied quest to cut government spending.
NASA first moved into Armstrong Hall in 1966, as part of an effort to encourage collaboration on space research between its scientists and researchers at universities in New York.
The work there proved foundational. The institute’s former director, James Hansen, was the first scientist to sound the alarm to Congress, in 1988, about greenhouse gases that were warming Earth.
Its researchers were involved with robotic spacecraft missions to Venus and Jupiter. The climate model it runs predicts how Earth’s climate is changing and examines prospects for human habitation on Mars and other planets.
But in mid-April, President Trump signed an executive order calling for a re-examination of all leased federal office space, particularly in urban centers, to save taxpayer money.
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency also began examining NASA’s spending, gaining access to its data systems.
On April 24, NASA informed scientists working at the institute that its lease at Armstrong Hall was canceled.
Where would the scientists go? No one knew.
Bethany Stevens, NASA press secretary, said in an email that the lease cancellation is “part of the administration’s government-wide review of leases to increase efficiency.”
“Over the next several months, employees will be placed on temporary remote work agreements while NASA seeks and evaluates options for a new space,” she wrote.
But while NASA considers the lease canceled, Columbia does not.
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The lease for 43,000 square feet of office space is between Columbia and the General Services Administration, the agency that provides space for federal workers, a government database shows.
It runs through August 2031. Columbia says the General Services Administration continues to pay the rent.
Columbia is now searching for new space for the scientists who work at the institute, many of whom also teach at the university.
“Columbia is fully committed to our longstanding collaboration with NASA and the scientific research at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies,” Millie Wert, a Columbia spokeswoman, said.
General Services officials did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The closure of the institute’s longtime home comes as another blow to the morale of Columbia-based scientists, who have watched funding evaporate for hundreds of federal grants this year because of cuts from the Trump administration.
An administration antisemitism task force imposed about $400 million in cuts to federal research funding that Columbia receives, and further cuts were made to projects that focus on issues that include climate change and racial equity.
About 180 Columbia employees in the sciences were recently laid off.
Ms. Stevens, the NASA press secretary, said the lease cancellation is not tied to the scientists’ work on climate change.
“This decision is specific to the lease,” she wrote in an email. The institute, she wrote, “has a significant place in the history of space science and its work is critical for the Earth Science Division.”
But the scientists remain concerned. President Trump’s preliminary budget proposes deep cuts to NASA research. Columbia’s Climate School, whose research overlaps with the Goddard Institute, has already lost employees because of funding reductions.
In interviews, several scientists who work at the institute called their displacement frustrating and disruptive. NASA recently paid for an expensive renovation of the building, including a state-of-the art conference room that can seat dozens of people, they said.
Scientists are interrupting their work to pack and are worried that they will be split up or moved out of the city, imperiling collaboration.
The furniture for about 100 offices is going into long-term storage in New Jersey, as are decades of papers and books.
The federal government will still have to find space for the nearly 140 people working at the institute, a number that includes NASA civil servants, people from other agencies who need desks because of Mr. Trump’s return-to-office mandates, Columbia employees who work on NASA projects collaboratively, and postdoctoral researchers, visiting researchers and support staff.
“I think that it is unlikely that this will save the federal government any money,” said Gavin A. Schmidt, a NASA scientist who has directed the institute since 2014.
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The top fell off Australia’s first orbital-class rocket, delaying its launch
May 15, 2025 5:03 PM
The payload fairing at the top of Gilmour Space's first Eris rocket was supposed to deploy a few minutes after lifting off from northeastern Australia.
Instead, the nose cone fell off the rocket hours before it was supposed to leave the launch pad Thursday.
Gilmour, the Australian startup that developed the Eris rocket, announced the setback in a post to the company's social media accounts Thursday.
"During final launch preparations last night, an electrical fault triggered the system that opens the rocket’s nose cone (the payload fairing)," Gilmour posted on LinkedIn.
"This happened before any fuel was loaded into the vehicle. Most importantly, no one was injured, and early checks show no damage to the rocket or the launch pad."
Gilmour was gearing up for a launch attempt from a privately owned spaceport in the Australian state of Queensland early Friday, local time (Thursday in the United States).
The company's Eris rocket, which was poised for its first test flight, stands about 82 feet (25 meters) tall with its payload fairing intact.
It's designed to haul a payload of about 670 pounds (305 kilograms) to low-Earth orbit.
While Gilmour didn't release any photos of the accident, a company spokesperson confirmed to Ars that the payload fairing "deployed" after the unexpected electrical issue triggered the separation system.
Payload fairings are like clamshells that enclose the satellites mounted to the top of their launch vehicle, protecting them from weather on the launch pad and from airflow as the rocket accelerates to supersonic speeds.
Once in space, the rocket releases the payload shroud, usually in two halves. There were no satellites aboard the rocket as Gilmour prepared for its first test flight.
This was unusual
Payload fairing problems have caused a number of rocket failures, usually because they don't jettison during launch, or only partially deploy, leaving too much extra weight on the launch vehicle for it to reach orbit.
Gilmour said it is postponing the Eris launch campaign "to fully understand what happened and make any necessary updates."
The company was founded by two brothers—Adam and James Gilmour—in 2012, and has raised approximately $90 million from venture capital firms and government funds to get the first Eris rocket to the launch pad.
The Eris rocket was aiming to become the first all-Australian launcher to reach orbit. Australia hosted a handful of satellite launches by US and British rockets more than 50 years ago.
Gilmour is headquartered in Gold Coast, Australia, about 600 miles south of the Eris launch pad near the coastal town of Bowen. In a statement, Gilmour said it has a replacement payload fairing in its factory in Gold Coast.
The company will send it to the launch site and install it on the Eris rocket after a "full investigation" into the cause of the premature fairing deployment.
"While we’re disappointed by the delay, our team is already working on a solution and we expect to be back at the pad soon," Gilmour said.
Officials did not say how long it might take to investigate the problem, correct it, and fit a new nose cone on the Eris rocket.
This setback follows more than a year of delays Gilmour blamed primarily on holdups in receiving regulatory approval for the launch from the Australian government.
Like many rocket companies have done before, Gilmour set modest expectations for the first test flight of Eris.
While the rocket has everything needed to fly to low-Earth orbit, officials said they were looking for just 10 to 20 seconds of stable flight on the first launch, enough to gather data about the performance of the rocket and its unconventional hybrid propulsion system.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/the-top-fell-off-australias-first-orbital-class-rocket-delaying-its-launch/
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7328897706481909761/
Earth from Space: Svalbard Archipelago
16/05/2025
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission brings us this cloud-free view of Svalbard, a remote Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles.
Located north of mainland Europe, Svalbard is roughly halfway between Norway and the North Pole.
It is surrounded by four bodies of water: the Arctic Ocean, the Greenland Sea to its west, the Barents Sea to the east and the Norwegian Sea to the south.
The archipelago is dominated by rugged mountains, deeply indented fjords and numerous glaciers.
The colourful shades of green in the waters along the coasts are likely due to sediment discharges, eroded by the flow of ice and then carried by meltwater into the sea.
Nine main islands make up the archipelago, which covers a total area of around 62 700 sq km.
The largest is Spitsbergen, visible here in the left of the image, followed by Nordaustlandet to its top right, mainly covered by large ice caps, Edgeøya at the bottom right, and Barentsøya, north of Edgeøya.
Spitsbergen, which is around the same size as Switzerland, has a mountainous landscape, with elongated valleys and a jagged western coastline, shaped by glacial erosion and marine incursion.
Its highest point is Mount Newton, around 1717 m, in the northeast.
Opening on Spitsbergen's north coast is Wijdefjorden, the longest fjord of the archipelago. It runs 108 km southwards, separating Andrée Land in the west from Margaretas Land in the east.
Spitsbergen is the only permanently populated island of the archipelago and Longyearbyen is the largest settlement. Near Longyearbyen sits the Svalbard Satellite Station – SvalSat for short.
Its position enables it to track all 14 daily passes of polar-orbiting satellites. It has worked with a range of Earth observation missions including Aeolus, Swarm, CryoSat and Copernicus Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3.
This image was generated using multiple scans captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2 between June and September 2024.
By choosing the cloud-free pixels over a long period of time, such clear, high-resolution mosaics can be created, which are especially valuable to overcome the persistent challenges of limited visibility, due to cloud cover and polar night, in the Svalbard area.
These multitemporal composites optimise land cover classification, glacier boundary delineation and vegetation mapping in the short Arctic summer.
Additionally, the frequent revisit time of Sentinel-2 – up to every five days at mid-latitudes – allows researchers to build detailed annual or seasonal composites, enabling consistent monitoring of environmental changes across the archipelago.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/05/Earth_from_Space_Svalbard_Archipelago
https://www.watchtime.com/featured/flight-qualified-for-space-the-story-behind-nasas-choice-of-the-omega-speedmaster/
Flight-Qualified for Space: The Story Behind NASA’s Choice of the Omega Speedmaster
May 16, 2025
Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch stands as one of the most iconic timepieces of all times.
Its legendary status was cemented 60 years ago, in the spring of 1965, when NASA officially certified it as “flight-qualified for all manned space missions.”
Let’s take a detailed look back on the legacy of this extraordinary chronograph on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this historic designation.
“We choose to go to the Moon”
In 1962, John F. Kennedy stood before a crowd at Rice University and made a courageous proclamation: “We choose to go to the Moon.”
Most boldly, the U.S. President pledged to achieve this extraordinary feat before the decade’s end. With that, America’s race into space was launched.
Project Mercury marked the United States’ first manned spaceflight program and became famous for its pioneering astronauts, known as The Mercury Seven.
When the program concluded in 1963, these astronauts approached NASA Operations Director Deke Slayton with a request: dependable wristwatches to accompany them on future missions.
These timepieces were not just accessories; they served a critical purpose. In the event of a failure in the spacecraft’s onboard digital timers, the astronauts would rely solely on their mechanical watches.
Reliability and precision were crucial. As NASA prepared for the more advanced Gemini and Apollo missions, it began reviewing all mission equipment.
In 1964, Slayton formally requested “high-quality chronographs” from several watch manufacturers. Only four brands responded to his call, one of them was Omega.
Each was asked to submit three wrist-worn chronographs, which would undergo some of the most rigorous testing imaginable.
The testing procedure
Any hardware intended for use on space vehicles first had to be rigorously qualified by NASA’s safety, reliability, and quality control teams.
One key figure in this process was engineer James Ragan, whose 36-year aerospace career included the crucial task of testing and certifying the chronographs worn by astronauts on manned missions
When Ragan received watches from four different manufacturers, he immediately disqualified one for failing to meet NASA’s basic specifications for a functional wristwatch.
That left three contenders. Each of their timepieces was subjected to an intense series of eleven tests—only those that passed every one would be cleared for spaceflight.
Approved by the astronauts
The Speedmaster ST 105.003 successfully passed all eleven of NASA’s rigorous qualification tests. Remarkably, this was the exact same model available to the public in retail stores.
In contrast, watches from competing brands failed early in the process—particularly during the high-temperature test.
On one model, the large seconds hand warped and interfered with the other hands. On another, the chronograph’s crystal deformed and detached from the case.
“Even I was surprised that I could get any watches through those tests. The environments were really made for pieces of hardware that you mount on vehicles. It was the most extreme testing you could do to a piece of hardware.”
James Ragan, NASA engineer
But one final hurdle remained— perhaps the most critical of all: the approval of the astronauts. Ragan presented the Speedmaster alongside other candidates to the crews, without revealing the test outcomes.
After their own hands-on evaluation, the astronauts unanimously selected the Speedmaster, citing its superior accuracy, reliability, readability, and ease of use.
“It made my life a lot easier,” Ragan later recalled. “I was able to go to the programs office and say, it’s passed the tests— and the astronauts want it.”
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Space debut
Just three weeks after receiving NASA’s official qualification, the Speedmaster ST 105.003 made its space debut on March 23, 1965.
It was worn by astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom and John Young during the Gemini 3 mission. The only modification made to the standard model was the addition of a long Velcro strap, allowing it to be worn over the bulky space suits.
Following Gemini 3, the Speedmaster— and its subsequent evolutions— became an essential piece of equipment for every crewed NASA mission.
It gained legendary status when astronaut Ed White wore it during the first American spacewalk later that same year, and again during Apollo 8 in 1968, when its crew became the first humans to witness “the far side of the Moon.”
As the missions advanced, so did the importance of the Speedmaster. On July 20, 1969, NASA achieved its ultimate goal: Apollo 11 successfully landed on the Moon.
As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface, the Speedmaster became the first watch worn on the Moon— a milestone in both space exploration and horological history.
From that moment forward, the Speedmaster continued to accompany astronauts on every Moon landing and remained a trusted tool throughout the Apollo program and beyond.
The evolution over the years
When the original Speedmaster was created in 1957, it included many protective technologies used by Omega at the time, such the sealing powers of O-ring gaskets, and the famous “Naiad” crown.
Thanks to them, the brand was able to create an incredibly rugged chronograph that was hermetically sealed against the elements and was water-resistant to a 200 feet.
Furthermore, the hesalite crystal offered the advantage of flexibility, and therefore shatter-resistance, in high impact situations.
It was also the first watch to feature a tachymeter scale on its bezel, as opposed to the dial. This made it ideal for its intended customer–racing car drivers on the track.
Ever since then, the timing scale, with its famous dot over 90 and the dot diagonal to 70, has remained an essential and distinguishing element of the Speedmaster design.
At first glance, the Speedmaster has remained remarkably consistent over the past six decades— a silhouette instantly recognizable to watch enthusiasts and admirers alike.
But a closer look reveals a story of thoughtful evolution. While the classic DNA endures, subtle refinements in materials, mechanics, and detailing have brought the Speedmaster into the modern era without losing its iconic identity.
Today, Omega offers two models that closely resemble the watch once tested by NASA: the Speedmaster Moonwatch (ref. 310.30.42.50.01.001) and the Speedmaster Caliber 321 (ref. 311.30.40.30.01.001).
The latter, introduced in 2020, is a highly faithful recreation of the watch certified by NASA in 1965.
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Laser ultrasound used to reveal the elasticity of space rock for the first time
May 16, 2025
Scientists and engineers at the University of Nottingham have measured the stiffness of space rock for the first time.
Many meteorites are made of crystalline materials, formed under exotic conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth.
The stiffness of the crystals that make up these materials has historically been difficult to measure and normally this requires scientists to grow a special single crystal, which in this case is not possible.
Published in Scripta Materialia, using a new technique developed and patented at the University of Nottingham, experts have measured this important property for the first time.
Lead author of the study, Wenqi Li, from the university's Optics and Photonics research group, said, "These materials have evolved in unique conditions over millions of years to form these amazing structures and patterns.
"These conditions cannot be reproduced on Earth and meteorites have amazing large-scale microstructure and phase mixtures which give mechanical and elastic properties that are quite different to the man-made iron-nickel alloys we can produce on Earth."
Meteorites provide access to information on the formation and evolution of planetary bodies which is otherwise difficult to study. The unique nature of these samples and their relative scarcity means that non-destructive analysis techniques are needed to study their properties. Understanding their properties develops the understanding of the formation of the solar system and the planets.
Studying these samples can also help develop an understanding of alloys used for aerospace and industrial applications, suitable for constructing extraterrestrial structures, making meteors a suitable source of material for future manufacturing in space.
This study uses the laser ultrasound technique spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS++), which was invented at the University of Nottingham, to measure the properties of the Gibeon meteorite.
Associate Professor Richard Smith explained, "The SRAS++ machine uses lasers to make and detect acoustic waves that travel on the surface of the material.
This means that we do not need to touch the sample and do not damage the sample in any way. This is really important for samples where there is limited supply.
"There are no published values to directly compare the results of this study, as non-destructive measurements of the single crystal elasticity on granular material has not previously been possible.
"So, we compared our results with theoretical values for man-made iron-nickel alloys. We also calculated the bulk properties from our single crystal elasticity measurements and compared them to published measurements on the Gibeon meteorite and they also agree well."
Professor Matt Clark, Faculty of Engineering, says, "We're incredibly excited to gain access to larger pieces of these precious samples in the future so we can use the SRAS++ method to image the changes in the local elastic properties from the center to the periphery of the meteorites to understand the formation of these complicated materials."
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-laser-ultrasound-reveal-elasticity-space.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359646225001290?via%3Dihub
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/us-and-china-need-a-space-hotline-for-orbital-emergencies-experts-say
https://www.cfr.org/task-force-report/securing-space
US and China need a space hotline for orbital emergencies, experts say
May 16, 2025
Finding a peaceful relationship with the growing prowess of China's space program could start with a simple phone call on a new hotline.
The United States needs to act now to address threats to space assets, find new approaches to space traffic management to support the growing space economy, and incorporate commercial perspectives into civilian and national security space policy.
That's the output from a task force report sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, highlighted during the Space Foundation's 40th Space Symposium held April 7-10 in Colorado Springs.
The report, "Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action," asserts that if the United States is to adapt to today's fast-paced commercial, technological, and national security landscape in space, it needs to make space a top national priority.
The report also calls for the creation of a space hotline with China, to be used to lower the risks of miscalculation or misunderstanding as the U.S. and China continue to militarize Earth's orbit.
Space: top national priority
Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow in global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), said a specially-constituted task force proposed a seven-part plan, urging policymakers to reshape its approach to uphold U.S. leadership in space.
"There is no single international organization to help manage space, but we can work with the institutions we have," Brimmer said. She was the project director of the CFR space report.
CFR is an independent think tank, generating policy-relevant ideas and analysis on consequential issues that face the United States and the world.
Echo chamber
"It's the first time the Council on Foreign Relations has addressed anything to do with space," said retired U.S. Space Force Lieutenant General Nina Armagno.
She served as co-chair of the CFR report along with Jane Harman, a former U.S. Congresswoman.
"The space economy is booming," said Armagno, with escalating booster launchings around the world that lob spacecraft into Earth orbit.
"But with that, comes congestion, debris, and the threats that we all know are there by Russia and China."
But with all that activity, Armagno said "there are no rules in the space domain" and "is anyone listening, I don't know."
Within the space community there is an "echo chamber," Armagno said, noting that the CFR report on space is directed at the Trump administration with the intent that they will declare space as a national priority.
If funding is applied to that aim, said Armagno, "then we know this administration is listening."
Eyes wide open
Armagno said that the CFR report acknowledges that China is essentially here to stay. "Our report points to sharpening our policy on China. Our policy can't be 'China bad.'"
However, China is preparing for conflict in space, with some reports suggesting that it is honing "dogfighting" skills, Armagno added.
"Our policy has to be what can we do in the global domain together," but with eyes wide open knowing the U.S. and China don't agree on everything and there is geopolitical tension between the two countries, she said.
Two ideas fleshed out in the CFR report underscore needed rules of the road in space, said Armagno.
"We want to reinvigorate the discussion on establishing a hotline," Armagno told the audience. "We have a hotline with Russia," she said, so it's not rocket science, and could be modeled in similar fashion.
"So in case of an emergency or a miscalculation, we can pick up the phone and get the truth," observed Armagno.
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Search and rescue
An additional idea broached in the CFR report is search and rescue, almost one of the oldest international endeavors that countries do together.
"There's already an astronaut rescue agreement, but it's only to rescue astronauts on the planet … if they end up in the ocean or on land. But there's nothing about rescuing astronauts in space," Armagno said.
This would be a table talk topic, Armagno said, to pursue with China ironing out the necessary steps of working together in an emergency situation, be it astronauts, cosmonauts, or even space tourists in trouble.
"China is there to stay in the space domain," Armagno said, "so we need to figure out some ways to work together, at the very least, in an emergency situation."
Military targets
Samuel Visner of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center focused on the ever-growing commercial space sector. He was a member of the CFR task force.
"The private sector is absolutely key to our national security," said Visner. It is intertwined with technological and economic security, he said, and "undermine any of them and you weaken our country, you weaken our allies and partners, and you weaken our global position."
The private sector's role in securing space needs to be fully recognized, Visner emphasized, but stressed that commercial space endeavors are also "targets of our adversaries."
Cyber attack
Visner said commercial space systems, be it for navigating trucks to precise harvesting of fields for enhancing agricultural output are now military targets.
"Our adversaries recognize that, potentially, they are vulnerable, that we depend on them, and they are preparing to exploit and attack them," said Visner.
As a case in point, Visner highlighted that the first attack by Russia in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine involved a cyber attack of a space system used by Ukraine.
"Russia has made it clear," Visner said, "that commercial space systems of their adversaries, Ukraine, potentially NATO, potentially the United States, are now legitimate military targets."
Wanted: best practices
Underscored during the symposium discussion is a warning from the CFR task force report: "Without immediate changes to how space is governed, the benefits of access to space could be lost to everyone.
As the leading spacefaring country and the home base of the most innovative space companies, the United States is uniquely positioned to determine this future."
The report also notes that "unlike aviation, shipping, and telecommunications, the space economy lacks a unified, single international institution that can establish or enforce an agreed-on set of best practices."
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Lunar Google Doodle celebrates May's third quarter moon with interactive card game
May 16, 2025
Google's latest Doodle celebrates the third quarter moon phase with a fun interactive card game.
The Google "Rise of the Half-moon Doodle" highlights the different phases of the lunar cycle in the form of the third quarter moon, or half moon.
The card game challenges players to match different moon phases in pairs and to place the cards in order to create a lunar cycle.
May's third quarter moon, also known as the last quarter moon, occurred on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:59 a.m. EDT, 4:59 a.m. PDT, and 1159 GMT.
"The Half Moon is the turning point in the lunar cycle, shifting the balance between light and dark like moves in a celestial game," the game's introductory game reads.
The moon undergoes eight distinct phases in its approximate 29.5-day cycle: New moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.
As the moon orbits Earth, the sun illuminates different parts of the lunar surface, creating the different lunar phases for viewers on Earth.
Currently, the moon is in the third quarter phase, signifying that it has completed three-quarters of its orbit around the Earth.
However, from our perspective on Earth, the moon appears half illuminated by the sun because it is halfway through the cycle from full moon to the next new moon.
Google announced that this lunar card game will be featured as the Doodle once a month, coinciding with the lunar cycle.
Competing against the half moon, players are given cards with various lunar phases and must match them up appropriately to earn points.
The goal is to play through nine boards to unlock four wildcards that can help you win along the way.
As players advance, the game board configurations become more challenging, making pairing the lunar cycle cards more difficult. Lunar pairs and phases are created by placing cards in adjacent boxes connected by lines on the board.
Once a card is played on the board, it can be used by either opponent to create pairs or lunar cycles. The last play made using a card on the board counts towards the bonus point awarded to that player at the end of the game.
https://www.space.com/entertainment/lunar-google-doodle-celebrates-half-lit-third-quarter-moon-each-month-with-interactive-card-game
SES to demonstrate ‘satellite orchestration’ tech for military communications
May 16, 2025
As military operations increasingly depend on rapid and resilient communications across multiple domains, satellite operators are racing to provide not just bandwidth, but smarter ways to use it.
Under a new contract with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), satellite communications provider SES Space & Defense plans to demonstrate a software platform that would make it easier for users to access and manage bandwidth from multiple satellite networks across orbits.
The company, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Luxembourg’s satellite operator SES, developed a system called Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking (SIMON) — a network orchestration technology designed to route data through a mix of commercial and government-owned satellites in low, medium and geostationary Earth orbits.
So-called multi-orbit networks are increasingly sought by the military as it faces sophisticated electronic warfare and anti-satellite threats.
Beyond bandwidth
SES, which operates a fleet of more than 40 geostationary (GEO) and 28 medium Earth orbit (MEO) communications satellites, is a longtime supplier of satellite communications services to the Department of Defense.
The company now sees its competitive advantage shifting from raw capacity to intelligent network management.
The issue for the industry now is that there is lots of satellite capacity and now needs to give military customers better tools to leverage that capacity, said David Fields, president and CEO of SES Space & Defense, in an interview with SpaceNews.
Fields noted that satellite communications has essentially become commoditized. “And you see that in the amount of capacity that’s being deployed… Everybody’s deploying large amounts of capacity.
And that’s great for our industry. It’s great for our customers,” he added. “They have choices, but how can you orchestrate all that capacity? And that’s what we’re really focused on.”
This pivot comes as traditional satellite communications providers face unprecedented competition from newer entrants like SpaceX’s Starlink, which has rapidly deployed thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit and gained traction with military users due to its low latency and widespread availability.
Rethinking PACE methodology
The SIMON technology aims to provide an alternative to the military’s traditional PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency) methodology for communications resilience.
Under PACE, military units planning operations must establish redundant communication pathways, with the primary being the most reliable and preferred method, followed by alternate, contingency, and emergency options as backups.
Each communication method is designed to be as independent as possible from the others, ensuring that if one fails, the others remain viable.
More modern “Auto-PACE” systems have aimed to automate these transitions, but according to Fields, SIMON represents a more comprehensive solution specifically designed for contested environments to dynamically assess available satellite resources across multiple orbits and providers, then route communications through optimal pathways in real-time as conditions change.
‘Hybrid space architecture’
The SIMON contract is part of DIU’s broader initiative to build what it calls a “hybrid space architecture.”
This program aims to leverage commercial satellites and infrastructure alongside government assets to deliver battlefield data faster and more securely to military users.
SES will attempt to demonstrate uninterrupted data transmission using its SIMON orchestration software by connecting commercial and government networks.
Fields said this integration could prove particularly valuable as the Pentagon increasingly relies on a mix of purpose-built military satellites and commercial services.
For the Pentagon, the goal is to give units — operating in areas where communications might be jammed, cyber-attacked, or degraded by environmental factors — capabilities to seamlessly transition between different satellite systems without having to manually reconfigure equipment.
https://spacenews.com/ses-to-demonstrate-satellite-orchestration-tech-for-military-communications/
House hearing on asteroid threats also takes up budget threats
May 15, 2025
A House hearing about how NASA is dealing with the threat posed by asteroid impacts turned into a discussion about a very different threat: the impact of proposed NASA budget cuts.
The focus of the May 15 hearing by the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee was on NASA’s efforts to discover and track potentially hazardous asteroids, as well as measures to prevent any possible impacts, collectively known as planetary defense.
NASA requested $276.6 million for planetary defense in its fiscal year 2025 budget proposal, a little more than 1% of the agency’s overall budget.
Most of that money would go towards the Near Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, an infrared space telescope designed to more effectively search for asteroids than ground-based telescopes.
While NASA’s investment in planetary defense is modest relative to the overall agency budget, that activity has a high profile that was further raised earlier this year when an asteroid, 2024 YR4, briefly had more than a 3% chance of colliding with the Earth in 2032.
Subsequent observations of the asteroid’s orbit effectively ruled out any impact in 2032 or for the foreseeable future.
“Planetary defense is one of the most important objectives” of the agency, said Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.), chairman of the subcommittee.
He noted one recent survey by the Pew Research Center that found that planetary defense “was the highest priority of American citizens.”
There was little debate about NASA’s work in planetary defense at the hearing.
Democratic members of the committee, though, used the hearing as an opportunity to ask the witnesses, including Nicky Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, about budget cuts facing NASA’s science program in the White House’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
“This budget, if enacted, would strip away NASA’s storied leadership, disrupt decades of progress in U.S. space exploration and cripple the agency’s ability to pursue bold and ambitious goals going forward,” said Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), ranking member of the subcommittee.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), ranking member of the full committee, noted that planetary defense requires NASA to cooperate with other agencies, from the National Science Foundation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who are also facing severe cuts in the proposed budget.
“Will anyone be home to answer the call if a NEO were found to be on a trajectory headered towards to Earth?” she asked. Members, though, got few additional details about the effect the proposed budget will have on NASA science.
Fox said that she has received only the “skinny” budget framework released by the Office of Management and Budget May 2 that cut overall NASA spending by 24% from 2025 levels.
“We have not seen any details on the missions or any direction on the missions other than the Mars Sample Return program and Landsat Next,” she said.
The skinny budget specifically called for canceling Mars Sample Return and restructuring Landsat Next, but did not mention any other science missions.
“We await the full president’s budget so we can see the priorities and direction on which missions may be supported or not supported.” That includes NEO Surveyor.
At the hearing, Fox and Amy Mainzer, a professor at the University of California Los Angeles who leads the mission, noted that work on NEO Surveyor is going well, with the mission still scheduled to launch no later than June 2028 but potentially as soon as the fall of 2027.
“We have not seen the details of the budget yet” and how it might affect the mission, said Mainzer. “From my perspective, we do not know the impact yet.”
“We’ve had no direction to take any action based on the ’26 skinny budget,” Fox said, adding that the mission is “well-funded” for now.
Members also asked Fox about NASA funding of research. The agency traditionally releases an overall call for grant proposals, known as Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES), every February.
However, the latest such solicitation has yet to be released and is now three months behind schedule.
“I made the decision to pause the ROSES,” Fox said, citing uncertainty about funding levels in the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
With the release of the skinny budget, she said NASA was making final edits to ROSES. “My intention is to get that through final approval and out hopefully as early as the end of this month.”
https://spacenews.com/house-hearing-on-asteroid-threats-also-takes-up-budget-threats/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SamCKEOoeQ
SpaceX Starlink Mission
May 16, 2025
On Friday, May 16 at 6:43 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 26 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the second flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched two Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-15-5
STARCOM Leadership Engages Space Community in Brevard County, Florida
May 15, 2025
Space Training and Readiness Command's commander and senior enlisted leader, Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba and Chief Master Sgt. Karmann Monique Pogue, met with local stakeholders during a leadership dinner hosted by the Space Force Association’s Florida Chapter, May 8, 2025, at The Tides Collocated Club, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida.
They shared insights with local industry, interagency, and non-profit partners on STARCOM’s mission and the vital role our team plays in advancing space readiness and warfighter development.
The event fostered open dialogue on the future of space exploration and defense, highlighting our continued collaboration across sectors.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4187603/starcom-leadership-engages-space-community-in-brevard-county-florida/#gallery-1
Air War College hosts 2025 National Security Forum
May 16, 2025
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) – Senior military leaders, foreign military officers and civic leaders gathered at Maxwell Air Force Base for the 2025 National Security Forum, held May 6–8.
Attendees heard from keynote speakers including Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of the Air Force Mr. Edwin Oshiba, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, U.S. Space Forces–Space commander and Combined Joint Force Space Component commander.
“This year’s AWC National Security Forum was a truly exceptional opportunity—not only does it allow some of the finest U.S. and international military leaders to engage with our civic and private sector partners but also allows for those strategic leaders to forge enduring partnerships,” Oshiba said.
“This forum offers a venue to discuss valuable insights into the Department of the Air Force’s evolving priorities—highlighting a renewed focus on deterring China, defending the homeland and burden-sharing with allies and partners.”
Hosted by the Air War College, the forum featured discussions on a range of pressing topics, including challenges in the Pacific, the Russia-Ukraine war, wargaming and an F-22 aerial demonstration.
A focal point of the forum was the evolving role of space in national defense.
“Our Space Force capabilities are critical to the joint force and to our American way of life. That’s truth number one,” Schiess said. “Truth number two is the Space Force must defend its capabilities, or the joint force will not be able to project its power.”
The National Security Forum, established in 1954, continues to bring together leaders from diverse sectors to examine past, current and emerging conflicts through the lens of national security’s strategic realities.
“We are in a time of consequence,” Allvin said. “These next few years are going to be absolutely critical. So, we need every bit of learning that these great professors shoved into your head over the last year. We need every bit of that to come to bear because we’ve got some important decisions coming up.”
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4188422/air-war-college-hosts-2025-national-security-forum/
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AWC/