TYB
>>23165928 pb
>Army Secretary Dan Driscoll stated that We Have a US Soldier on the MOON right now
The Last Punisher
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June 13, 2025
Rubin's Galaxy
In this Hubble Space Telescope image the bright, spiky stars lie in the foreground toward the heroic northern constellation Perseus and well within our own Milky Way galaxy. In sharp focus beyond is UGC 2885, a giant spiral galaxy about 232 million light-years distant. Some 800,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's diameter of 100,000 light-years or so, it has around 1 trillion stars. That's about 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way. Part of an investigation to understand how galaxies can grow to such enormous sizes, UGC 2885 was also part of An Interesting Voyage and American astronomer Vera Rubin's pioneering study of the rotation of spiral galaxies. Her work was the first to convincingly demonstrate the dominating presence of dark matter in our universe. A new U.S. coin has been issued to honor Vera Rubin, while the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is scheduled to unveil images from its first look at the cosmos on June 23.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasa-launching-rockets-into-radio-disrupting-clouds/
https://daytonabeach.erau.edu/college-arts-sciences/research/sail/rockets/seed
NASA Launching Rockets Into Radio-Disrupting Clouds
Jun 12, 2025
NASA is launching rockets from a remote Pacific island to study mysterious, high-altitude cloud-like structures that can disrupt critical communication systems.
The mission, called Sporadic-E ElectroDynamics, or SEED, opens its three-week launch window from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Friday, June 13.
The atmospheric features SEED is studying are known as Sporadic-E layers, and they create a host of problems for radio communications.
When they are present, air traffic controllers and marine radio users may pick up signals from unusually distant regions, mistaking them for nearby sources.
Military operators using radar to see beyond the horizon may detect false targets — nicknamed “ghosts” — or receive garbled signals that are tricky to decipher.
Sporadic-E layers are constantly forming, moving, and dissipating, so these disruptions can be difficult to anticipate.
Sporadic-E layers form in the ionosphere, a layer of Earth’s atmosphere that stretches from about 40 to 600 miles (60 to 1,000 kilometers) above sea level.
Home to the International Space Station and most Earth-orbiting satellites, the ionosphere is also where we see the greatest impacts of space weather.
Primarily driven by the Sun, space weather causes myriad problems for our communications with satellites and between ground systems. A better understanding of the ionosphere is key to keeping critical infrastructure running smoothly.
The ionosphere is named for the charged particles, or ions, that reside there. Some of these ions come from meteors, which burn up in the atmosphere and leave traces of ionized iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium suspended in the sky.
These “heavy metals” are more massive than the ionosphere’s typical residents and tend to sink to lower altitudes, below 90 miles (140 kilometers). Occasionally, they clump together to create dense clusters known as Sporadic-E layers.
“These Sporadic-E layers are not visible to naked eye, and can only be seen by radars.
In the radar plots, some layers appear like patchy and puffy clouds, while others spread out, similar to an overcast sky, which we call blanketing Sporadic-E layer” said Aroh Barjatya, the SEED mission’s principal investigator and a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The SEED team includes scientists from Embry-Riddle, Boston College in Massachusetts, and Clemson University in South Carolina.
“There’s a lot of interest in predicting these layers and understanding their dynamics because of how they interfere with communications,” Barjatya said.
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A Mystery at the Equator
Scientists can explain Sporadic-E layers when they form at midlatitudes but not when they appear close to Earth’s equator — such as near Kwajalein Atoll, where the SEED mission will launch.
In the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Sporadic-E layers can be thought of as particle traffic jams.
Think of ions in the atmosphere as miniature cars traveling single file in lanes defined by Earth’s magnetic field lines.
These lanes connect Earth end to end — emerging near the South Pole, bowing around the equator, and plunging back into the North Pole.
At Earth’s midlatitudes, the field lines angle toward the ground, descending through atmospheric layers with varying wind speeds and directions.
As the ions pass through these layers, they experience wind shear — turbulent gusts that cause their orderly line to clump together. These particle pileups form Sporadic-E layers.
But near the magnetic equator, this explanation doesn’t work. There, Earth’s magnetic field lines run parallel to the surface and do not intersect atmospheric layers with differing winds, so Sporadic-E layers shouldn’t form. Yet, they do — though less frequently.
“We’re launching from the closest place NASA can to the magnetic equator,” Barjatya said, “to study the physics that existing theory doesn’t fully explain.”
Taking to the Skies
To investigate, Barjatya developed SEED to study low-latitude Sporadic-E layers from the inside. The mission relies on sounding rockets — uncrewed suborbital spacecraft carrying scientific instruments. Their flights last only a few minutes but can be launched precisely at fleeting targets.
Beginning the night of June 13, Barjatya and his team will monitor ALTAIR (ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar), a high-powered, ground-based radar system at the launch site, for signs of developing Sporadic-E layers. When conditions are right, Barjatya will give the launch command. A few minutes later, the rocket will be in flight.
On ascent, the rocket will release colorful vapor tracers. Ground-based cameras will track the tracers to measure wind patterns in three dimensions.
Once inside the Sporadic-E layer, the rocket will deploy four subpayloads — miniature detectors that will measure particle density and magnetic field strength at multiple points. The data will be transmitted back to the ground as the rocket descends.
On another night during the launch window, the team will launch a second, nearly identical rocket to collect additional data under potentially different conditions.
Barjatya and his team will use the data to improve computer models of the ionosphere, aiming to explain how Sporadic-E layers form so close to the equator.
“Sporadic-E layers are part of a much larger, more complicated physical system that is home to space-based assets we rely on every day,” Barjatya said. “This launch gets us closer to understanding another key piece of Earth’s interface to space.”
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Hubble Studies a Spiral’s Supernova Scene
Jun 13, 2025
This serene spiral galaxy hides a cataclysmic past. The galaxy IC 758, shown in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, is situated 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
Hubble captured this image in 2023. IC 758 appears peaceful, with its soft blue spiral arms curving gently around its hazy barred center. However, in 1999, astronomers spotted a powerful explosion in this galaxy.
The supernova SN 1999bg marked the dramatic end of a star far more massive than the Sun.
Researchers do not know exactly how massive this star was before it exploded, but will use these Hubble observations to measure the masses of stars in SN 1999bg’s neighborhood.
These measurements will help them estimate the mass of the star that went supernova. The Hubble data may also reveal whether SN 1999bg’s progenitor star had a companion, which would provide additional clues about the star’s life and death.
A supernova represents more than just the demise of a single star — it’s also a powerful force that can shape its neighborhood. When a massive star collapses, triggering a supernova, its outer layers rebound off its shrunken core.
The explosion stirs the interstellar soup of gas and dust out of which new stars form. This interstellar shakeup can scatter and heat nearby gas clouds, preventing new stars from forming, or it can compress them, creating a burst of new star formation.
The cast-off layers enrich the interstellar medium, from which new stars form, with heavy elements manufactured in the core of the supernova.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-studies-a-spirals-supernova-scene/
U.S. Navy Blue Angels land at Wallops Flight Facility ahead of OC Air Show: PHOTOS
June 13, 2025 5:05 a.m. ET
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels arrived Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.
The Blue Angels will be performing at the Ocean City Air Show Saturday and Sunday.
https://www.delmarvanow.com/picture-gallery/news/local/maryland/2025/06/13/u-s-navy-blue-angels-land-at-nasas-wallops-flight-facility-photos/84174218007/
https://air.show/oceancity/
NASA’s SLS Rocket: Booster Separation Motors
Jun 12, 2025
NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters are the largest, most powerful solid propellant boosters to ever fly.
Standing 17 stories tall and burning approximately six tons of propellant every second, each booster generates 3.6 million pounds of a thrust for a total of 7.2 million pounds: more thrust than 14 four-engine jumbo commercial airliners.
Together, the SLS twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total thrust at launch. Each booster houses eight booster separation motors which are responsible for separating the boosters from the core stage during flight.
At the top of each booster is the frustum—a truncated cone-shaped structure that, along with the nose cone, forms the aerodynamic fairing.
This frustum houses four of the separation motors, while the remaining four are located at the bottom within the aft skirt.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-sls-rocket-booster-separation-motors/
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/artemis/
Far Out
Jun 12, 2025
Pismis 24, the star cluster seen here in an image released on Dec. 11, 2006, lies within the much larger emission nebula called NGC 6357, located about 8,000 light-years from Earth.
The brightest object in the picture was once thought to be a single star with an incredibly large mass of 200 to 300 solar masses.
That would have made it by far the most massive known star in the galaxy and would have put it considerably above the currently believed upper mass limit of about 150 solar masses for individual stars.
Measurements from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, however, discovered that Pismis 24-1 is actually two separate stars, and, in doing so, “halved” their mass to around 100-150 solar masses each.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/far-out/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/heavyweight-stars-light-up-nebula-ngc-6357/
NASA Sensor on Space Station Eyes Contamination off California Coast
Jun 12, 2025
An instrument built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to map minerals on Earth is now revealing clues about water quality.
A recent study found that EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) was able to identify signs of sewage in the water at a Southern California beach.
The authors of the study examined a large wastewater plume at the mouth of the Tijuana River, south of Imperial Beach near San Diego.
Every year, millions of gallons of treated and untreated sewage enter the river, which carries pollutants through communities and a national reserve on the U.S.-Mexico border before emptying into the Pacific Ocean.
Contaminated coastal waters have been known to impact human health — from beachgoers to U.S. Navy trainees — and harm marine ecosystems, fisheries, and wildlife.
For decades scientists have tracked water quality issues like harmful algal blooms using satellite instruments that analyze ocean color. Shades that range from vibrant red to bright green can reveal the presence of algae and phytoplankton.
But other pollutants and harmful bacteria are more difficult to monitor because they’re harder to distinguish with traditional satellite sensors.
That’s where EMIT comes in. NASA’s hyperspectral instrument orbits Earth aboard the International Space Station, observing sunlight reflecting off the planet below.
Its advanced optical components split the visible and infrared wavelengths into hundreds of color bands.
By analyzing each satellite scene pixel by pixel at finer spatial resolution, scientists can discern what molecules are present based on their unique spectral “fingerprint.”
Scientists compared EMIT’s observations of the Tijuana River plume with water samples they tested on the ground.
Both EMIT and the ground-based instruments detected a spectral fingerprint pointing to phycocyanin, a pigment in cyanobacteria, an organism that can sicken humans and animals that ingest or inhale it.
‘Smoking Gun’
Many beachgoers are already familiar with online water-quality dashboards, which often rely on samples collected in the field, said Christine Lee, a scientist at JPL in Southern California and a coauthor of the study. She noted the potential for EMIT to complement these efforts.
“From orbit you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven’t sampled,” Lee said. “It’s like a diagnostic at the doctor’s office that tells you, ‘Hey, let’s take a closer look at this.’”
Lead author Eva Scrivner, a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut, said that the findings “show a ‘smoking gun’ of sorts for wastewater in the Tijuana River plume.”
Scrivner, who led the study while at San Diego State University, added that EMIT could be useful for filling data gaps around intensely polluted sites where traditional water sampling takes a lot of time and money.
EMIT’s Many Uses
The technology behind EMIT is called imaging spectroscopy, which was pioneered at JPL in the 1980s. Imaging spectrometers developed at JPL over the decades have been used to support areas ranging from agriculture to forest health and firefighting.
When EMIT was launched in July 2022, it was solely aimed at mapping minerals and dust in Earth’s desert regions. That same sensitivity enabled it to spot the phycocyanin pigments off the California coast.
Scrivner hadn’t anticipated that an instrument initially devoted to exploring land could reveal insights about water.
“The fact that EMIT’s findings over the coast are consistent with measurements in the field is compelling to water scientists,” she said. “It’s really exciting.”
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/emit/nasa-sensor-on-space-station-eyes-contamination-off-california-coast/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725012392?via%3Dihub
https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/
ESA may be forced to axe or freeze planned missions amid proposed NASA budget cuts
12/06/2025 - 20:53 GMT+2
The European Space Agency (ESA) isn’t ruling out programme cuts or freezes if proposed budget cuts to the American space agency NASA are passed by the US Congress later this year.
NASA’s 2026 technical budget request, which was released last week, details possible cuts to 19 European space research programmes and could impact key technologies that ESA supplies to American Moon missions.
The bill still needs Congress’ approval, likely to come this autumn.
Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s director general, told journalists on Thursday that the council is “doing its homework” to analyse what the impacts of possible NASA budget cuts could be and how investments made by its member states could be “used in the most efficient way,” to respond.
Aschbacher assured that no cuts or cancellations were coming until the US "finalised" its position, but that no matter the decision made by Congress, ESA would be "ready" and "well-prepared" to react.
Which projects could be affected?
Carole Mundell, ESA’s director of science, said the agency had determined 19 research projects could be impacted by the proposed NASA budget cuts.
Mundell said ESA and its international partners could mitigate the damage to all but three of them: the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a space probe that measures gravitational waves, Envision, ESA’s first mission to Venus to measure its different atmospheres, and NewAthena, the world’s largest X-Ray observatory.
LISA and Envision have already been approved by the ESA council for funding, and NewAthena will come before the council but is expected to pass in 2027.
ESA also supplies NASA with certain key parts for the NASA-led Artemis missions that would see humans return to the surface of the Moon for the first time since the 1960s.
The ESA builds European Space Modules (ESMs) that provide electricity and oxygen to Orion, the spacecraft picked by NASA for the Artemis missions to the surface of the Moon.
The ESA is also in charge of the Argonaut, Europe’s lunar lander programme that would ultimately support these missions.
It is also contributing three key elements for Gateway, the first international space station to be built around the Moon.
The proposed NASA budget said that it will sustain funding for the Artemis II mission, scheduled for early 2026, and the Artemis III mission in 2027, but future missions would cancel the Gateway and retire Orion in the name of finding a more “sustainable and cost-effective” lunar exploration strategy.
Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA’s director of human and robotic exploration, said the agency continues to fulfill its Gateway and ESM contracts with NASA.
Even if cuts are approved, Argonaut and these European capabilities would still be used to support ESA missions, he added.
Preparing for Europe’s autonomy
Neuenschwander said ESA was now exploring with industry how some replacement technologies could be built in the EU.
For example, the NASA cuts target the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars Rover mission, an ESA programme that drills down to the surface of the Red Planet to dig up organic material for further scientific study.
NASA supplies three parts of the rover’s technology, including the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA), an astrobiology instrument that does the sample extraction, and an americium radioisotope heater unit (RHU) to power the vehicle.
Both technologies are not currently available to be produced in Europe, Neuenschwander said, but that engagement is starting to build them. The RHU in particular can also be used for future ESA lunar surface exploration missions, he added.
Neuenschwander said ESA could rely on other partners, like the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in the short term to supply technologies like the MOMA or RHU, but ultimately the goal is to build the necessary technology in Europe.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/06/12/esa-may-be-forced-to-axe-or-freeze-planned-missions-amid-proposed-nasa-budget-cuts
SpaceX launch of private Ax-4 astronauts postponed indefinitely due to leaky ISS module
June 12, 2025
The SpaceX launch of four private astronauts has been delayed again.
The Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) had been scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday morning (June 11), but a propellant leak in the booster nixed that plan.
And now, another leak — this one in Ax-4's destination — has further postponed the liftoff.
Cosmonauts recently detected a "new pressure signature" in the Zvezda service module, part of the Russian segment of the ISS, NASA officials announced in an update today (June 12).
This development isn't exactly a shock; this area first sprang a leak back in 2019, and cosmonauts have been dealing with it ever since, as the recent spot check shows.
The cosmonauts "sealed some additional areas of interest and measured the current leak rate," NASA officials wrote in the update. "Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure."
“The crew aboard the International Space Station is safely conducting normal operations," NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in an emailed statement. "We’re assessing this latest update and will provide additional information as available.”
Still, the agency and Axiom Space, the Houston company that organized Ax-4, decided that grounding the mission for now is the prudent course of action.
Doing so "provides additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary," NASA wrote in today's update, referring to Russia's space agency.
No new target launch date has been announced.
As its name suggests, Ax-4 will be Axiom's fourth crewed mission to (and from) the ISS. The roughly two-week-long flight will be commanded by record-breaking former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is now Axiom's director of human spaceflight.
The three other crew members are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Polish mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungarian mission specialist Tibor Kapu.
Nobody from India, Poland or Hungary has ever visited the ISS, so this trio will make history when Ax-4 is finally able to get off the pad.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-launch-of-private-ax-4-astronauts-postponed-indefinitely-due-to-leaky-iss-module
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=ax-4
Russian Space Agency Says It Fixed a Leak on Its Segment of Space Station, Ifax Reports
June 13, 2025, at 10:08 a.m.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Friday that a leak on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) had been repaired, the Interfax news agency reported.
NASA on Thursday indefinitely delayed a four-person crew's mission to the ISS over an escalating probe into air leaks aboard the orbiting laboratory's Russian segment.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-06-13/russian-space-agency-says-it-fixed-a-leak-on-its-segment-of-space-station-ifax-reports
Poland Is Preparing for Space Warfare Against Russia
June 13, 2025
With Ukraine’s military on the back foot and the Trump administration uncertain about its commitment to Europe, Poland is smart to expand as many of its capabilities as possible.
Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine has transformed the entirety of Europe. The Eastern European NATO members that are nearest to the fighting—and covertly involved in supporting Ukraine against Russia—are fast preparing for what they believe will be the inevitable next step by the Kremlin: an attack on NATO.
The largest and most powerful nation in this category is Poland, and Warsaw’s leaders believe that such an attack will be directed against them—perhaps a reasonable assumption, given the venomous relationship between the two countries and their centuries of mutual hostility.
Since the start of the Ukraine War, Warsaw has striven to enhance its defense capabilities, to modernize its existing forces, and to invest in new capabilities that will give it parity with the Russians.
Poland Is Leading a Revolution in Satellite Technology
One such system that Poland is deeply committed to is in the strategic high ground of space.
In 2023, the Polish government contracted the European aerospace firm Airbus to deliver two military reconnaissance satellites, which should be put into orbit by 2027.
Toward the end of 2024, Warsaw added onto this order by purchasing four microsatellites built on the Polish firm Creotech’s HyperSat platform—for the additional cost of $134 million.
The Creotech microsatellites are a particularly deft acquisition by Warsaw. Poland is a middle power with a substantial, but limited, defense budget.
Lacking the massive capacities of the United States, Russia, and China, medium-sized powers must depend more on cheaper, smaller satellites—microsatellites—to enhance their space warfare capabilities rather than waiting around to procure larger and more expensive systems.
Indeed, these four Creotech microsatellites are a perfect example of how a medium power can punch well above its weight in space.
The systems are intended to be placed in low-Earth orbit (LEO), allowing for an unblinking, reliable view of all points on the Earth below.
The satellites will further feature optical instruments capable of capturing and transmitting Earth imaging data in near-infrared and visible light bands.
Last year, Warsaw began operations of the newly-minted Geospatial Reconnaissance and Satellite Services Agency.
This agency will, as its name suggests, control Poland’s small but growing satellite capability. Specifically, it will coordinate the use of these satellites for critical military missions directed primarily against the Russians.
Where Poland Goes, the Rest of NATO Might Follow
All these moves are key to making Poland’s military a more effective and lethal combat force against a Russia that is both more belligerent than ever and increasingly combat-effective on the modern battlefield.
With Ukraine’s military on the back foot, and the Trump administration uncertain about its commitment to Europe—leaving in doubt the stability and future of Europe’s current security architecture—Poland is smart to expand as many of its capabilities as possible.
Space is where the wars of tomorrow will be won.
By having some advanced systems there, even if only for situational awareness and greater command-and-control purposes, Warsaw is giving its smaller force a greater chance to punch above their weight against Russia.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/poland-is-preparing-for-space-warfare-against-russia
Elon Musk Sounds Alarm Over International Space Station, Says It Should Be De-Orbited 'Within 2 Years'
June 13, 2025 8:07 AM
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has raised concerns about the safety of the International Space Station, or the ISS.
What Happened: "There are potentially serious concerns about the long-term safety of the International Space Station," Musk said in a post on the social media platform X on Friday.
He added that some of the ISS's components are getting "too old" and pose an increasing amount of risk as time goes by.
He also said that despite SpaceX earning billions of dollars through various missions involving transporting "astronauts and cargo" to the ISS, he would like to see it de-orbit.
"I nonetheless would like to go on record recommending that it be de-orbited within 2 years," Musk said.
Why It Matters: This isn't the first time Musk has sounded out calls to de-orbit the ISS. Earlier this year, he had echoed his present comments in a post on the social media platform X.
Elsewhere, SpaceX recently delayed the launch of its Ax-4 mission, which would transport 4 astronauts to the ISS. The company says it delayed the launch after there was a propellant leak in the boosters.
SpaceX also received a $2.5 trillion valuation projection from ARK Invest's Cathie Wood over the company's Mars ambition, as well as the Starlink space-based satellite internet system.
However, SpaceX's domination in the sector could prove to be a challenge for NASA and Pentagon officials, who have urged competitors, including Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, to expedite the development of alternative rockets.
The concerns come in as Musk had earlier threatened to cancel Dragon launches during the public falling out between him and U.S. President Donald Trump.
https://www.benzinga.com/news/space/25/06/45923417/elon-musk-sounds-alarm-over-international-space-station-says-it-should-be-de-orbited-within-2-years
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1933403255939510357
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1892621691060093254
Commonwealth and UN space agency partner for a new era of sustainable development
13 June 2025
The Commonwealth Secretariat and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) this week signed a joint declaration to maximise the solutions that space technology, innovation and collaboration offer.
The agreement covers not only climate and environmental resilience but also access to distance learning education opportunities, and equitable access to services.
It was the first declaration signed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, since taking office in April.
Secretary-General Botchwey reflected on the declaration as a practical and powerful statement of intent, she said:
“It signals our determination to ensure that outer space becomes a force for sustainable development here on Earth – and that no country, no community, is left behind.
“Together, we want to democratise access to space-based solutions – and unlock their potential for every country, including those with limited space infrastructure of their own.”
She noted in her remarks at the Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters, Marlborough House:
“I look forward to seeing the work that follows; work that places space technology at the heart of sustainable development, and the Commonwealth at the forefront of inclusive global innovation.”
UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini welcomed the stronger partnership with the Commonwealth. She said:
"UNOOSA is not here for glory, and we don't believe in isolated partnerships and silos, we are here to drive results.
Let the metrics we celebrate be farmers reached through drought advisories, schools and villages brought online, and youth-led start-ups that transform raw satellite pixels into prosperity and progress."
A thought-provoking panel discussion followed the signing ceremony with panellists representing national space agencies, AI innovators and the private sector.
Harshbir Sangha, Director of Missions & Capabilities at the UK Space Agency, spoke about his organisation’s long-time work with UNOOSA and the benefits of collaboration, especially on studies relating to climate impact and “how to bring it back to Earth”.
He shared sobering facts: “There are 400 million in India that are always at risk of flooding. That is five times the population of the UK at constant risk. Anything anyone does in space has benefits, and so we are always in favour collaboration.”
Kyle Whitehill, Avanti Space CEO, said that there are communities in the world that are being left behind because of the lack of reliable connectivity.
The company’s work with the banking sector in South Africa has been a revelation on the importance of connecting people to necessary services – through satellite technology.
In the past, South Africa was experiencing widespread scheduled power cuts and the banking sector signalled that, to prevent civil disorder, people would need to have access to financial transactions.
Without electricity, telecommunications are often affected. However, satellite-driven solutions allow banks to service people’s basic financial needs during those times. Mr Whitehill shared:
“When you lose power, you lose terrestrial connections and all data centres are gone and banking transactions go through data centres. There are significantly lower power requirements of satellite use.
“Today we have a fully resilient banking system, even with the complete loss of power.”
The panellists included: Lorant Czaran, Acting Head of Space Applications Section, UNOOSA; Alex Fortescue, Senior Manager, Africa Maxar Technologies; Atsushi Takata, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy, SpaceData Inc.; Will Marshal, CEO, Planet Labs; Nilesh Desai, Director, Space Applications Agency, India; and Vugar Bayramov, Adviser to Chairman, Azercosmos. The event was also attended by Commonwealth high commissioners and industry experts.
https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-and-un-space-agency-partner-new-era-sustainable-development
‘Atomic 66’ event makes space for space
June 13, 2025 | 12:46am MDT
On June 10-14, the City of Albuquerque is hosting “Atomic 66” — a multi-day, multi-location exhibition, conference and celebration for space lovers, regardless of their specialties.
“Atomic 66” includes scientists, entrepreneurs, historians, activists, artists, filmmakers and enthusiasts. The event served to bring the community together to celebrate New Mexico’s long and unique relationship with space.
The cornerstone event — the Space Fiesta — was held on June 11 at the Historic Lobo Theater. The event had music by a robot DJ, interactive art exhibits, speakers, performers and booths where various groups could share their work.
One booth featured was the University of New Mexico Cosmiac, a UNM student group associated with UNM’s engineering department, focused on engaging students with aerospace engineering projects and the UNM small satellites group.
“The Cosmiac is a good way to get students involved in space research. It’s basically a pipeline we’ve got going on,” Alex Ashcraft, a Cosmiac and Small Satellite group representative, said. “We’re always looking for more people.”
NewSpace Nexus, a non-profit aiming to connect space innovators and start-ups with investors and resources, was also in attendance. Their mission is best summed up by their motto “Unite and Ignite.”
“We have what we call a ‘New Space Igniter Program,’” Casey Anglada DeRaad, the CEO and founder of NewSpace Nexus, said.
“We work with about 25 companies per year, and we help them get from their concept, turn it into a product, then get to the point where they’re making money. Sometimes we say we’re a start-up helping start-ups.”
The New Mexico chapter of DarkSky also had a booth. DarkSky is dedicated to preserving the night sky and lessening light-pollution.
Light pollution can interfere with the navigation, migration with night animals and insects as well as interfere with human circadian rhythms.
Also tabling were The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, One Albuquerque and Space Valley — a non-profit seeking to expand and support New Mexico’s space industry.
Bryce Kennedy, the executive director of the Space Valley Foundation, spoke at the fiesta.
“Why space? The Earth is burning, the world is in peril. We’ve got all sorts of problems,” he said. “New Mexico has been a space state for over five thousand years.
The celestial creation stories, the hope, the aspiration and artistry and the spirituality — everything really stems from us looking up to the stars.”
Additionally featured was STEMarts, who were showcasing its augmented reality art project. By scanning QR codes scattered around the event, attendees could use their phone to see AR 3D-modeled art pieces.
Ian Harrison, a student educator with STEMarts, said that STEMarts aims to engage people in rural communities, specifically young women, with STEM and its connection to art.
“We pull a lot of younger women from Taos, Espanola and Pueblos and we teach them how to develop these skills,” Harrison said. “They provide the art, then it gets shown around the world, and they get to come and talk about it.”
Another featured art exhibit was a series of sculptures made by Tony Price. The sculptures, which were hung on the Lobo Theater wall, resembled faces and were made with salvage from Los Alamos Labs.
“It’s a conglomerate of the city coming together, being creative and experiencing something bigger than Albuquerque,” attendee and filmmaker Luis Ignacio Martinez, said.
Following the Space Fiesta is the Guild’s space-centric film festival on June 12, as well as various tech talks and networking events throughout Albuquerque.
https://www.dailylobo.com/article/2025/06/atomic-66-event-makes-space-for-space
https://www.atomic66.org/
Purdue’s ‘Jedi Council Room’ offers stunning campus view, study and meeting space
June 11, 2025 5:01 a.m.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Like the rest of the buildings at Purdue, Beering Hall, home of the College of Liberal Arts, is a cubical behemoth of dark-red brick.
Known for its narrow hallways and cramped classrooms, it would normally blend in with the rest of the campus’ south side — that is, if it weren’t for the bright white rotunda jutting out from its top floor.
The Vision 21 Conference Room, lovingly referred to by students as the “Jedi Council Room” for its futuristic shape, tall windows and dark interior that is reminiscent of the “Star Wars” franchise, projects a powerful view of Purdue’s campus.
And it’s a renowned attraction on campus. Purdue students often have one or two visits lined up on their bucket list.
“I’ve always seen it from the outside and I just figured I should finally come up here and check it out,” said Tyler Yen, a recently graduated master’s student who was exploring the room Tuesday afternoon. “It’s not bad.”
This is part of a new USA TODAY network project showcasing breathtaking and perhaps, underappreciated views throughout the United States.
These are some of the most beautiful landmarks, scenic vistas and hidden gems you can truly treasure in your area.
Interested in visiting or studying in the Jedi chambers? Here’s everything you need to know:
Where is it?
The Vision 21 Conference Room is in Room 7150 on the seventh floor of Beering Hall. Cramped at the end of the philosophy department’s long hallway of offices and meeting rooms, with black signs helpfully pointing the way.
When is it open?
It’s open and unlocked every weekday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Purdue’s booking website.
How do I reserve a time?
If you’re hoping to have a group study session, conduct a meeting or just hang out with friends in the Jedi Council Room, both Purdue affiliates and guests can reserve a designated time to use the room.
Unlike most of Purdue’s campus rooms, which are bookable on a platform available to only students, the Vision 21 Conference Room can be reserved for hourlong periods on Purdue’s public booking website at https://purdue.emscloudservice.com/web/.
When was it opened?
The Vision 21 Conference Room has been available for booking since Beering Hall was opened in 1993, according to the university’s alumni newsletter, The Alumnus.
At the time, promotional materials referred to it only as a “distinctive room for special meetings.” Apparently, administrators missed the Jedi similarities.
Since then, it’s been primarily used for staff meetings of the various liberal arts departments housed in Beering, according to The Alumnus.
What’s in there?
Save for a stunning view, there is unfortunately very little in the room compared to other conference rooms on Purdue’s campus.
Studiers should expect to have access only to a table, chairs and a power outlet. No screens or audio equipment are available for presentations.
What can you see from the room?
The view from the Vision 21 Conference Room stretches out over Purdue’s campus, facing east.
Sitting at the table in the center, Cary Quad Residence Hall and Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering are visible in the distance.
With the famous Bell Tower and WALC in the foreground, windows farther south can see over Memorial Mall and eventually historic University Hall, the oldest building on Purdue’s campus.
The room also has a direct view of Founders Park with Loeb Fountain in the center, directly south of Beering.
https://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/purdue/2025/06/11/purdues-jedi-council-room-offers-stunning-campus-view-study-space/83621490007/
https://www.space.com/astronomy/missing-link-star-why-this-teenage-vampire-white-dwarf-has-scientists-so-excited
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/adb0f1
Missing link star? Why this 'teenage vampire' white dwarf has scientists so excited
June 12, 2025
Astronomers have discovered the "missing link" connecting the death of sunlike stars to the birth of white dwarf stellar remnants, in the form of a "teenage vampire" white dwarf.
This vampire isn't interested in the blood that runs through your veins, though. The white dwarf in question, designated Gaia22ayj and located around 8,150 light-years from Earth, is ravenously feeding on stellar plasma from a companion star.
The team that made this discovery observed the white dwarf using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in California.
The researchers scanned the night sky over the Northern Hemisphere, hunting "transients" — astronomical bodies undergoing rapid change.
Gaia22ayj originally attracted the attention of astronomers with its rapidly pulsing signal, which led to it being classified as a detached double white dwarf binary — two white dwarf stars orbiting each other.
However, this theory didn't quite match further observations of Gaia22ayj, which revealed it to be one of the most extreme pulsating objects ever seen, increasing in brightness by 700% over just a 2-minute span.
That's because Gaia22ayj is actually a white dwarf feeding on a companion star, with this binary in a rare and short-lived phase of its life (or should that be death).
Know your dead stars
Stars die after they use up the fuel needed for nuclear fusion. What kind of death, and afterlife, they experience depends on their mass.
Stars with masses above eight times that of the sun die in violent supernova explosions and then become either highly dense neutron stars or black holes.
Stars with masses closer to that of the sun don't "go nova," instead undergoing more muted transformations into white dwarfs.
Our own sun will experience this latter transformation in around six billion years after shedding most of its mass during a swollen red giant phase, eventually sputtering out as a smoldering stellar ember.
However, around half of all stars with masses similar to that of the sun have a binary companion star. And, if their companion stars get too close, white dwarfs can get a second burst of life by stripping them of stellar material.
That vampiric mass transfer process is exactly what seems to be happening between the white dwarf of Gaia22ayj and its companion star.
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Gaia22ayj initially confused astronomers. The way that its light intensity varied over time — its light curve— made no sense for a detached double white dwarf binary.
This led Tony Rodriguez, a graduate student in the California Institute of Technology's ZTF Stellar Group, to question why the light curve would take the shape it did.
Gathering more data, Rodriguez and colleagues realized that Gaia22ayj is likely a white dwarf orbited by a "normal" low-mass star, not a second white dwarf.
And they further determined that Gaia22ayj is highly magnetic, with its white dwarf component spinning at a rapid rate.
This reminded them of a white dwarf pulsar, a highly magnetic dead star that sweeps electromagnetic radiation across the universe as it spins, like a cosmic lighthouse.
However, the vampiric feeding process found in Gaia22ayj isn't something usually associated with white dwarf pulsars.
The team eventually concluded that Gaia22ayj is a missing link in the life cycle of white dwarf pulsars, a rare and short-lived early phase of these objects.
"We have already seen two infant systems, white dwarf stars in a binary system whose rapid spin builds up a strong magnetic field.
And we had seen lots of adult star systems where the white dwarf star was spinning very slowly," Rodriguez said in a statement.
"But this was the first star we've seen that is right in the middle of its 'teenage' phase, when it has already established a strong magnetic field and is just beginning to funnel matter from the companion star onto itself," he added.
"We have never before caught a system in the act of spinning so rapidly but also slowing down dramatically, all while gaining mass from its companion."
This discovery is even more exciting because this phase lasts for just around 40 million years.
That might sound like an incredibly long period of time, but it's relatively short when considering that stars like the sun live for around 10 billion years before they even transform into white dwarfs.
Thus, this "teenage phase" accounts for just 0.4% of a star's lifetime. For context, if the star were an average human, this teenage phase would last just around 107 days.
Hardly enough time to paint your bedroom black.
"The data taken at the W. M. Keck Observatory provided firm evidence that this system had a strong magnetic field and was funneling matter onto the white dwarf," Rodriguez said.
"Additional data from the unique instruments available at Palomar Observatory showed that this system is, remarkably, slowing down."
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House appropriators advance defense bill, slam White House for budget delay
June 12, 2025
The House Appropriations Committee on June 12 approved a $831.5 billion defense spending bill for fiscal year 2026 in a 36-27 vote, advancing it to the House floor for further consideration.
The vote was marked by partisan divisions, with Democrats opposing the bill due to concerns about the lack of detailed budget justification from the administration and disagreements over specific provisions.
The committee took up the defense bill in a nine-hour markup session even as the Trump administration has yet to release detailed budget materials for fiscal 2026, drawing criticism from lawmakers who called the process fundamentally flawed.
The legislation, written by the committee’s defense subcommittee (HAC-D), maintains defense discretionary funding at the same level as fiscal 2025.
The White House has touted a 13% defense spending increase in its budget outline by including $113 billion from a pending reconciliation bill already passed by the House.
Space Force gets boost
The Space Force would receive $29 billion under the HAC-approved bill, a modest increase from $28.7 billion in 2025 but notably $2.7 billion more than the administration included in its “skinny” base budget proposal.
The funding boost from the HAC reflects growing congressional emphasis on space as a critical warfighting domain.
“Space, which we rely on as our ‘great enabler’ for critical capabilities — communication, navigation, and situational awareness — is a critical but still vulnerable domain,” said Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, during Thursday’s markup session.
Bipartisan pushback on process
The defense spending bill, which typically enjoys broad bipartisan support, faced resistance from committee members who argued it should not move forward without complete Defense Department budget justification materials.
Critics also opposed the bill for eliminating funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and reducing medical research and military construction projects.
The concerns echo similar criticism from Senate appropriators, who questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine during a Wednesday hearing.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Hegseth that using reconciliation to fund defense amounts to a “shell game” that avoids long-term defense investment commitments.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) called the budget delay by the Office of Management and Budget “historic” and “unacceptable” during a separate Thursday hearing.
Administration defends delay
Pressed by lawmakers to explain the holdup, Hegseth said the administration needed additional time to align the budget with President Trump’s priorities. He promised a detailed budget proposal would be available “soon” but provided no specific timeline.
The delay represents an unusual departure from typical budget cycles, where agencies submit detailed spending requests in February for the following fiscal year.
Space Force acquisition process
Beyond funding levels, the House bill includes directives aimed at streamlining Space Force acquisitions.
A committee report released June 10 calls for reorganizing space programs by “mission area” rather than individual program lines, and requiring procurement personnel to serve longer tours to develop deeper technical expertise.
“The issue of program manager technical competency is more critical than ever as defense systems and weapons platforms are more technologically complex than ever, such as with space systems,” the report states.
The proposed pilot program would create mission-focused offices with “responsibility, authority and accountability for the entire life-cycle of a mission, from system concept, through acquisition, development, fielding, and operational life.”
Examples of mission areas include missile warning, satellite communications, and position, navigation and timing systems.
The emphasis on space acquisition reflects the service’s unique budget profile, the HAC-D said.
“Unlike any other military service the vast majority of the Space Force’s budget is dedicated to acquisition, a trend that is expected to increase, especially to support Golden Dome,” the report noted, referring to the Trump administration’s missile defense initiative.
The committee directed that “senior leaders must focus more attention on developing and promoting guardians with technical expertise and acquisition experience” as space systems become increasingly central to military operations.
https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-advance-defense-bill-slam-white-house-for-budget-delay/
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20250612/118389/BILLS-119-FC-AP-FY2026-AP00-FY26DefenseFullCommitteeMark.pdf
Peterson Space Force Base back open after brief lockdown Thursday
Jun. 12, 2025 at 11:55 AM PDT
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Peterson Space Force Base is back open after going on a brief lockdown Thursday.
According to Space Base Delta One, a lockdown was initiated at around 11:30 a.m. “in response to a potential threat made by an individual.”
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called out to the base to assist with a “security threat.”
According to EPSO, an individual was having a mental health episode near the West Gate.
That person has been detained on a mental health hold. No further specifics were available about the incident as of this article’s last update.
Officials with Space Base Delta One said that the base’s North and East gates were back open as of 12:25 p.m.
https://www.kktv.com/2025/06/12/peterson-space-force-base-back-open-after-brief-lockdown-thursday/
https://www.petersonschriever.spaceforce.mil/spacebasedelta1/
>Mike Hunt
I get him confused with Mike Oxbigg, offspring of Anita Mann Tahuggenkiss and Adolf Oliver Busch.