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NASA's Isaacman to Newsmax: Trump 'Making Nuclear Great in Space'
Thursday, 18 December 2025 09:09 PM EST
Jared Isaacman, the newly confirmed administrator of NASA, told Newsmax on Thursday about the agency's commitment to nuclear propulsion, deep space exploration, and science.
"The president is doing a fantastic job of making nuclear great in space again," Isaacman told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "It's incorporated in his national space policy."
Isaacman explained the farther you get away from the sun, the less you can rely on it.
"When we go to the far side of the moon, or we send missions to Mars, we're going to need to be able to manufacture propellant for our spaceships in order to send them back home," Isaacman said.
"That's all going to rely on nuclear," Isaacman added. "Nuclear propulsion applications, it's how we take that next giant leap, and the president is already on top of it."
Isaacman said he understands criticism of the money NASA spends, but said, "we don't hit the pause button on progress."
"We still invest in building a brighter future that we want our children to grow up in, while also trying to solve for some of the real problems and hardships we have here on Earth," Isaacman said.
"When we focus on the ultimate high ground of space and try and unlock the secrets of the universe, it makes the planet better and inspires our kids to do even more."
Under President Donald Trump, NASA is committed to sending astronauts back to the moon, Isaacman said.
"America has had immense leadership in the high ground of space, from peaceful exploration towards our satellite constellations," Isaacman said.
"It's vitally important for scientific, economic, and national security reasons for the United States to get there first, establish that presence, and then we'll take the next giant leap and look towards Mars and beyond," Isaacman added.
"We just haven't been back [to the moon] in a really long time."
"But under President Trump's leadership, we're about to solve that problem," Isaacman continued. "American astronauts will return to the lunar environment on Artemis II in the very near future."
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/jared-isaacman-nasa-donald-trump/2025/12/18/id/1238926/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/trump-signs-sweeping-executive-order-aimed-at-ensuring-american-space-superiority
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/ensuring-american-space-superiority/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-launches-a-new-age-of-american-space-achievement/
Note To The NASA Workforce From Administrator Jared Isaacman
December 18, 2025
this was distributed internally at NASA. “As a pilot, astronaut, and lifelong space enthusiast, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as your 15th NASA Administrator.
I’m humbled by the chance to work alongside you – the greatest scientific and engineering minds this nation has to offer.” More below
We’re the most respected and accomplished space agency in the world, with a multitude of historic, daring accomplishments.
Under President Trump’s leadership, we will turn the page and start a bold new chapter at NASA with a relentless focus on our mission:
America will lead in the ever-expanding high ground of space, and we will never come in second place.
We will accelerate existing plans to the greatest extent possible, return American astronauts to the Moon, and establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface.
We will ignite a thriving space economy to build a future that necessitates multiple space stations, a lunar base, and establish deep space capabilities to deliver on President Trump’s vision of American astronauts planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars.
NASA will become a force multiplier for science through building new partnerships with industry and academic institutions to increase the rate of world-changing discoveries.
There will be challenges. We face a great competitor determined to outpace our ambitions, and not always through the lens of peaceful exploration.
To succeed, we must concentrate all of our talent and resources on achieving the near-impossible – what no one else is capable of accomplishing.
We will embrace a culture of ownership, urgency, and smart risk-taking, because some risks, like reaching the worlds beyond our own, are worth taking.
We will liberate our brightest minds from needless bureaucracy and empower them to move fast and shock the world through discovery.
NASA was never meant to be the caretaker of history … but to make history.
I look forward to discussing this with all of you tomorrow at an agencywide town hall. More information on timing will be coming soon.
Thank you, and let’s get to work!
Boldly Forward,
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/note-to-the-nasa-workforce-from-administrator-jared-isaacman/
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/isaacman-town-hall-open-or-closed/
The National Space Council is Dead Again
December 18, 2025
according to today’s Executive Order “The National Space Council is dead (again) per today’s Executive Order: “Sec. 4. Rescission.
(a) This order supersedes Executive Order 14056 of December 1, 2021 (The National Space Council), which is hereby revoked.”
(2021) – Executive Order 14056-The National Space Council
(2017) – NASA Statement on National Space Council: “I am pleased that President Trump has signed an executive order reestablishing the National Space Council.”
https://nasawatch.com/trumpspace/the-national-space-council-is-dead-again/
https://govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202101015/html/DCPD-202101015.htm
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-statement-on-national-space-council/
Space Station Research Supports New FDA-Approved Cancer Therapy
Dec 18, 2025
NASA opens the International Space Station for scientists and researchers, inviting them to use the benefits of microgravity for private industry research, technology demonstrations, and more.
Today, half of the crew’s time aboard station is devoted to these aims, including medical research that addresses complex health challenges on Earth and prepares astronauts for future deep space missions.
Supported by knowledge gained from space station experiments, researchers at Merck Research Labs received approval in September from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new injectable version of a medication used to treat several types of early-stage cancers called pembrolizumab, also known by its brand name KEYTRUDA.
The development of the injectable formula has been supported by research efforts aboard the space station through the ISS National Laboratory, resulting in reduced treatment times while maintaining its efficacy.
Originally, the treatment was delivered during an in-office visit via infusion therapy into the patient’s veins, a process that could take up to two hours. Initial delivery improvements reduced infusion times to less than 30 minutes every three weeks.
The newly approved subcutaneous injectable form takes about one minute every three weeks, promising to reduce cost and significantly reduce treatment time for patients and healthcare providers.
Since 2014, Merck has flown crystal growth experiments to the space station to better understand how crystals form, including the monoclonal antibody used in this cancer treatment.
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that help the body fight diseases. This research focused on producing crystalline suspensions that dissolve easily in liquid, making it possible to deliver the medication by injection.
In microgravity, the absence of gravity’s physical forces allows scientists to grow larger, more uniform, and higher-quality crystals than those grown in ground-based labs, advancing medication development and structural modeling.
Research aboard the space station has provided valuable insights into how gravity influences crystallization, helping to improve drug formulations.
The work of NASA and its partners aboard the space station improves lives on Earth, grows a commercial economy in low Earth orbit, and prepares for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/space-station-research-supports-new-fda-approved-cancer-therapy/
Spectacular sight captured over France is NASA Science Calendar Image of the Month
12/19/2025
NASA Science Calendar Image of the Month is a sprite over Château de Beynac, France. Sprites are short-lived. They last only a few milliseconds.
So, witnessing and capturing one is a big deal. Images of these transient events are helping scientists understand more about how and why they form.
Sprites fall under a larger category of events called Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). TLEs are brief but powerful light emissions generated by thunderstorms.
They occur above thunderstorms and are unlike the lightning we commonly see. Lightning usually occurs across clouds or from clouds to the ground.
Sprites, like the one seen above the Château de Beynac, are the most common TLEs.
However, they are not events you come across every day because of how high in the atmosphere they occur and how short-lived they are.
They occur at about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface and last only a few milliseconds.
Sprites are usually red or reddish-orange in color. Their elusive and unpredictable nature is similar to that of the fairies (called sprites) in European folklore.
This is the rationale for their name. Sprites have a distinctive appearance, but slight differences in their appearance differentiate them into three categories: jellyfish, column, and carrot sprites.
The other known TLEs include gigantic jets, blue jets, halos, and ELVEs (Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources).
There is still a lot that is unknown about these events. Images like this one provide scientists with more data to work with in the study of TLEs.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Spectacular-sight-captured-over-France-is-NASA-Science-Calendar-Image-of-the-Month.1188926.0.html
NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Post-Flight News Conference
Dec. 19, 2025
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim recaps his eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
After logging 245 days aboard the orbital laboratory, Kim returned to Earth on Dec. 9, 2025.
During his mission, he contributed to a wide range of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBx5t3Hi8s
https://www.c-span.org/event/news-conference/nasa-astronaut-jonny-kim-discusses-eight-month-space-station-mission/439009
Expedition 74 Advancing Space Health and AI Research on Station
December 18, 2025
The Expedition 74 crew’s research schedule was filled with biomedical duties and artificial intelligence on Thursday to promote crew health and spark innovation on and off the Earth.
Spacesuit tailoring and advanced science hardware maintenance rounded out the day for the seven residents aboard the International Space Station.
Flight Engineer Chris Williams of NASA began his day collecting his blood and urine samples, processing them, then stowing them in a science freezer for later analysis.
He also swapped out a sensor-packed Bio-Monitor vest and headband for a dry set and began a second day of health monitoring for the long-running CIPHER human research study.
Doctors will examine his biomedical samples after they are returned to Earth and analyze his downlinked heart and lung activity to understand how microgravity is affecting his body.
Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev took turns testing a voice-based artificial intelligence system that records crew members vocally documenting their activities for more efficient reporting.
The cosmonauts also each spent an hour in a quiet portion of the station wearing noise-reducing headphones for a computerized hearing test and responding to pre-programmed tones.
Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) spent his shift working on a pair of scientific instruments supporting a variety of experiments ranging from biology to physics.
He started inside the Kibo laboratory module and set up a biology research imaging system that uses luminescence to observe tissues and genes in microgravity for deeper insights into disease mechanisms.
Next, he moved into the Destiny laboratory module and powered on the KERMIT fluorescence microscope to image flat liquid crystal films to help engineers design advanced screen displays for touchpads and instrumentation panels.
Station Commander Mike Fincke of NASA spent most of his day working on spacesuits in the Quest airlock. Fincke began his shift adjusting the length of the arms and legs on one spacesuit.
Next, Fincke practiced installing emergency jet packs on the spacesuits with assistance from Williams and Yui.
The jet pack, officially called Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue, or SAFER, is attached to the back of the spacesuit and enables a spacewalker to safely maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they become untethered from the orbital outpost.
NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman worked primarily on computer and life support maintenance throughout Thursday.
Cardman first worked in the Columbus laboratory module setting up a laptop computer and adjusting its settings so it can run specialized science experiment software.
Afterward, she worked in the Tranquility module replacing atmospheric cleaning components that remove harmful contaminants from the air, such as ammonia, that can cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation.
Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov worked throughout Thursday inside the station’s Roscosmos segment servicing a variety of life support equipment ensuring the orbital outpost operates in tip-tip shape.
Platonov spent the first half of his shift replacing atmospheric monitoring hardware in the Zvezda service module and filling a water processing assembly tank.
After lunchtime, the first-time space flyer cleaned the ventilation system inside the Nauka science module.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/12/18/expedition-74-advancing-space-health-and-ai-research-on-station/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmBbcNTUkOg (Step Inside the International Space Station (POV Tour))
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4743-4749: Polygons in the Hollow
Dec 18, 2025
Earth Planning Date: Friday, Dec. 12, 2025
The weekend drive starting from the “Nevado Sajama” drill site brought Curiosity back into the “Monte Grande” boxwork hollow.
We've been in this hollow before for the “Valle de la Luna” drill campaign, but now that the team has seen the results from both the “Valle de la Luna” and “Nevado Sajama” drilled samples, we've decided that there’s more work to do here.
Overall science goals here included analysis of the other well-exposed bedrock block in Monte Grande to improve our statistics on the composition of the bedrock in the hollows, and also high-resolution imaging and compositional analysis of portions of the walls of the hollow, other than those that had been covered during the Valle de la Luna campaign. These are part of a systematic mini-campaign to map a transect over the hollow-to-ridge structure from top to bottom at this site.
The post-drive imaging revealed a surprise — Valle de la Luna’s neighboring block was covered with polygons!
As it turned out, the rover's position during our previous visit for the Valle de la Luna drill campaign happened to have stood in the way of imaging of the polygonal features on this block so this was our first good look at them.
We have seen broadly similar polygonal patterns in various strata in Gale Crater before — recently in the layered sulfate units (for instance, during Sols 4532-4533 and Sols 4370-4371) but we hadn't seen them in the bottom of a boxwork hollow.
Interestingly, this block looks more rubbly in texture than many of the previously observed polygon-covered blocks.
We're interested in the relationship of the visibly protruding fracture-filling material here to fracture-filling materials seen in previous polygons, and also in the relationship of the polygonal surface on top to the more chaotic-appearing exposures lower on the block, and to the equivalent strata in the nearby wall of the hollow.
We therefore planned a super-sized MAHLI mosaic that will support three-dimensional modeling of the upper and lower exposed surfaces of the polygon-bearing block.
Several APXS and ChemCam LIBS observations targeted on the polygon centers and polygon ridges were also planned, to measure composition.
Meanwhile, Mastcam has been busy planning stereo images of the nearby hollow wall in addition to the various blocks on the hollow floor.
The hollow also included freshly exposed light-toned material from where the rover had driven over and scuffed some bedrock, so another APXS measurement and a ChemCam LIBS went to the scuffed patch to measure the fresh surface.
We'll be driving on Sol 4748. As we drive we'll be taking a MARDI “sidewalk” observation, to image the ground beneath the rover as we approach the wall for a closer view, and hopefully some contact science in next week's plans.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4743-4749-polygons-in-the-hollow/
Dense Fog over Northern India
Dec. 18, 2025
Dense fog can be seen over Northern India in this true color corrected reflectance image captured on Dec. 18, 2025, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra satellite.
The image shows the fog as a large patch of low white clouds across the region. The dense fog is expected to last the next few days and can cause near-zero visibility conditions, resulting in transportation issues across the region including road, railway, and air travel.
In the winter months, this area often encounters this type of dense fog, known as radiation fog. Radiation fog forms at night when there are cool ground temperatures, low wind speeds, and ample moisture in the air.
Visit Worldview to visualize near real-time imagery and historical imagery from NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS); find more imagery in our Worldview weekly image archive.
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/worldview-image-archive/dense-fog-over-northern-india
https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/
NASA Instrument Reveals New Ability to Gather Nighttime Light Data
December 18, 2025
NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution instrument, or TEMPO, is known for measuring trace gases like nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and formaldehyde in the air we breathe. Now TEMPO has a new trick. It can see in the dark.
Since launching in 2023, TEMPO data has set a record at the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) for most mission data downloads by users in a single year – more than 2 million gigabytes.
Located at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, ASDC provides mission data to the public. The TEMPO instrument requires daylight for its primary mission, collecting trace gases.
But researchers have been testing a new capability: using the instrument to observe nighttime lights.
Low-light spectroscopic observations of the Earth at night are providing researchers unique insights into the composition of nighttime lights and their effects on people’s daily lives.
City lights, nightglow, aurorae, moonlit clouds, gas flares, and lightning are all examples of what TEMPO can observe after the sun sets.
This additional capability is the topic of a study recently published in the American Geophysical Union’s Earth and Space Sciences Journal.
Researchers at Carr Astronautics Corporation collaborated with NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which oversees daily operations of the TEMPO instrument, to demonstrate the value in TEMPO’s nighttime light data.
The study’s findings have implications for energy usage and light pollution, specifically their impacts on wildlife and human health.
For example, TEMPO can help us understand a community’s levels of blue light, which is associated with the disruption of circadian rhythms.
Additionally, TEMPO’s newly discovered night-vision capabilities show potential for developing future operational sensors tailored to analyzing both city lights and moonlight for use in disaster monitoring and response at night, and weather forecasting.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/science-news/2025/12/18/nasa-instrument-reveals-new-ability-to-gather-nighttime-light-data/
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024EA004157
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/spherex/nasas-spherex-observatory-completes-first-cosmic-map-like-no-other/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26600-spherexs-first-all-sky-map
NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory Completes First Cosmic Map Like No Other
Dec 18, 2025
Launched in March, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky in 102 colors.
While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, including how a dramatic event that occurred in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang influenced the 3D distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe.
In addition, scientists will use the data to study how galaxies have changed over the universe’s nearly 14 billion-year history and learn about the distribution of key ingredients for life in our own galaxy.
“It’s incredible how much information SPHEREx has collected in just six months — information that will be especially valuable when used alongside our other missions’ data to better understand our universe,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky, each one in a different wavelength and containing unique information about the objects it sees.
I think every astronomer is going to find something of value here, as NASA’s missions enable the world to answer fundamental questions about how the universe got its start, and how it changed to eventually create a home for us in it.”
Circling Earth about 14½ times a day, SPHEREx (which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) travels from north to south, passing over the poles.
Each day it takes about 3,600 images along one circular strip of the sky, and as the days pass and the planet moves around the Sun, SPHEREx’s field of view shifts as well.
After six months, the observatory has looked out into space in every direction, capturing the entire sky in 360 degrees.
Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission began mapping the sky in May and completed its first all-sky mosaic in December.
It will complete three additional all-sky scans during its two-year primary mission, and merging those maps together will increase the sensitivity of the measurements. The entire dataset is freely available to scientists and the public.
“SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It’s a phenomenal example of how we turn bold ideas into reality, and in doing so, unlock enormous potential for discovery.”
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Superpowered telescope
Each of the 102 colors detected by SPHEREx represents a wavelength of infrared light, and each wavelength provides unique information about the galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features therein.
For example, dense clouds of dust in our galaxy where stars and planets form radiate brightly in certain wavelengths but emit no light (and are therefore totally invisible) in others.
The process of separating the light from a source into its component wavelengths is called spectroscopy.
And while a handful of previous missions has also mapped the entire sky, such as NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, none have done so in nearly as many colors as SPHEREx.
By contrast, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope can do spectroscopy with significantly more wavelengths of light than SPHEREx, but with a field of view thousands of times smaller.
The combination of colors and such a wide field of view is why SPHEREx is so powerful.
“The superpower of SPHEREx is that it captures the whole sky in 102 colors about every six months.
That’s an amazing amount of information to gather in a short amount of time,” said Beth Fabinsky, the SPHEREx project manager at JPL.
“I think this makes us the mantis shrimp of telescopes, because we have an amazing multicolor visual detection system and we can also see a very wide swath of our surroundings.”
To accomplish this feat, SPHEREx uses six detectors, each paired with a specially designed filter that contains a gradient of 17 colors.
That means every image taken with those six detectors contains 102 colors (six times 17). It also means that every all-sky map that SPHEREx produces is really 102 maps, each in a different color.
The observatory will use those colors to measure the distance to hundreds of millions of galaxies.
Though the positions of most of those galaxies have already been mapped in two dimensions by other observatories, SPHEREx’s map will be in 3D, enabling scientists to measure subtle variations in the way galaxies are clustered and distributed across the universe.
Those measurements will offer insights into an event that took place in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang.
In this moment, called inflation, the universe expanded by a trillion-trillionfold. Nothing like it has occurred in the universe since, and scientists want to understand it better.
The SPHEREx mission’s approach is one way to help in that effort.
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Betelgeuse and the Crab Nebula: Stellar Death and Rebirth
Dec 19, 2025
What happens when a star dies? In 2019, Betelgeuse dimmed in brightness, sparking speculation that it may soon explode as a supernova.
While it likely won’t explode quite yet, we can preview its fate by observing the nearby Crab Nebula.
Betelgeuse is easy to find as the red-hued shoulder star of Orion. A variable star, Betelgeuse, usually competes with the brilliant blue-white
Rigel for the position of the brightest star in Orion. Betelgeuse is a young star, estimated to be a few million years old, but due to its giant size, it leads a fast and furious life.
This massive star, known as a supergiant, exhausted the hydrogen fuel in its core and began to fuse helium instead, which caused the outer layers of the star to cool and swell dramatically in size.
Betelgeuse is one of the few stars for which we have any detailed surface observations, due to its vast size – somewhere between the diameters of the orbits of Mars and Jupiter – and its relatively close distance of about 642 light-years.
Betelgeuse is also a “runaway star,” with its remarkable speed possibly triggered by a merger with a smaller companion star.
If that is the case, Betelgeuse may actually have millions of years left! So, Betelgeuse may not explode soon after all, or it might explode tomorrow! We have much more to learn about this intriguing star.
The Crab Nebula (M1) is relatively close to Betelgeuse in the sky, in the nearby constellation of Taurus.
Its ghostly, spidery gas clouds result from a massive explosion; a supernova observed by astronomers in 1054! A backyard telescope allows you to see some details.
Still, only advanced telescopes reveal the rapidly spinning neutron star found in its center: the last stellar remnant from that cataclysmic event.
These gas clouds were created during the giant star’s violent demise and expand ever outward to enrich the universe with heavy elements like silicon, iron, and nickel.
These element-rich clouds are like a cosmic fertilizer, making rocky planets like our own Earth possible. Supernovae also send out powerful shock waves that help trigger star formation.
In fact, if it weren’t for a long-ago supernova, our solar system – along with all of us – wouldn’t exist!
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/night-sky-network/betelgeuse-and-the-crab-nebula/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K3_uNPJ1D8
Let the Water Quality Information Flow with NASA STREAM
Dec. 19, 2025
When harmful algal blooms threaten public health or fish populations decline unexpectedly, water managers need answers fast.
NASA's Satellite-based analysis Tool for Rapid Evaluation of Aquatic environMents (STREAM) delivers answers by transforming satellite imagery into detailed water quality data across entire regions.
Traditional water quality monitoring often relies on field measurements that provide snapshots of conditions at specific locations and times.
STREAM revolutionizes this approach by leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery to deliver 20–30 meter resolution monitoring capabilities in near real-time.
This online data tool allows users to track indicators for assessing the health of water bodies by providing data on parameters including chlorophyll-a concentration, Secchi disk depth, and total suspended solids.
STREAM also offers historical data dating back to 2018 for select regions, enabling researchers and water managers to identify trends and assess long-term changes in aquatic environments.
In February 2025, NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) will offer a two-part live online training that guides participants through STREAM's capabilities, from web tool navigation to data discovery and download.
Guest instructors William Wainwright and Ryan O’Shea from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will co-lead the sessions.
The no-cost training is open to the public and is recommended for water resource managers, public and private water utilities, natural resources conservation organizations, fisheries, and aquaculture organizations. Learn more about this training and how to register.
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/let-water-quality-information-flow-nasa-stream
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/trainings/monitoring-water-quality-lakes-coastal-regions-using-stream
Earth from Space: Manicouagan crater
19/12/2025
This week Earth from Space features a wintery image: a red and white sphere that, if seen from a distance, resembles a festive decoration.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution.
The ‘bauble’ in question is actually the Manicouagan crater in the Canadian province of Quebec. Visible from space, this round structure was formed by a giant asteroid impact some 214 million years ago.
The anular reservoir, with René-Levasseur Island at its centre, is some 700 km north-east of Quebec City. Sometimes referred to as the ‘eye of Quebec’, it spans 72 km from east to west, while the asteroid that caused the impact is thought to have been 5 km in diameter.
The reservoir, also known as Manicouagan lake, was created in the 1960s as part of a hydroelectric project to provide hydropower across the province. The Manicouagan river is visible at the bottom of the image as it leaves the reservoir.
This false-colour image was captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2. The instruments on board the Sentinel-2 satellites are high-resolution multispectral imagers with 13 spectral bands. They provide high-resolution images to within 10 m.
In this image, the white is actually snow. Frozen lake water – visible across the image if you zoom in, particularly on René-Levasseur Island – is shown in blue.
The area’s thick vegetation, shown in red, includes boreal forest and tundra that are part of a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/12/Earth_from_Space_Manicouagan_crater
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex adds drone show to holiday celebration
Fri, December 19, 2025 at 5:39 AM PST
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is celebrating the holidays this season with a special NASA-themed drone show as part of their annual Holidays in Space.
From Dec. 21 until Dec. 30, the complex is staying open until 7 p.m. to showcase its "out of this world" Christmas lights and decorations.
"A lot of times people have been here or they know about it in this part of Florida, but a lot's changed," said Russell Bruhn, senior communications manager. "This is the latest thing."
The brand new Holidays in Space Drone Show Spectacular features more than 600 drones.
The show's highlights include a countdown, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) blasting off, a message from the International Space Station, and festive NASA logos.
The 10-minute show starts nightly at 6:50 p.m. in the rocket garden.
"So we really hope families can kind of enjoy a unique tradition that you can only see here," said Bruhn. "600 drones telling the space story of NASA with the holiday twist to it."
The drone show, featuring drones by Nova Sky Stories, is included with admission, however a premium viewing opportunity on top of the Gateway building is available.
Guests can purchase the add-on for $55 per person. A discount is available for annual passholders. The upgraded experience is offered evenings Dec. 26 until Dec. 30.
Bruhn said he hopes to see families not only enjoy the park this holiday season, but leave with inspired kids who were wowed by the drones.
Tickets are available for purchase online beginning at $77 per adult and $67 per child.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/kennedy-space-center-visitor-complex-133904638.html
https://www.floridatoday.com/videos/tech/science/space/2025/12/18/kennedy-space-center-nasa-holidays-in-space/87838258007/
https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/57efeccc9c8957467329c0c65d34e467/The-Kennedy-Space-Center-Visitor-Complex-Kicks-Off-its-Holidays-at-the-Kennedy-Space-Center-Florida/
New NASA director donating annual salary to Alabama space attraction
Dec. 19, 2025, 9:00 a.m.
New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is donating his salary to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp.
Isaacman announced his donation in a letter thanking President Donald Trump for his nomination and the U.S. Senate for his confirmation.
“I will donate my salary as Administrator to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp to help prepare the pioneers of tomorrow,” he wrote in the letter that was shared on the Space & Rocket Center’s Facebook page.
Isaacman’s NASA salary has not been announced but the role typically pays about $200,000 a year.
The 42-year old e-commerce mogul founded a payment processing firm Shift4 Payments in 1991.
The company went public in 2020 and now processes payments for a third of U.S. restaurants and 40% of hotels across the country.
Isaacman is worth an estimated $1.2 billion.
Isaacman cited his time as a camper at Space Camp during his confirmation hearing earlier this month, saying it was where he got his start. He led the world’s first all-civilian space mission to orbit the earth.
“We are aware of his generous support and are deeply grateful he has chosen to donate his administrator salary to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for our Space Camp programs,” Patricia Ammons, Space & Rocket Center senior director of communications told AL.com.
“This, along with his donation for the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex, now nearing completion, will help us transform the future of our camp programs for the thousands of children who attend from around the world each year.
“As you know, Jared came to our Aviation Challenge camp at 12 and credits the experience with helping shape his future,” Ammons said. “He mentioned that in his hearing and previously.
We are so proud to have him as part of our Space Camp alumni family, and we know he is going to do great things for NASA and America’s space program.”
Isaacman donated $15 million to the Space & Rocket Center earlier this year for the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex and seed money for a fourth dormitory for Space Camp students.
In 2022, he made a $10 million donation to begin the Inspiration4 project, which is named for the all-civilian mission to orbit he led. The Inspiration4 three-day mission flew in September 2021.
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2025/12/new-nasa-director-donating-annual-salary-to-alabama-space-attraction.html
Watch South Korean startup Innospace attempt its 1st-ever orbital launch today
December19, 2025
South Korean startup Innospace is set to attempt its first orbital launch today (Dec. 19), and you can watch the action live.
Liftoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST (2000 GMT; 5 p.m. local time) from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil.
Innospace's Hanbit-Nano rocket will aim to insert five small satellites for customers from Brazil and India into a 186-mile-high (300 kilometers) orbit and mark a first for a private Korean company.
Watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of Innospace, or directly via the company. Coverage will begin at 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT).
"Hanbit-Nano has been successfully rolled out from the integration facility and transported to the launch pad ahead of liftoff. Preparations for the Spaceward mission are right on track," Innospace said Wednesday (Dec. 16) in a post on the social media platform X.
The 57-foot-tall (17.3 meters) rocket is designed to be able to launch 198 pounds (90 kilograms) into a sun-synchronous orbit from Brazil.
The rocket's first-stage hybrid engine burns paraffin and liquid oxygen while the upper stage uses methane and liquid oxygen or paraffin and liquid oxygen, depending on its configuration.
SPACEWARD | Mission UpdateWeather needs a bit more time. 🌧️⏳
Due to unfavorable weather conditions at the launch site, including rain and wind, the launch time has been moved by two hours.
Updated Launch Time• Dec. 19, 17:00 (BRT)• Dec. 20, 05:00 (KST)• Dec. 20, 01:30…December 19, 2025
Innospace CEO Kim Soo-jong told Space.com at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia, in October that the company was established in 2017 and employs 260 people.
"All of our technology is developed by ourselves. The engineers are Korean, and the development is fully indigenous," Kim said.
"Korea has built an ecosystem to develop a launch vehicle. We work with more than 100 supply-chain companies in South Korea," he added.
Kim said Innospace is very focused on the global market. "We already have around 14 contracts with global satellite companies."
A lot is riding on this first launch. Kim said that Hanbit-Micro, an advanced model of Hanbit-Nano that can carry 375 pounds (170 kg) to orbit, is set to begin commercial flights early next year, should all go according to plan.
Today's launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday (Dec. 17), but Innospace pushed it back two days to replace a part in the cooling system of the rocket's first stage.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/south-korea-innospace-first-orbital-launch-attempt-spaceward
https://x.com/innospacecorp/status/2002057633814200574
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqGZ1mS5FC0
A SpaceX Starlink satellite is tumbling and falling out of space after partial breakup in orbit
December 19, 2025
One of SpaceX's Starlink broadband internet satellites suffered an anomaly in orbit on Wednesday (Dec. 17) and is now plunging toward Earth.
The mishap led to a loss of communication with the Starlink spacecraft, which was orbiting at an altitude of 260 miles (418 kilometers), according to the company.
In addition, "the anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km [2.5 miles], and the release of a small number of trackable low relative velocity objects," representatives of Starlink, a company that's owned by SpaceX, said in an X post on Thursday morning (Dec. 18).
That description suggests that the Starlink satellite's propulsion tank may have ruptured or suffered some other type of damage.
SpaceX is working with NASA and the U.S. Space Force to keep tabs on the newly liberated pieces of space debris, the post continued, stressing that there's not much to worry about.
"The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise within weeks. The satellite's current trajectory will place it below the @Space_Station, posing no risk to the orbiting lab or its crew," Starlink representatives wrote.
"As the world’s largest satellite constellation operator, we are deeply committed to space safety," they added. "We take these events seriously.
Our engineers are rapidly working to root cause and mitigate the source of the anomaly and are already in the process of deploying software to our vehicles that increases protections against this type of event."
The Starlink megaconstellation is by far the largest ever assembled. It currently consists of nearly 9,300 active satellites, meaning that SpaceX operates about 65% of all the functional spacecraft zipping around our planet.
And that number is growing all the time. SpaceX has launched 122 Starlink missions this year alone, sending more than 3,000 of the satellites to low Earth orbit.
Starlink satellites have a design lifetime of about five years, and SpaceX deorbits each one intentionally before it conks out in orbit.
The company has taken other steps to mitigate the space-junk threat posed by the megaconstellation as well.
For example, Starlink spacecraft avoid potential collisions autonomously, an ability they put into practice quite often:
In the first six months of 2025, Starlink satellites conducted about 145,000 evasive actions — an average of about four per spacecraft per month.
There's no guarantee that every satellite operator is quite so responsible, however.
Last week, for example, a satellite recently deployed by a Chinese rocket gave a Starlink spacecraft a close shave, apparently without providing the proper warning ahead of time.
"As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed, resulting in a 200-meter close approach between one of the deployed satellites and STARLINK-6079 (56120) at 560 km altitude.
Most of the risk of operating in space comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators — this needs to change," Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, said via X on Dec. 12.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/a-spacex-starlink-satellite-is-tumbling-and-falling-out-of-space-after-partial-breakup-in-orbit
https://twitter.com/Starlink/status/2001691802911289712
>Secretary of State
Flags out?
Why Space Force flags are now flying in Alabama
Dec. 18, 2025, 3:20 p.m.
A new flag will be waving high across Alabama for the next few days.
The U.S. Space Force flag will be flown high at state rest areas and welcome centers to honor the birthday of the U.S. Space Force, Dec. 20, 2019.
It will be flown with a “weeklong, statewide show of support,” from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, according to a press release from the office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
“The U.S. Space Force is a critical branch of our military with a serious mission, and it deserves to be recognized as such.
Alabama understands the importance of defending our nation in every domain, leading in space development and setting the pace for innovation,” Ivey said.
“We are honoring the men and women carrying out this great mission and marking the Space Force’s birthday with the respect it has earned by displaying the Space Force flag statewide. Alabama is proud to fly it.”
The governor’s office is working with the Alabama Department of Transportation to display the flags to welcome travelers to Alabama during the busy holiday season.
The six-year-old organization trains and equips space professionals for forces like Space Command. Space Command’s headquarters will be at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
According to the Department of War, U.S. Space Force is responsible for organizing, training and equipping space professionals for the military. U.S. Space Command uses joint forces from the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Space Force to accomplish its mission of protecting and defending America’s space domain.
https://www.al.com/news/2025/12/why-space-force-flags-are-now-flying-in-alabama.html
CSO delivers birthday message to Guardians
Dec. 19, 2025
Over the last six years we’ve been in a sprint to build a world-class, modern, and combat-ready force. This was only possible because of you, our Guardians.
Each of you has had a pivotal role in forging a stronger, more resilient, and more capable Space Force for the nation.
This has been a year of tremendous growth in how we perform our vital missions across the globe. Here are just a few of the highlights that each of you enabled in 2025.
November saw the 100th space launch this year from the Eastern Range – our first time crossing the triple-digit threshold at Cape Canaveral in a single year – with Team Vandenberg close behind.
In July, over 700 Guardians across 55 locations exercised with the Joint Force and our allies during Resolute Space 25.
We supported countless global military operations including airstrikes in the Middle East, naval transits of contested waters, homeland defense, and humanitarian relief.
Our advanced capabilities provided precision navigation, intelligence, electronic warfare, situational awareness, and more – and I know you’re ready for whatever 2026 brings.
We also delivered cutting-edge systems to boost our capability and global reach.
These include the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS) to replace the 30-year-old SPADOC and enhance Space Domain Awareness, revolutionary GPS satellites, upgraded missile warning systems, new launch vehicles, and Tranche 1 of our Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
Because Guardians enable everything we do, we’ve invested in your readiness and training as well.
2025 brought new training and education opportunities for officers, enlisted, and civilians spanning military fundamentals, acquisitions, leadership, strategy, and technical areas to help Guardians reach their full potential throughout their careers.
We also refined our career development processes, started issuing our own unique Service Dress and PT uniforms, and began selecting Guardians for part-time positions. You are all part of building the service we need, today and in the future.
Finally, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all our Guardians who will be working long hours throughout the holidays.
I know this creates stressors for units and families, and on behalf of a grateful nation, I deeply appreciate your sacrifice and dedication.
With the help of Guardians everywhere, we are forging the service the Joint Force and our nation demand – built on solid foundations, strong partnerships, and global reach.
I’m incredibly proud of our achievements, and I’m honored to celebrate this birthday with you as one team, dedicated to one mission: securing our nation’s interests, in, from, and to space.
Semper Supra!
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4365080/cso-delivers-birthday-message-to-guardians/
Trump signs record US war budget with $800 million for Kiev
19 Dec, 2025 00:44
US President Donald Trump has signed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, approving a record $901 billion in military spending while allocating $800 million in funding for Kiev over the next two years.
The bill, which sets Pentagon priorities for fiscal year 2026, authorizes roughly $8 billion more than the administration originally requested and marks the largest defense budget in US history.
It includes funding for weapons procurement, troop pay, and major defense initiatives championed by Trump.
The Ukraine funding – $400 million per year under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative – amounts to a fraction of the overall package, representing less than 0.09% of total defense spending.
Unlike direct transfers from existing US stockpiles, USAI funds are used to pay American defense companies to manufacture and procure new weapons and military equipment for Kiev.
The allocation comes amid renewed scrutiny of Kiev following a major corruption scandal that has shaken the country’s leadership.
Prosecutors recently uncovered a $100 million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector, which relies heavily on Western financial support.
The investigation reportedly implicated close associates of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, prompting the resignation of senior officials and fueling criticism in Washington over continued aid.
In addition to Ukraine aid, the law authorizes a nearly 4% pay raise for US service members, funds new ships, aircraft, and missile systems, and places new restrictions on certain US investments linked to China.
It also backs Trump’s push to reshape the Pentagon, codifying elements of his executive orders aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and funding the proposed Golden Dome missile-defense system.
The bill contains provisions related to Europe beyond Ukraine, including support for the Baltic Security Initiative and limits on the Pentagon’s ability to significantly reduce US troop levels on the continent.
These measures were included despite Trump’s repeated criticism of European NATO members for relying too heavily on Washington.
The legislation also reflects growing congressional scrutiny of recent US military operations in the Caribbean.
One clause withholds part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until lawmakers receive unedited footage and orders related to strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels.
Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington should no longer pour vast sums of taxpayer money into Ukraine, insisting that his administration is instead pushing for a negotiated settlement with Russia.
Moscow has condemned continued Western military support for Kiev, calling it one of the root causes of the conflict and a barrier to a ceasefire.
https://www.rt.com/news/629683-trump-us-military-budget/
Russia hands over remains of more than 1,000 soldiers to Ukraine – senior official
19 Dec, 2025 09:48
Moscow has transferred to Kiev the bodies of 1,003 killed Ukrainian soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky reported on Friday.
The repatriation was part of humanitarian agreements approved earlier this year during direct negotiations in Istanbul, the official said. Russia for its part received 26 bodies of slain troops from Ukraine.
Over a dozen similar operations were reported in 2025, each involving a disproportionately large number of returned Ukrainian remains. On three occasions, the transfers were unilateral.
Military observers say the figures confirm that military casualties suffered by the sides in the Ukraine conflict are strongly in Russia’s favor, even if the fact that Russian forces are advancing and recover more bodies from the battlefield is taken into account.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned earlier this week that the pace of advancement could increase, having accumulated knowledge on how to best deal with Ukrainian fortifications and enjoying an increasingly decisive advantage in capabilities and strength.
During his Q&A session on Friday, Putin said Russia seized the strategic initiative after repelling the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Region earlier this year, and will keep pushing back Ukrainian forces in multiple directions.
https://www.rt.com/russia/629727-remains-ukraine-russia-troops/
Russia ready to ‘compromise’ on Ukraine – Putin
19 Dec, 2025 16:30
The ball is in the court of the Kiev regime and its European sponsors, the president has said
Russia is ready for negotiations and a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, however the ball is now with Kiev’s Western backers, President Vladimir Putin has said.
Ukraine and several west European countries rejected US President Donald Trump's roadmap, which Moscow said broadly reflected agreements reached during talks in Anchorage, to resolve the conflict.
The roadmap included Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations and dropping territorial claims.
At his end-of-year live Q&A session on Friday, Putin praised Trump’s “serious and sincere efforts” to end the conflict and dismissed claims that Russia rejects his peace proposal as “incorrect and baseless.”
“At our meeting with President Trump in Anchorage, we reconciled positions and largely agreed on his proposals. Therefore, to say that we reject anything is absolutely incorrect and has no basis,” Putin asserted.
“We were asked to make certain compromises. When I arrived in Anchorage, I said these would be difficult decisions for us, but we agreed [to them].”
The president stressed that “the ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents – above all the leaders of the Kiev regime and their European sponsors.”
We are ready both for negotiations and for ending the conflict through peaceful means.
Russian officials have said Kiev’s Western backers are blocking peace efforts by adding clauses to Trump’s roadmap that Moscow considers “unacceptable.”
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Western Europe of exploiting the Ukraine conflict “to scheme against the US and all those who seek a just settlement.”
While the Kremlin has criticized “megaphone diplomacy” and kept details of the peace process under wraps, media reports say a Russian delegation is expected in Florida this week for another round of negotiations.
https://www.rt.com/russia/629766-putin-russia-compromise-ukraine/