TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 4, 2026
Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula
What’s looking back at you isn’t a cosmic eye, but Shapley 1, a beautifully symmetric planetary nebula. Shapley 1, also known as the Fine Ring Nebula or PLN 329+2.1, bejewels the southern sky constellation of the Carpenter's Square (Norma). The nebula is the result of a star near the mass of our Sun running out of fuel and shedding its outer layers. Glowing oxygen from those expelled layers makes up the circular halo. The bright central point is actually a binary: a white dwarf, the remaining stellar core after the outer layers are expelled into space, and another star, orbiting each other every 2.9 days. Shapley 1’s annular shape is due to our top-down view of the system and provides insight into the influence of central stars on planetary nebula structures.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4VcQPsyoEc
Pole Shift Deadly Radiation, Two Live Shows | S0 News and frens
Mar.4.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5AKP-qEvUA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXaYXGw7Kek (Thornews: Post Eclipse Storms on the way. Texas Oklahoma Kansas Missouri Louisiana.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roNZr_i8iOY (Sabine Hossenfelder: Surprise! Milky Way Might Not Have a Black Hole After All)
https://www.princeton.edu/news/2026/03/04/imap-opens-new-era-heliosphere-science-and-space-weather
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/meteor-sighting-fireball-blazes-across-numerous-states-south
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/suns-hidden-music-predict-space-weather-qtfh3lgbh
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sun-s-quietest-moments-matter-just-as-much-as-its-violent-outbursts-48767
https://x.com/schumannbot/status/2029195185268105541
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2029070269504233673
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/2028892290949738502
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/scn-upcoming-json-modifications-and-changes
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/service-change-notice-update
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
Planetary Defense Was Never Just About 3I/ATLAS — It Was About Readiness
March 3, 2026
A few months ago, when 3I/ATLAS was lighting up the headlines and dominating the algorithm, the phrase “planetary defense” suddenly felt urgent. Lawmakers were briefed.
Defense officials ran simulations. European and American agencies coordinated tabletop exercises. The public, at least briefly, was paying attention.
Now the public has moved on.
But the infrastructure hasn’t.
And neither have the strategic implications.
As tensions escalate in and around Iran — and as the United States continues to posture defensively against both overt and asymmetric threats from adversarial states — I believe we need to revisit something most commentators are missing.
Planetary defense was never just about an interstellar object. It was about readiness.
When we covered 3I/ATLAS, I emphasized that planetary defense is not science fiction policy. It is real doctrine, real funding, real simulations, and real military coordination.
The public framing focused on asteroids and interstellar debris. But from a legal and strategic standpoint, what those programs actually build is something broader: rapid-response infrastructure for unknown, high-velocity threats.
https://usaherald.com/planetary-defense-was-never-just-about-3i-atlas-it-was-about-readiness/
https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/comet-c-2025-r3-panstarrs/
https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/comets-c-2024-e1-wierzchos-and-c-2025-q3-atlas/
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/comet-3i-atlas-juice-janus
https://x.com/maiz_julio/status/2029044617153257576
extra Avi Loeb
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/the-benefits-and-costs-of-deviating-from-the-beaten-track-eac0e9601359
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/inspiration-from-the-stars-176e869ebf70
https://x.com/PaulOglesby999/status/2028793214631628814
https://x.com/bay_photography/status/2029040917324439860
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/nasa-strengthens-artemis-adds-mission-refines-overall-architecture/
other Artemis
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/
https://www.nasa.gov/event/artemis-iv/
https://www.nasa.gov/event/artemis-v/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-2/artemis-ii-whats-on-the-menu/
NASA Repairs Upper Stage Helium Flow, Preps Continue Ahead of Rollout
March 3, 2026 3:11PM
With NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have accessed the launch vehicle stage adapter to inspect components that prevented helium from flowing to the upper stage after a Feb. 21 wet dress rehearsal.
Engineers determined a seal in the quick disconnect, through which helium flows from the ground systems to the rocket, was obstructing the pathway.
The team removed the quick disconnect, reassembled the system, and began validating the repairs to the upper stage by running a reduced flow rate of helium through the mechanism to ensure the issue was resolved.
Engineers are assessing what allowed the seal to become dislodged to prevent the issue from recurring.
While the upper stage repair has been underway, technicians also have been working to refresh other systems on the rocket.
They are activating a new set of flight termination system batteries ahead of end-to-end retesting of the system and also are replacing the flight batteries on the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters, and charging the Orion launch abort system batteries.
Work to replace a seal on the core stage liquid oxygen line feed system began March 2. Once complete, teams will reassemble the oxygen tail service mast umbilical plate and perform various integrity tests to ensure the seal interface is tight.
Work on the rocket and spacecraft will continue in the coming weeks as NASA prepares for rolling the rocket out to the launch pad again later this month ahead of a potential launch in April.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/03/03/nasa-repairs-upper-stage-helium-flow-preps-continue-ahead-of-rollout/
https://x.com/NASAArtemis/status/2028926641825517892
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NASA Strengthens Artemis: Adds Mission, Refines Overall Architecture
Mar 03, 2026
To achieve the national goal of landing American astronauts on the surface of the Moon and maintaining U.S. superiority in exploration and discovery, NASA announced Feb. 27 it is increasing its cadence of missions under the Artemis program, standardizing the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket configuration, and adding a new mission.
The plans were shared during a news conference at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and included an update on the near-term mission, Artemis II. This update focused on the transportation systems to take crew to the Moon.
NASA’s latest architecture includes adding a new mission in 2027 to test system capabilities closer to home prior to sending astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and aims to achieve one lunar mission per year thereafter.
Standardizing SLS and other systems now will help NASA send astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole for the first time in 2028.
Specific details to achieve this new approach as well as other architecture updates are forthcoming as the agency remains focused on the Artemis II mission around the Moon as early as April, and reviews capabilities to support an increased mission cadence.
Here are the basics for the first five missions under the Artemis program:
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Artemis I: NASA successfully completed an uncrewed test flight of SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft in November 2022. This mission tested launching the rocket for the first time using new exploration ground systems and evaluated Orion systems not including astronauts or critical life support systems planned on the next mission.
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Artemis II: The test flight will be the first flight with crew aboard the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Following a successful wet dress rehearsal in February, NASA discovered a helium flow issue to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and rolled the rocket and spacecraft back to the Vehicle - Assembly Building for repairs. Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are currently working on the stacked SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to address the issue that required rollback, and teams also are taking the time to swap batteries and more. The next launch window opens in April. Crew members include NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen to venture on an approximately 10-day mission that will send the around the Moon and back.
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Artemis III: NASA added a new demonstration mission in low Earth orbit in mid-2027 to test one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin respectively. The mission will launch crew in Orion on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and private commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon. This test will take place with one or both providers.
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Artemis IV: NASA continues to target the first Artemis lunar landing in early 2028, which has been the target landing date since mid-2025. After launch, crew will transfer from Orion to a commercial lunar lander for transportation to the surface of the Moon. Lander readiness will determine which provider will safely carry them to the surface and back to Orion in lunar orbit before crew return home aboard Orion – splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Work to standardize the SLS rocket will be implemented for Artemis IV. With this architecture approach, NASA is assessing alternative options for the second stage of the rocket. The interim cryogenic propulsion stage used for the first three missions will be replaced with a new second stage, and the agency is no longer planning to use the Exploration Upper Stage or Mobile Launcher 2, as development of both has faced delays.
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Artemis V: Using the standardized configuration of the SLS rocket, NASA anticipates launching this lunar surface mission by late 2028, and future missions about once per year thereafter. This mission also is when NASA is expected to begin building its Moon base.
NASA continues to refine its architecture plans, and the agency will share more information about its approach to lunar exploration and crew assignments in the future.
As part of Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at the @a16z American Dynamism Summit with the builders, operators, and investors helping shape the next era of exploration.
NASA has a clear mandate under President Trump’s national space policy: Return American astronauts to the Moon by the end of 2028, build an enduring presence there, and ensure American leadership in the most important strategic domain.
Achieving that requires focus and disciplined execution.
In the weeks ahead, the Artemis II crew will travel around the Moon. It is the next step toward returning humans to the lunar surface and building a lasting presence there.
To reach that goal, we’ve recently made some changes to the Artemis program: Increasing launch cadence, standardizing hardware, and adding missions that allow us to test systems, reduce risk, and build confidence before landing.
This is the same approach that carried the United States from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo. In the 1960s we launched often, learned from every mission, and improved with each step forward. That is how you build real capability in deep space.
Yesterday, I also announced NASA Force, a new initiative with @USOPM to bring exceptional engineering and technical talent into NASA and help rebuild the core competencies that make missions like this possible.
We want to open the search far and wide to attract the best of the best and incentivize them to leverage their skills to maintain American superiority in space.
NASA changed the world in 1969 by concentrating the nation’s best talent on the hardest problems imaginable.
We are doing it again.
5:52 AM · Mar 4, 2026
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2029193360578166956
US Tech Force
@USTechForce
Introducing @NASA Force!
A new branch of Tech Force to recruit top engineers and technologists for mission-critical roles powering America’s space program.
Ready to solve the toughest challenges in exploration and aerospace? Applications open soon. Stay tuned.
7:13 AM · Mar 4, 2026
https://x.com/USTechForce/status/2029213526007710052
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/and-now-we-have-nasa-force/