Thanks Bakes.
https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-extraordinary-event-photo-storms-red-sprites-from-iss-astronauts/
NASA shares photos of an extraordinary event witnessed by astronauts on the space station
03-08-2026
While most people witness only the familiar crack of thunder and flash of lightning from storms on Earth, brilliantly-colorful electric fireworks detonate much higher, in the thin air up to 55 miles overhead, easily seen from the ISS.
These brief spectacles – blue jets, red sprites, violet halos, ultraviolet rings – are collectively known as transient luminous events, or TLEs.
For decades, they eluded systematic study, appearing only in pilots’ anecdotes and the occasional lucky photograph.
The International Space Station (ISS) has changed that by offering an unobstructed seat above the storms, where specialized cameras and sensors capture every fleeting spark.
Piece by piece, researchers are discovering that what happens in this hidden layer can rattle radio transmissions, affect aircraft safety, and even tweak the chemistry of the upper atmosphere.
Storm laboratory bolted to the ISS
The centerpiece of this sky-watching mission is the Atmosphere–Space Interactions Monitor. ASIM, built by the European Space Agency, has clung to an external ISS platform since 2018.
Its job: watch Earth and record flashes smaller than a fingernail and shorter than a heartbeat.
The monitor’s high-speed cameras and photometers have already delivered more than scientists hoped.
Data show that certain lightning-like discharges at the crest of a thundercloud can pump electromagnetic energy into the ionosphere and ignite an enormous ring of ultraviolet light called an ELVES.
These rings can boost ionospheric charge for hundreds of miles, potentially disrupting long-distance radio signals.
ASIM has also catalogued ultra-brief corona discharges – bursts so short that ground-based instruments often miss them.
By timing and analyzing these coronas, researchers are beginning to understand how a cloud’s upper regions prime the pump for full-blown lightning.
Strange “red sprites” phenomenon
A mysterious phenomenon known as “red sprites” randomly occur in the mesosphere, hanging like upside-down jellyfish for a scant ten milliseconds. Blue jets spear from cloud tops toward the stratosphere with eerie, silent urgency.
Both events happen so fast and high that capturing their details was nearly impossible. Yet ASIM can spot them from orbit.
One study used its footage and ground instruments to pinpoint the altitude of a single blue jet. This confirmed that these upward bolts really do punch beyond the weather layer we know.
Those measurements feed directly into storm-charging models, which in turn inform aviation guidelines about where dangerous electrical fields might lurk.
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ISS crew films storms from orbit
The ISS cupola – the seven-window observation dome often featured in astronaut selfies – has become part of the scientific toolkit.
Through ESA’s Thor-Davis experiment, ISS crewmembers attach a state-of-the-art camera behind the glass and capture distant storms at up to one hundred thousand frames per second.
The resulting slow-motion movies reveal electrical filaments proliferating in ways textbooks never predicted.
By capturing lightning’s split-second branching in vivid detail, Thor-Davis helps scientists validate laboratory plasma tests against real-world events.
More practically, the footage might one day improve the algorithms that warn power-grid operators when severe lightning threatens transmission lines.
Catching invisible lightning pulses
Lightning’s hidden drama is not limited to visible colors. Some strikes trigger terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, pulses of radiation energetic enough to dowse an airliner in a brief surge equivalent to a chest X-ray.
To map these invisible hazards, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency worked with university partners to release Light-1 from the ISS.
Though no larger than a loaf of bread, the CubeSat carries detectors fine-tuned to high-energy photons.
As Light-1 records flashes over equatorial storm systems, researchers plan to line up its timestamps with global lightning networks on the ground.
Over time, this will help build a three-dimensional atlas of where gamma-ray flashes fire most often.
Storms mess with signals
At first glance, a sprite or ELVES ring might seem like nothing more than meteorological curiosity – a sky-high cousin of the aurora.
Yet these flashes erupt in the same charged layers that carry radio waves and relay signals to submarines. Disturb those layers and communications can fade or fail without warning.
For airlines, understanding when and where blue jets or gamma-ray flashes appear adds another layer of safety planning on polar or equatorial routes.
Scientists also care about climate. TLEs and corona discharges shuffle nitrogen oxides and other chemicals between atmospheric strata, altering ozone chemistry and radiative balance.
Incorporating this vertical mixing into climate models can tighten predictions of future warming.
Lightning trackers get upgrades
With the ISS likely to operate through the decade, ASIM and its successors will continue collecting a library of once-invisible storm events.
Engineers envision next-gen detectors that trigger automatically, record faster, and span a broader spectrum- from radio to hard X-ray.
CubeSats like Light-1 could multiply into a fleet, feeding real-time alerts to weather agencies and satellite operators whenever a gamma flash or mega-sprite erupts.
Above all, the space station shows that to grasp Earth’s weather, one must sometimes look down from above. Each orbit adds a few more frames to lightning’s hidden movie reel.
Those frames bring us closer to predicting – and perhaps mitigating – the electrical surprises that storms fling toward the edge of space.
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From Cabbages to Countdowns: NASA Marks 100 Years of Modern Rocketry
Mar 09, 2026
Snow covered the ground that Tuesday morning 100 years ago, when a college professor and his wife took a morning drive to the family farm a few miles south in Auburn, Massachusetts. Along for the ride, the couple brought two work colleagues — and “Nell.”
They may not have known it at the time, but thanks to Nell, the four New Englanders were about to attend an auspicious birth.
Some eleven feet tall and weighing a mere 10 pounds, Nell was a contraption of the professor’s invention. He had devised, constructed, and tested Nell methodically, incrementally, over the course of many, many years.
That snowy morning at Aunt Effie’s farm, the professor’s assistant took a blowtorch to Nell.
Moments later Nell ascended. The gangly apparatus climbed 41 feet high and landed in a cabbage patch 60 yards away.
The entire journey took less than three seconds, but March 16, 1926, had just become the date of the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket flight, and Dr. Robert Goddard had just become a father of modern rocketry.
“It looked almost magical as it rose, without any appreciably greater noise or flame, as if it said, ‘I’ve been here long enough; I think I’ll be going somewhere else, if you don’t mind,’” Goddard wrote in his journal the next day.
The idea of a liquid-fueled rocket was not new. Others around the world had been pondering theory and sketching designs for years:
Liquid propellant would offer greater thrust control than solid fuel, but the benefit accompanies tricky challenges, like how to pressurize and control the rate of fuel mixture.
Goddard, who filled Nell up with a blend of gasoline and liquid oxygen, became the first in the world to build and successfully launch such a rocket.
Recognition was slow to arrive — ridicule came faster. In 1920, The New York Times opined that Goddard’s work in rocketry and his suggestion that such a device could reach the Moon was “a severe strain on credulity”:
How could a rocket function in a vacuum with no air to push against, the newspaper accused. “Of course [Goddard] only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.”
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today, and the reality of tomorrow.
Rocketry Pioneer
But Goddard pressed on, refining and retooling his rockets over the years.
At the dawn of the Space Age and with Esther Goddard championing her late husband’s work (Robert Goddard died in 1945), the true significance of the Clark University professor’s work became clearer.
NASA named its first new complex the Goddard Space Flight Center in his honor in 1959. Liquid-propelled rocketry has been the backbone of spaceflight ever since.
A century after Goddard’s first launch, NASA’s Artemis II mission is poised to bring astronauts around the Moon for the first time since 1972.
The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will take them there is 30 times taller and half a million times heavier than Nell — but still liquid-fueled, just as Goddard predicted and pioneered, 100 years ago in a snowy field next to a cabbage patch.
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/from-cabbages-to-craters-nasa-marks-one-century-of-modern-rocketry/
NASA Valkyrie humanoid robot built for Mars research returns to US after 10 years
Mar 09, 2026 05:33 AM EST
A humanoid robot developed by NASA for future Mars missions is set to return to the United States after spending a decade at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Named Valkyrie, the 1.8-metre-tall machine weighs about 275 pounds (125 kilograms) and is one of only three prototypes in the world.
Inspired by Norse mythology, the robot supported humanoid robotics research before returning to Johnson Space Center in Texas for further development and future planetary missions.
“Hosting NASA Valkyrie at the University of Edinburgh was a rare privilege at a time when humanoid robots were not commercially available and only a handful of research prototypes existed worldwide,” said Vladimir Ivan, a former student at the University of Edinburgh who worked on Valkyrie, and is now Chief Technical Officer at a robotics start-up, Touchlab, based in Edinburgh, in a statament.
NASA robot progress
The humanoid robot Valkyrie was among the most advanced robots of its kind when it arrived at the University of Edinburgh in 2016 as part of a research collaboration with NASA.
Developed to support future missions to Mars, the robot was envisioned to perform early deployment tasks and maintain infrastructure on the Red Planet before astronauts arrive.
Valkyrie features a human-like design that allows it to operate in spaces built for people or undertake dangerous tasks in environments unsuitable for humans.
Its hardware includes Series Elastic Actuators and a range of sensors that enable safe physical interaction with people while maintaining balance and precision.
When first delivered, Valkyrie could walk on flat surfaces and perform basic actions, such as grasping and manipulating objects.
Over the past decade, researchers have enhanced its capabilities through artificial intelligence and machine learning to help the robot better understand and respond to its surroundings.
Scientists improved its walking stability, manipulation skills, and sensor-based perception, enabling it to navigate more complex environments.
The research focused on helping Valkyrie adapt to changing conditions, traverse uneven terrain, and quickly connect visual information with physical actions for real-world robotic operations.
NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot helped shape modern robotics, with its architecture influencing Apptronik’s Apollo robot, now moving humanoids from research labs into industry and future space missions.
Human-robot collaboration
Hosting the NASA Valkyrie humanoid robot at the University of Edinburgh provided researchers with a rare opportunity at a time when humanoid robots were not commercially available and only a few experimental systems existed worldwide.
The platform enabled scientists to advance fundamental research in mobility and stability, helping shape the development of modern humanoid robotics while training a new generation of roboticists.
Valkyrie’s presence also contributed to Edinburgh’s emergence as a leading robotics hub, supporting world-class research, thought leadership, and a growing ecosystem of robotics innovation and startups.
https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/nasa-valkyrie-humanoid-robot-returns-to-us
Space 11 Appoints Former NASA Chief Scientist James L. Green to Its Global Space Advisory Board
March 9, 2026
Space 11 announces the appointment of James L. Green as Strategic Advisor and member of the Space 11 Global Space Advisory Board.
Dr. Green served at NASA for decades, including as NASA Chief Scientist and previously as Director of the Planetary Science Division. In those roles, he helped define NASA’s scientific strategy, oversaw planetary exploration programs, and contributed to shaping modern deep-space and Mars exploration initiatives. He is widely recognized for aligning long-term scientific vision with structured, executable missions of global relevance.
At Space 11, Dr. Green will provide high-level strategic advisory guidance to the Founder, senior management and Board of Directors, ensuring that the company’s space-driven initiatives are grounded in scientific accuracy, historical context, and the latest technological and exploratory discoveries.
Dr. Green joins Bert Ulrich, who is already serving as Executive VP of Production to Space 11. Ulrich spent more than 25 years at NASA, where he led the agency’s film and television collaborations and served as NASA’s official liaison to Hollywood. At Space 11, Ulrich supports the company’s strategic positioning and productions, helping ensure that visionary space concepts are aligned with real-world science and credible aerospace standards.
The company has also previously announced the involvement of former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as advisor for the feature film, I See You, currently in pre-production. The project aims to become the first feature film in history with approximately 85% of its final edited footage shot in real zero-gravity conditions. Space 11 was founded by producer and entrepreneur Andrea Iervolino, whose international productions involve Academy Award-winning filmmakers, globally recognized talent, and complex production frameworks. Among his work are Ferrari (2023), Lamborghini (2022) and To the Bone (2017).
misfire
Space 11 Appoints Former NASA Chief Scientist James L. Green to Its Global Space Advisory Board
March 9, 2026
Space 11 announces the appointment of James L. Green as Strategic Advisor and member of the Space 11 Global Space Advisory Board.
Dr. Green served at NASA for decades, including as NASA Chief Scientist and previously as Director of the Planetary Science Division.
In those roles, he helped define NASA’s scientific strategy, oversaw planetary exploration programs, and contributed to shaping modern deep-space and Mars exploration initiatives.
He is widely recognized for aligning long-term scientific vision with structured, executable missions of global relevance.
At Space 11, Dr. Green will provide high-level strategic advisory guidance to the Founder, senior management and Board of Directors, ensuring that the company’s space-driven initiatives are grounded in scientific accuracy, historical context, and the latest technological and exploratory discoveries.
Dr. Green joins Bert Ulrich, who is already serving as Executive VP of Production to Space 11. Ulrich spent more than 25 years at NASA, where he led the agency’s film and television collaborations and served as NASA’s official liaison to Hollywood.
At Space 11, Ulrich supports the company’s strategic positioning and productions, helping ensure that visionary space concepts are aligned with real-world science and credible aerospace standards.
The company has also previously announced the involvement of former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as advisor for the feature film, I See You, currently in pre-production.
The project aims to become the first feature film in history with approximately 85% of its final edited footage shot in real zero-gravity conditions.
Space 11 was founded by producer and entrepreneur Andrea Iervolino, whose international productions involve Academy Award-winning filmmakers, globally recognized talent, and complex production frameworks.
Among his work are Ferrari (2023), Lamborghini (2022) and To the Bone (2017).
James Green stated: “Space 11 represents an ambitious and innovative platform at the intersection of science and media. I look forward to contributing my experience to help align the company’s initiatives with the realities and opportunities of modern space exploration.”
Andrea Iervolino, Founder, President and Chief Inventor Officer of Space 1, stated: “From the beginning, our vision has been to merge aerospace innovation with cinematic ambition in a way that is not speculative, but scientifically grounded. Bringing someone like James into Space 11 means strengthening the intellectual and scientific foundation of everything we build.
His decades at NASA ensure that our projects are informed by real knowledge, allowing us to transform visionary ideas into executable initiatives.”
Bert Ulrich commented: “We are thrilled to welcome former NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green to Space 11 as an advisor.
His leadership on missions to Mars and beyond, along with his work supporting films such as The Martian and Project Hail Mary, brings an essential layer of scientific credibility and authenticity to our projects.”
https://www.citybiz.co/article/815490/space-11-appoints-former-nasa-chief-scientist-james-l-green-to-its-global-space-advisory-board/
https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/news/local/no-agreement-so-colorados-lawsuit-over-us-space-command-move-to-alabama-advances/525-af94e009-4d03-48ab-b3f8-623b00a91622
Colorado, Trump administration stand firm as lawsuit over US Space Command move advances
Updated: 9:59 AM CDT March 9, 2026
DENVER, Colorado — Colorado's federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama is moving toward full litigation, after both sides filed a joint status report Friday revealing they cannot agree on how to proceed — setting up what could be a contentious battle over discovery.
The filing, submitted March 6 in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, lays out sharply divergent positions on next steps in the case, with Colorado pushing to begin gathering evidence immediately and federal defendants seeking to pause proceedings until they can move to dismiss the lawsuit.
What the Filing Shows
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser argues the case should move forward on an aggressive timeline, with the parties submitting a scheduling order by March 16 and completing litigation by fall 2026.
The state says Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a scheduling order without delay, and that the administration's stated intent to file a motion to dismiss is not sufficient grounds to pause discovery.
"The mere fact that some Defendants intend to move to dismiss some claims on ripeness or standing grounds, similar to what they argued (and lost) on the preliminary injunction, is not grounds for delay," Colorado's attorneys wrote in the filing.
The state also pointed to a February 2026 interview in which President Trump appeared to directly link federal actions against Colorado to the prosecution of Tina Peters, a former county clerk convicted of tampering with voting equipment.
Trump stated Colorado is "suffering a big price" and threatened, "they better let her out fast" — remarks Colorado argues confirm the political retaliation at the heart of its lawsuit.
Defendants Want to Wait
Federal attorneys, representing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and more than a dozen other cabinet officials and agencies, say the court should hold off on any scheduling or discovery obligations until after they file a partial motion to dismiss — currently set for March 27.
Defendants argue the court cannot order discovery until it first confirms it has subject-matter jurisdiction, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment.
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They contend that until the court rules on standing, ripeness and other jurisdictional questions, neither party nor the court will know the actual scope of the case.
"Until that time, neither the Parties nor the Court will know the actual scope of the case moving forward (such as which Defendants remain)," federal attorneys wrote.
Defendants also asked the court, if it wants more argument, to allow each side to file separate five-page briefs — rather than the combined status report format used Friday — and said they would welcome a hearing with a virtual option.
Background
Colorado filed the lawsuit Oct. 29, 2025, alleging the Trump administration's decision to move USSPACECOM from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., constitutes unconstitutional political retaliation against the state for its use of universal mail-in ballots.
The state amended its complaint in January, adding defendants including the secretaries of Defense, Transportation, Agriculture, Energy, Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the heads of FEMA, the Department of Justice and the National Science Foundation.
The relocation would move approximately 1,000 jobs to Alabama at a cost potentially reaching billions of dollars. Defense Secretary Hegseth traveled to Redstone Arsenal in December for a ceremony officially designating the Alabama site as the new headquarters.
The case has drawn a notable local split: both the Colorado Springs City Council and El Paso County commissioners voted earlier this year to support an amicus brief opposing the state's legal action, with area business leaders arguing the litigation prolongs uncertainty and puts national security at risk.
What's Next
The court has not yet ruled on how to proceed. The key near-term dates are:
March 16 — Colorado's proposed deadline for a scheduling order
March 27 — Defendants' deadline to file at least a partial motion to dismiss
Colorado's attorneys also flagged that discovery is likely to be contentious, noting that in a separate related case, courts ordered expedited discovery that revealed the administration had omitted key documents from the administrative record on constitutional claims.
The state said it expects "extremely aggressive deliberative process redactions" from the administration in this litigation as well.
The White House has maintained throughout that the Space Command relocation is a merit-based national security decision and has given no indication it intends to pause the transition while the lawsuit proceeds.
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This Startup Wants to Mine Bitcoin in Space — and It Could Launch This Year
March 9, 2026
TLDR
Starcloud, backed by Nvidia, plans to launch Bitcoin mining ASICs on its second spacecraft later in 2026
CEO Philip Johnston says Bitcoin ASICs cost about $1,000 per kilowatt vs $30,000 for GPUs, making them far cheaper to run
Starcloud filed with the FCC to operate 88,000 satellites for orbital data centers powered by solar energy
Johnston says all Bitcoin mining will eventually move to space due to energy demands on Earth
Bitcoin mining difficulty has dropped 7% from its November record, giving current miners slight relief
US startup Starcloud says it will put Bitcoin mining hardware into orbit later this year, which would make it the first company to mine Bitcoin in space.
CEO Philip Johnston made the announcement in a video interview with HyperChange on Thursday, then confirmed it on X over the weekend.
Johnston said the company plans to place Bitcoin mining ASICs — application-specific integrated circuits — on its second spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch later in 2026.
Starcloud was founded in early 2024. Its goal is to build data centers in space to meet rising energy demands from artificial intelligence.
In November 2025, the company launched a satellite carrying an Nvidia H100 GPU into orbit. It was the first time a GPU that powerful had operated in space.
Johnston later revealed one of five GPUs on that satellite had been unresponsive before launch. The company has also filed a request with the FCC to operate a constellation of 88,000 satellites.
Its data centers are primarily powered by solar energy.
Why ASICs Make More Sense in Space Than GPUs
Johnston says Bitcoin mining hardware is a better fit for space operations than AI GPUs, mainly because of cost.
“A 1-kilowatt B200 chip, it might cost $30,000. A 1-kilowatt ASIC is like $1,000,” he said. That makes ASICs roughly 30 times cheaper per kilowatt than GPUs.
He argued that Bitcoin’s current energy use — around 20 gigawatts continuously — makes it impractical to keep all mining on Earth long-term.
Still, Johnston acknowledged the economics of space-based Bitcoin mining are not yet proven. Mining profitability can drop quickly as newer, more efficient rigs come to market.
Another company, Intercosmic Energy, has also been working on Bitcoin mining in space, so Starcloud is not alone in pursuing this idea.
Bitcoin Mining Context
Bitcoin’s price has fallen nearly 48% from its high of $126,080 reached on October 6, 2025, which has squeezed mining profit margins.
However, mining difficulty has dropped 7% from a record 155.9 trillion units in November to around 145 trillion, giving miners some breathing room.
Separately, entrepreneurs Jose and Carlos Puente have proposed a system to send Bitcoin transactions to Mars using optical links and a new interplanetary timestamping system.
They say actual Bitcoin mining on Mars would not be feasible due to signal latency between the planets.
Starcloud’s second spacecraft launch, which will carry the Bitcoin mining ASICs, is planned for later in 2026.
https://coincentral.com/this-startup-wants-to-mine-bitcoin-in-space-and-it-could-launch-this-year/
https://twitter.com/PhilipJohnston/status/2030407024614535516
Shenzhou-21 crew conducts advanced medical tests in space
18:05, 09-Mar-2026
The Shenzhou-21 crew members aboard China's Tiangong space station have made significant strides in terms of space medical experiments and physical science research over the past week, while also maintaining the station's habitable environment, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
In the field of space medicine, the crew consisting of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang focused on understanding the psychological and physiological effects of long-duration spaceflight.
They used laptops to complete tests on "trust and coordination mechanisms" and "human-machine trust," which are crucial for designing future spacecraft interfaces and ensuring efficient teamwork between astronauts and automated systems, China Media Group reported on Sunday night.
A key advancement involved the use of the space Raman spectrometer, a device that identifies molecular compositions by shining a laser on a sample.
The astronauts used this tool to analyze metabolic components in urine samples. The data collected will be used to refine medical standards for monitoring astronaut health in orbit.
To explore how the brain perceives the physical world without gravity, they also conducted "microgravity intuitive physics behavior" experiments.
Leveraging electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment, which records electrical activity along the scalp, the crew gathered data for "meta-cognitive monitoring" and "group brain cognitive-emotion analysis" studies, helping scientists on Earth understand how the absence of gravity alters brain function and group dynamics, the report noted.
In the microgravity physical science domain, the crew maintained experiment racks, replacing sampling covers in the combustion science rack and changing samples in the fluid physics rack.
To monitor their health, the astronauts also carried out medical checks, including intraocular pressure tests, fundus examinations and cardiopulmonary assessments.
Notably, they also used a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) four-diagnosis device – an instrument that replicates the traditional TCM methods of inspection, listening, inquiry and pulse-taking – aimed at providing a comprehensive health assessment in microgravity, the video report said.
The Shenzhou-21 manned spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on October 31, 2025. The Shenzhou-21 crew completed their mission's first series of extravehicular activities on December 9.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-03-09/Shenzhou-21-crew-conducts-advanced-medical-tests-in-space-1LnfjVPFQxG/p.html
extra China
https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/china-first-astronaut-moon-landing-mission-rimae-bode
Statement by Commander of United States Space Command on Loss of USASMDC Soldier in Support of Operation Epic Fury
March 9, 2026
"On behalf of U.S. Space Command, it is with a heavy heart that we render a final salute to U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Carson, Colorado, in honor of his service to the nation.
We mourn a life cut short and extend our heartfelt gratitude and sympathies to the family, friends, and community of Sgt. Pennington as we honor his ultimate sacrifice.
https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/4428548/statement-by-commander-of-united-states-space-command-on-loss-of-usasmdc-soldie/
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2026-03-09/soldier-killed-saudi-arabia-army-sergeant-21005381.html
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/Welding_the_Future_A_New_Approach_to_Building_Cryogenic_Fuel_Tanks
other ESA
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_analysing_fireball_over_Europe_on_8_March_2026
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/The_radiation_paradox_why_solar_maximum_is_the_safest_time_to_travel_to_Mars
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile/Smile_arrives_at_Europe_s_Spaceport
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/She_flies_satellites._One_day_I_can_too.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Shaping_the_Future/Register_now_EEE_Space_Component_Sovereignty_for_Europe_Workshop
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Hellenic_Fire_System_moves_a_step_closer_to_launch
Welding the Future: A New Approach to Building Cryogenic Fuel Tanks
09/03/2026
The next generation of European launchers will demand lighter, stronger and more cost-effective designs.
A recent ESA Discovery project led by TWI Limited and ArianeGroup has demonstrated a promising welding technique that could help meet these challenges, enabling the construction of internally stiffened cryogenic fuel tanks from advanced aluminium alloys.
As ArianeGroup's launchers evolve towards reusability and increased flexibility, they require advanced materials and new tank designs, driving a shift from traditional smooth-panel cryogenic tanks to internally stiffened structures.
These advanced designs, with the help of high-performance aluminium-copper-lithium (Al-Cu-Li) alloys, could reduce the dry mass of fuel tanks by 15–20%. However, the benefits of these lightweight alloys have been limited by manufacturing challenges.
"Traditional machining is costly and inflexible, whilst conventional fusion welding methods are prone to solidification defects in Al-Cu-Li alloys," explains Dr Pedro de Sousa Santos, Principal Project Engineer at TWI Limited. "We needed to find an alternative approach."
A solid-state solution
The answer may lie in Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (refill FSSW), a solid-state welding process that joins materials without melting them.
Unlike traditional welding, which liquefies metal and may introduce solidification defects, refill FSSW uses friction and pressure to create strong bonds at temperatures below the melting point.
The process works by plunging a rotating tool into the materials to be joined. The friction generates heat that softens (but doesn't melt) the metal, whilst the rotation stirs and mixes the plasticised material from both sheets together.
As the tool withdraws, its independently moving components work together to refill the hole with this stirred material, creating a forged weld with a flush surface that requires no additional finishing.
This automated process is energy-efficient, produces no added weight, and avoids the defects associated with fusion welding.
Preliminary studies on small-scale demonstrators had shown promise, but crucial questions remained.
Could refill FSSW work with Al-Cu-Li alloys while also placing a cryogenic sealant layer between the metal sheets?
And would the resulting joints meet the stringent requirements of cryogenic fuel storage?
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Meeting the challenge
The 'Development of Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) for skin-stringer-frame stiffening of Al-CuLi cryogenic tanks' project set out to answer these questions.
The team joined flat-sheet test samples of AA2050-T84 aluminium alloy with a cryogenic-compatible sealant interlayer, systematically testing different welding parameters to identify optimal conditions.
The welded joints underwent rigorous inspection using X-ray computed tomography and ultrasonic testing to identify any internal defects in the weld.
To assess whether the joints could meet the stringent requirements of cryogenic fuel storage, samples underwent mechanical testing under tensile shear and cross tension loading conditions at room temperature as well as cryogenic temperatures (77 K and 110 K).
"After meticulously testing various welding configurations, TWI established a reliable operating window and repair capability that stood up to rigorous assessment," says Dorick Ballat-Durand, R&T Project Manager for Metallic Materials at ArianeGroup.
"The structural integrity tests showed the weld strength exceeded preliminary requirements derived from conventional fusion weld standards.
While sealant management and tool service life posed some challenges, TWI was able to assure us that these would be actively addressed for future improvements. ArianeGroup congratulates the teams for such high-quality work and innovation."
"The support from ESA Discovery and Preparation has enabled us to demonstrate feasibility and establish the fundamental building blocks for using refill FSSW in cryogenic products for space applications," says Dr Pedro de Sousa Santos.
"We've fulfilled the requirements for Technology Readiness Level 3."
Building on success
The project has laid important groundwork, but further development remains necessary before refill FSSW can be implemented in flight hardware.
Future work will need to address fatigue endurance, stress corrosion performance, and the influence of different welding tool profiles on quality.
Testing of representative sub-scale or full-scale demonstrators under realistic loading conditions will be essential.
"TWI has gained valuable insight into the requirements for successfully deploying refill FSSW with a cryogenic sealant interlayer," notes Dr Pedro de Sousa Santos.
"This knowledge will help us support customers from various industry sectors in adopting the refill FSSW process for their products."
The path from laboratory demonstration to operational launcher hardware is long, but this project has taken an important first step.
By proving that refill FSSW can create reliable joints in advanced aluminium alloys at cryogenic temperatures, the team has opened the door to more efficient, cost-effective manufacturing of future launch vehicles.
"This research addresses one of the key challenges for becoming more competitive in the launcher market," says João Gandra, ESA lead on the project and R&D coordinator for Materials, Manufacturing and Assembly.
"We need cost-effective ways to build lighter, stronger tanks and structures, and understanding how new welding techniques perform is an essential step towards that goal."
The project was submitted through ESA's Open Space Innovation Platform, which seeks out promising new ideas for space research, and was funded by the Discovery element of ESA's Basic Activities.
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https://www.rt.com/news/634170-hungary-ukraine-clash-war-maffia-convoy/
Hungary and Ukraine clash over ‘war mafia’ cash convoy: What we know so far
8 Mar, 2026 13:52
Hungarian authorities swooped in on two Ukrainian armored trucks near Budapest on Thursday, seizing tens of millions of dollars in cash and nine kilograms of gold, sparking one of the most explosive diplomatic confrontations between the two countries in recent months.
The arrest also coincided with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky issuing a direct military threat to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
While Hungary suggested the trucks could be linked to a money-laundering operation run by a Ukrainian “war mafia,” Kiev accused Budapest of “blackmail,” “theft,” and “state banditism.”
Unconfirmed media reports have also suggested the shipment may have been tied to backroom dealings between Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and EU power brokers.
The incident comes amid already strained relations between Budapest and Kiev, with the two sides locked in disputes over oil transit and Hungary’s reluctance to back Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
A Budapest bust
On March 5, Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) intercepted two armored vehicles near Budapest. Officers dressed in black surrounded the trucks at a gas station and forced the crew members to the ground.
The trucks and their crews belonged to Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank and were carrying $40 million and €35 million ($40.6 million) in cash, along with nine kilograms of gold from Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International.
Hungarian authorities briefly detained seven Ukrainian nationals, who were later deported back to their homeland. The cash, gold, and the vehicles, however, remain impounded as evidence in the criminal investigation.
Who was trasnporting millions to Ukraine?
Neither Ukraine nor Hungary has officially disclosed the names of those involved in the transfer.
However, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said the operation was overseen by a former general from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), with a former Air Force major acting as his deputy. Several others also reportedly had military backgrounds.
Ukrainian investigative journalist Vitaly Glagola, citing sources, identified the general as Gennady Kuznetsov, the former head of the SBU’s Center for Special Operations to Combat Terrorism, adding that he had links to the Alpha special forces unit.
Ukrainian ‘war mafia’
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto demanded “immediate answers” from Kiev regarding large cash shipments passing through the country, adding that they “raise serious questions about a possible link to the Ukrainian war mafia.”
According to Szijjarto, in 2026 alone, more than $900 million, €420 million, and 146 kilograms of gold bars were transported across Hungarian territory into Ukraine.
“Until Kiev provides clear explanations about the origin and purpose of the funds, Hungarian authorities will conduct a thorough investigation,” he added.
Ukrainian journalist Anatoly Shariy drew attention to the fact that the cash and gold were not packed in standard secure containers, suggesting the transfer could be tied to corrupt dealings between high-ranking Ukrainian officials and their backers in Brussels.
Citing sources, he claimed “the money belonged not to Zelensky himself, but to his accomplices from Europe.”
“The money belongs to very specific people. And in Brussels, they know to whom it belongs,” he said, adding that Orban’s move “hit where it hurts.”
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Zelensky threatening Orban
On the day the cash trucks were impounded, Zelensky escalated his long-running war of words with Orban, denouncing his decision to block a planned €90 billion emergency EU loan for Kiev.
Budapest said it was a response to Ukraine preventing key Russian oil supplies from reaching Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline.
Zelensky said he hoped “one person” in the EU blocking the loan – widely understood to mean Orban – would reconsider his position. Otherwise, he warned, “we will give the address of this person to our armed forces… so they can communicate with him in their own language.”
Orban responded by saying “no threats to my life will deter me” from opposing what he described as Ukraine’s attempt to impose an “oil blockade” on Hungary.
Why was millions in cash in armored trucks?
Typically, shipments of cash and gold of such value and across distances of hundreds of kilometers would be transported by air. However, after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Ukrainian airspace was closed, forcing them to go overland for security reasons, according to Strana.ua.
A source within Oschadbank told the outlet that similar deliveries had been carried out “for years, almost every week, with the same partner – Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank – and with a standard set of documents.” The source added that “this is why we view the detention as politically motivated.” Raiffeisen Bank told Bloomberg its employees were not involved, declining to comment further, citing security policies.
According to Strana, Ukraine’s banking sector imported $11.8 billion in foreign cash in 2025 and $15.9 billion in 2024, compared with $4.3 billion in 2021.
Sources at Oschadbank described the seized shipment as a routine delivery intended to replenish cash reserves at the bank’s branches and partner banks. However, the outlet did not explain the involvement of a former SBU general in the operation.
Can Ukrainian retaliate against Hungary?
Officials in Kiev said they were preparing to retaliate by urging the EU to impose sanctions on Hungary. Ukraine’s national police have opened criminal proceedings against Hungary on charges of hostage-taking and unlawful deprivation of liberty, filing requests with Europol.
According to a source cited by Strana, the National Bank of Ukraine was “furious” over the incident and is considering measures against OTP Bank Ukraine, a subsidiary of Hungary’s OTP Group and one of the country’s key banks.
However, the same source warned that any serious action against the bank could pose major risks to Ukraine’s economy at a time when it can least afford them.
Why is Ukraine targeting Hungary?
Relations between Hungary and Ukraine have been on the rocks for years, as Budapest has been reluctant to support Kiev’s aspirations to join NATO and the EU and has refused to send arms to its neighbor.
In recent months, the stand-off escalated over the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. In late January, Kiev shut down the artery, claiming it was damaged in Russian strikes, which Moscow has denied.
Budapest and Bratislava have echoed Russia’s stance, accusing Ukraine of blackmail and deliberate disruption of the supply for political reasons.
In response, Orban vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia and blocked the €90 billion loan package, while also deploying Hungarian troops to guard key energy infrastructure, warning that Ukraine could attempt further disruptions.
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Six-year-old killed by Ukrainian strike on Russian region – authorities
9 Mar, 2026 11:15
Four civilians, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and twelve more injured in the latest Ukrainian airstrikes on Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the region’s head, Denis Pushilin, said on Monday.
Moscow has repeatedly highlighted that Kiev is attacking civilians because it cannot halt Russian advances on the battlefield.
Ukrainian officials claim that inflicting sufficient economic damage will force Russia to abandon its objectives in the four-year Ukraine conflict.
A family of four was killed and another young man was moderately injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the town of Hornyak, Pushilin said in a post on Telegram.
He added that two civilians were injured in a drone attack in the city of Volnovakha, while three were wounded in a cruise missile strike in Donetsk city.
Six more civilians were injured across the region “as a result of Kiev’s aggression,” Pushkin stressed.
The attack also partially destroyed a pediatric clinic in the city of Donetsk, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported from the scene. The clinic reportedly caught fire shortly after the strike completely destroyed one of the nearby buildings.
The explosion shattered windows and damaged the roofs of dozens of residential buildings in the district. The blast sent some metal beams from modular buildings flying hundreds of meters away.
“The Russian Investigative Committee is documenting the consequences of the shelling of Donetsk’s Kievsky district by Ukrainian armed formations…
A city children’s hospital and residential buildings were damaged,” an official from the committee told journalists, highlighting that Kiev had shelled a neighborhood where there is no weaponry or military equipment.
A video published by TASS shows the destruction of residential buildings and civilian structures, as well as damage to a children’s hospital.
In response to the attacks against Russian civilians, Moscow has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure that it says supports kamikaze drone production for long-range strikes.
Several major Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kiev, are currently facing severe power shortages as the deterioration of the grid coincides with a cold snap.
The DPR, along with the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), seceded from Ukraine following a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014.
The two territories, along with the regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, joined Russia following referendums in September 2022.
https://ww.rt.com/russia/634239-six-years-boy-ukrainian-strike/
Gulf oil production could stop in weeks – Putin
9 Mar, 2026 16:27
Oil production dependent on the Strait of Hormuz could come to a complete halt within a month, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. He warned about the serious risks that the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran could pose to the global energy market.
Last year, around a third of the global sea-borne oil exports went through the straight, Putin said at a government meeting on the global energy markets on Monday.
“That is around 14 million barrel per day and 80% of that went to the Asian and Pacific nations,” he stated, adding that “now, this route is de-facto closed.”
Traffic through the straight has reportedly dropped by 80% over the past week after the US and Israel launched their bombing campaign against Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes from Tehran.
Several tankers were hit in the exchanges. The developments pushed crude above $100 and prompted expectations of emergency energy measures from the EU and other major economies.
“Oil production dependent on the strait risks fully stopping in the coming month. It is already dropping,” the president said. Restoring production could take weeks or even months, he added.
The global oil prices are already rising, Putin stated, adding that the increase amounted to over 30% in the past week alone.
Disruptions in energy supplies also boost inflation and lead to industrial output decline, according to the president.
The world is about to find itself in a “new… price reality,” Putin warned, calling it “inevitable.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/634282-gulf-oil-production-stop-putin/