Thank Ya Bakes
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 15, 2026
Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
To see the feathered serpent descend the Mayan pyramid requires exquisite timing. You must visit El Castillo in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula near an equinox. Then, during the late afternoon if the sky is clear, the pyramid's own shadows create triangles that merge into the famous illusion of a slithering viper. Also known as the Temple of Kukulkan, the impressive step-pyramid stands 30 meters tall and 55 meters wide at the base. Built up as a series of square terraces by the pre-Columbian civilization between the 9th and 12th century, the structure can be used as a calendar and is noted for astronomical alignments. The featured composite image was captured in 2019 with Jupiter and Saturn straddling the diagonal central band of our Milky Way galaxy. In a few days another equinox will occur – not only at Temple of Kukulcán, but all over planet Earth.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykbLBdK9IFE
Uranus Exosphere Collapsing, Solar Watch | S0 News and Sunday Funday frens
Mar.15.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofMsnt8nauA
https://x.com/SunWeatherMan/status/2032879434244690374
https://www.aol.com/earths-magnetic-weak-spot-growing-191804819.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8zDrdmIcAU (Ray's Astro: LIVE H-Alpha Sun — Active Region Exploding with Magnetic Plasma)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MO8G8tG5s4 (Sabine Hossenfelder: Breakthrough in Zero Friction Materials)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td_CutuAZZk (TheEarthMaster: S.F Bay area Earthquake uptick. Nevada Swarms kicking back up. Saturday EQ update)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NaFbtgugtM (Adapt 2030: Farmers Lose Fertilizer World Food Supply Threatened)
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/297682/World-Earthquake-Report-for-Sunday-15-March-2026.html
https://x.com/NASASpaceAlerts/status/2033030427196162526
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/2033115059770040747
https://x.com/schumannbot/status/2033181455111585997
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/the-mass-of-3i-atlas-is-about-a-billion-metric-tons-at-least-a-hundred-thousand-times-that-of-20e9ebf82c48
https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/TLB.pdf
https://astrobiology.com/2026/03/interstellar-object-3i-atlas-observed-from-mars-by-chinas-tianwen-1-spacecraft.html
https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.10350
https://x.com/MiuUniverse/status/2033161519664709833
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/caught-on-doorbell-camera-fireball-lights-up-night-sky-pickerington-meteor-falling-star
https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-warming-buries-thousands-of-meteorites-important-to-science/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDBeuAi1zM (Ray's Astro: LIVE: 3 Comets Tonight — C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos), Comet 2026 & 3I ATLAS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSq-VGjknmE (Angry Astronaut: Finally! We have proof of fusion power on 3I Atlas!)
The Mass of 3I/ATLAS is About a Billion Metric Tons, at Least a Hundred Thousand Times That of 1I/`Oumuamua
March 15, 2026
A new paper (accessible here) that I just co-authored with the brilliant Valentin Thoss and Andi Burkert from the University Observatory Munich, provides the best assessment to date of the mass of the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
As I discussed here on October 31, 2025, the rocket equation can be used to evaluate the non-gravitational force acting on 3I/ATLAS.
The mass of 3I/ATLAS, M, times its non-gravitational acceleration, A, should be equal to the excess mass loss in a preferred direction, ζdM/dt, times the ejection velocity of the outflowing material, V,
M×A = (ζdM/dt) × V .
This provides a way to measure the mass 3I/ATLAS. By measuring the acceleration A and the mass-loss rate dM/dt and by modeling the velocity V, it is possible to derive the mass M of 3I/ATLAS for a reasonable value of the outflow asymmetry-parameter ζ ~0.5.
The new paper uses all available observational data on the evolution of the production rate of gas and dust and the brightening of 3I/ATLAS during the months surrounding its close approach to the Sun on October 29, 2025.
The outgassing from the nucleus has led to a detectable non-gravitational acceleration. Our analysis combines models for the mass loss rate of water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to derive the non-gravitational force and estimate the mass and size of 3I/ATLAS.
In addition, we take into account a conservative constraint on the nucleus size from the active surface required for sublimation.
If the mass loss is dominated by the sublimation of CO2, then the nucleus diameter is 0.84 kilometers, assuming a mass density of 0.5 grams per cubic centimeter and an asymmetry-parameter ζ ~0.5.
Strong water sublimation of up to 10 metric tons per second from the surface is ruled out, as the required cometary surface area is incompatible with the rocket effect. A more conservative model of water production suggests a nucleus diameter 1.48 kilometer.
In this case, a lower than usual cometary density or larger outgassing velocity could make the nucleus size estimate compatible with the lower bound of Hubble Space Telescope data of 2.6 (± 0.4) kilometers (as reported here).
Our analysis adopted three parameterizations: a purely CO2-driven sublimation which scales inversely with the square of the distance to the Sun, and two models accounting
for the contribution from water sublimation. These two models were fitted to the highest (model A) and lowest (model B) reported production rates, encompassing the range of uncertainty.
By combining these models with data on the motion of 3I/ATLAS in the sky, we have estimated its mass and size.
There is a subtle statistical preference towards the CO2 model with an inverse-square scaling, which becomes pronounced when we only include the data from large telescopes and interplanetary spacecraft.
Despite systematic uncertainties, the magnitude of the non-gravitational acceleration can be estimated quite robustly.
1/2
The derived mass of 3I/ATLAS is (M/ζ)= 0.3 × 10^{12} kilograms for a CO2-only model, where ζ is the outgassing asymmetry factor.
Including the contribution from water sublimation, we obtain (M/ζ)= 1.7 × 10^{12} kilograms and (M/ζ) = 6.4 × 10^{12} kilograms for the low and high limit of water sublimation from the nucleus. All in all, the mass of 3I/ATLAS is of order a billion metric tons!
Assuming a bulk density of 0.5 gram per cubic centimeter and ζ = 0.5, we estimate the diameter of 3I/ATLAS to be 0.84 kilometers for the CO2-driven sublimation, and 1.48 kilometers or 2.3 kilometers for the low (model B) or high (model A) limit of water sublimation.
We derive an additional constraint on the size of 3I/ATLAS by considering the surface required to sustain the sublimation.
Under the most conservative assumptions, this leads to a strong tension for the model with high values of water production, requiring a diameter larger than 3 kilometers compared to the maximum value of 2.3 kilometers based on the corresponding non-gravitational acceleration.
The high sublimation rate would therefore require a nucleus size that is too large to be compatible with the non-gravitational effect, even under extreme assumptions.
This rules out model A and the corresponding mass and nucleus size, while the more conservative model B with lower levels of water production produces a mild tension, which could be alleviated by a lower bulk density or higher ejection velocity.
This also implies that the sublimation of water (H2O) from the surface of 3I/ATLAS likely does not significantly exceed that from carbon dioxide (CO2).
On the other hand, the bounds for a model which only includes CO2-sublimation is compatible with the non-gravitational estimates of the nucleus size.
The constraints from the active fraction suggest that the rocket effect of 3I/ATLAS might be dominated by CO2 sublimation throughout the orbit, with negligible contribution from water production.
In this case the nucleus has an effective diameter of 0.8 kilometers, inconsistently with the Hubble data analysis that provided 2.6 (± 0.4) kilometers. Only if the production rates of CO2 have been underestimated by about an order of magnitude, could the two estimates be reconciled.
If on the other hand water sublimation does contribute to the rocket effect of 3I/ATLAS, then the nucleus size would be larger. In this case, a lower than usual comet density together with larger gas velocities and collimation of the outflow could potentially push the estimated diameter as high as 2.2 kilometers, resolving the tension with the Hubble estimate and the required active fraction.
Additional data on the production rates of water and carbon dioxide would help to narrow down the range of possibilities and improve estimates of the mass and size of 3I/ATLAS.
But irrespective of the uncertainties, one conclusion is beyond any reasonable doubt: the third interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is at least 5 orders of magnitude more massive than the first interstellar object 1I/`Oumuamua — whose final mass was estimated to be of order 10⁷ kilograms here and here, assuming a natural origin for it as a hydrogen or a nitrogen iceberg without a visible cometary tail.
Based on the statistics of asteroids and comet nuclei of various sizes in the Solar System, we should have detected at least a hundred thousand 1I/`Oumuamua-mass objects before discovering a single interstellar object with the mass of 3I/ATLAS.
Does this discrepancy mean that one or both of these two mysterious interstellar objects is not natural in origin?
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Reminder - NASA Targets April 1 Launch for Artemis II, First Crewed Moon Mission in Over 50 Years
03/16/26 AT 12:54 AM AEDT
NASA is aiming for an April 1 liftoff of the Artemis II mission, setting the stage for the first crewed voyage around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Agency officials announced the target date following a successful Flight Readiness Review on March 12, 2026, declaring the program "on track" for the historic 10-day test flight.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with the Orion spacecraft, is scheduled to roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B as early as March 19, weather and final checkouts permitting.
The initial launch window opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 UTC) on April 1, with backup opportunities on April 2 at 7:22 p.m. EDT, April 3, 4, 5, 6 and 30. Mission planners added the April 2 slot recently to expand flexibility amid ongoing preparations.
Lori Glaze, associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, emphasized confidence in the timeline during a post-review news conference.
"We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date," she said. "I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1 as our first opportunity, just keep in mind we still have work to go."
The mission follows extensive troubleshooting after issues during earlier wet dress rehearsals, including a hydrogen leak and helium flow problems in the interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
Teams repaired those anomalies in the Vehicle Assembly Building, leading to the unanimous "go" vote in the risk assessment.
Officials stressed that all hardware and systems are now cleared for crewed flight, with remaining tasks focused on final integration, fueling preparations and pad operations.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts: NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The crew will ride Orion on a free-return trajectory, looping around the Moon at a distance of about 6,400 miles (10,300 kilometers) from its surface before returning to Earth.
No landing is planned; the flight tests deep-space systems, life support, radiation protection and reentry capabilities critical for future landings.
The mission builds directly on the uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022, which successfully demonstrated SLS and Orion in lunar orbit.
Recent heat shield evaluations from that test showed expected charring but no major concerns, bolstering confidence for crewed operations.
NASA has incorporated lessons learned, including enhanced monitoring of the Orion heat shield and propulsion systems.
Broader Artemis program adjustments announced in late February 2026 aim to accelerate lunar exploration.
NASA added an additional mission in 2027 and plans at least one crewed surface landing annually thereafter, standardizing vehicle configurations to increase cadence.
While Artemis III, the first lunar landing attempt, now targets 2027, officials noted some Artemis III objectives may shift forward to support faster progress.
The SLS Block 1 configuration for Artemis II stands as the most powerful rocket ever built, generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
Orion's European Service Module, provided by ESA, supplies power, propulsion and life support. International partnerships remain central, with Hansen's inclusion highlighting Canada's contributions.
Public interest surges as the launch nears. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers viewing packages valid for any attempt in the April window.
NASA encourages global tracking via the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), which will display Orion's position relative to Earth and the Moon starting shortly after liftoff.
Challenges persist in the program timeline. Concerns about SpaceX's Starship development for Artemis lunar lander duties have surfaced, with potential delays to surface missions noted by senior officials.
However, Artemis II remains insulated as a crewed test independent of landing hardware.
If successful, the flight paves the way for Artemis III's landing and eventual sustained presence at the Moon, supporting scientific research, resource utilization and preparation for human missions to Mars.
The April window aligns with favorable orbital mechanics, though any scrub would push to backups within the month.
As rollout preparations intensify, NASA teams conduct final simulations and inspections. Agency leaders express optimism that decades of development will culminate in humanity's return to the lunar vicinity with crew aboard.
https://www.ibtimes.com.au/nasa-targets-april-1-launch-artemis-ii-first-crewed-moon-mission-over-50-years-1863348
what about Space Force, and the lizard stuff you love?
Nah, they're coming ful circle in plain speak
BREAKING: Space Mountain Evacuated and Section of Tomorrowland Closed due to Hazardous Material at Disneyland Resort
Last Updated On: March 11, 2026
We are receiving word from our reporter at Disneyland Resort that areas of Tomorrowland at Disneyland are being closed and evacuated.
According to OC_Scanner on X, Anaheim Fire & Rescue was called to Disneyland for a hazardous materials situation.
As you can see from the photo above, Cast Members were lined up outside of The Star Trader, blocking guest entry from the shop.
We’ve been told that the 1:30 p.m. cavalcade has been canceled as Cast Members are evacuating guests off of rides through backstage areas.
Space Mountain is being evacuated, and guests are not being allowed in a section of Tomorrowland.
Per our reporter, the following areas are closed: Star Tours, Space Mountain, Star Traders, and the Space Mountain Bathrooms, in addition to the top of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Per an update from Scott Gustin on X, building materials backstage triggered a reaction in several Cast Members who were treated by paramedics.
Five others with symptoms of dizziness and shortness of breath were taken to area hospitals.
In the image above, our reporter has outlined the area that is being blocked off from guest access.
We will continue to update this story as we hear more.
https://wdwnt.com/2026/03/space-mountain-evacuated-and-section-of-tomorrowland-closed-at-disneyland-resort/
https://www.diyphotography.net/esas-allsky-cameras-photograph-a-fireball-over-western-europe/
Deep underground, a telescope may soon detect ghosts of stars that died before Earth existed
March 15, 2026
Pablo Martinez Mirave is a Postdoctoral Fellow on Theoretical Particle Astrophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.
Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing a star suddenly burst into a blaze of light brighter than anything nearby. A flash so bright that it briefly outshines an entire galaxy before fading forever.
This violent fate is rare: fewer than about 1% of stars are big enough to end their lives this way. Indeed, these dramatic explosions only occur in so-called "massive stars". These are stars with a mass roughly eight times or more that of the Sun.
But these cosmic explosions, known as supernovas, have naturally fascinated astronomers for centuries. In 1572, for instance, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe observed a supernova explosion so bright that it could be seen with the naked eye for two years.
Yet what we can see with our eyes, or even with powerful telescopes, when these stars die, is only a tiny fraction of the story.
Because most of the energy from a supernova is carried away by neutrinos, these are nearly invisible particles often called "ghost particles" because they pass through almost everything in their path. Scientists are now finally on the verge of seeing these ghostly messengers.
With the help of an extremely powerful telescope buried deep underground in Japan, astronomers may be able to catch a glimpse of these stellar "ghosts" – and with it the remnants of explosions from stars that died as long as 10 billion years ago.
Particles from before time
And there's a really good chance that scientists might be able to finally see these ghost particles this year. T
his is largely due to Japan's Super-Kamiokande telescope receiving an upgrade, which significantly enhances its ability to detect supernova neutrinos.
For me, as a particle astrophysicist, this would probably be one of the most exciting scientific achievements in my lifetime.
Indeed, it would mean we could see particles that were produced even before the Earth itself existed, as the telescope is now sensitive enough to catch the faint "glow" of all the exploding stars in the universe.
This is all possible because neutrinos almost never interact with anything. They have no electric charge. So they can travel through space – and even through entire planets – without being absorbed or scattered, so almost nothing can stop them.
In fact, billions of these ghostly particles are passing through your body every second – and you don't even notice – and some of them have been travelling for more than 10 billion years to get here.
When a star dies
Big ideas lead to big questions, and one such question astrophysicists are trying to figure out is what remains after the explosion of such a star.
Does the collapsing core become a black hole? Or does it form a different type of star known as a neutron star, which then slowly cools over time?
A neutron star is an incredibly dense object, only about 12 miles (20 kilometers) across, roughly the size of a large city or about the length of Manhattan.
If scientists are able to detect the combined signal from all the supernovae that have ever occurred, it would bring us closer to being able to answer these questions.
It would also allow us to study the deaths of stars across the entire history of the universe, using particles that have been travelling toward us for billions of years without ever stopping.
Supernovas are rare in our galaxy, happening only once every few decades. But across the universe, a massive star explodes in a supernova roughly once every second.
When they explode, they release enormous energy: only about 1% is visible light, while 99% escapes as neutrinos.
Even though these neutrinos are almost invisible, they carry the story of every star that has ever exploded – and now, for the first time, we may be able to catch them.
So if 2026 does bring the first clear detection, it will mark a new era in astronomy. For the first time, we won’t just observe the brilliant explosions of nearby stars, but the collective story of all the massive stars that have ever lived and died.
And it all starts with a telescope buried deep underground in Japan, patiently watching for the faint, ghostly glow of the universe’s oldest explosions.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/deep-underground-a-telescope-may-soon-detect-ghosts-of-stars-that-died-before-earth-existed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6iQPkjh1F4
China launches Yaogan-50 02 remote sensing satellite into space
22:51, 15-Mar-2026
China on Sunday sent the Yaogan-50 02 remote sensing satellite into space.
Launched at 9:22 p.m. aboard a modified version of the Long March-6 rocket at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, the satellite has entered planned orbit.
The launch was the 633rd flight mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-03-15/China-launches-Yaogan-50-02-remote-sensing-satellite-into-space-1LxxZvFDhmM/p.html
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/osPujR7gP38
Chinese satellite imagery spells end of US space intelligence dominance
Last Updated: March 15, 2026 02:52:02 IST
NEW DELHI: Chinese commercial satellites have been releasing satellite imagery indicating damage to US military assets and installations in the Middle East following Iranian strikes, underscoring a major shift in the balance of global satellite surveillance and challenging the long-standing dominance of American space-based intelligence.
Satellite images circulating in recent days show damage patterns and debris around US military infrastructure in the region, including radar installations linked to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system deployed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Analysts examining the images say the site appears to have sustained strike impacts during Iranian missile attacks earlier in the conflict.
The imagery has largely come from Chinese satellite networks and geospatial intelligence platforms that continue to release photographs of military installations, deployments and strike damage across the region.
At the same time, at least one major American commercial satellite imagery company temporarily restricted the release of certain photographs after satellite pictures revealed the impact of Iranian attacks on US bases.
This was presumably done on the orders of the Pentagon.
Apart from the concerns that high-resolution imagery could enable Iranian adversaries to conduct battle damage assessment and refine targeting, the Pentagon, it is understood, wanted to keep a lid on the damages that its assets have suffered in the ongoing war that started on 28 February.
The contrast has drawn attention to the growing influence of China’s commercial earth observation industry, which operates outside the regulatory and political constraints affecting many Western providers.
Chinese firms have in recent days also published satellite imagery mapping US military assets across the Middle East, including aircraft positions at regional air bases, naval deployments and air defence systems.
The images identify installations across several countries and have circulated widely among analysts and on social media.
Much of the imagery is believed to originate from China’s expanding network of earth observation satellites, including the Jilin-1 constellation operated by Chang Guang Satellite Technology.
The constellation consists of more than a hundred satellites capable of producing sub-metre resolution images and frequent revisits over areas of strategic interest.
The growing reach of Chinese satellite systems had been highlighted earlier by The Sunday Guardian (China rapidly expands satellite fleet amid strategic space demand), which reported that Beijing is rapidly expanding its satellite fleet as part of a broader effort to build global surveillance capabilities in space.
The report noted that China’s expanding constellations are designed to provide near-continuous observational coverage across large parts of the globe.
Strategic analysts say the developments mark one of the most significant technological takeaways from the ongoing conflict.
For decades, the United States and its allies dominated the commercial satellite imagery market, with companies such as Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs supplying most of the high-resolution photographs used by governments, researchers and media organisations.
However, as the recent development shows, China’s growing constellation of commercial satellites is beginning to erode that dominance by creating a parallel ecosystem capable of independently observing global military activity.
The result is a structural shift in the geopolitics of information. Attempts by Western governments or companies to limit the release of sensitive imagery may no longer prevent similar data from emerging through satellite operators based in other jurisdictions.
Experts say this development could fundamentally change the transparency of future conflicts.
With multiple countries operating large constellations capable of repeatedly imaging the same locations, the ability of any single power to control the global flow of battlefield imagery is diminishing.
For many analysts, the satellite dimension of the current conflict demonstrates that space-based observation is no longer the exclusive domain of a small group of Western companies but is becoming a competitive arena where emerging powers such as China can shape the global narrative of war.
https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/chinese-satellite-imagery-spells-end-of-us-space-intelligence-dominance-176383/
Interior Secretary Summons ESA "God Squad" For Gulf Of Mexico Drilling
March 14, 2026
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has summoned the Endangered Species Committee in an evident move to allow oil and gas drilling to proceed in the Gulf of Mexico without having to avoid harm to threatened or endangered species.
In a notice to be published Monday in the Federal Register, the Interior Department said the committee, colloquially referred to as the 'God Squad', will meet on March 31 in Washington to consider an "exemption under the Endangered Species Act with respect to oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities" in the gulf.
While the notice said the meeting would be open to the public via a YouTube feed, staff at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) said "[A]ll meetings of the God Squad are required to be open to the public; a livestream on YouTube does not represent an open meeting of the government."
"Doug Burgum and the Trump administration continue to blindly do the fossil fuel industry’s bidding and are now seeking to pull off an outrageous and illegal end-run around the Endangered Species Act," said Brett Hartl, CBD's government affairs director.
"Rice’s whales, sperm whales and other endangered wildlife could now be exempt from the protections of the law, and forced into extinction just to pad the coffers of the largest polluting industry in the world.
"The law makes absolutely clear that the God Squad cannot meet in private, and yet Burgum and the other sycophants of Trump’s cabinet are too cowardly to meet in front of the people," added Hartl.
"Condemning whales to extinction behind the safety of a web live stream is pathetic, and we will be there at the Department of Interior in person to protest this illegal action.”
Interior Department staff could not be reached Saturday for comment.
There are at least 19 threatened and endangered marine species in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA).
Among them are sperm, sei, fin, blue, humpback and North Atlantic right whales, and five species of sea turtles, including the Kemp's ridley turtle, the world's smallest and most endangered sea turtle.
According to the New England Aquarium, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster led to the deaths of an estimated 86,500 juvenile Kemp's ridley turtles, or about 20 percent of the known population.
More than 300 Kemp's ridley turtles that survived the disaster but were impacted by the oil were shown to have elevated levels of two hormones that can affect metabolism, the aquarium noted in 2024.
The most important nesting beaches in the world for Kemp’s ridley turtles are in Texas and Mexico, the NOAA has said.
"Sea turtles throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico suffered adverse effects, including decreased mobility, exhaustion, dehydration, overheating, likely decreased ability to feed and evade predators, and death," the agency noted in an assessment of Deepwater Horizon's impacts.
NOAA has said that the Deepwater Horizon disaster was the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, releasing "134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of 87 days, fouling 1,300 miles of shoreline along five states.
The scientists concluded that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and contaminated their habitats."
This past December the Friends of the Everglades sent a letter to the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to express their concerns around plans to include the eastern Gulf of Mexico in its 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program.
The group says that oil and gas drilling so close to Everglades National Park could have “huge ramifications for multiple Everglades ecosystems.”
In the letter, the group referenced the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which sent oil onto the beaches of Florida’s panhandle, down to Tampa Bay, and even onto the Atlantic Coast.
The current lease plan by BOEM calls for oil drilling as close as 100 miles off the coast of Florida, moving potential oil drilling even closer to Florida than the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
“An oil spill in that proximity, even a fraction a size of the Deepwater Horizon event, would be disastrous for the coastal Everglades,” stated the letter.
The National Park Service has said that the Deepwater Horizon spill affected many park units in the gulf.
Parks that touch the gulf include De Soto National Memorial, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve, and Padre Island National Seashore.
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2026/03/interior-secretary-summons-esa-god-squad-gulf-mexico-drilling
Trump's NASA chief Jared Isaacman reveals why Pluto should be a planet in plan to make it 'great again'
Updated: 17:31 EDT, 13 March 2026
President Donald Trump may be one step closer to making Pluto great again.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman endorsed the idea of Trump making Pluto a planet again in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail at the John F Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
‘I 100% support President Trump making Pluto great again,’ Isaacman said.
The hotly debated definition of Pluto has raged ever since the International Astronomical Union (IAU) stripped Pluto of its status as a planet in 2006, defining it as a ‘dwarf planet.’
The IAU argued Pluto was 'not clear' of its orbit around the sun, and therefore no longer met three specific criteria needed to be a planet.
Pluto was first discovered in 1930 by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh who was raised in Kansas and attended the University of Kansas before discovering it at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
‘I think we owe it to everyone from Kansas and all their great contributions to astronomy and aerospace to rightfully restore that discovery to a planet,’ Isaacman said.''
Isaacman spoke to the Daily Mail about the future of space during an exclusive interview ahead of the planned Artemis II manned mission back to the moon.
The idea of the president recently reclassifying Pluto as a planet was endorsed by Star Trek actor William Shatner, famous for playing the role of Captain James T. Kirk.
Shatner excoriated the IAU as ‘a bunch of corrupt nerds on a power trip’ in May and urged Trump to ‘restore Pluto as a planet and put an end to the union’s tyranny of the cosmos.’
Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America appears to have offered Pluto’s planetary defenders a slice of hope.
Shatner urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to encourage the president to ‘sign one of those Executive thingies to make Pluto a planet again,’ an idea that Musk endorsed.
‘I’d support that,’ Musk replied to Shatner.
The president had not weighed in on the debate, but it has not stopped people who support him from weighing in.
The idea was endorsed by Senator Mike Lee of Utah in February.
‘President Trump, please do one thing for us: Make Pluto Planetary Again,’ he wrote on social media in February.
In President Trump's first term, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine argued that since Pluto had an ocean under the surface, organic compounds, and its own moons, it should be classified as a planet.
'Some people have argued that in order to be a planet, you need to clear your orbit around the sun,' he said in 2019. '[W]hat we now know is that if that’s the definition that we’re gonna use, you could really undercut all the planets’.
'They’re all dwarf planets because there isn’t a planet that clears its entire orbit around the sun,' he concluded.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15643679/jared-isaacman-pluto-planet-nasa-donald-trump.html
Moscow attacked by waves of drones – mayor
Updated 15 Mar, 2026 03:59
At least 67 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were shot down by air defenses on Saturday, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
The mayor’s Telegram channel reported incursions by one or several UAVs almost every hour on Saturday and early Sunday morning. Emergency workers have been deployed to the areas where the debris of the destroyed drones fell, according to Sobyanin.
Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky international airports temporarily halted flights amid the drone raids, according to Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that a total of 280 Ukrainian UAVs had been shot down inside Russia since Friday evening. Besides Moscow Region, interceptions also took place in Bryansk, Kaluga, Belgorod, Tver, Smolensk, Kursk and Krasnodar regions.
The last reported drone attack on the Russian capital was on March 8, when six drones were destroyed, according to the mayor.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said that Kiev is targeting civilians because it cannot halt Russian advances on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials say causing significant economic damage could force Russia to abandon its objectives in the four-year conflict.
In response to attacks on Russian civilians, Moscow has struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure it says supports the production of long-range kamikaze drones.
https://www.rt.com/russia/635000-moscow-domodedovo-zhukovsky-ukraine-drone-attacks/
https://www.rt.com/russia/635092-moscow-drone-ukraine-sobyanin/
Russia's Belgorod and Krasnodar Krai come under attack: energy facilities and oil hub damaged
15 March, 06:10
Missiles attacked the Russian city of Belgorod on the night of 14-15 March, causing disruptions to electricity, water and heating supplies. A drone strike has also been reported in Krasnodar Krai, where the Tikhoretsk oil hub has been damaged.
Source: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Belgorod Oblast; Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters; Russian Telegram channel Shot; other Telegram monitoring channels
Details: Local residents reported hearing about 20 explosions in Belgorod, after which electricity disappeared in several districts.
Gladkov confirmed that Belgorod and Belgorod Oblast had been attacked. He said that energy infrastructure facilities had sustained serious damage as a result of a "large-scale missile attack".
Quote from Gladkov: "As a result, disruptions to electricity, water supply and heating have been recorded. We will be able to assess the exact scale of the damage in daylight."
Details: A fire also broke out at one of the facilities in Belgorod.
In addition, the regional operational headquarters reported a drone attack on Krasnodar Krai. The Tikhoretsk oil hub was damaged. The authorities claimed the damage was caused by debris from a downed drone that fell onto the oil facility's grounds.
Background: On the evening of 14 March, powerful explosions were reported in the temporarily occupied city of Dovzhansk in Luhansk Oblast. A munitions depot in the city likely exploded.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4101837-ukrainian-forces-hit-russian-supply-depot-drone-storage-site-in-zaporizhzhia-region.html
other Russia and Ukraine
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/drone-storage-and-enemy-positions-targeted-1773579216.html
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/15/russia-fired-1770-drones-at-ukraine-in-one-week/
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-plans-anti-drone-protection-for-600-km-of-frontline-roads-official-says/
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-14-2026/
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4101750-russian-drone-attacks-minibus-in-kherson.html
https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-gave-iran-drones-and-intelligence-used-to-target-us-bases-zelenskyy-says-16874
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/03/15/8025566/
IDF says slain brother of Michigan synagogue attacker was a Hezbollah commander
March 15, 2026 6:45 pm
The brother of an armed man who rammed his truck into a Reform synagogue and preschool in Michigan last week was a Hezbollah commander, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday, confirming earlier reports on the matter.
“Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali was responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialized branch of the Badr Unit. The unit is responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians throughout the war,” the IDF said in a post on X.
His brother Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, carried out the Thursday attack.
The IDF said that Ibrahim was “eliminated in an IAF strike on a Hezbollah military structure.”
Several of the Michigan attacker’s Lebanese relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month amid the renewed fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group, multiple reports said.
An unnamed official had told NBC News that the strike killed two of Ghazali’s brothers, who were known to be members of the Hezbollah terror group, in addition to his niece and nephew.
Sources told CNN that Ghazali had been flagged in US government databases for connections to members of Hezbollah, but was not thought himself to be a member of the terror group.
Security guards opened fire on Ghazali after he smashed a truck through the doors of the Temple Israel synagogue and preschool in West Bloomfield, near Detroit.
Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said during a news conference Friday that ultimately Ghazali fatally shot himself after he got stuck in his vehicle and the engine caught fire.
Officials later found large quantities of commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of a liquid believed to be gasoline.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation, has described the attack as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.
Runyan said that law enforcement didn’t have enough evidence to call the attack an act of terror at this time, but that investigations were ongoing.
None of the 140 children, teachers and staff inside the synagogue were injured, authorities said.
According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Ghazali came to the United States in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa, given to spouses of US citizens, and was granted citizenship himself in 2016.
He worked at a popular restaurant in Dearborn Heights, Hamido, but had been absent in recent weeks, fellow employees told The New York Times. He was divorced and had at least one child, according to The Detroit News, which cited court records.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-slain-brother-of-michigan-synagogue-attacker-was-a-hezbollah-commander/
https://www.jns.org/idf-michigan-terrorist-was-brother-of-slain-hezbollah-boss/
other Israel
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-890003
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423978
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjkyble5we
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-890007
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423978
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-889930
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjoszbnqwe
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-interior-ministry-8-police-officers-killed-in-idf-strike-in-central-gaza/
https://www.news18.com/world/thousands-of-targets-ahead-idf-says-israel-planning-three-more-weeks-of-strikes-on-iran-ws-l-9961984.html
https://israel-alma.org/idf-strikes-bridges-used-by-hezbollah/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-fires-7-more-missile-salvos-at-israel-attacks-gulf-idf-launches-extensive-strikes/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-struck-hezbollah-rocket-launchers-ahead-of-imminent-fire-on-israel/
https://www.jns.org/idf-chief-hails-unprecedented-work-by-us-partners/
https://www.trtworld.com/article/5dc65b5bfbcb
https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202603119917
https://ir.usembassy.gov/security-alert-iran-march-15-2026-update/
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/15/energy-chris-wright-iran-war-weeks-00829247
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/pope-escalates-call-ceasefire-iran-addressing-those-responsible-war
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-889986
other Iran and related
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/uk-china-japan-countries-debating-strait-of-hormuz-ships-iran-you-now
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/iran-war-conflicting-statements-second-week
https://www.wionews.com/photos/-intercepting-the-swarm-how-the-uss-spruance-shoots-down-suicide-drones-targeting-the-uss-abraham-lincoln-1773575007748/1773575007749
https://thesun.my/news/world-news/iraq-warns-drone-strikes-near-airport-threaten-is-prison-security/
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603155236
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/15/iran-war-what-is-happening-on-day-16-of-us-israel-attacks
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-special-report-march-14-2026/
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/900773/uae-military-says-air-defenses-have-neutralized-nearly-300-iranian-missiles-and-1600-drones
https://timeskuwait.com/ministry-of-defence-dealt-with-14-hostile-drones-in-24-hours/
https://www.ft.com/content/6b5b1424-b1b8-4ec4-b4a7-d719f1cd48ad
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/48203712/f1-cancel-bahrain-saudi-arabia-races-iran-war
Strikes pound cities and checkpoints as US says Iran missile threat down 90%
March 15, 2026
Summary
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Israel said it had launched a broad new wave of airstrikes against infrastructure linked to the Islamic Republic in western Iran, as explosions were reported on Sunday morning in Isfahan, Tabriz, Khomein, Hamedan, Dezful and parts of western Tehran.
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Iran said the war could end only if there were guarantees against renewed attacks and compensation for the damage caused, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also warned Tehran would strike US companies’ facilities in the region if Iran’s energy infrastructure were targeted.
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The White House said Iran’s ballistic missile capability had been reduced by about 90% and its drone capability by 95% since the start of the war, adding that US forces had sunk more than 65 Iranian naval vessels and struck over 6,000 targets across the country.
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US forces struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island in a large-scale precision attack on Friday night, US Central Command said on Saturday.
22 minutes ago
Explosions in Isfahan and near Tabriz - Iranian media
Several explosions and heavy bombardment were heard in the central Iranian city of Isfahan and the northwestern city of Tabriz on Sunday, Iranian media reported.
46 minutes ago
Israel’s military has no interceptor shortage, military source says
Israel's military does not face a shortage of interceptor missiles, a military source said on Sunday.
“As of now, there is no interceptor shortage. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) prepared for prolonged combat. We are continuously monitoring the situation,” the Israeli military source said.
54 minutes ago
Video: Isfahan army aviation base targeted in attack
1 hour ago
Rockets target US diplomatic facility near Baghdad airport - Reuters
Rockets targeted a US diplomatic facility near Baghdad International Airport on Sunday, Reuters reported citing police sources.
1 hour ago
Israel’s military says it targeted IRGC, Basij headquarters in western Iran
Israel’s military said on Sunday it targeted several headquarters belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia in the Hamedan region of western Iran.
“The Israeli Air Force completed a wave of strikes against headquarters of the Iranian regime in the Hamedan area in western Iran,” the Israeli military’s Persian-language account said in a statement.
According to the statement, several central headquarters linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij were targeted in the strikes.
“These headquarters were used by regime operatives to manage ongoing activities, as well as to plan and advance terrorist operations against Israel and other countries in the Middle East,” the statement said.
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1 hour ago
Over 400 million barrels of emergency oil reserves to flow to markets, IEA says
More than 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves will soon begin flowing to global markets, the International Energy Agency said on Sunday.
Member countries have pledged to make available 411.9 million barrels of oil, the agency said in a statement.
Governments committed to release 271.7 million barrels from government stocks, 116.6 million barrels from obligated industry stocks, and 23.6 million barrels from other sources, according to the statement.
The IEA said 72% of the planned releases will be crude oil, while 28% will be oil products.
Stocks from Asia-Oceania countries will be available immediately, while stocks from Europe and the Americas will become available at the end of March, the agency said.
2 hours ago
Iran has not requested ceasefire or talks, Araghchi tells CBS News
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has not requested a ceasefire or negotiations in the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
“No, we never asked for a cease fire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” Araghchi said in an interview with CBS News.
“We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that,” he said.
2 hours ago
Israel plans at least three more weeks of strikes on Iran - CNN
Israel’s military is planning at least three more weeks of its campaign against Iran and still has “thousands of targets” remaining, CNN reported on Sunday, citing an Israeli military spokesperson.
“We have thousands of targets ahead,” CNN quoted Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin as saying.
“We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now,” he said.
“And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that,” Defrin added.
2 hours ago
Israel says Hezbollah commander killed was brother of US synagogue attacker
The Israeli military said on Sunday that a Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli airstrike last week was the brother of a man accused of carrying out an attack on a synagogue in the United States.
In a statement, the military said Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, a Hezbollah commander responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialized branch of the group’s Badr Unit, was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on a Hezbollah military structure last week.
"His brother, Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, carried out the terror attack in Michigan this past Thursday," the statement added.
2 hours ago
BREAKING NEWS
Israeli military says expanding strikes to western, central Iran
The Israeli military says it is expanding the scope of its strikes against Iranian infrastructure to additional areas in western and central Iran.
2/2
FCC chair slams broadcasters after Trump disputes reports on Iran-damaged U.S. tankers
Updated Sat, Mar 14 20266:30 PM EDT
Key Points
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr blasted broadcasters shortly after President Donald Trump called reports that Iran struck five U.S. tanker planes “fake news.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that five refueling tankers were struck during an Iranian missile strike on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.
Trump said four of the five Air Force refueling planes hit in the Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia sustained “virtually no damage, and are already back in service.”
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Saturday blasted broadcasters shortly after President Donald Trump called reports that Iran struck five U.S. tanker planes “fake news.”
In a post on X, Carr also warned that broadcasters will lose their licenses if they don’t “operate in the public interest.”
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote in the post, which attached Trump’s statement on Truth Social earlier Saturday.
“It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news,” Carr added.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that five refueling tankers were struck during an Iranian missile strike on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.
In the Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called that an “intentionally misleading headline,” citing the Journal, The New York Times and what he called other “Lowlife” papers.
The president also said four of the five Air Force refueling planes hit in the Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia sustained “virtually no damage, and are already back in service.”
Trump claims one had “slightly more damage,” but will be in the air again shortly.
Also on Saturday, Trump renewed calls for more nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to defend oil interests there.
Late Friday, Trump said Iran is “totally defeated and wants a deal” but not one he “would accept,” two weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched joint military operations on the Middle Eastern country.
The statement came shortly after the president announced that the U.S. had bombed Kharg Island, a vital oil hub that serves as Iran’s main oil export terminal.
Iran’s military has vowed to strike U.S.-linked oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East if more of its own energy sites are attacked.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/14/trump-iran-war-fcc-chair-carr-broadcasters.html
https://x.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/2032855414233047172
Academy Awards beefs up security amid reported Iranian drone threat to Los Angeles
March 15, 2026 11:29 am
The Academy Award organizers are beefing up security for the Oscars in the wake of a reported FBI memo alerting Los Angeles authorities of a potential surprise attack by Iran using drones against unspecified targets in California, Variety says.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held tonight at the Dolby Theatre.
California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X last week that he’s “in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials” and not aware of any imminent threats.
The 98th Academy Awards will nevertheless be acting out of an abundance of caution, reports Variety.
During a press conference last week about the upcoming awards ceremony, executive producer Raj Kapoor said that the academy collaborates closely with the FBI and the LAPD.
Two Israeli filmmakers are nominated for this year’s Oscars, documentary filmmaker Hilla Medalia for her Best Documentary Short, “Children No More: “Were and are Gone,” and Meyer Levinson-Blount for Best Live Action Short Film with his film, “Butcher’s Stain.”
Palestinian docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” is nominated for Best International Feature Film.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/academy-awards-beefs-up-security-amid-reported-iranian-drone-threat-to-los-angeles/
Drones Fly Over Texas A&M’s Mock Disaster City in Mass Casualty Drill
March 15, 2026
Six hundred students. A fake bioterrorism attack. A simulated explosion. And drones flying overhead until midnight for ten straight days.
This is how America trains its next generation of emergency responders.
A City Built to Burn, Flood, and Collapse
Disaster City is not a metaphor. It is a real 52-acre facility in College Station, Texas, operated by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, where buildings are built to collapse on cue, train cars derail on schedule, and hazmat scenarios play out in full gear under a Texas sun, as KBTX reported.
Over 210,000 first responders train at Disaster City each year. It is one of the most sophisticated emergency response training environments on the planet.
From March 10 through March 19, TEEX is running a large-scale emergency response training exercise at Brayton Fire Training Field and Disaster City, collaborating with state and federal partners on emergency medical responses in a mass casualty environment.
The exercise runs daily from 9 a.m. to midnight. Residents near the facility can expect smoke, simulated explosions, recorded sounds designed to replicate a disaster scene, increased emergency vehicle traffic, and drones flying overhead throughout the exercise period.
Drones are no longer an optional add-on in mass casualty response training. They are part of the standard operational picture.
The fact that TEEX included aerial drone operations in its public notice alongside smoke and simulated explosions tells you exactly where drone integration sits in professional emergency response doctrine in 2026: it is expected infrastructure, not experimental technology.
600 Students, One Very Bad Day
On February 27, the 18th annual Disaster Day exercise took place at Disaster City as part of the broader TEEX training period.
This is the nation’s largest student-led interprofessional emergency response simulation, run by the Texas A&M Health Science Center.
This year’s scenario opened with a bioterrorism attack. Fair food laced with botulinum neurotoxin. Human and animal victims simultaneously requiring triage.
Then, mid-exercise, a simulated explosion hit a mock country music concert and sent a new wave of blast-injury patients into the field hospitals.
Over 600 Texas A&M students worked through it. Medical students, pharmacy students, veterinary students, public health students, psychology doctoral candidates, and graduate students from the Bush School of Government and Public Service all operated in the same chaotic environment simultaneously.
That interprofessional structure is intentional. Real disasters do not arrive sorted by department.
The Disaster Day model forces students from completely different disciplines to communicate, coordinate, and make decisions together under pressure.
Christine Kaunas, assistant vice president for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research at Texas A&M Health, put the stakes clearly.
Disasters do not discriminate. Texas sees more federally declared disasters than any other state, year after year. The students training at Disaster City today will be the responders standing in those situations tomorrow.
The Students Running the Exercise
What makes Disaster Day unusual is that students do not just participate. They run it.
Madeleine Bradford, a third-year pharmacy student at Texas A&M’s Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, served as Student Planning Director for 2026.
She started three years ago as a committee member and deputy incident commander, moved to incident commander the following year, and now leads the entire student planning apparatus.
She described what keeps her coming back to a job that starts before sunrise and ends near sunset.
Every time she leaves Disaster Day, she feels the biggest sense of accomplishment and passion for her future career and for emergency response in general.
That feeling, she said, propels her to volunteer all over again the following year.
Stephany Pinales, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology, served as assistant director of simulation participant engagement for the fourth consecutive year.
She described the exercise as exactly the kind of boots-on-ground experience that turns classroom knowledge into field-ready capability.
The simulation allows students to apply everything learned, collaborate, debrief, and do it again.
Then one day, she said, they will be able to do it in the real field using what they already learned.
https://dronexl.co/2026/03/15/drones-fly-texas-disaster-city/
Gut it! Then replace them with citizen journalists, researchers, and networks like RSBN and OAN etc
Blink-182 star's chilling connection to missing UFO expert major general
Updated: 04:03 ET, Sun, Mar 15, 2026
Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge had worked with William Neil McCasland, a U.S. Air Force officer who is now missing.
The retired Air Force Major General was reported missing on February 27 after leaving his Albuquerque home on foot at around 11 a.m.
He left behind his phone and glasses, but a gun and his wallet remain unaccounted for, according to authorities.
McCasland's family has not heard from him since he went missing. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, has now spoken out about her husband's disappearance and revealed he was introduced to the UFO community by DeLonge.
In a post shared on Facebook, Wilkerson said, "It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community through Tom DeLonge, former frontman for Blink-182 and founder of the organization To The Stars."
DeLonge set up To The Stars Inc., previously known as To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences Inc., in 2017. The organization's aim is to study and disclose information on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).
Through To The Stars, DeLonge has collaborated with high-level government and military officials. According to Wilkerson, her husband worked with DeLonge shortly after his Air Force retirement.
She said McCasland worked as an "unpaid consultant on military and technical/scientific matters to lend verisimilitude to Tom’s fiction book and media activities." Wilkerson said it was her husband's choice to work for DeLonge unpaid.
The Blink-182 musician is one of the most visible public figures in the UFO community.
He's been a believer in aliens since he was a child, with band member Travis Barker recalling in a 2019 interview how DeLonge would look for UFOs outside their tour bus and even create search parties to try and find Bigfoot.
In that same year, DeLonge appeared in the TV show Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation, which focused on leaked videos from the Pentagon that supposedly showed UFOs
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said McCasland interacted with a home repairman about an hour before he's believed to have gone missing.
He vanished between between 11 a.m. and noon on February 27, while his wife was out of the house for an appointment.
McCasland was last seen wearing a light green, button-up outdoor shirt with a button-down collar and two chest pockets, according to the sheriff's office.
The retired U.S. Air Force officer is described as being 5 feet, 11 inches tall with white hair and blue eyes. It's believed he left his home on foot.
McCasland is known to hike, run and cycle in the Northeast Heights and the Sandia Foothills.
Residents on Quail Run Court Northeast and roads leading to and from the area have been asked by the sheriff's office to "check and submit" home surveillance footage from the day he went missing.
https://www.the-express.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/202093/blink-182-missing-ufo-expert
https://x.com/tomdelonge
https://x.com/ToTheStarsMedia
UAPDA sponsor “curious” about Trump’s call for UFO disclosure ahead of upcoming NDAA talks
Mar 14, 2026
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Armed Services & Intelligence Committees
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of President Donald Trump calling UFO "extremely interesting and important” as he publicly directed Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon and other federal agencies to release their UAP files?
Key Rounds:
“I haven’t heard anything since then either, so I’m curious to see how they approach it,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “But it’s a step in the right direction.”
Caught our ear:
Are you going to be dropping the UAP Disclosure Act you co-sponsor with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)?
“Good question,” Rounds says. “NDAA’s coming up again. That would be the appropriate place, but I have not talked to Senator Schumer about it.”
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/uapda-sponsor-curious-of-trumps-call-for-ufo-disclosure
https://x.com/AskaPol_UAPs/status/2032971783091941515
https://x.com/MattLaslo
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15596563/ufo-chief-pentagon-aircraft-stop-accelerate-right-angle.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490&utm_campaign=03-15-26-Revealed%3A-Unexp&utm_source=social&utm_medium=Twitter
https://www.aaro.mil/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYNwp9xE0a8 (Cristina Gomez: HUGE UFO REVELATIONS DROPPED BY FORMER AARO EXEC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOWGhTEec5Y (Weaponized: Chris Sharp Exposes AARO Before Trump's Big Decision)
https://x.com/ChrisUKSharp/status/2032813987822215637
Revealed: Unexplained objects that stop and accelerate quickly in space detected by 'highly qualified observers, says former UFO chief. 'Spacecraft we know don't behave that way'
Updated: 17:39 EDT, 26 February 2026
The Pentagon's UFO office former chief has revealed unexplained objects were detected in space – and that some performed maneuvers defying anything in America's known aerospace arsenal.
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Phillips, who was acting director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) until last April, told the Daily Mail that while most cases involved objects in the air, some detections extended beyond the atmosphere.
'I would say probably 90 percent of our cases, if not higher, were always in the air domain,' Phillips said.
'Most of these were in the atmosphere, but there were things in space.'
AARO, a team within the Department of War, is tasked with collecting and investigating UFO cases, with a focus on data-backed reports from skilled military members like fighter pilots or radar operators.
Phillips described reports from 'highly qualified observers' who witnessed these objects displaying capabilities beyond anything the US government is known to have.
He said the object had the 'ability to stop very, very quickly, accelerate quickly, right angle turns – the things that aircraft and spacecraft we know don't behave that way.'
Out of thousands of reports reviewed by AARO, fewer than 50 remained completely unresolved, even after examination by some of the world's leading experts, he said.
But those few dozen reports kept the experts scratching their heads.
'We're talking some of the best and brightest in the world couldn't explain what it is,' Phillips said.
His office was also able to rule out the possibility that the objects belonged to any known US or foreign program.
'We were able to conclusively prove it wasn't a known system, either adversary or friendly,' he said.
Despite the extraordinary nature of some sightings, Phillips told the Daily Mail that the objects never appeared to pose a direct threat.
'We never saw any hostile behavior,' he said. 'I couldn't speak to the intent, but we saw them in sensitive locations sometimes.'
He also noted that some objects appeared to actively avoid detection.
'We saw their attempt not to be surveyed, and in other cases they didn't seem to care,' Phillips said.
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That language echoes the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's landmark 2021 UFO assessment, which noted data appearing to show objects demonstrating 'acceleration or a degree of signature management', a term used to describe active attempts to avoid detection.
Phillips was also quick to stress that many dramatic sightings turn out to be misidentified classified US programs.
In one striking case, he described a witness who accurately reported what they saw – but drew the wrong conclusion entirely.
'We looked into it and there was a spaceship being tested, but it wasn't an alien spaceship. It's one of ours,' he said.
Phillips has publicly thrown cold water on expectations of any dramatic revelations.
In a LinkedIn post, he wrote: 'UFO believers will be disappointed by what is disclosed; there is no US Government evidence for beings or their craft visiting earth.'
But his statements on space detections, extraordinary flight performance, and dozens of unexplained cases despite analysis by top experts, are sure to stoke the debate.
He spoke to the Daily Mail in the wake of a shock announcement by President Donald Trump that he had directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to release any government UFO files still kept secret.
'I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant departments and agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters,' Trump posted on Truth Social on February 19.
'We've got our people working on it right ow,' Hegseth told reporters Monday. 'I don't want to oversell how much time it will take, but we're digging in.'
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on the topic this month, telling podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen that he believes aliens are real.
'They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in Area 51,' Obama said.
President Trump, asked about Obama's remarks aboard Air Force One on February 19, said his predecessor had made 'a big mistake'.
'He took it out of classified information… He's not supposed to be doing that,' Trump said.
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