February 26, 2025 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Two of NASA’s Deep Space Network antennas look up at Jupiter and Mars
The Mars antenna is in contact with the orbiter Maven, and the Jupiter antenna is talking to Juno.
- Data from China’s Zhurong rover suggests an ocean once existed in the northern Martian lowlands
As always, the assumption of liquid water is very uncertain. It could have been ice.
- Scott Pace, NASA swamp creature who pushed SLS for years, suddenly questions its practicality
Pace was a completely useless advisor to Trump’s National Space Council in the first administration, as he routinely pushed for big NASA projects built by NASA in league with the old space companies. He had no use for private space, and actually worked to hinder it. To suddenly change his tune now is nice, but it simply illustrates why he is not someone Trump or any NASA official should go to for worthwhile advice.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Two of NASA’s Deep Space Network antennas look up at Jupiter and Mars
The Mars antenna is in contact with the orbiter Maven, and the Jupiter antenna is talking to Juno.
- Data from China’s Zhurong rover suggests an ocean once existed in the northern Martian lowlands
As always, the assumption of liquid water is very uncertain. It could have been ice.
- Scott Pace, NASA swamp creature who pushed SLS for years, suddenly questions its practicality
Pace was a completely useless advisor to Trump’s National Space Council in the first administration, as he routinely pushed for big NASA projects built by NASA in league with the old space companies. He had no use for private space, and actually worked to hinder it. To suddenly change his tune now is nice, but it simply illustrates why he is not someone Trump or any NASA official should go to for worthwhile advice.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Scott Pace bailing on SLS is not quite the earthquake that Richard Shelby would be. But it’s a pretty stark marker of just what SLS’ s prospects must be now.
You can view DSN antenna operations at this link: https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/dsn-now/dsn.html Very nice web page.
Here is more on the Zhuring Mars rover data, complete with the suggestion that Mars once had “vacation-style” beaches, lol.
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/25/mars-beach-ocean-study-rover
Word has it that Donald Trump — with some help from Elon? — is looking at the site as a place to build a resort hotel.
By the way, at the actual House hearing this morning, there was one other development, when both Scott Pace and former NASA executive Dan Dumbacher were asked if Obama’s cancellation of Constellation set back our return to the Moon, and if so, by how much. Pace said it delayed us by a whole decade. Dumbacher said it delayed us by 5 years. I kid you not. No, seriously.
Lori Garver was having none of it. She quipped on X, “Really? Nonpartisan committee reported [Constellation] was never going to get us to the Moon & ISS was to be de-orbited in 2015 in order to pay for Ares V & lunar lander.” This is of course a reference to the 2009 Augustine Committee, and her characterization of its assessment is, of course, correct.
https://x.com/Lori_Garver/status/1894797631286579687?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Eric Berger: “Yeah those responses were something else.”
Homer Hickam: “God and Lori look after fools, drunks, and @NASA. We really did luck out with her persuasive abilities over ol’ Charlie.”
You ain’t wrong in considering Mr Pace still a pretty swampy guy, Bob. I hope he enjoys his retirement.
By the way, this afternoon Firefly posted another video clip of Blue Ghost orbiting the Moon, which is even better than the last one. Worth a look!
https://x.com/Firefly_Space/status/1894833374247698921
Best of luck to Intuitive Machines getting there to join it next week. Launch in just 3 minutes!
I do remember Dwayne Day writing about how ugly Lori Garvers was to him.
He’s been so beaten up he just doesn’t care anymore.
“Lee Zeldin Is Taking a Chainsaw to the EPA With Enormous Staff Cuts”
“’I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from environmental, and we’re going to speed up the process too at the same time,’ Trump told reporters on Wednesday. ‘He had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist.’”
https://thelibertydaily.com/lee-zeldin-is-taking-chainsaw-epa-enormous-staff/
Richard M, nice video! For me, it really drives home the “no atmosphere” state of the moon. There should be clouds in that picture!