Comments on: October 3, 2025 Quick space links

By: Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:01:26 +0000

Right next to the phlogiston.

Phosphine=exobiologist ectoplasm

By: John

John — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 21:56:49 +0000

Is the phosphine in the room with us now?

By: Richard M

Richard M — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 18:38:27 +0000

Oh, sorry, I somehow left out the link to Casey’s post:

https://x.com/CJHandmer/status/1974240270356201544

By: Richard M

Richard M — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 18:38:00 +0000

Casey Handmer, a JPL alum, has a sobering X post about impending layoffs at JPL. Excerpt: “JPL, which was bursting at the seams five years ago with Psyche, Perseverance, Europa Clipper, NISAR, and MSR now has nearly nothing going on. JPL has gone through booms and busts before, but in the past its technology was advanced enough that it was critical infrastructure for military space, it had friends in Congress, and its competition from other NASA centers and private space companies was embryonic in comparison. Unfortunately, I predicted this in a series of papers and a 2021 blog on Starship. JPL got complacent and it has been surpassed in many areas.”

One can only hope that this forces reform now just in how JPL operates, but the entire model of NASA’s science directorate’s methods of procurement. They are going to have to lean more heavily on commercial capabilities whether they like it or not.

By: Richard M

Richard M — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 18:35:25 +0000

I’m still not sure that Lunar Outpost’s Rover is the best one in development. But I am glad that NASA was able to get multiple rovers into development. No matter what NASA ends up doing, it’s at least possible that other commercial clients might pursue some of these for their own missions.

By: Blair Ivey

Blair Ivey — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:06:25 +0000

“We’ve found evidence of life!”

‘Star Maker’ Olaf Stapledon 1937