Two of the most powerful people in the world continue to push the “stranded astronaut” narrative. In a recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump were asked about the administration’s plans for space, their commitment to landing astronauts on Mars and the plan to “rescue,” … Read more
In an effort to learn more about astronaut health and the effects of space on the human body, NASA is conducting a new experiment aboard the International Space Station to speed up the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, thus improving the health safety not only of astronauts but patients back on Earth. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant … Read more
After the space community braced for a brutal shake-up at NASA this week, a last-minute decision on Tuesday (Feb. 18) spared over 1,000 agency employees on probationary status from being dismissed. The news comes amid an aggressive push by the Trump administration and so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — spearheaded by SpaceX CEO … Read more
Personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are on-site at NASA to review the agency’s payments. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), working under a mandate from President Donald Trump to reduce government spending, has its next target: NASA. The space agency told FLYING on Friday that DOGE personnel are already on-site to … Read more
In Aug. 2024, a team of NASA researchers and partners gathered in Missoula, to test new drone-based technology for localized forecasting, or micrometeorology. Researchers attached wind sensors to a drone, NASA’s Alta X quadcopter, aiming to provide precise and sustainable meteorological data to help predict fire behavior. Wildfires are increasing in number and severity around … Read more
NASA has decided to shuffle around some SpaceX Dragon capsules in order to launch its Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station as soon as possible. The agency is now targeting March 12 for the launch of Crew-10, which will carry three astronauts and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS). The four crewmembers … Read more
An annual safety report to NASA has both praise for the agency and also underscores a number of cautionary woes, including the space agency’s undertaking of the Artemis back-to-the-moon with humans campaign. The annual report from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) has been released. The report observes that NASA has made impressive progress. Challenges … Read more
Neil Armstrong was appreciative, but as explained in his handwritten letter, it was too late. The Apollo 11 commander and his crewmates had already arrived at a design to represent the first moon landing. Armstrong’s note and the mission patch proposal that inspired it are up for auction in Goldberg Coins & Collectibles’ Feb. 27 … Read more
President Donald Trump recently announced that the United States would work to land astronauts on Mars, preferably within the next four years — the extent of his presidential term. That goal has raised many eyebrows. After all, humanity has yet to return to the moon, following repeated delays to NASA’s Artemis 2 mission. So, is … Read more
In the coming years, NASA and other space agencies will send humans back to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo Era—this time to stay! To maximize line-of-sight communication with Earth, solar visibility, and access to water ice, NASA, the ESA, and China have selected the Lunar South Pole (LSP) as the location … Read more