The Pew poll is actually good news for NASA’s moon and Mars missions

Recently Pew Research released a survey measuring public attitudes about NASA, space exploration and the burgeoning commercial space sector. The results are illuminating, not the least of which are the numbers for public support for sending astronauts to the moon and then sending them to Mars.

The results are good news for Artemis, though one would not know it from how it was reported by some in the media.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

India, Russia, Japan and the US have launched the next phase of lunar exploration

Recently, India launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe. If all goes well, it will land on the moon’s south pole in late August. The mission comes after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 to land on the lunar surface.

If successful, it will not only buttress India as a major space power but will begin the next phase of lunar exploration with as many as six moon shots from four countries scheduled for the remainder of 2023, according to Arts Technica.

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Trump describes how he could solve Russia-Ukraine conflict in 24 hours "I know Zelenskyy very well, and I know Putin very well, even better. And I had a good relationship, very good with both of them. I would tell Zelenskyy, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don't make a deal, we're going to give him a lot. We're going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to. I will have the deal done in one day. One day."
AI robots could be our best bet for exploring the moon and Mars

Understandably, with America leading the world back to the moon under the Artemis Program, NASA has some interest in using humanoid robots like Valkyrie to help astronauts explore the lunar surface. Robots can assist with more mundane tasks such as setting up the lunar base. In the early days of the Artemis program, when human explorers will be on the moon for brief visits, robots can maintain the nascent lunar base. They can even help to collect geological samples for later study. They can do the dangerous tasks associated with lunar mining.

Cosmic vision: By showing us a new cosmos, the discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope will ripple through our moral universe
No, private space colonies will not be dystopian hellscapes

The idea of pulling up stakes and moving to a space colony to start a new life is a compelling one. SpaceX’s Elon Musk wants to build a city of a million people on Mars. Jeff Bezos wants to build free-flying colonies, first envisioned by Gerard K. O’Neill, that can sustain even more people. Space colonies are the stuff of science fiction dreams, invoking the settlement of the American West.

Saturday, July 08, 2023

How Much of a Threat Does China’s Commercial Space Sector Pose?

Commercial space and China are usually not two things that are mentioned in the same sentence. China, after all, is ruled by a totalitarian government that doesn’t permit power centers, especially those that are privately run and separate from Beijing. Chinese culture does not encourage the kind of freewheeling, outside-the-box thinking that has given rise to space capitalists such as SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos in the United States.

Gabriella's War: A Vampire Gabriella Novel

Wednesday, July 05, 2023

The Moon, Mars, and Beyond: Two Tales from the Coming Space Age

Sunday, July 02, 2023

India signing the Artemis Accords is a historic win for space exploration

A few days after Ecuador signed the Artemis Accords, India signed as well. Not only that, the United States and India will embark on a number of space cooperation initiatives, including a visit to the International Space Station by Indian astronauts.