China

 China is planning to explore the lunar south polar region aggressively over the next few years.

Three major missions are on the boards.

China

 China has told the U. S. it should protect ISS from satellites.

China has anti-satellite technology.

Reid

 Former senator Harry Reid has died at 82.

He was behind the creation of the AATIP UFO program.

Private Spaceflight

 This year was huge for private spaeeflight.

Next year will have to keep up the momentum.

Mars Meteorite

 On this date in 1984, the famed Mars meteorite was found in Antarctica.

Whether it contained evidence of Martian life is still controversial.

James Webb

 NASA's JWST finally launched this morning after years of delay.

Its mission is simple-- revolutionize our understanding of the universe, again.

Axiom

 Axiom Space is set to launch the first private crew to ISS next year.

It's also building its own spacesuits.

Cassini

 Giovanni Cassini discovered Ehea, Saturn's second-largest moon, on this date in 1672,

Three hundred years later, a probe bearing his name explored the Saturn system.

JWST

 JWST's launch has been delayed yet again.

This time only one day, due to weather.

Boosters

 SpaceX has successfully landed its 100th booster.

Blue Origin lands its boosters. too.  NASA's SLS, if it ever flies. will not.

Aurora

 A new study finds Earth's magnetic field underwent a major disruption 41,000 years ago.

Aurorae may have been seen at the equator.

JWST

 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch Christmas Eve.

JWST is years behind schedule.

Organics

 Perseverance has found organic chemicals on Mars.

It's not life, but it is the building blocks of life.

Parker

 NASA''s Parker Space Observatory has touched the Sun,

It's opening a new era in solar studies,

UFOs

 Another UFO wave seems to be underway.

Several lights were seen in the sky over Santa Barbara, California, recently, for example.

Venus

 On thus date in 1962, Mariner 2 flew past Venus.

At the time some astronomers thought Venus was a steamy jungle world.  Nope.

Space Law

 T he UN intends to update space law.

The controlling law is still the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

Strahan

 Michael Strahan flew to space in a Blue Origin capsule this morning.

Alan Shepard's daughter, Laura, did, too.

Double Helix

 Astronomers have observed a jet from a black hole that has the double helix structure.

Powerful magnetic fields molded the jet.

Venus

 New  findings suggest at least  one volcano may be erupting on Venus.

The planet has over 1,000 major volcanoes.

b Centauri b

 Astronomers have found the most massive planet yet-- 11 Jupiter masses-- orbiting a pair of huge young stars.

b Centauri b may force a rethink of planet formation theory.

China

 I. S. defense officials say China attacks American satellites daily.

China also seems to be threatening to invade Taiwan.

GU 367 b

 Astronomers have found the smallest exoplanet yet.

GU 367 b has the diameter of Mars and the density of Mercury.

China

 According to intelligence reports, China is preparing to win a war in space.

It is developing several space weapons, including an EMP weapon that could knock out an electrical power grid.

Starlink

 A Falcon 9 launched 50 more Starlink satellites last night.

Starlink is to bring Internet to poor areas of Earth.

MUFON

 MUFON got 514 UFO reports worldwide last month.

Of those, 421 were in the USA.

Private Space Stations

 A new report says private space stations may be key in going to Mars,

ISS is aging, and won't be able to support all the required research.

Hypersonic

 Russia has conducted another hypersonic mussile test.

This rime, the missile reportedly hit the target.

Eggshell Planets

 A new study finds there may be "rggshell" planets-- worlds with extremely thin crusts and ultrasmooth surfaces.

Astronomers may have already found three.

Perseverance

 Perseverance has now collected three rock samples.

The plan is to bring the samples to Earth at some point.

UFO

  The Pentagon is forming a task force on the UFO issue.

Congress may also establish a permanent office within the Pentagon to investigate UFOs.

 

DART

 NASA has launched its DART mission.

The goal of the mission is to test techniques for redirecting asteroids.

Ingenuity

 Ingemioty flew again on Mars Sunday.

It was the little helicopter's 16th flight.

UFOs

 Director of National Intelligence Avtil Haines has publicly stated UFOs may be alien craft.

Our sensors and systems continue to improve, and we are getting more and better data on these occurrences.

ISS

 On this day in 1998, the first piece of ISS reached orbit.

Now, privatizing ISS might extend its life into the next decade.

Eclipse

 There was a three hour long partial linar eclipse over North America last night.

It was the longest such eclipse since 1440.

Starship

 SpaceX plans to fly Starship to orbit early next year, according to Elon Musk.

The company plans several such test flights for next year.

Russis

 Russia tested an anti-satellite system recently by destroying one of its own derelict satellites,

The resulting debris is one more danger to spaceflight.

Artemis

 Estimates are the Artemis lunar program will cost $93 billion.

Apollo cost $25 billion, but straight comparisons are extremely difficult.

UFO

 A photographer snapped pictures of a  "doughnut UFO" over Zurich last week.

There is as yet no explanation for it/

De Vries

 Glen de Vries, a crewmate of William Shatner in their Blue Origin spaceflight, has been killed in a plane crash.

He was 49.

Life

 Some scientists are urging a broader search for life in the universe, looking for biosignatures on exopllanets, for example.

The next generation of large Earth-based telescopes will be able to start that process.

Crew 3

 After s dramatic night launch, Crew 3 is on its way to ISS.

The four astrinauts are scheduled for six months there.

Splashdown

 SpaceX astronauts have safely splashed down.

They spent six months on ISS.

VG

 Virgin Galactic reports it has sold 700 seats at $450,000 each.

Commercial operations are expected to begin next year.

MUFON

 Six hundred UFO sightings worldwide were reported to MUFON in October.

Of those, 479 were in the United States.

Perseverance

 Perseverance has spotted layered rock in Jezera Crater.

The layered rock suggests the presence of liquid water in the past.

Early Water

 Astronomers have found traces of water vapor in a galaxy nearly 13 billion years ago.

It's the oldest such find yet.

Comets

 Scientists think one or more huge comets exploded over what is now the Atacama Desert roughly 12,000 years ago.

There is also evidence that a large body-- possibly a comet-- slammed into Greenland at about that same time.

SPS

 Some researchers say space-based solar power could be with us within a decade.

That cou3d be a game-changer,

Comet 29P

 Comet 29P is erupting unpredictibly.

A team of amateur and professional astronomers is trying to understand how.

Camel

 Astronomers have found three examples in other galaxies of huge explosions that appear suddenly in the visuble spectrum and disappear in weeks, not years.

The latest one is called "the Camel."

Artemis 2

 NASA and National Geographic have reached agreement to fly NG cameras onboard Artemis 2 to independently document the mission.

Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17.

Flare

 A massive solar flare has sent a powerful energy burst Earth's way.

It could create unusual aurorae for Halloween.

Lucy

 NASA's Lucy probe is flying with one of its solar power arrays only partially unfurled.

Lucy is to encounter 8 asteroids between 2025 and 2030, 7 of which will be Trojan asteroids of Jupiter.

Earth

 A new study says Earth flipped on its side 84 nullion years ago.

It returned to the current position over the next five million years.

Orbital Reef

 A cornsortium of universities and private companies are pursuing a space station project called Orbital Eeef.

Target year is 2030.

Privateer

 Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is building a space ompany in Hawaii called Privateer.

Its first project seems to involve space junk.

China

 Reports are now that China conducted two essentially orbital tests of hypersonic missiles last week.

The tests included maneuvering that would defeat defensive systems.

Jupiter

 Jupiter was hit by another body last week,

The event was observed by Japanese skywatcfhers.

South Korea

 South Korea's first Nuri rocket launch failed to put a mock payload into orbit.

Why is not yet known.

North Korea

 North Korea has reportedly launched a new missile from either a submerged platform or a submarine.

It's said to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

China

 Reporting says China has a hypersonic missile capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

It would be a first strike weapon.

Icy Moons

 Water vapor has now been found in the wispy atmospheres of both Europa and Ganymede.

It's a step forward in understanding icy moons.

Lucy

 NASA has launched its Lucy probe to the Trojan asteroids.

It is scheduled to visit 6 asteroids over the next 12 years.

VG

 Virgin Galactic is delaying commercial flights until the fourth quarter of 2022.

The company is looking at the structural strength of its carrier planes.

Shatner

 William Shatner ssuccessfully flew to space yesterday.

He is now an astronaut.

Mars

 Perseverance has confirmed Jezero Crater was once home to a large lake and river delta.

It's good news for life.

V2

 /The remains of a Nazi V2 rocket has been dug up in the English countryside.

The V2 was the first hypersonic vehicles.

Shatner

 William Shatner's flight to space has been delayed a day.

The actor who played the legendary Captain Kirk has admitted to being "terrified."

Starliner

 Boeing's Starliner capsule won't launch until at least 2022.

It had been scheduled to launch August 3, 2021.

Plutp

 As Pluto  moves deeper into space, scientists have found its atmosphere is disappearing.

When it approaches the Sun again, decades from now, the atmosphere will redevelop.

Space Junk

 What scientists once thought was the oldest gamma ray burst turns out to be attributable to a piece of space junk.

It's a reminder of the need for thorough research.

Showbiz

 Russia has ferried a director and an actress to ISS.

They will shoot scenes for a movie.

Shatner

 William Shatner, STAR TREK's Captain Kirk, is scheduled to fly to space in a Blue Origin capsule next week.

At 90, he would be the oldest person yet to reach space.

Sputnik

 Today is the 64yj anniversary of the launch of Sputnik.

It's one of the few true pivot points in human history.

UFO

 The U. S. House has passed a defense authorization bill that establishes a permanent UFO investigation office in the Pentagon.

The Senate has yet to act on the bill.

NASA

 NASA is 64 years old today.

Most people, fairly enough, probably associate NASA with JFK, but it was created under Dwight Eisenhower in the aftermath of Sputnik.

Permission Granted

 The FAA has given Virgin Galactic permission to begin manned commercial suborbital flights.

VG plans to commence commercial operations next year.

Hypersonic

 The Pentagon says it will test hypersonic vehicles next year,

Russia says it already has them.

Mars

 Scientist are looking at new. less expensive ways ti explore Mars.

Bringing in New Space approaches could open new areas ti exploration.

WASP-127b

 WASP-127b is a hot, low density world 524 light years away.

Scientists are probing deep into its atnosphere and finding a strange type of water vapor and sodium where it shouldn't necessarily be.

Moon

 A new study suggests creating the Moon required two collisions of Earth and another body, not just one.

That would make the Moon as it exists an extremely unlikely object.

Void

 Astronomers have found a void in space 500 light years wide.

They think it's due to a supernova.

Marsquakes

 NASA's InSight lander has recently detected three marsquakes.

They were magnitude 4.3 and 4.2.

Starliner

 The second test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule may slip into next year.

The first one, s failure, took place in 2019.

Mars

 A new study argues Mars is simply too small to maintain a magnetic field and hold onto a robust atmosphere.

So, that fabled Martian civilization was never in the cards.

Inspiration4

 Inspiration4 is safely home after splashing down in the Atlantic.

It broadens possibilities for human space travel generally.

Timr Crystals

 Physicists have made time crystals inside a quantum computer.

Time crystals, first predicted only nine years ago, skirt the second law of thermodynmics, and opens the way to a new physics.

Shenzhou-12

 The crew of  Shenzhou-12 has landed safely home.

It had spent three months on China's latest space station.

Inspiration4

 Inspiration4 successfully launched into orbit last night.

The orbit3is deeper into space than that of ISS.

Jupiter

 Jupiter, as it often is, was hit by a space rock Monday night.

An amateur astronomer in Brazil captured the event.

VG Delay

 Virgin Galactic is delaying its next spaceflight due to a possible defect in one hardware component.

That next flight will now be no earlier than mid-October.

Humans To Mars

 The 2021 Humans to Mars conference is currently underway.

It will wrap up Wednesday.

Inspiration4

 Inspiration4, SpaceeX's first private, all-civilian human spaceflight, is ready to go on an orbital trip.

Launch is set for Wednesday evening.

STAR TREK

 STAR TREK debuted on NBC 55 years ago this week.

The franchise is still going strong, still spawning new series.

Signals

 Astronomers have detected a strange radio emission coming from the center of the galaxy.

So far, they don't know what is causing them.

JWST

 The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed yet again.

Now, launch is set for December.

Sampling Mars

 Perseverance has collected its first Mars sample.

The plan is for a future mission to bring the sample to Earth.

Big Ships

 China is looking at funding a tiny study of how to build huge spaceships in orbit.

Interestingly, given recent Pentagon acknowledgement that something we don't understand is in our skies, people have reported seeing huge UFOs.

FAA

 The FAA has banned Virgin Galactic from human spaceflight until it completes its investigation of the Branson flight.

That flight deviated from its filed flight path and left its proscribed envelope.

Vesta

 Vesta, the largest asteroid if you count Ceres as a dwarf planet, has two huge troughs running across its surface.

Scientists cannot yet explain them.

X-59

 NASA is working on a supersonic plane, the X-59. that will produce only a soft sonic boom.

Test flights could begin next year.

ESA

Over 23,000 people have applied to become ESA astronauts this year.

That's a record.

Greenland

 Space Age technology is revealing a landscape under the ice sheets of Greenland that includes mountains, lakes, and evidence of a meteoritic impact.

It also includes the longest canyon in the world.

B;ack Holes

 Computer simulations suggest a huge number of supermassive black holes could be ranging across the universe.

Possibly a dozen could be patrolling the edges of the Milky Way alone.

Comets

 A new study suggests thrre may be more interstellar comets whipping through this solar system than we know.

Indeed, most of the material in the Oort Cloud might be from outsde.

Nelson

 NASA chief  Bill Nelson reiterated this week in Denver that he expects to land Americans on the Moon by 2024.

That is supposed to include the first woman on the Moon.

ispace

 Tokyo-based ispace is building a 9-foot tall lunar lander.

It's designed to be able to land anywhere on the Moon and survive the lunar night.

UFO

 Investigative reporter Leslie Kean, in an interview with Space.com, says a government task force is needed to push the UFO story forward.

She also says the government has photos and video far superior to what has been released.

Dust

 Scientists have found that even small dust storms have played a role in drying out Mars.

Storms throw dust into the air and the dust pushes water molecules higher into the atmosphere where they are broken apart by ultraviolet radiation.

Asteroids

 Asteroids are full of precious metals and other valuable mineral resources.  They also often contain water.

To mine them, some are saying, instead of going into deep space, we should bring asteroids into Earth orbit.

Cattle Mutilations

 Tucker Carlson reports there's a clear connection between UFOs and cattle mutilations.

Linda Moulton Howe has been reporting that for forty years.

Curiosity

 Climbing Mount Sharp. Curiosity has reached layers of drier rock.

They could tell us how Mars' climate died out.

Broken Arm

 Astronomers have found a sort of break in one spiral arm of the Milky Way.

Now they need to determine how it happened.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity flew its twelfth time on Mars recently.

It was a scouting foray for Perseverance.

Musk

 According to CNBC, Elon Musk said over the weekend that Starship will be stacked for orbital flight in a few weeks.

He also recently said SpaceX could fly humans to the Moon before 2024.

UFO

 Two planes-- one military and one airliner-- reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada on July 30.

Exactly what was seen has not yet been determined.

Starliner

 Boeing's Starliner capsule is still grounded.  No new launch date has been set.

The problem seems to be sticky valves.

Perseverance

 Perseverance's first attempt to collect samples failed.

Engineers are trying to determine what went wrong.

Gale

 Mars' Gale crater may have had several small, transient lakes through time, not one large, enduring one, according to a new study.

That would cut down the chances for life.

Hot Jupiter

 Scientists have not understood why Jupiter's upper atmosphere is so hot so far from the sun.  Now they think the heat is linked to the planet's aurorae.

The upper atmosphere is about as hot as the surface of Venus.

Starship

 Elon Musk's Starship atop the Super Heavy booster is the tallest rocket ever.

It stands 395 feet tall.

L 98=59

 L 98-59 is a red dwarf about 35 light years from Earth which has three planets in its habitable zone, all of which could be similar to Earth.

The arrangement is similar to the TRAPPIST-1 system.

Ticket

 Virgin Galactic is selling spaceeflight tickets.

The basic price is $450,000.

Curiosity

Curiosity has now been on Mars for nine Earth years.

It has been a remarkable mission.

Perdpective

 CVS Health has announced quarterly revenues of over $72 billion.

That's more then triple NASA's annual budget.

UFO

     UFO researchers hold there have been many crash landings of alien craft around the world.

So.They have the skill and technology to get here across light years, but regularly crash?

Iceland

 A new study suggests-- contrary to current mainstream thought-- that Iceland is the last remnant of an ancient continent.

The new theory says the continent slipped beneath the waves 10 million years ago.

Perseverance

 Perseverance launched to Mars last July 30.

Having gotten Ingenuity off to a good start, Perseverance is now ready to begin collecting samples'

Mars

 A new study finds clay might lie under the polar caps of Mars, not lakes of water.

That would limit the case for life.

Plasms

 Scientists have observed slow-moving plasma waves on the surface of the sun.

They think studying the waves can tell them about the internal structure of our star.

Bezos

 Jeff Bezos is asking NASA to give Blue Origin a contract for the Artemis lunar lander.

Bezos says BO will put up billions of dollars for the project.

Galileo

 Avi Loeb has co-founded a foundation dedicated to bringing the search for evidence of technological alien civilizations into the scientific mainstream.

It's called The Galileo Project.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity has flown ten times on Mars for a total of one mile in the thin air.

Its highest altitude has been forty feet.

Europs Clipper

 A Falcon Heavy will launch NASA's Europa Clipper mission.

Liftoff is scheduled for 2024.

Earth 2.0

 A new study using computer simulation finds that an Earth-like planet could develop and thrive between  two gas giants.

That opens the universe to more possibilities.

Exomoon

 Astronomers have found a disk orbiting a young Jupiter-like planet 400 light years away that could produce multiple moons.

They have yet to find an exomoon.

Hypersonic

 Russian President Putin has announced his nation has a hypersonic vehicle that can deliver nuclear warheads.

Chins and the U. S. are also developing such craft.

Bezos

 Jeff Bezos and crewmates had a safe and successful spaceflight this morning.

The booster also touched down on target.

Worlds

 Astronomers have found four interesting worlds orbiting two small stars 130 light years away.

The worlds are young and still developing.  They cam teach us much.

Mars

 Curiosity has established geological processes om Mars can wipe out evidence of ancient life.

That has no bearing on whether life existed. however.

Hubble

 Hubble is back online using its backup computer.

It had been offline since June 13.

Comet

 Astronomers have spotted a coma around the head of a huge comet far out in the Solar System.

It could be the largest comet yet found.

Nuclear Propulsion

 NASA and the Department of Energy are studying three concepts for nuclear powered spacecraft.

Such ships could cut the flight time for a human trip to Mars in half.

FAA OK

 Blue Origins has gotten a license from the FAA to fly passengers to space.

Jeff Bezos flies next week.

Branson

 Sir Richard Branson and crew successfully completed a suborbital flight yesterday.

Virgin Galactic plans to start flying paying customers next year.

Planetary Defense

 A new study for ESA finds large TV broadcasting satellites could be used to deflect incoming asteroids.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that deflecting a large asteroid could require ten such satellites hitting the asteroid in short order.

Hypernovs

 Scientists have found evidence of a hypernova explosion in the fringes of the Milky Way.

The blast would have been ten times as powerful as a supernova.

China

 China's Chang'e 6 mission will attempt a sample return from the far side of the Moon.

The mission is scheduled for 2024.

Hubble

 Hubble has been offline since June 13.

Engineers aren't sure what's wrong,

Antarctica

 A huge Antarctic lake disappeared as the ice shelf beneath it fractured.

The lake drained in three days.

FRBs

 In April 2020 astronomers detected the first fast radio burst located within the Milky Way.

They still don't know what causes FRBs, but magnetars-- magnet stars-- are the leading candidates.

Collisions

 Scientists have now observed two collisions between a black hole and a neutron star.

The two events came ten days apart.

Space Race

 Richard Branson plans to fly into space July 11

That's nine days before Jeff Bezos is scheduled to do it.

Exoplanets

 A new study finds current methods of detecting exoplanets may be missing many Earth-like worlds.

Rocky worlds in binary stat systems may be lost in the glare of twin suns.

Loen

 Harvard's Ari Loeb is speculating that there could be a connection between Oumuamua and UFO/UAP sightings/

He suggests Oumuamua may have been designed to collect data from UFOs.

Ingenuity

NASA says Ingenuity could keep flying on Mars for months/

The tiny helicopter has already made eight flights. three more than planned.

Cloud Life

 A new study finds no hope for life in the clouds of Venus due to a lack of water vapor.

The clouds of Jupiter, however, are another matter.

UFO

 The Pentagon's UFO report was released late yesterday.

The report argues for more funding to study the matter and says aliens cannot now be ruled out.

License

 Virgin Galactic has received a commercial license to fly passengers into space from the FAA.

It's the first such license granted.

Turkey

Turkey plans to send a craft to the Moon in three years.

It also plans a lunar rover in 2030.

Moon

 China and Russia are leading an international effort to put a space station in lunar orbit and a base on the lunar surface.

There is no timetable for putting astronauts on the Moon.

G7

 G7 members, which do not include Russia or China, have agreed to prioritize the space junk problem.

According to ESA, there are 34,000 pieces of space debris in orbit 4 inches across or larger.

VESTA VARIABLE

 Astronomers have found a huge bright star that virtually blinks out with regularity.

They surmise a huge object blocks the light, but they don't know what the object is.

Blue Origin

 A seat on Blue Origin's maiden suborbital flight has been auctioned off for $28 million.

The winner's name has not yet been disclosed.

Mice

 In an experiment to test the effects of space radiation on mammals, mice from freeze-dried sperm that was stored aboard ISS have been born on Earth.

The mice are healthy and seem to have no defects.

Venus

 ESA has announced it is sending a science probe to Venus.

With NASA's two upcoming mission there. scientists hope to get a good picture of our sister world.

UFO

 New NASA head Bill Nelsen says NASA will start investigating UFO sightings.

France's space agency has been studying UFOs for decades.

Russia

 Russia is offering seats on a Soyuz for a trip to ISS to commercial customers.

Prices were not given.

Terran R

 Relativity Space plans to have a fully reusable, 3D-printed rocket, the Terran R, in operation in 2024.

The company's goal is to build humanity's industrial base on Mars.

Bezos

 Jeff Bezos will fly on Blue Origin's first crewed, suborbital flight.

The flight is scheduled for July 20.

Aliens

 U. S. intelligence officials are saying they have no evidence of alien spacecraft.

They also say, however, that they can't rule out aliens visiting Earth.

UFO

The unclassified version of the Pentagon's UFO report will likely be released June 25, according to Tucker Carlson.

There will also be a classified report.

Venus

 NASA is planning two missions to Venus this decade

The goal is to try to learn why Venus is so hellish.

Global Warming

 A new study finds satellite observations may have underestimated the extent of global warming.

What that might mean for the future is unclear.

Space Junk

 The robotic arm of ISS was hit by space debris recently.

The arm seems fine, but the incident is a reminder that space junk is a real issue.

UFO: Opinion

 What are the objects  in the sky the Pentagon is now, finally, after decades, acknowledging?  From a historical perspective, assuming current sightings are somehow related to sightings decades ago, the objects cannot be either Chinese or Russian.  Not Chinese because decades ago China was a poor nation lacking the industrial, techmological, and scientific bases to build such advanced craft.  If he'd had them, Mao would have pursued a much more aggressive foreign policy.  Not Russian because we have reports that during the Cold War similar UFOs messed with both American and Soviet ICBM bases/  If Khrushchev, or Kennedy, had had such craft, there would have been no Cuban Missile Crisis.

So,, what are they?  We might be forced  to an exotic conclusion.  Or two.  Or more.  

UFO

 Another video has been released, this one showing a swarm of UFOs harassing a U.S. Navy ship in 2019.

The Pentagon has confirmed the video is authentic.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity suffered a glitch that caused some wild moments in its latest flight on Mars.

Still, the little helicopter landed safely.

Canada

 Canada, in partnership with NASA, is building a robotic lunar rover.

Launch is projected for 2026.

Europa

 A new study suggests Jupiter's moon Europa may have underwater volcanoes or hydrothermal vents,

That would increase the chances for life.

Kennedy

 John Kennedy committed America to go to the Moon sixty years ago.

Today, we are finally preparing to go back.

Carpenter

 Fifty-nine years ago today Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit Earth.

It was his only spaceflight.

Virgin Galactic

 Virgin Galactic conducted its first rest flight of SpaceShipTwo in New Mexico today.

VG plans to begin commercial flights next year.                                   

ESA

 ESA is looking at establishing a satellite network in lunar orbit to support surface operations.

The network would provide navigation and telecommunication services.

China

 China's Tianwen-1 successfully landed on Mars last week.

China is only the second nation to accomplish that feat.

UFO

 According to 60 MINUTES, the Navy has been encountering UFOs in restricted airspace along the East Coast on a daily basis for years.

That rate is far higher than reported civilian sightings.

UFO

 60 MINUTES did a segment on UFOs Sunday night.

Anticipation is building for the Pentagon report due out next month.

Hum

 Voyager 1 has discovered the faint "hum" of plasma in interstellar space.

The discovery will help scientists understand deep space

UFO

 The Navy has released a video showing an object in the sky diving into the ocean.

The Pentagon confirms the object was real.

Artemis

 A Senate bill would direct NASA to give a second company a contract for the Artemis lunar lander.

Giving two companies contracts for the same project is not unusual in NASA history.

JWST

 An issue with the Ariane 5 rocket may delay launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

JWST is already years behind schedule.

UFO

 Luis Elizondo, former AATIP director, says the technology exhibited by UFO/UAPs is only decades ahead of ours.

That would be amazing.

Private Mission

 NASA and Axiom have reached agreement for the first private mission to ISS.

It could happen as early as January.

China

 China reports its wayward rocket fell into the Indian Ocean.

There seems to be no reports of damages.

China

 That Chinese rocket will return to Earth this weekend.

Exactly where is unclear.

Perspective

 Apple has reported it has $145 billion in cash.

That's nearly seven times NASA's annual budget.

Starship

 SpaceX successfully launched and landed a prototype Starship.

That's a big step forward.

China

 A 21-ton piece of Chinese rocket will  make an uncontrolled re-entry soon.

Where it might land is not yet known.

Harris

 Vice President Harris will chair the National Space Council.

In that role, she takes over from Mike Pence,

Crew-1

 Crew-1 safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.

It marked another milestone for private spaceflight.

UFO

 Some people who might know, like Luis Elizondo. are saying the U. S. Government's handling of UFOs constitutes a "massive intelligence failure."

They likened it to the intelligence failure leading up to 9/11.

Perspective

 Amazon announced sales of $108 billion in its latest quarter.

That's five times NASA's annual budget.

Collins

 Mike Collins, command module pilot on Apollo 11, has passed away from cancer.

He was 90.

Contract

 Blue Origin and Dynatics are challenging the awarding of the Artemis moon lander contract to SpaceX.

They argue the process was flawed.

Delay

The return of the Crew-1 astronauts has been delayed due to bad weather in the splashdown zone.

Splashdown is now set for May 1.

ISS

 There are 11 people currently on ISS.

Four of them are due to leave Wednesday.

Mars

 Perseverance extracted oxygen from the carbon dioxide in Mars' atmosphere this week.

That's a step forward towards the human exploration of the Red Planet.

Crew 2

 Crew 2 successfully launched this morning.

The booster also stuck the landing.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity made its second successful flight on Mars early this morning.

It was slightly higher and longer than the first.

Crew 2

 The launch of Crew 2 has been delayed due to inclement weather.

Ir's been rescheduled for Friday.

Artemis

 SpaceX has won the contract to build the Artemis lunar lander.

The company beat out Blue Origin and Boeing.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity made it's first flight on Mars early today.

That, only 117 years after Kitty Hawk.

Crew 2

 All systems are go so far for the launch of Crew 2 to ISS.

The launch is scheduled for Thursday.

UFO

 The U. S, Navy has released more UFO/UAP video seeming to show variously shaped craft.

The Pentagon confirms the video is authentic.

Russia

 Russia is planning a series of unmanned missions to the Moon, starting with one later this year.

It will be the first Russian lunar mission in 45 years.

Asteroid

 An asteroid the size of a car flew past Earth this week.

This happens with some regularity, underscoring the need for planetary defense.

Ingenuity

 NASA's Mars helicopter won't be flying for a while.

Engineers are reinstalling its flight control software.

Spaceflight

 Today is the 60th anniversary of the first human spaceflight.

It started with capsules, went through the shuttle era, and now is essentially back to capsules.

Biden

President Biden's first NASA budget asks for $24.7 billion.

That includes $6.5 billion for the Artemis lunar program.

 

Gates

According to reports, Bill Gates is working on a project to introduce material into the upper atmosphere, thereby blocking sunlight and cooling the planet.

Scientists have no idea what the long-term effects of such a project would be.

Power Beaming

 The secret spaceplane X-37B is being used, among other things. to carry out preliminary tests on beaming power.

So far, so good.

Martian Rainbow

 Perseverance has snapped a photo of a "rainbow" on Mars.

It's quite a shot.

Inflatons

 Computer simulations have revealed the first structures in the universe.

They have been dubbed inflatons.

Antimatter

 Physicists have trapped antimatter in a magnetic field.

It opens new opportunities for research.

Antarctica

 Scientists think a superheated mass struck Antarctica about 430,000 years ago.

It's another reminder of the need for a planetary defense system.

Ingenuity

The flight of the Mars helicopter Ingemuity has been delayed.

Ir will not fly before April 11.

Enceladus

 A  new theory argues the ocean under the ice shell of Enceladus might have currents like the ocean around Antarctica.

If so, that could increase the chances for life there.

Private Flight

 Billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others are scheduled to make a three day private spaceflight aboard a SpaceX Dragon in the fall.

The flight will also benefit St. Jude's hospital.

Imagine

 Virgin Galactic is unveiling its first Spaceship III today.

The ship's name is the VSS Imagine.

Uranus. Neptune, And More

 Some scientists are pushing for probes to Uranus and Neptune.

They argue that, properly done, such missions could also search for gravitational waves.

UFO

Former Pentagon official Christopher Mellon says the upcoming UFO report could have "massive implications."

The report is due out in June.

TESS

The planet-hunting TESS spacecraft has found 2,241 candidate worlds in two years.

NASA has extended the mission for another two years.

Ingenuity

The Mars helicopter Ingenuity carries a small piece of fabric from a wing of the original Wright Flyer.

We humans, for all our technology, remain a sentimental lot.

UFO

 According to former DNI John Radcliffe, the Pentagon will declassify and release more UFO/UAP video in June.

Some of it is "difficult to explain," he says.

Moon

 On this date in 1840, the first photograph of the Moon was taken.

That was more than two centuries after Galileo first looked at the Moon through a telescope.

Oumuamua

 Scientists now think Oumuamua is a chunk sheered off a Pluto-like world.

They also say it is smaller than previously thought, and shaped like a pancake.

Nelson

 President Biden has chosen former Florida senator Bill Nelson to be the next NASA administrator.

Nelson, while a senator, flew on the space shuttle in 1986.

SLS

 NASA successfully test fired the main engines of its  SLS rocket yesterday.

There's no indication of when a test flight might take place.

Mars Sounds

 NASA has released audio from Mars.

Listen as Perseverance bangs and grinds and rolls along.

Mars

 A new study finds Mars may still have huge amounts of water under its crust.

That would be great news for eventual human settlement.

Nashville

The FBI says paranoia centered on alien lizard people controlling Earth led to the Nashville Christmas Day bombing.

The bomber died in the blast.

Nine

 SpacceX laumched the same Falcon 9 for the 9th time yesterday.

It again stuck the landing.

MUFON

 According to MUFONTV, the U. S. Defense Intelligence Agency has admitted it has material from an extraterrestrial craft.  The DIA officially denies that.

So does the Pentagon.

Gj 1132 b

 Scientists have found a world they call Gj 1132 b that seems to be developing a new atmosphere.

It tightly orbits a red dwarf 41 light years away.

Bigelow

 Bigelow Aerospace shut down last year under COVID restrictions.

There are no indications it will ever come back.

Russia and China

 Russia and China have agreed to jointly establish a research station on or orbiting the Moon.

No timetable for the project was announced.

Mars

 A new study suggests Mars has only been wet and warm sporadically and for short periods.

That doesn't preclude life, the study says.

Dark Matter

 A new theory argues the gamma rays being emitted from the center of the galaxy are the result of dark matter particles annihilating each other.

The theory seeks new ways to study dark matter.

Starliner

 An  uncrewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule has been delayed.

It's the second such delay.

Gliese 486 b

 Scientists say studying Gliese 485 b can teach them a lot about planetary atmospheres.

It's a world about three times bigger than Earth orbiting a red dwarf 26 light years away,

Starship

 SpaceX launched and landed a prototype Starship yesterday.

Minutes after landing, it exploded.  The company said the test flight was nevertheless a success.

Rocket Lab

 San Francisco startup Rocket Lab is looking at going public.

RL operates in the small satellite market.

UFO

 Ira Rosen, veteran 60 MINUTES producer, writes in a new book that President Carter asked for a briefing on UFOs, but then CIA Director George H. W. Bush refused the request.

Bigger question: What else can the intelligence community simply refuse to tell the President of the United Srates?

 

Hotel

 Orbital Assembly, a Texas startup, plans to have a hotel in orbit in 2027.

The hotel is designed to accommodate 400 guests.

Stripes

 Satellite images show stripes along the Markha River in Arctic Siberia.

Scientists can't yet explain them.

Cosmology

 Cosmologiats have used a supercomputer to run 4,000 variations of how the universe expanded a trillion times over immediately after the Big Bang.

What made the Big Bang bang is still a mystery.

UFO

 A commercial pilot is reporting seeing a UFO over New Mexico.

The pilot says it was a "long, cylindrical object."

Relativity Space

 Startup Relativity Space is planning to launch the world's first 3D-printed rocket later this year..

That could be yet another game-changer.

Video

 NASA has released video of Perseverance's descent to and landing on Mars.

It's pretty cool.

Inspiration 4```````

 SpaceX intends to fly the Inspiration 4 mission later this year.

It will be the first all civilian human spaceflight.

Glenn

 On this date in 1962,  John Glenn became the first  American to orbit  Earth.

He parleyed that flight into a long political career.

Mars Helicopter

Perseverrance landed safely on Mars yesterday.

Among its exploring tools is the first interplanetary helicopter..

Perserverance

 NASA's Perserverance rover is set to land on Mars today.

If all goes well, it will perservere in the search for life.

Oscillions

 A new paper suggests particles called oscillions helped shape the very early universe.

They then faded away.

SpaceX

 SpaceX successfully launched 60 more Starlink satellites last night.

Unfortunately, the booster missed its landing.

Dark Matter

 A new study suggests dark matter weighs many trillions of times less than thought.

The study used quantum gravity calculations and opens the way to a possible unknown force in the universe.

Chang'e 4

 China's Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover are into their 27th lunar day on the Moon's far side.

That's more than two Earth years.

Space Crops

 A Houston-based company called  Nanocracks is working with the UAE to develop resilient crops in space that could then be grown in harsh environments on Earth to help feed the world.

China says it is already developing space crops.

Mars

 Two new probes-- one from China and one from the United Arab Emirates-- are now orbiting Mars.

A U. S. probe is set to join them next week.

Alpha Centauri A

 A study out today suggests Alpha Centauri A, a sunlike star, may have a Neptune-sized planet orbiting within its habitable zone.

The discovery still has to be confirmed.

Mars

 A new study finds plentiful subsurface water ice in the mid-latutudes3of Mars.

That's good news for eventual human settlement.

Anti--matter

 We know matter and anti-matter rarely interact, but astrophysicist Paul Sutter holds entire globular clusters could be made of anti-matter.

It would have to be the entire cluster, though.

Black Hole

 A black hole that was bright in the X-ray has dimmed substantially.

Astronomers aren't sure why.

Dark Matter

 MIT researchers have found an extremely early galaxy that seems to be filled with dark matter.

That could change our view of the evolution of the universe.

Space Force

Press secretary Jen Psaki seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot when making seemingly dismissive remarks about the Space Force.

President Biden has yet to comment about space policy.

Artemis

 NASA is slowing the development of the lunar landing vehicle for the Artemis program.

President Biden has yet to announce his space policy.

SpaceX

 SpaceX is planning the first private human spaceflight for this year.

That would be a monumental event.

Columbia

 Today is the eighteenth anniversary of the Columbia tragedy.

That was the beginning of the end of the space shuttle program, which in turn has led to the opening of a new era of human space exploration.

Ranks

The U. S. Space Force has adopted its system of rank.  It will follow the Air Force system, which flows from the Army model.

Starfleet of fiction and legend, of course, uses the Navy system.

Oh, Those Kids

 Two high school students have helped find four planets orbiting a sunlike star.

They participated in a special science program run by Harvard and MIT.

DeJong

Paul DeJong, St; Louis Cardinals shortstop, is involved in an effort to put a weather station on the Moon to monitor Earth's temperature.

Advances in technology and a reduction in launch costs are making it possible for individuals to come together and attempt such projects.

Perspective

 AT&T has announced quarterly revenues of nearly $47 billion.

That's more than twice NASA's annual budget.

TOI-178

 Scientists have discovered five planets in tight orbital synchricity around a star designated TOI-178.

A sixth planet, the innermost, is out of step.

SpaceX

 SpaceX launched 143 satellites at once over the weekend.

It was the company's first multiple customer launch.

Kraken Mare

 Scientists using Cassini data have decided that Kraken Mare, a huge methane sea on Sarurn's moon Titan is at least 1,000 feet deep.

Kraken Mare is larger than all the Great Lakes combined.

Pioneer 10

 Eighteen years ago today, Pioneer 10 beaned its last transsmossion home.

It gave us some of our first close ups of the gas giants.

Magnetar

 Astronomers think giant flares they've observed in a nearby galaxy were caused by a magnetar.

Magnetars are neutron stats that sport extremely powerful magnetic fields.

Ceres Megasatellite

 A new paper proposes building a huge colony-- a megasatellite-- around the dwarf planet Ceres.

It says the project could be completed within 16 years.

Pluto

 A new study finds Pluto-s blue haze contains organic compounds.

Even that far out sunlight can still power chemical reactions.

VO

Virgin Orbit launched several cubesats into space this weekend on a 70-foor-long, two stage rocket which was itself air-launched from a 747.

The flight makes VO a competitor in the burgeoning small satellite market.

NoKo

 North Korea has displayed what it says is a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

That could increase the threat to the United States.

Blue Origin

 Blue Origin may fly passengers on a suborbital flight as early as April.

BO may yet beat Virgin Galactic to the punch in that market.

UFO

 Pursuant to FOIA requests, the CIA has released 2,700  pages of UFO data to The Black Vault website.

The agency says that's all the UFO documents it has.

Link?

 Scientists have found a world five times as massive as Jupiter about 1300 light years away.

With an orbital period of 218 days, it may begin to link hot Jupiters to the gas giants in our solar system.

Wobbles

 Researchers have confirmed Mars wobbles on its axis.

So far, the only other world known to do that is Earth.

Rover

 NASA is developing a duel axel rover to use on Mars.

It will be able to navigate rough terrain.

Oumuamua

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb still contends, in a new book, that the object Oumuamua could have been alien technology.

Oumuamua is the first known object to have entered the Solar System from outside and is now headed back to the stars.

MUFON

 In December. 483 UFO sightings worldwide were reported to MUFON.

Of those, an even 400 were in the U.S.

India

 India's space agency intends to have reusable rockets yet this decade.

No government space agency has that yet.

Apollo

 Congress has passed a law that seeks to protect Apollo landing sites on the Moon from disturbance.

The law, however, only restricts NASA and U.S. entities.

UFO

A  section of the COVID Relief bill passed recently demands, bizarrely, that the government issue a report laying out what it knows about UFOs  within 180 days.

June might be interesting.

Allstate

 A new commercial for Allstate, of all things, has two astronauts driving across the lunar surface in a buggy.

Presumably, that reflects increasing popular support for space exploration.

Alien Civilizations

 A new study argues that most civilizations that may have existed in the Milky Way are likely dead now, largely due to self-annihilation.

As we know of zero cases in which a technologically and scientifically advanced civilization annihilated itself, that part of the study's conclusion, at least, seems more driven by a particular political slant than a judgment grounded in data.