Obama

 Barack Obama told Stephen Colbert in an interview that he did ask about UFOs when he was president.

Obama also said he couldn't discuss the matter.

Dinosaurs

A new study suggests dinosaurs were thriving when their doomsday asteroid struck 65 million years ago.

Other studies hold dinosaurs were already in decline when the kill shot came.

Plumes

A new study finds Jupiter's moon Europa spews out plumes of water.

Saturn's moon Enceladus also has plumes.

Reusability

 SpaceX has just launched the same rocket for a record seventh time.

It was also the 100th launch of a Falcon 9.

China

 China launched a lunar sample return mission yesterday.

So far, only the US and the USSR have brought lunar samples to Earth.

Brown Dwarf

Scientists have found a nearby brown dwarf by using a radio telescope.

It's the first such discovery.

Mars Warer

 A new study says one prominent factor in Mars losing most of its water is the planet's legendary dust storms.

Huge storms lifted water into the upper atmosphere, water molecules broke apart, and the light hydrogen atoms escaped Mars' weak gravity.

Arecibo

 The National Science Foundation has shut down the Arecibo Observatory.

NSF says the facility is currently too dangerous to operate.

Rogues

 Astronomers are searching for rogue planets-- worlds that wander the galaxy unbound to any star.

So far, the smallest one found is about the size of Earth.

Arecibo

 The Arecibo Observatory might be on the verge of collapse.

It has been damaged by a series of natural disasters.

Resilient

 SpaceX has docked its capsule, Resilient, at ISS.

The crew is scheduled to come home in March.

SpaceX

 SpaceX successfully launched four humans into space last night-- an historic first for a private company.

It also successfully soft landed the launcher so it can be used again.

Apollo 12

 Fifty-one years ago today, Apollo 12 launched to the Moon.

It was to be the second manned lunar landing.

Musk

 Elon Musk might have COVID.

He tested positive twice, but also negative twice.

Kilonova

 Scientists have recently observed an extraordinary flash they think marks the collision of two neutron stars.

They are calling the blast a "kilonova."

Biden

 President-elect Biden has named a NASA transition team.

The team will bring him up to date on NASA matters.

Europa

 A new study suggests Europa probably glows in the dark due to being bathed in radiation blasting out from Jupiter.

The color of the glow might allow astronomers to say something about the composition of Europa's surface.

 

Bridenstine

 There are reports that Jim Bridenstine will leave NASA, enabling the new Biden team to pick a new administrator.

Such a move would emphasize how closely tied space policy has always been to s president.

Biden

 Joe Biden will likely be the next president of the United States.

Biden hasn't commented much on space policy, but to the extent the Artemis lunar program us associated with Donald Trump, the 2024 projected landing, at least, may be in jeopardy.  ESA's Moon Village concept may also gain traction.

Virgin

 Virgin Galactic plans another test flight later this month.

It will be the first manned spaceflight from New Mexico.

K2-141b

 Scientists have found a planet some larger than Earth that sports lava oceans, vaporized rock in the atmosphere, and hypersonic winds.

They call it K2-141b.

MUFON

 MUFON reports it received 414 UFO reports in October.

Of those, 340 were in the U. S.

Plans

 Humanity is planning a busy next two decades beyond Earth.

Private and public space stations, lunar bases, and trips to Mars are all planned.

Meteorite

 A meteorite that fell into Michigan's Strawberry Lake in 2018 has more than 2,000 organic compounds, researchers have found.

It's further indication that life could have come to Earth from elsewhere.