Sorry, I’ve been at a conference in Orlando (AIAA SciTech), and pretty busy. Driving down to West Palm tomorrow to catch a flight home.
Category Archives: Space
The Crew On Artemis II
Bob Zimmerman says to take them off the flight.
NASA would never allow SpaceX to do something like this.
But it’s a tremendous waste of money either way.
[Friday-afternoon update]
Eric Berger reports on a meeting at NASA to discuss the issue. Jared owns it now.
[Bumped]
[Midnight update]
Charlie Camarda responds.
2026 In Space
Stephen Clark has a round up of both domestic and international planned activities, with probability estimates.
What To Watch For In Space This Year
Phil Metzger’s top 20:
🧵 1/ Here are the 20 things I’m watching in 2026 as potential disruptors of the space industry (positive & negative). They include things outside the space industry that may have oversized impact inside the space industry.
— Phil Metzger (@DrPhiltill) January 1, 2026
First item on the list:
1. Declining launch costs and… pic.twitter.com/2RtFM68Psu
The Energy Infrastructure
A clarion call, if we are to not be defeated by China:
I know some people think I only post silly videos and make ridiculous comments.
— Sovey (@SoveyX) January 2, 2026
I joined this platform to write long form articles.
Unfortunately, no one reads more than 280 characters. https://t.co/nsqtmNXkcq
Happy New Year To All
This past year has been good for a number of reasons, but I’m hoping that next year will be even better, both in general, and for space policy and activity.
I’m hoping that the economy will improve sufficiently to prevent the Democrats from taking Congress. I’m also hoping that there will finally be some accountability for all the corruption and lawlessness for the past decade, and not just in Minnesota.
I expect Jared to be aggressive in moving out on his agenda, and I expect Starship to start flying on a more-regular basis. In terms of technology in general, I suspect that we are entering interesting times, in the Chinese sense of the word.
We’re having people over for brunch today, with fresh bagels with lox, quiche, deviled eggs, meats and cheeses, and holiday cookies, while we watch a soggy Rose Parade and football games. The parade and Rose Bowl have been living a charmed life for the past couple decades in terms of weather, but looks like their luck may have run out. One of the things that motivated people to come to California was seeing the people in teeshirts and sunshine on New Years Day while they themselves were snowed in or cold. Maybe this will also dampen the enthusiasm people have had for immigrating here. The Democrats certainly continue to encourage them to leave.
Speaking of football, I was a little surprised, but not shocked, to see Ohio State lose, and I was disappointed, of course, to see Michigan do so, but they were playing only for pride. With the new coach, perhaps they’ll be on track for a better season next year. They’re doing well in basketball, but I hate basketball.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Be kind in comments.
Tory Bruno
Well, now we know why he left ULA:
Welcome to Blue Origin, @torybruno. We share a deep belief in supporting our nation with the best technology we can build. Tory brings unmatched experience, and I’m confident he’ll accelerate our ability to deliver on that mission. Glad to have you with us. https://t.co/lBXOGwkKhE
— Dave Limp (@davill) December 26, 2025
Gundo
The Economist has discovered El Segundo, including its history with SpaceX. It’s a primary reason I haven’t abandoned California yet.
Moving Forward
NASA may have a new Administrator as soon as Monday or Tuesday of next week. https://t.co/2aDdcaJMJa
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) December 11, 2025
[Saturday-morning update]
The Empire strikes back.
One of the last people whose opinions I have any respect for in such matters is Doug Cooke. His and Mike’s porkfest is what got us here. I may fisk this later.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
Confirmed, 67-30: Confirmation of Executive Calendar #593 Jared Isaacman to be Administrator of the @NASA.
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) December 17, 2025
[Bumped]
An AI-Powered Bionic Hand
If it works in vacuum, this might be a solution to the glove problem with space suits.