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Will it be the old Soviet joke about What to do in case of nuclear war? (put on a sheet and walk slowly toward the graveyard so as not to cause mass hysteria.), or would it be a end-of-days survivalist nightmare of some hunkering down in bunkers in the boonies while the cities descend into chaos and the rich flee to their refuges in New Zealand?


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ESA Launchers - Ariane/Vega / Re: ESA : the biggest loser ?
« Last post by Oumuamua on Today at 05:15 pm »
I would expect that under Trump climate research and earth science in general will be stopped or heavily discouraged. That is at least one area were the EU can take the lead. Maybe that will count for science in general.

Other than that I'm not so positive. European access to space is very limited with outdated rocket designs. The public does not care about space, and there seems to be very little initiative to improve things.
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Moderator:

Reading Is Fundamental. So is comprehension.
From the Space Policy Online article; my bold:
Quote
The eight planetary science AGs are:

Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG)
Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG)
Mapping and Planetary Spatial  Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT)
Mars Exploration Analysis Group (MEPAG)
Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG)
Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG)
Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), and
Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG)

Keith Cowing of NASA Watch posted the text of the letter sent to the chairs of those groups on X (@NASAWatch). The letter included two working groups as well: the Ocean Worlds Working Group (OWWG) and the “cross-AG EDIA Working Group” (EDIA is Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility).
A DEI effort does did exist.

We'll see how long that the pause is.

Off-topic posts edited or removed.  That includes you, JimmyC.  I deleted your post, and you felt compelled to repost it.
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General Discussion / Re: Flight crew assignments questions
« Last post by DanClemmensen on Today at 04:49 pm »
It is premature to talk about Starliner 1 at this time.
There may be a second CFT-2 test mission with 2 experienced astronauts including Tingle.
Is that being seriously discussed? Wow.
The last official statement on the subject that I am aware of was in  NASA's october update Where they deliberately declined to state the nature of the mission:
Quote
Next Starliner Flight
The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness.

Meanwhile, NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification, including windows of opportunity for a potential Starliner flight in 2025.

NASA will provide more information when available.
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General Discussion / Re: Flight crew assignments questions
« Last post by John_Marshall on Today at 04:38 pm »
It is premature to talk about Starliner 1 at this time.
There may be a second CFT-2 test mission with 2 experienced astronauts including Tingle.

Is that being seriously discussed? Wow.

Am I the only one wondering why we don't know the official composition of the SpaceX Crew-11 crew yet?

Based on all of the other people on this thread and the main thread asking the same questions and wondering the same things, no.
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Wowsers! - The thumbnails look like the real thing.
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I have the impression that a lot of important decisions are being made between the acting NASA leadership and the White House before Jared Isaacman is even confirmed by Senate. Being European, I am wondering if this is common practice during the transition. Should not "they" wait for Jared Isaacman to take office ?
Under the US Constitution, the President *IS* the Article II Executive Branch (it's called the "Unitary Executive").  Although the President can (and does) delegate authority to individuals like the NASA Administrator, he retains the ultimate authority for the powers given to him under the Constitution.  He (or his predecessors) can of course come to an agreement with the Legislature on constraints to those powers via legislation, and the Article III Courts can decide whether one (or both) are wrong. 

That said - all incoming administrations establish transition teams (formal or informal) to prepare for that moment in the inauguration when the new President formally assumes Executive responsibility.  They also "vet" the nominees to high-level posts that require Senate confirmation, assist the nominees during confirmation, and ensure a smooth transition — including coordination with Executive branch decisions that are made prior to them being sworn in.  Interestingly, I saw a report today that the transition teams focused heavily on quickly filling lower-level positions (not requiring Senate confirmation) to avoid the massive delays that hindered the first Trump administration — I wonder whether that had anything to do with the decision to appoint Janet Petro rather than Jim Free as Acting Administrator.

In short - no, the Administration doesn't have to wait for Isaacman to take office, but they are certainly briefing him and getting his feedback.
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Now targeting 19:18:30 UTC:

Quote
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, February 8 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 2:18 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 5:08 p.m. ET. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available Sunday, February 9 starting at 2:55 p.m. ET.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-12-9

Quote
Backup Launch Opportunity #1   
Launch: 2025-02-08 19:18:30 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-02-08 20:23:46.480 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-02-08 19:18:30 UTC to 2025-02-08 19:18:59 UTC.

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
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ISS Section / Re: Expedition 72 thread
« Last post by ddspaceman on Today at 04:10 pm »
International Space Station
@Space_Station
This week on #SpaceToGround, a science and maintenance spacewalk, the fourth @Axiom_Space mission to the station, and growing food in space to support long-term Moon and Mars missions.

https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1887871833833374076
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My guess, ABL is moving into hypersonic arena.
Firefly now has 1t market all to its self.

The end of an era.

I guess what we learned from the fierce competition to develop 1-ton class small launchers is... be first to market. Which is the same thing we learned from the Electron/Virgin Orbit race... and also perfectly matches everyone's expectations for how this would play out...

I'm revising my answer; I guess what we learned is that the real world is boring and predictable sometimes.
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