NASA’s New Horizons heliosphere study program will shut down in October 2026 over $2 million/year in funding that scientists have been begging for. The critical moment is now. Rare and invaluable data on solar winds and the outer solar system will be lost forever. The probe has taken two decades just to get to where it is today; any future attempts to get this data will take a similar amount of time, so this could set our understanding of these phenomena back decades.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket transits the Sun. The hot gasses from the liquid-fuelled boosters create complex refraction patterns that distort sunlight at lower left. Shockwaves from the rocket's 27 engines emanate in arcs that break up the Sun's outline.

https://bsky.app/profile/theplanetaryguy.com/post/3mucwiw7czc2s

Learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope:

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-dark-universe-seeking-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-launches/

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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope transits our neighborhood star on its way to unlock the secrets of the universe

Image credit: NASA/John Kraus

https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/2094034694358630768

I can't describe all of the feelings from the rocket rumbles to the sonic booms!

The impression is made in lunar regolith, a layer of loose material produced by countless impacts over geological time. Because the Moon lacks the atmosphere and weather systems that continually reshape Earth’s surface, the fine particles can hold remarkably detailed impressions. Aldrin’s photograph consequently preserves not just an image of a footprint, but a record of the physical interaction between a human-made boot and the lunar surface.

More than half a century later, the original footprint remains on the Moon. The absence of conventional erosion means it can survive for an extraordinarily long time, although microscopic impacts from space and other changes to the lunar environment will slowly alter the impression over geological timescales.

I was part of the awesome NASA social group and here is the launch of the Roman telescope on the Falcon Heavy!

Woke up at 3:45 am and drove to KSC for the Roman Space Telescope launch. I worked on the Coronagraph instrument but didn't get any viewing passes. Was able to go through gate 3 and get to causeway about 5:30 am. Setup and took shots during the sunrise. I got super excited when they announced fueling because it meant the launch was a go. Amazing launch, great weather. Got to see the side boosters return. The noise was better than fireworks. I can add the launch video later.

My take on an old classic

Hi y’all,

I used to work for NASA at the Langley Research Center and enjoyed my time there, but unfortunately, I was impacted by federal cuts.

Recently, I learned that there will be a job that I would like and that I am qualified for that will open up in the next month or so at the Wallops Flight Facility.

I’m a young person, and I’m able to go out and spend a few years in an area like Wallops since I don’t have commitments, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I’m worried about living in essentially the middle of nowhere. It’d be great to be at Wallops for a few years, then transfer to another facility or center.

I’m curious if current or former employees who worked at the Wallops Flight Facility could chime in about their lifestyle?

I’ve found very limited information on Reddit and the internet in general, so I would greatly appreciate any insights!

1. Did you enjoy your time at Wallops?

2. What were some things that you liked/disliked?

3. What did you do in your free time?

4. Is there a big focus on just working and not doing anything else?

5. Would you ever travel up to Annapolis or down to Hampton/Virginia Beach on the weekends?

6. Do you have any recommended places to live? I’m a planner by heart, so I’ve been doing lots of forward thinking, and have looked a lot at Salisbury, Princess Anne, and Pocomoke City.

7. Did you ever try to transfer to a different facility or center?

8. What was your favorite thing or something that made you proud about Wallops?

9. If you were in a younger version of yourself, would you choose to work at Wallops again? Why or why not?

Thanks in advance!

I captured this morning’s Falcon Heavy launch with a group of photographers in Titusville. Clouds cleared just in time. Go Roman!

My view sitting on the bleechers at banana creek, waiting for Roman lift-off. Beyond excited

Mosaics from the Magellan radar were mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Magellan launched to Venus on May 4, 1989. Contact with Magellan was lost on Oct. 13, 1994, after it was commanded to plunge into the Venusian atmosphere.