On Wednesday, Russia <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/24/russia-nuclear-weapons-space-un-resolution">vetoed</a> a UN Security Council resolution proposed by the United States and Japan reaffirming the obligation of countries that signed the Outer Space Treaty not to place nuclear weapons in orbit around the Earth. The resolution would ban member states from developing nuclear weapons specifically designed to be placed in orbit.
The Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1967. The treaty added new provisions to the Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, adopted by the General Assembly in 1963. Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/media/treaty_Princi_Gov_Acti_States_OST.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>:
<blockquote>
States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner. The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies shall be forbidden. 
</blockquote>
“We have heard President Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/24/statement-from-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-on-russias-veto-of-the-un-security-council-resolution-on-the-outer-space-treaty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.
“Russia is developing a space-based military capability that members of Congress and U.S. officials worry could pose a significant threat to the United States and its allies, possibly by damaging critical intelligence or communications satellites with a nuclear weapon, according to officials familiar with the matter,” The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/14/national-security-threat-mike-turner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in mid-February.
At that time, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2024/02/15/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-white-house-national-security-communications-advisor-john-kirby-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a>, “This is not an active capability that’s been deployed. And though Russia’s pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone’s safety. We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth. That said, we’ve been closely monitoring this Russian activity and we will continue to take it very seriously.”
“Russia conducted a direct-ascent hit-to-kill anti-satellite (ASAT) test on November 15, 2021, striking a Russian satellite and rendering it into more than 1,500 pieces of orbital debris. Reacting to the test, U.S. Space Command commander Army Gen. James Dickinson claimed that Russia is ‘deploying capabilities to actively deny access to and use of space by the United States and its allies,’” the Arms Control  Association <a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-03/features/russias-anti-satellite-weapons-asymmetric-response-us-aerospace-superiority#:~:text=Russia%20conducted%20a%20direct%2Dascent,1%2C500%20pieces%20of%20orbital%20debris." target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> in March 2022.

Rocket flies through the clouds

Russia Vetoes UN Resolution To Reaffirm Ban On Nuclear Weapons In Space

Nuclear Weapons

Outer Space

Russia

United Nations

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sheila-jackson-lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sheila Jackson Lee</a> (D-TX) told teenagers at an eclipse-viewing event on Monday that the moon was made up of &#8220;gases&#8221; — and despite that, she wanted to be among the first who had a chance to live there.
Jackson Lee, 74, addressed a crowd of teenaged students outside of Houston&#8217;s Booker T. Washington High School — and she delivered a series of scientifically dubious comments ahead of the celestial phenomenon.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D):
The moon is &quot;made up mostly of gases&quot; so we can soon live inside it, unlike the sun which is &quot;almost&quot; too hot to go near. <a href="https://t.co/bSd9zXcEPo">pic.twitter.com/bSd9zXcEPo</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1777722602795962787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You’ve heard the word ‘full moon.’ Sometimes you need to take the opportunity just to come out and see a full moon is that complete rounded circle, which is made up mostly of gases,&#8221; Jackson Lee began. &#8220;And that’s why the question is why or how could we as humans live on the moon? Are the gases such that we could do that?&#8221;
&#8220;The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun. The moon is more manageable,&#8221; the Texas legislator continued. &#8220;And you will see in a moment — not a moment, you will see in a couple of years, that NASA is going back to the moon.&#8221;
Jackson Lee also claimed that the moon gave off &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1777726876489838624" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unique light and energy</a>&#8221; and, according to a <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/09/us-news/sheila-jackson-lee-tells-students-the-moon-is-a-planet-made-up-mostly-of-gases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the New York Post, gave an even stranger description for the reason the solar eclipse was happening.
&#8220;I don’t think we’ve been on the moon the last 50 years. So we will be landing on the moon. What you’ll see today will be the closest distance that the moon has ever been in the last 20 years. Which means that’s why they will shut the light down because they will be close to the Earth,&#8221; she said, making no mention of the alignment of the sun and moon that caused the eclipse.
&#8220;I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the moon. That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly,&#8221; she added.
Jackson Lee, who previously served as the top Democrat on the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee, also once <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/mooned/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">famously asked</a> whether the Mars Pathfinder had been successful in capturing photos of the American flag she said was planted there in 1969 by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Democrat Congresswoman Tells Students The Moon Is Made Of Gas — And It Gets Worse

Democrat Congresswoman Tells Students The Moon Is Made Of Gas

Congress

Sheila Jackson Lee

Texas

U.S.

An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL Draft</a> prospect is going viral for all the wrong reasons at this year&#8217;s NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Texas Tech Safety Tyler Owens, who draft experts believe will be the fastest player at the event, declared during a media event that he does not believe in outer space.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe in space,&#8221; Owens said in a video posted on X by Bleacher Report&#8217;s Brent Sobleski. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re alone right now. I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s other planets and other stuff like that.&#8221;
Owens also said that he thinks there may be credibility to arguments made by flat earthers — people who believe that the earth is flat and is not a sphere.
&#8220;I thought I used to believe in the heliocentric thing where we used to revolve around the sun and stuff,&#8221; Owens continued. &#8220;But then I started seeing flat earth stuff and I was like, this is kind of interesting. They started bringing up valid points, so I mean I don&#8217;t know, could be real, couldn&#8217;t be.&#8221;
Owens, who was one of the top players in the nation coming out of high school, spent the first years of his college career with the Texas Longhorns and later transferred to Texas Tech, where he played his final two seasons.
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Texas Tech&#39;s Tyler Owens, who&#39;s a favorite to post the fastest 40 at this year&#39;s NFL combine, doesn&#39;t &quot;believe in space,&quot; as in &quot;other planets,&quot; and feels flat-earth theories have some &quot;valid points.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jE2jv9vyLv">pic.twitter.com/jE2jv9vyLv</a>
&mdash; Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) <a href="https://twitter.com/brentsobleski/status/1763214885142302759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NFL: FEB 29 Scouting Combine

NFL Draft Prospect Stuns At Combine Event: ‘I Don’t Believe In Space,’ ‘I Don’t Think There’s Other Planets’

NFL Draft Prospect Stuns At Combine Event: 'I Don't Believe In Space,' 'I Don't Think There's Other Planets'

Football

Sports

The commander of Germany&#8217;s military Space Command warned late last week that the purported nuclear weapon that Russia is considering developing for use in space would render space unusable, potentially forever.
Speaking at an event at the Munich Security Conference, Major General Michael Traut weighed in on the recent revelation about the weapon by the U.S. last week.
&#8220;If somebody dares to explode a nuclear weapon in high atmosphere or even space, this would be more or less the end of the usability of that global commons [of orbit],&#8221; said Traut. &#8220;Nobody would survive an action like that — no satellite, either Chinese or Russian and American or European. If somebody calculates rationally, nobody would employ such a weapon in space.&#8221;
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH), who drew public attention to the matter last week, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/turner-on-why-he-sounded-alarm-on-russian-space-weapon-biden-hiding-inaction-like-with-chinese-spy-balloon">said</a> during an interview over the weekend that part of the reason that he decided to call attention to the classified issue was because he was concerned that the administration was trying to cover-up their inaction on the issue in the same way that they tried to with the Chinese spy balloon.
Lt. Col. “Tony” Vincent, an active duty scientist in the United States Air Force (USAF) who is currently the Director of Advanced Physics Courses at the Air Force Academy, wrote in a September 2022 piece about the dangers that are posed by a nuclear weapon being detonated in space.
Vincent <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2022/09/getting-serious-about-the-threat-of-high-altitude-nuclear-detonations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> what happened when the Atomic Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Defense Atomic Support Agency, detonated a nuclear weapon in low Earth orbit back in the Summer of 1962:
<blockquote>The test was codenamed Starfish Prime and it revealed an unfortunate lesson: Even one high altitude nuclear detonation is particularly effective at destroying satellites. Not only were satellites in the line of sight destroyed, but even satellites on the other side of Earth were damaged and rendered inoperable. Starfish Prime damaged or destroyed roughly one third of all satellites in low Earth orbit at the time.</blockquote>
Vincent said that commercial satellites need to become hardened against radiation to avoid being susceptible to a nuclear space weapon, but cautioned that while the cost to do so has fallen, “this practice historically drives the component price up by roughly factors of 10 to 100 while potentially increasing size and mass of the total payload.”
He warned that there were two primary reasons that a country would want to use a nuclear weapon in space: to devastate America’s economy and/or to disrupt the U.S. Military’s space-based assets that it uses for command and control.
“A nuclear explosion in space disproportionately hurts the United States as the largest single investor in space capabilities,” he wrote. “The United States nets almost $200 billion per year of real gross output from its space assets. Even though military satellites are designed to withstand a harsher charged particle environment, radiation hardening is not a magic cloak of invincibility. Military space assets will be degraded over time from the artificially amped radiation belt created from the nuclear detonation, meanwhile commercial satellites in low Earth orbit will be the first to fail from continually passing through these particle hot spots. Most satellites with a line of sight to the nuclear detonation will be destroyed from the resulting x-rays. Military space capabilities for command and control along with reconnaissance assets may still function for a period following the detonation, but the economic impact of degraded informational space products will be immediate.”
Vincent further wrote that the threat that a nuclear space weapon could be used is higher than what most people likely think because a nuclear detonation in space against infrastructure would not necessarily mean that the U.S. would respond with a nuclear strike against the aggressor:
<blockquote>Once an adversarial nation with a disadvantage in space capabilities detonates a nuclear weapon in this domain, there is no benefit to respond with a similar attack. This act would further degrade space-based assets…
The attacked nation, then, must consider responding with conventional or nuclear weapons on Earth. Targeting cities and military installations with nuclear weapons is not an in-kind response to the initial action of nuking space and represents another significant escalation in the conflict. Space assets are not on par with human lives. Further, the attacking nation will also have nuclear weapons in reserve, and with the right mix of forces can hold targets at risk. Therefore, the attacked nation would have to weigh escalating to nuclear weapons use, knowing that it would invite a nuclear response on targets in the homeland. The obvious response is to signal that the use of nuclear weapons in space would be treated as a nuclear attack on Earth, but an adversarial nation could consider such a threat non-credible.
A nation may also be deterred from acting because every nation in the world is dependent upon space products to some degree. Therefore, using a nuclear weapon in space would be “self-harm.” However, as the history of war reveals, nations choose self-harm, such as when they collapse their own bridges and burn fields, to prevent an invader from gaining ground. Nuclear weapons are at the pinnacle of threat escalation, so the use of one is a sign of desperation with diminishing alternative options.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-intel-republican-warns-russian-space-weapon-may-blind-u-s-economy-and-military">House Intel Republican Warns Russian Space Weapon May ‘Blind’ U.S. Economy And Military</a>

RUSSIA-US-NUCLEAR-POLITICS

Commander Of Germany’s Military Space Command Warns About Potential Russian Space Weapon

Germany

Space

The U.S. revealed this week that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> is reportedly working on, or is at least considering building, a nuclear weapon designed to only be used in space as an anti-satellite weapon.
President Joe Biden addressed the matter a press conference on Friday, saying that there was no immediate threat to anyone on earth from the potential weapon, adding that there was &#8220;no evidence that they have made a decision to go forward with doing anything in space either.&#8221;
&#8220;So what we found out, there was a capacity to launch a system into space that could theoretically do something that was damaging, hadn&#8217;t happened yet,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And my hope is that it will not.&#8221;
Lt. Col. “Tony” Vincent, an active duty scientist in the United States Air Force (USAF) who is currently the Director of Advanced Physics Courses at the Air Force Academy, wrote in a September 2022 piece about the dangers that are posed by a nuclear weapon being detonated in space.
Vincent <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2022/09/getting-serious-about-the-threat-of-high-altitude-nuclear-detonations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> what happened when the Atomic Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Defense Atomic Support Agency, detonated a nuclear weapon in low Earth orbit back in the Summer of 1962:
<blockquote>The test was codenamed Starfish Prime and it revealed an unfortunate lesson: Even one high altitude nuclear detonation is particularly effective at destroying satellites. Not only were satellites in the line of sight destroyed, but even satellites on the other side of Earth were damaged and rendered inoperable. Starfish Prime damaged or destroyed roughly one third of all satellites in low Earth orbit at the time.</blockquote>
Vincent said that commercial satellites need to become hardened against radiation to avoid being susceptible to a nuclear space weapon, but cautioned that while the cost to do so has fallen, &#8220;this practice historically drives the component price up by roughly factors of 10 to 100 while potentially increasing size and mass of the total payload.&#8221;
He warned that there were two primary reasons that a country would want to use a nuclear weapon in space: to devastate America&#8217;s economy and/or to disrupt the U.S. Military&#8217;s space-based assets that it uses for command and control.
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&#8220;A nuclear explosion in space disproportionately hurts the United States as the largest single investor in space capabilities,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The United States nets almost $200 billion per year of real gross output from its space assets. Even though military satellites are designed to withstand a harsher charged particle environment, radiation hardening is not a magic cloak of invincibility. Military space assets will be degraded over time from the artificially amped radiation belt created from the nuclear detonation, meanwhile commercial satellites in low Earth orbit will be the first to fail from continually passing through these particle hot spots. Most satellites with a line of sight to the nuclear detonation will be destroyed from the resulting x-rays. Military space capabilities for command and control along with reconnaissance assets may still function for a period following the detonation, but the economic impact of degraded informational space products will be immediate.&#8221;
Vincent further wrote that the threat that a nuclear space weapon could be used is higher than what most people likely think because a nuclear detonation in space against infrastructure would not necessarily mean that the U.S. would respond with a nuclear strike against the aggressor:
<blockquote>Once an adversarial nation with a disadvantage in space capabilities detonates a nuclear weapon in this domain, there is no benefit to respond with a similar attack. This act would further degrade space-based assets&#8230;
The attacked nation, then, must consider responding with conventional or nuclear weapons on Earth. Targeting cities and military installations with nuclear weapons is not an in-kind response to the initial action of nuking space and represents another significant escalation in the conflict. Space assets are not on par with human lives. Further, the attacking nation will also have nuclear weapons in reserve, and with the right mix of forces can hold targets at risk. Therefore, the attacked nation would have to weigh escalating to nuclear weapons use, knowing that it would invite a nuclear response on targets in the homeland. The obvious response is to signal that the use of nuclear weapons in space would be treated as a nuclear attack on Earth, but an adversarial nation could consider such a threat non-credible.
A nation may also be deterred from acting because every nation in the world is dependent upon space products to some degree. Therefore, using a nuclear weapon in space would be “self-harm.” However, as the history of war reveals, nations choose self-harm, such as when they collapse their own bridges and burn fields, to prevent an invader from gaining ground. Nuclear weapons are at the pinnacle of threat escalation, so the use of one is a sign of desperation with diminishing alternative options.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-intel-chair-defends-statement-warning-of-destabilizing-foreign-military-capability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Intel Chair Defends Statement Warning Of ‘Destabilizing Foreign Military Capability’</a>

RUSSIA-POLITICS-PUTIN

U.S. Military Official Explains The Threat Of A Russian Anti-Satellite Nuclear Weapon

Global Politics

World

On Wednesday, there was a big announcement from the House Intelligence Committee. The House Intelligence Committee chair tweeted a statement suggesting that there was a serious national security threat the American public needed to be made aware of.
This freaked everybody out because when vague national security related threats are made, suggesting they are serious enough they need to be declassified, everybody starts to have some palpitations.
As it turns out, it appears there is intelligence suggesting Russia is going to attempt to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite system in space.
Apparently, the Russians haven&#8217;t done it yet; the system is under development. We don’t know how far the technology has gone.
There are two questions: What would it mean if Russia actually were to do so? And, why are we finding out about this now?
To the first question: Presumably, America&#8217;s satellite technology would be seriously threatened, although if a nuke is detonated in space, it would not have the same ramifications as if it were detonated at high altitude. A nuclear weapon feeds on the air around it; it requires oxygen in order for it to continue expanding.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1906-russian-nukes-in-space-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
So if a nuclear weapon explodes in a vacuum — if in space — it doesn&#8217;t have quite the same impact as a nuclear weapon at high altitude. Effectively, radiation is blasted out, which significantly damages or degrades pretty much all the satellites within the immediate orbit. It would create a sort of perennial hotspot in that place or cause satellites that pass through it to be significantly damaged.
As the largest single investor in space capabilities, the United States could lose $200 billion per year of real gross output from its space assets. Military space assets would be degraded over time. A nuclear weapon in space would do great economic damage.
Is this the kind of serious national security threat that requires everybody to go on panic mode for a full day where everybody is thinking, Oh, my God. I need my bunker? No.
Now to the second question, which is: Why are we finding out about this now?
Possibly to induce more support for Ukraine. I have sympathy for the idea of giving aid to Ukraine, but I don&#8217;t think that amount of aid should be $60 billion. I don&#8217;t believe the United States has an interest in allowing Russia to simply walk over the entirety of Ukraine. I think that has significant negative geopolitical ramifications for the United States and American citizens.
But scaring the American people into green-lighting an aid package by releasing information about a serious national security threat doesn&#8217;t seem like a great tactic to get people in your corner.
Ultimately, it&#8217;s going to alienate more people than it draws.
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House Intelligence Chair Turner Warns Of Looming National Security Threat

Biden Administration Announces National Security Threat. This Raises Some Questions.

Ben Shapiro

Biden Administration

National Intelligence

Opinion

Readers Pass

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian Military</a> is reportedly working on developing a nuclear weapon to be deployed in space that is being designed to wipe out entire Western satellite networks and knock out communications and military targeting systems, according to U.S. intelligence.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) sounded the alarm in a message that he sent to Members that said the Committee “has identified an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all Congressional Policy Makers.”
Turner said in a statement that while all House members are able to view some of the information about the “serious national security threat,” he wants Biden to “declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.”
ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-plans-brief-lawmakers-house-chairman-warns/story?id=107232293" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the nuclear weapon would not be deployed against targets on earth, but rather is designed to target satellites.
A source familiar with the intelligence told the network that the development was &#8220;very concerning and very sensitive,&#8221; and was a &#8220;big deal.&#8221;
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The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/us/politics/intelligence-russia-nuclear.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the weapon was still being developed and had not yet been deployed into space. The information is so sensitive that &#8220;it could not be declassified without cutting off its source,&#8221; the report said.
Members of Congress who saw the intelligence told various publications that the threat was extremely serious, but it was not something that the U.S. public should be worried about at the moment.
&#8220;We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified,&#8221; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;But we just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel.&#8221;
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said from the White House that the reported Russian capability represented a “serious national security threat.”
“I reached out earlier this week to the Gang of Eight to offer myself for up for a personal briefing to the Gang of Eight and, in fact, we scheduled a briefing for House members of the Gang of Eight tomorrow,” Sullivan said. “That’s been on the books. So I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly today in advance of a meeting on the books for me to go sit with him alongside our intelligence and defense professionals tomorrow.”
Sullivan’s remarks have come as the administration has, in numerous instances, been either slow or reluctant to confront serious national security threats to the U.S., including increased Chinese aggression, Russian aggression against Ukraine, and Iranian-backed terrorist attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
In other circumstances, the administration has been the cause of national security threats, including Biden’s disastrous border policies that have led to millions of illegal aliens flooding into the U.S., and his withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has allowed terrorist groups to rapidly grow as they plot attacks against the West.

President Putin Takes Part In The Forum Of Future Technologies

Report Reveals ‘Serious’ Russian Military Threat That Has Leaders Scrambling

Report Reveals 'Serious' Russian Military Threat That Has Leaders Scrambling

General

National Security

NASA researchers have discovered a “Super Earth” in our Milky Way galaxy that is within its host star’s habitable zone and may contain water on its surface, which could indicate the presence of life.
TOI-715 b, which the scientists discovered using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), lies 137 light years from Earth, and is estimated to be one and a half times as wide as Earth. Although it rests much closer to its star than the Earth to the Sun and orbits it every 19 days (as opposed to the Earth’s 365-day orbit) the star is a red dwarf, far cooler than our Sun, thus permitting the planet the possibility of life.
“These planets make far closer orbits than those around stars like our Sun, but because red dwarfs are smaller and cooler, the planets can crowd closer and still be safely within the star’s habitable zone,” NASA <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/discovery-alert-a-super-earth-in-the-habitable-zone/">stated</a>. “The tighter orbits also mean those that cross the faces of their stars – that is, when viewed by our space telescopes – cross far more often.”
“The same system also might harbor a second, Earth-sized planet,” NASA continued. “If the possible second, Earth-sized planet in the system also is confirmed, it would become the smallest habitable-zone planet discovered by TESS so far.”
NASA is hoping the James Webb Telescope might examine the planet to determine if it contains an atmosphere. “Much will depend on the planet’s other properties, including how massive it is and whether it can be classed as a ‘water world&#8217; – making its atmosphere, if present, more prominent and far less difficult to detect than that of a more massive, denser and drier world, likely to hold its lower-profile atmosphere closer to the surface,” NASA states.
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The paper announcing the discovery, “A 1.55 R⊕ habitable-zone planet hosted by TOI-715, an M4 star near the ecliptic South Pole,” was published in the journal, “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.” The Gemini-South, Las Cumbres Observatory telescopes, the ExTrA telescopes, the SPECULOOS network, and the TRAPPIST-south telescope aided the confirmation of the discovery.

Planet Earth in Space

Possibly Habitable ‘Super Earth’ Discovered In Our Own Milky Way Galaxy

Earth

NASA

The moon is shrinking, and future NASA flights may be profoundly affected by that new reality, a <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ad1332" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new study</a> asserts.
As the moon’s metallic core continues to cool after it was formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago, the lunar surface — which is not supple but brittle — contracts even more, leaving it more vulnerable to earthquakes, as researchers from the University of Maryland posit. Those earthquakes could prompt landslides that would endanger astronauts on the surface.
“As we get closer to the crewed Artemis mission&#8217;s launch date, it&#8217;s important to keep our astronauts, our equipment and infrastructure as safe as possible,” Nicholas Schmerr, a geologist at the University of Maryland who helped author the study, stated. “This work is helping us prepare for what awaits us on the moon – whether that&#8217;s engineering structures that can better withstand lunar seismic activity or protecting people from really dangerous zones.”
NASA has plans to launch the Artemis III in 2026, the first time man has landed on the moon in over half a century. The flight is planned to land near the lunar South Pole.
“NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be the crew’s ride to and from Earth and into and out of lunar orbit,” NASA <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-iii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a>. “Orion is the only spacecraft capable of returning crews to Earth at lunar reentry velocities. &#8230; Four astronauts will depart from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjc8Ynzg675AhUWkGoFHdHfAc0QFnoECAQQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fexploration%2Fsystems%2Fsls%2Findex.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw2BvvW8Jp9JimXG0SbFUAv0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Space Launch System (SLS)</a>, the only rocket powerful enough to send Orion, its crew, and their supplies to the Moon in a single launch.”
“First the crew will launch to Earth orbit where they will perform systems checks and solar panel adjustments on Orion. Then, a powerful push from SLS’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/fs/ICPS.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interim cryogenic propulsion stage</a> will help Orion perform a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/to-the-moon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">translunar injection</a> maneuver, setting its course to the Moon,” NASA continues, noting that Elon Musk’s Space X will “provide the human landing system that will transport Artemis III astronauts from Orion in lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back again.”
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“The lunar south pole regions are subjected to global stresses that result in contractional deformation and associated seismicity,” the study noted. “This deformation is mainly expressed by lobate thrust fault scarps; examples are globally distributed, including polar regions. One small cluster of lobate scarps falls within the de Gerlache Rim 2 Artemis III candidate landing region.”

The Moon Spotted In The Netherlands

The Moon Is Shrinking, Could Endanger Astronauts On Planned 2026 NASA Flight

Moon

Science

America is falling behind in the race to send man to the moon again: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA</a> has once again delayed its launch dates, this time citing major safety concerns.
NASA delayed the missions in an <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-shares-progress-toward-early-artemis-moon-missions-with-crew/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> last week, citing unresolved issues including a battery, the heat shield, and a circuitry component responsible for air ventilation and temperature control.
The first crewed mission around the moon, Artemis II, was pushed back to September 2025. The first crewed mission to land on the moon since 1972, Artemis III, was pushed back to September 2026. Artemis II was originally scheduled for this November, and Artemis III was originally scheduled for December 2025.
According to NASA, the Artemis IV mission to land astronauts at the Gateway lunar space station remains on track for 2028. Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight, was originally planned to launch in November 2018 but didn’t launch until November 2022.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In order to safely carry out our upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Artemis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Artemis</a> missions to the Moon with astronauts, we are now targeting September 2025 for Artemis II and September 2026 for Artemis III.
Safety is our top priority. <a href="https://t.co/AjNjLo4U6E">https://t.co/AjNjLo4U6E</a> <a href="https://t.co/VE74OtlUr6">pic.twitter.com/VE74OtlUr6</a>
&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1744795716013175212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Artemis mission series has the ultimate goal of preparing for human expeditions to Mars.
NASA officials offered an explanation for the delays in <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?532930-1/nasa-officials-testify-status-return-moon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testimony</a> to the House Science and Space subcommittee on Wednesday.
The subcommittee reiterated the nation’s goal of landing a human crew within the decade, and emphasized the importance of beating other countries in landing the first crew on the moon: the first country there would establish precedence on the conduct and possibility of future lunar activities. Lawmakers called out China specifically.
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William Russell with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) expressed concern that NASA projected a launch of Artemis III within a year after Artemis II.
“One year is not a lot of time to do that learning, turn around and be ready for a September 2026 launch date,” said Russell.
Catherine Koerner, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, defended the timeline. Koerner said that America was still leading in the race to the moon.
“We believe that we will be on the surface of the moon before China is, and it’s our intent for that to happen,” said Koerner.
Koerner said that Artemis III vehicle processing would be far enough along prior to the launch date for Artemis II to make it feasible. Koerner noted that NASA’s 11 industry partners signed on to the adjusted launch dates.
“With Artemis, we’re building a capability: not just a launch capability but a capability in cislunar orbit, capability on the surface of the moon over time,” said Koerner.
Michael Griffin, former under secretary of defense for research and engineering for the Department of Defense and former NASA administrator, said that Artemis needed to be restarted in its entirety and would require congressional direction to the executive branch on how to continue. Griffin said that Artemis II was on a realistic schedule, but that Artemis III wasn’t.
“In my judgment, the Artemis program is excessively complex, unrealistically priced, compromises crew safety, poses very high mission risk of completion, and is highly unlikely to be completed in a timely manner to be successful,” said Griffin.
In addition to its testimony on Wednesday, GAO also <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107249?utm_campaign=usgao_email&amp;utm_content=topic_space&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a report on NASA’s delays and remaining major challenges.
GAO stated that they <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foreshadowed</a> NASA’s announcement of a delay back in November; they reported that NASA projected an ambitious schedule, had delays to key events, and had a significant amount of remaining technical work.
GAO also noted a lack of transparency with the mission costs: NASA has yet to provide an official cost for Artemis III, despite requesting $6.8 billion in its fiscal year 2024 budget request. Total requests for the upcoming Artemis missions have amounted to at least $38 billion over the next five years. GAO noted that they first reported the lack of fiscal transparency back in 2019, when they discovered NASA didn’t plan on establishing an official cost estimate for Artemis III.
Key partners in the Artemis missions include SpaceX, the company founded and led by X CEO Elon Musk, which is developing a human landing system; and Axiom Space, developing more advanced spacesuits.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Adding a <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> crew arm for <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> astronauts at launch pad 40 <a href="https://t.co/rQeQiBdE79">pic.twitter.com/rQeQiBdE79</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1721983986883305641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Challenges Persist In Getting Astronauts To The Moon; NASA Again Delays Launch Date

Thomas K. Mattingly, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA</a> astronaut who helped guide Apollo 13 back to Earth after the spacecraft was damaged in space, died on October 31 at the age of 87. 
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-remembers-apollo-astronaut-thomas-k-mattingly-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> Mattingly’s death on Thursday, describing Mattingly as a hero and praising the astronaut&#8217;s long aeronautic career, which saw him play a pivotal role in several Apollo missions. 
“We lost one of our country’s heroes on Oct. 31. NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history,” Nelson said. 
In 1966, NASA chose Mattingly to be part of that year’s astronaut class after which he started working as part of the astronaut support crew and in the development of the Apollo spacesuit and backpack.
“His unparalleled skill as a pilot aided us when he took on the role of command module pilot for Apollo 16 and spacecraft commander for space shuttle missions STS-4 and STS 51-C. The commitment to innovation and resilience toward opposition made TK an excellent figure to embody our mission and our nation’s admiration,” Nelson said. 
Mattingly is best known for his role in 1970 in helping get the crew of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/apollo/apollo-13-mission-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apollo 13</a> back to Earth after a service module oxygen tank on the ship ruptured causing the astronauts to lose access to electricity, water, and light 200,000 miles away from Earth. Mattingly had been set to travel on Apollo 13, but ended up being exposed to rubella so he was unable to go on the mission. He ended up playing a vital role from the ground.
“Perhaps his most dramatic role at NASA was after exposure to rubella just before the launch of Apollo 13. He stayed behind and provided key real-time decisions to successfully bring home the wounded spacecraft and the crew of Apollo 13 – NASA astronauts James Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise,” Nelson said. 
In 1972, Mattingly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thomas-k-mattingly-astronaut-space-pioneer-guided-apollo-13-safety-die-rcna123496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would go on</a> to be the command module pilot for the Apollo 16 mission where astronauts explored the moon’s Descartes Highlands. 
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Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who landed on the moon alongside Neil Armstrong in July 1969, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealBuzz/status/1720513070567432554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> Mattingly in a statement on X, calling him a friend.
“He was a great test pilot, a Navy veteran, a class act, and a heck of a good man. I’ll always remember him for his natural ability to handle an immense degree of responsibility under pressure without getting rattled – a true professional of the rarest kind. He will be truly missed. Rest in Peace, Ken,” Aldrin said.

Apollo 16 Astronauts

Astronaut Who Helped Guide Apollo 13 Back To Earth Dies At 87

Air and Space

American History

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a> members say they want to try again to get approval for a select committee on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ufo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UAP</a>, now that the chamber has a new speaker.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told The Daily Wire on Thursday that he&#8217;s already spoken with Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) to gauge support for his endeavor to get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> more access to secret UAP information.
&#8220;He seems very receptive,&#8221; Burchett said in an interview. When asked if he thinks Johnson might be open to a select committee, he replied, &#8220;I do &#8212; because he’s not beholden to the defense contractors.&#8221; When pressed on whether he would ask for a select committee, Burchett noted that he has already done so informally, but would need to make the request officially.
Another lawmaker, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), told The Daily Wire he also wants to press Johnson for a select committee and he would like to see Burchett as chairman of the panel.
&#8220;Give him the authority, let him chase this rabbit,&#8221; Burlison said of Burchett. &#8220;And I think that, at the end of the day, there&#8217;s a lot of money being spent, a lot of tax dollars being spent, and the American people and members of Congress know what is going on.&#8221;
Burlison explained that a select committee would give members a &#8220;need-to-know&#8221; authority on UAP. &#8220;Because right now, a lot of the intelligence is only available to individuals who are on committees that &#8216;need to know.&#8217; And those committees are not focused on this topic at all. And so, if we create a committee that has a purpose for this, it&#8217;s hard to deny us that we should not have access to the information,&#8221; he added.
A request for a select committee would be the second one this year.
Burchett <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTimBurchett/status/1684956861898919936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a> with a bipartisan group of fellow House members in late July, formally requesting a select UAP committee right after the bombshell testimony of retired Air Force Maj. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ufo-whistleblower-claims-firsthand-access-to-things-he-cant-talk-about-publicly">David Grusch</a>, a former U.S. intelligence and military official <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-defense-official-shares-claims-of-off-world-technology-expects-new-revelations-at-ufo-hearing">who claims</a> the government is covering up a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ufo">UFO</a> retrieval program and wrongfully keeping Congress in the dark. Grusch left members wanting to know more as he cautioned there was only so much that could be said outside of a classified setting.
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The <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTimBurchett/status/1684956861898919936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from Burchett and his colleagues, which specifically asked that their proposed select committee be given subpoena power, was addressed to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who served as speaker at the time. Burchett <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uap-caucus-denied-select-committee-disclosure-act-being-debated-in-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire</a> in September that the request had been denied. Since that time, the House voted to remove McCarthy as speaker. Johnson was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-elects-mike-johnson-as-speaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picked</a> as the new speaker on Wednesday.
Before The Daily Wire spoke to them on Thursday, Burchett and Burlison, as well as other members of the House Oversight Committee, attended a classified briefing on Capitol Hill with representatives of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD OIG) — one of two government watchdogs Grusch had approached with classified information and claims of retaliation related to his disclosures.
Some lawmakers walked away from the SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) lamenting how they learned nothing new. Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Anna Paulin Luna (R-FL) told reporters they were told that they <a href="https://twitter.com/DCNewsPhotog/status/1717568794363584891" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lacked</a> the proper clearance to get certain information. This &#8220;defeats the purpose&#8221; of government oversight, Luna said.
&#8220;Nothing unexpected, and nothing new to report,&#8221; Burchett told The Daily Wire. &#8220;I mean, these guys, their offices are so compartmentalized. It&#8217;s like looking down the barrel of a .22 rifle — and they&#8217;re not lying, but they are so compartmentalized.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeKhalilTV/status/1717580303651201300" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> posted to X by NewsNation&#8217;s Joe Khalil, the DOD OIG said, &#8220;The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is not responsible for determining the classification of the information in our oversight work, nor do we determine the level of security clearances for congressional leaders,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The DoD OIG is committed to being as transparent and communicative as possible with our congressional leaders, and welcome and further opportunity to discuss our body of work.&#8221;
Because the briefing was classified, members were restricted in what they could divulge.
Burlison told The Daily Wire that the briefing did not alter his &#8220;perspective&#8221; on the UAP issue, but did emphasize that he thinks &#8220;we need to get more information&#8221; on the topic.
Asked if &#8220;some degree of answers were provided based on what was alleged,&#8221; Burlison replied, &#8220;Some degree &#8212; but, and it&#8217;s really frustrating because I can&#8217;t say what was said, but I&#8217;ll just say, my viewpoint about the UAP phenomenon has not changed. My worldview of what we&#8217;re seeing, what we&#8217;re experiencing, is that it&#8217;s likely U.S. experimental, whether it&#8217;s from the private sector or being done through a black operation within the Department of Defense or Energy.&#8221;
He also commented: &#8220;I&#8217;ll just say this: UFOs are not keeping me up at night. They weren&#8217;t before, and after this meeting, they weren&#8217;t. They aren&#8217;t now. I told a constituent that what keeps me up at night is the national debt, the war in Ukraine, and the war in Israel, and the potential for World War III. And so there&#8217;s nothing that shattered my worldview today.&#8221;
The other inspector general with whom Grusch had engaged as a whistleblower was Intelligence Community Inspector General Thomas Monheim. <a href="https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Debrief</a> reported in June that Monheim found Grusch&#8217;s claims to be &#8220;credible and urgent&#8221; in July 2022 and a whistleblower reprisal investigation was opened. The report also noted that Grusch got in contact with staffers for the congressional intelligence committees, but Grusch reportedly indicated that he was limited in what he could share because staffers lacked the proper clearances and authority.
In a recent letter to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uap-caucus-denied-select-committee-disclosure-act-being-debated-in-house">the UAP Caucus</a>, Monheim said his office “has not conducted any audit, inspection, evaluation, or review of alleged UAP programs within the responsibility and authority of the DNI [Director of National Intelligence] that would enable this office to provide a fulsome response to your questions.” Monheim is now <a href="https://twitter.com/reptimburchett/status/1715053620574474633" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to meet with members of Congress for a UAP-focused classified briefing in mid-November.
At least one House lawmaker isn&#8217;t getting his hopes up just yet.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t expect anything from this,&#8221; Burchett told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Until we get some private government contractor who&#8217;s ticked off about something, that&#8217;s dealing with some of this stuff, [who] comes forward. A lot of it&#8217;s farmed out to them because it&#8217;s un-FOIA-able. We&#8217;re never going to get anywhere — just going to be our word against theirs. And people in Congress don&#8217;t have the guts to take them on because the defense contractors grease this place incredibly well.&#8221;

Rep. Tim Burchett

GOP Reps See New Opportunity For UFO Select Committee Request With Speaker Mike Johnson

Politics

U.S. House of Representatives

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