Posts by Thomas Roeder
Biden Welcomes 90 Space Force Guardians at Air Force Academy Graduation
President Joe Biden welcomed 90 new lieutenants to the Space Force on Thursday in Colorado with an Air Force Academy commencement address that highlighted the space service’s contribution to America’s Ukrainian allies. The new Guardians joined 840 Air Force lieutenants for the graduation rites at the academy’s Falcon Stadium, an event that drew a crowd…
Read MoreNASA selects Blue Origin for its second lunar lander, 2029 mission to Moon’s south pole
Five astronauts will ride Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander for the 2029 Artemis V mission to the lunar south pole as part of a $7 billion deal announced May 19, 2023.
Read MoreStrikes in Ukraine Spotlight U.S., European Deficits in Hypersonic Arms Race
Russia’s use of hypersonic weapons in Ukraine is the latest escalation in a growing arms race for missiles that can travel through the atmosphere at more than Mach 5. The U.S. and its allies are accelerating spending on hypersonic weapons development, but haven’t fielded one to date, prompting leaders to fear a missile gap. . .
Read MoreSpace Force Outlines Culture Goals in Handbook
America’s newest military service in April got its first document outlining the culture Space Force leaders want their troops to embrace. “The Guardian Spirit,” is a manual for Space Force officers and enlisted Guardians that lists the behaviors they are expected to emulate and is considered the service’s guidebook on culture. It’s a work that’s…
Read MoreNASA’s Artemis Plans Call for $8.1 billion in 2024
NASA made headlines in April by naming the crew for the Artemis II lunar fly-by mission that’s expected to launch in late 2024. But even flying past the moon, much less landing, will require a Herculean effort on the ground and massive federal spending in the budget now under consideration by lawmakers. The second Artemis…
Read MoreU.S., Russia Discussing Repair Options for Space Station Following Discovery of Coolant Leak
A micrometeorite the width of a pencil tip sliced through a Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station at nearly 16,000 mph, wrecking a radiator for the spacecraft’s computers and delaying the return of three astronauts in orbit by months, officials from NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos said during a rare joint news conference Wednesday.
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