Picture of marchers exiting the Memorial Bridge

If looked, felt, and sounded the same way on the march across the Memorial Bridge from Arlington into DC.

I do have problems with Isaacman (particularly when it comes to Earth science). But he's significantly untangled a huge mess in the manned spaceflight program (that wasn't his doing) to at least get it moving in a coherent, rational way. And he's now the face of it's success or failure.

So Isaacman didn't pull what he's calling Space Reactor-1 Freedom (Lord what an awful name) out of thin air (or from a certain part of his anatomy). Now having a real mission ready for launch by 2028 would probably by a huge stretch, but it's a better bet than anything on the manned side.

To be fair, the "Skyfall" mission was proposed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a company called AV (formerly AeroVironment) to deploy up to six "self-flying rotorcraft to Mars by 2028. And NASA has been developing "nuclear electric propulsion" (the "fission-powered concept) for years.

A cartoon by Paul Noth. See all the cartoons in this week’s issue: newyorkermag.visitlink.me/Uh2urE

Be a hero @nytimes.com, hire the @capitalweather.bsky.social group.

Here's the Aerosol Index from the OMPS sensor onboard NOAA 20.

The worst climate and weather news you’ll see today.

Seeing the "last day at [federal agency]" posts today from amazingly talented people who took the Administration's 2025 buy-out is devastating.

Regardless of what the White House thinks, know that your expertise and your skills are so valuable and desperately needed in this country, my friends.

Can someone explain to me how tossing books, etc, into the trash is an established method, federal or not, to properly dispose of anything? That is outrageous! (Quote below from the NY Times article.)

Looking back at another extreme year for Canadian #wildfires resulting in 2025 with the 2nd highest annual total estimated emissions, after 2023. Read more in the #CopernicusAtmosphere global fire emissions review atmosphere.copernicus.eu/2025-sees-in... @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @ecmwf.int

Gallego to Hegseth: "You will never ever be half the man that Sen. Kelly is. You, sir, are a coward. And the fact that you are following this order from the president shows how big of a coward you are. I can't wait until you are no longer the secretary of defense."

Beautiful day in the Arlington County / DC area for a walk with a few friends (halfway across the Memorial Bridge on a No Kings protest walk; you can see the Lincoln Memorial peeking through the crowd). #NoKings

And Cassidy's medical license should be taken away for betraying that oath.

Rubio gave up his soul for power (or what he perceived was power) a long time ago, we shouldn't be surprised he's toeing the line here.

🔴⚠️🌡️Hell is ongoing in #Spain where #wildfires are burning many thousands of hectares pushed by dry weather and strong winds. This #Sentinel2 📸shows the situation at the border of Galicia and Castilla y León,the most affected regions. with visible pyrocumulonimbus #climateemergency

🚀 🧪#NASACuts

NASA’s Unsung Workforce: Contractors

Over half of #NASA’s workforce are contractors.

Depending on the center, the proportion ranges from 50% to 70%+. Goddard—the most science-focused of all NASA centers—is at the upper end.

There are two main types of NASA contractors.
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Starlink satellites orbiting Earth. https://heavens-above.com/StarLink.aspx

SpaceX is altering atmospheric chemistry. Over 525 Starlinks deorbited in the past few months. A Starlink satellite produces 30 KG of aluminum oxide vapor which erodes the ozone layer. These oxides have increased 8-fold between 2016 and 2022. NOAA predicts this could heat the stratosphere 1.5°C

As NASA's budget shrinks, Europe doubles down on Earth science: 'Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation' If NASA must pull back, Europe is ready to step up — and do so with open arms.

As NASA's budget shrinks, Europe doubles down on Earth science

The area burned in the Canadian 2025 fire season has hit 5 million ha. Third active fire season in a row that combined has burned 7% of the Canadian forest. Currently we have 346 fires out of control (192 monitored out of control (OC) and 154 OC that are being actioned) so expect the number to rise.

I would say shame on them, but shame is such a foreign concept to those currently in power.

Email from Social Security Administration saying "Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors." As if it were a MAGA campaign mailer.

More from Social Security making Trump talking points.

An email that appears to have come from the real Social Security administration.

Which until now had been considered a non-partisan federal agency.

Time for another look at 'The Origins of Totalitarianism.'

The Big, Beautiful Bill assigns each American a billionaire who will live the American dream for you. You can check in on your billionaire at intervals and see how he is using your money. Maybe he's building a 19th pool. Maybe he's buying himself some formerly public land! Maybe he's taking a Supreme Court justice on a dream vacation! Maybe he is reupholstering the Statue of Liberty to hide the poem.

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

A series of pyroCb events in Alaska over the last few days have combined with high altitude windws to produce a smoke plume that stretches across Alaska, through western Canada / US, and into California / Nevada. This image shows N20 OMPS AI measurements. The length of the plume is over 4500 km.

So far the five provinces all have above average estimated emissions to date with Manitoba already setting its highest annual total, and Saskatchewan & Ontario highest total for time of year, in the 23-year dataset #CopernicusAtmosphere dataset

Total estimated emissions from Canadian #wildfires continuing to increase sharply (to 10 June) with many intense fires in BC, AB, SK, MB & ON. #CopernicusAtmosphere GFAS data based on MODIS🛰️ active fire obs ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/datasets/cam... @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @ecmwf.int

I was expecting this to happen ever since the election; every week or so I'd check to see if it was still up. I'm surprised the site has stayed up this long. What a sad, sorry state this country is being dragged into.

Imagery using the N20 OMPS NM aerosol index shows that the smoke did go over the pole (watch the AI signal inside the circle). It's now in the easternmost part of Russia.

Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts

This is on all the Senators who turned a blind eye and voted to confirm. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/h...

There’s an elephant in the room at the Royal Society – and for once, it’s not (just) Elon Musk – Physics World A conference on the future of the UK space sector makes stunningly little mention of how proposed cuts to NASA funding might affect it

On our blog, our online editor @drmlharris.bsky.social writes about the surreal experience of attending a space conference where no-one seems keen to mention the biggest threat to the sector's future: drastic proposed cuts to US science funding, including NASA. 🧪⚛️🔭 physicsworld.com/a/theres-an-...