NASA's in a 'weird period' right now, acting chief Janet Petro says

NASA in a 'weird period' right now, acting chief Petro says | Watch Jared Isaacman's Senate confirmation hearing | New comet SWAN25F captured in stunning photo Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version April 9, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad (Space Foundation) NASA in a 'weird period' right now, acting chief Petro says These are strange times for NASA, according to the agency's acting chief. During the brief tenure of acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro, the agency has laid off employees, slashed budgets, ended key programs, and removed all mentions of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility from its websites. If this stretch has seemed odd to you, you're not alone; Petro herself characterized it as a "weird period" during a fireside address yesterday (April 8) at the Space Foundation's 40th annual Space Symposium here in Colorado Springs. Read More (Polaris Program / John Kraus) Watch Jared Isaacman's Senate confirmation hearing American billionaire Jared Isaacman heads to Capitol Hill today for a Senate confirmation hearing on whether he'll take NASA's top job, and you can watch it live online. Jared Isaacman, President Trump's nominee to serve as the next NASA Administrator, will appear before the Senate on Wednesday during a hearing with the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) and you'll be able to watch it live directly on Space.com. Watch now Skywatching (Josh Dury) New comet SWAN25F captured in stunning photo The newly discovered comet, tentatively named SWAN25F and yet to be officially announced, is making a striking debut in the early morning skies - and astrophotographer Josh Dury had front-row seats to capture it this morning. Read More Spaceflight (Project Kuiper) Atlas V to launch Amazon Project Kuiper internet satellites Amazon's first big batch of Project Kuiper broadband satellites will take flight today (April 9), and you can watch the action live. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is scheduled to launch 27 Project Kuiper satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today during a two-hour window that opens at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com courtesy of ULA or directly via the company. Coverage will start at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT). Watch the launch Science & Astronomy (MPIfR/N.Sulzenauer) Galaxies powering star formation with hidden fuel tank Astronomers have discovered a previously hidden "cosmic fuel tank" in an infant cluster of forming galaxies. This vast reservoir of cool molecular gas is found in the protocluster known as SPT2349-56, located 12 billion light-years away, and could power an intense burst of star formation in the baby galaxies that could go on for 400 million years. Read More Technology (Space Foundation) US needs 'orbital interceptors' to win a war in space At the Space Foundation's 40th annual Space Symposium, Space Force Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, addressed attendees in front of images of the "Brat Pack" movies and Michael Jackson videos of the 1980s. According to Whiting, this era was when the first version of U.S. Space Command was formed and when the U.S. military began to seriously consider how to fight and win a potential war in space due to the "the threats we saw back then in the space domain." Read More Entertainment (Disney) 1st 'Tron: Ares' trailer - Want to see a cop car cut in half? This electrifying sneak peek revealed exclusively to audiences at last week's big CinemaCon event, along with some other previews including a five-minute long Superman trailer and the first look at Predator: Badlands (that hasn't made it out into the wild yet), and now Tron Ares has been plugged into our ubiquitous online network to be fully absorbed. Read More   Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036