Keith’s note: Last week NASA announced a Public-Private Partnership to Advance Mars Science. Some of that was already happening. Rocket Lab is going to send the privately-funded Venus Life Finder mission to search for biosignatures. Alas, Rocket Lab only has a short paragraph on their Venus Life Finder mission online. But Wikipedia has much more info. A real Astrobiology researcher at MIT Sara Seager heads the mission. Meanwhile, despite this recent announcement by the NASA Administrator, NASA makes zero mention of this private astrobiology mission. Apparently it is of no interest to NASA Science Mission Directorate that the private sector digs Astrobiology enough to send its own mission without government funding. Since NASA missions to Venus have been cancelled or delayed, you’d think that people would be coming forward to show how this is already happening in the space sector. Guess again.

Keith’s note: This was just posted on Facebook by Tim Gagnon “Saddened to learn of the passing of Todd Halvorson today from mutual friend Jim Banke. Todd was a journalist who was a credit to his profession. In 2011 when he retired from the Florida Today newspaper he paid me the compliment to commission me to create a special patch honoring his “Space Team crew mates.” In 2019 both he and Jim were added to the exclusive list of “The Chroniclers” at the Kennedy Space Center press site in Florida. The Chroniclers honors exemplary journalists as well as government and industry communicators who worked at KSC to tell the NASA story. My condolences to his wife Annis, his family, friends and all who knew and loved him. Rest in Peace.” Ad Astra Todd.

Keith’s note: Hamzah Abugosh has built a functional tricorder. I share the same fascination he has with the notion of a tricorder as seen on Star Trek since I was a kid in the 1960s. My friend John Hines and I used to talk about this a lot in the 1990s when he fiddled around with building one at NASA Ames (among many other inventions). This is just a prototype. But it does real tricorder-like things. And you get to see the entire process that went into creating it. Loads of information is posted on GitHub. Full post at Astrobiology.com

Keith’s note: Another heads up NASA Family: Isaac Hollingsworth, a Geospatial Scientist at NASA Johnson was also impacted by the same fire as Chase Gibson. Isaac could also really use some help. Donation link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-isaac-recover-after-apartment-fire “On Saturday the 20th, lightning struck my apartment building at Pearce on the Lake apartments, causing a fire that destroyed everything I owned. I lost my home and all of my belongings, and now I’m working to figure out how to move forward and rebuild.”

Keith’s note: The NASA OIG has released a report “NASA’s Launch Infrastructure” that throws a lot of cold water on the agency’s expansive launch growth ambitions – for both government and commercial launches: “NASA’s launch infrastructure is dated and lacks the capacity to meet the growing demands of the Agency and government and commercial partners.” The findings are summarized below:

Keith’s note: Heads Up NASA Family: “I hope this message finds you well. This summer, a lightning strike hit my home, leaving me without my belongings, just before Father’s Day—a day I always cherish, thanks to my daughter Emmarie. While I am heartbroken over the loss of many cherished items and memories from the past eight years, I am grateful beyond words that my family is safe. Now, I need to rebuild and find strength in this new beginning. It’s a challenging time, and I need help to get back on my feet. I humbly ask for your support during this difficult time.” You can donate here: https://supportnow.org/chase-gibson

Keith’s note: Over the next several weeks we will be rolling out a revised and enhanced version of NASAWatch. We’ll be seeking comments on changes once we have the basics under control. Thanks for your support. Ad Astra y’all.

Keith’s note: Over the next several weeks we will be rolling out a revised and enhanced version of Astrobiology.com. It will take us a bit to wrap our minds around all of the new advanced features we’ll be offering. At some point we’ll add a feedback channel for you to comment on how we are doing and offer suggestions, complaints, etc. In the mean time just remember: Life Looks For Life. Vita quaerit vitae.

Keith’s note: The National Academies has issued “Review of the SBIR and STTR Programs at NASA“. In a nutshell the NAS likes NASA’s SBIR and STTR Programs; feels that they add real value; and that the agency should give them a tune-up so as to make them even more useful:

• NASA’s SBIR/STTR programs are an important entry mechanism among the multiple pathways by which small businesses engage with the agency.
• The organizational structure and related processes of NASA’S SBIR/STTR programs facilitate the advancement of NASA’s mission and key priorities.
• NASA’s SBIR/STTR programs have served as an effective and strategic mechanism for developing and advancing technologies that are critical to the agency’s missions and priorities.
• NASA SBIR/STTR awardees tend to attract significant non- SBIR/STTR funding from NASA, at a ratio of more than 3:1.

Keith’s note: NASA OIG has issued a report regarding FY 2025 Compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act. Looks like NASA has fixed a lot of things when compared to previous reports on these matters. Well done!

• “We reviewed NASA’s AFR, accompanying materials, and risk assessments for the two programs (out of the 78 assessed) that had outlays over $10 million but had not been assessed within the last 3 years and found the Agency complied with PIIA requirements (see Table 1).12 None of the 78 programs were assessed as high risk or susceptible to significant improper and unknown payments. Therefore, NASA did not report improper payment estimates or corrective actions in accordance with its FY 2025 risk assessment process.”
• “While we are not making any formal recommendations, we noted areas for improvement in the NASA centers’ and QAD’s processes related to filtering queries, researching abnormal balances, and reviewing transactions for double reporting. We believe that the NASA centers and QAD should increase their due diligence in these areas to address the errors found. Taking these actions should result in more accurate reporting.”

Keith’s note: GAO has issued a report regarding the process whereby NASA is replacing the International Space Station with a commercial option. IMHO this report seems to have been overtaken by events including the addition of the newly-proposed government module during the ignition activity and the new RFI under development based on complaints from industry and potential users. Also, the report seems to entertain the notion of more than one commercial station receiving NASA funding when, to be blunt, the projected budget resources can only support one commercial space station – at most – not multiple vehicles. The report notes:

• “NASA also faces an overall risk of a potential gap in LEO. However, it has not yet assessed the likelihood or duration of a gap since undergoing several changes such as revising its acquisition approach. Assessing the likelihood of a potential gap would help NASA make more informed decisions on how to mitigate this risk.”
• “NASA is approaching a critical juncture when it must assess readiness and decide whether to pursue the retirement of the ISS and transition to the use of commercial space stations. If the commercial space stations are not assessed to be ready in time, NASA may need to consider other options, such as extending ISS operations beyond 2030, which would have budget implications.”

Keith’s note: the following memo was distributed by NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) leadership: “Members of the MEPAG community, There have been deeply concerning developments in the NASA MEP budget and proposed federal R&A funding policy in the last several weeks that many of you may not be aware of and have arguably worse consequences than last year’s budget threat. If there was ever a time to take action in support of the Mars Exploration Program and federally-funded scientific research, now is that time.” Full memo below

Keith’s note: NASA put out Amendment 59: Several Updates to the ROSES-25 Summary of Solicitation. BOTH of the official documents cited in this notice issued by NASA contain blatantly political rhetoric such as: “This lack of transparency, accountability, and proper oversight became increasingly clear between 2021 and 2024. Federal awards were often used during those years to promote a “woke” policy agenda that did not reflect the values of the vast majority of the American public.” Full ROSES-25 notice below

Keith’s note: According to “At G-7, allies plan for a world less reliant on the U.S.“ in the Washington Post, “After years of tariff threats, diplomatic whiplash and public confrontations, many world leaders have concluded that Trump is not an interruption to the international order but a feature of it — a reordering likely to endure regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Rather than simply accommodating Trump, they are increasingly preparing for a future in which the U.S. is a less predictable partner and Europe is less inclined to follow America’s lead.” This has to have collateral impact on things such as international cooperation on large, long term endeavors and partnerships such as space science, the Artemis Accords, etc. Just sayin’

Keith’s note: The Federal Government recently issued “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” which, if implemented, would gut the way that American science has been evaluated and conducted for the better part of a century. At a time when the avowed stance of the Administration to pursue “Gold Standard Science“ and assert global leadership in science and technology this regulation would infect it with politics, fatally hamper its ability to thrive, and turn it into lead instead of gold. Below is commentary by planetary scientist Mark Sykes (who is also a lawyer). Full text below:

Keith’s note: I wanted to take a moment of your time to talk about my friend Kathleen Connell. She is under hospice care right now. Her wife Jaye is with her and read this note to her. “I have known both Kathleen and Jaye for 30 years. I met them both when Kathleen was working at NASA Ames. In a nutshell Kathleen was part of a small cadre – of which I was a member – that helped to bring NASA’s Astrobiology program into existence. The list is too long – but Lynn Harper, Greg Schmidt, Mel Avener, Mitch Hobish, Rho Christensen, Joe Minafra, Scott Hubbard, David Morrison and so, so many others worked in the forefront and the background – one way or another – to help make Astrobiology a real thing. The most notable early accomplishment was to get Nobel Laureate Baruch Blumberg to come to a meeting at Ames and then twist his arm him to consider applying to be come the Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Little arm twisting was needed since Barry was a quick convert. Kathleen was in on every aspect of this – big and small – public and behind the scenes – often without a lot of public fanfare or acknowledgement. Without Kathleen, the road to birthing Astrobiology at NASA would have been that much harder. And look at it now. Astrobiology went from a throw-away word on a memo to a global phenomena. As Jaye reads this to you, Kathleen, just know that you did good and it will not be forgotten. Ad Astra – and thank you. – Keith”

Keith’s note: NASA announced the Artemis III crew today. Their two week mission in 2027 involves testing of the SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers. Whether or not either lander and its associated launch system will be good to go at that point will be interesting to watch. Stay tuned.

Keith’s note: Earlier this year it was announced that NASA’s Planetary Science Division to cease financial support for planetary science Analysis/Assessment Groups (AGs), effective the end of April 2026. The following email was sent out by USRA today: “Dear Colleagues, For many years, the Lunar and Planetary Institute has supported the planetary science community by convening meetings and maintaining records of activities associated with the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs). These materials reflect the collective efforts of the community and have contributed to shaping scientific priorities and directions in planetary science.” More below.

Keith’s note: NASA PAO has provided this update on the ISS Leak situation: “The Zvezda service module’s transfer tunnel, known as the PrK, on the International Space Station has experienced cracks since 2019 that have resulted in small atmosphere leaks and prompted ongoing monitoring and repair efforts by Roscosmos. NASA and Roscosmos have worked together to identify the root cause while Roscosmos has been applying leak mitigation measures, including temporary and permanent sealants.” More below.

Keith’s note: According to this SETI Institute discussion of the Updated Rules for Evaluating and Revealing the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence “The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has ratified updated protocols governing how scientists evaluate, verify, and announce evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

• Why it matters: The guidelines are the first major revision in more than 15 years and address today’s realities of social media, AI-generated misinformation, deepfakes, and 24-hour news cycles.
• Key change: Any potential detection must undergo rigorous independent verification before a public announcement is made.
• Expanded scope: The protocols now reflect modern SETI research, including searches for technosignatures across the electromagnetic spectrum and other emerging detection methods.
  Researcher protections: New provisions acknowledge risks such as online harassment, doxxing, misinformation campaigns, and intense media scrutiny.
• No Reply policy remains: The protocols reaffirm that no response should be sent to an extraterrestrial intelligence without broad international consultation, including through the United Nations.“
• More