When NASA People Say Inaccurate Things NASA Doesn't Care

Keith's note: Yesterday I sent the following email to NASA JPL employee Ron Baalke yesterday about two inaccurate tweets he has posted (and retweeted) regarding the Challenger accident. I cc:ed JPL and NASA HQ PAO. The tweets are still out there misinforming people. No one at NASA seems to care that a NASA employee is perpetuating misleading information. Yes, its a "private" Twitter account - one that goes out of its way to identify the owner as a JPL employee. Yet when other people circulate inaccurate information like this about NASA events NASA PAO gets all upset. Go figure.

"I see that your twitter account just retweeted these tweets. They are factually incorrect on several levels. 1. Space Shuttle Challenger did not "explode". Challenger was torn apart by extreme aerodynamic forces as a result of an explosion in the External Tank. 2. The crew of Space Shuttle Challenger were killed by the breakup of the vehicle and/or the impact of the crew compartment with the ocean at high speed - not by any "explosion". These are matters of established fact. Please correct your tweets."

Jan 28, 1986: Seven astronauts were killed when space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff.
Kent Shocknet covered the launch live on KNBC Channel 4 news from Los Angeles. Part 2 of 2 pic.twitter.com/cb2ybcmewL

— Rocket Ron 🚀 (@RonBaalke) January 28, 2018

Jan 28, 1986: Seven astronauts were killed when space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff.
Kent Shocknet covered the launch live on KNBC Channel 4 news from Los Angeles. Part 1 of 2 pic.twitter.com/HOi3yoJzR9

— Rocket Ron 🚀 (@RonBaalke) January 28, 2018

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Deep Space Gateway Event Ends But No One Knows It Ever Happened

Baffling how only 3 people tweeted about #DeepSpace2018 out of an audience of hundreds. Either attendees don't care or were discouraged by @NASA & @LPItoday. Not a good sign when #NASA budgets will be flat for a long time. If this is so cool why not tell all Americans about it? pic.twitter.com/zZZznzyxXc

— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 1, 2018

On last day of #deepspace2018 @LPItoday fixed their webpage to say that news media are welcome but they can't cover morning sessions - just afternoon sessions 28 Feb - 1 Mar. Except there's no afternoon session today for anyone to attend. Someone revised the webpage in a hurry — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 1, 2018

Oh yes: @NASA HQ PAO says the reason #Deepspace2018 was not webcast by @LPItoday is because it had several sessions (too complex for an agency with operational interstellar spacecraft) and that the meeting was not "decisional". #NASA only webcasts "decisional" things, apparently. — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 1, 2018

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Hayabusa2 has detected Ryugu!

'Twas the Night Before Launch

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-S) satellite sits on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, backdropped by the setting Sun. GOES-S is slated to lift off on March 1 at 5:02 p.m. EST. via NASA http://ift.tt/2t6l6ob

California, Arizona Students to Speak with Astronauts on Space Station

Two astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station will talk live with students in Arizona and California on Friday, March 2. The separate Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

March 01, 2018
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NASA has a Moon landing plan—sort of

The Lunar X

The striking X in this lunarscape is easily visible in binoculars or a small telescope, but not too many have seen it. The catch is, this lunar X is fleeting and only apparent in the hours before the Moon's first quarter phase. Along the shadow line between lunar day and night, the X illusion is produced by a configuration of craters seen here toward the left, Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach. Near the Moon's first quarter phase, an astronaut standing close to the craters' position would see the slowly rising Sun very near the horizon. Temporarily, crater walls would be in sunlight while crater floors would still be in darkness. Seen from planet Earth, contrasting sections of bright walls against the dark floors by chance look remarkably like an X. This sharp image of the Lunar X was captured on February 22nd. For extra credit, sweep your gaze along the lunar terminator and you can also spot the Lunar V. via NASA http://ift.tt/2HSh71Q