Keith’s note: the following was posted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman: NASA Team Members, We are calling today’s event Ignition because it represents the start of a transformative journey for NASA. In the few short months since I began this role, we have moved quickly. That urgency reflects the reality of great power competition, the importance of our mission, and the implications if we fail to meet the moment and come up short. Taxpayers support NASA because we can change the world in air, space, and science. As an agency, we can no longer endure externally imposed and self-inflicted distractions, attempting excessive multi-billion-dollar endeavors at once, forgoing the iterative, evolutionary approach to success, and jumping straight to the dream state. The results are captured in most OIG reports. Tens of billions are wasted, time is lost, and exploration and discovery suffer. The world has been waiting for the headlines only NASA is capable of delivering. It is time to focus and deliver. More below

Keith’s note: according to this press release: “NASA will host a public event at 9 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 24, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington to outline how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and accelerating preparations for America’s return to the surface of the Moon by 2028. The program will open with remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, followed by a series of high-level panels providing updates on mission priorities, including sending the first astronauts to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, establishing the initial elements of a permanent lunar base, getting America underway in space on nuclear propulsion, and other objectives.” With a line-up like this and follow-on presser something will be announced. Science missions are still in limbo, workforce issues continue, but we’ll be seeing monthly lunar landings starting in 2027, and what to do about Gateway? Oh yes: How is NASA going to win the “second space race” and “make NASA great in space again”? etc. Ad Astra y’all.

Keith’s note: According to the Washington Space Business Roundtable: “At today’s WSBR Flagship Luncheon & Silent Auction, Rep. Mike Haridopolos reflected on the turnaround in sentiment that NASA has seen in the last 12 months. … The Space Subcommittee Chairman praised Administrator Jared Isaacman – a “James Bond for America” – for restructuring the Artemis program to increase the mission cadence while putting safety first. He likened the energy level in his district (Florida’s Space Coast) to the Apollo days.” Movie poster below.

Keith’s note: Recently everyone in the space bubble was jumping up and down about the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s liquid rocket launch. They even held the infamous “Space Prom”. That was last week. For years NASA Goddard employees maintained a display in Building 28 dedicated to Robert Goddard. GSFC management has recently decided to remove this display to make room for a snack bar seemingly without regard for its historical significance. Oh well.

“Each year, Space Science Week at the National Academies of Science brings together leaders across the space science disciplines to explore the latest developments and discuss the future of the field from a variety of perspectives, from planetary protection to astrophysics to Earth science and applications from space. Join us for Space Science Week 2026 from March 23 to 27.“

Keith’s note: The Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) has issued this update: “Dear Colleagues, The SBAG steering committee wishes to share a “save the date” for the next SBAG meeting. SBAG 35, which will be a fully virtual meeting, will take place within the window of June 8–11, 2026. The specific timeslots within those dates will be shared in the coming weeks.” More below

Keith’s note: This was posted on Ed Campion’s Facebook page: “Dear Ed’s Facebook friends, Ed passed away peacefully on Thursday 3/19 after a long illness. His family is deeply saddened by the loss but happy he is at peace, and reunited with his parents and his forever canine companion Vosch. A full obituary will follow; arrangements are being handled by Nunn & McGrath Funeral Home in Utica, NY. Sincerely, The Campion Family”. I knew Ed forever since he was News Chief at NASA Goddard since 2001 -so he was probably one of the very first PAO folks to have to deal with “that NASAWatch guy”. He was always a pro even when I was not exactly doing so. We were close in age and liked to joke about the ‘retirement’. Oh yes, he sort of liked that whole baseball thing. ⚾ Ad Astra Ed.

Keith’s note: If you have been following the ‘Keep the Shuttle‘ issue then you know that Ted Cruz et al want to take the Space Shuttle away from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and bring it to Texas. NASA has issued DRAFT RFP – NASA Flown Space Vehicle Multimodal Transportation Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract Which asks offerors “As part of this DRFP, NASA is providing two illustrative example task orders representing different classes of transportation challenges. One example addresses the conceptual relocation of a large aerospace vehicle comparable in size and complexity to a Space Shuttle Orbiter or solid rocket booster. The second example addresses the transportation of a smaller spacecraft capsule comparable to an Orion crew module or Mercury Capsule. These examples are intended to represent the range of transportation scenarios that NASA may need to support under this contract vehicle.” Cover letter text below.

Keith’s note: An interesting ‘Notice of new information collection‘ from NASA appeared in the Federal Register this morning about the “NASA Front Door”. It is not totally clear as to when or how this will be implemented – i.e. atop NASA.gov, a new part thereof, or something else. A “NASA Strategic Plan” is mentioned – but which one are they talking about? NASA has not actually had a current ‘strategic plan’ for a while and they are usually not a ‘plan’ or ‘strategic’ when a document with that name is posted online. Also unclear is whether PAO/OCOMM will do this or some other TBD organization. It certainly sounds interesting – but NASA has a really spotty track record when it comes to understanding the audiences it should be serving outside of its front door and how to serve them. Just sayin’. Update: NASA Goddard and Johnson have links that to pages that include ‘front door’. That’s fine, but where does the agency as a whole tell all of its audiences what it can do for them – without a geographical bias focusing on one center but not others? Goddard is being cut in half, yet makes no mention of that downsizing i.e. capability to do things. Federal Registry Summary below.

Keith’s note: In case you have not already noticed NASA and space exploration have a deep branding and meme penetration. These two ads just ran (again) back to back midday on CNN. NASA will get exposure for ~12 days for Artemis II – then nothing – since NASA doesn’t know how to do follow-up. “Project Hail Mary” sugar high tie-ins are great – but what do you do when everyone has seen it?

• Credit One Ad https://www.instagram.com/reels/DV9fXmmDdy0/
• Old Spice Ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xywz26wIRLs

Keith’s note: the following is circulating on space social media platforms: 🚨 HELIOPHYSICS ALERT 🚨 Steel yourselves, #heliophysics friends. I need to share some deeply concerning news about the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). NASA has laid out a budget trajectory for the mission that should alarm everyone in the heliophysics community. We already are experiencing an 18% retroactive cut for FY26. But now we’re being asked to plan for more in our upcoming Senior Review: Full post below

Keith’s note: As best I can collate the facts, on 18 March 1945, 81 years ago today, a V-2 missile was launched from Statenkwartier in The Hague in occupied Netherlands at 9:25 am by Germany’s Battery 485. My father was almost killed when it struck London a few minutes later. My 50 year career was enabled by that V-2. A direct descendant, a Saturn V, designed by the same V-2 team, placed Americans on the Moon. Now, in 2026, we are about to go back to the Moon on the stepchild of a Saturn V while V-2 inspired variants are still being fired by North Korea and Iran. The more things change … Full posting from 2025

Keith’s Note: According to GovExec: “While NASA has yet to formally terminate its contract with IFPTE, it has begun unilaterally changing employees’ personnel files to label their positions as ineligible for collective bargaining. NASA announced it would take these steps last September but seemingly did not begin implementing them until last month. The moves come just weeks after OPM updated its guidance governing implementation of the two union executive orders”. More.

Keith’s note: According to a statement “[University Corporation for Atmospheric Research] UCAR today filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado against the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the United States Department of Commerce (DOC); the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and their respective directors in their official capacity.”

Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is back from the first of two Astrobiology expeditions to Lake Untersee, Antarctica in 2026. This excerpt and photo captures the awesome beauty that accompanies forays into potentially dangerous locations as we advance science via exploration. A preview of coming attractions on Artemis II. “Just beneath Untersee’s ice, my tether runs ahead toward the distant glimmer of the dive hole, the only passage back from the blue and solitary world below. As I swim, I hear the measured rhythm of my own breathing and, now and then, the voices of colleagues on the surface carried through a thin, yellow line into the earpieces of my Kirby Morgan Exo-26 full-face mask. They ask for an update, reminding me to check my air pressure. A glance at my air-integrated dive computer, a few quick words in reply, and all is well. Soon, after a brief three-minute safety stop beneath the dive hole, I will return to the surface through the three and half meters (about twelve feet) of ice.” Full Report

Keith’s note: NASA currently has two droids at work on Mars: Perseverance and its Older sibling Curiosity. Their common task is to perform astrobiology and astrogeology exploration activities on Mars. Both rovers are the size of a small car and, while they are ultimately controlled by humans back on Earth, they have become increasingly smarter – and independent – over the years thanks to new programming and some AI. As we continue to explore Mars and other worlds and return to the Moon, a new generation of scientists and engineers will be needed at NASA and the world’s other space agencies. If you are a fan of space – then you may have seen ads for a Mars Rover kit on social media – the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover by CircuitMess. But this is not just a pretty toy to look at. It works and acts like a real Mars rover. This is a participatory kit. You build it and code it. More

Keith’s note: according to a telecom today all teams polled said GO for Artemis II. They are aiming for a rollout to the launch pad next week on 19 March. A launch attempt is planned as early as 1 April at 6:24 pm EDT . Another opportunity is in place on 2 April and would be at 7:22 pm. There are 4 launch opportunities within the 6 day period in early April. Notes from the media briefing below:

“NASA’s acquisition approach for the lunar landers has been effective in controlling contract costs, with the SpaceX and Blue Origin contracts having only increased by 6 percent and less than 1 percent, respectively. This was due in part to NASA negotiating mutually beneficial contract changes at no cost to the government. However, both SpaceX and Blue Origin have experienced schedule delays and face technical and integration challenges that have the potential to further impact lander costs and delivery schedules. In particular, SpaceX’s lander will not be ready for a June 2027 lunar landing. To accelerate lander development to meet a 2028 lunar landing date, NASA is assessing proposals from both SpaceX and Blue Origin, but it is too early to determine the technical feasibility, financial implications, and schedule impacts of these proposals.” — “While NASA is taking steps to prevent catastrophic events from occurring, ultimately, should the astronauts encounter a life-threatening emergency in space or on the lunar surface, NASA does not have the capability to rescue the stranded crew“. Full report

Keith’s note: As humanity expands outward we need to make sure it is all of humanity. Moreover, we may find that living in space may be a more enabling – and empowering – experience for some people than living on Earth. Eric Ingram has some thoughts: “I just published something I’ve been carrying quietly for a long time. It’s the full story of my experience with lunar gravity across two research flights, including the first time reduced gravity allowed me to stand unassisted, and what that moment taught me about access, human limits, and the future. This is the first time I’ve told the story in full, and the first time I’m sharing the lunar gravity photos and videos from the second flight. If you’re curious, I’d love for you to read it.” Full story.

Keith’s note: The Houston Chronicle took a look at 2025 layoffs and the newly-announced NASA Force. “Accepting the buyout was a difficult decision for many NASA employees. Keith Cowing, a watchdog who previously worked at NASA and has edited NASAWatch.com since 1996, said employees would call him at 2 a.m. in tears. He said many people who took the buyout don’t want to return to NASA — they say they’re happy to be gone, they were going to retire soon anyway, they found private-sector work — but others have asked for more clarity surrounding NASA Force. Some early and mid-career employees took the buyout because they were afraid of being laid off. “The irony of letting a whole bunch of qualified people go and then saying, ‘Oh, we need people, new people, to hire back,’ it’s not lost on me,” Cowing said. “However, I think they seem to be going about this in a structured way.” More