Pentagon: Most UFO Reports Are ‘Unremarkable’

The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) recently reported that most sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) are “unremarkable,” glimpses of balloons, drones, or airborne plastic bags and other trash.

If you’re keeping score at home, UAPs used to be called UFOS and, before that, flying saucers; the AARO was called the Airborne Object Identification and Management Group (AOIMSG) and, before that, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF).

There you have it. Klaatu barada nikto.

Download the AARO 2022 UAP report here.

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Zohar and Helga Go to the Moon

Early on Wednesday, NASA finally launched Artemis 1, a mission to put two fembots, Helga and Zohar, into lunar orbit. The mission is an effort to prepare for eventual lunar landings by actual female American astronauts. A third, male, humanoid figure, Commander Moonikin Campos, is named after a heroic NASA electrical engineer.

More:

“NASA Is Sending Artificial Female Bodies to the Moo n to Study Radiation Risks,” Passant Rabie, Gizmodo

“Orion ‘Passengers’ on Artemis I to Test Radiation Vest for Deep Space Missions,” NASA press release

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UFOs Come to Congress

At Tuesday’s Congressional UFO hearings, we were stunned to learn that UFOs are actually … UAPs, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Gasp. And UAPs are … unidentified! Just like the name says. The mind boggles.

The subcommittee also met in closed session, so there may be terrestrial counterintelligence aspects to some of the UAP sightings.

More:

“Congress dives into UFOs, but no signs of extraterrestrials,” Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press

“Out-of-this-world revelations in short supply at US Congress briefing on UFOs,” Adam Gabbatt,The Guardian

“The military’s UFO database now has info from about 400 reported incidents,” Christopher Dean Hopkins and Giles Snyder, NPR

“UFOs are real, and they have abducted Elise Stefanik,” Dana Milbank, Washington Post

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UFOs Are Coming to Congress

A declassified report with a “detailed analysis of unidentified aerial phenomena data and intelligence” from the Office of Naval Intelligence Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, the Director of National Intelligence, and the FBI will be presented to Congress in June. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) are more commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects or UFOs.

More:

“UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace, report on the phenomena due next month,” CBS 60 Minutes

“How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously,” Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker

Updates:

“How UFO sightings went from joke to national security worry in Washington,” Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post

“‘From hearsay to hard evidence’: are UFOs about to go mainstream?” Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian

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Astronauts Must Sleep in Used Vehicle

On Saturday, four new astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in a used SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, a recyled capsule used in a previous mission. The four new arrivals join the seven already on the ISS, which only has nine beds. That means two astronauts will have to sleep in the used SpaceX vehicle in their “I Went through NASA Training for THIS?” PJ’s.

More:

“With 11 people on space station, astronauts get crafty with sleeping spots,” Doris Elin Urrutia, Space

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Found: Hidden Water on Mars

“Vast amounts of ancient Martian water may have been buried beneath its surface instead of escaping into space, scientists report in the journal Science. The findings, published Tuesday, may help untangle a clash of theories seeking to explain the disappearance of Mars’ water, a resource that was abundant on the planet’s surface billions of years ago.

Through modeling and data from Mars probes, rovers, and meteorites, researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that a broad range — between 30 to 99 percent — of the Red Planet’s earliest amounts of water could have vanished from the surface through a geological process called crustal hydration, where water was locked away in the rocks of Mars.”

— “Mars might be hiding most of its old water underground, scientists say,” Joey Roulette, The Verge

More:

“Mars: Vast amount of water may be locked up on planet,” Paul Rincon, BBC News

“Oceans’ Worth of Water May Live in Minerals Beneath Mars’ Surface,” Brad Bergan, Interesting Engineering

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The Moon Is Awash In Water

Two new studies indocate that there are “cold traps” on the moon full of water. NASA spied on Luna from a high-flying jet named SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) and found the unique signature of water all over the place on sunlit portions of the moon. A secord study finds that frozen water could be hiding in lunar shadows on 15,444 square miles of the moon’s real estate. Astronauts are probably planning lakeside chateaus as you read this.

Space Toilet: A Giant Flush for Womankind

Friday night, while you were watching Donald Trump’s helicopter touch down at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, an Antares rocket lifted off from Wallops Island carrying a $23 million titanium toilet to the International Space Station. The new low-gravity space potty, known as the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), sports a smaller footprint and improved efficiency, and is equally adapted to the needs of male and female astronauts. As NASA astronauts say, “you go, girl!”

More:

“Finally, a Space Toilet for Ladies,” Amanda Arnold, The Cut

“NASA’s new $30M space toilet is smaller, better smelling and more female-friendly,” CBC Radio

“State-of-the-art space toilet successfully launched into space,” Mark Kaufman, Mashable

“Antares rocket launches new astronaut toilet and more to space station for NASA,” Chelsea Gohd, Space.com

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Boeing on Starliner Failure: Oops.

As part of the Trump administration’s “privatize everything” policy, NASA contracted Boeing, maker of the brilliant  737 MAX, to build the CST-100 Starliner space capsule to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station under the multi-billion-dollar Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The Trump administration wants to replace NASA’s government bloat with the efficiency and precision of private industry. NASA launched the Starliner in December:

“The Starliner spacecraft encountered problems almost immediately after reaching space when its onboard computer, with its time miscalibrated by 11 hours, failed to fire the thrusters that would send the craft on a path to the space station. While aloft, the spacecraft struggled to communicate with the ground. By the time controllers could figure out what went wrong, the spacecraft had burned too much fuel, preventing it from docking with the station, one of its primary objectives.”

— “Boeing admits it failed to test the Starliner spacecraft adequately before its maiden flight,” Christian Davenport, Washington Post

Onward to Mars!

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Spaceport America!

The State of New Mexico gave a needy Brit named Sir Richard Branson $250 million to set up Spaceport America, a facility where rich people can launch into space pleasure jaunts. You know, your typical Public-Private Partnership.