Chris Hadfield: ‘Do you think it's a good idea that there are tourists on aeroplanes? It's exactly the same thing with space. It's just brand new'
The summer of 1969 changed Chris Hadfield's life forever. At almost 10 years old, he watched Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin walk on the moon. The Canadian boy was mesmerised and it set him on his own space mission. As we all know, he went on to accomplish his childhood dream.
In his 21 years serving as an astronaut, Hadfield has flown three space missions, helped build two space stations and commanded the International Space Station (ISS). The longest period he was in space for was six months. 'It was very much a little boy's dream coming true my entire life but it was not accidental,' he says. 'It was the direct result of clear vision and purpose, and a relentless desire to improve and change who I was in order to improve my odds.'
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Irish Daily Star
06-08-2025
- Irish Daily Star
White House orders NASA to deliberately destroy two important satellites monitoring climate change
NASA has been given orders by the White House to destroy two major satellites in space that are used by farmers, scientists, as well as oil and gas companies. NASA has been given orders by the White House to destroy two major satellites in space that are used by farmers, scientists, as well as oil and gas companies. According to NPR, the data from the satellites provides detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. The outlet stated that the objects are the only two federally used satellites that provide information built to specifically monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases. It is currently unclear why the Trump administration seeks to destroy the satellites, as they are state-of-the-art and were expected to last for several more years. In 2023, an official data review found that the data stored there was "of exceptionally high quality," and they recommended continuing the mission for at least three more years. It comes after a chilling map revealed the US regions where 75% of people will die in a nuclear World War 3. Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, reportedly used identical measurement devices to measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe. While the devices were identical, one of the satellites is actually attached to the International Space Station. Should NASA choose to comply with the directive, the standalone satellite will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. The mission has since been dubbed Phase F, per David Crisp, a longtime NASA scientist who designed the instruments and managed the missions until he retired in 2022. "What I have heard is direct communications from people who were making those plans, who weren't allowed to tell me that that's what they were told to do," Crisp said to NPR. "But they were allowed to ask me questions." "They were asking me very sharp questions. The only thing that would have motivated those questions was [that] somebody told them to come up with a termination plan," he added. According to Crisp, it makes no sense why Trump would order the termination of the satellites. Crisp commented that it makes "no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data." According to the expert, maintaining the two observatories only costs $15 million per year, barely a dent in the agency's $25.4 billion budget. Two other NASA scientists have confirmed that the Trump administration had contacted mission leaders to make plans for the termination of other projects that would lose funding under Trump's proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Several scientists have expressed outrage at the proposal and argued that it could precipitate an end to the US's leadership in prevent this, lawmakers have attempted to draw up a counter to Trump's plan to keep NASA's budget roughly in line. "We rejected cuts that would have devastated NASA science by 47 percent and would have terminated 55 operating and planned missions," said Senator and top appropriator Chris Van Hollen, per Bloomberg. "Eliminating funds or scaling down the operations of Earth-observing satellites would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters House representative and Committee on Science, Space and Technology ranking member Zoe Lofgren Article continues below "The Trump administration is forcing the proposed cuts in its FY26 budget request on already appropriated FY25 funds," she added. "This is illegal." It comes after a Trump family member revealed his body is 'rotting inside' as she delivered a terrifying update on the president's health.
The Journal
05-08-2025
- The Journal
No, it's not science fiction - NASA has been ordered to put a nuclear reactor on the moon
NASA HAS BEEN ordered to get a nuclear reactor up and running on the Moon by the end of the decade. It's not a pipe dream, rather it's a formal directive from acting administrator Sean Duffy, who has set an aggressive timeline for America's first lunar power station. The reactor, capable of generating at least 100 kilowatts of electricity, is seen as a critical step towards long-term human missions on the Moon and, eventually, Mars. Unlike solar panels, which struggle during the Moon's two-week-long nights, a fission power system could provide continuous energy for habitats, rovers, and scientific equipment. NASA has been working on nuclear surface power concepts for years. Concept art of a lunar nuclear reactor. In 2022, it awarded several $5 million (€4.3 million) contracts for early designs of compact reactors producing 40 kilowatts. But this latest directive demands more power, faster progress, and a reactor ready for launch by late 2029. There's also competition, as China and Russia are developing their own lunar reactor. According to US outlets, both countries are targeting a deployment in the mid-2030s. Advertisement Duffy's memo warns that whichever country arrives first could establish a 'keep-out zone' on the lunar surface, complicating access for others. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo To meet the timeline, NASA has been given strict marching orders: appoint a programme leader within 30 days, issue a request for industry proposals within 60 days, and move forward with maximum transparency. The project is part of the broader Artemis campaign, which aims to return humans to the Moon and lay the groundwork for permanent operations. But while the directive accelerates reactor development, NASA's budget tells a more complicated story. President Trump's latest proposal would cut the agency's overall funding by 24 per cent in 2026, the sharpest reduction since the early 1960s. Programmes focusing on science, climate, and robotic exploration are facing major cuts, while crewed spaceflight initiatives, including the reactor, are still being prioritised. Duffy has also called for NASA to fast-track the replacement of the International Space Station with privately operated space stations before 2030. What we learn on these missions is what's going to get us to the Moon… and then onward to Mars. — NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy (@SecDuffyNASA) August 5, 2025 The agency plans to award contracts to at least two companies within six months of opening the competition. Scientists have long argued that nuclear power will be indispensable for any permanent lunar settlement. But building a nuclear reactor on the Moon within five years is, by all accounts, a daunting challenge. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Irish Sun
30-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Inside ‘lost' 6,000-year-old underwater city on coast of Cuba with stone structures 2,000ft below sea's surface
A MYSTERIOUS 'lost city' lying 2,000 feet beneath the waves off Cuba has baffled scientists for more than two decades — with claims it could rewrite the history of human civilisation. Marine engineer Paulina Zelitsky and her husband, Paul Weinzweig, stunned the world in 2001 when sonar scans revealed huge stone formations on the seabed near the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. 5 Mysterious stone structures 2,000ft down off Cuba have baffled scientists for two decades Credit: YouTube/Ancient Architects 5 Sonar scans revealed huge stone formations on seabed near Guanahacabibes Peninsula, which appeared to have pyramids, circular structures, and massive blocks Credit: ADC via Morien Institute 5 Aerial view of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, in Cuba Credit: Getty The images showed what looked like pyramids, circular structures, and massive blocks 'reminiscent of an urban development,' according to Some of the stones measured up to 10 feet and appeared deliberately stacked. 'It's a really wonderful structure which really looks like it could have been a large urban center,' Zelitsky said at the time. The Canadian team, from Advanced Digital Communications (ADC), estimated the ruins could be more than 6,000 years old — making them older than the Egyptian pyramids. Read more Science stories But despite the jaw-dropping find, no follow-up expedition has ever been carried out. While social media users today speculate the ruins are proof of Atlantis, experts remain cautious. 'It would be totally irresponsible to say what it was before we have evidence,' Zelitsky warned back in 2001. Cuban geologist Manuel Iturralde-Vinent, from the Natural History Museum, admitted the structures were 'extremely peculiar' but stressed the depth posed a major problem. Most read in Science 'It's strange, it's weird; we've never seen something like this before, and we don't have an explanation for it,' he told The Washington Post. Iturralde estimated it would take up to 50,000 years for the seabed to sink that far, far earlier than any known advanced civilization. Mystery new 'city' found underneath Egypt's Pyramids stretching 6,500ft BELOW surface in shock discovery, scientists say Michael Faught, an underwater archaeology expert at Florida State University, agreed. He said: 'It would be cool if Zelitsky and Weinzweig were right, but it would be really advanced for anything we would see in the New World for that time frame. 'The structures are out of time and out of place.' Other scientists have argued the formations are likely natural rock structures. Despite skepticism, the discovery continues to fuel conspiracy theories online. 'Civilizations that existed before the ice age, perhaps multiple civilizations that rose and fell... The historical knowledge that has been lost (or hidden),' one person posted on X. Another claimed: 'There is so much hidden history. Finding it so fascinating. Everything we been taught is a lie.' Funding problems and Cuba's strict control over foreign expeditions have also been blamed for the lack of further investigation. A planned dive in 2002 was scrapped, according to US oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Weinzweig himself once insisted: 'The structures we found on the side scan sonar simply are not explicable from a geological point of view. 'There is too much organisation, too much symmetry, too much repetition of form.' Another underwater enigma often compared to Cuba's 'lost city' is the Yonaguni monument off Japan's coast. Discovered in the 1980s, the massive stone formation sits around 90 feet underwater and features sharp-angled steps and terraces that appear man-made. Tests of the rock show it could be more than 10,000 years old. If carved by humans, it would date back to a time before the last ice age — a theory that, like the Cuban ruins, continues to divide experts over whether it's a natural formation or evidence of a vanished civilisation. 5 Scuba diver exploring the Yonaguni Monument, a submerged rock formation off the coast of Japan Credit: Alamy 5 It is unknown if these sandstone rocks are formed naturally or are of human construction Credit: Alamy
