Ok diving into the @rhodesben.bsky.social Geopolitical Support video. Live reaction thread 1/

@kathrwn.bsky.social is unreasonably good at her job www.instagram.com/p/DWRy6KKE2q...

lowkey love my job

FWIW absolutely no one I know who has expertise in spaceflight or planetary exploration thinks this is either remotely plausible or a good idea to attempt on such a timeline. The dominant reaction is somewhere on the spectrum between mockery and dismay. Real, important science was cancelled for this

New domestic monopoly for Elon Musk unlocked

Just look at the Conjunction Data Messages that this constellation is gonna produce (Also RIP 🪦 astronomy and astrophysics 🔭)

Another "gigafactory, but way bigger"?! If we're launching millions of computing satellites, maybe the real final frontier is managing Earth's resources for all this tech... 🤔

I think my takeaway from both Project Hail Mary, The Martian, Andor, and other things is: You get a much better product that can actually succeed if you don’t underestimate your audience.

Given the lack of credibility of both parties and substantial incentives to say the things they’re saying, the best option is generally to assume the status quo and filter out the noise.

You take this administration at its word at your own risk.

Just as I unpinned my recommendations as a former State officer for folks trapped overseas because I hoped people would have been getting these for the last two weeks 🙃

I dunno seems bad if tech bros have driven Catholics to the point of talking about stake burning again The Pope’s Franciscan AI Advisor has some thoughts about Peter Thiel’s concept of the Antichrist Translated title: “American heresy: should Peter Thiel be burned?”

"But Silicon Valley billionaires are not our sages; they’re our enablers, keeping us distracted and dumb, and making sure we never stop scrolling for long enough to think about why we are wasting our lives on their platforms."

Intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime

I’m probably not on this list (I was in the early stages of trying to figure out how to build a nuclear regulatory framework for commercial space in the Office of Space Commerce).

Military targeting and law enforcement decisions need to be driven by human judgement. The United States should prohibit the use of artificial intelligence systems in those contexts. This isn’t about “speed” or “efficiency.” It’s about human rights and accountability.

Crossover already happened a number of years ago in a number of really important fields. Reasons include access to critical minerals/materials, high quality manufacturing and fabrication, and laboratories/collections that have capacity and capabilities beyond what is common in the United States.

Really smart, thoughtful critique about how extremists are using a kernel of truth to launder their broader antisemitism, and how fighting antisemitism means confronting that kernel while rejecting the broader conspiracism around it forward.com/opinion/8140...

Amaze amaze amaze!

Anduril thinks that someone in the audience is a procurement officer To be fair, this is the DC area and Fort Meade is like 5 miles away But still ew

Unreasonably excited to see Project Hail Mary

To give you a sense of what’s actually going on in the eastern Mediterranean front in this war, right now people in Beirut are basically hoping that an algorithm doesn’t decide someone in their building might be connected to Hezbollah.

In addition to the arguments made about research security, there are other issues associated with withdrawal from international interactions that inhibit American competitiveness. Some points here about the impact on emtech and spaceflight safety. fas.org/publication/...

This is insane.

Things are not okay.

Has any one actually asked industry if they want these components? Like seriously, with TraCSS the government tried to be like “hey commercial SSA companies you want this right?” and the entire satellite industry and even active duty Space Force were like “no.” (The Admin is still trying).

This is when dumping on the rest of the world for a year wasn’t great, let alone unilaterally going in without consultation or even a clear explanation. Most countries are gonna approach this problem with a “you break it, you bought it” attitude.

My takes on research security, as the former OSTP Assistant Director for Research Security. It’s safe to say there is a much better way to do this that doesn’t : a) categorically exclude people from the research ecosystem while B) providing additional protection and incentive to protect R&D

We complain for years about China copying our rocket/stealth design homework, and yet after the first truly modern conflict of the 21st century breaks out and we immediately copy Iran’s homework. (Then we name it the Lucasfilm drone but that’s another funny point)

FWIW, at a rate of about once every five minutes, a Starlink satellite makes a collision avoidance maneuver This is probably higher than it was two years ago.

Maryland Marches

Really going for the whole Apocalypse thing huh

When the technical meets the political. Critical reporting precisely because it addresses the interface at a moment where many other outlets have deprioritized the essential feedback between threats, capabilities, and policy.

Not insignificant chance this turns into the United States’ Suez if the energy market disruption keeps up/if Iran is able to successfully mine the Strait.

The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.

👀

🙃🙃🤖

Whelp I know when I’m not going downtown

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I think a lot about this line from Ta-Nehisi Coates: “The burden of whiteness is this: You can live in the world of myth and be taken seriously. You can effectively believe the kind of isht which I was disabused of and edit the in-flight magazine of Air Force One. Fuck editing it. You can own it.”

I’ve been informed it’s an essential Maryland holiday

Alright I’m finally ready to engage this directly. Virtue-based science is basically science that a) selects results that those with power like, b) requires inconsistently ignoring natural phenomena to produce knowledge consistent with theology, and c) massively gatekeeps It’s just Neo-Thomism

All too easy to imagine a scenario where a hallucinated target list ended in the targeting of the girl’s school, especially given the demands placed on Anthropic in the days prior to the initial attack.

My son is screaming because he is being forced to go outside to do science for school 🫠

What inspires someone to pursue physics for life? From discovering general relativity to the encouragement of mentors, women in our community share the moments that shaped their journeys. This #InternationalWomensDay we’re celebrating women advancing physics and inspiring the next generation. 🌟

The data is in: the NIH goalposts have shifted. What were once almost certain fundable scores have become coin flips and what used to be likely grants have become aspirational, leading to fewer awards. Another manifestation of how HHS policies have led to fewer awards and less science.

I don’t know Yahoo Finance, starting a war that resulted in gas prices going up, the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, and an attack on an oil tanker might have done something.