Episode 1605: Getting the NAC of Things

Is the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) system becoming unglued? During the NAC Science Committee meeting on March 21st, there were significant questions about the Primary NAC and its ability to deliver recommendations to NASA's leadership expeditiously so they can be acted upon by NASA Leadership. That wasn't the only thing on the minds of NASA's scientists and advisors. The Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are profoundly impacted by NASA's austere FY 24 and FY 25 budget constraints, and one of the two missions may face cancellation. Also, the significant demands placed on NASA's Deep Space Network were of major concern. We report on what was said and offer analysis.  

The Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission was officially declared completed when, as predicted, the robotic Odysseus lunar lander did not respond to a "wake-up" call on March 23rd. Larry Herrin and Mark Ratterman talked with Chantelle Baier, CEO of 4Space, who facilitated one of the commercial payloads on the IM-1 mission, to wrap up her experiences on the flight and discuss future endeavors. See Jeff Koons Moon Phases web site to explore the details of his art, exploring themes of connectivity and acceptance.

NASA extended its call for new astronaut applications through April 16th and Mark Ratterman highlights what the US Army is doing to encourage applicants in its ranks. 

After the joint Boeing Space/NASA press conferences last week highlighting the upcoming first crewed flight test of the CST 100 Starliner, some words were put out on social media by some prominent individuals in space advocacy berating Boeing Space. In a commentary, Gene Mikulka poses a question: Can't we wish Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams well and forget about wearing our corporate t-shirts for a little while?

Finally, Space exploration lost two giants this past week, and we look back on the lives and contributions of former astronaut General Thomas P. Stafford and former Johnson Spaceflight Center Director  George W.S. Abbey. 

All this and more (see below), on this episode of Talking Space!

Host: Larry Herrin

Panel Members: Gene Mikulka &  Mark Ratterman - Dr. Kat Robison and Sawyer Rosenstein will return.

Podcast Editor: Mark Ratterman

Episode Image caption: The NASA Advisory Council poses for a group photo on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Photo Credit: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani

Above: SLAC Camera (photo credit: Noirlab

Delta 4 Heavy launch of Orion with EFT-1 (photo Credit: KSC NASA)