Gene J. Mikulka

Works for me!

🎙 New episode of ESG in Space Podcast:
“The common denominator for determining success is grit.” — Danny Kim
Danny has enabled 200+ student experiments aboard the ISS, cutting costs from $180,000 to $1 through software innovation.
Listen now:
👉 five.libsyn.com/show/episode...

Promotional graphic for a new episode of the podcast "Beyond the Breakthrough" by Associated Universities, Inc. It features a large telescope dish under a starry night sky. The text says, "Ep. 202: Capturing Dark Skies."

Listen to Associated Universities' latest podcast episode now! 🎙️🎧

YouTube: https://bit.ly/40yJJ9R
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4r5kW8v
PodBean: https://bit.ly/4cS0TGW

Join Bettymaya Foott (DarkSky Intl) + Jeff Hellerman (NRAO) as they discuss #astrophotography at the #VeryLargeArray.

Oh this should be a fun read...

OIG Report: NASA Management Of Human Landing System Contracts
oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/u... #Artemis #NASA

If you're trying to listen to Laura Delgado Lopez's webinar on Space Security in Latin America and couldn't get a link from the registration website, here's the YouTube link: www.youtube.com/live/Qj2AuyK...

I'm so stealing that..👍

NASA space probe expected to reenter the atmosphere with a chance of raining debris Van Allen Probe A, which studied how our planet has been protected from harmful space radiation, could fall to Earth tonight. Here’s what to know

Van Allen Probe A, which studied how our planet has been protected from harmful space radiation, could fall to Earth tonight. Here’s what to know

Thor's Helmet, taken from my balcony

Thor’s Helmet (NGC 2359) is an emission nebula in the Canis Major region, visible only for a short period during the winter season. It also remains quite low on the horizon, right in the middle of the light-pollution belt. These are nearly 21 hours of integrated exposure. 🔭

#Astrophotography

UK space tech startups target debris, wildfires and climate risk From clearing space junk to detecting wildfires in seconds, UK startups are applying space technology to some of today’s most urgent challenges

Six UK space tech startups have joined ESA BIC UK to turn bold ideas into real solutions - from tackling orbital debris to detecting wildfires. 🛰️

We're proud to support this programme and look forward to following their progress. 🚀

Read more 👉 ukri.org/news/uk-spac...

NASA's Van Allen Probe A to Re-Enter Atmosphere  - NASA NASA’s Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere almost 14 years after launch. From 2012 to 2019, the spacecraft and its twin, Van Allen

NASA's Van Allen Probe A, launched in 2012, is expected to reenter tmrw (Mar 10) ~7:45 pm ET (uncertainty of +/- 24 hrs). Some components may survive. When mission ended in 2019, expected reentry was 2034, but solar activity was higher than expected.
www.nasa.gov/missions/van...

Re Thursday's Artemis II update bfg, which is after the Flight Readiness Review (FRR), I asked if that meant there won't be another Wet Dress Rehearsal. They said that's correct, no more WDRs are planned, but after the FRR will decide "if any additional reviews may be needed."

Ariane 6 rocket launch seen from cockpit of French fighter jet | VOA News YouTube video by Voice of America

Here is a stunning video of the Ariane 6 launch on March 6, 2025 at Kourou, French Guiana, by the pilot of one of the three Dassault Rafale fighter jets patrolling the launch area and showing off their flying and photography skills.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5H3...

🚨 UPDATE: fireball over Europe – 8 March 2026

At 18:55 CET on Sunday, 8 March, a very bright fireball streaked across the skies of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, glowing for around six seconds before fragmenting. 🧪🔭

🎥 Allsky7

At center right is a compact star cluster composed of luminous red, blue, and white points of light. Faint jets with clumpy, diffuse material extend in various directions from the bright cluster. Above and to the right is a smaller cluster of stars. Translucent red wisps of material stretch across the scene. Background galaxies are scattered across this swath of space, appearing as small blue-white and orange-white dots or fuzzy, thin disks. The background of space, which is easiest to see in the top-left corner, is black.

The Extreme Outer Galaxy—the region more than 58,000 light-years from the Milky Way’s galactic center—is pretty extreme! 😎 #NASAWebb observed a portion of Digel Cloud 2, revealing newly formed stars that are expelling jets of material from their poles: https://bit.ly/4qpOdu4

An artistic impression featuring telescopes and facilities from the La Silla Paranal Observatory and a few ALMA antennas. Overlaid text reads: “1100+ studies with ESO data published in 2025.”

Around 1150 studies using data collected at our observatories were published last year.

The impressive publication numbers emphasise the significant role ESO plays in helping astronomers advance our understanding of the Universe.

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann26002/

🔭 🧪

Open telescope dome at night revealing the telescope inside, framed by tall sliding doors, with a clear sky above.

Orion captured between the enclosure of our New Technology Telescope (NTT). 

The NTT wasn’t named by accident. In fact, it broke new ground for telescope engineering and design. 

More: https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/ntt/

🔭 #flashback 

📷 ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)

I really hate alarmist headlines like this. The spacecraft were always intended to deorbit like this. They will probably not make it to the ground. They’re also not particularly large.

Then sit down and cut out some things that are not bringing you any joy or are not beneficial. I nearly ended up in a hospital bed doing the things you're doing. Remember "no" is a good word. It means you understand your limitations. All the best.

Earth from space, centered on the Indian Ocean, captured on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 7:53:15 AM by NASA's DSCOVR EPIC camera.

7:53:15 AM on Saturday, March 7, 2026, over the Indian Ocean.

It’s time for the Viking funeral for Van Allen Probe A. 🫡

A peach-faced pied lovebird standing on the rim of her food bowl . She is looking directly into the camera as if to say " Really?"

Emerald Lucille Lovebird🦜 was a little displeased at that paparazzi interrupting her dinner. Despite the intrusion, she still wishes all peace. 🕊️ #TheDailyLovebird

Hopefully we can make it happen! 😉

It's too bad NASA isn't collecting these data points and how the Tweet ups changed the course of a lot of people who made serious contributions or went and obtained more degrees as a result.

That would be an interesting prospect, just get some alumni together from various early "Tweet-Ups" and kind of get an idea if those last events changed anyone's trajectory, so to speak. I KNOW it did a few people. It's been a LONG time, and I'm sure there's a story or two to tell.

As a longtime advocate for a US-led ice giant mission, I’m simultaneously disappointed (from a US perspective) and delighted (from a basic science perspective)

Could a powerful geomagnetic storm be the reason 8,000 Victorian homes suddenly lost power in January this year?

@rami.spaceaustralia.com chats with Dr Richard Marshall from BoM Space Weather about the risks of solar storms.

www.spaceaustralia.com/feature/eart...

📸 NASA SVS

#SpaceAustralia

🔭🧪

Interesting story from Andrew Jones for space.com. Rimae Bode is "not far north of the lunar equator" on the near side. There's been a lot of speculation China's first human landing attempt would be near the equator, like the Apollo missions. Easier than the South Pole. x.com/SPACEdotcom/...

NASA to Share Artemis II Flight Readiness Review Update - NASA NASA will host a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT, Thursday, March 12, to highlight progress toward the Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon. The media

NASA will hold a news conference on Thursday, March 12, at 3:00 pm ET "after the conclusion of an Artemis II Flight Readiness Review." Watch on YouTube. Isaacman, Glaze, Honeycutt, Quinn, Knight.
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
Artemis II is still in the VAB. No date for re-rollout yet.

U.S. Space Force predicts Van Allen Probe A to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere March 10. NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up, but some components to survive. According to a NASA spokesperson, “The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is low — approximately 1 in 4,200.” | Image credit: NASA