@drfunkyspoon
Astrobiologist, Author, Musician. π½πΈβ€οΈπ Sagan Medalist, PEN winner, AAAS fellow. Former Senior Scientist for Astrobiology Strategy at NASA. Thereβs an asteroid named after me (22410 Grinspoon) which is better than having one with your name on itβ¦
Read about what βDOGEβ did to the NEH and remember that we really have no idea how much crime and damage they did at other agencies.
Someone needs to thoroughly investigate what they did at NASA.
A thread.
(1/n)
π§ͺπ
Clockwise, from top left: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. None of the worlds is to scale, but all are imaged with JWST's near-infrared (NIRCam) instrument.
The giant planets of the Solar System, by JWST.
The cracked icy surface of Europa.
a NASA and a Clipper science team to retrieve and analyze the data which will tell us if thereβs a habitable environment within that beautiful cracked icy moon!
(7/7)
Personally I keep hope alive in part by remembering that Europa Clipper is already in flight and will be orbiting the Jupiter system in the early 2030s. Iβm pretty sure there will still be a USA then (under new management) and
(6/n)
Which is such a shame because NASA (where I was until October) was an incredible place to work in part because of the unusual level of trust between dedicated leadership and hard working staff.
Hats off to those remaining there and trying to keep science alive during these challenging times.
(5/n)
or at least hope for the best from it. This is understandable.
But without a full accounting, and some explanations and apologies for the damage that occurred last year, trust in NASA leadership wonβt be easily restored.
(4/n)
many of which still stand, which came from DOGE? Of the new demoralizing directives, often not put in writing, that our leadership passed down, with no clear origin, which came from DOGE?
Many NASA employees, believing so strongly in the mission, want to now place trust in new leadership,
(3/n)
We know they were in our building (snooping and photographing our offices) and up in our NASA computer servers. What did they steal, access or introduce to our systems?
Of all the sudden new draconian orders, strange & nonsensical demands on our time, fire drills and wasteful new procedures,
(2/n)
Read about what βDOGEβ did to the NEH and remember that we really have no idea how much crime and damage they did at other agencies.
Someone needs to thoroughly investigate what they did at NASA.
A thread.
(1/n)
π§ͺπ
This story about what the young techbros of βDOGEβ did to wreck the NEH is astounding and important.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a...
How bout an ice cream sandwich?
From what altitude?
Itβs just so shameful and cruel.
Itβs so hard to comprehend the fact that there are still millions of Fox-addled Americans who still support this wicked administration, and somehow believe that locking up talented children is protecting us from criminal invaders.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/08/u...
Oh dear Iβm so sorry.
My music demonstrates infinity, Most people canβt comprehend that.
(Sun Ra)
Somewhat grainy mosaicked pictures showing the bright ling of Earth, with swirling clouds, against the black of space.
On the winds of war, a new moment of self reflection, our first distant view of ourselves.
OTD in 1947 American scientists launched a V-2 rocket which captured these first pictures of Earth taken from greater than 100 miles altitude.
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Screenshot of a nasa FB post that says 3:36 4 F17 < NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Ad... β’β’. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space NASI Administration e β’ Follow 3hγ» Explore with us! Learn more about NASA Force, a new initiative to recruit the nation's top engineers and technologists in support of America's space program. Applications are opening soon: https:// go.nasa.gov/4|ctjOz NASA 626 41 ~ 72
Itβs weird how this doesnβt say βoops we accidentally pushed out/incentivized to leave/firedβ a lot of engineers and it turns out engineering projects need those.
Have you seen this one? Dubbed the mad hatterpillar, it wears it's own old heads as a hat.
www.newscientist.com/article/mg24...
Kristi Noem going out praising herself for her courageous public service when all she did was steal our money and lie to America and brutalize the vulnerable and screw her boyfriend is pretty much the exit from DHS I expected of her
It is very important she eventually go to prison
Statement from Jasmine Crockett.
The space-based telescopes Hubble and Euclid combined forces to capture a dying star in stunning new detail
Well you could also look at it as a playful jibe at a silly NYT headlineβ¦
π³π³π³π³
Northern Californiaβs first condor egg in 100 years reported in redwood tree
Who COULDNβT use some good news? β Scientists with the Yurok Tribe say that two of dozens of condors released to the wild in Humboldt County since 2022, to reestablish the endangered birds, have paired up, built a nest in a redwood tree and appear to be tending to an egg.β
#californiacondor
The Republican war on science is thorough and goes deep.
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www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/c...
OFFS. When Iran tried to interefere in 2020, researchers caught them and called them out. Then the Benz-Weiss-Taibbi-Musk-Jordan-Trump axis labeled those researchers "censors" ... and set about defunding them and dismantling their organizations.
Senator Mullin that guy died in 1989
USE ME! πΆ
IF you need a 5 min funky break from all the war and mayhem, hereβs a new vid I just made from our New Years show.
Our GROOVADELICS cover of the great Bill Withers tune.
youtu.be/LvgvlFY_Qpc?...
