PhilpaxApr 1

Artemis II lifts off: four astronauts begin 10-day lunar mission

https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2026/apr/01/artemis-ii-launch-nasa-orion-moon-trip-live-updates

Artemis II: Nasa’s crewed rocket lifts off to begin 10-day lunar journey – as it happened

This live blog is now closed.

the Guardian
Show thread0xffff2Apr 1
I do hope the doomers who think that the entire US government has been completely gutted will take note of this. The government workforce is in a bad spot for sure, SLS is far from a perfect program, but this still demonstrates that we are doing some real work still.
Show threadyokoprime
While the current administration has multiple areas of improvement and isnt really taking feedback in an adult manner, the federal workforce has some of the most competent people working for it inside certain parts of the organization. im thinking especially of NASA and NASA JPL.
Apr 1 at 11:03pmWeb
Show threadtails4eApr 1
This is true, but a lot of the top positions are being replaced with unqualified loyalists. It's only a matter of time, if this continues, that the competent workforce gets eroded
Show threadNetMageSCWApr 1
NASA also has some of the most incompetent people working for it, and a lot of them are responsible for overseeing SLS and Orion. JPL hasn’t been doing to well lately either (Mars Return?).
Show threadmullingitoverApr 1

JPL has been strangled by both parties. They had huge staff cuts in 2024, and then more in 2025. They've gone from ~6,500 to ~4,500. Trump closed their research library[1].

Of course this is a drop in the bucket, the entire science research apparatus of the United States is being burned to the ground[2]. This administration is doing to the future of scientific research what the Mongols did to Baghdad.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/climate/nasa-goddard-libr...

[2] https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-026-00088-9/index.ht...

Research Library at NASA’s Goddard Space and Flight Center to Close Friday

Holdings from the library at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which includes unique documents from the early 20th century to the Soviet space race, will be warehoused or thrown out.

The New York Times