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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 2h

Jacobs is an actual scientist and seems willing to try behind-the-scenes to protect us from the destructive potential of an RFK-like anti-administrator. I'd rather have Jacobs than Mass, Maue, Curry, Koonin, Ramaswamy, or rando tech bro. I mean, we have Acting NASA Real World Admin Duffy right now.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 2h

Standards are low, but despite Sharpiegate and the troubling ways (see UCS blog below) Jacobs contorts himself into not crossing the admin (which is how Isaacman failed his NASA confirmation), Jacobs is the best person we can hope to run NOAA. Perfect is the enemy of the good for the next 3 years.

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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 5h

We made a similar argument in Nature on research funding:

"[G]rant-receiving institutions and the communities that they serve need assurance that funds allocated by Congress will be spent."

Impoundment subverts the law.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 1d

If appropriations bills are not seen as enforceable contracts, why should any Member of Congress vote to fund any part of the federal government under Donald Trump? You're voting to provide money for lawlessness. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/there-is-n...

There is no budget "deal" to be made

President Trump has so broken the constitutional framework as to make joint normal, responsible government impossible.

www.doomsdayscenario.co

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Hannah Richter @hannah-richter.bsky.social · 1d

The world's premier space agency isn't exempt from the U.S. government shutdown. "You can't just sit in your lab and think that this doesn't impact you, because it's very clear now that it does,” says one planetary scientist. 🏛️ ❌ Read more in @skyandtelescope.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/26e5h4d2 #nasa

NASA Faces Government Shutdown, Funding Fears Rise

While civil servants are furloughed or working without pay, funding for NASA remains uncertain.

tinyurl.com

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Kevin Olsen @drksolsen.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, our observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with ExoMars TGO turned out better than expected!
I have seen the dot observed with perseverance, and the weak signal in our spectrometer data, but the tracking and coma from CaSSIS are sure to impress!
🔬🧪 #planetsci
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

Loeb is just not a serious person.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

I want to point out another insane thing. He names to his executive board his favorite cuckoo MAGA House Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Rep who proposed adding Trump to Mt. Rushmore and said "Congress has seen proof of 'interdimensional beings.'" Great company and judgement there, Avi.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

You'll love this then; he specifically motivates the idea using the IPCC as as an example of "international community has successfully achieved remarkable scientific breakthroughs through specialized international frameworks"

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Michele Bannister @astrokiwi.bsky.social · 1d

Just going to say that it is hurtful when a systematic study effort by the global small-body community, with many of the campaigns led by women, with results being pushed to free open-source arXiv & data repos for scicomm as quickly as possible, is described as lacking coordination/communication

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 2d

This is complete and utter pompous bullshit. It's telling that of the people proposing it wants to anoint themselves director general when every one of his claims of having discovered technosignature interstellar objects has been debunked by the planetary community. arxiv.org/pdf/2510.01405

arxiv.org

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

I don't give a damn if he mouths off nonsense to get adulation from Stephen Miller, Newsmax, and idiots in comment sections. If grift and ruination of his reputation is a trade off he wants to make, fine. But when he starts trying to take over scientific resources, we should stop placating him.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

Oh, and BTW, he unilaterally names himself Director General of the proposed resource allocation body to be adopted under the U freaking N. You have to admire the gall. But this is insane.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

If anyone is wondering why I'm being pissy about Loeb, it's his latest BS on arXiv. He proposed a coordinated study of interstellar objects. Great, actually. But he wants $380M, adopts the classification scale he named after himself (Yes, he calls it the Loeb scale), and control over telescopes.

arxiv.org

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

Loeb is the latest in a long line of once competent scientists who got bored with their original field, ventured off into new topics, and made fools of themselves. I, honestly, don't know if he believes the BS he spews, but at this point it doesn't matter. Reporters, contact Simeon to debunk.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

Prof. Loeb is a punch line. In the exact same way that Trump is the poor person's idea of a rich person, Loeb is an idiot's idea of a scientist. He sure as hell isn't Galileo; Galileo's experiments were repeatable and provable. Loeb has the credibility and veracity of a Youtube comment section.

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 1d

Did Perseverance see 3I/Atlas? Yes, maybe.

Is Avi Loeb using this as an opportunity to falsely impugn actual science in an effort to blow smoke up his own ass? Yes, undoubtedly.

Basically nothing Loeb has been in the news for in the last 5 years has proven correct. Stop falling for his grift.

Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 4d

Last night, NASA's Perseverance rover looked up at the night sky once more, to capture interstellar #comet 3I/Atlas flying by the red planet.

The distance was "only" 0.2 AU or 30 Mio km, far closer than the comet ever got to Earth. 🔭 #3IAtlas

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Simeon Schmauß

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Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 2d

To any (mutual) space journos, I'm happy to answer a few questions about the 3I/Atlas images from Perseverance in the hope we can debunk some of the misinformation that is going around currently.

Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 4d

Last night, NASA's Perseverance rover looked up at the night sky once more, to capture interstellar #comet 3I/Atlas flying by the red planet.

The distance was "only" 0.2 AU or 30 Mio km, far closer than the comet ever got to Earth. 🔭 #3IAtlas

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Simeon Schmauß

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Reposted by Michael Battalio

Tod Lauer @todlauer.bsky.social · 1d

The effort put into understanding 3I/Atlas has been spectacular, imaginative, professional and well-organized. Planetary scientists don't need Avi Loeb put in charge of an international directorate to tell them how to do their jobs.

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Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 1d

No Avi, that Perseverance Navcam picture you posted isn't showing 3I/Atlas, it's just Phobos, the brighter one of Mars' moons.

If you were even half the expert you think you are, this possibility should have been quite obvious and worth mentioning.

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Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 2d

Today is our Save NASA Science Day of Action! You can take actions online to support the nearly 300 registered participants on the ground with me here in the D.C.

planetary.org/dayofaction

The Day of Action to Save NASA Science

Take action with us to help reject cuts that threaten NASA's science and exploration programs.

planetary.org

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Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 4d

Last night, NASA's Perseverance rover looked up at the night sky once more, to capture interstellar #comet 3I/Atlas flying by the red planet.

The distance was "only" 0.2 AU or 30 Mio km, far closer than the comet ever got to Earth. 🔭 #3IAtlas

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Simeon Schmauß

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Reposted by Michael Battalio

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 4d

As a theoretical cosmologist, I'm frequently asked "what is the benefit of the work you're doing for people's lives?" Nothing I work on makes money or cures disease.

There are a few different answers one can give, at various levels of "convincing" / "actually relevant to why the work is done."

1/🧵

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 5d

Everyone should listen to Chris Murphy's extraordinary warning about Trump on our pod. First, he says the logic must be that the more lawless he gets, the stiffer the resistance.

"If I give in and consent to these kinds of tactics then it just normalizes it all." 1/

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 5d

This is why elevating a "Rogan of the left" is asinine. You can't indoctrinate people into self-awareness; it's oxymoronic. We don't need to idolize any one leader. Any individual is never going to be immune to our basest drives as anyone else. Trying to pick some one to follow is a doomed strategy.

The Hollywood Reporter @thr.com · 6d

Dave Chappelle criticized the status of free speech in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

Dave Chappelle Criticizes Free Speech in America at Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival

Dave Chappelle criticized the status of free speech in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

bit.ly

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · 5d

Open planetary call at Cornell; they interviewed all biosignature people. It doesn't help ensure diversity if you interview the people you would have interviewed anyway. It actually hurts diversity because people waste time on applications where they don't have a shot instead of, you know, working.

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