Short Takes – 1-10-24

US climate pollution fell in 2023 as country shutters coal-fired power plants, new data shows. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “The data shows continued cutbacks on coal energy have a big impact on US climate pollution. Unlike in China, no new coal plants are being built in the US, and many utilities are retiring aging and costly power plants that were built in the 1970s and 1980s.”

Congress pivots to full-year funding bills after bipartisan agreement on spending levels. GovExec.com article. Pull quote: “If lawmakers cannot pass funding bills by those deadlines, they may need to approve another stopgap bill to buy themselves more time. Johnson has vowed, however, not to pass any more short-term measures this fiscal year. Murray on Tuesday did not rule out the possibility of needing more time to pass the funding bills, saying she was working with the House to determine the allocations for each of the 12 spending bills. Some Republican senators said on Tuesday more time would almost certainly be necessary, pointing to March as a possible new deadline.”

Axiom Space Flight Readiness Review Complete, Ax-3 Proceeds to Next Mission Milestone. AxiomSpace.com blog post. Pull quote: “A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 17 at 5:11 p.m. ET. The crew will dock to the space station at approximately 5:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 19. Once docked, the Ax-3 astronauts plan to spend 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and outreach engagements.”