Thursday, January 16, 2025

Short Takes – 1-16-25

Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket to orbit for the first time, marking a milestone for Jeff Bezos. GeekWire.com article. Pull quote: “NG-1’s primary payload was Blue Ring Pathfinder, which was designed to demonstrate the technologies that Blue Origin is incorporating in its Blue Ring vehicle. The development effort is supported by a Defense Innovation Unit program aimed at facilitating greater in-space mobility for the Pentagon. NG-1 will also serve as Blue Origin’s first certification flight for the National Security Space Launch program.”

Vought nomination signals bruising spending wars under Trump. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “He said whether Trump decides to claim impoundment authority to block congressional funding on certain priorities is “something his team would have to consider when they are confirmed in [their] roles.””

Speaker Johnson removes Mike Turner as Intelligence Committee chair. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Turner has also been a strong Republican supporter of aid to Ukraine, and supported an extension of surveillance powers known Section 702 in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — both of which have drawn the ire of Trump-allied, America First conservatives.”

Two lunar landers are on the way to the Moon after SpaceX’s double moonshot. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: "That market, right now, is very nascent. It's very, very immature. And one of the reasons for that is that it's very difficult for companies that are contemplating making investments on equipment, experiments, etc., to put on the lunar surface and lunar orbit," Garan said. "It's very difficult to make those investments, especially if they're long-term investments, because there really hasn't been a proof of concept yet."

Amid H5N1, CDC Wants Faster Influenza A Subtyping for Hospitalized Cases. MedPageToday.com article. Pull quote: “The agency also released a Health Alert Network (HAN) health advisoryopens in a new tab or window, recommending that clinicians take an exposure history from hospitalized patients with suspected or confirmed flu, including potential exposures to wild and domestic animals -- including pets like cats -- and animal products such as poultry, dairy products, raw cow milk, raw cow milk products, and raw meat-based pet foods.” This is the first time I have seen ‘raw meat-based pet foods’ as a potential source of bird flu infection.

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