Short Takes – 3-13-25

UPCOMING LAUNCH CREW-10 MISSION. SpaceX.com article. Pull quote: “SpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Friday, March 14 for Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s 10th operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-10) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for 7:03 p.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Saturday, March 15 at 6:41 p.m. ET.”

‘People Are Scared’: Inside CISA as It Reels From Trump’s Purge. Wired.com article. Pull quote: “The return-to-office mandate has also caused problems. With all employees on-site, there isn’t enough room in CISA’s offices for the contractors who support the agency’s staff. That has made it “very difficult” to collaborate on projects and hold technical discussions, according to the first employee. “There wasn’t much thought about [RTO’s] impact to operations,” says the fourth employee. According to a fifth employee, “executing some of our sensitive operations is now harder.” (“CISA has worked tirelessly to make the return to office as smooth as possible from space to technology,” McLaughlin says.)” I have heard complaints about this as well.

The expansion of renewable generation spurs investment, innovation in long-duration energy storage. Power-Eng.com article. Pull quote: “For example, liquid air warms so you have to be using it regularly to make it pay. Otherwise, you expend a lot of energy in re-cooling it. Similarly, the volume of energy available over what time period can favor options like CAES. As a rule of thumb, most battery technologies provide up to four hours of storage, mechanical solutions provide ten to 36 hours, thermal and electrochemical up to 160 hours, and chemical can provide the longest durations in the form of hydrogen, ammonia and LNG.” Interesting look at energy storage strategies.

Is our universe trapped inside a black hole? Space.com article. Pull quote: “"I think that the simplest explanation of the rotating universe is the universe was born in a rotating black hole. Spacetime torsion provides the most natural mechanism that avoids a singularity in a black hole and instead creates a new, closed universe," Poplawski continued. "A preferred axis in our universe, inherited by the axis of rotation of its parent black hole, might have influenced the rotation dynamics of galaxies, creating the observed clockwise-counterclockwise asymmetry.”

Trade groups worry information sharing will worsen without critical infrastructure panel, CISA law renewal. CyberScoop.com article. Pull quote: “Industry witnesses said another risk to information sharing is the potential expiration of the 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, commonly referred to as 2015 CISA, which is due to sunset at the end of September. That law provides more extensive legal protections for confidential information sharing between industry and government, and between businesses.”

Volcano near Anchorage, Alaska, could erupt in coming weeks, scientists say. CBSNews.com article. Pull quote: “Closing airports can be more than an inconvenience in a state where most communities aren't connected to Alaska's main road system. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport also is among the world's busiest cargo hubs.”

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT: SPURR. AVO.Alaska.edu article. Pull quote: “While we expect additional changes to monitoring data prior to an eruption, it is also possible that an eruption could occur with little or no additional warning. This would be extremely hazardous for recreators on Mount Spurr or near its drainages as well as those overflying the volcano. In addition, CO2 and SO2 emissions are currently elevated and may pose a hazard to anyone in low-lying areas around or downwind of the gas vents, such as within the craters atop Crater Peak and Spurr summit. CO2 is a colorless and odorless gas and hazardous areas of high CO2 cannot be detected by sight or smell.”

Certain Existing Chemicals; Request To Submit Unpublished Health and Safety Data Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Extension of Submission Deadline. Federal Register EPA comment extension. Summary: “In response to requests from stakeholders, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is amending the deadline for reporting pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Health and Safety Data Reporting rule, which requires manufacturers (including importers) of 16 specified chemical substances to report certain lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies to EPA. Specifically, EPA is amending the deadline from March 13, 2025, to June 11, 2025, for one of the 16 chemical substances (vinyl chloride) and to September 9, 2025, for the remaining 15 chemical substances. The Health and Safety Data Reporting Rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances to submit lists and copies of certain unpublished health and safety studies to EPA.”

Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP); Draft Risk Evaluation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Notice of Availability and Request for Comment; Reopening of Comment Period. Federal Register EPA comment extension. Summary: “In the Federal Register of January 7, 2025, EPA announced the availability of and solicited public comment on a draft risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) (1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, 1,2-dicyclohexyl ester) (CASRN 84-61-7). This document reopens the comment period, which is scheduled to end on March 10, 2025, for 60 days.”

Notice of Termination of Discretionary Federal Advisory Committees. Federal Register DHS termination notice. Summary: “In accordance with Executive Order 14217, Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that the termination of the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, Tribal Homeland Security Advisory Council, Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board, Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program, Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, Cyber Investigations Advisory Board, Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, and Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee is in the best interest of the Department of Homeland Security. This determination follows consultation with the DHS Committee Management Officer, and the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration, as required”