Short Takes – 5-16-25 AM

How US research cuts are threatening crucial climate data. TechnologyReview.com commentary. Pull quote: “My colleague James Temple has a new story out today about researchers who are attempting to measure the temperature of mountain snowpack across the western US. Snow that melts in the spring is a major water source across the region, and monitoring the temperature far below the top layer of snow could help scientists more accurately predict how fast water will flow down the mountains, allowing farmers, businesses, and residents to plan accordingly.”

The GRANADA Incident. LinkedIn.com article. Pull quote: “From a cyber perspective, it's particularly interesting to consider Granada as the potential trigger for the cascade of failures. The power mix and total power production in the region make it entirely feasible for such an event to be replicated through cyber means, and I repeat, entirely feasible. However, I'm not suggesting this is what happened, but it’s crucial that we examine the final reports carefully.”

Accelerating investment in the final frontier: leveraging administrative approvals to bolster commercial space development. SpaceNews.com commentary. Pull quote: “China has demonstrated great prowess and progress, particularly relative to lunar operations. They are one of the few current world powers that missed the last global era of expansion, and China will not miss such an opportunity again. With budget limitations here in the U.S., China is on a trajectory to potentially outspend America in space. Therefore, to prevent Chinese dominance, we must out-entrepreneur them. Our journey is to the moon and Mars, but by leveraging administrative approvals to coordinate and incentivize commercial space development, we can ensure that humanity’s destination in the final frontier is peace and prosperity.”

Walmart Plans to Raise Prices Because of Tariffs. WSJ.com article (free). Pull quote: “Walmart is already raising some prices as its suppliers pass through higher costs. For example, tariffs drove up the price of bananas, one of the most frequently purchased items at Walmart, to 54 cents a pound, up from 50 cents, he said.”

Kelly Murray Retires From CISA After 17 Years of Supporting Government. HSToday.us article. Pull quote: “Murray most recently served as the Associate Director for Chemical Security at CISA, a role in which she led the federal effort to reduce the risk of terrorists weaponizing dangerous chemicals. Her leadership was integral in the development and implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), a program created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to secure facilities that store high-risk chemicals.”

Virgin Galactic says production of new spaceplanes on track. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “The volume of missions that could leverage this capability is increasing,” Colglazier said, noting the company has met with Defense Department officials and representatives of aerospace and defense companies about such uses of the plane. “We’ve been encouraged by initial feedback,” which he said included “multiple opportunities” linked to the new Golden Dome missile-defense imitative.