Trump's NASA budget proposal would cancel dozens of science missions, lay off thousands while China is increasing military funding of their own space program.

[Tom Jigme Wheat]

Creationists and Corporatists plan to cancel democratic space exploration in favor of a Corporatist Space program?
Trump's NASA budget proposal would cancel dozens of science missions, lay off thousands while China is increasing military funding of their own space program.

The Proposed Budget plan would cut NASA's Budget by 24% and layoff a third of all employees and cancel most space exploration missions except for going back to the moon. His plan would cancel building an orbiting lunar space station and would cancel the Mars sample return mission. Trump appears to be ideologically predisposed to allow for the complete commercialization of space exploration without regard for the ethics or implementation of the plan at the expense of NASA role as the original progenitor of Space Exploration
https://spacenews.com/nasa-budget-would-cancel-dozens-of-science-missions-lay-off-thousands/

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/trumps-2026-budget-would-slash-nasa-funding-by-24-percent-and-its-workforce-by-nearly-one-third

[Tom Jigme Wheat]

Project Mars A Technical Tale Dr. Wernher von Braun

#Trump appears to be ideologically predisposed to allow for the complete commercialization of space exploration without regard for the ethics or implementation of the plan at the expense of #NASA role as the original progenitor of Space Exploration

some of my physics research: https://home.cern/news/press-release/cern/first-atoms-antimatter-produced-cern

First atoms of antimatter produced at CERN
Antimatter can be produced along with plutonium with the Particle accelerators at the Hadron Collider in Geneva Switzerland

A newly discovered belt of antimatter circling Earth could be an astronaut's best friend. The belt, which consists of antiprotons trapped by Earth's magnetic field several hundred kilometers above the planet's surface, may ultimately become a key source of fuel for missions venturing beyond the solar system. https://www.science.org/content/article/antimatter-belt-found-circling-earth

Antimatter Belt Found Circling Earth

The idea resonates at a time when the worldwide output of antimatter is measured in nanograms per year, and the overall cost pegged at something like $100 trillion per gram. Find natural antimatter sources in space and you can think about collecting the ten micrograms that might power a 100-ton payload for a one-year round trip mission to Jupiter https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2011/08/10/antimatter-source-near-the-earth/

Antimatter Source Near the Earth | Centauri Dreams

Antimatter in space is an idea that James Bickford (Draper Laboratory) analyzed in a Phase II study for NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts, for he had realized that high-energy galactic cosmic rays interacting with the interstellar medium (and also with the upper atmospheres of planets in the Solar System) produce antimatter. In fact, Bickford’s calculations showed that about a kilogram of antiprotons enter the Solar System every second, though little of this reaches the Earth. To harvest some of this incoming antimatter, you need a planet with a strong magnetic field, so Jupiter is a natural bet for Baxter’s scientists, who go there to forage. https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2012/05/17/powering-up-the-antimatter-engine/

Antimatter: Finding the Fuel | Centauri Dreams

Earth's Van Allen Belt as the closest source to harvest antimatter: "The team identified 28 antiprotons with kinetic energies between 60 million and 750 million electron volts. That number is far higher than scientists would expect to see shooting toward Earth from distant reaches of the galaxy. The antiparticles appear to form a thin belt around Earth, gyrating around Earth's magnetic field lines and bouncing back and forth between the planet's north and south magnetic poles, the team notes. The belt, which extends from a few hundred to about 2000 kilometers above Earth, "constitutes the most abundant source of antiprotons (antimatter) in Earth's vicinity," Bruno says."https://www.science.org/content/article/antimatter-belt-found-circling-earth

Antimatter Belt Found Circling Earth

we can travel theoretically 90 percent the speed of light with a rocket powered by antimatter fuel. The speed of light is 186000 miles per second, or 300000 kilometers per second. The speed of light in miles per hour is approximately 670,616,629 miles per hour. This is a universal physical constant, denoted by the letter "c". Light travels at this speed in a vacuum, which is considered the speed limit of the universe, according to the theory of special relativity. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-antimatter-could-work-for-interstellar-travel

How antimatter engines could fly humans to other stars in just a few years

it's theoretically possible to harvest antimatter from the sun's solar flares. Solar flares, which are high-energy bursts of energy, are known to emit positrons and antiprotons, both forms of antimatter. A specialized spacecraft equipped with advanced containment technology and AI-driven navigation could be deployed to collect these particles https://web.archive.org/web/20160321071213/https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/rhessi_antimatter.html

NASA - Antimatter Factory on Sun Yields Clues to Solar Explosions
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Antimatter annihilates normal matter in a burst of energy, inspiring science fiction writers to use it as a supremely powerful source to propel starships. Current technology only creates minute quantities, usually in miles-long machines employed to smash atoms together, but scientists discovered the July 2002 flare created a half-kilo (about one pound) of antimatter, enough to power the entire United States for two days. According to the RHESSI images and data, this antimatter was not destroyed where expected. https://web.archive.org/web/20160321071213/https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/rhessi_antimatter.html

NASA - Antimatter Factory on Sun Yields Clues to Solar Explosions

Cost-Effective Antimatter Collection via Solar Flare Harvesting: A Comprehensive Technological Proposal https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5152504

by Karthikeya Gummadi :: SSRN

NASA launched a probe to the sun in October of 2024 to study the sun but did not harvest any antimatter NASA's Parker Solar Probe safe after historic closest-ever approach to sun https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-parker-solar-probe-closest-ever-approach-sun/

NASA's Parker Solar Probe safe after historic closest-ever approach to sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkaLfbuB_6E

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun For The First Time

NASA has also found evidence of ocean worlds encased under ice in the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Last year in 2024 NASA launched the Europa Clipper probe to study the Jupiter's moon, Europa which is an ocean world like Jupiter's other moon Ganymede which has a magnetic field which shields the moon from the radiation produced by Jupiter. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/

Europa Clipper - NASA Science

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/mission-overview/

Europa Clipper Mission Overview

current NASA probes are powered by Ion Propulsion https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ionpropfact_sheet_ps-01628.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov

Ion propulsion systems can reach very high speeds, although they require continuous operation over extended periods to achieve these speeds. While they can theoretically reach speeds exceeding 200,000 mph (320,000 km/h), the actual speeds achievable depend on factors like the spacecraft's mass, propellant mass, and the specific engine's performance. Ion engines are not suitable for launching spacecraft from Earth due to their low thrust but are excellent for long-duration missions requiring high velocity changes https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/nmp/ds1/tech/ionpropfaq.html

Deep Space 1: Advanced Technologies: Solar Electric Propulsion FAQ
Unlike a traditional chemical rocket, where its thrust is limited by how much fuel it can carry and burn, the thrust generated by an ion drive is only limited by the strength of its electrical source. The amount of propellant a craft can carry, in this case xenon, is a secondary concern. NASA's Dawn spacecraft used only 10 ounces of xenon propellant—that's less than a soda can—for 27 hours of operation. https://phys.org/news/2015-11-ion-propulsionthe-key-deep-space.html

Ion propulsion—the key to deep space exploration
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26435-europa-clippers-trajectory-to-jupiter/

Europa Clipper's Trajectory to Jupiter

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/nasas-europa-clipper-uses-mars-to-go-the-distance/

NASA’s Europa Clipper Uses Mars to Go the Distance - NASA
Europa Clipper launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 14, 2024, via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, embarking on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.9-billion-kilometer) trip to Jupiter, which is five times farther from the Sun than Earth is. Without the assists from Mars in 2025 and from Earth in 2026, the 12,750-pound (6,000-kilogram) spacecraft would require additional propellant, which adds weight and cost, or it would take much longer to get to Jupiter. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-europa-clipper-uses-mars-to-go-the-distance/

NASA’s Europa Clipper Uses Mars to Go the Distance

The Europa Clipper probe travels at roughly 22.5 kilometers per second (14 miles per second) as it leaves Mars. This speed is influenced by gravity assists, particularly from Mars and Earth, which help to adjust its trajectory and speed. While the probe's speed changes throughout its journey to Jupiter, 22.5 km/s is a key point during its initial Mars flyby

NASA discovered that Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, has its own magnetic field, making it the only moon in the solar system known to possess one. This magnetic field is caused by a molten iron core within Ganymede and results in auroras at its poles. These auroras are similar to those found on Earth and other planets with magnetic fields, but Ganymede's magnetic field is also affected by Jupiter's massive magnetic field, causing the auroras to "rock" back and forth. This magnetic field shields the moon from Jupiter's radiation. https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupiter-moons/ganymede

Ganymede
NASA's Juno mission has a planned flyby of Ganymede. Juno made a close approach to Ganymede on June 7, 2021, at a minimum altitude of 650 miles (1,046 kilometers). During this flyby, Juno's JIRAM instrument acquired infrared images and spectra of the moon's surface. https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupiter-moons/ganymede

Ganymede

NASA had a plan to send a probe to Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons but that project has been called into question with the budget cuts. Enceladus is a moon with a large ocean encased in ice as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_Orbilander

Enceladus Orbilander - Wikipedia
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJoRt9j-hrc#:~:text=NASA's%20redesigned%20Orbilander%20mission%2C%20set%20to%20launch,ejected%20material%20for%20evidence%20of%20alien%20life.

NASA’s Orbilander Mission to Explore Enceladus for Signs of Alien Life | WION Podcast

https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/research-and-engineering/nuclear-thermal-propulsion-systems/

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems | Glenn Research Center | NASA
Nuclear Thermal Electric Propulsion (NTEP) is a type of spacecraft propulsion system that uses a nuclear reactor to generate heat, which is then converted into electricity to power electric thrusters. This system combines the high efficiency of nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) with the high thrust of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP)
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Both of the Voyager probes which were launched in the 1970's used thermal electric generators to power their probes. They have now exited the solar system. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-will-do-more-science-with-new-power-strategy/

NASA’s Voyager Will Do More Science With New Power Strategy

Each of NASA's Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), including the one shown here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RTGs provide power for the spacecraft by converting the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity

The Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface, is currently scheduled for mid-2027, according to NASA and the crewed Artemis II mission is expected to launch in early 2026 This is the only space exploration program not on the chopping block at NASA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program

Artemis program - Wikipedia

Elon Musk has a contract with NASA to supply the lander craft that is supposed to land on the moon. As I mentioned earlier the Orbital Space station for the moon was canceled. The moon is also rich in Helium 3 reserves which are critical for nuclear fusion reactors. Furthermore the new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman had his nomination, stupidly pulled by the Trump administration so currently NASA has no Director administrator. https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/trump-pulls-pick-for-nasa-administrator-citing-review-of-prior-associations-240708165567

Trump pulls pick for NASA administrator, citing 'review of prior associations'

Musk intends to use the same 'outdated' technology to get us to Mars. NASA and SpaceX have stated goals for sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, with NASA aiming for a roundtrip mission in the early 2030s and SpaceX potentially sending humans by the end of the decade. NASA (.gov) is developing technology to send humans to Mars by 2035, while SpaceX is planning for uncrewed missions in 2026 and potentially crewed missions in the late 2020s.
NASA's budget for the Mars sample return program was also canceled. This was supposed to bring back Martian rocks from the Jezero Crater were its believed a large lake once existed. There is methane ice at the north and south poles. NASA had the capabilities to do the mission but Trump prioritizes the commercialization of space travel possibly leading to a future dystopian corporate government on Mars run by Elon Musk. https://www.spacex.com/humanspaceflight/mars/

SpaceX
so if you have to pay for rationed oxygen on mars do really have freedom? That's the real question for future colonists.

This concludes my briefing for the day. https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/05/13/lunar-harvester-plans-to-tap-into-the-moons-helium-3-reserves-to-accelerate-quantum-computing/

Lunar Harvester plans to tap into the Moon’s Helium-3 Reserves to accelerate Quantum Computing - Yanko Design

[Tom Jigme Wheat]

Elon Musk's perspective on the Moon and Future Mars Missions

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-mars-moon-artemis-nasa

[Tom Jigme Wheat]

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427361-000-dark-power-grand-designs-for-interstellar-travel/

Dark power: Grand designs for interstellar travel

By Marcus Chown

physicist Jia Liu at New York University outlined his design for a spacecraft powered by dark matter (arxiv.org/abs/0908.1429v1). Soon afterwards, mathematicians Louis Crane and Shawn Westmoreland at Kansas State University in Manhattan proposed plans for a craft powered by an artificial black hole (arxiv.org/abs/0908.1803).

Liu was inspired by an audacious spacecraft proposed by the American physicist Robert Bussard in 1960. Bussard’s “ramjet” design used magnetic fields generated by the craft to scoop up the tenuous gas of interstellar space. Instead of using conventional rockets, the craft would be propelled by forcing the hydrogen gas it collected to undergo nuclear fusion and ejecting the energetic by-products to provide thrust.

Because dark matter is so abundant throughout the universe, Liu envisages a rocket that need not carry its own fuel. This immediately overcomes one of the drawbacks of many other proposed starships, whose huge fuel supply greatly adds to their weight and hampers their ability to accelerate. “A dark matter rocket would pick up its fuel en route,” says Liu.

His plan is to drive the rocket using the energy released when dark matter particles annihilate each other. Here’s where Liu’s idea depends on more speculative physics. No one knows what dark matter is actually made of, though there are numerous theories of the subatomic world that contain potential dark matter candidates. One of the frontrunners posits that dark matter is made of neutralinos, particles which have no electric charge. Neutralinos are curious in that they are their own antiparticles: two neutralinos colliding under the right circumstances will annihilate each other.

If dark matter particles do annihilate in this way, they will convert all their mass into energy. A kilogram of the stuff will give out about 1017 joules, more than 10 billion times as much energy as a kilogram of dynamite, and plenty to propel the rocket forwards.

Liu points out that the faster his dark matter rocket travels, the quicker it will scoop up dark matter and accelerate. Precisely how quickly it can accelerate depends on the density of the surrounding dark matter, the collecting area of the engine and the mass of the rocket. In his calculations, Liu assumes the starship weighs a mere 100 tonnes and has a collecting area of 100 square metres. “Such a rocket might be able to reach close to the speed of light within a few days,” he says. So the journey time to Proxima Centauri would be slashed from tens of thousands of years to just a few.

There is just one small problem, however. To work most efficiently, Liu’s rocket would have to fly through dense regions of dark matter. As far as we know, the greatest concentration of dark matter is 26,000 light years away at the centre of the Milky Way. Still, Liu points out that no one has made a detailed map of the dark matter in our galaxy and he hopes that nearer concentrations will be found.

To get to the stars, you need to squeeze every last joule of energy from your fuel. Chemical rockets are terribly inefficient, converting just 10-8 per cent of their mass into energy. Even fusion converts less than 1 per cent of nuclear fuel into energy. An antimatter rocket would be the gold standard. “Granted you can extract 100 per cent of the energy from matter-antimatter annihilation,” says Crane. “However, antimatter is hugely inefficient to make in the first place, and it is dangerous stuff – if it touches your spacecraft, it blows it to kingdom come.”

Crane is convinced that the only option is in fact Hawking radiation. In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes are not completely black: they can “evaporate”, when all of their mass converts into a ferocious sleet of subatomic particles. It is this radiation that Crane believes could be used to propel a starship across the galaxy.

Very small black holes emit far more Hawking radiation than large, stellar-mass holes, according to the equations describing black holes. Crane has calculated that a black hole weighing about 1 million tonnes would make a perfect energy source: it is small enough to generate enough Hawking radiation to power the starship, yet large enough to survive without radiating away all its mass during a typical interstellar journey about 100 years long.

To create a black hole, says Crane, you need to concentrate a tremendous amount of energy into a tiny volume. He envisages a giant gamma ray laser “charged up” by solar energy. The energy would be collected by solar panels 250 kilometres across, orbiting just a few million kilometres away from the sun and soaking up sunlight for about a year. “It would be a huge, industrial effort,” Crane admits.

The resulting million-tonne black hole would be about the size of an atomic nucleus. The next step would be to manoeuvre it into the focal range of a parabolic mirror attached to the back of the crew quarters of a starship. Hawking radiation consists of all sorts of species of subatomic particles, but the most common will be gamma ray photons. Collimated into a parallel beam by the parabolic mirror, these would be the starship’s exhaust and would push it forward.

According to Crane, his million-tonne black hole starship could accelerate to close to the speed of light in a few decades. If that’s too slow for you, there is a way to speed things up. A smaller black hole would give off more Hawking radiation, so it could propel you faster as long as you take along extra matter to feed it. Once you were travelling at this speed in your starship, time would slow down for you so you would age more slowly than your friends and family on Earth. “It might be possible to reach the Andromeda galaxy 2.5 million light years away within a human lifetime,” says Crane.

[Tom Jigme Wheat]

Project Mars A Technical Tale Dr. Wernher von Braun

https://www.amazon.com/Project-Mars-Technical-Wernher-Braun/dp/4871877248/