Hanh 💫

NASA mission costs are hard to grasp, so I built a tool that compares NASA project costs to familiar things, like the cost of infrastructure projects and other items. Check it out here: hanhnl.shinyapps.io/nasa-cost-comp…

Good morning, world! 🌎 We have spectacular new high-resolution images of our home planet, all of us looking back through the Orion capsule window at our Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon.

We see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere. That's us, together, watching as our astronauts make their journey to the Moon.

It’s not a straight shot to the far side of the Moon! 🌕 Over approximately 10 days, the Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth twice before looping around the far side of the Moon in a figure eight and returning home.

Liftoff. The Artemis II mission launched from @NASAKennedy at 6:35pm ET (2235 UTC), propelling four astronauts on a journey around the Moon. Artemis II will pave the way for future Moon landings, as well as the next giant leap — astronauts on Mars.

Can you see our Moon rocket lift off from your backyard? Skywatchers in Florida and southern Georgia will have a shot. Check out this map to see when you should look up! Artemis II is targeted to launch no earlier than April 1.

I was talking to someone yesterday who said, when asked, she knew nothing about it and didn't care. But when I said Krispy Kreme was making special donuts to celebrate, her ears perked up and she starting asking questions. Perhaps we need to focus on meeting people where they are

You get the best of both worlds with Webb and Roman! Roman will give us a big picture view of cosmic ecosystems and pinpoint rare objects. @NASAWebb can use its narrower view but more powerful vision to follow up on those objects for even more detailed observations.

To return Americans to the Moon, NASA is shifting to an iterative, execution-focused approach – just as we did during Apollo.  We are standardizing rocket architecture, embedding NASA expertise across industry, and increasing launch cadence to support sustained lunar operations.   We are sending a demand signal for crewed missions beyond Artemis V, with at least two providers capable of bringing astronauts to the surface every 6 months.  The goal is not just to reach the Moon, but to stay.  America will never give up the Moon again.

Cherry blossoms on 35mm 🎞️

Just saw a Ryan Gosling interview where he says he liked the story of Project Hail Mary because it has the message that the future isn't something to be feared, it's something to be figured out. And that's a message he wants his kids to hear. Awesome.

@BarredinDC Although the landscaping is nice and they have some iconic sculptures/outdoor art; the place is ultimately for tax evasion

Glenstone Museum somewhere in middle of fancy fuck-nowhere Potomac/Gaithersburg is a pretty insanely cool experience (tho going in February gave me season 2 Severance vibes). Like 90 min-2 hour roundtrip to get there. Owned by billionaires, mostly contemporary American art

In @SpaceNews_Inc, our Deputy Director of Analytics, Fletcher Franklin, shared that non-venture investment in space startups climbed about 22 percent year over year to nearly $10 billion in 2025, reaching a post-SPAC high. A clear signal of industry maturation and expanding pathways to scale. spacenews.com/non-venture-sp…

Neat article that summarizes challenges re: orbital data centers: launch+manufacturing costs, uncertain use-cases, and technical+environmental constraints. I like the optimism in the space industry + daring to do difficult things, which makes thinking thru conops v important

@Space_Station @NASAArtemis On that note: If the @Space_Station touched down on the #SBLX football field tonight, you’d see they’re very nearly the same size! The orbiting lab is 357 feet end-to-end – almost the same size as a football field, including both end zones.

Did you know... ...that the @NASAArtemis II Moon rocket is 322 feet tall? That’s just a few yards shy of the length of a football field. Bet you thought we were going to say something else about #SBLX. 😉

You're invited! ✉️ Join our Flight Opportunities Program at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as we explore flying externally mounted payloads on suborbital rockets. Hear about testing opportunities provided by exterior mounting, how to prepare payloads for these conditions, and lessons learned from researchers: go.nasa.gov/3M44RkS

I think it is about time we stop conflating Earth observation, geospatial and remote sensing. We use them so interchangeably that I believe we are probably forgetting the real value of each domain. Simply put: Earth observation is the practice - systematic monitoring of the Earth system over time → Value: long-term continuity and global coverage. Remote sensing is the science - the physics of extracting information from those observations → Value: physical interpretation and scientific rigor. Geospatial is the discipline - organising, integrating, and visualising location-based information → Value: spatial context and interoperability. Next time you say "geospatial", ask yourself which one you actually mean.

TIME’s new cover: Artemis II is poised for the first lunar mission since 1972 time.com/7346146/artemi…

There is nothing left on my to-do list. I’m ready to go.

I fly my own aircraft, cover all my own expenses, and donate my salary to Space Camp. To the limits of the law, I will never have taxpayers incur a dollar of expense for me to serve as Administrator at NASA. This includes donating the use of my aircraft for workforce incentive flights and inspiration.