Alexei Pace

Guideline document on light pollution launched today by @farrugiaaaron, based on what science is showing us, with my humble input after many years studying this subject, campaigning and hearing different views on the matter. Send in your comments! era.gov.mt/en/Documents/G…

@usembmalta @NASA timesofmalta.com/article/malta-…

We were thrilled to welcome back Gregory Mann, @NASA's Europe Representative, to Malta. During his visit, Mr. Mann delivered a fascinating presentation to friends and colleagues at the U.S. Embassy and inspired around 400 students in Gozo through outreach initiatives organized by Xjenza Malta, sharing insights on human spaceflight and the wonders of space science. Educational engagements like these inspire the next generation of innovators, scientists, and explorers while strengthening U.S.-Malta cooperation in science and technology. Under President Trump’s leadership, NASA is extending American leadership in space and unlocking discoveries that will benefit humanity for decades to come.

@USAmbMalta timesofmalta.com/article/malta-…

Honored to host officials from Xjenza Malta, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, and the Armed Forces of Malta, alongside scientists and engineers from the University of Malta, private sector innovators, and space enthusiasts at America’s beautiful Residence to celebrate Malta's historic signing of the Artemis Accords on May 4, when Malta became the 65th signatory. Launched in 2020 by President Trump and seven other founding partners, Malta's commitment to peaceful space exploration strengthens our shared vision for international cooperation. Congratulations 65 in the year of America’s 250! #Freedom250

@trash_italiano Neanche un punto a Malta

I risultati del televoto italiano. #EscIta

@Archdiocese_MT @BishopScicluna Get well soon and ad multos annos!

@BishopScicluna has undergone surgery and is recovering well. Following rehabilitation, he will reduce public engagements in the coming weeks on medical advice. He thanks everyone for their prayers and well wishes, and asks that his privacy be respected during this time.

Malta and the #ArtemisAccords, by Alexei Pace in @TheTimesofMalta timesofmalta.com/article/malta-… #Lunapolitics 🇲🇹

@PoliticsLuna @TheTimesofMalta Thank you for sharing.

@Antisimplistic You will definitely consume more tokens..

outstanding article I still love md for writing but for reading… html

@NASAAdmin Read my article here about Malta and the Artemis Accords! canopus123.wordpress.com/2026/05/05/mal…

Congratulations, Malta. Welcome to the Artemis Accords as we build toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

@NASAAdmin Today Malta signed the Artemis Accords!

May the Fourth Be With You

A slender crescent Moon cradled the Pleiades star cluster last night while the rest of the Moon's face glowed faintly with earthshine, sunlight reflected from Earth softly illuminating the night side of the Moon.

@johnseach x.com/i/status/20448…

@apac Benchmarks look good. I am trying it but session ended after one prompt, so I have to wait another 3 hours to continue.

Claude Opus 4.7 released.

Imperdible mensaje de Chistina Koch tras su vuelta del espacio. Oratoria 10/10. Contenido 10/10. Emoción 10/10. Gente que sí ♥️

@BarackObama @NASAArtemis @LockheedMartin @LMSpace

@BarackObama @NASAArtemis Well done also to Lockheed Martin

What the Artemis II astronauts did over the last 10 days was a testament to their bravery. And the fact that they traveled farther from Earth than anyone ever has, re-entered our atmosphere at more than 24,000 mph, and splashed down safely was a testament to human ingenuity. Thanks to everyone at @NASA for making this mission possible, and for taking us along for the ride.

@RoryTheSpaceGuy @Blobifie What about the condition of the heat shield

@Blobifie Oh whoops

Bro its been more than 12 hours since Orion landed and we still havent gotten any word on Integrity's recovery.

@Marco_Langbroek It was a textbook re-entry!

Okay, calling it a day here. It is 2:30 am local time here and I have to be up again at 7 am to go rowing... Houston, Over and Out!

@grok @christoph_roh @Jaytheamazing_ That's not true, they are not recovered and reused

Actually, the SLS solid rocket boosters on Artemis II *do* use parachutes. After separation (what the footage shows), they deploy a series of chutes to slow down, splash down in the Atlantic, and get recovered by ships. The motors are then refurbished for reuse on future flights. Propulsive landing works for liquid-fueled boosters like Falcon 9, but solids can't throttle or restart easily—that's why parachutes are the simpler, proven method here.

I cannot get over this booster sep footage from Artemis II

@johnseach They are attempting to shoot a deep sky image today and have asked to have all lights switched off.

🚨Artemis II performed a lunar flyby, not an orbit around the Moon. It is a crewed 10-day mission (launched April 1, 2026) that followed a free-return trajectory (similar to Apollo 13). The Orion spacecraft (named Integrity) flew past the Moon’s far side at a closest approach of about 4,067 miles (6,545 km) from the lunar surface on April 6, 2026. The Moon’s gravity naturally bent the path back toward Earth without any lunar orbit insertion burn. This differs from Artemis I (which entered a distant retrograde orbit) and from future missions like Artemis IV (which plans to orbit and land). The flyby design was chosen partly due to the capabilities of the Orion service module and to test deep-space operations safely on a free-return path. During the ~6–7 hour flyby, the crew: Broke the Apollo 13 distance record (reaching ~252,760 miles from Earth). Observed the lunar far side. Experienced a brief communications blackout while behind the Moon. ⚠️In short: flyby only—no lunar orbit.

@Blobifie Apollo 13 not 8

Orion has now passed behind the moon and out of earths sight meaning there is now no communications with the spacecraft. NASA is expected to regain signal with Orion in ~40m.