Air and Space: NASA’s Most Important Mission, Long Delayed, Is Finally on Track

By Tony Reichhardt

    Most people believe that the probability of a truly dangerous asteroid hitting Earth is very small - and for a good reason. Over the past few decades, ground telescopes have identified over 95 percent of the asteroids in our atmosphere that are over a kilometer wide, and none of them are on course to hit Earth. Next year, a new spacecraft called DART will do a test drive to see if it can change an asteroid's course, should one be headed in our direction. However, this doesn't mean that we can rest easy.

    There are an estimated 25,000 smaller objects in orbit that are around 140 meters or larger. These could strike with enough impact to wipe out southern California. An asteroid half that size landed in Arizona 50,000 years ago and left the famous crater. In 2005, NASA was ordered to find at least 90% of objects this size, and the deadline was supposed to be 2020. But the project currently sits at just 40% finished and estimates show that it will take another 30 years to complete if it continues at this pace.

    One reason is that people don't seem to care about a threat so rare. Another is that NASA is having trouble figuring out which department should complete the task. While scientific asteroid missions have gotten plenty of funding, it's been harder to get the same for the so-called "planetary defense". A 2014 project was turned down by NASA. Fortunately, another project by the acronym NEO surveyor spacecraft has gotten funding and is on track for launch in 2026. Its infrared cameras should complete the project in the next ten years and pick up plenty of other small objects along the way.

Time: Feds Are Fed-Up with Trump-Era Meddling

By Philip Elliot

    Federal workers are often scapegoated by political leaders and pressured to meet their whims. It was already hard for the most spotlighted agencies, but their problems seem to have been only exacerbated by Trump's presidency.

    A recent poll on how federal employees felt about their jobs revealed a correlation - the less Trump knew about your job, the happier you were. Unsurprisingly, top-level cabinet departments like Homeland Security, Justice, and State, all had below-average happiness rankings. Even smaller agencies, like those that manage U.S. PR abroad and carry out budget management, ranked lower because of their frequent contact with the White House and its whims.

    This is important because unhappy agencies produce lower-quality work, resulting in more unnecessary spending and more people leaving their jobs.

Time: Post-White House Donald Trump Continues to Destroy Norms

By Philip Elliot

    Once a president leaves office, most generally settle down and stay out of politics. For example, no matter how far Obama stretched the truth during his administration, President Bush's office refused to comment on his successor. Often, former presidents even help out with current ones, knowing how hard the job is. Of course, that isn't to say they live like hermits - they do help family members run for office or support certain policies. But President Trump, like everything else he does, deviates from the norm.

    He recently held a rally in Cleveland where he perpetuated his lies about Biden stealing the Presidency, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and the January 6th insurrection, and also railed against a Republican Ohio Representative who dared vote against him in the second impeachment.

    Now, Trump obviously no longer has the influence he did as a president. But polls show that the majority of Republicans still believe his lies, and there's no reason to think his behavior will change any time soon.

GHLC at JHU: Mr. Brigg Reilley

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Mr. Brigg Rielley presents on Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders:

Help people in troubled areas

Key rules:

1. Be neutral (especially in warzones)

2. Impartiality - see everyone who needs treatment (even if they are combatants)

3. Independence - act without government help to prevent government interference

MSF active in 72 countries

Responding to:

1. Armed conflict

    Cooperate with the person in charge - prevent conflict

    Have multiple vehicles

    Local drivers

2. Environmental disasters

    Be there early

    It disrupts existing efforts

3. Exclusion from healthcare

    Helping people who can't get help

4. Forced displacement

    Gangs

    Violence

    Things like people on US border

    Prevent trauma

5. Epidemics

    Vaccination

    Treatment

How MSF responds

1. Primary clinics

2. Mobile clinics - motorcycles, boats

    You are out all day, and it takes a while to get back - that means you treat as many as possible, even if there is untreatable, dangerously ill person

3. Hospital support

4. Surgery

5. Vaccination

6. Nutritional support

    Develop portable food packets

7. Maternal health

8. Water/sanitation

9. Prevention

10. Pre-developed kits that can be custom-ordered