Aerospace and Defense

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the United States was beginning the formal process of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in retaliation for Russia cheating on the treaty terms. Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, announced he believes the White House assessment that Russia has cheated on the terms of the INF Treaty … Continued

Tuesday, January 1 NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima Thule in the Kuiper Belt out beyond Pluto. Ultima Thule is the farthest from Earth that a spacecraft has ever transmitted pictures. NASA scientists believe that Ultima Thule is one of the oldest objects in the solar system, predating the planets. “Congratulations to NASA’s New … Continued

NASA had an eventful 2018, which the agency highlighted in a press release. The agency welcomed a new administrator, Jim Bridenstine, deputy administrator, Jim Morhard, and chief financial officer, Jeff DeWit, in 2018. “Our agency’s accomplishments in 2018 are breathtaking,” Bridenstine said in a statement. “We’ve inspired the world and created incredible new capabilities for … Continued

After a brief stint with no representation on the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, Alabama is back in the mix. U.S. Sen. Doug Jones has been appointed to the influential committee tasked with overseeing the nation’s armed forces, national security and military research and development. Jones will assume his position on the committee when the … Continued

NASA announced Monday that its Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft has already discovered water locked inside the clays that make up its scientific target, the asteroid Bennu. During the mission’s approach phase, between mid-August and early December, the spacecraft traveled 1.4 million miles on its journey from Earth to arrive at … Continued

The Voyagers have gone where no man-made spacecraft have gone before. For the second time in history, a human-made object has reached the space between the stars. NASA’s Voyager 2 probe follows Voyager 1 and has exited the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the Sun. Members of NASA’s Voyager … Continued