Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 221, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher In an April 18, 2022 speech at Vandenburg Space Force Base, a key space launch facility for the U.S. Department of Defense, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that following large debris field creating anti-satellite (ASAT) tests by China (Jan. 11, 2007) and Russia (Nov. 15, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 19, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, MAY 19 ■ The Moon continues to illuminate Virgo’s part of the sky. Early this evening look about 3° or 4° lower left of the Moon for Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. By midnight the Moon moves closer to Spica, which then will be directly to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 15, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Despite its many self-inflicted crises and its increasing political-economic subordination to China, Russia is still striving for a superpower level space program with ambitions to compete with the United States and China on the Moon. But in addition, Russia’s space program is growing less transparent […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 12, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, MAY 12 ■ The thickening crescent Moon shines just left of Pollux this evening. About twice as far to their right, Castor lies nearly on the same line. MONDAY, MAY 13 ■ After dark, use binoculars or a good finderscope to look 3° lower left of […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 8, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher On April 17 before the U.S. House of Representative Committee on Appropriations, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) director Bill Nelson expressed his concerns about China beating the United States back to the Moon: “It is incumbent on us to get there first and to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 5, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, MAY 5 ■ A gigantic spring asterism you may not know is the Great Diamond, some 50° tall and extending over five constellations. It now stands upright in the southeast to south after dusk. Its stars are magnitudes 0, 1 ,2 and 3. Start with Spica, its […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 1, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Elon Musk’s “surprise” April 28 visit to China to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, blowing off a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a continuation of the strategy he has employed to rise above, even to survive near-violent U.S.-China strategic contest: Increase […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 28, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 28 ■ Hydra’s dim, irregular body and tail stretch all the way to Libra just risen in the southeast. He carries Crater and Corvus on his back. Below Crater, in Hydra’s most southerly part, is the new 12th-magnitude supernova in the 10th-magnitude galaxy NGC […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 24, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher As President Donald Trump revealed the new flag of the United States Space Force, on May 20, 2020, Chinese state media Global Times intoned, “China upholds the ideals for peaceful use of outer space and opposes weaponizing it or seeking out a celestial sprint to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 21, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 21 ■ As night descends, look high in the west for Pollux and Castor lined up almost horizontally (depending on your latitude). These two stars, the heads of the Gemini twins, form the top of the enormous Arch of Spring. To their lower left […]
