iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

MANY years ago when doing an overnight Goldstone field trip for what turned in to DSN Now....DSS15 was still active and I got this shot. It became the desktop wallpaper of all the mini pcs running DSN Now screens around lab/other DSN sites :)

A large radio antenna dish, lit warm gold by floodlights, stands tilted toward the sky at the base of a dark, rounded hill at night. Above it, a deep navy sky scattered with faint stars fills most of the frame. In the foreground, bare desert trees, a stop sign, and a low wall sit in shadow along an empty road.

131

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

What was your first computer growing up?

020

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

All I planned was a Sol 5000 morning postcard......credit to Kevin for adding the PM poscard on 5003 and doing the processing on this one.

0101

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Meanwhile these reprobates (mom in grey/beige and two of the kittens she had just had when we found her in our backyard) are basically misanthropic assholes after 18 months of being in our house 😂

110

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

It was provided at no cost to the project by the MSL MAHLI PI, Ken Edgett 😂

041

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I’ve got two small circular lights at my desk - I’m gonna put them against my window so 264 is staring at you.

static.klipy.com

Barney Stinson: Seriously Ted? Look At Me

ALT: Barney Stinson: Seriously Ted? Look At Me

130

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I can see my office from here ( 264-6, south side ). <waves>

110

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Thomas Appéré @thomasappere.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Nous célébrons aujourd'hui le 5000e jour martien passé par le rover Curiosity dans le cratère Gale 🥳 Voici une mosaïque d'images acquises par sa caméra de navigation au sol 5000.

Mosaïque en noir et blanc d'un paysage martien photographié par le rover Curiosity au sol 5000. Le paysage est vallonné, le sol recouvert de sable et le ciel poussiéreux.
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Thomas Appéré

42610

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

That's four covers of Science magazine for this incredible team. And we're not done yet.

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, at its Rocknest sample-collection site, Gale crater, Mars, on 31 October 2012. This is a mosaic of 59 images acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager, a camera mounted at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm (both partly not visible during imaging and cropped out during processing). Four scoop troughs are shown; a fifth was created after the mosaic was obtained. The width of each rover wheel is 40 cm

This fist-sized rock on the surface of Mars has been cracked open by the weight of the Curiosity rover driving over it, revealing a yellowish interior of crystalline sulfur. The rock is part of a deposit of native sulfur, which has been preserved for three billion years. It is interpreted to have been formed by the eruption and solidification of a subsurface sulfur-rich vapor.

Eroded landscape of Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater on Mars. Sheepbed mudstone is seen in the foreground, ~4 meters distant from the Curiosity rover camera that took the photo; Gillespie sandstone is in the middle field. The foothills of Mt. Sharp (upper left), ~20 kilometers distant, are Curiosity's ultimate destination. Exploration of this region by the Curiosity rover offers evidence of an ancient, potentially habitable environment.

This photograph of Gale crater, Mars, was taken by the Curiosity rover at the Ubajara drill site. The rover’s 40-cm-wide tracks are visible in the foreground. The rover drilled a rock sample at this location, which was found to contain substantial amounts of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral. The siderite likely played a role in an ancient carbon cycle that affected Mars’ surface climate.

27815

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Chase Million @millionconcepts.com · 19/08/2026

Jared's hobby rocket does not have much support among planetary scientists. Nobody asked for it. NEP was barely more than a footnote in the Decadal. Also, nobody asked for Skyfall. It appears to exist only to give the NEP demo something charismatic to carry. It won't do meaningful science.

“What keeps me awake at night is, in three years’ time, will we have a space nuclear program?” asked Bhavya Lal, former NASA associate administrator for technology, policy and strategy and the co-author of a 2025 study that looked at the long, troubled history of space nuclear programs.

Space nuclear programs enjoy strong support today, she said, “but this support is positional, not structural. It is attached to people and not to paper. So, what happens in January 2029?”

That is an issue for SR-1, which she said is a program without a clear customer. It is carrying a technology demonstration payload, a set of Mars helicopters called SkyFall, but she noted those could fly on a different mission. The LR-1 lunar reactor program is also not directly dependent on SR-1. “The only thing that truly needs SR-1 is SR-2, SR-3 and SR-4, and those don’t exist.”

Members of the MEPAG community,
There have been deeply concerning developments in the NASA MEP budget and proposed federal R&A
funding policy in the last several weeks that many of you may not be aware of and have arguably worse
consequences than last year’s budget threat. If there was ever a time to take action in support of the Mars
Exploration Program and federally-funded scientific research, now is that time.
MEP status: The Mars Exploration Program has been directed to absorb and manage the Skyfall payload
on the Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) demonstration mission within its budget. This will largely be under the
Mars Future Missions line, effectively eliminating any new developments/missions until after SR-1/Sky-
fall launches. It is also anticipated that the costs for Skyfall will exceed the available funding in that line
($110M), which means that without a budget augmentation in FY27, the chances are quite high that more
than one currently operating mission at Mars will be terminated and their funds redirected to supporting
Skyfall.

032

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I attempted to put upper and lower bounds on what it would cost to repurpose Perseverance's testbed twin and send it to the Moon. It's not the cheap and fast mission people hope it is. www.planetary.org/articles/the...

planetary.org

The Cost of a PROMISE

NASA may send an engineering test of the Perseverance rover to the Moon, but at what price?

25617

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

"On July 25, an initial onsite inspection by the NASA Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) emergency response team found wildfire damage primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, with no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings. "

Bethany Stevens

@NASASpox
On July 25, an initial onsite inspection by the NASA Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) emergency response team found wildfire damage primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, with no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings.

Additional inspections and testing will continue as safety procedures allow. The situation remains dynamic, and comprehensive assessments will proceed as conditions stabilize and access improves.

Meanwhile, NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program has seamlessly transitioned mission support to its other Deep Space Communications Complexes in Goldstone, California and Canberra, Australia, ensuring continuity of operations and uninterrupted spacecraft communications.

The safety of NASA personnel remains the agency's highest priority. All personnel at MDSCC are safe, and NASA extends its sincere gratitude to Spanish emergency responders and members of The Ministry of Defense, The Ministry of Interior, and The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for their professionalism and tireless efforts in helping protect the facility under extremely challenging conditions.

NASA is also thinking of its partners at the European Space Agency (ESA), whose colleagues continue to be affected by the broader wildfire emergency.

NASA will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as new information becomes available.

A picture of burned dry grass around a fence underneath what appears to be a large satellite ground station.

0162

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Josef Aschbacher @josefaschbacher.esa.int · 25/07/2026

Extreme heat and subsequent wildfires are the clearest indication that our climate is changing. I pledge to continue to advocate for increased monitoring and understanding of our planet.

39621

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Fuuuuuck - I didn't know they were so damn close :(

100

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This appears to be DSS-55 at the south end of MDSCC, one of the 34 BWG antennas. ( comparing ground features to www.google.com/maps/@40.423... ) I just hope everyone got out safe. Stuff can be rebuilt. People can't.

google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

5348

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Things you'll find in MSL uplink Three lava lamps, a rover pinata still decorated for Christmas....with a plushy capybara on it. Several 3D printed fidget toys. An emotional support plush tiger from our tiger team room. A rubber stamp that says "From the desk of ECAM". And SO many memes.

1101

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I don't for one second think the comments are going to change the direction OMB wants to take. I also don't think I could live with myself if I didn't say something. Making science a victim of political whim will destroy science and damage the US economy in the process.

020

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

That wasn't a stall.......rover had to unstow the arm to hold its hand over it's nose at the smell of unexpected Mars fart rocks.

031

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I mean - seriously...Mars....WHAT ARE YOU DOING. mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/1...

050

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

The very best “what the f*}k?…..how on Ares beige planet did this happen?” I’ve seen since we started roving. Literally ran over a white pebble and it was essentially pure sulfur.

271

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Because two thousandths could be interpreted as 1/2000 rather than 2/1000 of a second. The same language problem doesn’t exist between two tenths and one twentieth. I know it sounds clunky, but it’s actually the clearest language to use.

110

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026

This "Promise" pitch/floater will be a good test for the space press who primarily focus on human spaceflight. Talk to planetary scientists. Where's that RTG gonna come from (and take away from)? How in the world do they think it would actually be flight operable?

2198

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I was stood on the banking outside the old hairpin at Donington Park in 1993 and saw Senna start the greatest lap in racing history. My view was like this screenshot. The weather sucked so much I think i still have trench foot youtu.be/pktF3wJKfxo?...

040

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

All the cool kids are doing it, so I couldn't help myself....using solarsystem.nasa.gov/psyche_image... and a its G and B compatriots, a departing view of Mars from Psyche. Data from NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Mars captured against the absolute black of deep space. The planet is shown in a three-quarter illuminated view, with its characteristic rusty red-orange hue dominating the disc. There is a bright white patch near the lower-left of the planet's face.

0142

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

I’m not part of the Psyche team but I could think of 20 things that would ‘delay’ imagery. Have a little respect for the team that’s doing their best late on a Sunday, and a little patience. Every part of every mission is brittle and fragile after 3 years of layoffs.

130

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Last week was one of those weeks where you go "Oh f*#$....." and then "Oh hell yeah...." because you're a small part of an incredible team that is as smart as it is creative as it is dedicated when it comes to solving problems, finding solutions and being generally amazing.

2438

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I took all the JSC Artemis pics, split them by camera type, zipped it up and put it on Archive.org. Once it’s clear that’s all of them I’ll do a version 2 with UTC acquisition time into the file names so they’re easier to browse in time order. In the meantime, enjoy. archive.org/details/arte...

archive.org

artemis_2_image_dump_2026_05_03 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Camera sorted archive of all Artemis 2 images available via https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/ShowQueryResults-TextTable.pl?results=1777835956132601 on...

3213

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Don't miss my new op-ed on how space science is getting demoted to hitchhiker status at NASA: spacenews.com/put-science-...

spacenews.com

Put science back in the driver’s seat

315651

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Me "Oh my god - thank you...we've had a ticket to try and figure out how to make that real for months". Christina "Consider it closed!". She helped us make 'Eyes...' better, didn't embarrass me infront of her classmates, and was utterly lovely. I've been a massive fan ever since.

080

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

They all laughed. Once they all left, she quietly came back into the room and went 'Your joke about the station arrays....that's actually what they do. It's just slip rings and bearings - they keep rotating'. Me "Really?" Christina pointing at the screen "Yup - it looks JUST like that"

180

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I got to meet her very briefly in '13 when she was a new ASCAN visiting JPL with her classmates. I made a silly joke about how the ISS solar panels rotated unrealistically in Eyes on the Earth because we made them just rotate end over end simplistically and that would 'rip all the cables out'

130

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

seq_echo "The E in ECAM stands for ENV. The E in ENV stands for ECAM." (why do you think I'm training to be a TUL - we can fit SO many SPENDIs in this bad boy)

100

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

The E in ECAM stands for ENV. The E in ENV stands for ECAM.

120

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

True story - I’ve been going “so - would anyone like a TARGETED dust devil survey - like - half way between a normal movie and the 8x3?” for years 🤪

110

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

The irony....Kevin was supposed to be on shift for ECAM but I ended up taking it instead :P It fun writing new sequences for ENV.....it's REALLY fun when they work out this well.

110

Reposted by Doug Ellison

Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

The FY 2027 budget request for NASA is an insult to the four astronauts currently risking their lives to explore the Moon. The world should be celebrating humanity's return to deep space, as well as the space agency and partners that put them there. [1/2]

14617

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

The whiplash of seeing these on the same morning.

A photograph of the whole earth. It is mainly blue with white clouds, beige land masses and tinged with green auroras at the top and bottom

Program Cuts and Eliminations
• Science (-$3.4 billion).

070

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

I’m trying to think of one word to describe these engine regs and how they sound and the utterly predictable nature of this energy first formula. Dismal. It’s all just dismal.

000

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Booooooooooo. Scarecrow is gonna be out there. Gonna squish some park goers with it 🥳

120

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Are you on lab next week and/or at DVNP for the festival next weekend?

100

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

After the first inspired amazing folks like @amyraehill.bsky.social to make THIS... amyraehill.com/bowlsandplat... ....well....we just got to keep doing them, right? And yes - that bowl lives on my desk at work now.

amyraehill.com

Bowls and Plates — Amy Rae Hill

170

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

And if you say "well - let's split the difference for the green" you get this. If you start with the calibrated data and give it a little more hair and makeup ....well...you end up with our third bi-color postcard.

The same mosaic but now in a set of orange and teal tones in a gradient from left to right.

The same mosaic but now in a set of orange and teal tones in a gradient from left to right - but there are no seams between the images and it's a smooth texture of orange, grey and light grey-blue.

150