Reposted by Joel AchenbachLoren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 31/03/2026Here's a gift link to our Artemis story out today www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... 32310
Reposted by Joel AchenbachLee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Now on @sciam.bsky.social: The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission will go boldly where no one has gone before—thanks to a fully functional toilet they'll take with them around the moon, a first for lunar spaceflight. Nice piece by @krcallaway.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/arte...scientificamerican.comArtemis II’s toilet is a moon mission milestoneOn their voyages to the moon, NASA’s astronauts are finally getting some creature comforts of terrestrial toilets—such as having a door and being able to pee and poop simultaneously 43210
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/04/2026I'm impressed by NASA boss Isaacman and wrote so in Slate. He said what everyone knows, that Artemis program needed to be revamped. A lot depends on this lunar flyby. Taking deep breaths here...https://slate.com/technology/2026/03/nasa-moon-elon-musk-artemis-billionaire.html 040
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Astronauts Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen are supposed to blast off in about an hour. i hope everyone appreciates their courage, dedication, the years of training. And the risks of Artemis II. NASA's rocket and capsule have never flown a crew anywhere, much less to the moon. 050
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 13/03/2026NASA is about to fling 4 astronauts around the moon. What could go wrong? A reasonable question. Here's my take on @nasaartemis.bsky.social and the new NASA boss Jared Isaacman slate.com/technology/2...slate.comIt’s the Most Famous Line in NASA History. You’ve Heard It a Million Times. The Future of the Agency Now Depends on Remembering It.The agency’s new leader is showing promise so far. 010
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 16/02/2026New at @slate.com : My Presidents Day essay on why Trump is no George Washington slate.com/news-and-pol...slate.comDonald Trump and George Washington Have Some Surprising Traits in Common. There’s One Gigantic Difference.Washington desperately wanted to be a great man, and to be remembered as such. 111
Reposted by Joel AchenbachShannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 07/02/2026from the NYT: 'Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post guild, said: “I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.”' www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...nytimes.comWashington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure 0275
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 21/01/2026Hannah Natanson and colleagues have done amazing Pulitzer-worthy work the past 366 days. Seized materials “contain years of information about past and current confidential sources and other unpublished newsgathering materials." 030
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 21/01/2026WaPo court filing: "The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting + inflicts irreparable harm.. The government seized this proverbial haystack in an attempt to locate a needle." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...washingtonpost.comWashington Post demands government return materials seized from reporterThe Post demanded in a court filing Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporter’s home. 010
Reposted by Joel AchenbachPhilip Bump @pbump.com · 14/01/2026Gift link to FBI-targeted Post reporter Hannah Natanson's sweeping look at how federal workers have been targeted by Trump. wapo.st/49BQBrhwapo.stI am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her. 251420661
Reposted by Joel AchenbachGlenn Kessler @glennkessler.bsky.social · 14/01/2026A new outrage — and an assault on the media. Hannah Natanson has broken scoop after scoop on Trump’s destruction of the US government —> FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...washingtonpost.comFBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s homeThe reporter, Hannah Natanson, covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration. 42313
Reposted by Joel AchenbachRobert Wright @robertwrighter.bsky.social · 07/01/2026There's nothing quite like a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social, as I am reminded every time I have a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social. You can watch the latest example here or listen to it on the @nonzeronews.bsky.social podcast. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDL...youtube.comNASA’s Plans for the Moon and Mars | Robert Wright & Joel AchenbachYouTube video by Nonzero 131
Reposted by Joel AchenbachEd Yong is offline @edyong209.bsky.social · 19/05/2025I can’t recommend this enough. UNBREAKING, a new project from @lizneeley.bsky.social & co, documents & explains our many concurrent institutional collapses. It’s beautifully executed work, full of intellectual & moral clarity. 3 pages are live, more will come. It’s SO GOOD, & I learned so much. 10582223
Reposted by Joel AchenbachRob Pegoraro @robpegoraro.com · 11/12/2025This piece by my fellow space nerd and ex-Postie launches as a breakdown of why NASA's planned return to the Moon looks like such a mess right now and then ascends on a trajectory to a grand unified theory of why space exploration matters to all of us on the good Earth. 051
Reposted by Joel AchenbachCraig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 11/12/2025Officially, America is supposed to land on the moon again in 2027. Ask anyone inside NASA under President Convicted Felon, and you will hear a different story: “It’s like we’re tossing the crown jewels in the Thames.” slate.com/technology/2... via @joelachenbach.bsky.socialslate.comIt May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.What happened to NASA? 093
Reposted by Joel AchenbachBarton Gellman @bartongellman.bsky.social · 11/12/2025If you're looking for a great read on the state of our space programs -- Moon, Mars, asteroids, robot probes, and don't forget the Oort Cloud -- check out this gem from @joelachenbach.bsky.social: slate.com/technology/2...slate.comIt May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.What happened to NASA? 1127
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 09/12/2025We're going back to the moon! But...Space is hard. Here's my new essay for Slate on NASA and Artemis and Starship and The Conquest of Space and human destiny and that kinda thing. YMMV. Warning, it's long. slate.com/technology/2...slate.comIt May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.What happened to NASA? 161
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 23/10/2025I retired from WaPo but kept typing and here's my first piece, on NASA's IMAP mission, the nature of the heliosphere, and our solar system's journey through the galaxy. paw.princeton.edu/article/imap...paw.princeton.eduA Million Miles AwayNASA’s new IMAP mission, developed at Princeton, aims to reveal more about the bubble that protects our solar system 0121
Reposted by Joel AchenbachThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 21/08/2025COVID revisionists see the public-health response to the pandemic as a failure. But they fail to get the full picture—and that might leave us even less prepared for the next pandemic, Rogé Karma argues.bit.lyCOVID Revisionism Has Gone Too FarIf the center and left succumb to the view that “nothing worked,” no one will remain to defend sensible public-health measures the next time a pandemic comes around. 911425
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 12/08/2025'the “White House,” needs work! .. William Henry Harrison took one look at it and decided death was preferable. James Madison presided over some free demolition work that was paid for entirely by Britain." From the great @petridishes.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...theatlantic.comExtreme Home Makeover: White House EditionThis old, fly-infested building needs some work. 050
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 30/07/2025This is a masterpiece from someone who has written a lot of them. I'll miss seeing DVD columns in the WaPo www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...washingtonpost.comOpinion | How a fluke trivia question at age 17 changed the course of my lifeAn occupation writing sentences as a journalist for 47 years feels like a miracle. 160
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 18/07/2025One of these days I want to see the Andromeda Galaxy with my own eyes. In the meantime this will do: An extraordinary mosaic produced by the Hubble telescope. My colleagues at WaPo crafted this splendid visual story. Take the tour, zoom in, explore: www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...washingtonpost.comThe Hubble telescope zooms in on the galaxy next door. Explore it like never before.A decade of observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has produced the sharpest and most detailed images of the Andromeda galaxy. Zoom in and explore. 130
Reposted by Joel AchenbachSarah Kaplan @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social · 17/07/2025The world is grim right now, but the universe is still full of wonder. I'm always grateful to @joelachenbach.bsky.social for reminding me of that fact. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte... 1647
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/07/2025New & scoopy: Documents obtained by WaPo show political appointee overruled NIH career experts after Trump-mandated biosafety review @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comTrump officials halt ‘dangerous’ research, overriding NIH career scientistsThe Trump administration’s actions on NIH gain-of-function research have raised concerns among scientists, who argue the move could block experiments that are safe and potentially lead to new treatmen... 0139
Reposted by Joel AchenbachAdam Frank @adamfrank4.bsky.social · 09/07/2025For another take on this problem beyond my @theatlantic.com piece, here is a great article in the @washingtonpost.com by @joelachenbach.bsky.social nbach.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comTrump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warnAs the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions. 021
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Our latest story on Trump's cuts to NASA science, as former NASA officials sound the alarm. Plus an ode to the aging hardware that can still get the job done but could soon go silent. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comTrump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warnAs the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions. 041
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Behold the universe, courtesy of the Rubin telescope...and our nifty template for pretty pictures. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...washingtonpost.comSee images from the Rubin telescope and world’s largest digital cameraThe Rubin telescope, featuring a 3,200-megapixel camera, promises to see more galaxies than ever before. 020
Reposted by Joel AchenbachSemafor @semafor.com · 31/05/2025🟡 SCOOP: The White House is likely to pull the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA administrator, just days before he was set to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate.semafor.comWhite House expected to pull NASA nominee IsaacmanJared Isaacman was set for a vote next week, but now the president may yank his nomination. 105323
Reposted by Joel AchenbachAndré Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 01/05/2025Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis: $9 billion agency, which funds researchers, projects and facilities, is hitting reverse on its mission, by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025... via @washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.comAmid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisisThe $9 billion agency, which exists solely to fund researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters, is hitting reverse on its mission. 01310
Reposted by Joel AchenbachHannah Natanson @hannahnatanson.bsky.social · 17/04/2025SCOOP: ICE, DOGE are asking to use sensitive Medicare claims data to find the addresses of immigrants the government says are here illegally, as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown intensifies, w/ @rachelroubein.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...washingtonpost.comICE, DOGE seek sensitive Medicare data as immigration crackdown intensifiesIt’s unclear how many immigrants ICE is seeking addresses for and how much data would be available as Medicare does not cover undocumented immigrants. 77847
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025More from NASA statement sent to WaPo: "The planet K2-18 b could potentially be a habitable Hycean planet based on current data from Webb and other observatories. However, the concept of a Hycean planet is very new, and alternative explanations are still being explored." 040
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025From NASA, to me: "..detection of a single potential biosignature would not constitute discovery of life. We would likely need multiple converging lines of evidence to confirm true biosignatures and rule out false positives, possibly including independent data from multiple mission" 060
Reposted by Joel AchenbachLena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 16/04/2025SCOOP: Internal budget doc reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts. About 1/3 of HHS discretionary budget. Our story w @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @rachelroubein.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social @laurenweberhp.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...washingtonpost.comInternal budget document reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cutsHHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one third of its discretionary budget. 2016498
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Life on planet K2-18b? Worth a closer look, but this is still in the could-be, might-be category. Our story: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comWebb telescope detects a possible signature of life on a distant worldA chemical detected on a planet 124 light-years away is produced on Earth by decaying phytoplankton and other microbes. There is no other known source. 010
Reposted by Joel AchenbachLoren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 11/04/2025Confirming reports from @sciguyspace.bsky.social and @joelachenbach.bsky.social about proposed cuts to NASA's science budget. It doesn't look good, folks www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comWhite House Budget Proposal Would Gut NASA’s Science ProgramsPresident Donald Trump’s proposed annual budget for NASA next year would nearly cut in half the agency’s science funding, while potentially cutting off money for other major initiatives like returning... 3238
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 11/04/2025NEW: This is Black Friday for NASA Science, with Trump OMB seeking to cut Science Mission Directorate budget by nearly half. Developing story... www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comMassive cuts to NASA science proposed in early White House budget planThe preliminary version of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to Congress, known as a “passback,” would cut the agency’s science budget funding nearly in half. 011
Reposted by Joel AchenbachAlexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 09/04/2025Intriguing back-and-forth just now between Senator Markey and Jared Isaacman, in which Isaacman would neither confirm nor deny that Elon Musk was in the room when Trump offered him the job of NASA administrator. 1228
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 08/04/2025The moon or Mars? NASA is poised to make a big decision on human spaceflight. Jared Isaacman appears tomorrow at Ted Cruz-chaired Senate nomination hearing. Our story: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comNASA at a fork in the road as Trump pick gets hearing for top spotWhich planetary body — the moon or Mars — will be central to its near-term spaceflight strategy? 020
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 20/03/2025Oh, by the way, the universe might collapse someday. Big Crunch. But stay calm: "The DESI observations may be cosmically consequential but do not rise to the level of an action item for us mortals" www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comCosmologists intrigued by signs the universe might stop expandingThe “dark energy” field that has fueled the expansion has been weakening over the past 4 billion to 5 billion years, new data shows. 010
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 19/03/2025It was just Oswald. -30- www.washingtonpost.com/national/spe...washingtonpost.comA plaza called Dealey: The birthplace of the JFK mystery that will never dieIn a small urban canyon, one president died and 1,000 conspiracy theories were born. 000
Reposted by Joel AchenbachTracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · 11/03/2025So proud of @washingtonpost.com Health & Science reporters, who continue to kick ass every damn day amid trying times. SCOOP by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social & @joelachenbach.bsky.social What a time to be canceling research into vaccine hesitancy, w/more than 200 cases of measles in 12 states.washingtonpost.comNIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptakeThe order covers more than 40 awards to researchers around the country seeking to understand why vaccine acceptance has declined. 02112
Reposted by Joel AchenbachDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 10/03/2025NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake: Does anyone still want to claim Mr. Kennedy is not anti-vaccine? www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/... via @joelachenbach.bsky.social @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.comNIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptakeThe order covers more than 40 awards to researchers around the country seeking to understand why vaccine acceptance has declined. 1219
Reposted by Joel AchenbachCarolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 05/03/2025A deep look inside the last 6 weeks at NIH under Trump - an agency paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, with the future of US science at stake. with @joelachenbach.bsky.social Gift link: wapo.st/4h8aiZxwapo.stNIH reels with fear, uncertainty about future of scientific researchThe Trump administration’s orders have created more turmoil and damage at the National Institutes of Health than was previously known. 0108
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/03/2025Cosmic inflation! This'll take your mind off the other stuff. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comNASA telescope will study what put the bang in the big bangThe SPHEREx space telescope will explore the universe's origin and gather data on cosmic inflation. 011
Reposted by Joel AchenbachDan Lamothe @danlamothe.bsky.social · 26/02/2025As a hard-news journalist at The Washington Post, there's no shortage of important news to cover. I will keep digging in. As I've stated before: Nothing changes. We ask hard questions and hold those in power to account. That's the job, whether those in power like it or not. 2433751
Reposted by Joel AchenbachCarolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 22/02/2025The future of American science is on hold right now. Federal funding occurs through a rigorous, months-long peer review process. A meeting cancellation today may seem minor, but the effect is long-term, endangering the pipeline of future projects. with @joelachenbach.bsky.social wapo.st/4hOuZedwapo.stScientists warn of long-term damage as Trump’s orders slow researchBy blocking announcements in the Federal Register, the administration is keeping experts from meeting to evaluate funding proposals. 053
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 20/02/2025That scary Asteroid 2024 YR4 ain't actually scary at all. Probability of it hitting Earth dropped again today, on its way surely to zero www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comOdds of recently discovered asteroid hitting Earth drop nearly to zeroAnother night of observations revealed there is little to fear from the football field-sized Asteroid 2024 YR4. 030
Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 16/02/2025NEW: Uncertainties abound at NASA. DOGE is in the house. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...washingtonpost.comUnder Trump, NASA meetings are on hold and missions are up in the airExecutive orders and feared budget cuts put the government space agency on uncertain footing. 032
Reposted by Joel AchenbachRick Stengel @rickstengel.bsky.social · 06/02/2025Government is not business. I've been in gov't and I've been in business—they are not the same. Trying to run government like a business sounds good but in fact is not. Moving fast and breaking things may be good in business; it's not in gov't. It just hurts all kinds of people who depend on gov't. 22311
Reposted by Joel AchenbachDannagal Goldthwaite Young @dannagal.bsky.social · 06/02/2025Great reporting by @joelachenbach.bsky.social and Carolyn Johnson on the unraveling of scientific inquiry and general chaos caused by the administration’s policies. Gift link to @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/3WL5FNJwapo.stTrump policies sow chaos, confusion across scientific communityU.S. scientists, unaccustomed to shock-and-awe political assaults, are reeling from President Donald Trump’s executive orders on DEI, gender and other subjects. 0178