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Kat Robison, PhD

@katrobison.bsky.social
668 followers 122 following 288 posts

Poet, Political Scientist, Lecturer USSC/USYD, #FirstGen, Research Aficionado, Occasional Podcaster, Human (she/her). I study space, women in STEM, politics, and #scicomm. Views my own. Fields: Space Policy, Political Communication/Behaviour, US Politics

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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Have you ever been confused by what it means / what #SCOTUS *says* when it issues a “stay” of a lower-court ruling? Well today’s issue of “One First” is (hopefully) for you: www.stevevladeck.com/p/249-the-la...
stevevladeck.com
249. The Language of Supreme Court Stays
Thursday’s Missouri redistricting ruling used boilerplate to freeze the district court’s TRO. That didn’t prevent confusion over what the Court had “stayed.”
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
My dad is still documenting his journey restoring his sailboat (and all the many trials that entails) and I laugh out loud at least once every video: youtube.com/@svexcalibur....
youtube.com
SV EXCALIBUR - FAT, OLD and UGLY
Come along on my solo journey of refitting a 1979 C&C 38 MKII sailboat while also learning to live the single life again as a senior citizen. See what it's like when your world gets turned upside down...
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
So, a couple of weeks ago, my work laptop refused to turn on - reported it to uni ICT, they came out, said it was dead, I’d lose all my data, and they’d book a repair. I asked if it was worth it to take it to the Apple Store, they said no. The repair guy came, said the same thing.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I just saw a stranger comforting a girl who had her heart broken on the train. I had assumed it was her dad until he got off and they were saying goodbye. Humans can be so good sometimes.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
As we approach the 4th of July, my colleagues at the @usstudiescentre.bsky.social and I wrote a series of Reflections on America at 250. My contribution reflects on the Declaration of Independence, our founding ideals and space: www.ussc.edu.au/american-inn....
ussc.edu.au
American innovation at 250
The first steps on the Moon were not just an extraordinary act of science and engineering — they were also a deafening statement of political power. And that, at its heart, is what the Founders sought...
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Literally just discovered that @scifri.bsky.social is here - clearly living under a rock these days (read I have a toddler and am an academic, my brain is barely surviving hahahaha).
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Space is hard - and this setback could mean less redundancy for Artemis. I don’t think people realise how precarious our access to space is, and while it seems like there’s a lot of LSPs out there, it’s still a small club of nations and companies who can launch to space.
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
Andy Casely @deep-twilight.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Homunculus Nebula expansion - 2008-2026. A sequence of three images, comparing my backyard C14 image with the two HST images (2008 and 2019). The nebula expands from 17" to 21" in diameter and details such as the hole in the 'near' bubble end and jet-like equatorial blasts consistently grow outwards
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
United States Studies Centre @usstudiescentre.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Space is moving fast. Governance needs to keep up. Tomorrow, join USSC's @katrobison.bsky.social to unpack the future of the field, at a webinar by the Space Industry Association of Australia and Bartier Perry Law. Register ↓
events.humanitix.com
SIAA-Bartier Perry Space Governance Webinar
Join SIAA and Bartier Perry for a webinar on space governance, exploring legal, regulatory, and policy issues shaping the future of space activity.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Australia can do more in space to position itself as a regional leader and a valuable member of the Quad. Read my latest with Isobel Haddow:
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
I enjoyed chatting with you, @biancanogrady.bsky.social! This is an excellent piece with great insights from colleagues across the sector, including @rami.spaceaustralia.com and @drspacejunk.bsky.social. I love good science journalism. Please give Bianca a follow and read her other work.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
If you’re not watching #ArtemisII is coming home right now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR...
youtube.com
NASA's Artemis II Live Mission Coverage (Official Broadcast)
YouTube video by NASA
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Congrats on a beautiful launch! I’m off to the phone free parent toddler program, but so excited to see humanity back on the way to the Moon! #ArtemisII
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
About a minute until the terminal count starts! #ArtemisII
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
GO!!! The most beautiful word :) #ArtemisII
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
NASA is getting ready to launch four astronauts to orbit the moon - the first crewed launch of SLS (and the most diverse to leave LEO) - in about an hour and a half. You can watch live here: www.youtube.com/live/Tf_UjBM.... #ArtemisII
youtube.com
NASA's Artemis II Crew Launches To The Moon (Official Broadcast)
YouTube video by NASA
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Political scientists see non-violent resistance as much more effective--and it's not just from aggregate statistics. Rather, it's the way that peaceful resistance undermines the state's repressive capacities. This op-ed by Berkeley prof @owasow.bsky.social explains this logic 🎯. Give it a read!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
A good friend recommended the book, Hestia Strikes a Match, a few years ago. It was a fascinating read. Right now, the future it imagined feels much too close. However, I’m proud of my fellow Americans who are getting up to good trouble and mourning for those who lost their lives for their values.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
I’ve been teaching versions of an intro to American Politics for over a decade - and all my students know her name (laughter helps them learn and retain; thanks, Drunk History). As a pregnant teen, she had more courage than most. Rest in Power.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
I’m devastated by the attack at Bondi. No one deserves to be targeted because of their religion and every Australian deserves to be safe. My heart goes out to the victims.
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
United States Studies Centre @usstudiescentre.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
“If you don’t have rare earths, then you don’t have the high-powered magnets that go into missiles and the jet engines that hold everything together,” says USSC's Hayley Channer. “So it is a national security threat.” Read:
abc.net.au
How critical minerals power our daily lives from the moment we wake up
Take a tour around the house and see how everyday life is powered by critical minerals and why we will keep hearing so much about them.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Some things never change!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
When we recently surveyed Australians about their concerns around space - 41.9% cited the accumulation of space debris around Earth.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
I spend too much time thinking about how Free Willy was basically orca propaganda.
media.tenor.com
a whale is jumping out of the water next to a boat that says bunny castro
Alt: an orca is jumping out of the water over a jetty to escape captivity - which he may have deserved if he’s off to go hunt a poor whale calf or a great white just to eat its liver
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
We published our newest report on Australian public opinion of space from @acsg.bsky.social on Friday, and somehow, in the middle of #IAC2025, @tristanmoss.bsky.social and I found some time to write about it for @theconversation.com. I’ll also link the full report below.
theconversation.com
Australians want to spend more on space – but we don’t really know where we’re going
Every single day, space technology impacts our lives. But a new report reveals gaps between what Australians think and what they know about space.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Political violence is never the answer.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Secondary teachers and educators, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social is hosting a free, half-day, NESA-accredited workshop for professional development which explores the intersections of AI, technology, policy, and the social sciences. Learn more and register here: www.ussc.edu.au/teaching-the....
ussc.edu.au
Teaching the future: AI, policy and the social sciences
Secondary school teachers are invited to join us at the University of Sydney for a half-day NESA-accredited professional development workshop exploring the intersections of AI, technology, policy and ...
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
I just had the most unprofessional experience contacting @jeromelaxale.com’s office. The person who answered, when asked what his name was, literally answered “Jesus Christ.” This was before I even had a chance to say why I was calling. I have little faith my concern will be taken seriously.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
How anyone can see these children starving and not have their souls break is beyond me. As James Baldwin said, all the children, everywhere, are ours. We are failing our children.
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
Bonnie Honig @bonniehonig.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
“The account of the command counters Musk’s narrative of how he has handled Starlink service in Ukraine amid the war. As recently as March, in a post on X, his social media site, Musk wrote: “We would never do such a thing.” Musk and Nicolls didn’t respond to requests from Reuters for comment.”
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 06/11/2024
Sometimes, when watching politics, I like to remind myself that I live in a universe where we know what the stars look like from Jupiter:
Black and white picture of the stars from Jupiter, looking out over a ring. Photo from NASA Juno.
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
United States Studies Centre @usstudiescentre.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
As Trump faces legal pushback over deploying the National Guard, what does US Code §12406 actually allow — and how far can presidential power stretch? @sydney.edu.au/USSC’s @katrobison.bsky.social joins SBS World News Weekly to unpack it. Listen:
sbs.com.au
Israel bombs Iran and Trump takes on LA
Israel says it is defending its very existence with massive, pre-emptive strikes on Iran; Senior Israeli ministers are sanctioned by Australia; and Donald Trump calls in the national guard, setting up...
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
United States Studies Centre @usstudiescentre.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Gilmour Space’s upcoming launch of an Australian-made rocket marks a major milestone. But as USSC's @katrobison.bsky.social argues, real space capability requires more than ambition — it demands national strategy, investment, and sovereign focus. Read:
ussc.edu.au
Australia’s homegrown rocket needs more money and family wealth
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Every Australian relies on space; the government can’t afford to ignore its impact on economic and national security. I write about why in my latest for the Financial Review:
afr.com
Australia’s homegrown rocket needs more money and family wealth
If we want more Australian-built rockets, space technology, and sovereign capability, we need more than funding rounds and family wealth.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
This is worth a read.
Photo of text: In the Feuchtwanger household, Hitler was spoken of as a "ridiculous figure" because of this failed coup, Feuchtwanger remembers.
"People believed that Hitler was a temporary phenomenon," he says. In particular, his uncle Lion wavered between feeling alarmed and remaining calm. In his satirical novel Success, which he published in 1930, Lion portrays Hitler as a hysterical man named Kutzner who tries to seduce the people with nationalist ideas but ultimately fails. "Although he regarded Hitler as very dangerous, he saw him as someone to be made fun of. Hitler was supposed to continue as a ridiculous figure and then he would somehow disappear from the scene," Feuchtwanger says.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Aside from all comments on the photo they chose, this election was not “close” at all. It was a decisive win for Labor (and the leader of the opposition even lost his own seat). ABC News’ David Speers called it a “Labor landslide.”
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Canada and now Australia bucking the anti-incumbency trend. #auspol
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
I’m just wondering who thought this was a good slogan:
Whitening toothpaste ad that says: Sydneysiders, make the WHITE choice today!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
It’s worth your time to read the full opinion from Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III (a conservative octogenarian appointed by Reagan) in the Abrego Garcia case: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us....
storage.courtlistener.com
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Notably, Crawford’s campaign focused more on Musk and his influence rather than Trump. Musk is deeply unpopular.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Booker breaking Thurmond’s record is perfect (and that he spoke coherently about actual issues the entire time is just as impressive).
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
The Trump administration has already caused massive upheaval among the scientific community, with DOGE making irresponsible and uninformed cuts to research funding, but this is concerning: www.reuters.com/world/french....
reuters.com
French scientist denied entry into the U.S., French government says
A French scientist has been denied entry into the U.S., apparently because the scientist had expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration's research policy, the French Education Ministry said on Thursday.
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Reposted by Kat Robison, PhD
katerosealbrecht.bsky.social @katerosealbrecht.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The @apsa.bsky.social Volcker Award was instrumental in getting my research off the ground when I started as an assistant professor! Tell everyone you know that is a post-doc or assistant professor! If you are starting one of those roles in the fall, you can apply! #juniorscholars #funding #PA
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
This is a sensationalist headline. They were never stranded. Never. Do better.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
The most adorable thing in my life right now (aside from my 14 month old who is the epitome of adorable) is the texted #Crew10 updates I’m getting from my mother.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
These certainly won’t be the last cuts the Trump admin tries to make at NASA, and Musk will certainly seek to benefit from any of them. It will be a test of my theory of congressional behavior from my dissertation (which should be published in an article this year).
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
We’re lucky to have Mark covering #Crew10 for @talkingspace.bsky.social! Can’t wait to discuss it on the show tomorrow.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
NCES: “In 2022, there were 5 education systems with higher average reading literacy scores for 15-year-olds than the United States, 25 with higher mathematics literacy scores, and 9 with higher science literacy scores.” But sure, dismantling the Department of Education is how we make America great.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
This is so shortsighted; USAID, aside from the important work it does for the most impoverished and vulnerable around the world, is an incredible tool of soft diplomacy. This administration only understands one kind of power - to its (and the nation’s) detriment.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Nothing Elon Musk does surprises me. He’s always been this person. He’s always benefitted from handouts, from his father to the government.
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