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Kat Robison, PhD

@katrobison.bsky.social
667 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
I’m happy to report that I’m now backing everything up to the cloud - and the uni ICT guy who remoted into my computer to set it up for me had a good laugh about me ignoring the IT guys and going to Apple and getting my MacBook fixed.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Oh, and well done, Apple, I was already pretty much entrapped in your ecosystem, but any desire I had to attempt escape is gone. No nothing phone for me.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I don’t know if it was my loyalty to the cult of Apple, my innate skepticism, or the ridiculous certainty I had that I knew better than the ICT experts in the basis of no more than a gut feeling, but it paid off. Now, off to go back up all my data before my ego humbles me.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Once we called the uni ICT for the recovery code we got my the login screen, and after a brief delay where I forgot my password, I logged in - all my data was there, including what was my open apps. Edward told me it was just in a deep sleep and needed a jump start.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Friends, I did not listen. I’ve been dodging the repair guy for the last week trying to find time to go the the Genius Bar. I finally went today. It took about an hour, but the incredible guy at Apple, Edward, was able to get the computer on and in recovery mode.
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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
No thank you, please.
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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
I gave a lecture on space to my postgrads recently - we spent some time discussing Apollo 1 and the lessons we learn from tragedy. I had the chance to visit LC-34 just before EFT-1… Very humbling and touching to be in that space before seeing Orion launch.
LC-34 memorial plaque honouring the crew of Apollo 1.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
(Not an argument for more LSPs, just an observation.)
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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
I’d also like to report my toddler is more interested in animal noises with Alexa and my mom than watching the NASA feed. As a screen free parent, this should feel like a win…
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
SPLASHDOWN
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Main chutes have deployed.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
And they’re through the blackout!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
They’re currently in a six minute communications blackout.
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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
Well this is the best way to find out you’re on Bluesky!
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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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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
The salsas at Rosa’s is the best I’ve ever had!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
You are so welcome, Danielle! And I am SO jealous of your meal right now. I’d love a weekend to just eat in Tucson right now :)
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I actually loved the train trip! It was so gorgeous and super easy for the transfers in the city to JFK. Also, and excellent party!
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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 · 08/11/2025
I’m wondering why your editorial team thought this was an appropriate quote to run in this piece? It’s so casually demeaning of an entire region and undermines the point being made.
Screenshot of following text, with the quote about the Middle East highlighted in red. 

Further, by inviting the R.S.F. delegation to attend the talks in D.C., the Administration conferred legitimacy on the group. “You don’t invite Hamas or the Taliban to Washington to negotiate things. You do that in Doha, right?” Hudson said. “That’s why God invented the Middle East, so that we didn’t have to have these war criminals sipping champagne in Washington, D.C.”

Hudson believes that further horrors can be avoided, but only if the U.S. commits to focussing on the issue, and to putting real pressure on the R.S.F. and its allies.
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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 · 20/10/2025
(Which, as I should have mentioned above, was also the most frequently chosen top concern.)
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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
YES YES YES to all of this.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Along with Tristan, we worked with Dr Aleks Deejay, our colleague at the @acsg.bsky.social, and had the support of @usstudiescentre.bsky.social at @sydney.edu.au, UNSW Canberra, and Space Industry Association Australia. www.ussc.edu.au/looking-up-f...
ussc.edu.au
Looking up from Down Under in 2025: Re-investigating Australian attitudes to national space activities
A new national survey uncovers what Australians really think about space, from its everyday impact to the country’s direction in the sector.
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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
Please share with any educator you know and tell them to bring a friend along!
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Alongside my colleagues, Olivia Shen, Director of Strategic Technologies, and Associate Professor David Smith, we'll share insights on how AI, space exploration and US politics are shaping society — and how these themes can inspire critical thinking and engagement in the classroom.
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Kat Robison, PhD @katrobison.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
It's taking place on 6 September on the @sydney.edu.au campus. The day includes a morning tea and networking lunch and we'll send you home with classroom materials and a gift from the Centre.
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