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What’s Ahead
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| The Artemis I mission’s Orion crew vehicle making a close pass around the Moon on the morning of Nov. 21, 2022. (Image credit – NASA) |
Artemis Mission Reaches Lunar Space
Having successfully launched on Nov. 16, NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission is passing around the Moon this week on its way out to a distance from the Earth that was never reached during the predecessor Apollo program. The launch was the first for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Its payload, the Orion crew vehicle, has been operating well and is the first human-rated spacecraft to travel into lunar space in a half-century. After departing from its lunar orbit on Dec. 1, Orion is scheduled to arrive back at Earth on Dec. 11. A total of 10 cubesats launched alongside Orion and about half appear to be working properly, though efforts to communicate with and control them are ongoing. Delays in the launch of Artemis I had raised concerns that the batteries of some of the cubesats would be drained before they could deploy.
Artemis I is a test for a similar crewed mission that NASA aims to launch in 2024, to be followed by later crewed missions to the lunar surface. To convey astronauts from Orion to the surface, NASA plans to employ the Starship vehicle the company SpaceX is developing, and the agency exercised an option last week to use Starship for its second landing in addition to its first. Other landing vehicles could be used on subsequent landings. Ultimately, NASA plans to build up a sustained program of astronautic exploration and scientific research on and around the Moon, as well as to open up that space to commercial activities. To guide these initiatives, last week the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released the U.S. government’s first National Cislunar Science and Technology Strategy. NASA’s Office of Inspector General estimated last year that the cumulative cost of the Artemis campaign will reach $93 billion by 2025 and criticized the rapid development schedule proposed for the Starship lander as “unrealistic.”
Editor’s note: The next edition of FYI This Week will be published on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Former energy executive David Crane at a Nov. 17 hearing on his nomination to lead the Department of Energy’s new infrastructure arm. (Image credit – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee) |
Energy Technology Nominees Defend Credentials
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing last week to consider President Biden’s nominees for three Department of Energy positions, including David Crane to be under secretary for infrastructure, the role responsible for stewarding funding DOE is receiving through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) criticized Crane’s nomination, pointing to his efforts while CEO of NRG Energy to pivot rapidly toward renewables, leading to his dismissal in 2016 by the company’s board of directors. Noting the move was preceded by a 63% decline in NRG’s share price, Barrasso asked, “Why should we believe that you’re going to manage the American people’s money better than you managed the NRG’s money?” Crane argued there were similar declines industry-wide, correlated with changes in natural gas prices, and suggested the integrity of the company’s bond-driven investments are a better barometer of his performance. Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) responded more positively to Crane’s nomination, while seeking assurances about his support for coal power, carbon capture technology, and hydrogen derived from natural gas. Crane affirmed he sees coal as a “fundamental part of the energy mix in the United States,” and later said to Barrasso, “Safe, affordable, reliable power — the three imperatives of this industry — have not changed in the 21st century. ... We’ve just added this imperative of decarbonization.”
Committee members expressed fewer concerns about the nominations of Jeff Marootian to lead the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Gene Rodrigues to lead the Office of Electricity, though Barrasso expressed skepticism that Marootian’s experience as head of the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation qualifies him for a role at DOE. Asked by Manchin about his background, Marootian pointed out that a significant part of EERE’s portfolio is in transportation technology and that he is broadly experienced in running large organizations.
‘Safeguarding Science Toolkit’ Released by US Agencies
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) announced last week it has assembled a “Safeguarding Science Toolkit” consisting of links to guidance documents from government agencies and academic organizations on issues such as grantee disclosure policies, cybersecurity, and mitigation of insider-threat and supply-chain risks. Among the resources are a matrix of research security policies implemented by federal agencies and a compilation of policy documents from Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden. Acting NCSC Director Michael Orlando said in a statement that the toolkit “is not a new government compliance program or prosecution effort, just a free online resource to help U.S. researchers mitigate today’s evolving risks so they can continue to innovate for the future.” NCSC developed the toolkit in partnership with the National Science Foundation and three other federal agencies. NSF has recently taken on a greater role in educating the research community about security risks and is preparing to set up a center focused on the topic, as directed by the CHIPS and Science Act.
NIST Sketches Out Vision for Semiconductor Technology Center
Last week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology provided an update on its plans for the National Semiconductor Technology Center, the centerpiece of the $11 billion semiconductor R&D effort funded by the CHIPS and Science Act. NIST states that the center will operate as a public-private consortium and focus on “challenging projects with a time horizon beyond five years.” The center will include both “in-house” research capabilities and a network of directly funded and affiliated entities throughout the country. NIST anticipates the NSTC will be operated as an independent entity reporting to a governing board with members drawn from industry, academia, and government. The agency states its plans for the center will consider stakeholder input, including recent reports by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Semiconductor Industry Association. NIST plans to release a white paper in the first quarter of next year that will flesh out the center’s governance model and offer a “landscape analysis” that identifies gaps in the semiconductor ecosystem.
NASA Releases Report Backing Webb Telescope Name Decision
On Nov. 18, NASA released its chief historian’s investigation into whether James Webb played a significant role in the mid-20th-century persecution of federal employees suspected of homosexuality, events now known as the Lavender Scare. Webb led NASA under Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and was a senior State Department official under President Harry Truman, and NASA named the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) after him in 2002 in honor of his efforts to integrate science into the agency’s mission. However, critics have called for that decision to be reversed in view of Webb’s connections to the Lavender Scare. The investigation concluded Webb’s documented participation in two high-level meetings on the matter in June 1950 do not deeply implicate him in a wave of State Department firings, most of which predated his arrival there, and it found no other evidence of his involvement. The investigation also found no evidence he knew of the 1963 firing of a NASA employee who was arrested for making a “homosexual advance.” It notes the firing was “highly likely — though sadly — considered unexceptional” at the time, as it was in line with a government-wide policy set by executive order in 1953.
In a statement, NASA reaffirmed its decision from last year not to rename the telescope, when NASA Administrator Bill Nelson indicated the agency had not found evidence that “warrants” a name change. However, leading critics of the name continue to press their case, arguing Webb’s positions of responsibility and his apparent knowledge of homophobic campaigns and policies are sufficient justification for renaming. Separately, the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society announced last month that until NASA released its findings it would expect authors submitting articles to its journals to only use the initials “JWST” in referring to the telescope. The American Astronomical Society has also stated that authors in its journals need not spell out the full name on first instance. (AAS is an AIP Member Society.)
Science Editor Seeks to Keep William Shockley Tied to His Racism
In an editorial last week introducing a special issue on the 75th anniversary of the transistor, Science Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp called out the journal’s inconsistent record in condemning the late-career racist crusade of physicist William Shockley, who won a share of the Nobel Prize for the transistor’s invention. Reviewing cases in which Science diluted Shockley’s virulence in descriptions of him and gave a platform to his defenders, Thorp wrote, “The lesson is that we at Science need to make more effort to think about everything that we do, not only from the standpoint of communicating science to the public, but also as an organization that, above all, supports all of humanity.” He continued, “As of today, a link to this editorial will appear along with any mention of Shockley in this journal. Make no mistake. Shockley was a racist. Shockley was a eugenicist. That’s all.”
Advanced Light Source Upgrade Moves Into Construction
Berkeley Lab announced last week that the Department of Energy has given the go-ahead for a major upgrade at the lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) facility to begin the main phase of construction, a management milestone known as critical decision 3. The project will multiply the brightness of the facility’s beams by at least 100 times, and includes the construction of a new storage ring and two new beamlines, as well as upgrades to two existing beamlines and the equipment’s seismic protection. Berkeley Lab anticipates that procurement and component assembly will take about three years, after which the facility will enter a one-year period of “dark time” for installation and commissioning. The project is expected to cost about $590 million, the most expensive at Berkeley Lab since ALS was built in 1993. Congress has provided the project about $300 million so far through the regular appropriations process and an additional $96.6 million through the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, November 21
Tuesday, November 22
Wednesday, November 23
Thursday, November 24
Thanksgiving Day.
Friday, November 25
No events.
Saturday, November 27
Materials Research Society: Fall meeting
(continues through Friday)
Monday, November 28
Tuesday, November 29
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Opportunities S&T Policy Think Tank Seeking Fellows
The Science and Technology Policy Institute is seeking candidates for its two-year fellowship program, which provides opportunities for recent bachelor’s degree recipients to contribute to research on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other federal science agencies. Candidates must have completed a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field between May 2021 and July 2023. Applications are due Jan. 16, 2023.
Medical Physics Society Hiring Government Relations Manager
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine is hiring a senior government relations manager to “develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive government affairs program,” including policy analysis and legislative advocacy at the state and federal level. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and five years relevant experience, and those with backgrounds in medical physics, science policy, or another scientific field are preferred.
Planetary Society Hiring Government Relations Director
The Planetary Society is hiring a government relations director to implement its federal policy and advocacy strategy. Candidates with formal training in science, engineering, or space policy and strong communications skills are preferred, though individuals without a scientific background will be considered provided they have at least five years of government relations experience in space-related fields. Application review will begin Dec. 1.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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