Gene J. Mikulka
@genejm1017.bsky.social
Founded the Talking Space Podcast in 2009.
Immersed in spaceflight since the Apollo days, Space Advocate and lovebird Dad. All Opinions are mine alone and don't reflect the position of the podcast. https://www.talkingspaceonline.com
Immersed in spaceflight since the Apollo days, Space Advocate and lovebird Dad. All Opinions are mine alone and don't reflect the position of the podcast. https://www.talkingspaceonline.com
Pinned
Gene J. Mikulka
@genejm1017.bsky.social
· Feb 17
For the final time with both of the girls, Maxine 🦅(who flew into eternity today 2/16/2025) and Emerald 🦜wish all peace. Fly high, my little bald eagle, fly high. #TheDailyLovebird (Video recorded 22 November, 2018)
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
Today has been a full trip down memory lane. Grateful + proud to have been part of these NASA-JPL teams.
I’ll add to @sciencesocks.bsky.social @stim3on.bsky.social et al. posts. Here’s my real-time (albeit world-in-quarantine) M2020 landing day & “7 Minutes of Terror” from 2021:
#PlanetarySci 🔭🧪
I’ll add to @sciencesocks.bsky.social @stim3on.bsky.social et al. posts. Here’s my real-time (albeit world-in-quarantine) M2020 landing day & “7 Minutes of Terror” from 2021:
#PlanetarySci 🔭🧪
February 19, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Today has been a full trip down memory lane. Grateful + proud to have been part of these NASA-JPL teams.
I’ll add to @sciencesocks.bsky.social @stim3on.bsky.social et al. posts. Here’s my real-time (albeit world-in-quarantine) M2020 landing day & “7 Minutes of Terror” from 2021:
#PlanetarySci 🔭🧪
I’ll add to @sciencesocks.bsky.social @stim3on.bsky.social et al. posts. Here’s my real-time (albeit world-in-quarantine) M2020 landing day & “7 Minutes of Terror” from 2021:
#PlanetarySci 🔭🧪
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
There's a call out for amateur astrophotographers to help support space-based missions and science projects!
Jove is an excellent target, and if you can acquire high-quality images from your backyard telescopes, then see the below post for more info.
This is cool community science!
🔭🧪
Jove is an excellent target, and if you can acquire high-quality images from your backyard telescopes, then see the below post for more info.
This is cool community science!
🔭🧪
We'd love to gather amateur Jupiter imaging over the next few weeks to provide context for this Jupiter campaign from #JWST (plus Juno with be flying by Feb 25th on #PerijoveDay!). More details here:
leighfletcher.substack.com/p/supporting...
leighfletcher.substack.com/p/supporting...
Supporting the JWST Jupiter Campaign in 2026
JWST is about to conduct its most comprehensive Jupiter campaign since 2022, and we're calling for amateur observers to share their images.
leighfletcher.substack.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:10 AM
There's a call out for amateur astrophotographers to help support space-based missions and science projects!
Jove is an excellent target, and if you can acquire high-quality images from your backyard telescopes, then see the below post for more info.
This is cool community science!
🔭🧪
Jove is an excellent target, and if you can acquire high-quality images from your backyard telescopes, then see the below post for more info.
This is cool community science!
🔭🧪
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
So how did you spend Super Bowl Sunday with temperatures below freezing? We spent at the BAA’s observatory. Glad we did because, we got this image of The Horsehead and Flame Nebula. More details in this blog post: astronomy716.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-... #space #astrophotography #astronomy
February 19, 2026 at 2:08 AM
So how did you spend Super Bowl Sunday with temperatures below freezing? We spent at the BAA’s observatory. Glad we did because, we got this image of The Horsehead and Flame Nebula. More details in this blog post: astronomy716.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-... #space #astrophotography #astronomy
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
it's incredible how fast the last 5 years have flown by. Happy anniversary to #Perseverance landing on Mars! 🎂🥳
If you want to relive this incredible moment, look no further than this remastered video of the #EDL by @stim3on.bsky.social @theseaning.bsky.social
🔭🐡🧪🎨
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhy...
If you want to relive this incredible moment, look no further than this remastered video of the #EDL by @stim3on.bsky.social @theseaning.bsky.social
🔭🐡🧪🎨
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhy...
Mars 2020 EDL Remastered
YouTube video by Simeon Schmauß
www.youtube.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:44 AM
it's incredible how fast the last 5 years have flown by. Happy anniversary to #Perseverance landing on Mars! 🎂🥳
If you want to relive this incredible moment, look no further than this remastered video of the #EDL by @stim3on.bsky.social @theseaning.bsky.social
🔭🐡🧪🎨
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhy...
If you want to relive this incredible moment, look no further than this remastered video of the #EDL by @stim3on.bsky.social @theseaning.bsky.social
🔭🐡🧪🎨
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhy...
An important resource here, gang!
My historical NASA budget dataset has a new home on The Planetary Society's website, and is now updated with all final FY 2026 details. New per-sheet CSV/XLSX download options as well! Check it out at: www.planetary.org/space-policy...
Historical NASA Budget Dataset
A comprehensive, open dataset of NASA budget requests, congressional appropriations, and workforce data from 1958 to the present.
www.planetary.org
February 19, 2026 at 3:16 AM
An important resource here, gang!
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
My historical NASA budget dataset has a new home on The Planetary Society's website, and is now updated with all final FY 2026 details. New per-sheet CSV/XLSX download options as well! Check it out at: www.planetary.org/space-policy...
Historical NASA Budget Dataset
A comprehensive, open dataset of NASA budget requests, congressional appropriations, and workforce data from 1958 to the present.
www.planetary.org
February 19, 2026 at 12:20 AM
My historical NASA budget dataset has a new home on The Planetary Society's website, and is now updated with all final FY 2026 details. New per-sheet CSV/XLSX download options as well! Check it out at: www.planetary.org/space-policy...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
5 years ago today! Can anyone send me to the next century, please?
Landing on Mars - NASA Persevererance
Full size image: flic.kr/p/2oA8d1p 🔭🧪
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Simeon Schmauß/AndreaLuck
A colourised version of the amazing mosaic processed by @stim3on.bsky.social (flic.kr/p/2ozrqnk)
Landing on Mars - NASA Persevererance
Full size image: flic.kr/p/2oA8d1p 🔭🧪
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Simeon Schmauß/AndreaLuck
A colourised version of the amazing mosaic processed by @stim3on.bsky.social (flic.kr/p/2ozrqnk)
February 18, 2026 at 10:08 PM
5 years ago today! Can anyone send me to the next century, please?
Landing on Mars - NASA Persevererance
Full size image: flic.kr/p/2oA8d1p 🔭🧪
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Simeon Schmauß/AndreaLuck
A colourised version of the amazing mosaic processed by @stim3on.bsky.social (flic.kr/p/2ozrqnk)
Landing on Mars - NASA Persevererance
Full size image: flic.kr/p/2oA8d1p 🔭🧪
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Simeon Schmauß/AndreaLuck
A colourised version of the amazing mosaic processed by @stim3on.bsky.social (flic.kr/p/2ozrqnk)
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
It sure does!
What if life on Earth works like a giant microbiome? 🌎🧪
@nytimes.com science writer Ferris Jabr helps us reimagine the planet as a complex living system, shaped by vast communities of organisms interacting across land, water, and air.
@nytimes.com science writer Ferris Jabr helps us reimagine the planet as a complex living system, shaped by vast communities of organisms interacting across land, water, and air.
Life on Earth Is a Microbiome
YouTube video by Museum of Science
youtube.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:48 AM
It sure does!
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
Extinction isn’t random.
Range size matters. Temperature tolerance matters. Climate change matters.
But there’s another piece we’ve long suspected: geography.
For 500 million years, the shape of continents helped shape survival.
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/rPvvUEM
Range size matters. Temperature tolerance matters. Climate change matters.
But there’s another piece we’ve long suspected: geography.
For 500 million years, the shape of continents helped shape survival.
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/rPvvUEM
Why the Shape of Continents Mattered Across 500 Million Years of Climate Change
New fossil evidence shows how geography influenced who survived Earth’s climate shifts
climateages.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Extinction isn’t random.
Range size matters. Temperature tolerance matters. Climate change matters.
But there’s another piece we’ve long suspected: geography.
For 500 million years, the shape of continents helped shape survival.
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/rPvvUEM
Range size matters. Temperature tolerance matters. Climate change matters.
But there’s another piece we’ve long suspected: geography.
For 500 million years, the shape of continents helped shape survival.
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/rPvvUEM
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
🚀 SWF is launching a new policy program with @councilonstrategicrisks.org & GCSP to strengthen the Outer Space Treaty and deter nuclear weapons in space.
The Dialogue will raise awareness, advance verification tools & convene global experts to reinforce Treaty obligations.🔗 Learn more:bit.ly/4rVbNQm
The Dialogue will raise awareness, advance verification tools & convene global experts to reinforce Treaty obligations.🔗 Learn more:bit.ly/4rVbNQm
February 18, 2026 at 7:46 PM
🚀 SWF is launching a new policy program with @councilonstrategicrisks.org & GCSP to strengthen the Outer Space Treaty and deter nuclear weapons in space.
The Dialogue will raise awareness, advance verification tools & convene global experts to reinforce Treaty obligations.🔗 Learn more:bit.ly/4rVbNQm
The Dialogue will raise awareness, advance verification tools & convene global experts to reinforce Treaty obligations.🔗 Learn more:bit.ly/4rVbNQm
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Hubble Identifies One of Darkest Known Galaxies science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...
NASA’s Hubble Identifies One of Darkest Known Galaxies - NASA Science
Hubble identified a rare dark galaxy — a low-surface-brightness galaxy dominated by dark matter and containing only a sparse scattering of faint stars.
science.nasa.gov
February 18, 2026 at 4:11 PM
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Hubble Identifies One of Darkest Known Galaxies science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Perseverance Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location on Mars www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-p...
NASA Gives Perseverance Rover "GPS" for Autonomous Mars Driving
Using the new Mars Global Localization algorithm, NASA’s Perseverance rover can now pinpoint its exact location without help from engineers on Earth.
www.jpl.nasa.gov
February 18, 2026 at 5:37 PM
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Perseverance Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location on Mars www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-p...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
NASA is promoting their Career Pathways intern program www.nasa.gov/careers/path... - Oddly every field center is listed except #NASA Goddard which is in the midst of a significant downsizing effort.
February 18, 2026 at 4:45 PM
NASA is promoting their Career Pathways intern program www.nasa.gov/careers/path... - Oddly every field center is listed except #NASA Goddard which is in the midst of a significant downsizing effort.
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
European Space Agency / Hubble: Hubble Identifies One of Darkest Known Galaxies esahubble.org/news/heic260...
Hubble identifies one of darkest known galaxies - The elusive object dubbed CDG-2 may be composed of 99% dark matter
Most galaxies in the nearby Universe are quite luminous, but some are so faint they’re nearly invisible. Astronomers, using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in combination with other observatories,...
esahubble.org
February 18, 2026 at 5:57 PM
European Space Agency / Hubble: Hubble Identifies One of Darkest Known Galaxies esahubble.org/news/heic260...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
AIAA has a new report with BryceTech on "Technologies Transforming Aerospace." aiaa.org/resources/te...
They'll have a webinar on Monday, March 2, at noon to discuss the report.
aiaa.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
These are the top 10:
They'll have a webinar on Monday, March 2, at noon to discuss the report.
aiaa.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
These are the top 10:
February 18, 2026 at 6:10 PM
AIAA has a new report with BryceTech on "Technologies Transforming Aerospace." aiaa.org/resources/te...
They'll have a webinar on Monday, March 2, at noon to discuss the report.
aiaa.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
These are the top 10:
They'll have a webinar on Monday, March 2, at noon to discuss the report.
aiaa.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
These are the top 10:
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
"For space, the government is looking at the following prioritized sub-sectors: Space-Based Intelligence; Surveillance and Reconnaissance; Space Domain Awareness; Satellite Communications; and Space Launch." spaceq.ca/space-identi...
Space identified as a key sovereign capability in new Defence Industrial Strategy
Space is now a "Sovereign Capability." Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy backs domestic capabilities with new "Build-Partner-Buy" framework.
spaceq.ca
February 18, 2026 at 3:11 PM
"For space, the government is looking at the following prioritized sub-sectors: Space-Based Intelligence; Surveillance and Reconnaissance; Space Domain Awareness; Satellite Communications; and Space Launch." spaceq.ca/space-identi...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
The timeline for the WDR is in this NASA press release (keep scrolling down): www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...
Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Countdown Begins - NASA
The countdown for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal is underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
www.nasa.gov
February 18, 2026 at 6:43 PM
The timeline for the WDR is in this NASA press release (keep scrolling down): www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
The second Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal is underway. Tanking and the practice countdown are tomorrow (Feb 19) that could run over into the wee hours of Feb 20. NASA will have a post-WDR news conf at 11:00 am that day (Friday).
Watch on YouTube. www.youtube.com/@NASA/streams
Watch on YouTube. www.youtube.com/@NASA/streams
February 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM
The second Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal is underway. Tanking and the practice countdown are tomorrow (Feb 19) that could run over into the wee hours of Feb 20. NASA will have a post-WDR news conf at 11:00 am that day (Friday).
Watch on YouTube. www.youtube.com/@NASA/streams
Watch on YouTube. www.youtube.com/@NASA/streams
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper James Webb Space Telescope images
Weird ‘Little Red Dots’ in space are something we’ve never seen
Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper James Webb Space Telescope images
www.scientificamerican.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper James Webb Space Telescope images
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Astronomers May Have Just Found One of the Missing Links in Galaxy Evolution www.umass.edu/news/article...
An International Team of Astronomers Led by UMass Amherst May Have Just Found One of the Missing Links in Galaxy Evolution | UMass Amherst
The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, reveals previously unknown dusty, star-forming galaxies almost 13 billion years old, helping to revise the history of the universe.
www.umass.edu
February 18, 2026 at 5:42 AM
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Astronomers May Have Just Found One of the Missing Links in Galaxy Evolution www.umass.edu/news/article...
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
In a recent SETI Live episode, Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, spoke with Dr. Caitlin Ahrens, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, about how Artemis II prepares the way for the next generation of lunar missions. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Learn more:
Learn more:
Back to the Moon
www.seti.org
February 17, 2026 at 9:00 PM
In a recent SETI Live episode, Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, spoke with Dr. Caitlin Ahrens, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, about how Artemis II prepares the way for the next generation of lunar missions. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Learn more:
Learn more:
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
#PPOD: Astronomers have captured images of a star other than the Sun in enough detail to track the motion of bubbling gas on its surface. The images of the star R Doradus were obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in July and August 2023. 🧪 🔭
February 17, 2026 at 4:03 PM
#PPOD: Astronomers have captured images of a star other than the Sun in enough detail to track the motion of bubbling gas on its surface. The images of the star R Doradus were obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in July and August 2023. 🧪 🔭
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
Russell Schwartz (B.S. ’22, mathematics, B.S. ’22, computer science) is taking space exploration into the future as a senior perception software engineer for Astrobotic.
He developed robotics and navigation systems for the upcoming Griffin-1 mission to the moon ⤵️ 🧪 🔭
He developed robotics and navigation systems for the upcoming Griffin-1 mission to the moon ⤵️ 🧪 🔭
From ‘Math Nerd’ to Mission Engineer | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland
Inspired by a college internship, Russell Schwartz (B.S. ’22, mathematics, B.S.
go.umd.edu
February 17, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Russell Schwartz (B.S. ’22, mathematics, B.S. ’22, computer science) is taking space exploration into the future as a senior perception software engineer for Astrobotic.
He developed robotics and navigation systems for the upcoming Griffin-1 mission to the moon ⤵️ 🧪 🔭
He developed robotics and navigation systems for the upcoming Griffin-1 mission to the moon ⤵️ 🧪 🔭
Reposted by Gene J. Mikulka
In my latest for @space.com, here's (at least part of) how planets get their organic chemistry starter kits: 🧪
Astronomers discover chemicals that could seed life in the core of a developing star
An organic molecule called methanimine was found scattered throughout a dense clump of gas and dust 554 light-years away.
www.space.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:35 PM
In my latest for @space.com, here's (at least part of) how planets get their organic chemistry starter kits: 🧪