Michael Park
@mpark.bsky.social
American author, lives in Scotland
www.michaelparkauthor.com
www.michaelparkauthor.com
Maybe I'm naive, but that's not how I read what he's doing. This bickering aside, I get why you & others would be hostile to him. My one other thought on this is: how much of this is about the project & how much is about him (i.e., if someone(s) more reputable proposed this, would it be ok)?
November 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Maybe I'm naive, but that's not how I read what he's doing. This bickering aside, I get why you & others would be hostile to him. My one other thought on this is: how much of this is about the project & how much is about him (i.e., if someone(s) more reputable proposed this, would it be ok)?
You've clearly made up your mind but FWIW if there is a good case that Loeb's project would sabotage or undermine other astronomy initiatives somehow, I genuinely think somebody should make that argument. That would be persuasive, to me at least.
November 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
You've clearly made up your mind but FWIW if there is a good case that Loeb's project would sabotage or undermine other astronomy initiatives somehow, I genuinely think somebody should make that argument. That would be persuasive, to me at least.
Whereas you've pitched the UN to fund research? Not sure I see how Loeb's pitch to the UN diverts money from UK or U.S. funding priorities for astronomy & also curious if you really don't think the U.S. govt is involved in deciding science funding priorities at this moment in history..?
November 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Whereas you've pitched the UN to fund research? Not sure I see how Loeb's pitch to the UN diverts money from UK or U.S. funding priorities for astronomy & also curious if you really don't think the U.S. govt is involved in deciding science funding priorities at this moment in history..?
No, science is usually funded by the government & sometimes the ppl making those funding decisions are scientists; sometimes they're politicians. It's also bitterly competitive. Even in the best case, scientists don't agree about funding priorities. And his priority isn't crazy to me.
November 12, 2025 at 1:52 PM
No, science is usually funded by the government & sometimes the ppl making those funding decisions are scientists; sometimes they're politicians. It's also bitterly competitive. Even in the best case, scientists don't agree about funding priorities. And his priority isn't crazy to me.
That's not how I interpret it. I don't think he's saying shut down everything else that's happening in astronomy (which is also not under the auspices of the UN), but instead trying to get a new initiative going that has more international participation/support. He is obsessed, tho, I agree w that.
November 12, 2025 at 1:50 PM
That's not how I interpret it. I don't think he's saying shut down everything else that's happening in astronomy (which is also not under the auspices of the UN), but instead trying to get a new initiative going that has more international participation/support. He is obsessed, tho, I agree w that.
Within that budget, he is proposing a budget of $15m for a staff of 25. If you're suspicious, I guess you could say he's hoping to collect an extra paycheck from this to help run the thing, rather than doing it for free..? Right or wrong, he could make that money elsewhere; deans at Harvard make $1m
November 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Within that budget, he is proposing a budget of $15m for a staff of 25. If you're suspicious, I guess you could say he's hoping to collect an extra paycheck from this to help run the thing, rather than doing it for free..? Right or wrong, he could make that money elsewhere; deans at Harvard make $1m
Very much not what the white paper said. He proposed the creation of a "United Nations Committee on Interstellar Objects (UNCIO)" & funding of $1.08b over 10 yrs, all under the UN. Not sure how this would "give him" the money/control, if he's at Harvard running Galileo. share.google/VZcUunHKOump...
Advancing Interstellar Science: A Global Framework for Comprehensive Study of Interstellar Objects
by Omer Eldadi (1), Gershon Tenenbaum (1) and Avi Loeb (2)
share.google
November 12, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Very much not what the white paper said. He proposed the creation of a "United Nations Committee on Interstellar Objects (UNCIO)" & funding of $1.08b over 10 yrs, all under the UN. Not sure how this would "give him" the money/control, if he's at Harvard running Galileo. share.google/VZcUunHKOump...
