Monisha Ravisetti

The grief of a fandom: on Starship, Musk and losing the spark Why do people defend someone who has done things that are frankly terrible?

If anyone asks me how I feel about SpaceX I'll just be sending them this story from @emilycarney.bsky.social

spacenews.com/the-grief-of...

Alsoooo Radiohead mentioned

NASA's been pulling out of major astronomy meetings — and scientists are feeling the effects "We are given rules by our own institutions about what we can and cannot say."

The huge elephant in the room at AAS this month was that NASA dropped out last minute — especially because this was the first of these huge astronomy meetings to take place since Trump took office. “Honestly, it’s been a little devastating,” one scientist told me. www.space.com/astronomy/na...

Climate scientists are hosting a 100-hour YouTube livestream in response to Trump's research funding cuts "We really felt like the American public deserves to know what we do."

More than 200 climate and weather scientists from across the U.S. are taking part in a marathon livestream on YouTube
www.space.com/science/clim...

'This is an attack on NASA.' Space agency's largest union speaks out as DOGE cuts shutter science institute located above 'Seinfeld' diner in NYC The Trump administration is closing a historic NASA science office in the name of efficiency, but critics point out that the move won't actually save much money.

Did a little in-person reporting yesterday as NASA’s GISS lab in Manhattan was cleared out following DOGE cuts. 🧪🌏

If you're a current/former NASA employee interested in discussing workplace events following recent agency policy changes, my dms are open. You can also reach me at the emails in my bio. Comments can remain anonymous; I absolutely won't identify you unless you're okay with it. Signal: mravisetti.32

NASA celebrated this employee's story of resilience, then tried to scrub it from the internet. Then fired her. "It feels like everything that I worked for has been taken down little by little."

Must-read article from @joshdinner.bsky.social today that magnifies the injustice of Trump's DEI purge by chronicling the story of one NASA employee who was impacted:

www.space.com/space-explor...

A pregnant woman in Gaza’s ruins fears for her baby under Israel’s blockade Israel’s military campaign decimating the Gaza Strip has made pregnancy and childbirth more dangerous for Palestinian women and their babies.

"Dr. Yasmine Shnina, a Doctors Without Borders supervisor of midwives at Nasser Hospital, documented 40 miscarriages a week in recent weeks. She has recorded five women a month dying in childbirth, compared with around two a year before the war."

apnews.com/article/isra...

Did we actually find signs of alien life on K2-18b? 'We should expect some false alarms and this may be one' "A needle in the haystack, or just a sharp piece of hay?"

An excellent article with many voices discussing why we should be super careful when talking about those newly announced possible signs of alien life: www.space.com/space-explor...

@skuthunur.bsky.social

Promising hints of life found on distant planet K2-18b Scientists find new but tentative evidence that a faraway world orbiting another star may be home to life.

An astonishing headline reporting on new observations from a team led to Nikku Madhusudhan claims they’ve found ‘hints of life’ on a planet orbiting a dwarf star some 124 light years away. What’s going on? (1/n) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🔭 🧪

Let’s Not Lose The Plot Unfortunately, the truth isn't the only thing that matters.

substack 4/14

earthlingnews.substack.com/p/lets-not-l...

Trump administration could slash NASA science budget by 50%, reports suggest Budget passback documents reportedly suggest the White House wants to cut NASA's budget by half — possibly closing down Goddard Space Flight Center.

"We would see, in this case, the majority of active science missions and in-development science missions completely wiped out," Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, tells me.

www.space.com/space-explor...

Elon Musk's DOGE team given 'alarming degree' of access to NASA systems, House Democrats say "None of these three individuals possess the slightest background or experience in space policy or government service."

House Democrats say DOGE staffers have been given “unrestricted physical access” to NASA facilities: www.space.com/the-universe...

A total solar eclipse from 2471 B.C. may have shaken Egypt's cult of the sun "It is always difficult to establish if the eclipses were seen in the ancient past as bad omens or good omens."

Just a really cool story I was lucky enough to write: www.space.com/the-universe...

Always such a pleasure to work with the brilliant @skuthunur.bsky.social!

'Their loss diminishes us all': Scientists emphasize how Trump's mass NOAA layoffs endanger the world "From our perspective down in the trenches actually working for the government, it feels like the people up top just have no clue about anything."

Spoke with climate experts and sources at (or recently let go from) NOAA about what Trump's massive, abrupt federal layoffs specifically mean for our safety.

"It's a lot of expertise lost across the board, and it makes our country less safe."

www.space.com/the-universe...

It is always a pleasure to work with the brilliant @skuthunur.bsky.social

‘NO OTHER LAND’ doesn’t have a U.S. distributor yet.

It just won the #Oscar for Best Documentary

See the full winners list: bit.ly/OscarWins25

Over the weekend, the odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting the Earth in 2032 went to zero.

Its Torino Scale number is now zero.

gg everyone.

NASA massively lowers impact risk of 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 to 1 in 360 Don't worry. Asteroid 2024 YR4 now has a 99.72% chance of missing Earth in 2032.

we're literally chillin www.space.com/asteroid-202...

Over 1,000 NASA employees saved from dismissal as Trump downsizes federal workforce "These public servants — many of whom are just starting their careers— represent the future of NASA."

thorough rundown of what's been going on regarding possible nasa layoffs from @skuthunur.bsky.social www.space.com/the-universe...

If you're a current/former NASA employee and would like to discuss your workplace experience following recent policy changes, my dms are open. You can also contact me at the emails in my bio. Comments can remain anonymous if preferred; I will absolutely not identify you unless you're okay with it.

Is Pluto a planet or not? Who cares! Our love for the King of the Kuiper Belt is stronger than ever 95 years later The controversy endures over Pluto's true status, but the solar system underdog continues to capture hearts across the globe.

the story of pluto needs a netflix series pls www.space.com/the-universe...

Handwritten notes on a metal table at the National Science Foundation, 2/18/25. The messages include "You deserve better! Thank you!"; "Thank you colleagues! This RIF is WRONG. These orders are immoral & illegal"; and "Your service will forever be remembered and deeply valued - ENG directorate".

This morning, the US National Science Foundation fired 168 employees, approximately 10% of its workforce, for no cause other than they were the agency's most recent hires. 🧪

Co-workers are leaving supportive messages before they have to clear out of the building at 5 p.m. Sent to me by a source ⬇️

Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders could jeopardize safety of Nasa crews Cuts to federal workforce due to Trump’s orders are further compounding pre-existing staffing concerns, sources say

The main takeaways from NASA's most tragic failures over the past 50 years – the loss of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles – was an overreliance on siloed thinking.

NASA's purge of DEI may be putting its crews in jeopardy once again.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

NASA HQ verbally orders employees to purge workspaces of LGBTQI+ symbols "This is a ridiculous overstep and direct assault on NASA HQ employees' free speech and humanity."

"This is a ridiculous overstep and direct assault on NASA HQ employees' free speech and humanity."

update by @joshdinner.bsky.social

www.space.com/space-explor...

Emails:

monisha.ravisetti@protonmail.com
mravisetti@space.com

You can also securely chat me on Signal: mravisetti.32

Scientists alarmed as Rubin Observatory changes biography of astronomer Vera Rubin amid Trump's push to end DEI efforts "The idea that they can somehow obliterate these sources is dead wrong — scientists in general and astronomers in particular are not going to take these threats lying down."

"She was a huge champion for women in science in particular because she faced things that were discriminatory for women — diminishing those stories is pretty disturbing, frankly."

Must read by @skuthunur.bsky.social

www.space.com/the-universe...

Trump policies sow chaos, confusion across scientific community U.S. scientists, unaccustomed to shock-and-awe political assaults, are reeling from President Donald Trump’s executive orders on DEI, gender and other subjects.

When Scientific American endorsed Harris, many scientists and science-friendly people were supportive and grateful, but some said: stick to science, science isn’t political, etc. But reality-denying right-wing fanatics will absolutely come for the scientists www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

If you're a current/former NASA employee and would like to discuss your workplace experience following recent policy changes, my dms are open. You can also contact me at the emails in my bio. Comments can remain anonymous if preferred; I will absolutely not identify you unless you're okay with it.