Logan Abbott’s Post

NASA Aircraft Uncovers Cold War Nuclear Missile Tunnels Under Greenland Ice: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Space.com: NASA scientists conducting surveys of arctic ice sheets in Greenland got an unprecedented view of an abandoned "city under the ice" built by the U.S. military during the Cold War. During a scientific flight in April 2024, a NASA Gulfstream III aircraft flew over the Greenland Ice Sheet carrying radar instruments to map the depth of the ice sheet and the layers of bedrock below it. The images revealed a new view of Camp Century, a Cold War-era U.S. military base consisting of a series of tunnels carved directly into the ice sheet. As it turns out, this abandoned "secret city" was the site of a secret Cold War project known as Project Iceworm which called for the construction of 2,500 miles (4,023 km) of tunnels that could be used to nuclear intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) at the Soviet Union. "We were looking for the bed of the ice and out pops Camp Century. We didn't know what it was at first," said NASA's Chad Greene, a cryospheric scientist at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in an agency statement. "In the new data, individual structures in the secret city are visible in a way that they've never been seen before." "Weapons, sewage, fuel and other contaminants were buried at Camp Century when it was abandoned, but the thawing Greenland Ice Sheet threatens to unbury these dangerous relics," reports Space.com. In 2017, the U.S. government issued a statement saying it "acknowledges the reality of climate change and the risk it poses" and will "work with the Danish government and the Greenland authorities to settle questions of mutual security" over Camp Century. Scientists are using Camp Century to serve as a warning and a signpost to measure how climate change is affecting the area. You can learn more about Camp Century in a restored declassified U.S. Army film on YouTube. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The commercial space sector is experiencing unprecedented growth - is your company ready to tackle the realities of launch logistics? Nuclear energy is necessary for the future of spaceflight, but navigating U.S. policy around nuclear regulation can be a challenge. ACSP's Space Nuclear Policy Summit gives you the framework for success when it comes to handling policy surrounding nuclear missions. Join us for a day of #thoughtleadership discussion and collaboration from experts across the space and nuclear sector - speakers include representatives from NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, Sandia National Laboratories, BWX Technologies, Inc. and more. We invite you and your company to be part of this important conversation surrounding space nuclear policy. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please reach out to us at info@acsp.space. We look forward to welcoming your insight, innovation, and expertise! 🚀🛰️💫 #nuclearenergy #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #policy #regulatory #space #spacesector #aerospace #STEMleadership #womeninSTEM #launch #goforlaunch #toolsforsuccess #publicpolicy #washingtondc #conference #opportunity #growth

From 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈: "If the Carrington Event or even a CME of half its strength occurred today, the sunward-facing portion of the globe would be digitally disabled, and their electrical grids would be down, perhaps for good. The odds of such a storm hitting in the next ten years are probably between one in two hundred and one in fifty ... How might a nuclear power on the unlucky side of the globe act, knowing that they were about to be laid low and left at the mercy of their geopolitical rivals? ... The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) and the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) operated by NOAA and NASA watch the Sun from L1. When the bad day comes, they will radio a warning to Earth, giving us twenty to sixty minutes to prepare. This is adequate time for many critical governmental, military, and commercial systems to be powered down and sensitive gear secured inside Faraday cages, metal mesh boxes that protect sensitive equipment from electrical charges. Political leaders will be able to communicate assurances to their allies and rivals, and emergency assistance could be initiated." I argue: 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗔𝗦𝗔 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 and extremely affordable compared to DoD expenditures. Order at https://a.co/d/fE1bvSY (Photo: Paul Olliges, Lake Stevens, WA)

Russia this week vetoed a draft resolution before the United Nations Security Council that would have called on countries to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space.......“Some people don’t want to hear this … but—absolutely—we’re going to fight in space.” U.S. Space Command Commander-in-Chief General Joseph W. Ashy 1996. The shift in the nature of space exploration: from government-directed to public-private consortiums, is igniting a developed space economy, estimated to be worth in excess of $3Trillion in the next 25 years. There is no question that with the deployment of spy satellites and weapons testing, Low Earth Orbit is becoming militarized. There is no current, explicit prohibition on ‘militarizing’ space, except the banning of weapons of mass destruction and specifically that the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies should be for exclusively peaceful purposes, detailed in the ineffectual Moon treaty, signed by 16 countries, but not ratified by the three states that are involved in human spaceflight, therefore it has little relevancy in international law. The veto comes after U.S. officials alleged earlier this year that Moscow is developing a new space-based nuclear weapon to destroy satellites. China was the only nation to abstain from the vote, and Russia the only vote against the measure. The other 13 members, voted in favor. #russia #UnitedNations #UN #nuclear #nuclearweapon #international #internationaltreaty #defenseindustry #weapon #law #CBRN #CBRNE CBRNE ATLANTIC BRIDGE (CAB) NCT Consultants #space #spacelaw #defence

NASA intends to deploy a nuclear electric propulsion system with a football field-sized radiator, assembled by robots, for Mars travel. The project, named MARVL, aims to manage nuclear propulsion's waste heat via modular assembly in space. By assembling the radiator in space, NASA overcomes launch constraints and contributes to spacecraft design innovation. #Spacecraft #NuclearPropulsion #Marvl https://lnkd.in/g7aaGQsh

NASA has chosen Westinghouse to continue the development of a space microreactor design for a fission reactor that could provide astronauts a reliable power supply for use on the Moon and beyond. Westinghouse said it is leveraging its eVinci microreactor technology to develop a resilient and mass efficient nuclear electric power and propulsion system for satellite, spacecraft and planetary surface power applications. #westinghouse #eVinci #nuclear #nuclearenergy https://lnkd.in/dvpN5X2g

Russia and China’s space-based nuclear ASAT advancements present immediate risks to U.S. military space systems. Both nations are leveraging nuclear capabilities to disrupt space networks, threatening U.S. reliance on proliferated satellite constellations. CRG’s SME-Based Opportunities, INTERIM Advice & Differentiators: Opp - Space Resilience & Nuclear Hardening: The U.S. must build resilient satellites that can withstand nuclear effects like enhanced radiation belts and EMPs. -         Advice: Invest in radiation-hardened systems and AI-driven satellite autonomy for real-time response and recovery. -         Differentiator: CRG’s expertise in space-hardening positions clients to deliver durable, mission-critical satellite solutions. Opp - AI & Autonomous Space Operations: Russia’s and China’s strategies necessitate AI-enhanced satellites for automated adjustments and survivability. -         Advice: Develop autonomous systems to maintain operational tempo under nuclear stress. -         Differentiator: CRG equips clients with cutting-edge AI tools to optimize satellite performance in contested environments. Opp - EMP Defense: Space detonations risk critical terrestrial infrastructure. -         Advice: Offer EMP-hardened systems for both space and ground networks. -         Differentiator: CRG’s EMP defense solutions safeguard mission continuity across all domains. Contact CRG today for expertise in space resilience and EMP defense. 👉 crgroupinc.com | contact@crgroupinc.com #CRG #SpaceWarfare #NuclearASAT #DefenseInnovation #AI #EMPDefense #SatelliteSecurity #EW #Nuclear #ASAT #Satellites #NationalDefense #NationalSecurity #EMP

General Atomics is stoked with recent tests successfully conducted in collaboration with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, to verify the ability of the GA-EMS design-specific nuclear fuel to meet the high-performance specifications required to withstand the extreme operational conditions expected to advance the development of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) reactor technology for rapid, agile cislunar transportation and deep space missions, including human missions to Mars. During the tests, the fuel was subjected to the maximum heat of a reactor for 20 minutes. That’s 4,220 degree Fahrenheit (2600 K) that a NTP reactor operating in space would typically encounter. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration General Atomics Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) – Idaho National Lab (INL) #Space #Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric Company has been awarded a major contract from NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue developing a space microreactor as part of the Fission Surface Power (FSP) project. This project will help design small, nuclear fission reactors capable of providing astronauts with reliable, long-term power on the moon — and even future deep space missions. The contract, awarded through Idaho National Laboratory, will allow Westinghouse to test critical reactor technology and move closer to making a lunar microreactor demonstration a reality within the next decade. It's exciting to see our region playing a critical role in shaping the future of space exploration! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eDcJTnFA