Chase Million
@millionconcepts.com
CEO of Million Concepts. We build systems that turn complex data into useful information for decision makers and subject matter experts.
Astronomer and planetary scientist. Software engineer. Project manager. Magician. Writer at sol-orietur.ghost.io
Astronomer and planetary scientist. Software engineer. Project manager. Magician. Writer at sol-orietur.ghost.io
I was a software engineer for the data processing for GALEX. It is an incredible mission and data set. It was a Medium Explorer (MidEx) mission crammed into a Small Explorer (SmEx) budget. It nearly didn't make it to launch, and then batted really far above its weight on science impact. Still does.
I love this GALEX ultraviolet view of Andromeda. I wrote about it a few years back: slate.com/technology/2...
November 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I was a software engineer for the data processing for GALEX. It is an incredible mission and data set. It was a Medium Explorer (MidEx) mission crammed into a Small Explorer (SmEx) budget. It nearly didn't make it to launch, and then batted really far above its weight on science impact. Still does.
Reposted by Chase Million
The Planetary Society's Casey Dreier provides some added perspective on all the changes that are swirling around NASA and the plan to put American astronauts on the moon. Here's a report from #ScienceWriters2025 ... cosmiclog.com/2025/11/14/n...
NASA faces another shift in its leadership — and its vision
NASA is facing increasingly sharp challenges as it pursues its goal of landing astronauts on the moon again before this decade is out — and as the space agency braces for another leadership change,…
cosmiclog.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:08 AM
The Planetary Society's Casey Dreier provides some added perspective on all the changes that are swirling around NASA and the plan to put American astronauts on the moon. Here's a report from #ScienceWriters2025 ... cosmiclog.com/2025/11/14/n...
Reposted by Chase Million
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 14, 2025 at 5:16 PM
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Chase Million
Clean Energy accounted for all electricity growth this year. Gas/Coal were basically a wash and will be for years to come for electricity generation.
We need to ramp up batteries because they are 90% cheaper than distribution grid upgrades which is the main reason we have rate increases.
We need to ramp up batteries because they are 90% cheaper than distribution grid upgrades which is the main reason we have rate increases.
November 14, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Clean Energy accounted for all electricity growth this year. Gas/Coal were basically a wash and will be for years to come for electricity generation.
We need to ramp up batteries because they are 90% cheaper than distribution grid upgrades which is the main reason we have rate increases.
We need to ramp up batteries because they are 90% cheaper than distribution grid upgrades which is the main reason we have rate increases.
Reposted by Chase Million
Here's the blooper version I mentioned. (I have no idea who the uploader is or how they got a copy of this. But I am glad that it survives.)
Mars Rover Blooper Reel
YouTube video by theropod
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Here's the blooper version I mentioned. (I have no idea who the uploader is or how they got a copy of this. But I am glad that it survives.)
It's the Mars Exploration Rover video (aka Spirit and Opportunity). Dan Maas created this video by himself (in consultation with the PI Steve Squyres) while an undergraduate (at 16yo!), using a bunch of tech that he built himself, including significant advances to 3D animation. He won an Emmy.
November 14, 2025 at 12:49 AM
It's the Mars Exploration Rover video (aka Spirit and Opportunity). Dan Maas created this video by himself (in consultation with the PI Steve Squyres) while an undergraduate (at 16yo!), using a bunch of tech that he built himself, including significant advances to 3D animation. He won an Emmy.
Reposted by Chase Million
Blue Origin just landed booster on 2nd orbital launch. 99,000lb to LEO compared to 110,000lb for 3 booster Falcon Heavy with all 3 landing. This is a leap frog. Today's payloads are headed to Mars in the next few hours. Different dev approach than Starship. Slower but cheaper, and ultimately faster.
November 13, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Blue Origin just landed booster on 2nd orbital launch. 99,000lb to LEO compared to 110,000lb for 3 booster Falcon Heavy with all 3 landing. This is a leap frog. Today's payloads are headed to Mars in the next few hours. Different dev approach than Starship. Slower but cheaper, and ultimately faster.
Reposted by Chase Million
This pops up EVERY TIME I click on an Elsevier paper and the only thing stopping me from tossing my laptop into the Grand Canyon about this is the knowledge that the Grand Canyon doesn't want my laptop either
November 13, 2025 at 5:33 PM
This pops up EVERY TIME I click on an Elsevier paper and the only thing stopping me from tossing my laptop into the Grand Canyon about this is the knowledge that the Grand Canyon doesn't want my laptop either
Reposted by Chase Million
the entire ship careens over on her side; every bolt in her starts like the nail-heads of an old house in frosty weather; she trembles, quivers, and nods her frighted mast-heads to the sky
November 13, 2025 at 1:47 AM
the entire ship careens over on her side; every bolt in her starts like the nail-heads of an old house in frosty weather; she trembles, quivers, and nods her frighted mast-heads to the sky
Reposted by Chase Million
The Planetary Society and members of the Save NASA Science coalition have released a statement congratulating Jared Isaacman on his re-nomination for NASA Administrator:
www.planetary.org/press-releas...
www.planetary.org/press-releas...
Statement on the re-nomination of Jared Isaacman for NASA…
Members of the Save NASA Science campaign extend sincere congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his nomination to be NASA Administrator.
www.planetary.org
November 12, 2025 at 7:32 PM
The Planetary Society and members of the Save NASA Science coalition have released a statement congratulating Jared Isaacman on his re-nomination for NASA Administrator:
www.planetary.org/press-releas...
www.planetary.org/press-releas...
The night sky will be really interesting this month. Following unusually high solar flare and aurora activity this week, you can look forward to the Starlink meteor shower. (Did you know that we often name meteor showers after the constellations from which they appear to originate?)
We have upgraded our geomagnetic forecast today (12 November 2025) to the highest intensity level amid an ongoing solar storm.
Current predictions suggest that the activity will result in potentially the largest solar storm to hit our planet in over two decades.
Current predictions suggest that the activity will result in potentially the largest solar storm to hit our planet in over two decades.
November 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The night sky will be really interesting this month. Following unusually high solar flare and aurora activity this week, you can look forward to the Starlink meteor shower. (Did you know that we often name meteor showers after the constellations from which they appear to originate?)
Reposted by Chase Million
US science is under assault like never before, but in response the scientific community can build an alliance for independent science--that can fill gaps left by the decimation of Federal science and reimagine the role of science in policy and society. 🧵 blog.ucs.org/genna-reed/u...
UCS Is Building an Alliance for Independent Science
UCS is working to build a powerful alliance for independent science. Its new web resource hosts information and resources for current and former advisory committee members, current and former federal ...
blog.ucs.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM
US science is under assault like never before, but in response the scientific community can build an alliance for independent science--that can fill gaps left by the decimation of Federal science and reimagine the role of science in policy and society. 🧵 blog.ucs.org/genna-reed/u...
This is why we need new tools like Science Explorer (SciX) more than ever before. Purpose built. Intentionally curated. And mostly isolated from the forces that drive enshittification.
SciX just left beta! Unfortunately, NASA has already cut off its funding before it has a chance to thrive.
SciX just left beta! Unfortunately, NASA has already cut off its funding before it has a chance to thrive.
November 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
This is why we need new tools like Science Explorer (SciX) more than ever before. Purpose built. Intentionally curated. And mostly isolated from the forces that drive enshittification.
SciX just left beta! Unfortunately, NASA has already cut off its funding before it has a chance to thrive.
SciX just left beta! Unfortunately, NASA has already cut off its funding before it has a chance to thrive.
Solar beats coal now, purely on physics, without subsidies. People find this hard to believe, including me! It takes 5-10+ years to build a coal or nuclear plant. But just 2-3 years to build a solar plant. We still need a lot of batteries to spread the wealth through the night, but they are coming.
This is the other one. With fossil fuels, discovery costs rise while tech costs fall, meaning prices stay roughly the same (inflation-adjusted) over time. With electrotech, discovery costs are $0, so the only dynamic is falling tech costs. Victory is inevitable.
November 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Solar beats coal now, purely on physics, without subsidies. People find this hard to believe, including me! It takes 5-10+ years to build a coal or nuclear plant. But just 2-3 years to build a solar plant. We still need a lot of batteries to spread the wealth through the night, but they are coming.
Reposted by Chase Million
#PPOD: NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, eclipsing the Sun. It’s the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI 🧪 🔭
November 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
#PPOD: NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, eclipsing the Sun. It’s the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI 🧪 🔭
Reposted by Chase Million
Last week, one of the worst plane crashes in American history occurred a few miles from my home. People died. Debris and ash fell in my neighborhood. It felt like just one more disaster in a blur of disasters. I needed to write down what I experienced so that I don't forget. Might as well share. 🧵
November 10, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Last week, one of the worst plane crashes in American history occurred a few miles from my home. People died. Debris and ash fell in my neighborhood. It felt like just one more disaster in a blur of disasters. I needed to write down what I experienced so that I don't forget. Might as well share. 🧵
Reposted by Chase Million
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Chase Million
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Lowell Observatory slashes research funding in the midst of financial struggle
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Last week, one of the worst plane crashes in American history occurred a few miles from my home. People died. Debris and ash fell in my neighborhood. It felt like just one more disaster in a blur of disasters. I needed to write down what I experienced so that I don't forget. Might as well share. 🧵
November 10, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Last week, one of the worst plane crashes in American history occurred a few miles from my home. People died. Debris and ash fell in my neighborhood. It felt like just one more disaster in a blur of disasters. I needed to write down what I experienced so that I don't forget. Might as well share. 🧵
Many at NASA and CLPS providers appear to believe that all a scientist cares about is putting a box into orbit or onto the surface of the Moon. The "service" is mere geometry. Few high impact experiments work this way. The bus and science instruments must work as a coordinated, purpose-built system.
Before you suggest science-as-a-service, please consult with what scientists require and compare that with what is on offer. Science isn't simply "measurements."
Thoughts from Aravind Ravichandran as NASA (again) flirts with moving Earth observation to commercial data buys:
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Many at NASA and CLPS providers appear to believe that all a scientist cares about is putting a box into orbit or onto the surface of the Moon. The "service" is mere geometry. Few high impact experiments work this way. The bus and science instruments must work as a coordinated, purpose-built system.
Reposted by Chase Million
Thoughts from Aravind Ravichandran as NASA (again) flirts with moving Earth observation to commercial data buys:
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
Why "Science-as-a-Service" Doesn't Work for Earth Science
There has been a lot of talk lately about whether commercial Earth observation (EO) companies could replace parts of NASA’s Earth science mission portfolio. With a new Administrator coming in, that de...
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Thoughts from Aravind Ravichandran as NASA (again) flirts with moving Earth observation to commercial data buys:
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
“Here is an underappreciated irony: commercial EO companies already depend on NASA's public infrastructure.”
newsletter.terrawatchspace.com/why-science-...
Reposted by Chase Million
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Moon is not useful military high ground and never will be.
November 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The Moon is not useful military high ground and never will be.
The agency has already been irreparably damaged, capacity and culture destroyed, decades worth of experience shown the door. "NASA" is the strongest name brand in the world, a metonymy for our highest ideals as humans. It is being bulldozed by people who don't understand (or care) what we're losing.
After 13 years as the top federal workplace, NASA is facing an employee exodus and months of turmoil after deep budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
If fully implemented, the changes could reshape U.S. science for years.
If fully implemented, the changes could reshape U.S. science for years.
NASA has lost thousands of workers. Here’s what that means for science.
Staffers told The Post about months of turmoil and sweeping changes that, if fully implemented, could transform NASA and American science beyond the Trump years.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The agency has already been irreparably damaged, capacity and culture destroyed, decades worth of experience shown the door. "NASA" is the strongest name brand in the world, a metonymy for our highest ideals as humans. It is being bulldozed by people who don't understand (or care) what we're losing.
Reposted by Chase Million
“Tens or hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded NASA property and laboratories are at risk of either being discarded, mishandled, or out-of-commission for significant time periods.” 🔭🧪
www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/gestas-...
www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/gestas-...
GESTA’s Summary of Goddard Building Closures Status
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is the largest group of scientists, technicians and engineers in the US who develop Earth and space science flight missions. Below is GESTA's understanding of the...
www.gesta-goddard.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:50 AM
“Tens or hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded NASA property and laboratories are at risk of either being discarded, mishandled, or out-of-commission for significant time periods.” 🔭🧪
www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/gestas-...
www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/gestas-...