The IXPE GO Program solicits proposals for investigations in any area of astrophysics (not constrained to IXPE's prime science areas). IXPE Cycle 4 observations will commence on or about February 1, 2027, and continue for a nominal period of 12 months. Individuals may submit proposals for observations that will advance the IXPE mission science return. Observing proposals may be for "standard," "Target-of-Opportunity (ToO)", "Large Program (LP)" or "Multi-cycle" observations. Theory proposals are not solicited. For ToO observations, IXPE anticipates executing approximately 1 high (observations begin within 9 days of trigger) and 7 medium (observations begin between 9 days and 4 weeks of trigger) priority triggers in this GO cycle, hence proposers must strongly justify the response time required to meet the scientific objectives.

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As threatened, I was in Oklahoma at the tail end of last week and over the weekend, mostly to give talks. My Friday evening public lecture was on horned dinosaurs, and it was tied in with the launch of a temporary exhibit called "Bizarre Headgear: Ceratopsians and the Evolution of Extraordinary Skulls". I'll cover the talks in another post; this one is about that exhibit.

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A model Mars capsule flew through the air. Alien ships likely didn't....

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ExEP...Meetings/Events Extraterrestrial...ExEP HomeOverviewTeamMissionsScienceOverviewDecadal SurveysExoExplorersTechnologyTechnology OverviewNeeds and Gap ListsStrategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) Awards ExEP Technology Colloquium SeriesIn-Space...

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Although NASA's X-59 is designed to fly supersonic, its test flight schedule is about more than just going gradually faster and higher - sometimes, to make sure the aircraft is fully mission-ready, slower and lower is the way to go.

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Scientists estimate that Indonesia will lose its two remaining glaciers by 2030--a warning for glaciers around the world....

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My next post about the Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures is from our move across the country from Utah to New York. Along the way we visited 13 National Parks as well as some other sites. This was the 12th National Park along the way.

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The bill keeps NASA funding flat with the currently enacted budget, but reprioritizes funding levels across the agency, including a 17% cut to Science to offset increases elsewhere....

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Thawing may be a welcome sight for Alaskans following a remarkably cold winter and early spring in much of the state. But with melting comes the threat of rapid flooding in low-lying areas as river ice breaks up and periodically jams.

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One of my earliest blog posts (in 2008) was a list of my favorite depictions of geologists in movies. I've revisited it once or twice. It came to mind as we prepare to offer a showing of "Tremors" as a geology field studies fundraiser at the State Th...

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I've been riding the last few weeks down around the Rio Grande and Central Avenue in Albuquerque. I'm trying to make sense of Albuquerque's relationship with a drying Rio Grande.

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NASA is moving quickly to define next year's Artemis III mission in Earth orbit, a crewed flight that will test rendezvous and docking capabilities between the agency's Orion spacecraft and commercial landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Since a February announcement adding an Artemis mission ahead of crewed landing missions to the Moon's South Pole region, engineers have been evaluating mission profile options and operational considerations for Artemis III to ensure the test flight helps the agency and its partners reduce risk ahead of the next Americans landing on the Moon during Artemis IV.

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In a process that played out over thousands of years, a retreating ice sheet carved, scoured, and shaped the landscape of the present-day Great Lakes. In northern Lake Michigan, this sculpting left distinct ridges and valleys running north-to-south along the lake floor. Some parts of those ridges, made of erosion-resistant rock, have remained above the waves of the big lake, forming the Beaver Archipelago.

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Way back in 2014, John Hutchinson posted some photos from the Museum of Paleontology Egidio Feruglio in Trelew city, Patagonia, Argentina. John's original tweets are long gone (quite rightly), but happily we reposted the photos on SV-POW!, so they live on.

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Climate finance in the multipolar era will be driven less by collective targets and more by the need to manage geopolitical security risks in a less stable world....

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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently took a self-portrait against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls "Lac de Charmes." Assembled from 61 individual images, the selfie shows Perseverance training its mast on a rocky outcrop on which it had just made a circular abrasion patch, with the western rim of Jezero Crater stretching into the background. The selfie was captured on March 11, the 1,797th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, during the rover's deepest push west beyond the crater.  

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Sound the clarion! It's time to help SV-POW! once more!

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Monday 11 May 2026 at 2p Eastern (11a Pacific)

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I gave a talk to an Oakland group the other day that discussed three geology-related topics: quarries, landslides and earthquakes. Landslides were the hardest topic to condense. This post will serve as a home page for things I've posted a couple dozen times over the years on this blog.

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The complete specimen of Laueropterus. Yes, it's new pterosaur time again and indeed it's another Moernseim non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan. Following on from the description and naming of both Skiphosoura and Makrodactylus, this time out t...

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Starting in early April, NASA satellites began to detect a patch of brownish, blue-green water lingering off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The colors and patterns were most intense in the shallow coastal zone where the waters of Raritan Bay, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay merged with the Atlantic Ocean--an area known as the Mid-Atlantic Bight. 

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The Barelas (aka "Little Ditch") was running when I rode up to its heading this morning. Hardly ever see that. It's a favorite. Guy walking his dog told me the Farmers Almanac says we're gonna have a wet summer. Epistemologically solid.

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NASA and SpaceX are targeting a mid-May launch to deliver scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. 

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