Moon mission malfunctions after Navajo object to lunar burials – National & International News – MON 8Jan2024

Moon mission malfunctions after Navajo object to lunar burials.

Congress agrees spending deal in hope of averting shutdown.

Def. Sec. Austin hospitalization snafu.

NATIONAL NEWS

Moon mission malfunctions after Navajo object to lunar burials

Peregrine Mission One, a private unmanned moon lander launched today, has run into trouble that may jeopardize its ability to land on the moon. The launch went off without issue, but shortly thereafter, the rocket failed to properly align itself to the sun. This means the rocket will be unable to gather the necessary solar power to carry out its mission.

Mission One was carrying payloads for several paying customers, including NASA. In addition to data gathering, part of Peregrine’s mission was to deposit human remains on the moon. The rocket carries capsules of ashes from two private companies, Celestis and Elysium, who arrange for private individuals’ remains to be deposited in space. Celestis alone was sending the remains of 66 individuals. A one-way trip for your loved one’s remains to the moon via Celestis starts at $13,000.

Last week, representatives of the Navajo Nation raised objections to this component of the mission. The moon is central in Navajo and other native beliefs. Navajo President Buu Nygren called upon NASA and other US officials, who are partnering with the private firms in the launch, to address his people’s concerns before the mission went ahead. “The moon holds a sacred place in Navajo cosmology,” Nygren wrote. “The suggestion of transforming it into a resting place for human remains is deeply disturbing and unacceptable to our people and many other tribal nations”. Despite the objections, the launch went ahead as planned before encountering its fatal malfunction.

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The White House did convene a meeting address Navajo concerns, as did representatives from NASA. Some of the private companies involved in the flight were more dismissive. Celestis CEO Charles Chafer said he did not find Mr. Nygren’s objections “substantive” or  “compelling”. The CEO of Astrobotic, the Pittsburg-based company that operates Peregrine, was also unmoved. “I’ve been disappointed that this conversation came up so late in the game,” Astrobotic CEO John Thornton, said. “I would have liked to have had this conversation a long time ago. 

In fact, this is far from the first time the Navajo have raised objections about depositing human remains on the moon. As far back as 1999, when NASA deliberately crashed a craft into the moon carrying the ashes of astronaut Eugene Shoemaker, then-Navajo President Albert Hale raised objections. At the time, NASA responded that it would consult with the Navajo and other native tribes before launching similar missions in the future.

Before the launch failed today, Justin Ahasteen of the Navajo Nation’s Washington Office had this to say: “We’re saying be respectful. We’re turning the moon into a graveyard and we’re turning it into a waste site. At what point are we going to stop and say we need to start protecting the moon as we do the Grand Canyon?”

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Congress agrees spending deal in hope of averting government shutdown

There are two deadlines ahead to avert a government shutdown, January 19 and February 2. Democratic leadership in the Senate and Republican leadership in the House have agreed in principle on funding levels that are similar to those agreed on by former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. Dissatisfaction with those figures ultimately led to McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker in October. Current Speaker Mike Johnson is now in an even tougher spot that McCarthy as his Republican majority in the House has continued to shrink. This gives even more leverage to the far-right faction that helped vote McCarthy out.

The far-right Freedom Caucus was quick to brand this weekend’s agreement “a total failure”. The caucus had hoped to use the twin deadlines to extract more concessions both on decreasing domestic spending and border security. Johnson did get a few small wins in hope of placating the far-right, including moving up the timeline on already agreed-upon cuts to IRS spending.

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Def. Sec. Austin hospitalization snafu

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly will not be resigning despite calls for him to step down after a major communication bungle. Austin has been hospitalized at Walter Reed since January 1 after suffering complications following what spokespeople have described as a “minor elective procedure”. Having returned home following the initial procedure, Austin was later re-admitted after experiencing “severe pain” and spent some time in ICU. The nature of Austin’s ailment and the procedure have not been made public. Austin is said to have resumed his duties but remains in hospital.

Austin reportedly did not inform the White House, Congress, or even his own staff about his condition for days. The day after he was re-admitted, his deputy Kathleen Hicks was informed that she was Acting Defense Secretary. Hicks was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time and did not realize her boss was in the hospital even for a couple of days after learning she was temporarily in charge. 

The secrecy and Austin’s failure to communicate his status to others have raised eyebrows and concerns about whether national security was compromised. The timing was particularly poor as the US is ramping up its war footing in the Middle East. 

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