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This Friday, Psyche will “Sling-Shot” Around Barsoom, To Gather Additional Speed — And Then Onward, To Reach Its Asteroid / Destination, In 2029…

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

To be clear, this is a mission primarily to observe a far-off asteroid, but it offers a nice close-up view of Mars, in crescent formation, as we catch a gravity boost, by slingshotting past… Barsoom. [My much earlier 2023 backgrounder, here.]

Here is the latest from NASA, and a bit of it:

..NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will get a boost from Mars on Friday, May 15, passing just 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) from the planet’s surface at some 12,333 mph (19,848 kph). The spacecraft will harness the planet’s gravitational pull to speed up and adjust its trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, one of the more unusual objects in our solar system….

Mars won’t initially look like the illuminated reddish disk seen in so many photos of the planet. “We are approaching Mars at a very high phase angle, which means we are catching up with the planet from its night side with only a sliver of sunlight creating a thin crescent,” said Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University in Tempe. “The thin crescent on approach and the nearly ‘full Mars’ view after we fly past create opportunities for the imaging team for both great calibration observations as well as just plain beautiful photos.”

It’s possible that Mars may possess a faint dusty ring, or torus — the result of micrometeorites striking the surfaces of the planet’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and ejecting dust particles into space. The Sun’s alignment with Psyche and Mars may cause dusty material to scatter sunlight, making it visible in the processed observations.

The imager will also capture “satellite search” observations of the space surrounding the planet — a practice run for when the team will be searching for any moonlets around the asteroid Psyche. There could be an opportunity to learn more about Mars as well. The spacecraft’s magnetometer will likely detect the planet’s magnetic field redirecting charged particles from the Sun, and the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer will monitor how the flux of cosmic rays (highly energetic subatomic particles from interstellar space) changes during the flyby.

“Ultimately, though, the only reason for this flyby is to get a little help from Mars to speed us up and tilt our trajectory in the direction of the asteroid Psyche,” said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for Psyche at the University of California, Berkeley. “But if all our instruments are powered up, and we can do important testing and calibration of the science instruments, that would be the icing on the cake….”

And, now the about three minute video explainer:

नमस्ते

And Yes, Moderna’s Stock Is On The Rise, Since It Is The Leader — In Getting An mRNA Vaccine, For Hantavirus — To Market, Now…

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Perhaps some may see it as a bit unseemly, that I might mention this financial turn of fortune — in part, from dire circumstances, onboard that stricken liner. That is not my intent — at all.

As a point of five year fact, do recall that Moderna traded up to $340-ish, during the teeth of the COVID pandemic.

Then, in my view, Wall Street foolishly abandoned the company, after the emergency waned. It fell to the low $20s — and, in my mind — that was a screaming buy. [So this (mine) is about a sober, long term view.] Here’s a bit of the latest — and, in any event it is over $53 as I write this:

. . .Moderna is the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that perfected messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the announcement that Moderna was developing a hantavirus vaccine using this same technology, the drugmaker’s stock rose from $49 on May 7 to $55 the next day. But it is important to note that Moderna did not begin work on immunization in the wake of the outbreak at MV Hondius. In fact, the drugmaker undertook this collaborative project with VIC-K in 2023. . . .

It has come in a bit — but this is why I see it as a long term must have, in a life-science portfolio. As I’ve long said — this is (very conservatively). . . an $85 plus dollar stock, right now — even without an approved mRNA hanta- vaccine.

Much more, once approved — so. . . perhaps a ~$100 stock, once again, by next year(?). We shall see. Onward.

नमस्ते

Our New Series: A First Look, At How Oracle’s Lobby Spend Compares To Amazon’s — And US Pharma, Generally…

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Mostly on a whim, we decided this morning to look at what Ellison’s Oracle lobbies about, and how much the company throws at the Congress. [We will shortly have a follow-up item, about how it has treated the 10,000 to 15,000 employees it chose to lay off this year.]

And since — of late — Oracle has been more brutish with its workforce moves than even ugly Amazon… I thought we’d look at how it continues — like Amazon — to try to remove worker protections from the long standing federal law. Damn. Here’s what Larry’s company jaw-boned about in Q1 2026 (compared to Amazon, in the bottom graphic, and to mid-tier — or mega — pharma, at right):

…[On Budgeting:] Issues related to Defense Appropriations, specifically IT modernization and oversight at the Department of War; Issues related to government-wide IT modernization and cloud adoption, including issues related to modernization of Department of War business systems; Issues related to government certification and cybersecurity standards for Cloud Service Providers; Issues and provisions related to Appropriations for electronic health records systems and implementation of Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service electronic health record systems….

[US House & Senate:] E.O. 14306 – Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Amending Executive Order 13694 and Executive Order 14144; E.O. 14320 – Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack; E.O. 14318 – Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure; E.O. 14363 – Launching the Genesis Mission; H.R. 5885/S. 3150 – Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act of 2025 (GAIN AI Act of 2025); H.R. 2683 – Remote Access Security Act; H.R. 6875 – AI Overwatch; Issues related to IT modernization, procurement, services, trade, licensing and security and cybersecurity standards in the software development and hardware industry; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence Action Plan; Issues related to global competitiveness and the roles of government agencies in these issues; Issues related to cloud computing and cloud security, adoption, and migration; Issues related to data centers; Issues related to government cloud security standards; Issues related to technology platforms, including consumer data privacy and protection, data transfer, interoperability, portability, and data valuation; Issues related to data governance; Issues relating to telecommunications and network security; Issues relating to supply chain security, privacy, and the Internet of Things; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation policy, research, development, and related export controls; Issues related to government procurement and standards for multi-cloud acquisition; Issues related to Rare Earths supply chain….

[US Defense:] Issues relating to IT procurement, modernization, acquisition, oversight and transparency; Issues related to cloud adoption; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence Action Plan; Issues related to defense, information systems, information security, and government cybersecurity regulations; Issues related to Department of War and veteran health facilities; Issues related to Department of War adoption of electronic health records, veteran’s health and population health; Issues related to supply chain security and semiconductors; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation policy, research, and development; Issues related to Airspace Management….

[At 1600 Penn.:] E.O. 14306 – Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Amending Executive Order 13694 and Executive Order 14144; E.O. 14179 – Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Issues related to government IT modernization, procurement, and workforce; Issues related to policy, cybersecurity, and security standards related to IT and cloud services procurement by government agencies; Issues related to government software development and licensing; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence Action Plan; Issues relating to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation policy, research, development, and related export controls….

[At Homeland Security:] Issues related to IT modernization, software development, procurement, cloud adoption, and security; Issues related to global competitiveness in IT software, hardware, services, and other online services and the roles of government agencies and industry in these issues; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation policy, research, and development; Issues related to Airspace Management….

[At US Dept. of State:] Issues relating to government cloud procurement and adoption, IT and data center modernization, software assurance, artificial intelligence, and IT supply chain security; Issues relating to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation policy, research, development, and related export controls….

[On Foreign Trade Policy:] E.O. 14320 – Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack; Issues related to trade relations, including digital trade, data governance, tariffs, and intellectual property policy in trade agreements; Issues relating to Artificial Intelligence and related export controls….

[On Veterans’ Affairs:] H.R. 7280 – Veteran Data Accountability for Third-party Actors Act (Veteran DATA Act); Issues related to Department of Veterans Affairs adoption and oversight of Electronic Health Records; Issues related to Electronic Health Record modernization and implementation; Issues related to IT and supply chain modernization….

[At US Dept. of Justice:] Issues related to Indian Health Services modernization of [nationwide offender] electronic health records systems….

[At Dept. of Education:] Issues related to the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. . . .

[At The EPA:] Issues related to Artificial Intelligence data centers; Issues related to Artificial Intelligence Action Plan….

As you can readily see — Oracle has its hands all over the federal government machinery — bending the same to its will. Dammit. Onward, resolutely, just the same — on a sunny crisp Spring Monday — lakeside bike riding next!

नमस्ते

Hantavirus “Positives” — From The Ship — Are Now Appearing In The USA, and France. Where, Next?

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Well, this is discouraging. Recall that the newer (mRNA) vaccine candidate for hantavirus… is not approved yet, anywhere in the Western world. And the last-gen version [inactivated / killed virus approach] is only approved in… China.

That Chinese one has been pretty safe and effective in mainland China, but seems to only work well on Asian strains of hantavirus. So, having even one case in France, on the ground — or in the US interior… is disconcerting, given the relatively-highly lethal nature of it.

That said, both of these “positives” are showing only the mildest of symptoms, are isolated, and are getting tip top care. So it is unlikely to escape these very robust containment measures. Here’s the latest, from the Beeb:

…An American and a French national who have returned to their home countries having left a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of hantavirus have tested positive, authorities say.

In total seven cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius have been confirmed, with two other cases suspected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The US health department said a second American national on the repatriation flight had also shown mild symptoms, adding that both passengers had travelled back in “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution….”

Do be very vigilant — and if people are coughing on your international flights… do break out an n95 mask — and use it. Grin — it may not be 100% effective, but it cannot hurt. Onward.

नमस्ते

The Specious Fitton Suit, Filed Against Reparations, In Evanston — Is A Dead Letter. The City Has Answered Whilst I Was In The Rockies…

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Earlier in March, the Chicago USDC Judge Kness ruled that these Fitton affiliated jokers could be subject to discovery, about where they live — to prove they have no standing to even reach the courthouse door, to bring this suit, and thus the court will dump them.

Now that — as of Friday past, the city’s Answer-at-Law has been filed — the city may order up depositions of each named plaintiff, and force them to answer under oath whether they ever lived in the city. If they were aware that the city, until 1969 had a “red-lining” ordinance that prohibited selling homes to people of color, in certain neighborhoods in that city. [In ’69, my mother in law passed an ordinance outlawing this reprehensible practice — but it was enforced prior thereto by law. Thus proof of discrimination on race was embedded in the municipal code, and enforced by the revocation of brokerage licenses — in the case of attempted transgressions. Deeds would not be recorded, for completed sales. These are all facts of the historical record here.] And Fitton, and his jokers — think that they may erase these actual facts — with lies, and play the whyte victims, while living in god-knows-where / Florida, and elsewhere. [What a laughable handful of hapless “crisis actors”.] The idea that these odious, immoral strangers should have any say, here (without paying real estate taxes, or even living here and paying sales taxes) in what we — and our civic leaders — have voted to do here, is… preposterous.

So… most of all, the sworn depos will prove these morons cannot even suggest they ever would be eligible — since none of their ancestors would have been harmed by the pre-1969 laws. Because none of them lived here, and none were… Black. Or Brown. Or Yellow.

So this whole nonsense “whyte entitlement federal suit” is completely… upside down. It will be gone, and just as soon as these people are put under oath. Then each of them will be jointly and severally liable to pay my city’s out of pocket legal fees and expenses, due to their bad faith abuse of the the federal court system — for racist / political talking points. Thus — the conclusion of the Answer, as filed:

…Defendant City of Evanston respectfully requests that this Court:

1. Deny class certification;

2. Enter judgment in favor of Evanston on all claims;

3. Deny all relief requested by Plaintiffs, including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and damages;

4. Award Evanston its costs and attorney’s fees; and

5. Grant such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

Dated: May 8, 2026….

All the best, to all the mothers — far and wide… smile.

नमस्ते

RAMSES — A Collabo Between JAXA — Watching 2029 Apophis Close Flyby — From Space!

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We will (as a global planetary science community) learn much — both about the asteroid itself, which poses no collision threat to Earth — and about planetary defense, here — come 2029.

Heres’ the ESA.int update, on this 2029 mission:

. . .Apophis, a 375-metre-wide asteroid, will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32 000 kilometres. For a few hours, Apophis will be closer than satellites in geostationary orbit and visible to the naked eye from Europe and Africa.

Space agencies have sent a number of spacecraft to asteroids, but we have never had a mission at an asteroid as it sweeps past a planet. This grand natural experiment offers a unique opportunity to study in real time how an asteroid responds to a strong external force – and the European Space Agency aims to have a front-row seat.

To this end, ESA’s Space Safety Programme has proposed the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). If approved, Ramses would launch a year ahead of the Apophis flyby, travelling through space to rendezvous with the asteroid months before its encounter with Earth.

Ramses would use a suite of scientific instruments to measure Apophis’s size, shape, composition, rotation and trajectory as it is pulled and stretched by Earth’s gravity. It would also deploy two smaller spacecraft at the asteroid to study Apophis up-close.

Apophis poses no danger to Earth during the flyby, but an asteroid of this size passes this close to our planet only once every roughly seven thousand years. By seizing this exceptionally rare opportunity to study an asteroid before, during, and after a planetary encounter, Ramses would help us prepare for the day that we may need to deflect a hazardous object on a collision course with Earth….

Go now,and be kind to your mother — the Earth:

नमस्ते

17 US Hondius/Hantavirus Ship Passengers To Isolate In… Nebraska.

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I think we now have an archive of about seven stories on this narrative — in just the past two weeks. The rapidly unfolding viral outbreak — coupled to the lethality of it all — has made for a tragic and compelling throughline here, all in one.

Here is the latest from the Wa Po:

…Public health officials in the U.S. outlined their plans to transport and monitor the 17 American passengers set to disembark from a cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak, indicating on Saturday that the goal is to send them home to self-isolate after an initial assessment at a federal quarantine facility in Nebraska.

Three cruise passengers who were aboard the polar expedition ship Hondius have died in recent weeks. As of Saturday, eight cases of the hantavirus linked to the ship are suspected, with five cases confirmed by testing. The ship is on its way to dock in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands….

Now you know — back in the Chi’s warmth, and a happy Mother’s Day, to all… smile.

नमस्ते

No Cases In US Yet, But Additional Air Passenger In Spain Now Has Hantavirus, After Being Seated Near Another Case…

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Anyone who was seated withing three rows of the Hantivirus passenger who flew to Joberg, SA — and then died… needs to be contacted, and tested. . . and possibly isolated.

So far — no one in the three US states of Arizona, California and Georgia (where all US passengers landed into) have shown symptoms — but they too are being monitored by health authorities. Here’s the latest:

…More details have emerged about the latest suspected case of hantavirus, announced by the Spanish health minister on Friday afternoon.

According to Reuters, Spain’s Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla told reporters that the woman was a passenger on the same flight as a patient who died in Johannesburg after traveling on the cruise ship and contracting the virus.

Padilla said the pair were seated two rows apart and that contact between them was brief.

The woman’s symptoms were described as coughing and fatigue. Padilla said that she was now isolating in a hospital and authorities were tracking down people she had come into contact with….

“The Dutch flight attendant on the flight, who had reported symptoms and was tested, has tested negative for hantavirus,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said at a briefing Friday. “So that’s very good news….”

Now you know — flying back out of the high mountains mid-morning tomorrow. Grin… do be careful in your Summer / Fall European jet travels. Onward.

नमस्ते

The Saudis Have Denied US Airspace Access — Due To Tangerine’s Endless Gaffes, And Flip-Flops…

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Today, Scott Johnson wondered aloud how we’d ever know what really might be the deal, in Iran.

A few days earlier, Paul Mirengoff too wondered “what Trump was thinking”.

It turns out… he wasn’t.

Thinking, that is.

And it is plain he hasn’t a single competent foreign policy advisor — or equally probable, he’s not listening to anyone who is competent.

Exhibit A for this proposition is… That our most steadfast ally in the region aside from Israel — the Saudis — have now denied US war planes access to Saudi airspace. This effectively makes relatively safe operations over Iran nearly impossible. It becomes nearly impossible to safely support longer range bombers — with the more agile, but shorter range jet fighters — unless we have access to Saudi airspace.

It takes a colossal amount of stupidity to ruin a relationship in the Gulf of this magnitude.

So thanks again, Donald Trump.

And I’ll note again, that none of these hard right racist frothy liars will call him out for what he’s done and doing, here: he is actively turning the entire region into a quagmire.

Purely as a result of malign idiocy.

“Heck of a job, there Brownie.”

Out.

Keytruda® Is Global Dollar Revenue King, No More — It Is Now The Lilly GLP-1 Weight-Loss Franchises… [Power Alley]

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Welp. It seemed inevitable, as there are far more people who need to lose weight (with money), than there are people with serious cancers (also with means), in the world.

To be sure, Merck will still rake in over $22 billion a year — for many years, yet — from the immuno-oncology franchises.

Congrats, Eli Lilly. Even so, I wonder about the long term effects of being on the GLP-1 franchises, for weight loss — and what happens whene someone on them for a decade or so. . . stops taking them. Here’s a bit:

…Mounjaro®: $8.66 billion in quarterly revenue, up 125%, fueled by international expansion, including the addition to China’s National Reimbursed Drug List….

Zepbound®: $4.16 billion in U.S. revenue, up 80%….

Volume across the business climbed 65%, even as realized prices fell 13% on rebates and access deals….

[So…] Keytruda® is King, no more….

Onward — smiling on a sparkling Rocky Mountain morning… as the “breakfast club” dropped by again this AM.

नमस्ते