Alejandro Soto

Alejandro Soto

@soto.space

Planetary scientist and aerospace engineer. He/him. https://www.alejandrosoto.net My writing represents me alone and not my employer nor anyone else.

2.7K followers1K following1.4K posts

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

If the second image in this article is a real photo of the space mirror in action, then this is going to be horrible. I am already annoyed with neighbors with overly bright homes. Having this space flashlight shining on my house will be even more annoying. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comSunlight at night: US startup’s demonstration of lighting Earth from space draws criticismCompany imitates reflection of sun from mirrors, prompting pushback from some scientists, environmentalists and California locals
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

NASA's Nicky Fox keeps talking about not needing a "point design" in future mission proposals, but she never defines what this means. She seems frustrated by all of the questions on this topic, but doesn't see that as a sign that a more detailed explanation is needed.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

How much less design work is needed in the new proposal process? For example, traditionally, NASA wanted mass, volume, and cost estimates that only required 30% margin (an indirect way of measuring design uncertainty). What is it now? 50%? 80%? Or more? Currently, there's no detail like that.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Weird that NASA put a townhall in the middle of the first day of the Division of Planetary Science (DPS) meeting. It conflicts with some of talks by my friends. And by weird, I mean frustrating.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

I had no idea SCOTUS was at least partially to blame for ruining text messaging for me. I am not at all surprised.

Adam Bonica@adambonica.bsky.social

Once mass spam texts were made legal, younger donors vanished, leaving a grassroots fundraising machine that subsists on squeezing vulnerable seniors, some of whom give hundreds of times a day. It’s a horrific model. Consultants get generationally wealthy, and the party hollows out its future.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

"The fragile item was broken when Hegseth’s aides eschewed the services of specialist movers, then dropped it after deciding they would transport it themselves..." The perfect encapsulation of the Trump administration. Ignore expertise and then screw it up. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comPete Hegseth’s staff break priceless historic globe he requested for officeHegseth’s aides, who attempted to move Eisenhower globe themselves, dropped it during relocation, army officials say
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Changing how we select missions is a big deal. It legitimately could be beneficial, so I appreciate investigating a new way. However, this will hit existing teams hard. They have spent years and a lot of money mission designs and engineering, that may now go unused. science.nasa.gov/directorates...

science.nasa.govFaster to Science: A Letter to the Science Community - NASA ScienceNASA Science wants to deliver science faster, so we’re changing how we compete and select missions. On Monday, October 26, we will host a virtual NASA Science Town Hall.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

And the announcement leaves Johns Hopkins' APL in limbo. The new way favors JPL and Goddard with only a fleeting reference to possible participation by APL. What happens to APL's expertise? It's not clear to me.

Alejandro Soto reposted

Janet Vertesi
@cyberlyra.bsky.social

As the #MarieKondo of #SurveillanceCapitalism, here are my hard-won lessons learned from 15 years of Opting Out of Big Tech -- from #GEL2026 -- to help you decide how best to throw your own well-aimed monkey wrench into the gears of #BigTech. video.infiniteloop.tv/w/dsPwV9ewKB... #optout

video.infiniteloop.tvJanet Vertesi on Opt Out at GEL 2026Janet Vertesi speaking at GEL (Good Experience Live) 2026 to introduce the Opt Out Project and what you can do to take control over your personal data and your technological choices.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

The software on my iPhone is getting so bad and the quality of my cellular service is degrading so much that I wish I could just get a landline for calls at home. Get a new iPhone you say? Who's got the money for that? Even switching to Android would be expensive.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

And of course, there isn't a real landline option anymore. All I keep seeing are just VOIP options. I miss that when the power went out, when I was a kid, the phone often still worked. But that required the old copper lines, which my neighborhood doesn't have. The dream is dead. ☹️

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Well, these are some amazing photos! Atmospheric phenomena for the win!

American Meteorological Society@ametsoc.org

Announcing the 2026 #AMSPhotoContest winners! 🥇 "Diamond dust sky eye" by Jaroslav Fous 🥈 "Sea Dragon" by Chris Elkinton 🥉 "Cirrus, the Veils of the Moon" by Roberto Bueno 🏅 Members' Choice: "Rainbow Cataclysm" by Jeremy Janus Check out more photos on AMS Headlines: https://bit.ly/481Yg28

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

I have been worried about these kinds of activities since I worked for NASA’s Orbital Debris Program in the 90s. Consequences from ASAT activity could quickly escalate, ruining Earth orbit. It would take a long time and a lot of money to clean up. And we are very dependent on satellites nowadays.

Marco Langbroek@marcolangbroek.bsky.social

This behaviour is worrisome. ICEYE-X36 is a US registered SAR satellite reportedly used by Ukraine. I wonder if we are watching a first actual ASAT developing in Space. Let us see what happens tonight and the days after.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Interested in ideas of how humans can explore the moon? The @nationalacademies.org have a webinar on Oct. 21st as part of the release of a new report, "Human Exploration Across the Moon". You can sign up to watch the webinar at the link. #planetaryscience www.nationalacademies.org/projects/DEP...

nationalacademies.orgHuman Exploration Across the Moon: Public Briefing WebinarFrom ancient impact basins and volcanic landscapes to new vantage points for observing the Universe, future human explorers on the Moon will have immeasurable opportunities for scientific discovery. Join the National Academies on Wednesday, October 21 from 1-2:30pm ET for a public briefing webinar on our new report, Human Exploration Across the Moon. During the webinar, the study committee chairs will present priority destinations for human missions beyond the lunar poles, with a focus on achieving high-value science and paving the way for future exploration.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

What was done to @ruha9.bsky.social is horrible. Growing up, I felt like this country took pride in not censoring speech and not living in fear. We believed that it could never happen here. We were wrong.

This post is unavailable.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Thankfully @ruha9.bsky.social also shows how to resist. Find the spaces where people stand up to the fear. Support those spaces. We can escape the censorship and fear and actually have a better nation than we even had before.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

If these AI companies want data centers so badly they should build them where they live and work. Fill Silicon Valley with data centers, not the rest of the world.

Kasey Gifford@kaseygifford.bsky.social

To put this in perspective chestnut trees used to be dominant species in the United States. Billions of trees were killed by fungal blight and now fully grown America chestnuts are functionally extinct. There is no getting them back. Ever. All for a data center. www.gadgetreview.com/one-of-ameri...

gadgetreview.comOne of America’s Last Chestnut Groves Is About to Be Destroyed for a Data CenterA rare 200-tree American chestnut grove in West Virginia may be cleared for data-center development, but the project denies the site is on its land.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Some scientists have prioritized science objectives and requirements for exploring the South Pole of the Moon, and you can read their work! Reports like the one from SPARX are important for guiding science and exploration. #planetaryscience science.nasa.gov/lunar-scienc...

science.nasa.govSouth Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return and eXploration (SPARX) Science Definition Team (SDT) - NASA ScienceGuided by OWL Decadal recommendations, the SPARX SDT provides analysis on prioritized science objectives and requirements.
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

This also needs to be repeated: "Trump rejects any distinction between himself and the office he holds. The presidency belongs to him, as does the nation itself." Thus: "why he felt he could remove journalists from the White House. In his mind, they are in his house, accountable only to him."

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

I am so angry at Gov. Polis. If he hadn't commuted Tina Peters' sentence, then she wouldn't be at the White House helping Trump commit election fraud and crimes. It was always clear she wasn't repentant. She should have served the full time. coloradonewsline.com/2026/10/06/t...

coloradonewsline.comTina Peters met with Trump to discuss election plans, former Trump administration attorney says | Colorado NewslineA former U.S. Department of Justice attorney said Tina Peters met with President Donald Trump to discuss “election integrity."
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

There's a new public webinar about lunar science and exploration. The first talk is about the science that drives our lunar exploration from Apollo to Artemis. See the QR code in the attachment or the URL in the alt text. #planetaryscience

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Nice to see all of this advancement in lunar science. #planetaryscience

ESA Exploration@exploration.esa.int

Lunar laser ranging has been used since the Apollo astronauts left reflectors on the Moon over 50 years ago, but today laser stations on Earth are more accurate than the reflectors themselves. MPAc is designed to change that. 🔗 Find out more: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

esa.intMPAc: measuring the Moon with lasersMore than 50 years after Apollo astronauts placed the first retroreflectors on the Moon, a new European instrument is set to improve that scientific legacy. MPAc (MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuator) is ...
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

Here's an insider baseball question for the professional planetary scientists and astronomers: Do you use numeric names for co-I's in dual anonymous proposals (i.e., Co-I #1, etc.) or do you use fun names (e.g., Bill the Cat, Opus, etc.)? Don't share the ones you use--let's not ruin the anon part.

Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

I don't know what to make of this change, but I worry that in this "rush, rush" environment we may trample, metaphorically and literally, on potentially great science. #planetaryscience needs a measured plan for planetary protection. Is this a good plan? www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...

scientificamerican.comNASA directive might increase the odds of contaminating MarsThe new push loosens U.S. regulations for sterilizing spacecraft bound for the Red Planet and calls for modernizing the science of “planetary protection”
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

For those of you who want to dig deep into NASA federal budgets, here's a report on recent funding for NASA science. blog.planetary-research.org/2026/09/03/n...

blog.planetary-research.orgAn Investigative Report on the Funding of NASA Planetary Research and Analysis Programs, FY2011-FY2025Detailed budget information obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, Presidential Budget Requests and other sources within the government reveals that NASA has systematically failed to implement decades of recommendations by the National Academies as well as directives by Congress to grow the funding of planetary research and analysis programs (R&A) and meet specific funding...
Alejandro Soto
@soto.space

An excellent start to an exciting mission!

Space Telescope Science Institute@stsci.edu

“As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. #NASARoman 🔭

science.nasa.govFuel Savings Double Potential Lifetime for NASA's Roman Mission - NASA ScienceThe results are in: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's very accurate first mid-course correction, along with other fuel savings, are expected to more