Bedtime podcast story...


Spotify Podcast

Quote:Episode Description

Ten miles from Bosler, Wyoming sits a ranch with a rather unusual feature. A well over 350 feet deep. A miracle well whose builder was told that he would never strike water. And yet, he did.

Pat McGuire's well is an enduring mystery. It's the largest artesian well ever dug in Wyoming, and it was dug in an area that everyone said would be dry. But Pat had faith and a little guidance from an alien angel named Michael. This well would bring with it a host of UFOs, alien abductions, hypnosis sessions, bids for governor, nationwide publicity, and a small cult.

Pat's story is a cautionary tale, and one that should be handled with care. And as his son, David Riedel put it, “...we should feel impelled to investigate and rescue a community living with the trauma of the unknown and indescribable. A community we greeted with sneers and derision for so long, a community we pushed to the outskirts of our cultural limits to be safely ignored. If it is all true ― or it is all lies and sickness ― we should approach both valuations with care and consideration, even skepticism, but not with the intense ridicule so many of us have given them for so long.”

Quote:Nearly 30 years ago I had the privilege of being one of a group of three visitors invited to witness UFO activity on Pat McGuire's ranch east of Bosler, Wyoming. Bosler has a population of 8 people. East of Bosler has more antelope than people. That is where McGuire's high-country barley ranch (with some cattle) was located. This rancher had reported cattle multilations all during the 1970s. He had been interviewed by Professor Leo Sprinkle, a paranormal psychologist whose specialty was studying UFO abductees, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. My former Graduate student, Greg Bean, worked as a reporter for the Casper Star Tribune. He suggested to me that he would arrange a visit to the McGuire ranch and bring along a photographer." Would I like to come along," he asked. "Sure," I said.

His front page article in the Sunday, June 29, 1980 issue of The Casper Star-Tribune deftly reports details of our late night observance of strange objects blinking in the sky and gyrating in impossible patterns up and down and sideways as though they were putting on a show for us at 3 am. The show lasted for perhaps 5 minutes or so. But what happened previous to this display of agility and speed and blinking colors was not reported as it might have been too unbelievable for newspaper readers.

...
P.S. I might add that as I typed this article weird things happened that caused the computer to stop in its tracks in the middle of a number of sentences. It took me three times as long to type.

A Strange Unearthly Ranch

It seems to be a trend nowadays- Satanism for Children.

Disney is now joining other networks and streaming apps with devilish programming aimed at children- in this case a show centered around a teen who gets knocked up by Satan himself and "catches feelings" for him.

Video under 4 minutes long:



I'm just at a loss for words. This world is getting sicker each and every day!

https://thepeoplesvoice.tv/this-is-a-nat...skyrocket/

Quote:In another case of yesterday’s conspiracy theory becoming today’s fact, mainstream media is finally reporting on what we have known all along. Biden, Fauci and Gates have been sharing misinformation with us. There was no “winter of severe illness and death” for the unvaccinated.
In reality, this is a pandemic of the vaccinated.

Excess deaths in Japan soared by a whopping 400% since Pfizer’s third-dose “booster shot” was rolled out last year, according to new data. “Excess deaths were approximately four times the number of those in the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021,” a report in The Exposé states.

The statistics have rocked the establishment in Japan. Official investigations are being launched and lawsuits are being readied.

 
“Today, we filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government for cancellation of the administrative action,” announced Dr. Masanori Fukushima during a press conference. Because the Japanese Health Ministry refuses to acknowledge the causal link between vaccines and deaths, Professor Fukushima and a team of researchers said they “had no choice but to dare to take legal action.”
Masanori Fukushima is an infectious disease expert and Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University — with over 25 years of oncology experience. He has been hammering at the cracks in the vaccine narrative and publicly condemned Japan’s Ministry of Health late last year.

I have checked with a Japanese translator on the accuracy of the following text from the video translation, and he assessed it to be “actually pretty good.”
“Today, it is a matter of fundamental importance for the Japanese government to continuously collect and disclose accurate data,” Professor Fukushima expressed. “However, I have witnessed the recent fraud scandal committed by the Health Ministry.”
“I have come to realize that this is a historically serious problem that threatens the very existence of the nation of Japan,” he stressed. “As a medical doctor and a scientist, I had no choice but to dare to take legal action.”
Dr. Fukushima continues, explaining the importance of honestly disclosing public health data.
“Needless to say, it is absolutely important to disclose real-world data on the efficacy and safety of the vaccination against the COVID-19 virus. This is because such data is directly linked to people’s healthcare, livelihood, and economy. Therefore, I believe that the Japanese government, that is, the Health Ministry, must disclose the data properly to the public.”
Professor Masanori Fukushima then breaks down some startling data. “Take a look at the data for 65-69 and 70-79 age groups,” he implored. “Surprisingly, the number of new infections or positive cases per 100,000 people is four times higher for people who have been vaccinated twice, compared to unvaccinated people.”
“Also, look at the data provided by the Advisory Board in September 2021,” he invited. “The fatality rate of the unvaccinated people and the fatality rates of the one-dose and two-dose vaccine people were described properly. According to the description in red, vaccination has indeed reduced the fatality rate for those over 65 years of age. However, for all ages, vaccination has demonstrated the opposite effect, causing higher fatality rates. This is a paradoxical phenomenon,” he asserted.
“As such, data on the fatality rates had already been published in official documents after all. However, in last year’s data, the Health Ministry deleted all that information,” Dr. Fukushima loathed.
“In fact, vaccination has been recommended based on the explanation that vaccination does not prevent infection, but vaccination prevents severe illness and reduces the mortality rate.” However, Dr. Fukushima countered, “based on the data published by the Advisory Board in September 2021, the basis for recommending vaccination for all ages should no longer exist anymore. Despite the fact, the Health Ministry has pushed ahead with the vaccination.”
And as such, Professor Fukushima considers the situation to be “a serious national crisis.” “This is why I have decided to file a lawsuit against the government at this time.”

Another coup d'etat in Niger, again.

Dept of Defense Deputy Press Sec Sabrina Singh speaks clear words: "Niger is a partner. And we don't wanna see that partnership go. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into bases there, trained with the military there. We really wanna see a peaceful resolution."

Source (starting at 9:35)


"Invested hundreds of millions in military bases" how is that contributing to the development of the country?

That’s cold realism, the reality of any foreign policy when facing a challenge. Forget the rhetoric fig leaf about values, prosperity & democracy. At the end of the day, in any country, only interests matter, short term interests.



Niger has had coups in 1974, 1996, 1999, 2010, 2021, and now 2023, and that doesn't include all the 'attempted' coups. However, in the new age between the factions within the Pentagon, State Dept & White House talking heads the definition of "coup d'etat" remains ambiguous.

This is the US drone base in Agadez, Niger...


It cost $110 million to build and is reportedly the largest drone base in the world, and the largest construction project led by the US Air Force. More than a 1,000 American troops are stationed there. Course, $110 million dollars is just a rounding error in the Pentagon budget.

This is how the State Dept rolls when they talk about democracy.

We have 6 bases in Niger according to Nick Turse (article below). We spend up to $30M annual to run that drone base and still manage to get robbed in broad daylight by bandits. Just like in the movies.

Quote:Less Than a Mile From Drone Base, Bandits Stole Bags of U.S. Tax Dollars in Broad Daylight

“The Americans have drones, they have planes, they have sophisticated equipment,” a Nigerien activist told The Intercept. “But it’s not helping.”

AGADEZ, Niger — Officially, Base Aerienne 201, located in this town on the southern fringe of the Sahara desert, is not a U.S. military outpost. In reality, Air Base 201 — known locally as “Base Americaine” — is the linchpin of the U.S. military’s archipelago of bases in North and West Africa and a key part of America’s wide-ranging intelligence, surveillance, and security efforts in the region.

Built at a price tag of $110 million and maintained to the tune of $20 to $30 million each year, AB 201 serves as a Sahelian surveillance hub that’s home to Space Force personnel involved in high-tech satellite communications, Joint Special Operations Air Detachment facilities, and a fleet of drones — including armed MQ-9 Reapers — that scour the surrounding region day and night for terrorist activity. A high-security haven, Air Base 201 sits within a 25-kilometer “base security zone” and is protected by fences, barriers, upgraded air-conditioned guard towers with custom-made firing ports, and military working dogs.

The trappings of security can, however, be illusory. Late last year, in the shadow of this bastion of American techno-militarism, four men in a pickup truck carried out a daylight armed robbery of defense contractors from the base and drove off with roughly $40,000 in U.S. taxpayer money. U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, did not report on or publicly acknowledge the theft from Australian-based Austability, a subcontractor apparently working with U.S. defense giant Amentum.

“It is troubling that an affiliate of a major U.S. contractor is unable to provide basic security, even for payroll funds, while traveling near a major U.S. base,” wrote William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a defense contracting expert. “It is indicative either of lax security procedures or an especially dangerous environment close to a sensitive U.S. facility — or both.”

Neither AFRICOM nor U.S. Air Forces Africa provided answers to questions about the robbery prior to publication. “We have nothing further to add,” Timothy S. Pietrack, the deputy chief of AFRICOM Public Affairs, told The Intercept.

On November 3, 2022, Nigerien private contractors carrying the payroll of fellow Nigeriens working at Base Aerienne 201 drove a silver van through the Tadress neighborhood near the western edge of the base, not far from a shisha café and a field where local youths play soccer. Less than a mile from the base entrance, they were overtaken by a tan pickup truck filled with three or four men. A gunman in the bed fired an M-80, a Chinese copy of the venerable Soviet PKM machine gun, according to a U.S. contractor working at the base; the other bandits were reportedly armed with AK-47 assault rifles. A few shots later, the attackers had stolen two bags containing about 24 million West African CFA francs, or $40,000.

...
Fidjaji, the religious leader, is skeptical of U.S. aims in Niger and America’s commitment to enhancing security in Agadez and beyond. “It’s really serious that they got robbed right outside the base,” he said, noting increased insecurity not only in the badlands north of the outpost, but even in town. “If the bandits had an RPG and aimed it at the base, then I’m sure the Americans would have seen it and reacted,” he explained, using the shorthand for a rocket-propelled grenade. “The Americans have sophisticated tools. Drones are flying overhead every day and every night. But there are guys circulating in the streets around here with weapons. Why is that?”

...[more at the link]

Quote:The US can’t use its $110 million drone base in Niger

The U.S. military is unable to fly drones from a base in Niger because the country’s airspace has been closed after a coup overthrew the government in late July, a U.S. official said.
...

The base serves as a critical intelligence and surveillance hub for the U.S. military’s efforts to combat violent extremism in North and West Africa, said Jocelyn Trainer, an expert on sub-Saharan Africa with the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C.

“With a limited U.S. base presence in Africa – restricted to Djibouti and Niger – losing access to Base Aerienne 201[Niger Air Base 201] would be a detrimental blow to U.S. and African joint efforts to counter violent extremist groups connected to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operating in the area,” Trainer told Task & Purpose. “This setback coincides with France diminishing its presence in the region. A reduced U.S. and French presence could create space for Wagner, or other actors, to fill a security vacuum.”

It is too early to determine how the closure of Niger’s airspace will affect U.S. military operations in Africa, a second U.S. official told Task & Purpose.

“This is a region that’s already on the downslide,” Roggio said. “The jihadist threat has metastasized in the region from both al-Qaida and the Islamic State. The ability to observe and react to these groups has decreased significantly with the loss of Mali, and this is yet another blow. If the airspace remains closed, the impact of this incalculable – bit it certainly isn’t positive.”

Quote:New US Ambassador to Niger Will Arrive in Country This Week

Washington — The new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, will arrive in Niamey following a coup last month, the State Department said on Wednesday, in a signal of Washington's continued engagement with the situation.

A U.S. official said she is expected to arrive in Niger later this week. The Senate confirmed FitzGibbon, a career foreign service officer, as U.S. ambassador late last month just after the coup, nearly a year after she was nominated.

Quote:France furious with US over Niger – Le Figaro

The presence of the 'Maidan midwife,' US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, in post-coup Niger has enraged Washington's NATO ally, France, Le Figaro reported over the weekend, citing a source within the French Foreign Ministry.

The US “did the exact opposite of what we thought they would do,” the French daily reported, based on the diplomat’s comments. “With allies like these, we do not need enemies,” it added. Paris has been insisting on the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum ever since a new military government came to power in Niger in a coup in late July.

The French government was also ready to support the use of force by West African nations for that purpose, as it upheld the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its decision to mobilize reserve forces in the wake of the ousting.

By sending Nuland to Niger, the US demonstrated it was ready to talk to the coup leaders instead, Le Figaro said. “For [French President] Emmanuel Macron, the credibility of France, particularly in terms of discourse on democracy, was at stake. For the Americans, even if they are also concerned about a rapid return to constitutional order, the priority is the stability of the region,” the paper’s source within the foreign ministry said.

Americans simply want “to keep their bases” in the region above all else, the diplomat said, adding that Washington “will not hesitate” to drop a demand for what he called “constitutional legality” to achieve this goal.

Now, Paris fears that Washington could reach an agreement with Niger’s military government behind France’s back.

...
Nuland visited Niger last Monday. During the talks, she warned the new military government against striking any deals with the Russian private military company Wagner and urged them to restore the Washington-friendly status quo.

Quote:Putin discusses Niger coup with Malian leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Mali's interim leader, Assimi Goita, on Tuesday concerning the coup in Niger, which has sparked outside threats to restore democratic order by force.


During the phone call, Putin called for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis, both the Kremlin and Goita confirmed in separate statements on Tuesday.

“The parties specifically focused on the current situation in the Sahara-Sahel region and emphasized, in particular, the importance of settling the situation in the Republic of Niger solely through peaceful political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin stated.

Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, has been held captive with his family by the new military government since he was deposed on July 26.

Leaders of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have assembled a standby military force for possible use against Niger's new rulers, whom the bloc insists are defying diplomatic efforts to free and reinstate the ousted president.


Niger’s former colonial ruler, France, along with the US, both of which have suspended certain development aid programs to the African country, have expressed their support for ECOWAS's actions.
Moscow has repeatedly advised against foreign involvement, with the Russian Foreign Ministry warning on Friday that any such action would exacerbate the crisis in the Sahel region, where jihadist violence has displaced millions.

Anti-French sentiment has grown in Niger since the coup last month, with supporters of the military rulers waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to withdraw over allegations of interference.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/16...r-00111598

 YouTube, Reddit and a body armor manufacturer were among the businesses that helped enable the gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist attack at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, according to a pair of lawsuits announced Wednesday.

The complementary lawsuits filed by Everytown Law in state court in Buffalo claim that the massacre at Tops supermarket in May 2022 was made possible by a host of companies and individuals, from tech giants to a local gun shop to the gunman’s parents. The suits were filed Tuesday on behalf of the son of a 65-year-old victim and a group of survivors who say they’re still traumatized more than a year later. Everytown Law is the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. 

I'm sure the Social Media outlets will wave the flag and cry 'Freedom of Speech' and deny any responsibility.
I doubt anything will happen to them but it will be interesting to watch.

https://lists.youmaker.com/links/kUne5o1...0nkKrPFLtu

Let us be sure we keep the tax and spend Democrats in office (sarc)... Unfortunately it has been a long string of leaders who have sown the seeds of destruction for the Republic.

Quote:[/url]
Retirees Could See $17,400 Reduction in Benefits by 2033: Analysis

A Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

By [url=https://www.theepochtimes.com/author/naveen-athrappully]Naveen Athrappully
8/16/2023
Updated:
8/16/2023


0:00



6:28

The average retired couple could see their Social Security benefits reduced by $17,400 in 2033 as funding for the program diminishes over the coming decade, according to a recent analysis.
The Social Security program is funded by the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund. Trustees for the Social Security program project that OASI would deplete its reserves by 2033, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) pointed out in an Aug. 8 post. At the time, today’s 57-year-olds will hit the normal retirement age while the youngest retirees at present will turn 72.
“Upon insolvency, the law mandates that the OASI trust fund can only spend in amounts equal to incoming trust fund revenue, which means that all 70 million retirees, dependents, and survivors—regardless of age, income, or need—will see their benefits cut by 23 percent,” the analysis states.
Related Stories
Seniors Told to Brace for Far Lower Social Security Payment Boost in 2024
8/11/2023

More Retirees Owe Taxes on Social Security Benefits
7/31/2023

“For a typical dual-income couple retiring in 2033, we estimate this would represent an immediate $17,400 cut in current dollar annual benefits and an immediate $13,100 cut for a typical single-income couple.”
Lower-income, dual-income couples that retire in 2033 could see a $10,600 reduction in benefits, while a high-income, dual-income couple could see benefits cut by $23,000.
CRFB pointed out that though low-income couples would see a smaller reduction, the cuts would represent a significant share of their income. As a consequence, poverty among this demographic can “rise significantly" once OASI becomes insolvent.
Grim Retirement Outlook for Gen X: Study












The estimates of benefit reductions are in current nominal dollars. “Adjusted for inflation, we estimate a typical dual-income couple would face a $14,000 cut, while low-income couples would face a $8,500 cut and high-income couples would face a $18,500 cut.”
“As the 2024 presidential campaign ramps up, candidates are facing pressure to pledge not to touch Social Security,” CRFB said while pointing out that such a pledge is often framed as “protecting benefits” of beneficiaries.
However, “any 2024 presidential candidate who pledges not to touch Social Security is implicitly endorsing a 23 percent across-the-board benefit cut for the 70 million retirees when the Social Security retirement trust fund reaches insolvency in just a decade.”

Political Stance on Social Security
The CRFB report comes as Social Security is a key topic of the upcoming 2024 elections. Presidential candidates have largely been reluctant to commit to making any major changes to the Social Security program.
In his State of the Union address on Feb. 7, President Joe Biden said that “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years.”
“I won’t let that happen. Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors … If anyone tries to cut Social Security, I will stop them.”
Meanwhile, leading Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, said in January that “under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security to help pay for Joe Biden’s reckless spending spree.”
Former President Donald Trump at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 13, 2023. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
“Save Social Security. Don’t destroy it. The Democrats are looking to destroy Social Security. We’re not going to let them do it.”
Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, another GOP candidate for the 2024 president, said in an interview with Fox News in March that “we are not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans.”
The stance of presidential candidates on the issue of Social Security has drawn criticism from experts.
In an interview with CNBC, Whit Ayres, president of North Star Opinion Research, a center-right political polling operation, said that the situation is now ripe for a hero to emerge who can put the Social Security program on a sound financial footing.
“It’s fundamentally irresponsible to say we’re not going to touch it when everybody who’s ever looked at the finances of the program recognizes that it’s going bankrupt,” he said.
Alex Durante, an economist at the Tax Foundation, pointed out that it is impossible to deal with America’s current spending situation without addressing programs like Social Security, which along with Medicare makes up over two-thirds of the country’s budget.
“The longer we push this out, it becomes more difficult to try to protect everyone that receives the benefits. It’s important that we tackle this sooner rather than later," he said.
Social Security Proposals
Various measures have been proposed to keep the Social Security program healthy, including raising the age of eligibility, increasing taxes, and relying more on general revenue to fill any gap in funding.
Some of the proposed measures can negatively affect millions of Americans.
One proposal suggests changing how the Social Security Administration (SSA) determines benefit amounts. At present, the SSA looks at an individual’s highest 35 years of earnings to calculate the benefit.
The proposal suggests raising it to 38 years. This can hurt retirees who are paid less owing to the lower earnings of the additional three years.
Another proposal is an income-based benefit reduction. Currently, workers who earn the most money receive the most retirement benefits. The proposal would end up reducing the benefit of the top 25 to 50 percent of earners, thus potentially affecting many middle-income individuals.
At present, Social Security benefits are available for all Americans from 67 years old. The program is funded by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers.
In 2023, the maximum amount of earnings that will be subject to Social Security is $160,200, up from $147,000 last year.

no, really.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/16/politics/...index.html
  But he also peppered in three false personal anecdotes, including two that have previously been debunked, continuing his habit of inaccurate ad-libbing about his biography.

In addition, Biden repeated one false and previously debunked political boast. As he did earlier this year and during the 2022 midterm elections, he wrongly asserted that he has significantly reduced the national debt, which has actually increased significantly during his presidency. 

Biden conversation with an Amtrak conductor; grandfather's death in same hospital as his birth; watching bridge collapse.

I'd like to think the media is tired of carrying Biden and is willing to tell the truth about him, but past experience shows the media likes to throw some mild criticisms at Democrats until election season when its full bore Democrat Good Republican Bad.

come on, CNN, do some real journalism.  this article is a decent start.

There have been people who have brought up the fact that cars can be hacked. There have been cases where cars did weird things and people died if I remember correctly.. Anyway an EMP from the sun or nuclear device or some hackers taking over your E.V. or computer controlled car is why a 57 Chevy with a 327 is looking better all the time !! Stop all transportation and you have a society by the shot hairs IMO>

Quote:under it's unrestricted warfare paradigm, nothing is considered off limits. That's why you should be worried that China makes so many components that go into vehicles. China can easily hack those vehicles and take control of your car. And it's not just whoever owns the vehicle—Chinese hacking could present a threat to anyone who's nearby. Watch this episode of China Uncensored for more on how China just made driving a whole lot more dangerous.

News and Views from the Nefarium

Quote:August 16, 2023 / Joseph P. Farrell

Maui is burning, the Quislings in charge of "the West" are betraying their countries, doubling down on a sanctions war against Russia they cannot win, and willing to fight that war to the last drop of Ukrainian blood; the western economies are a trash heap of "financial instruments" and - surprise surprise! - the West has discovered that it cannot sustain a major industrial war against Russia because it shipped its manufacturing capacity overseas decades ago, so, too bad for the Ukraine which chose to believe all those empty promises about arms aid that it can't even provide enough ammunition for.


Amid this geopolitical chaos, Russia has chosen to return to the Moon with a soft lander probe called Luna 25, according to this article shared by T.S.:

Russia Launches First Moon Mission after Half-Century Hiatus

The purpose is to search for and hopefully find water ice near the lunar South Pole, which if found would greatly facilitate any permanent human presence there:

Quote:Russia has launched uncrewed spacecraft to the Moon’s south pole — its first lunar mission in 47 years. If successful, the mission would be the first to land in the region, and could mark the start of considerable activity there from multiple countries and private companies.

“It’s an area where we might expect to see increased concentrations of water ice,” says Simeon Barber, a planetary scientist at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. “As you go further towards the pole, it gets colder and the potential for water ice increases.”

Luna 25 launched at 11.11 p.m. UTC on a Soyuz rocket on 10 August from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in eastern Russia — marking a move away from Russia’s dependence on Kazakhstan, which hosts its main launch site, the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It will take around five days for the spacecraft to reach a 100-kilometre orbit around the Moon. The landing attempt is scheduled for 21 August at the 100-kilometre-wide Boguslawsky crater, about 500 kilometres from the Moon’s south pole.

Notably, everyone who is anyone appears to be in a race for the lunar South Pole:

Quote:This is the first of many missions planned for the south pole. India’s Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to land in the region on 23 August. China plans to send a rover there in 2026, and NASA’s Artemis programme, which will attempt to return humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, is also focusing on the south pole. As part of Artemis, several US companies are set to attempt landings there in the coming years.

The question is why did Russia choose now of all times, with the "home front" - planet Earth - being such a geopolitical mess, thanks to the Neocon regimes in charge of "the West"?  The article gives one answer, an answer that in my opinion is perfectly unbelievable:

Quote:Luna 25 is “an opportunity to steal the march on other people get some positive publicity,” says Roger Launius, NASA’s former chief historian.

A big publicity stunt? Sorry, I'm not buying. Russia doesn't go to the expense to engineer a lunar lander and then the expense to launch it just for a publicity stunt. This is not the 1950s and Luna 25 isn't Sputnik.

Then there's the "search for ice" explanation, with the usual bows to human habitation and rocket fuel:

Quote:Orbital data since the 1990s suggests the Moon’s poles contain sizeable quantities of water ice, which, if accessible, could be a valuable resource for future human missions. “You can generate hydrogen and oxygen from it which could be used to produce either drinking water, breathable air, or even to produce rocket fuel,” says Nico Dettman, Lunar Exploration Group Leader at the European Space Agency. That could make the Moon “a stepping stone for further destinations” in the Solar System.

But that explanation is a bit wanting too:

Quote:Luna 25’s main instrument is a robotic arm that will attempt to dig up to 50 centimetres into the floor of the Boguslawsky crater to look for signs of water ice. Barber had been part of a European team that would have collaborated with Russia on these activities and a planned follow-up mission, Luna 27, but the collaboration ended last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
...
But the Russian mission striking ice at Boguslawsky is “pretty unlikely”, because temperatures in the crater are too high, says Margaret Landis, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder. More promising might be a smaller and more deeply shadowed crater within Boguslawsky, but it’s unclear if Russia could attempt a landing here. (Roscosmos declined Nature’s request for interview.)

So what is going on? What's Russia's real motivation?

I strongly suspect that it's a physics-related explanation, and indeed, the article implies as much:

Quote:Luna 25 will also image the surface, study the interaction between the solar wind and the Moon, and deploy a laser reflector to precisely measure the Earth–Moon distance. Providing the landing goes smoothly, the craft is expected to operate for one year.

The interaction between the solar wind and the Moon? To me, this implies that, for whatever reason, Russia is (suddenly?) interested in the interaction between the solar wind and the Kordilewski dust plasma cloud that hovers between the Earth and the Moon, and that perhaps the Luna probe will be taking all sorts of data not only on the Moon, but on the way to the Moon. Notably, the probe will be orbited for a few days before a landing is attempted, and that strongly suggests to me that the real purposes involve some physics of the Earth-Luna-Sun system, as much as it involves a search for water ice.

Indeed, part of that orbital mission appears to be a mapping mission.  And for a bit of off-the-end-of-the-twig high octane speculation, perhaps Luna 25 also has as a hidden goal to detect the remnants of the damage caused by NASA's infamous "L-CROSS" "lander".  Remember that one? NASA's big build-up to literally smash a "lander" into the very same south polar region of the Moon in order - we were told - to examine the debris kicked up by the collision to look for water and other interesting things.  Remember how they told us the collision might even be visible from Earth? "Look up everyone! It will be quite a show!"  And remember what a "fizzle" the results were? And of course, when one crosses four "L's" one gets a familiar you-know-what... favorite symbol of a political party that once invaded Russia, made deals with the Ukraine, and which recently proudly displayed such symbols in its war against Russia...


...so indeed, perhaps there are deeply hidden "stacked functions" behind Russia's return to the Moon now, to find out more about the solar wind and the Moon, the Earth-Moon-Sun system, dust plasmas, and mapping of the lunar surface.

But just to look for water ice?

Nope. That dog doesn't hunt...

See you on the flip side...