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Thanks for reading Axios Space. At 1,469 words, this week's newsletter is about a 5½-minute read.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The Biden administration is staying the course set out by the Trump administration when it comes to space, at least for now.
Why it matters: Administrations often abandon their predecessors' goals in favor of new ones when they come to power. That kind of "moonshot whiplash" can leave NASA stuck on Earth because it takes consistency between administrations to accomplish large exploration goals.
Driving the news: Earlier this month, the Biden administration affirmed its plans to continue the Artemis program to land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon.
Yes, but: While some political appointments have been made at NASA, the administration has yet to put forth a nomination for NASA administrator, a key position that will drive the course of the space agency.
Between the lines: So far, many of Biden's moments of space news have been due to questions from the press, not statements from the administration driving the news themselves.
What to watch: Even though space appears to be on the radar for Biden now, the real test will be how much funding he proposes in the administration's budget.
Artist's illustration of Perseverance on Mars. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA's Perseverance rover, which launched to Mars in July, is set to arrive at the Red Planet Thursday.
Why it matters: The rover is expected to hunt for signs of past life in the remains of what scientists think was once a river delta billions of years ago.
What to watch: The rover — which is about the size of a car — should touch down on Mars at about 3:55pm ET, and you can watch live coverage of the event through NASA starting at 2:15pm ET Thursday via NASA TV.
The intrigue: Curiosity confirmed Mars was once a wet and habitable world, at least for microbial life, and Perseverance is going to build on that work.
The big picture: China and the United Arab Emirates both successfully got their missions into orbit around the Red Planet within a day of one another last week. Now it's on Perseverance to complete the trio that launched last year.
NGC 6397 seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo: NASA/ESA/STScI
A cluster of stars 7,800 light-years away has a group of relatively small black holes hiding in its center.
The big picture: By learning more about this unexpected arrangement of stars and black holes, scientists might be able to piece together a better understanding of the complexities around how black holes behave.
The intrigue: Scientists were initially interested in the globular cluster of stars — named NGC 6397 — because they thought an elusive type of black hole known as an intermediate-mass black hole might be hidden within it.
Artist's illustration of a nuclear propulsion system and habitat around Mars. Image: NASA
Nuclear power is a good bet to get people to and from Mars, according to a new report. However, there's still a long way to go before it's viable.
Why it matters: NASA has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, but the technology needed for such an extreme mission is still in development.
What's happening: The new report from the National Academy of Sciences suggests NASA should start investing resources into learning more about how to safely test and use nuclear propulsion to get cargo and people to Mars.
What they're saying: "Nuclear propulsion systems have the potential to substantially reduce trip time compared to non-nuclear approaches," Roger Myers co-chair of the committee that wrote the report, said in a statement.
Yes, but: While both NEP and NTP could theoretically get people to Mars more quickly than chemical propulsion alone, both technologies have current limitations.
What's next: The report recommends NASA should make "a significant set of architecture and investment decisions in the coming year," if the space agency hopes to take nuclear options seriously.
Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Gérard Sioen/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Afrofuturism: The rise of Black science fiction and fantasy (Russell Contreras, Axios)
White dwarfs wear the crushed corpses of planets in their atmospheres (Brandon Specktor, Live Science)
NASA's climate communications might not recover from Trump (Laura Tenenbaum, TIME)
Erdoğan says Turkey will reach the Moon by 2023 (Jacob Knutson, Axios)
A nearby star may have a planet orbiting in its habitable zone (Axios)
Photo: United Arab Emirates Space Agency/AFP via Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates' Hope probe made it into orbit around Mars last week, vaulting the nation into the elite club of space-faring countries that have operated at the Red Planet.
Big thanks to David Nather, Alison Snyder and Sheryl Miller for editing this week’s edition. (And happy birthday to my mom!) If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe here. 🔭