ELON MUSK’S SPACEX HAS WON A $3 BILLION NASA CONTRACT TO PUT HUMANS ON THE MOON – BUT THE FULL MISSION WILL TAKE FAR MORE THAN THAT

Andrew Griffin@_andrew_griffin
14 hours ago

Nasa has chosen SpaceX to build the lander that will carry humans onto the Moon for the first time in decades.

Elon Musk’s rocket company has been chosen to build the human lander that will drop those astronauts onto the lunar surface. It will do so as part of the Artemis programme, which not only aims to put the first woman and person of colour on the Moon – but now the first commercial lander, too.

The contract is worth $2.89 billion to SpaceX, and Nasa noted that total price is fixed and dependent on reaching certain milestones.

But really the cost of the lander is just the start – or perhaps the end – of a programme that will cost far more, and involve vastly more complexity.

The newly-awarded contract is specifically for what SpaceX and Nasa refer to as the “human landing system”, or HLS, which does exactly as its name says.
Recommended
Greensill: ‘All decisions taken by the bank were made independently’, minister says

Elon Musk’s SpaceX wins contract to build Nasa moon landers

It will take the form of a SpaceX Starship – which is still in testing, and exploded in its last two most recent attempts – which will be specifically designed to land on the Moon. It will make use of the well-established SpaceX raptor engines and borrow on work done for the Falcon and Dragon vehicles that are already used today.

“Starship includes a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks,” Nasa said in ist announcement. “The Starship architecture is intended to evolve to a fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations.”

But to get close enough to drop onto the Moon, the astronauts will have to escape Earth first. They will do that using Nasa’s Space Launch System rocket, a vast vehicle with the power to propel astronauts away from Earth and towards the Moon, with costs nearing $19 billion already and which will cost billions for each launch

The actual journey to and from Moon will happen in another partnership with a private company: the Orion spacecraft, which is being built by Lockheed Martin and Airbus. Just like with the Apollo mission, that will stay hovering over the surface of the Moon as the lander carries astronauts down to the surface, before they climb back into it and journey back to Earth.

All of that will also work in tandem with the Lunar Gateway, Nasa’s plan to build a space station in the Moon’s orbit that will support the Moon missions – providing communications, storage and more for the trips to the surface

It is all of that taken together that makes up the Artemis programme. And it means that the cost – and time – quickly adds up to much more than the $2.9 billion spent on the lander.

The full cost is likely to be some $86 billion by 2025, according to a report from the Nasa Office of Inspector General published in February this year. Those costs accounts for everything involved in the project, including the lander as well as the launch system and other requirements.

(Nasa OIG)

All of that is supposed to take humans to the Moon by 2024, according to a target set by Mike Pence as vice president and still promoted by Nasa. But that target is looking unlikely: its own reports have suggested that it might miss its schedule, largely because of funding shortfalls.

While the total number sounds large, it is relatively small in comparison to the the costs to take humans to the Moon the first time: The Planetary Society estimates the cost of the total effort to get to the Moon was around $28 billion in actual spending, or roughly $280 billion accounting for inflation.

Supporters of the programme argue that those costs should not be seen as being lost in space: the money was spent down on Earth, funding research, engineering and work that moved through the economy in the US and beyond.

Nasa also notes that the benefits are present on Earth, too. The consequences of the Apollo missions can be seen in everything from supermarket foods to the end of a marathon: it brought digital flight controls, food safety protocols, space blankets and hearing aids.

It also argues that the same results will come from the Artemis programme. It will require the building of new technologies including research into ways to extract useful materials – water, oxygen and rocket fuel but also the sometimes valuable substances that make up the Moon itself – from the lunar surface.

“Technology created for Artemis will certainly find secondary applications on Earth,” the spac agency wrote in 2019. “And it will enable a new economy in space.

“Finally, the mission architecture itself — rocket and capsule, surface modules, spacecraft that will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar surface, and all the technology that enables sustainable operations on the Moon — is a test bed for humanity’s next great leap – sending astronauts to Mars.”

SpaceX’s $3 Billion NASA Win – Did Blue Origin Self-Disqualify Itself?

By Ramish Zafar

Apr 17, 2021 16:02 EDT

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) testing its RS-25 engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) in March this year. The SLS will form the backbone of the agency's Artemis program and take astronauts onboard the Orion spacecraft to a lunar space station from which they will board a Space Exploration Technology Corp.'s (SpaceX) Starship lunar lander to make it to the Moon's surface. Image: NASA TV

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $2.9 billion contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) yesterday for the second phase of the agency's plan to develop a lunar lander. This lander will form the backbone of NASA's Artemis program, which seeks to return humans to the Moon, and SpaceX bid its Starship spacecraft for the proposal.

Following the award, NASA shared its Source Selection Statement highlighting the rationale behind its decision. NASA's associate administrator human exploration and operations mission directorate (HEOMD), Ms. Kathryn Leuders evaluated the award proposals for HLS. In the statement, she has highlighted the reasons behind the decision to move forward with SpaceX for the second stage of the contract, which requires the company to demonstrate crewed and uncrewed landings on the lunar South Pole.

SpaceX To Use Solar Powered Moon Lander For NASA’s Historic Missions

SpaceX Leveraged Its Success With Crew and Cargo Missions To Ensure NASA Bid Win

NASA evaluated the second-phase proposals submitted for the Human Landing System (HLS), the agency's official name for the lunar lander, by SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics according to three criteria. These considered their design, price and management merits, and the big reveal in the selection statement is SpaceX being able to secure an 'Outstanding' rating for its management capability.

In the previous evaluation for the first-phase proposals NASA had deemed this capability as being merely 'Acceptable.' However, in a surprising turn of events that catapulted SpaceX right at the top of the Management food chain, the company received the highest rating for this factor in the selection statement approved by Ms. Leuders yesterday.

The primary factors behind NASA's rating upgrade took into account SpaceX's success with its missions to the International Space Station (ISS), its decision to allow full NASA insight into Starship development and the choice to fund the bulk of Starship development costs.

Specifically, SpaceX's plan to "replicate and utilize management processes, toolsets, and software that have been effectively employed on other, similar programs" will allow NASA to accurately track HLS development progress. Problems with the agency being able to track development have caused problems with its Space Launch System (SLS) program, and SpaceX leveraged its operational culture to convince NASA for a rating upgrade.

SpaceX's latest render for its lunar lander reveals an upgraded design with solar panels, which played a crucial part in its selection by NASA for the Artemis program. Image: SpaceX

Similarly, SpaceX has also agreed to let NASA monitor the development of the Starship program as a whole. While the Starship lunar lander will use the platform's upper stage, certain design features such as aerodynamic surfaces (wings), engines, solar panels and landing legs will differ between the two. Importantly, the lunar lander will use Starship's first stage Super Heavy booster and tanker spacecraft for refueling, and the insight offered wooed NASA since "SpaceX’s HLS effort and its development of commercial spaceflight capabilities are inextricably intertwined" according to associate administrator Leuders.

SpaceX Surprised By High Liquid Oxygen Levels In Rocket Prior To NASA Crew Launch

Two of these three factors (Stars funding and ISS mission experience) were favorably viewed by NASA in last year's evaluation. However, back then, the agency had also cited previous Crew Dragon and Falcon Heavy development delays as raising risks for the lunar program. Now, it seems as if by providing NASA with greater insight into the Starship program, SpaceX has won over the agency's confidence for these risks.

A rapid test cadence in Boca Chica, Texas, has bolstered confidence in the program, as SpaceX tested its first Starship prototype, SN8, a little over 24 hours after it submitted the final HLS proposal to NASA.

These benefits were absent from Blue Origin and Dynetics' assessments. The former's decision to work with Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman for its Integrated Landing Vehicle was viewed favorably by NASA. Still, its inability to satisfy the agency for data sharing and intellectual property infringement was viewed unfavorably. The latter's plans for commercialization secured NASA's approval but its inability to schedule risk mitigation was a source of worry for the space agency.

The Starship SN8 prototype during landing as one of its engines reignites. Re-ignition was a key non-NASA testing parameter that was successfully met during the prototype's test in December last year. Image: SpaceX/Twitter

Dynetics Falls From NASA Grace As Company Exceeds Weight Thresholds and Fails To Provide Key Technical Details

For its technical evaluation, NASA assigned Blue Origin and SpaceX an 'Acceptable' rating and Dynetics a 'Marginal' rating. SpaceX and Blue Origin retained this rating over the previous assessment, but surprisingly, Dynetics fell from 'Very Good' to Acceptable.

Starship impressed NASA with its cargo volume, its support for more extravehicular (EVA) missions than the proposal required, interior design for efficient cargo space allocation, the ability to loiter in lunar orbit for 100 days, redundant airlocks with separate life support and environmental support systems and excess propellant for emergencies and consumables.

The vehicle's design similarities to the Crew Dragon and SpaceX's plan to allow Starship to support four crewmembers independently and an aggressive testing cadence, also won NASA's favor in the technical evaluation.

However, just as it had in the previous statement, the agency cited its doubts about SpaceX's plan to refuel Starship in Earth orbit before its lunar foray and its propulsion system design. Yet, since the refueling will take place in Earth orbit, NASA also believes that its threat to the mission is reduced. SpaceX allayed the agency's concerns for the propulsion system development by providing a detailed development schedule, something absent from the other proposals. Furthermore, since NASA's crewed Orion launches will occur after Starship has departed, the agency believes it will have leeway to accommodate any mission delays due to the in-orbit refueling.

A SpaceX presentation slide from 2019 demonstrating in-orbit Starship refueling. The spacecraft on the right is the standard Starship variant, different from the company's Human Landing System proposal. Image: SpaceX

Blue Origin also exceeded NASA's requirements for EVAs and the ILV is also capable of loitering in the lunar orbit. The company's focus on crew safety, a theme present in its other vehicles and impressed NASA, and the ILV's ability to separate its descent element from the ascent element is a crucial safety factor that won the agency's approval. The ILV comprises of three elements, the ascent, descent and transfer elements, and the ascent element is the one that houses its crew.

The biggest weakness of the Kent, Washington-based company, however, was its supply chain management. It will procure components of the ILV's propulsion system with long lead times from a third-party supplier, and Blue was unable to schedule their certification and validation to meet its propulsion critical design review later this year, according to NASA. Additionally, the fact that Blue will not test critical propulsion systems until 2024, which is when the first HLS mission is set to take, created doubt in the agency's mind as to whether it will be able to meet the contract timeline requirements.

Another significant weakness identified by NASA was that four of the six ILV communication links, such as those to Earth and to Orion, were not 'closed.' A closed link uses sender feedback to assure the receiver about message integrity.

As the associate administrator noted:

Blue Origin’s communications link errors would result in an overall lack of ability to engage in critical communications between HLS and Orion or Earth during lunar surface operations. I am troubled by the risks this aspect of Blue Origin’s proposal creates to the crew and to the mission overall.

A render of the Integrated Landing Vehicle (ILV) in lunar orbit. The transfer, descent and ascent elements are visible from left to right. According to Blue Origin's proposal, the three elements will launch separately from Earth and assemble themselves in lunar orbit. Image: Blue Origin

Blue Origin Exceeds Several Proposal Requirements, Woos NASA With Strong Management Proposal But Fails To Meet Proposal Compliance

Yet, the proposal's disqualifying weakness was not its technical or management weaknesses. After all, NASA rated Blue's management strengths and its "thoughtful" organization structure as  significant strengths; The agency was impressed by the company forming 'badgeless' teams with representatives from the three ILV program members to manage the overall system, stating that these "types of badgeless environments constitute a true organizational partnership across Blue Origin and its major subcontractors."

According to NASA, Blue Origin's proposal was ineligible for the contract award since the company requested advance milestone payments against the contract instructions. Ms. Leuders explained that due to these payments, an award would be impossible unless NASA negotiated with Blue to allow the company to revise its proposal to meet the HLS solicitation requirements.

She also stated in a footnote that she would be willing to negotiate with the company if its proposal was beneficial to the government.

Her precise words are as follows:

While it is also the case that Blue Origin’s proposal is not awardable as-is in light of its aforementioned advance payments, this is an issue I would endeavor to allow Blue to correct through negotiations or discussions if I otherwise concluded that its proposal presents a good value to the Government. This, however, is not my conclusion.

However, since SpaceX had already won nearly all of NASA's funds for the HLS, the agency decided not to pursue further negotiations with Blue Origin. Leuders alsoSpaceX’s $3 Billion NASA Win – Did Blue Origin Self-Disqualify Itself?

By Ramish Zafar

Apr 17, 2021 16:02 EDT

 SHARE TWEET SUBMIT

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) testing its RS-25 engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) in March this year. The SLS will form the backbone of the agency's Artemis program and take astronauts onboard the Orion spacecraft to a lunar space station from which they will board a Space Exploration Technology Corp.'s (SpaceX) Starship lunar lander to make it to the Moon's surface. Image: NASA TV

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $2.9 billion contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) yesterday for the second phase of the agency's plan to develop a lunar lander. This lander will form the backbone of NASA's Artemis program, which seeks to return humans to the Moon, and SpaceX bid its Starship spacecraft for the proposal.

Following the award, NASA shared its Source Selection Statement highlighting the rationale behind its decision. NASA's associate administrator human exploration and operations mission directorate (HEOMD), Ms. Kathryn Leuders evaluated the award proposals for HLS. In the statement, she has highlighted the reasons behind the decision to move forward with SpaceX for the second stage of the contract, which requires the company to demonstrate crewed and uncrewed landings on the lunar South Pole.

SpaceX To Use Solar Powered Moon Lander For NASA’s Historic Missions

SpaceX Leveraged Its Success With Crew and Cargo Missions To Ensure NASA Bid Win

NASA evaluated the second-phase proposals submitted for the Human Landing System (HLS), the agency's official name for the lunar lander, by SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics according to three criteria. These considered their design, price and management merits, and the big reveal in the selection statement is SpaceX being able to secure an 'Outstanding' rating for its management capability.

In the previous evaluation for the first-phase proposals NASA had deemed this capability as being merely 'Acceptable.' However, in a surprising turn of events that catapulted SpaceX right at the top of the Management food chain, the company received the highest rating for this factor in the selection statement approved by Ms. Leuders yesterday.

The primary factors behind NASA's rating upgrade took into account SpaceX's success with its missions to the International Space Station (ISS), its decision to allow full NASA insight into Starship development and the choice to fund the bulk of Starship development costs.

Specifically, SpaceX's plan to "replicate and utilize management processes, toolsets, and software that have been effectively employed on other, similar programs" will allow NASA to accurately track HLS development progress. Problems with the agency being able to track development have caused problems with its Space Launch System (SLS) program, and SpaceX leveraged its operational culture to convince NASA for a rating upgrade.

SpaceX's latest render for its lunar lander reveals an upgraded design with solar panels, which played a crucial part in its selection by NASA for the Artemis program. Image: SpaceX

Similarly, SpaceX has also agreed to let NASA monitor the development of the Starship program as a whole. While the Starship lunar lander will use the platform's upper stage, certain design features such as aerodynamic surfaces (wings), engines, solar panels and landing legs will differ between the two. Importantly, the lunar lander will use Starship's first stage Super Heavy booster and tanker spacecraft for refueling, and the insight offered wooed NASA since "SpaceX’s HLS effort and its development of commercial spaceflight capabilities are inextricably intertwined" according to associate administrator Leuders.

SpaceX Surprised By High Liquid Oxygen Levels In Rocket Prior To NASA Crew Launch

Two of these three factors (Stars funding and ISS mission experience) were favorably viewed by NASA in last year's evaluation. However, back then, the agency had also cited previous Crew Dragon and Falcon Heavy development delays as raising risks for the lunar program. Now, it seems as if by providing NASA with greater insight into the Starship program, SpaceX has won over the agency's confidence for these risks.

A rapid test cadence in Boca Chica, Texas, has bolstered confidence in the program, as SpaceX tested its first Starship prototype, SN8, a little over 24 hours after it submitted the final HLS proposal to NASA.

These benefits were absent from Blue Origin and Dynetics' assessments. The former's decision to work with Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman for its Integrated Landing Vehicle was viewed favorably by NASA. Still, its inability to satisfy the agency for data sharing and intellectual property infringement was viewed unfavorably. The latter's plans for commercialization secured NASA's approval but its inability to schedule risk mitigation was a source of worry for the space agency.

SpaceX Starship SN8 landing 

The Starship SN8 prototype during landing as one of its engines reignites. Re-ignition was a key non-NASA testing parameter that was successfully met during the prototype's test in December last year. Image: SpaceX/Twitter

Dynetics Falls From NASA Grace As Company Exceeds Weight Thresholds and Fails To Provide Key Technical Details

For its technical evaluation, NASA assigned Blue Origin and SpaceX an 'Acceptable' rating and Dynetics a 'Marginal' rating. SpaceX and Blue Origin retained this rating over the previous assessment, but surprisingly, Dynetics fell from 'Very Good' to Acceptable.

Starship impressed NASA with its cargo volume, its support for more extravehicular (EVA) missions than the proposal required, interior design for efficient cargo space allocation, the ability to loiter in lunar orbit for 100 days, redundant airlocks with separate life support and environmental support systems and excess propellant for emergencies and consumables.

The vehicle's design similarities to the Crew Dragon and SpaceX's plan to allow Starship to support four crewmembers independently and an aggressive testing cadence, also won NASA's favor in the technical evaluation.

However, just as it had in the previous statement, the agency cited its doubts about SpaceX's plan to refuel Starship in Earth orbit before its lunar foray and its propulsion system design. Yet, since the refueling will take place in Earth orbit, NASA also believes that its threat to the mission is reduced. SpaceX allayed the agency's concerns for the propulsion system development by providing a detailed development schedule, something absent from the other proposals. Furthermore, since NASA's crewed Orion launches will occur after Starship has departed, the agency believes it will have leeway to accommodate any mission delays due to the in-orbit refueling.

Starship in-orbit refueling SpaceX

A SpaceX presentation slide from 2019 demonstrating in-orbit Starship refueling. The spacecraft on the right is the standard Starship variant, different from the company's Human Landing System proposal. Image: SpaceX

Blue Origin also exceeded NASA's requirements for EVAs and the ILV is also capable of loitering in the lunar orbit. The company's focus on crew safety, a theme present in its other vehicles and impressed NASA, and the ILV's ability to separate its descent element from the ascent element is a crucial safety factor that won the agency's approval. The ILV comprises of three elements, the ascent, descent and transfer elements, and the ascent element is the one that houses its crew.

The biggest weakness of the Kent, Washington-based company, however, was its supply chain management. It will procure components of the ILV's propulsion system with long lead times from a third-party supplier, and Blue was unable to schedule their certification and validation to meet its propulsion critical design review later this year, according to NASA. Additionally, the fact that Blue will not test critical propulsion systems until 2024, which is when the first HLS mission is set to take, created doubt in the agency's mind as to whether it will be able to meet the contract timeline requirements.

Another significant weakness identified by NASA was that four of the six ILV communication links, such as those to Earth and to Orion, were not 'closed.' A closed link uses sender feedback to assure the receiver about message integrity.

As the associate administrator noted:

Blue Origin’s communications link errors would result in an overall lack of ability to engage in critical communications between HLS and Orion or Earth during lunar surface operations. I am troubled by the risks this aspect of Blue Origin’s proposal creates to the crew and to the mission overall.

A render of the Integrated Landing Vehicle (ILV) in lunar orbit. The transfer, descent and ascent elements are visible from left to right. According to Blue Origin's proposal, the three elements will launch separately from Earth and assemble themselves in lunar orbit. Image: Blue Origin

Blue Origin Exceeds Several Proposal Requirements, Woos NASA With Strong Management Proposal But Fails To Meet Proposal Compliance

Yet, the proposal's disqualifying weakness was not its technical or management weaknesses. After all, NASA rated Blue's management strengths and its "thoughtful" organization structure as  significant strengths; The agency was impressed by the company forming 'badgeless' teams with representatives from the three ILV program members to manage the overall system, stating that these "types of badgeless environments constitute a true organizational partnership across Blue Origin and its major subcontractors."

According to NASA, Blue Origin's proposal was ineligible for the contract award since the company requested advance milestone payments against the contract instructions. Ms. Leuders explained that due to these payments, an award would be impossible unless NASA negotiated with Blue to allow the company to revise its proposal to meet the HLS solicitation requirements.

She also stated in a footnote that she would be willing to negotiate with the company if its proposal was beneficial to the government.

Her precise words are as follows:

While it is also the case that Blue Origin’s proposal is not awardable as-is in light of its aforementioned advance payments, this is an issue I would endeavor to allow Blue to correct through negotiations or discussions if I otherwise concluded that its proposal presents a good value to the Government. This, however, is not my conclusion.

However, since SpaceX had already won nearly all of NASA's funds for the HLS, the agency decided not to pursue further negotiations with Blue Origin. Leuders also wrote that following the SpaceX award, the remaining funds are so low that her agency "cannot reasonably ask Blue Origin to lower its price for the scope of work it has proposed to a figure that would potentially enable NASA to afford making a contract award to Blue Origin."

The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. NewAgeAds LLC has a disclosure and ethics policy.

 wrote that following the SpaceX award, the remaining funds are so low that her agency "cannot reasonably ask Blue Origin to lower its price for the scope of work it has proposed to a figure that would potentially enable NASA to afford making a contract award to Blue Origin."

The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. NewAgeAds LLC has a disclosure and ethics policy.

Just-In: Gary Gensler Sworn in as New SEC Chair, Will SEC Drop Ripple Case?

 Godfrey Benjamin Altcoin News

published 10 hours ago | modified 9 hours ago

Gary Gensler may be New SEC lead


Gary Gensler has been sworn in as the new Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), following his nomination by President Joe Biden and his subsequent confirmation by the Senate on April 14, 2021. Gensler, who succeeds former Chairman, Jay Clayton will lead the SEC for 5 years through 2026.

Gary Gensler New SEC Chief

Gensler, a former Goldman Sachs executive has had a stint at the United States Department of Treasury where he served as Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions from 1997 to 1999 and his role as a blockchain and cryptocurrency lecturer at MIT Sloan School of management has made many believe he will bring the long-sought reform not just to the broader market, but to the fast-growing cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Amongst the major challenges ahead of the 63-year old is the ongoing lawsuit with blockchain payments firm, Ripple Labs incorporated, as many anticipate a plausible scenario either where Ripple and the SEC might reach a settlement or where the commission will eventually drop the case which already appears to be going in Ripple’s favor after a series of small wins.

Gary Gensler is Pro Crypto

The nomination of Gary Gensler has been noted by many industry thought leaders as a positive turning point for the cryptospace as Gensler has been seen as a pro-crypto veteran who understands the needs of how blockchain works and its relevance in a dynamic financial world.

One of the most recent proofs of Gensler’s positive disposition to the cryptocurrency industry was reflected in his description of Bitcoin at his nomination hearing. As reported by Coingape, Gensler said Bitcoin (BTC) is “A Catalyst for Change,” adding “Markets—and technology—are always changing. Our rules have to change along with them.”

From Gensler’s perspectives as he informed the lawmakers, financial innovation, and by extension, crypto can be a force for good if harnessed under applicable laws to the benefit of every market stakeholder. Anticipation mounts that in Gensler’s era, the first Bitcoin ETF product will be approved which may likely lead to the launch of more products to draw in mainstream market investors.

Will the SEC Drop the Ripple Lawsuit?

The SEC lawsuit against Ripple was filed toward the end of December 2020 by former Chair, Jay Clayton. The merits of the inherited case by Gary Gensler have been faulted by many, as the timing was seen as undue by many. While the case as noted earlier has been tilted in Ripple’s favor with the court first, granting the firm access to SEC’s correspondence regarding its classification of Bitcoin and Ethereum as cryptocurrencies, and secondly by denying the commission access to the company executive’s personal financial records.

Gary Gensler did not start this war, but many believe with his nomination and confirmation as the SEC Chair, he has the powers to stop the war.

Pompeo's Used Employees for Dogsitting and Picking Up Takeout, Watchdog Finds

An investigation found the couple misused agency resources and violated federal ethics rules by making more than 100 personal requests of department staff

By PETER WADE


70th United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

AP
Picking up takeout, taking care of the family dog, making Cheesecake Factory reservations, helping write a medical school recommendation for a friend and sending out Christmas cards are just some of the personal, non-work related tasks former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo, asked State Department employees to do for them while he was in office.

A State Department independent watchdog investigation, published on Friday, found that Pompeo and his wife misused agency resources and violated federal ethics rules by making more than 100 such requests to political appointees and other employees at the State Department.

Susan Pompeo made many of the unethical requests cited in the investigation. She assigned employees numerous tasks, and the employees told the investigators that they considered these instructions from her to be “at the direction of Secretary Pompeo” and she would often use language such as, “The Secretary would like you to… ” and “I have spoken with the Secretary.”

In one request, Susan Pompeo asked a career staff member to accompany her to pick up take-out food for a social event with Michelle Brechbuhl, the wife of State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl. “Michelle and I think Farmers, Fishers, Bakers is a good place for us to carry out dinner tonight. Michelle is willing to drive if one of you would just run in (that way… she won’t have to park!),” Susan Pompeo wrote in an email.

In another request, Susan Pompeo emailed a senior advisor and asked, “I’m wondering if we are sending the last of our personal [Christmas] cards out, who will be there to help me?” The employee then sent in a Senior Foreign Service Officer, who “came in on the weekend to envelope, address, and mail personal Christmas cards for the Pompeos.”

Pompeo denied the findings of the investigation, saying in a statement, “At no time did I, or my wife Susan, misuse taxpayer money or violate rules or ethical norms. Our actions were constantly reviewed by dozens of lawyers, and we made massive efforts, and did, comply with every requirement.”

But these chores and others “appear to have had no connection to official Department business,” the watchdog report said. These tasks were performed “during duty and non-duty hours,” the report said, but the Pompeos did not “reimburse the subordinate employees for their non-duty time when performing these tasks.” One employee told the investigators that she believed she had to carry out the tasks “as part of her official duties” and not merely friendly favors, which is how Pompeo tried to explain the requests when interviewed by investigators late last year.

The investigator general concluded that the Pompeos’ “requests were inconsistent with department ethics rules and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch.” According to the report, most of the fieldwork for this investigation was completed by August 2020, but Pompeo dodged requests for an interview for three months, which delayed the release of the report.

U.S., China Say They Will Cooperate to Tackle Climate Change


Dominic Lau, Bloomberg News

JAENSCHWALDE, GERMANY - AUGUST 20: Steam rises from cooling towers at the Jaenschwalde coal-fired power plant on August 20, 2010 at Jaenschwalde, Germany. The Jaenschwalde power plant is one of the biggest single producers of CO2 gas in Europe. The area of northern Saxony and southern Brandenburg is scarred with active and former lignite coal mines that feed local power plants like Jaenschwalde, and a large-scale project is underway to flood the massive pits and convert them into lakes for tourism. The Lausitz and Middle German Mining and Administration Association (LMBV) is converting a total of 51 former mines into lakes, and a similar project is planned for former mines in neighboring Poland. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) 

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and China are committed to cooperating to tackle climate change, they said in a joint statement after meetings between senior envoys last week.

The two nations will work together and with other parties to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and to promote a successful U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow later this year, they said.

The U.S. and China support the Paris Agreement’s aim to limit the increase in the global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celcius and to try to restrict it to 1.5 degrees Celcius, according to the statement.

The statement followed discussions in Shanghai on April 15 and 16 between U.S. presidential climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua. Kerry’s visit was part of a tour that’s so far included India, the U.K., Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Royal Caribbean sends ships to St. Vincent to assist with evacuations amid La Soufriere eruption

Around 159 nationals from the US, UK and Canada were scheduled to evacuate

By Peter Aitken | Fox News

Royal Caribbean continued its evacuation efforts Saturday, one day after the island of St. Vincent was rocked by another volcanic eruption.

Since the initial eruption on April 9, authorities have worked to clear the Caribbean island and contain the damage.

British, Canadian and U.S. nationals line up alongside the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Reflection to be evacuated free of charge, in Kingstown on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, Friday, April 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Orvil Samuel)

Some 20,000 people have fled to the northern end of the island for shelter.


La Soufriere, the volcano, has erupted only a handful of times: Experts have compared the current cycle to one from 1902, during which eruptions continued for months

.

British, Canadian and U.S. nationals wait to board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Reflection to be evacuated free of charge, in Kingstown on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, Friday, April 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Orvil Samuel)

British, U.S. and Canadian nationals have been evacuated on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, with hundreds ferried to nearby islands for safety.

'HUGE' EXPLOSION ROCKS ST. VINCENT AS VOLCANO KEEPS ERUPTING

"In addition to the 137 evacuees who debarked in St. Lucia last Saturday, Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises will evacuate 159 nationals from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada to St. Maarten today," a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Fox News.

Plumes of ash rise from the La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Vincie Richie/The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre via AP)

The evacuees were scheduled to arrive in St. Maarten by Saturday, with anyone aboard the vessel required to present a negative PCR or antigen test.

The cruise ships also made much-needed water deliveries, with more relief supplies on the way.

The U.S. Embassy said those aboard the cruise ships would have to make travel arrangements home from whichever island evacuees land.

So far, no deaths have been reported.

Fox News' Lucas Manfredi and the Associated Press