Politics in Orbit: Russia and the Future of the International Space Station
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Intelligence Brief… with the battle ensuing on the ground in Ukraine, international...
Micah Hanks
Micah Hanks is creator, co-founder, and Editor-in-Chief of The Debrief. He covers science, defense, and technology in his writing and podcasts, and you can find him at micahhanks.com and on X @MicahHanks.
Cyberattack Concerns Mount in the West as Russia Invades Ukraine
As the U.S. and other nations announce sanctions against Russia amidst the crisis in Ukraine, this week we examine concerns over retaliatory cyberattacks.
Into the Cosmic “Webb”: The Search for Interstellar Interlopers
The James Webb Space Telescope could do more than just give us glimpses of distant alien worlds; it may even help us spot a few interstellar visitors.
Nominee for DOD Inspector General Pledges “Comprehensive Assessment” of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena if Confirmed
The Biden Administration's nominee to serve as watchdog for the DoD admitted UAP was "not an issue with which I am currently familiar,” but that he is "willing to look into that and take any action that’s appropriate.”
NASA Just Revealed Who Will be Helping It Retrieve Samples from Mars
This week, NASA has made a big announcement about its future plans to retrieve samples from the surface of Mars.
NASA’s Updated Transition Plan for the International Space Station Includes Crashing it Into the Pacific
NASA has updated its transition plan for the international space station, as it nears the end of its operational lifespan.
A Surprise Discovery on Mars Offers Clues in the Search for Life
This week we look at what recent findings suggest about the possible existence of life on ancient Mars, and why the question of biology shouldn’t be ruled out.
“Ghosts” of the Early Universe Reveal Clues, and Controversies, About the Formation of Galaxies
Astronomers have learned surprising things from the oldest and most distant galaxies in our universe, a search that has also led to a few controversies.
A Rocket is About to Collide With the Moon… And That Might Be a Good Thing
A rocket is expected to crash into the Moon in early March... so why aren't many experts concerned? This week, we examine the surprising reasons why.
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Just Reached its New Home in Space
The James Webb Space Telescope will soon begin its long-anticipated mission of peering more deeply into the history of space than any telescope has ever done.
Report: NASA’s Human Space Exploration Efforts Need an Upgrade
This week, we look at what a newly released report says about NASA and how it can optimize its efforts toward human space exploration in the years ahead.
Welcome to the Future, as Seen From the Past
This week, The Intelligence Brief takes a trip back in time, as we take a look at how people in decades envisioned the future world of 2022.
The Expedition 66 Team Kicks Off 2022 on the ISS With Science and Spacewalks
The Expedition 66 crew aboard the International Space Station is conducting experiments and preparing for a spacewalk in early 2022.
The Pentagon’s Secret War Against COVID 19
With Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testing positive for COVID 19, we look at how the coronavirus has remained a challenge to U.S. national security.
The James Webb Space Telescope: NASA’s Most Advanced Space Science Observatory Pursues the Unknown
This week, we look at the historic launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the critical days ahead, and the discoveries it is expected to make.
The SETI Institute Looks Back on 2021, and Forward to the Future
As The Debrief looks back on its first year in business, one of the big areas we have covered involves the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI.
The Senate Just Passed a Defense Bill the DoD is Calling “Historic”
This week, as the Senate passes a defense bill that significantly increases the Pentagon's budget, we analyze some of its key provisions, and historic implications.
NASA Lasers in Space, Mysterious Solar Particles, and a “Hut” on the Moon
This week, we look at a joint NASA and U.S. Naval Research Laboratory experiment that got a bit of help from the U.S. Space Force in recent days.
As Defense Bill Stalls in Senate, Experts Are Divided Over the Pentagon’s New UAP Investigations Unit.
Senators, scientists, and defense experts express mixed opinions about the DoD’s latest efforts to address military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.
Senators, scientists, and defense experts express mixed opinions about the DoD’s latest efforts to address military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.
Senators, scientists, and defense experts express mixed opinions about the DoD’s latest efforts to address military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.
NASA’s Retirement Plans for the International Space Station
This week, we look at the retirement plans NASA has outlined for the International Space Station, and future space stations it will build with commercial partners.
DART, NASA’s New Planetary Defense Mission, Has Launched Aboard a SpaceX Rocket
A mission to test technology that may one day be used to defend our planet against potentially deadly asteroids and other near-Earth objects was successfully launched on Wednesday, according to NASA.
Preliminary Assessment: The Pentagon’s New UAP Investigative Group
This week, we examine the DoD's all new UAP investigation effort, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.
DoD Announces the Establishment of “Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group” to Study UAP
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks says the AOIMSG will assume the current duties of the Navy’s UAP task force.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks says the AOIMSG will assume the current duties of the Navy’s UAP task force.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks says the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) will assume the current duties of the Navy’s UAP task force.
NASA Anomaly Review Board Investigates “Incident” with the James Webb Space Telescope
The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed after an "incident" that is currently under investigation, NASA officials say.
Russia’s Anti-Satellite Missile Test: A Danger to Future Space Operations
This week, we analyze a concerning incident involving a test by Russia and its burgeoning anti-satellite missile technology.
“We don’t understand everything that we’re seeing”: Group Convenes in Washington to Discuss Space, the Future, and Extraterrestrials
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and a range of panelists gathered to address the "Final Frontier," and humankind’s search for the unexplained.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and a range of panelists gathered to address the "Final Frontier," and humankind’s search for the unexplained.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and a range of panelists gathered to address space, the future, and humankind’s search for the unexplained.
Aerial Threats: Foreign, Domestic, and Exotic
This week, we examine Russia's aspirations for the country’s new state armament program, and how this relates to unidentifed aerial threats.
NASA Announces New Climate Mission to Study Unexplained Weather Phenomena
NASA’s new earth science mission, the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), will explore little-understood climate phenomena.
New Senate Proposal Seeks to Establish “Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office” to Gather Intelligence on UAP
The proposal calls for "Field Investigations of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena", and greater transparency on information the United States collects about it.
The proposal calls for "Field Investigations of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena", and greater transparency on information the United States collects about it.
A new proposal in Washington could lead to the establishment of an "Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office" within the DOD.
NASA’s DART Program and the Future of Planetary Defense
This week, news of a surprise visit from an asteroid in late October has NASA talking about the prospects of its DART program.
A Massive Solar Flare is Headed for Earth this Halloween
This week, we turn our attention toward the Sun and the solar flare that has been brewing there in recent days that has researchers at NASA talking.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Discusses Asteroids and Pilot Encounters with UAP
"They know they saw something, and their radars locked on to it," Nelson said during a recent live-stream event that touched on UAP, asteroid defense, and a variety of space-related issues.
"They know they saw something, and their radars locked on to it," Nelson said during a recent live-stream event that touched on UAP, asteroid defense, and a variety of space-related issues.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently spoke with the University of Virginia about defending Earth from asteroids, and pilot reports of encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.
The CIA’s Secret War Against WikiLeaks
This week, we analyze a bombshell report appearing this week that disclosed how far the CIA had considered going to halt the efforts of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
UFOs Disabled Weapons at Nuclear Facilities, According to These Former USAF Officers
Calling on Congress for public hearings, several former USAF officers say they witnessed UFOs during incidents at nuclear bases.
Calling on Congress for public hearings, several former USAF officers say they witnessed UFOs during incidents at nuclear bases.
Calling on Congress for public hearings, several former USAF officers say they witnessed UFOs during incidents at nuclear bases.
Survival After Death: How a Dead Star is Showing Us the Future of Our Solar System
New research reveals that some solar systems around white dwarfs can survive the volatile period toward the end of a dying star's lifespan.
William Shatner Reaches the Final Frontier
This week, we look at actor William Shatner and his successful trip into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.
Something is Producing Radio Waves in the Heart of the Milky Way, and it Has Astronomers Baffled
Strange radio waves detected by astronomers in recent days have led some to believe that a hidden stellar object may be lurking near the center of the Milky Way.
Meteorite Slams Through the Roof of Canadian Woman’s Home, Landing on Her Pillow
A Canadian woman recently had a rude awakening as a meteorite tore through the ceiling of her home, covering her in debris and prompting a 911 call.
Spy Games: The CIA Shifts its Focus to Threats from China and Foreign Technology
This week we look at the CIA's new China and Foreign Technology Mission Centers, and new information about losses sustained by the agency.
Internet Archive’s New ‘Wayforward Machine’ Reveals the Scary Future of the Internet
One of the largest digital libraries online today gives us a glimpse at what the Internet of 2046 may look like... and it's concerning.
One of the largest digital libraries online today gives us a glimpse at what the Internet of 2046 may look like... and it's concerning.
Wayforward Machine gives us a glimpse at what the Internet of 2046 may look like... and it's really concerning.
House Intelligence Committee Approves Bill to Mandate Intelligence Sharing in “Pursuit of Unexplained Aerial Phenomena”
Congress continues to narrow its focus on what it calls a “mysterious threat to U.S. airspace and our military forces.”
Congress continues to narrow its focus on what it calls a “mysterious threat to U.S. airspace and our military forces.”
Recent legislation approved by the House Intelligence Committee includes a mandate that would increase the sharing of data collected about unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP), according to language within the bill.
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Zeros in On Mysterious Trojan Asteroid Swarms Following Jupiter
Lurking in orbit around our Sun and sharing a path with Jupiter are the mysterious Trojan asteroid swarms, which astronomers have now trained their sights on for future study.
Spiritual Machines: Silicon Valley’s Quest for Immortality
It is among the oldest and greatest questions humans have ever asked: what happens after we die? Since...
Spiritual Machines: Silicon Valley’s Quest for Immortality
This week, we turn our attention to the question of longevity studies, and Silicon Valley's quest for Immortality.
The Future of NASA: Innovation, Exploration, and the Unknown
This week, NASA makes some big announcements outlining its mission in the decades ahead, and talks about part of its core mission: seeking the unknown.
Study Finds Disinformation is Being Used to Manipulate Western Media… Like it Has Been Doing for Centuries
Researchers at Cardiff University say Western Media is being steered by Russian propaganda, but archaeology reveals it is a practice with ancient roots.
Unusual Sounds Produced by Bright Meteors Point to an Odd Acoustic Anomaly
Reports of odd sounds associated with bright meteors over the years point to a longstanding mystery of physics.
A Permanent U.S. Government Office of UAP Investigations?
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… in this edition we’ll be looking at 1) The...
Smoke on the International Space Station: It’s Time for an Upgrade
Another concerning incident earlier this week on the International Space Station points to deeper problems for future operations in orbit.
Deadly Supervolcano Eruptions Remain a Threat for Centuries, New Study Finds
Supervolcano eruptions, among the most deadly events that occur on planet Earth, may remain a threat for centuries according to new research.