Author Archive

Tim Fernholz

Tim Fernholz

Tim Fernholz covers state, business and society for Quartz.
Tim Fernholz covers state, business and society for Quartz.
Tech

Watch SpaceX Bring Research, Mouse Food, And Some Unexpected Gas To The ISS

The mouse food is clean and the rocket is ready to fly.

Management

NASA Will Hire Private Companies To Hunt Water On The Moon

The U.S. is creating another market for business in space.

Management

The U.S. Now Suspects Russian Microwaves Caused Diplomats’ Brain Injuries

U.S. embassy workers in Cuba reported hearing chirping sounds before suffering headaches, memory and hearing loss, and difficulty sleeping.

Management

A Tiny Hole in the Soyuz Spacecraft Could Be a Huge Headache for NASA

Quality control problems with the Soyuz will pile more pressure on the delayed efforts of Boeing and SpaceX to fly astronauts for NASA.

Management

How The Space Force Took Over Washington

Blame a potent mix of national security concerns, space spectacle, and pork-barrel spending.

Oversight

Trump Is Hiding His Phone Calls To World Leaders From The Public

The White House will no longer provide public summaries of the president's calls.

Tech

A Toxic Fuel Leak On Boeing’s Spacecraft Will Ground U.S. Astronauts a Little Longer

NASA's attempt to hire a space taxi hits another speed bump. And more may be ahead for the vehicle intended to travel to the ISS.

Tech

Donald Trump Nominated a Man With No Space Experience To Be NASA’s Second-in-Command

He's passing over a female astronaut with a Ph.D. in chemistry, in the process.

Tech

NASA’s Chief Wants Former Astronaut Janet Kavandi To Help Run Things. Trump Is Looking At The Senate’s Admin Guy

The president is seriously considering a man with no space experience, sources say.

Tech

What Happens When Astronauts Drop Their Tools In Space

Spatula, camera, pliers, you name it.

Tech

NASA Can’t Find Most Of The Asteroids Threatening Earth, But It Has a Plan

Too bad we don't know where they are.

Management

Defense Contractors Are Helping Care for Detained Migrant Children

General Dynamics is helping to ensure the needs of unaccompanied children are met, but has no role in the family separation policy or construction of detention facilities.

Management

The 'Sonic Attack' in China May Have Been Clumsy Ultrasonic Eavesdropping, Expert Says

Diplomats have been suffering unexplained brain damage since last year.

Tech

NASA Is Going Back to Mars, And It's Going Deep

Data from the Mars InSight's sensors will enable planetary scientists to understand how Mars evolved.

Tech

The Military Will Award $10 Million To The Company That Can Launch Satellites On Short Notice

The Air Force is desperate to replace larger satellites that are vulnerable to attack, and fast.

Management

The Patriot Missile Interceptor Doesn’t Work, But Raytheon Still Makes Billions

Have the U.S. and its allies spent bought a lemon?

Defense

Why a Meeting Between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un Is So Risky

In international diplomacy, the leader-to-leader meeting is the highest level of commitment available.

Defense

Trump Says His New Tariffs Are About National Security. They’re Not.

But they could force the world trade system into a "moment of crisis."

Tech

Donald Trump Wants to Shut Down The International Space Station and Get Ready For Private Space

Trump's budget envisions NASA working closely with the private sector on every level.