Astronauts Return After 9 Months in Space

On March 18th, four astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) of SpaceX Crew-9 were returned to Earth after spending six to nine months, depending on the person, on the ISS. Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived on the ISS September 28th, and Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived on the ISS June 5th. The International Space Station revolves around the Earth, kind of like the moon, but closer to the atmosphere to stay operational and safe; Williams and Wilmore orbited 121,347,491 miles, and Hauge and Gorbunov orbited 72,553,920 miles during their time. 

They spent over 900 hours researching microorganisms surviving in space, using lighting to maintain astronauts’ circadian rhythms, the “clock” in the human body that determines what times are healthiest to wake up and sleep. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently in its Commercial Crew Program, which combines public and private industry for space exploration: “The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station and low Earth orbit” (NASA 2025).

Further Research: International Space Station, Gravity, NASA

Signal and Operational Security

The United States government used a messaging application called Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging service similar to WhatsApp; classified information was leaked to Jeffery Goldberg, a journalist for The Atlantic. Instead of covering the government Signal chat leak in detail, it would be better to discuss the operational security of the service, as that will provide more utility. First, Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging service, meaning that message content can only be seen on the ends of the users communicating, and no other parties can see, assuming neither of the users is compromised. Unlike WhatsApp, owned by Meta, Signal is open source, any person can check the source code for security purposes and transparency. It is owned by the non-profit Signal Foundation, meaning that it has no motivation to sell data or prioritize the shareholders over the users, unlike Meta. Signal messages are only saved on the device, at the mercy and protection of that device’s security protocols. 

Users are required when signing up to provide a phone number, for the purpose of preventing spam; they can create their own usernames and manage settings to only be found that way in an effort to increase operational security, as phone numbers are tied to people’s identities. The greatest flaw of Signal, and any other form of communication on a smartphone, is that the security is up to the users. If a Signal chat is recorded or photographed, the end-to-end encryption will only hold up the same security for the messages as a document in clear print. The one silver lining to the security of the device is that Signal messages can be automatically deleted at a set time, a time that cannot be changed by anyone else for previous messages, such as four weeks, thirty seconds, or a day.  

In order to increase operational security as much as possible, people should have their usernames only, use profile pictures that do not reveal sensitive information, set message deletion as early as possible without major sacrifice, using a privacy screen protector to stop people from looking over one’s shoulder, and educating other Signal users about operational security. Finally, there is one last great benefit to Signal: text bubble colors can be changed to any color that exists; an iPhone user and an Android user can have blue text bubbles in Signal.

Further Research: End-to-End Encryption, Cyber-Security, Online Communications

 Pope Francis Passes Away

Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, died at age 88 on April 21st, 2025, from stroke and cardio-circulatory collapse. He was voted in as Pope in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. He was born on December 17th, 1936, in Argentina. Pope Francis led reforms across the Catholic Church, primarily calling out abuses and advocating for more equal treatment of people. In 2023, Pope Francis called for peace in South Sudan: “Leave the time of war behind and let a time of peace dawn!”.

Further Research: The Vatican, The History of Popes, Pope Francis Reforms

References

Gerken, T. (2025, April 21). What is the Signal messaging app and how secure is it? BBC. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kjd091019o

Horowitz, J., & Yardley, J. (2025, April 21). Francis, the first latin american pope, dies at 88. New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/world/europe/pope-francis-dead.html

Taveau, J. (2025, March 18). Welcome home! Nasa’s spacex crew-9 back on earth after science mission. NASA. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/welcome-home-nasas-spacex-crew-9-back-on-earth-after-science-mission/