Lindsay Keller

Mineralogist, Planetary Scientist, Electron Microscopy, Cooking, Hunting, OSIRIS-REx sample analysis!

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@elonmusk @aaronburnett that's a lot of rocket exhaust injected into the atmosphere...

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@robbysoave @ZaidJilani that's giving her too much credit...

[Ancient History Hub @AncientHistorry]

In 458 BC, Rome was on the brink of collapse.

An invading army had trapped the Roman consul and his legion in a mountain pass. Panic spread through the city. The Senate did the only thing they could think of:

They sent messengers to find a 60-year-old farmer plowing his field.

His name was Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. He had once been a senator, then lost his fortune paying his son's bail. Now he worked his own four-acre plot just to feed his family.

When the Senate's envoys arrived, they found him sweating behind a plow. They asked him to put on his toga so they could deliver an official message.

The message: Rome was making him dictator. Absolute power. Total command of the army. No checks. No oversight. No term limit.

He accepted.

Within 16 days, Cincinnatus had raised an army, marched out, surrounded the enemy, and forced their surrender. The republic was saved.

He had legal authority to rule for six months. He could have stayed. He could have expanded his power. He could have done what every other ruler in human history did when handed unlimited control.

Instead, he resigned on day 16.

He took off the toga, walked back to his farm, and finished plowing the field he'd left half-done.

Twenty years later, when Rome faced another crisis, they called him back. He was 80 years old. He took command, crushed the conspiracy, and resigned again, this time after just 21 days.

He died poor. On his farm.

2,200 years later, when George Washington was offered a kingship after winning the American Revolution, he refused and went home to Mount Vernon. The reason he was hailed as "the American Cincinnatus" is because Europeans literally could not believe a man who had won would willingly give up power.

King George III, on hearing Washington would resign rather than rule, said: "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."

The lesson isn't that Cincinnatus was humble.

The lesson is that for most of human history, the people most qualified to lead were the ones who didn't want to. And the moment a society starts rewarding those who chase power instead of those who flee from it is the moment the republic begins to die.

Cincinnati, Ohio is named after him.

Most people who live there have no idea why.

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@CuriosityonX Muskow

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@catturd2 call in a napalm strike...

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

mmmm... sazeracs!

[Associate Deans @ass_deans]

Of course, I am still research active. My book on the Sazerac took years of field work in New Orleans. Thanks to the Office of Research for funding it with internal grants!

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@LeaderJohnThune SAVE ACT!!!!!!! What are you waiting for? who is paying you to wait?

[Damani Felder @TheDamaniFelder]

Imagine watching the Deep State torpedo Eric Swalwell in less than 7 days, and still thinking there's a magical career-ending bombshell they've had on Trump but not released over the past 11 years.

[NASA Solar System @NASASolarSystem]

🧵2/4

This close-up coronagraph view from NASA/ESA’s SOHO spacecraft shows comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) approaching the Sun on April 4.

After the comet passes behind the disk, only a cloud of dust emerges.

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

Damn straight!!

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

@tropicalupdate @NASA Kaela - We are looking into this.

[Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog]

Hard to fathom how impoverished a person must be in mind and spirit to not see the value in space exploration. I think this is awesome. I'd much rather spend billions on rocket ships and lunar bases than buying junk food for fat people, or any of the countless other wasteful expenditures. Western civilization has always been marked by its curiosity about the universe and desire to expand, explore, and grow. We've lost that spirit in recent years. It's time to reclaim it.

[NASA @NASA]

When OSIRIS-REx reached the asteroid Bennu in 2018, scientists expected to find a smooth, beach-like surface. Instead, they encountered a jagged, rugged world.

Samples of the asteroid, brought back to Earth in 2023, are helping untangle the mystery: https://t.co/xjiKTsARfi

[Rational Posts™ @rationalposts]

He fvcking told us this would happen.

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

why didn't they have a Zoom meeting? what they got was a Boom meeting...heh...

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@breallstrong we used to just shoot them in the head with a .22, this seems nicer. more people should know how to turn a living animal into food.

[Kekius Maximus @Kekius_Sage]

Good morning, everyone. I think this is the best advertisement I’ve ever seen.

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@WesternLensman she uses the fake eyelashes to prop her eyelids open...

[Lindsay Keller @obfmcb]

@LeaderJohnThune Americans expect you to bring the SAVE act to a vote in the Senate!!

[RazörFist @RazorFist]

Weird that ICE are operating in dozens of states, but it only gets violent in the one where we just uncovered a billion dollar fraud ring with probable links to the governor.

[Jared Isaacman @rookisaacman]

Well it is official now..

I want to again express my sincere appreciation to President Donald J. Trump @POTUS for nominating me to lead NASA, and to the United States Senate--and Chairman Cruz @tedcruz - for their diligence and fairness throughout the confirmation process. I am grateful to Secretary Duffy @SecDuffy for his leadership as Acting Administrator during this transition, and to my wife Monica, my family, my friend Senator Sheehy @TimSheehyMT and everyone who offered their support along the way.

As I step into this role, I make these personal commitments:

– Mission: I will champion the bold objectives of human space exploration, scientific discovery, and a thriving orbital economy that ensures America’s leadership in space. We will never again give up our capabilities to reach for the stars, and we will never settle for second place.

– Integrity: I will serve responsibly, transparently, and without personal gain, covering every cost I am legally permitted to, and fully adhering to my ethics agreement. My loyalty is to my country, my President, and the space agency that has inspired me since I was a child.

– Urgency: I will intensely focus the agency on achieving the near-impossible, the very reason NASA was established in the first place. We will eliminate the bureaucracy that impedes progress and empower the best and brightest to take ownership, move quickly, accept smart risks, and act with a relentless focus on mission success.

– Inspiration: Every launch, every scientific breakthrough must inspire the next generation to dream bigger, to reach higher, and believe that anything is possible. In addition to my existing philanthropic efforts, I will donate my salary as Administrator to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp to help prepare the pioneers of tomorrow.

I am humbled by this opportunity, proud to serve, and ready to work alongside the most talented minds in America as we continue the greatest adventure in human history.

Sincerely,
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator