October 14, 2026 – United Yam

Transporter-18 SmallSats Encapsulation – Three NASA-supported small spacecraft, shown along with many commercial payloads, before being encapsulated in a SpaceX Falcon 9. The rocket launched the payloads into low-Earth orbit at 11:32 a.m. PDT Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, as part of the company’s Transporter-18 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Ohio’s University of Dayton names first woman president – #Catholic – The University of Dayton announced that Darlene Weaver, the university’s provost and executive vice president, will serve as the Ohio university’s 20th president.Weaver’s appointment makes her the first woman president in the universityʼs history, according to an Oct. 12 press release. She succeeds University of Dayton President Eric Spina and is set to begin the role on July 1, 2027.“Darlene has an innate understanding of the University of Dayton, a deep belief in our Catholic, Marianist mission and a demonstrated ability to move important work forward,” Deborah Tobias, chair of the University of Dayton Board of Trustees and the presidential search advisory committee, said in the release.“UD’s mission has never been more important,” Weaver said. “In a world shaped by technological change, social division and questions about the value of higher education, the University of Dayton has a distinctive role to play in serving the common good. We educate students not only for professional success, but for lives of meaning, responsibility and service. That is the promise of a Catholic, Marianist education, and it will guide the work ahead.”Cleveland diocesan school launches ‘Pathways’ initiative for young menBenedictine High School in Cleveland announced the start of Pathways, an initiative aimed at empowering young men to explore their passions while preparing for college.“Rather than following a one-size-fits-all educational model, Pathways allows students to engage in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences aligned with their interests and future aspirations with concentrations in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), business-entrepreneurship, fine and performing arts and vocations,” the diocese said in an Oct. 6 press release.Students will have the opportunity to continue exploring courses in fields already offered by the school, including STEM, business, entrepreneurship, and fine arts. “Launching with electives in computer repair, media production, construction and manufacturing, the vocations pathway will provide students with hands-on experiences, opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and meaningful exposure to technical careers,” the release said.Omaha Archdiocese announces pilot program for career, technical trainingArchbishop Michael McGovern is launching a pilot program for technical vocational training at six Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska.“Archbishop Michael McGovern is proud to announce this initiative to expand opportunities in Career and Technical Education in Catholic schools across Northeast Nebraska,” according to the program’s website. “This multi-year initiative is the first such effort by a diocesan school system in the United States and will begin with a pilot at six schools in 2027-2028.”The program will feature “trade bootcamps” in fields such as auto repair, construction, and HVAC; career exploration days; and a “Lunch and Learn” series for women in technical areas.Participating schools include Norfolk Catholic Junior and High School, St. Joseph Elementary School, Christ the King Catholic School, Skutt Catholic High School, All Saints Catholic School, and Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School.“Career & Technical Education expands the ways students in Archdiocese of Omaha schools can discover their gifts, apply their knowledge in hands-on lessons, explore meaningful careers and prepare for life beyond high school,” the website said.

Sen. Hawley asks FDA to address concerns over incomplete data in abortion drug safety study – #Catholic – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas last week asking whether the agency “is reviewing all relevant data” in the mifepristone safety study it has undertaken.Hawley questioned whether the study is accurately measuring risks to women of the abortion drug, which since 2021 has been available by mail. The FDA halted in-person dispensing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic and formally modified the policy in 2023, continuing to allow abortion pills by mail.He expressed concern that the study did not provide dates for what it called “relevant time periods” during which the drug’s effects were measured. He wrote that the study relies on Sentinel, a database of insurance claims and health records, but does not provide the time frame being analyzed. He expressed concern that data must include dates “after the Biden Administration gutted safety regulations in 2023.”Hawley noted that Louisiana is challenging the FDA in a federal suit alleging the government did not adequately ascertain the drug’s safety before removing safeguards.The senator asked Diamantas to provide answers in writing by Oct. 22.Catholics join LDS Church in Idaho in opposing ballot measure expanding abortion accessThe Diocese of Boise, Idaho, has joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in a campaign opposing Proposition 1, an initiative that expands abortion access.Last week, the diocese donated $300,000 to the political action committee Too Extreme for Idaho, to which the LDS church had already donated $1 million, according to the Idaho secretary of state.Boise Bishop Peter F. Christensen in July and again in September urged Catholics to vote against the measure, which he called “too extreme” for the state, saying if passed, it “would remove nearly all protections for pre-born babies and put vulnerable women at risk.”He emphasized that the measure, if passed, would undermine parental rights by no longer requiring parental consent for abortions as well as other medical procedures on minors and would remove the current legal requirement that only physicians perform abortions.“Proposition 1 concerns matters of profound moral significance, particularly abortion, human dignity, freedom and the protection owed to unborn human life,” he wrote in September. “These questions cannot be separated from our Catholic faith simply because they appear on a ballot. The voting booth does not somehow stand outside our relationship with Christ.”Fired teacher sues school in England for discriminating against her Christian faithA teacher in England is suing after she was fired in March for telling a student who asked her about her views on abortion that she was pro-life.Anita Meston, a 63-year-old who taught history at Biddick Academy in Washington, Sunderland, is suing the school for discriminating against her Christian faith, which she says is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.“If our national education system continues to claim to foster inclusion and tolerance, this must include tolerance of perspectives with which others disagree,” Meston said in a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal group representing her.“In a free and just society, teachers should not be fired for honestly expressing their deeply held beliefs in response to questions in the classroom,” she said. “What happened to me is nothing short of censorship, and this precedent cannot be allowed to stand.”Pro-abortion protesters block pro-life group at student fair in EnglandProtesters blocked the stall of the Pro-Life Society, a pro-life student group, at a student fair held at the University of Manchester in England on Sept. 25.While the protesters, some of them members of Manchester Leftist Action, did not touch the stall, they held a banner in front of it that said “Destroy Pro-Life Soc.” They also collected money for and passed out leaflets on pro-abortion groups as well as links to an Instagram account called @stopmanchesterprolife, according to The Mancunion.A Pro-Life Society spokesperson told The Mancunion the roughly four-hour blockade limited their free speech and prevented students from approaching the stall, adding that university staff’s requests for protesters to move were largely ineffective.The society has faced campus opposition since its founding according to the report, including earlier protests and an unsuccessful disbandment petition.A spokesperson for Manchester Leftist Action stated that, because the university would not act against what they described as “bigotry and dangerous pseudoscience,” they chose to counter the stall by engaging students and raising funds for abortion care. They said they would continue opposing the society’s efforts on campus.

Picture of the day Twin mills (front: green mill, 1856; rear: red mill or Schoof’s mill, 1706), Greetsiel, Krummhörn, Lower Saxony, Germany #ImageOfTheDay

Picture of the day

Twin mills (front: green mill, 1856; rear: red mill or Schoof’s mill, 1706), Greetsiel, Krummhörn, Lower Saxony, Germany

The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 14: Io covers Callisto

unitedyam October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. October 13: Vesta at opposition Observers in the U.S. Midwest and farther west have a great opportunity this morning to watch one Galilean moon pass in front of another. Io crosses in front of Callisto, occulting it from our point of viewContinue reading “The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 14: Io covers Callisto”

The post The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 14: Io covers Callisto appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.