Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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July 26th, 2023
Image credit: Roscosmos
Russia’s Luna-25 Moon lander continues to make progress as it heads for its August liftoff from the Vostochny launch site.
According to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, Luna-25 is now fueled with propellant and loaded with compressed gases.
Meanwhile, employees of the IKI RAS, the space research institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have arrived at Vostochny to prepare the Luna-25 scientific equipment for launch.
Image credit: Roscosmos
IKI technicians are overseeing the completion of the installation of the ARIES-L scientific equipment and its verification, measurements of the radiation background on board the spacecraft for the space experiment with the ADRON-LR device, as well as carrying out final pre-launch operations with the spacecraft.
The Luna-25 is slated for touchdown at the Moon’s south pole.
Topographic map of the southern sub-polar region of the Moon showing the location of Boguslawsky crater.
Credit: Ivanov et al., 2015 via Arizona State University/LROC
Posted in 
Moon as observed from the International Space Station.
Image credit: NASA
NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space.
Astrobotic’s LunaGrid-Lite will demonstrate the first transmission of high voltage power across the lunar surface and leading to a LunaGrid power service.
Image credit: Astrobotic
Six of the selected companies are small businesses. The awarded companies, their projects, and the approximate value of NASA’s contribution are:
Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, $34.6 million – LunaGrid-Lite: Demonstration of Tethered, Scalable Lunar Power Transmission
Big Metal Additive of Denver, $5.4 million – Improving Cost and Availability of Space Habitat Structures with Additive Manufacturing
Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, $34.7 million – In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)-Based Power on the Moon
Freedom Photonics of Santa Barbara, California, $1.6 million – Highly Efficient Watt-Class Direct Diode Lidar for Remote Sensing
Blue Origin manufactured this working solar cell prototype from lunar regolith simulants.
Image credit: Blue Origin
Lockheed Martin of Littleton, Colorado, $9.1 million – Joining Demonstrations In-Space
Redwire of Jacksonville, Florida, $12.9 million – Infrastructure Manufacturing with Lunar Regolith – Mason
Protoinnovations of Pittsburgh, $6.2 million – The Mobility Coordinator: An Onboard COTS (Commercial-Off-the-Shelf) Software Architecture for Sustainable, Safe, Efficient, and Effective Lunar Surface Mobility Operations
Psionic of Hampton, Virginia, $3.2 million – Validating No-Light Lunar Landing Technology that Reduces Risk, SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power), and Cost
United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, $25 million – ULA Vulcan Engine Reuse Scale Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator Technology Demonstration
Varda Space Industries of El Segundo, California, $1.9 million – Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator Tech Transfer and Commercial Production
Zeno Power Systems of Washington, $15 million – A Universal Americium-241 Radioisotope Power Supply for Artemis
Radioisotope Power System by the Zeno Power-led team, including Intuitive Machines, may enable lunar assets to survive and operate during the lunar night and in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon.
Image credit: Zeno Power Systems
Once demonstrated and implemented on the Moon, Blue Origin’s Blue Alchemist idea, the company suggests, could put unlimited solar power wherever needed.
Image credit: Blue Origin
Made on the Moon
The award win by Blue Origin is In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)-Based Power on the Moon.
Blue Origin has proposed “Blue Alchemist” as an end-to-end, scalable, autonomous, and commercial solution that produces solar cells from lunar regolith, which is the dust and crushed rock abundant on the Moon’s surface.
“Based on a process called molten regolith electrolysis, the breakthrough would bootstrap unlimited electricity and power transmission cables anywhere on the surface of the Moon. This process also produces oxygen as a useful byproduct for propulsion and life support,” according to a Blue Origin statement.
Image credit: ISRO
India’s Chandrayaan-3 Moon lander/rover mission continues to chalk up success in raising its orbit, leading to the spacecraft’s upcoming TransLunar Injection (TLI) maneuver.
Chandrayaan-3’s TLI is reportedly scheduled for early August 1, Indian Standard Time.
Image credit: ISRO
If successful, the Moon explorer will then go into lunar orbit, perform a series of maneuvers, followed by a soft landing attempt on the Moon by late August, according to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
Target for landing
India’s lunar lander is headed for the southern region of the Moon’s near side, soft landing about 13 miles (20 kilometers) west of Manzinus U crater rim.
India’s lunar lander/rover target zone. Image credit: Quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/projections
Given a safe and sound touchdown on the Moon, India would join an elite group of successful lunar landing countries: the former Soviet Union (now Russia), the United States, and China.
Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota and has now completed its fifth orbit raising maneuver prior to the crucial TLI burn.
Curiosity’s location on Sol 3897. Distance driven to date: 18.89 miles/30.41 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3898 duties.
Curiosity’s road trip involves wheeling through the Jau crater cluster.
“Like any road trip, we’re taking frequent stops to take in the sights, and at this spot Curiosity gets to stretch its arm with a touch and go,” reports Alex Innanen, an atmospheric scientist at York University; Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “It reminds me of being on family road trips with my geologist father – we were always pulling over to look at cool rocks!”
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3897, July 24, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Bumpy, ridged surface
The robot’s Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) are both investigating the bumpy, ridged surface on the side nearest the rover, a target named “Mamore,” backed up with Mastcam images.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3897, July 24, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Innanen adds that the rover’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) is also looking at this surface, particularly one of the ridges called “Jacunda.” Slightly further afield, Mastcam is also looking at two of the craters in the cluster and a distant rock “Triunfo.”
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3897, July 24, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
ChemCam is slated to take a long-distance mosaic of the Gediz Vallis ridge.
Exciting sights ahead
The environmental Mars team is also taking the chance to have a look around.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3897, July 24, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“We’re looking back over our metaphorical shoulder at a sand sheet for dust devils, and up towards the sun to see how much dust is in the atmosphere,” Innanen explains. “After our brief and productive stop it’s time for us to hit the road again, knowing that there are always more exciting sights ahead.”
Dates of planned rover activities are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3897, July 24, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image credit: Roscosmos/JSC NPO Lavochkina
Roscosmos and JSC NPO Lavochkina both report progress in readying the Soyuz booster complex at the Vostochny Space Center for launch of Russia’s Luna-25 Moon lander.
Late last week, specialists were on task preparing and checking all systems and units before receiving the space rocket.
Image credit: Roscosmos Television Video/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Launch of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Luna-25 automatic interplanetary station is set for August, with the probe to touch down in the Moon’s south pole region.
Luna-25 mascot.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Luna-25 is Russia’s re-rendezvous with Moon exploration, picking up where the former Soviet Union left off in 1976.
The spacecraft is to try out technology for soft landing, take and analyze the soil and conduct other scientific research, as well as study the upper layer of the surface regolith in the region of the south pole of the Moon, as well as the lunar exosphere.
Credit: SETI Post-detection Hub
If you follow the complex and perplexing world of Unidentified Flying Objects, now tied to the term Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, we may be inching toward “full disclosure.”
What that means is uncorking the bottle filled to the brim with an elixir of truth, say disclosure activists, that Earth has been on the receiving end of exotic craft of non-earth origin.
Even more, there are allegations of a covert U.S. government reverse engineering program set up to write an operator’s manual on how these surreptitious vehicles function.
Image credit: Yannick Peings, Marik von Rennenkampff/AIAA
The drumbeat that the U.S. Government is ready to spill the beans on alien guests to Earth is louder than ever. But whether it’s next week, next year, next decade, what are the social consequences of contact…or at least some outing of historical records documenting visitors from afar. Are we ready for such a revelation? There appears to be debate on what the ripple effects might be.
To read my new Space.com article – “The US Congress is holding UFO hearings this week. What might we learn?” – go to:
https://www.space.com/ufo-uap-full-disclosure-congressional-hearings
New poll data
Also, a just-issued Ipsos poll shows that Americans’ beliefs and encounters with other-worldly experiences vary.
Up close and personal! Scene from Earth vs. the Flying Saucers circa 1956.
Credit: Columbia Pictures
Ahead of a Congressional hearing on UFOs this week, one in ten Americans report that they have seen an unidentified flying object (UFO), unchanged over time. Four times as many Americans (42%) believe in UFOs.
When it comes to other unexplainable phenomena, about three in ten (28%) report that, at some point, they have woken up from sleep with a sense of a strange presence in the room, and one in four (25%) have seen or believed themselves to have been in the presence of a ghost. Beyond that experience, two in five (39%) believe in ghosts.
For more information on the Ipsos poll, go to:
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/many-americans-believe-supernatural-ufos
Liftoff of suborbital space tourism, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Credit: Blue Origin
Looking at a range of high-adrenaline activities, experts from ARKA conducted research to find recent thrilling high-risk activities that have captivated the interest of billionaires worldwide.
According to ARKA, a creator of custom boxes, flying around the Moon would be the most expensive and risky activity undertaken by billionaires.
Space treks into Earth orbit is the second most costly activity that has captivated many billionaires. It also ranks as the second most risky activity on the ARKA list. Individuals, such as billionaires Guy Laliberté, Charles Simonyi, Mark Shuttleworth, Dennis Tito, and Richard Garriott have traveled to the Earth’s orbit.
Richard Garriott (far right) aboard the ISS on October 23, 2008.
Image credit: NASA
Blue Origin suborbital space flight comes third on the list of most costly activities that billionaires tried. Although ticket prices are reportedly in the no-lower than $200,000 range, one suborbital seat went for $28 million, the winning bid at a charity auction in June 2021.Although moderately risky, Blue Origin flights have captivating billionaires, including Hamish Harding who recently died on the tragic Titan submersible accident.
The trip to International Space Station (ISS) ranks fourth for both riskiness and expense, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Despite the serious risks and cost of $20 million, trips to the ISS have been taken by 244 people, including billionaires Dennis Tito, Charles Simonyi, Yusaku Maezawato, and Guy Laliberté.
Ill-fated Titan submersible.
Image credit: OceanGate
Scuba diving in the Mariana Trench comes fifth on the list of costly activities that billionaires tried. Although it costs $750,000, which is relatively lower than the previous activities, it’s still considered a high-risk activity. Only 3 individuals, including billionaire James Cameron, have dared to dive deep and uncover the ocean’s mysteries.
The controversial and risky activity of rhino hunting claims the sixth position on the list to attract billionaires. This activity is legally permitted only in Namibia and South Africa. Although the total number of people trying this activity is unclear, 81-year-old Lacy Harber is the only recorded billionaire who has paid $275,000 for the opportunity to hunt an aged black rhino.
Even with the shocking Titan Tour crash, hunting for shipwrecks of the Titanic in the ocean’s depths is only the seventh most costly activity out there. Billionaires like Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Richard Branson, and Paul Allen have all been hooked by this deep-sea tour to discover long-lost shipwrecks. This very high-risk adventure costs only $250,000.
Image credit: Swoop Antarctica
Ranked eighth on the list of costly activities that billionaires enjoy is exploring the majestic South Pole. It falls into the category of low-risk activities costing $100,000. Many adventurers, including billionaires Hamish Harding, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, have enjoyed this journey.
Image credit: Everest Base Camp Trek & Excursion
Ranked ninth on the list of costly activities that billionaires enjoy is climbing Mount Everest. It falls into the category of high-risk activities costing, on average, $55,000. More than 6000 adventurers, including billionaires Mukesh Ambani, Richard Branson, and Bernard Arnault, have enjoyed this journey.
Lastly, shark diving ranks tenth on the list of costly activities that billionaires enjoy. With prices ranging from $5,000 to $7,000, this trip is a relatively affordable option. It presents a moderate level of risk, making it an ideal choice for adrenaline enthusiasts. Billionaires like Mark Cuban have taken on this thrilling experience.
Credit: ARKA
For more information on ARKA, go to:
Illustration of Artwork of Ingenuity helicopter.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
For the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, it is up and at ‘em for flight 53.
The aerial device made its last flight back on April 27.
JPL notes that the craft has an expected flight date of July 22.
The stats for this high-flying run are:
Horizontal flight distance: 666.34 feet (203.1 meters)
Flight time: 136.82 seconds
Flight altitude: 32 feet (10 meters)
Heading: North
Max Flight speed: 5.6 mph (2.5 meters per second)
Goal of flight: Scouting flight
Meanwhile, new black and white as well as color imagery from the craft, acquired on July 14, have been posted.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Apollo 11 footprint on the Moon.
Image credit: NASA
It is tagged as “planetary geoarchaeology” – the study of how cultural and natural processes on Earth’s Moon, on Mars, and across the solar system may be altering, preserving or destroying the material record of space exploration.
In a recent paper appearing in the journal Geoarchaeology, tools and methods are being advocated to study the movement of people into space as a natural extension of human migration here on Earth.
Illustration of NASA astronauts on the lunar south pole carrying out early work to establish an Artemis Base Camp. Credit: NASA
Protect space heritage
The research is led by Justin Holcomb, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Holcomb and colleagues explain that the material record that presently exists on the Moon is quickly becoming at risk of being destroyed if proper attention isn’t paid during today’s fast-paced era of private and governmental space activities.
“We’re trying to draw attention to the preservation, study and documentation of space heritage because I do think there’s a risk to this heritage on the Moon,” Holcomb said in a university statement. “The United States is trying to get boots on the Moon again, and China is as well. We’ve already had at least four countries accidentally crash into the Moon recently. There are a lot of accidental crashes and not a lot of protections right now.”
iSpace lunar crash site.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
While there’s need to protect space heritage like those related to the U.S. Apollo missions, Holcomb said that other countries also deserve to have their records protected.
Out of Africa…into space
The idea of planetary geoarchaeological as a new subfield has its roots in the university’s Odyssey Archaeological Research Program.
Odyssey’s goal is to search for evidence of the earliest people to inhabit the Central Great Plains and western portions of the Midwest, and to gain a better understanding of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene paleoenvironments that affected those people.
Odyssey is directed by one of Holcomb’s co-authors, Rolfe Mandel, a university senior scientist and distinguished professor in the Department of Anthropology.
Time traveling here on Earth. Odyssey program.
Image credit: Kansas Alumni magazine
“Human migration out of Africa may have occurred as early as 150,000 years ago, and space travel represents the latest stage of that journey,” Mandel said in the university statement. “Although the Odyssey program is focused on documenting the earliest evidence of people in the Americas, the next frontier for similar research will be in space,” said Mandel.
The first photo from the surface of Mars shows one of the Viking 1 lander’s footpads.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Material footprint
Planetary geoarchaeology can be applied to practically every type of extraterrestrial environment, the research paper explains, provided humans have left behind a measurable record.
There is a growing need, the paper adds, to understand the types of unique site formation processes capable of altering, destroying, or preserving the archaeological record known as space heritage.
Sand trap for Spirit Mars Exploration Rover.
Image credit: NASA
“We feel that all material currently existing on extraterrestrial surfaces is space heritage and worthy of protection,” Holcomb said. “However, some sites, such as the very first footprints on the Moon at Tranquility Base or the first lander on Mars, Viking 1, represent the material footprint of a long history of migration.”
Holcomb points to NASA’s Spirit rover. It became stuck in Martian sand in 2009 and died there in 2010. It risks being completely covered by encroaching sand dunes.
“As planetary geoarchaeologists, we can predict when the rover will be buried, talk about what will happen when it’s buried and make sure it’s well documented before it’s lost,” said Holcomb.
Leftover legacy
How about the graveyard of orbital debris that now encircles the Earth?
Clutter in the cosmos.
Credit: Used with permission: Melrae Pictures/Space Junk 3D
What many call “trash” — bits of material currently in orbit or strewn across the surfaces of the Moon and Mars — Holcomb and other planetary geoarchaeology advocates see that leftover legacy falling under case-by-case decision making.
As for next steps, Holcomb and his research colleagues suggest tracking our material record as it continues to expand, both to preserve the earliest record but also to keep a check on humankind’s impact on extraterrestrial environments.
Credit: For All Moonkind
Perhaps geoarchaeologists should be included in future NASA missions to ensure the protection and safety of space heritage.
For now, geoarchaeologists on Earth can lay the foundation for planetary geoarcheology, Holcomb explains, including support of laws to protect and preserve space heritage, studying the effects extraterrestrial ecosystems have on items space missions leave behind and conducting international discussions regarding space heritage preservation and protection issues.
For more information on the paper — “Planetary geoarchaeology as a new frontier in archaeological science: Evaluating site formation processes on Earth’s Moon” – go to:
Wait a minute!
Image credit: Barbara David
Image credit: NASA
Image credit: NASA
Image credit: NASA
Image credit: NASA
