August 2nd, 2019
Author: 
Transforming cislunar space into an economic wellspring is in the sights of a new university-based initiative. Purdue University’s Cislunar Initiative is geared to evaluating access to cislunar space, supplying the building blocks for infrastructure, identifying and utilizing space resources, advancing the development of space policy and providing critical educational opportunities. The “cislunar […]
Posted in 
China’s micro lunar orbiter — Longjiang-2 (also known as DSLWP-B) – crashed into the Moon’s farside on July 31 (Beijing Time), reports the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration. Weighing 104 pounds (47 kilograms) Longjiang-2 was sent into space on May 21, 2018, together with the Chang’e-4 lunar […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now carrying out Sol 2484 tasks. Mark Salvatore, a planetary geologist at the University of Michigan, reports that weekend drilling is in the plan. Scientists have been largely interested in characterizing the large block of exposed bedrock in front of the rover to derive as much information as […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is presently performing Sol 2483 duties. Reports Mariah Baker, a planetary geologist at Johns Hopkins University, the robot is currently located in the southern part of the “Visionarium,” with planning underway to start the next drill campaign. “And we can’t help but take in the scenery! Perched on top of a […]
Matchbox-sized prototypes – called biomining reactors – have been sent to the International Space Station (ISS). The “space mining kits” are dedicated to studying how microscopic organisms could be used to recover minerals and metals from space rocks – from asteroids and other celestial targets. Space testing is expected to reveal how low […]
The drum beat of back to the Moon with humans “this time to stay,” is fueled by harvesting available lunar resources. Many see plunging into the floors of permanently shadowed polar craters. Water ice found resident in these everlastingly shaded “cold traps” is thought to be stable and exploitable. But there may be other spots […]
NASA’s Curiosity is now carrying out Sol 2481 duties. Reports Vivian Sun, a planetary Geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California: “After a successful ascent to the top of the southern outcrop in the ‘Visionarium,’ we are now searching for our next drill site.” Sun adds that there were no bedrock exposures […]
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon with an in-depth look at four unique outcomes of this momentous event, led by four esteemed professors. This unique series is offered by The Great Courses (an educational streaming video on demand company), a new course on what most people still don’t […]
I was honored to be on panels and provide a talk on my new National Geographic book, Moon Rush – The New Space Race, at the fabulous Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. In my talk, I detailed the story of the path for our return to the Moon. This time, however, it’s not just […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now wrapping up Sol 2478 duties. Over the last few weeks Curiosity has collected hundreds of spectacular images that document the layers and textures of rocks exposed in the “Visionarium,” reports Abigail Fraeman, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Delve deeper “With all of this […]
