October 28th, 2024
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NASA remains in an ongoing test mode to determine what’s behind the ablative thermal protective material that chipped away unexpectedly from the Artemis 1 Orion heat shield during its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere back on December 11, 2022. The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5-day […]
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NASA has released an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission. The refined candidate Artemis III lunar landing regions are, in no priority order: — Peak near Cabeus B — Haworth — Malapert Massif — Mons Mouton Plateau […]
In the coming few days left of the month, China’s Shenzhou-19 crew will depart Earth for a rendezvous and docking with the country’s space station. The now-orbiting Shenzhou-18 crew aboard the Tiangong space station is preparing for their return mission while wrapping up remaining experiments. Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu were sent into […]
What is the amount of greenhouse warming required to heat up the cold climes of Mars enough so that trees can grow on the Red Planet? New research points to how much you’ve got to jack up the carbon dioxide (CO2) on Mars to support plant growth, to raise the planet’s temperatures just enough for […]
Going once, going twice…got a bid? I’m pleased to take part in today’s RR Auction focused on space items – one of which is from my archives, a letter from Neil Armstrong, the first human on the Moon. Go to: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/349161907026156-neil-armstrong-typed-letter-signed-on-the-rogers-commission/ For detailed information on the auction […]
In case you missed this unidentified flying opportunity – there’s a disclosure movement underway! Billed as a first-of-its-kind event, a wide range of speakers and specialists took part in “Global Disclosure Day” that was held on October 20. The thrust of the occasion is that there’s a “major sea change” in the history of the […]
The prestigious National Academies has taken a hard look at the NASA of today and what’s ahead. And for a space agency that has been a leader in exploring our planet and other worlds, it is in a world of hurt. That’s the thrust of a hard-hitting report from an Academies blue-ribbon committee. Core issues […]
China rolled out last week a roadmap for the development of space science in China through 2050. A phase of that agenda is constructing the International Lunar Research Station, or ILRS. Now in research status is use of the lunar regolith to help build that lunar base in the 2028-2035 time period. In fact, test […]
A number of private firms want to see an inflation factor for the future. What is now being evaluated and tested is the use of “softgoods” to fashion inflatable/expandable airlocks and off-Earth habitats, not only for low Earth orbit, but also to provide comfy housing for future moon and Mars explorers. Pioneering work Enter the […]
The future of Moon exploration construction will benefit from a combination of lunar rovers and Inchworm robots. That’s the vision of GITAI, a space robotics startup that last year relocated its headquarters from Japan to the United States. The group is blueprinting a range of robotic satellites for on-orbit services, as well as lunar rovers […]
