May 14th, 2024
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The National Academies has assembled a new committee to gather and review information for a report: “A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars.” ”It will identify high-priority science objectives in all relevant disciplines to be addressed by human explorers across multiple science campaigns on the surface of Mars,” explains Colleen Hartman, Director, Aeronautics, […]
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Back in December 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft returned Moon samples, hauling them back to Earth from the Ocean of Storms. Fast forward to today. The delicate nature of Chinese/NASA cooperation regarding those Chang’e-5 returned collectibles was discussed by Lori Glaze, Director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division. Glaze spoke May 13, briefing the […]
Who Owns Outer Space? – International Law, Astrophysics, and the Sustainable Development of Space by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley; Cambridge University Press/Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law (2023); 428 pages; Available by Open Access. This highly acclaimed book melds space activities, international law, and global governance to underscore major, now-looming, environmental, safety, and […]
In a wait-a-minute moment, pre-launch imagery of China’s Chang’e-6 shows some sort of a mini-rover with four wheels. But so far, as far as I know, there’s been no official word from the China National Space Agency (CNSA) regarding the rover. A glimmer of information has come from a story via China’s Science Network (news.sciencenet.cn). […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is on the move at Gale Crater. Abigail Fraeman, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reports on recent activities of the robot. “We planned quite a drive on Wednesday, with lots of twists and turns over very bumpy terrain, Fraeman says. The team was gratified to learn everything completed […]
New research casts a spotlight onto those dark, sunlight shy cold traps on the Moon – spots where water could be lurking as a valuable, exploitable resource. Volatiles like water may exist in the shadows at the bottom of craters near the poles of the Moon. However, the Moon has been on the receiving end […]
China’s new Moon lander mission is undertaking a multi-step program involving the four components of the spacecraft: an ascender, a lander, a returner and an orbiter. “Therefore every step of the Chang’e-6 mission is interlinked and crucial,” said Hu Zhenyu, head of the engineering and technical team of the launch site of the Chang’e-6 mission […]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement in regards to the SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy Project at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida. That EIS is tied to issuing a commercial launch Vehicle Operator License for proposed SpaceX Starship operations at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Public scoping meetings The SpaceX […]
Another chunk of space junk appears to have fallen on Saskatchewan farmland in western Canada. Found on farmland on April 28, the recovered debris appears to be leftovers from the “trunk” of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. A re-tracing of the ground track of the suspected SpaceX leftover goes right through Saskatchewan, above the […]
China’s Chang’e-6 Moon sampling probe has performed a braking maneuver and is now in circumlunar orbit, reports the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Meanwhile, the ICUBE-Q mini-satellite has been released by Chang’e-6. ICUBE-Q was developed by the Intelligent Satellite Technology Center at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Pakistan Institute of Space Technology. Chang’e-6 […]
