Moon Archives

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 by Matt Williams

Is NASA Sacrificing Sending Astronauts to Mars in Order to Get to the Moon Sooner?

Artist's impression of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway. Credit: NASA

On December 11th, 2017, President Trump issued Space Policy Directive-1, a change in national space policy which tasked NASA with the creation of an innovative and sustainable program of exploration that would send astronauts back to the Moon. This was followed on March 26th, 2019, with President Trump directing NASA to land the first astronauts since the Apollo era on the lunar South Pole by 2024.

Named Project Artemis, after twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology, this project has expedited efforts to get NASA back to the Moon. However, with so much focus dedicated to getting back to the Moon, there are concerns that other projects being neglected – like the development of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a central part of creating a sustained human presence on the Moon and going on to Mars.

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 by Evan Gough

Apollo 10’s “Snoopy” Lunar Lander May Have Been Found in Space

The Apollo 10 lunar module abou to dock with the command module. Image Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 was the first mission to land people on the lunar surface. But Apollo relied on a lot of predecessor missions to lay the groundwork for the successful mission to the Moon. One of them was Apollo 10, the fourth crewed mission in the Apollo program.

Apollo 10 was an almost complete mission that including everything that Apollo 11 had, except for an actual landing on the Moon. It was a dress rehearsal, and was the second Apollo mission to orbit the Moon. It even had an Apollo Lunar Module that was flown to within 15 km of the lunar surface. But that module never landed, and eventually, after it rendezvoused with the command module and the crew disembarked, it was sent into orbit around the Sun.

And up until now, nobody knew where it was.

June 11, 2019June 12, 2019 by Evan Gough

That Explains a Lot. The Moon’s Largest Crater has a Chunk of Metal Embedded in it That’s 5 Times Bigger than the Big Island of Hawaii

A false-colour graphic of the far side of the Moon showing the impact crater. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Arizona

One of the largest craters in the Solar System is on our Moon. It’s called the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin and it’s 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and 13 km (8.1 mi) deep. A new study says that the basin may contain an enormous chunk of metal that’s larger than Hawaii’s Big Island.

June 3, 2019June 6, 2019 by Evan Gough

LEGO’s New Apollo 11 Lunar Lander has been Released

The LEGO Eagle Lander set is a tribute to the Apollo 11 mission. Image Credit: LEGO

The 50th anniversary of You-Know-What is coming up and LEGO is getting in on the celebration. The much-beloved company has released a replica of the Apollo 11 Eagle Lunar Lander. The new lander is part of LEGO’s Creator Expert collection.

LEGO teamed up with NASA on this effort, and the model boasts quite a few realistic touches.

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019 by Matt Williams

MOONRISE: Melting lunar regolith with lasers to build structures on the Moon

According to a new study, lunar dust launched from the Moon could help reverse Climate Change. Credit: LZH

The Moon is not just Earth’s closest celestial neighbor. It’s also a natural waypoint for any mission that will be going to Mars or beyond in the coming years. It’s little wonder then why space agencies like NASA, Roscosmos, the ESA and China are hoping to send crewed missions there in the near future and construct bases that could be used to resupply and refuel missions headed to deep space.

So far, all the proposals made for a lunar base have centered on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and 3D printing – where robots will manufacture the base out of lunar regolith. For this purpose, the Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH) and the Institute of Space Systems (IRAS) at the Technical University of Braunschweig came together to develop a laser system capable of turning moon dust into building materials.

May 22, 2019May 22, 2019 by Evan Gough

NASA has Picked the Companies That’ll Help Build its Lunar Landers

An artist's illustration of lunar lander that can carry humans to the surface of the Moon. Image Credit: NASA

NASA has chosen 11 American companies to help them build the next lunar landers that will carry humans to the surface of the Moon. The 11 companies will conduct studies and work on prototype landers in the coming years. It’s all part of NASA’s Artemis mission, and the mission’s 2024 date with the surface of the Moon.

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 by Matt Williams

Chang’e-4 Lander and its Rover Have Turned up new Mysteries on the Moon’s far side. The Moon’s Mantle Blasted Onto the Surface?

Image captured by Chang’E 4 showed the landscape near the landing site. (Image by NAOC/CNSA)

On January 3rd, 2019, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) successfully landed their Chang’e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon. This mission represents a major milestone for China, being the fourth lander-rover mission to be sent to the Moon, and the first mission in history to land on the “dark side of the Moon”. And what it manages to uncover there is sure to excite and inspire scientists for many years to come.

For example, the mission’s Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) rover made an impressive find that may confirm a theory about lunar impacts. After collecting spectral data from the moon’s largest crater (the South Pole-Aitken Basin) the Chang’e-4 mission team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) concluded that the impact that created the Basin turned up material from deep within the Moon’s mantle. This finding could offer new insight into how the Moon evolved over the course of billions of years.

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by Evan Gough

Here’s Where Beresheet Crashed into the Moon

Beresheet's crash site as imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image Credit: NASA

The Beresheet lander came oh-so-close to touching down on the surface of the Moon, but something went wrong and it didn’t make it. Now, thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the exact point of impact can be seen.

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by Evan Gough

NASA’s 2024 Moon Mission is called Artemis, and Will Need an Additional $1.6 Billion in Funding

NASA is adjusting to its ambitious new timeline to get to the Moon by 2024. Image: NASA.

The Moon’s going to have more human visitors in the year 2024. NASA has announced that their mission to the Moon, which is named Artemis after the Greek goddess of hunting, has been advanced by four years, from 2028 to 2024. But there’s a catch: they need more dough to do it. $1.6 billion more.

May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 by Evan Gough

The Blue Origins Founder Wants to Get to the Moon by 2024

Jeff Bezos and a mock-up of the Blue Moon lander. Credit: Blue Origin

Blue Origin is going to the Moon. In an hour-long presentation in Washington DC on May 9th, Jeff Bezos spelled out his plans for reaching the Moon, confirming what many guessed he was hinting at in a tweet from the previous week.

Bezos and his company, Blue Origin, are developing a lunar lander capable of landing a large payload of 6.5 metric tons (14,330 lbs.) on the lunar surface. The lander is being called ‘Blue Moon’ and the target date for its rendezvous with the Moon is 2024.