Space and astronomy news
Jerry Woodfill, an engineer who worked diligently behind the scenes during NASA’s Apollo program, has passed away at age 79. Jerry was still employed by the Johnson Space Center (JSC) at the time of his death, working there for over 57 years. Most notably, Jerry worked as the lead engineer behind the Caution and Warning …
In recent article, soil scientist John Grant discusses the ways in which we could harvest abundant amounts of oxygen directly from the lunar environment.
NASA has pushed back the timetable for landing astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than a half-century from 2024 to no earlier than 2025. Blue Origin’s unsuccessful legal challenge to a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract awarded to SpaceX was one of the factors behind the delay in the Artemis moon …
Continue reading “NASA’s Target for Landing the First Artemis Astronauts on the Moon Slips to 2025”
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has shot down Blue Origin’s lawsuit against NASA, ending seven months of litigation surrounding the HLS contract.
An international team presented a new idea for a lunar base at 2021 IAC this week: use the Starship HLS to create the habitat!
NASA says its VIPER rover will head for the western edge of Nobile Crater near the moon’s south pole in 2023, targeting a region where shadowed craters are cold enough for water ice to exist, but where enough of the sun’s rays reach to keep the solar-powered robot going. Today’s announcement provides a focus for …
Continue reading “NASA’s VIPER Rover Will Hunt for Water Near Nobile Crater at Moon’s South Pole”
Bezos is still fighting for the HLS contract by claiming the Starship will require too many refueling missions, prompting Musk to respond.
Methods of movement for robotic explorers of other worlds have been as varied as the worlds themselves. Some missions have been simple landers, some rovers, and now there’s even been a helicopter flight on Mars. But there is an unexplored hybrid mode of movement that will soon be coming to a Moon near you – …
Continue reading “NASA is Going Ahead With a Hopping Lander to Explore the Lunar Surface”
Blue Origin has been busy lately. They launched their founder, Jeff Bezos, into space and put a bid in on NASA’s new Lunar Lander project. While SpaceX won that contract back in April, Blue Origin has continued to fight for their right to supply the space agency with an alternative lander. And recently, their not-quite-an-astronaut …
Continue reading “Blue Origin Offers a $2 Billion Discount to get Back in the Lunar Lander Game”
The far side of the moon has been getting more popular than a Pink Floyd album lately. A variety of missions are planned to visit the previously overlooked side opposite Earth. Recently NASA announced a few more, including two landers which will measure properties of the Moon’s interior.