Tag: NASA moon mission

Technology

Lunar mission loss! In big setback to Intuitive, Odysseus lander falls over on the moon’s surface

In a momentous leap for space exploration, the United States marked a significant milestone with the touchdown of the Odysseus lander on the moon's south polar region. However, the triumph was not without its share of unexpected twists. Odysseus, the first US-built spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years, encountered a huge setback upon landing, finding itself tipped over on its side, as revealed by US space agency NASA and Intuitive Machines via (the Gaurdian). Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus, disclosed that the spacecraft had "caught a foot" during descent, resulting in the unintended tilt.Despite the unforeseen deviation from the landing plan, Altemus reassured that Odysseus lander remains in close proximity to its intended landing site, with most scientific instrument...
Technology

Inspired by Elon Musk-led SpaceX, NASA built missteps into moonshot strategy

When the first US-made moon lander launched in more than 50 years experienced a critical failure shortly after reaching space on Monday, the news was initially a shock. But NASA was prepared. The Peregrine lander, built by a Pittsburgh-based startup called Astrobotic, had barely been deployed into orbit before it suffered an apparent propulsion error, causing it to leak propellant into space. After a day, the company said there was no chance the spacecraft would reach the moon.NASA actually anticipated a few low-stakes mishaps like this while carrying out its moonshot strategy, drawing inspiration from Elon Musk's SpaceX and Wall Street. The agency's grander plan is to send humans back to the moon some time this decade. We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join. Astrobotic's Peregrine land...
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NASA and ESA scientists to bring next generation camera for future Moon missions

New technologies and innovations have helped scientists to take the space missions to the next level. We have received various mesmerizing images of space till now with amazing high-definition cameras. Now, the NASA astronauts are prepping up to take the next generation camera to the Moon to capture the detailed images of the Lunar surface. European astronauts and scientists have come together with NASA's Artemis imagery team to complete this crucial task.Next generation camera for moonNASA and ESA has been working together to build an amazing next-generation camera to capture the lunar surface. The new camera for moon is constructed with the usage of professional off-the-shelf cameras. These cameras are known for their excellent light sensitivity and state-of-the-art lenses. In order ...
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ESA, NASA join hands to test next-gen camera for Moon mission

After almost 40 years, NASA is finally going back to the Moon with its Artemis program. 3 missions have been planned as part of this latest attempt to touch down on the lunar surface. The Artemis 1, which launched on November 16, 2022, was an uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft around the Moon. The Artemis 2 will be a crewed test flight, while the Artemis 3 will carry a crew that will aim to explore the region near the lunar South Pole. To capture the lunar surface, the European Space Agency (ESA) is helping NASA develop a next-generation camera.Next-gen camera for lunar missionAccording to the ESA release, engineers have been developing the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) that will be used to capture the Southern region of the Moon. ESA aide...
Technology

Global Space Spending Is Projected to Grow 41% Over the Next Five Years

The global space economy grew 8% to $546 billion in 2022 and is projected to climb another 41% over the next five years, according to a leading space nonprofit.The sector is expected to show resiliency in the coming years, despite uncertainty about the global economy and a recent slowdown in space investment. Companies are seeing continued revenue growth from commercial space assets and governments around the world boosting expenditures, according to a report from the Space Foundation, a Colorado Springs, Colorado-based space flight advocacy group. The analysis considered spending from 51 governments, as well as commercial revenue from companies in 11 space industry sub-sectors. “Commercial space is the vital growing sector of the overall space economy,” Lesley Conn, director of resear...
Technology

Asteroid-smashing NASA probe sent boulders into space

When a NASA spacecraft successfully knocked an asteroid off course last year it sent dozens of boulders skittering into space, images from the Hubble telescope showed on Thursday.NASA's fridge-sized DART probe smashed into the pyramid-sized, rugby ball-shaped asteroid Dimorphos roughly 11 million kilometres (6.8 million miles) from Earth in September last year. The spacecraft knocked the asteroid significantly off course in the first-ever such test of Earth's planetary defences. New images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope show that the collision also sent 37 boulders -- ranging from one metre (three feet) to seven metres (22 feet) across -- floating into the cosmos.They represent around two percent of the boulders that were already scattered across the surface of the loosely-held-to...
Technology

Life on Mars? Check what NASA just found

After years of hard work and the best of technology deployed to find any signs of life on Mars, NASA has some good news. NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover appears to have made a major discovery that could point towards life on Mars. What the rover has found, are signs of life on the Red Planet. The rover has been exploring Mars' Jezero crater for three years now, and recent findings suggest the presence of something incredible - organic molecules, which are fundamental building blocks of life.Jezero Crater is considered an area of great interest due to its potential past habitability as it was an ancient lake basin and there is the presence of a diverse range of minerals there. Previous clues have already hinted at the planet's dynamic history. However, the latest discovery of organic com...
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NASA’s VIPER Moon rover clears scary test

NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), the agency's inaugural robotic Moon rover, has accomplished a significant milestone in its preparations for lunar exploration. The mobile robot recently underwent a series of rigorous tests to ensure its safe navigation off the Astrobotic Griffin lunar lander and onto the lunar surface. This operation, known as egress, poses one of the most challenging aspects of the rover's upcoming 100-day mission, according to NASA.Conducted at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, the recent tests utilized VIPER rover and Griffin lander prototypes. Their objective was to push VIPER's systems to their limits, ensuring that the rover performs as expected during its scientific mission. Engineers employed the Moon Gra...
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Lunar mission! Iron to water, NASA to start project to mine the Moon

NASA is gearing up for its long-awaited return to the Moon after over 50 years, when it landed a huge number of astronauts there, but this time, the mission is more ambitious than merely leaving footprints behind. The space agency has set its sights on mining the Moon for valuable resources, with plans to kickstart the initiative as early as the next decade.NASA intends to send a drill rig to the Moon next month as a precursor to establishing large-scale lunar regolith mining by 2032. As reported by The Guardian, a scientist from NASA's Johnston Space Centre, Gerald Sanders, disclosed these plans while speaking at the World Mining Congress in Brisbane.Sanders emphasized the agency's goal to assess and quantify the potential resources available on the Moon.He said, We are trying to inve...
Technology

Meet NASA’s next four astronauts headed to the Moon

On April 3, 2023, NASA announced the four astronauts who will make up the crew of Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in late 2024.The Artemis II mission will send these four astronauts on a 10-day mission that culminates in a flyby of the Moon. While they won't head to the surface, they will be the first people to leave Earth's immediate vicinity and be the first near the Moon in more than 50 years. This mission will test the technology and equipment that's necessary for future lunar landings and is a significant step on NASA's planned journey back to the surface of the Moon. As part of this next era in lunar and space exploration, NASA has outlined a few clear goals. The agency is hoping to inspire young people to get interested in space, to make the broader Artemis program more...