Photo: Javier Zayas Photography (Getty Images) On April 8, a total solar eclipse will pass over North America, beginning at various times depending on your state and time zone, with the moon completely blocking out the sun for around 4 minutes. Science attributes this phenomenon to our planet’s orbit around the sun and rotation. However, […]
Read MoreTag: Moon
Odysseus Spacecraft Lands on Moon, First Time for U.S. Since 1972
For the first time in a half-century, an American-built spacecraft has landed on the moon. The robotic lander was the first U.S. vehicle on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, the closing chapter in humanity’s astonishing achievement of sending people to the moon and bringing them all back alive. That is a feat that […]
Read MoreLive Video: Watch SpaceX Launch Intuitive Machines Nova-C Moon Lander
Another month, another day, another try at the moon. A robotic lunar lander launched in the early morning hours of Thursday, one day after a technical glitch postponed the first launch attempt. If all goes well, it will become the first American spacecraft to set down softly on the moon’s surface since the Apollo 17 […]
Read MoreSpaceX to Launch Intuitive Machines Nova-C Moon Lander: How to Watch
Another month, another try at the moon. A robotic lunar lander is scheduled to launch in the early morning hours of Wednesday. If all goes well, it will become the first American spacecraft to set down softly on the moon’s surface since the Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972. It is also the latest private […]
Read MoreIt Started as Winter Break. It Ended With a Doomed Moon Mission.
A gaggle of students from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh traveled to Florida last month during their winter break. The students, many of them studying to be engineers and scientists, went there to watch a rocket launch that would send a small 4.8-pound robotic rover that they had helped build on its journey to the […]
Read MoreJapan Explains How It Made an Upside-Down Moon Landing
Japan became the fifth nation to land on the moon on Saturday, but its spacecraft ended up in an awkward position, with its engine nozzle pointed up toward space. By design, the Japanese spacecraft, known as Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, was supposed to land on its side, a strategy to avoid tipping […]
Read MoreJapan Achieves a Soft Lunar Landing, but Its Life on the Moon May Be Short
A Japanese robotic spacecraft successfully set down on the moon on Friday — but its solar panels were not generating power, which will cut the length of time it will be able to operate to a few hours. With this achievement, Japan is now the fifth country to send a spacecraft that made a soft […]
Read MoreAstrobotic’s Peregrine Moon Lander Burns Up in Earth’s Atmosphere
A spacecraft that was headed to the surface of the moon has ended up back at Earth instead, burning up in the planet’s atmosphere on Thursday afternoon. Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh announced in a post on the social network X that it lost communication with its Peregrine moon lander at 3:50 p.m. Eastern time, which […]
Read MoreNASA Delays Artemis Astronaut Moon Missions
For NASA and its astronauts, the moon is no farther away in terms of distance, but it is slipping further into the future. Officials at the space agency announced on Tuesday that Artemis II, the first American mission to send astronauts close to the moon in more than 50 years, will not take place late […]
Read MoreMoon Lander Malfunctions After Launch, Raising Questions for NASA
The first NASA-financed commercial mission to send a robotic spacecraft to the surface of the moon will most likely not be able to make it there. The lunar lander, named Peregrine and built by Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, encountered problems shortly after it lifted off early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch of […]
Read MoreFirst Flight of the Vulcan Rocket Sends an American Lander Toward the Moon
A brand-new rocket lifted off early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla., sending a robotic spacecraft toward the surface of the moon. No American spacecraft has made a soft landing on the moon since 1972. For United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the successful launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket […]
Read MoreVulcan Rocket Prepares for First Launch With Moon Lander Mission
A brand-new American rocket is on a launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and for the first time in more than 50 years, an American spacecraft will be headed toward the surface of the moon. The rocket is called Vulcan, and it was built by the company United Launch Alliance. Here’s what you need to know […]
Read MoreA Stunning Eclipse, a Moon Race and Other Space Events in 2024
Crucial Events on the Path Back to the Moon NASA wants to put American astronauts on the moon’s surface in the years ahead with the Artemis III mission. Before that can happen, though, many things have to go right, and two of the most important are scheduled for 2024. The first is the Artemis II […]
Read MoreIndia returns Chandrayaan-3 moon mission’s propulsion module to Earth orbit
The spacecraft that ferried India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander-rover duo to the moon has returned home — sort of. In a surprise announcement on Monday (Dec. 4), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it had moved Chandrayaan-3‘s propulsion module out of lunar orbit and placed it high above Earth for a bonus mission, where it now […]
Read MoreAustralia votes to name its 1st moon rover ‘Roo-ver’
Australia’s first lunar rover will be called “Roo-ver” following a public vote to name the space vehicle. The Australian Space Agency is building a semi-autonomous rover that will launch to the moon as early as 2026 in partnership with NASA and the agency’s Artemis program. Roo-ver will collect lunar soil samples, from which NASA will […]
Read MoreJapan targeting Jan. 19 for nation’s 1st-ever moon landing
Japan will make moon-exploration history in the middle of next month, if all goes to plan. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced today (Dec. 5) that it’s targeting Jan. 19 for the lunar landing of its robotic SLIM (“Smart Lander for Investigating Moon”) spacecraft. The newly revealed plan calls for SLIM to begin its […]
Read MoreThe Peregrine Lunar Lander is set to launch on Dec 24. Here’s what it’ll bring to the moon
During the wee hours of Christmas Eve this year, before the gift wrapping begins and the aroma of gingerbread brightens the air, a spacecraft is set to launch to the moon. It’s called the Peregrine Lunar Lander, named for the fastest flying bird on Earth. If all goes to plan, the robotic avian will zoom […]
Read MoreChina’s Chang’e 5 moon samples, beyond NASA’s reach for years, are finally available to US scientists
NASA has greenlit space agency-funded researchers to apply for access to China’s lunar samples returned to Earth via that country’s Chang’e-5 moon mission. In December 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission rocketed back to Earth 3.8 pounds (1,731 grams) of lunar rocks and soil from its Oceanus Procellarum exploration site on the near side of the […]
Read MoreArtemis 2 moon astronauts autograph their own rocket 1 year before launch
The next four moon astronauts signed their names Monday (Nov. 27) on a rocket piece that will send them to lunar realms in late 2024, only one year from now. The Artemis 2 crew, amid moon training, put their signatures on the adapter for their Orion spacecraft, which will be mounted on top of the […]
Read MoreSee November’s Full Beaver Moon light up the sky around the world (photos)
The second to last full moon of 2023 has risen and set, brightening the November night skies and giving photographers and moon enthusiasts across the globe the opportunity to capture some truly stunning images. The Full Beaver Moon gets its name from the fact that it roses at the time of year when beavers are […]
Read MoreCanada soars into space with new moon and ISS astronaut missions
MONTREAL, CANADA — Freezing rain and foggy air couldn’t dampen the Canadian space spirit. “Whoops” and cheers filled the glass-ringed Canadian Space Agency (CSA) lobby in Longueuil on Nov. 22 as an excited audience glimpsed astronauts Jenni Gibbons and Josh Kurtryk, clad in classic blue flight suits, emerging from a hallway. Already, it was worth […]
Read MoreScientists suspect there’s ice hiding on the Moon, and a host of missions from the US and beyond are searching for it
Building a space station on the Moon might seem like something out of a science fiction movie, but each new lunar mission is bringing that idea closer to reality. Scientists are homing in on potential lunar ice reservoirs in permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs. These are key to setting up any sort of sustainable lunar […]
Read MoreThe Full Beaver Moon rises tonight, the next-to-last full moon of 2023
The penultimate full moon of 2023 will rise on Monday, Nov. 27, in the form of the Beaver Moon. From New York City, the Full Beaver Moon will rise at 3:48 p.m. EST (2048 GMT), with the sun setting a little later at 6:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT), according to In the Sky. Skywatchers will […]
Read MoreSee the moon meet up with the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades tonight
The moon has a date with the Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades stars cluster, on Sunday (Nov. 26). The nearly full moon will make a close approach to the star clusters, passing to within 1 degree of the Seven Sisters, officially known by astronomers as Messier 45 (M45). Both the moon and the […]
Read MoreMedical emergencies will happen in deep space. Here’s how Canada is getting ready
When astronauts fly to the moon or Mars, how we will take care of medical issues so far from home? Finalists in a Canadian Space Agency and Impact Canada tech challenge aim to pivot medical knowledge from working with remote communities — like Indigenous groups in Canada’s far north — to help astronauts in deep […]
Read MoreCosmic radiation during spaceflight could increase risk of erectile dysfunction
The new era of human spaceflight is upon us with a crewed flight to the moon, on the Orion space capsule, scheduled for next year as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission. This endeavor will only see astronauts reach lunar orbit, but is expected to pave the way for Artemis III, planned for Dec. 2025, […]
Read MoreCosmic radiation during spaceflight could increase risk of erectile dysfunction in astronauts
The new era of human spaceflight is upon us with a crewed flight to the moon, on the Orion space capsule, scheduled for next year as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission. This endeavor will only see astronauts reach lunar orbit, but is expected to pave the way for Artemis III, planned for Dec. 2025, […]
Read MoreSee the nearly full moon and Jupiter shine bright together tonight
The moon will meet up with Jupiter tonight in a gorgeous post-Thanksgiving meet up. The moon will be almost fully illuminated during the meeting, with the Full Beaver Moon rising just two nights later on Monday, Nov. 27. From New York City, the rendezvous between the moon and Jupiter will be visible soon after they […]
Read More‘Mateship’ or ‘Kakirra’? Australia turns to public to name its 1st moon rover
The Australian Space Agency has revealed its shortlist of names for the country’s first lunar rover — and you can help choose the winner by casting your vote. In partnership with NASA, the agency’s Australian-made, semi-autonomous rover is slated to launch to the moon as part of a future Artemis mission by as early as […]
Read MoreThe moon, Saturn and Jupiter provide a Thanksgiving skywatching feast
If your household is like most American families, then on Thursday (Nov. 23) you likely will be sitting down with family and friends for a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner during the mid-to-late afternoon hours. Then, as darkness falls, some of you will probably migrate into the living room to catch some football or other […]
Read MoreScientists find hydrogen in Apollo moon rocks, suggesting astronauts can harvest lunar water
A fresh analysis of moon rocks brought home during the Apollo missions has, for the first time, revealed the presence of hydrogen. This finding suggests future astronauts could someday use water available right on the moon for life support and rocket fuel. Researchers with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), to whom NASA provided the […]
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