lunar exploration

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Rover Finds Evidence That Magma Covered Moon

Indian mission's findings support Lunar Magma Ocean theory

(Newser) - A rover investigating a previously unexplored area on the moon has found more evidence to support the theory that the lunar surface was once covered with an ocean of magma. After India's Chandrayaan-3 mission brought the Vikram lander to the moon's south pole a year ago, the Pragyaan...

China: US Scientists Can Study Lunar Samples, on One Condition

Chinese officials want US to ditch law banning cooperation with NASA

(Newser) - China's space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from around the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples that the Chang'e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically with the United States. Officials said...

Get Ready to Set Your Clocks for Moon Time

White House instructs NASA to figure out a unified standard of time to aid future missions

(Newser) - In the future, we'll have Earth time and we'll have Moon time. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on Tuesday directed NASA to establish what it called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), "a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies"...

The Lunar Rush Is On, With Plans to Mine Helium-3
Rare Gas Sets Off
a Lunar Rush
Mar 23, 2024 7:30 AM CDT

Rare Gas Sets Off a Lunar Rush

Startup Interlune plans to mine the moon for helium-3, estimated to be worth $4 billion per ton

(Newser) - Like many private companies, Interlune is seeing dollar signs in the night sky—and now its plans to extract a rare gas from the moon has a timeline. Per Ars Technica , there's an abundance of helium-3 that can hypothetically be extracted from the moon and transported back home, and...

'Godspeed, Odysseus. Now Let's Go Make History'

Texas company Intuitive Machine's lander is on the way to the moon

(Newser) - "Godspeed, Odysseus. Now let's go make history," Trent Martin, vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines, said as the company's lunar lander was launched early Thursday. The Texas-based firm is aiming to become the first private company to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon,...

'After Several Tense Days,' Moon Lander Is Alive Again

Following a rough landing, Japan's SLIM finally draws enough solar power to function once more

(Newser) - A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power. Japan's first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdown on Jan. 20, but it landed the wrong way up , leaving its solar panels unable to see...

Moon Lander—and Its Human Remains—to Burn
Doomed Lunar
Lander Meets
Its End
UPDATED
Jan 19, 2024 12:30 AM CST

Doomed Lunar Lander Meets Its End

Astrobotic's Peregrine burns up reentering Earth's atmosphere, along with human remains

(Newser) - The doomed Peregrine moon lander burned up in Earth's atmosphere over a remote stretch of the South Pacific on Thursday, as planned after the spacecraft suffered a malfunction that left it unable to reach the moon. "We commend @Astrobotic for their perseverance," NASA said in a statement...

India Achieves a Moon Landing That's Historic on 2 Fronts

It landed a spacecraft near the moon's south pole

(Newser) - India on Wednesday landed a spacecraft near the moon's south pole, an uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water and precious elements. A lander with a rover inside touched down on the lunar surface at 6:04pm local time, sparking cheers and applause among...

Space Agency Says Moon Should Have Own Time Zone

ESA says joint international effort is underway

(Newser) - With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone. "This week, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The idea came up during a meeting...

NASA: We've Lost Contact With Microwave-Sized Spacecraft
NASA Is Back in Contact
With Its Satellite
UPDATED
Jul 7, 2022 8:45 AM CDT

NASA Is Back in Contact With Its Satellite

Space agency had temporarily lost communications with CAPSTONE exploring lunar orbit

(Newser) - Update: We have contact with CAPSTONE once again. Just hours after NASA announced Wednesday that communications had been lost with the 55-pound, $32.7 million satellite it sent into space to test-drive a new lunar orbit, the space agency reported that it has restored contact, per the AP . NASA had...

No, That's Not a Microwave NASA Launched Into Space

Tiny CAPSTONE spacecraft will test-drive a new lunar orbit to be used by astronaut way station

(Newser) - In between the gravities of the Earth and the moon lies a halo-shaped orbit that will be used by NASA's soon-to-come Gateway, a lunar rest stop of sorts for astronauts when they head back to the moon as part of the agency's Artemis missions . The agency has now...

Think You Can Build a Nuclear Power Plant On the Moon?

If so, NASA would like to hear from you

(Newser) - NASA wants there to be a nuclear power plant on the moon, and it needs your help. The goal is to build a fission reactor within 10 years, and the plan is to get someone else to get it started, the AP reports. In a statement , Battelle Energy Alliance and...

America's 2 Biggest Rivals Are Building a Lunar Base

China, Russia say they will 'conduct close interaction' on scientific base

(Newser) - China and Russia are gearing up to become America's biggest rivals on the moon as well as the Earth. China's National Space Agency and Russia's Roscomos agency have announced plans to jointly build a lunar research station, the BBC reports. "China and Russia will use their...

China Brings Back 'Treasure Trove' of Moon Rocks

They're the first fresh lunar samples in 44 years

(Newser) - A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China's rapidly advancing space program, the AP...

China Readies an Historic Launch
China Readies
an Historic
Launch
Nov 17, 2020 2:38 PM CST

China Readies an Historic Launch

It aims to bring back moon rocks for the first time in 40 years

(Newser) - China is continuing to flex its space muscles. On Tuesday, it rolled a rocket into place that is scheduled to lift off for an ambitious mission to the moon early next week, reports the AP . The Long March-5 will carry the Chang'e 5, whose mission is to fetch rocks...

The Moon's Lava Tubes Can Fit Entire Cities
The Moon's Lava Tubes
Might Fit Entire Cities
new study
Aug 15, 2020 4:10 PM CDT

The Moon's Lava Tubes Might Fit Entire Cities

Imagine a tunnel that fits Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Now that's big.

(Newser) - Looks like Mars and the moon contain huge lava tubes that offer protection from solar radiation and meteors—which makes them possible homes for future explorers, LiveScience reports. A new paper says Martian tunnels appear to range from 130 to 1,300 feet in diameter, while the moon's are...

As Nations Eye Mining Moon, the 'Artemis Accords' Emerges

Trump administration reportedly creates international pact on moon bases, resource mining

(Newser) - The Trump administration is reportedly working on an international agreement that would lay out ground rules for moon bases and lunar mining. The Artemis Accords, named for NASA's new Artemis moon program, proposes having "safety zones" around a country's moon base. "The idea is if you...

NASA Says Moon Mission 'Starting to Feel Very Real'

3 firms have contracts to design landers

(Newser) - NASA had good news for Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk but bad news for Boeing Thursday. Bezos' Blue Origin company and Musk's SpaceX have been selected, along with Alabama-based Dynetics, to develop spacecraft that can land people on the moon, the BBC reports. Under contracts totaling just under $1...

Israel's Ambitious Moon Landing Attempt Fails

It was supposed to be the first privately funded lunar mission

(Newser) - An Israeli spacecraft lost contact with Earth and crashed just moments before it was to land on the moon late Thursday, failing in an ambitious attempt to make history as the first privately funded lunar mission . The spacecraft lost communication with ground control as it was making its final descent...

First Private Spacecraft Is Headed to the Moon

Israel is aiming to launch an unmanned lander this week

(Newser) - An Israeli nonprofit says it'll launch what it hopes will be the first private spacecraft to land on the moon this week, reports the AP . SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries told reporters on Monday that the landing craft, dubbed Beresheet, or Genesis, will ship from Florida, where, propelled...

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