The attempt by SpaceIL, a private non-profit organization, to land the Beresheet craft softly on the Moon last week went awry just a few minutes before it was to set down onto the surface. Initial results of an investigation into […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Archive for The Moon
172 results.
[ Update 2: The final image returned from Beresheet as it came down the lunar surface: Update 3:30 pm EDT: Unfortunately, Beresheet failed to make a soft landing. The descent was going as planned but then the main engine cut […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images about space related science news: ** Ultima Thule grows from a dot to a world in this time lapse of images captured by the New Horizons probe as it approached the Kuiper […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
SpaceIL‘s Beresheet lunar spacecraft successfully fired its engine to extend its orbit to the Moon: 🌗 Moon Travel Report #6 🌗 Another successful maneuver! The engine was activated for 60 sec & all systems are functioning👍🏽. #Beresheet is on an […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Here is the latest episode of NASA’s weekly Space to Ground reports on activities related to the International Space Station: Other NASA videos released this week focus on building upon lessons learned in LEO to go beyond earth orbit: ** […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
SpaceIL Beresheet lunar mission update + iSpace of Japan to launch lunar orbiter and lander
Feb24
on February 24, 2019
at 2:00 pm
SpaceIL‘s Beresheet lunar lander, launched as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 last Thursday evening, has completed its first engine firing, which will raise the altitude of the perigee (low point) of its highly elliptical orbit around the earth […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images related to space related sciences: ** Mars weather reports – Daily Mars weather reports are now available from the Insight lander, which has activated its temperature and wind sensors – InSight Is […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Some space science items of interest: ** Planetary rover update: January 22, 2019 | Behind The Black – Bob Zimmerman reports on the status and plans for the Mars rovers and the Chinese Yutu-2 rover on the Moon. Since November […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
[ Update Jan.16.2019: There has been some confusion about the photos of the cotton plant shoots. A couple of early images circulating in the Chinese press were actually from a ground unit. However, the one shown below is apparently from […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Controllers of the Chinese space Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover have reactivated the two systems after a standby period during the most intense period of solar heat during the lunar day. Various scientific instruments are being activated, the rover will […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The new year is off to a very impressive start in space science: ** China’s Chang’e 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon. (See posting here.) ** OSIRIS REx successfully orbited Bennu, the smallest body ever orbited […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
China has successfully placed its Chang’e-4 spacecraft onto the surface of the far side of the Moon. It appears that the rover has also been released. This is the first time that any spacecraft has landed on the lunar far […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The Apollo 8 mission launched on Dec. 21, 1968 with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr. and William Anders on board. About two and half hours after liftoff, the S-IV third stage fired for a second time and put their […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Israel’s nonprofit SpaceIL lunar lander mission to include time capsule
Dec18
on December 18, 2018
at 11:55 am
The Israeli non-profit SpaceIL organization now expects SpaceX to launch its lunar lander mission in February. SpaceIL was a competitor in the Google Lunar XPRIZE contest, which ended before any entrant reached the Moon. However, SpaceIL and several other GLXP […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
December 21st will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 8, the first time humans left earth orbit to reach another celestial object. While the landing on the surface of the Moon by Apollo 11 dominates the public’s […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
China heads for the Moon’s far side, NASA listens to Martian winds, and a Dragon arrives at the ISS
Dec08
Lots of activity in space this weekend: ** Moon: China launched on Friday the Chang’e-4 mission to the far side of the Moon. The 3,780 kg package includes a lander (1,200 kg), a rover (140 kg). This will be the first […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
[ Update: The Moon rocks sold near the top of the expected range of bids: Soviet robot-retrieved moon rocks sell for $855,000 at Sotheby’s | collectSPACE Sotheby’s on Thursday (Nov. 29) auctioned the only known pieces of Earth’s natural satellite […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Airbus, Blue Origin, ESA, and some other heavyweight companies and organizations are backing a new technical competition program called The Moon Race: The Moon Race competition is a global initiative founded by Airbus and international partners, aiming to boost the […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The latest episode of TMRO:Space is now available on line: Masten’s Lunar Ambitions – Orbit 11.34 – TMRO Dave Masten of Masten Space Systems joins SpaceMike to talk about his current fleet of vehicle and plans to do more than just flags […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Bob Zimmerman tells me his book, Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, which tells the dramatic history of the first mission to send humans beyond earth orbit, is now available as an unabridged audiobook. From the press release: This year marks the fiftieth […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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