In recent years there has been renewed interest in exploring the moon's surface as preparation for potential long-term habitation of the moon, and exploration of other planets is on the horizon. China landed Chang'e-5 on the moon's surface in December 2020 and collected basaltic volcanic rocks that were returned to Earth. These were the first samples recovered from the moon since the Apollo missions ended in 1976.
Keeping astronauts connected on the Moon might not seem like the obvious place to start when it comes to fixing WiFi back on Earth, but NASA is looking to how future space tech could help keep people connected back home. As plans for a permanent Moon base continue to develop, some of the infrastructure lessons there could fill in gaps for coverage in ill-equipped US cities.
One of the biggest challenges for future lunar missions and a subject of intense study by NASA and other agencies is how to deal with the lunar regolith that tends to cling to everything. Lunar regolith can create problems for rocket engines and other critical systems used on the moon's surface. A company called Masten Space Systems has developed a system that they call FAST or in-Flight Alumina Spray Technique.
Multiple space agencies plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, but this process will require new solutions to old problems, such as how to get enough water to sustain astronauts and their operations. According to new research, "cooking" lunar soil may play an important role in supporting Moon bases going forward, at least when it comes to oxygen and water.
New high-resolution image of the moon focusing on the Tycho Crater has been released. It was made using the National Science Foundations Green Bank Observatory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The image of Tycho Crater has a resolution close to five meters by five meters and is comprised of about 1.4 billion pixels.
NASA plans to launch a new rover to explore the surface of the moon in 2023. The rover is called the Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER. NASA has now announced the chosen landing spot for the VIPER rover, and it will be near the western edge of the Nobile Crater on the south pole of the moon.
NASA has announced the details for its next annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The competition's registration is now open to student teams located in the US, giving budding engineers and designers the chance to build their own lightweight rover and demonstration its suitability for exploring other worlds. Some of the teams may win awards for their work.
NASA has published a new request for information that seeks lunar vehicle ideas from American companies. The space agency is specifically interested in a type of Moon-based vehicle that will be able to transport astronauts to the lunar South Pole, doing so while navigating the unique terrain and long, cold nights found on our moon.
NASA has its sights set on the Moon in a big way, but establishing a more permanent presence on the lunar surface will require a variety of new technology. One issue that must be addressed is water; though the Moon is home to icy water reserves, astronauts will need a way to harvest the substance as a useable resource. As it tends to do, NASA offered money in exchange for concepts from teams around the US -- and now it is back with the winners.
One of the significant challenges of missions to the moon is dealing with the fine and powdery lunar regolith on the moon's surface. NASA found during the Apollo era that the lunar regolith stuck to everything, and it was very difficult to remove. In preparation for putting humans back on the moon's surface in the future, NASA is conducting research looking for various methods to deal with the lunar regolith.
NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission will send a spacecraft to Titan, the intriguing Saturn moon that researchers have described as an 'explorer's utopia.' A newly published study has detailed the broad mission objectives the Dragonfly team will focus on, noting that the planned exploration goals are broad at this time because so much about the moon remains a mystery.
Rocket Lab is a company that uses small rockets to place light payloads into orbit using the Electron launch vehicle. The company has announced that it will be launching a mission for NASA to the moon from its launch site in New Zealand. Currently, the launch is scheduled to happen sometime in Q4 2021.