Weeks after its successful Mars launch earlier this summer, the United Arab Emirates has announced plans to launch its own lunar rover. Assuming everything goes as planned, the UAE will join the US, China, and the former USSR in successfully putting a lander on the Moon. The announcement comes amid renewed interest in our Moon and NASA's ambitious plan to return humans to the lunar surface by 2024.
NASA is reminding people that tonight is International Observe the Moon Night. The special day happens on September 26, 2020, and moon enthusiasts and stargazers worldwide can come together to celebrate. NASA's inviting everyone on Earth to learn about lunar science and exploration and participate in celestial observations.
A small German instrument sent to the Moon on China's Chang'e 4 robotic spacecraft has taken the very first measurements of space radiation as it exists on the lunar surface. The findings come from the DRL German Aerospace Center, which reports that the human body will struggle to deal with this surface radiation over any long duration without adequate protection. Compared to being on the ground, the cosmic radiation on the Moon's surface is around 200 times greater, according to the measurements.
NASA has announced a new contract opportunity that will involve it purchasing Moon dust (called regolith) and rocks from a private space company. The intention was announced by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a post this week, with the official stating that utilizing private companies under its Artemis lunar program will help it save money and access new innovations developed by these companies. The new contract is part of this effort.
In the latest evolution of its Artemis lunar efforts, NASA has announced that it wants its previously announced private space partners to bid on which will get to launch a future payload to the Moon. Assuming everything goes according to plan, NASA anticipates the winning company launching its new Moon payloads in 2022, a full two years ahead of the agency's deadline for returning humans to the Moon.
Scientists are currently investigating why the surface of the moon is rusting. What baffles scientists so much is that there is no air or water on the moon, which are both required for hematite, which is a type of rust, to form. The new study looks at data gathered by the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter.
If you think sand is annoying, wait until you hear astronauts describe their experiences with Moon dust. The substance is apparently easy to kick up into the environment, causing it to settle all over the place: on suits, in vehicles, and other places it could end up being a problem. How will future astronauts, particularly ones stationed on the lunar surface for long periods of time, deal with this nuisance?
Scientists and visionaries around the world foresee a future where mankind colonizes the moon and Mars. One major question that has to be answered before colonization can happen is how to create structures that humans can live inside and be protected from the radiation and lack of habitable atmosphere in both locations. Researchers from the universities of Bologna and Padua have studied the subsurface cavities that lava created underground on Mars and the Moon. They have determined that they are wide enough that they could host planetary bases.
There are a few things you never see in movies that are about space travel. One of those is how exactly astronauts go to the bathroom. Imagine how astronauts that took part in the Apollo moon missions went to the bathroom while they were in orbit and on the surface of the moon. Astronauts aboard the ISS have a complicated toilet system that captures human waste. NASA is set to hold a contest to build a better toilet for astronauts participating in the future Artemis mission to the moon.
Few countries have ever successfully landed on the surface of the moon, and one of the countries to do so was China with the Yutu-2 rover. That rover found something interesting on the surface of the moon that has puzzled scientists, and the mystery has finally been solved. Inside a small impact crater on the far side of the moon, Yutu-2 discovered a strange and shiny gel-like substance.
NASA has selected four small companies in the US to 'mature' tech for its upcoming Artemis Moon missions. The combined value of these follow-on contracts will amount to around $17 million, according to the space agency, which previously awarded the companies contracts to develop and demonstrate these technologies. NASA anticipates the contracts helping speed up the development of Moon tech that it needs to meet its deadlines.
A team of researchers at NASA who were hunting for ice inside of polar craters made an unexpected finding that researchers believe could help clear up some of the mystery behind the Moon's formation. The researchers are the members of the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument team on the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The researchers found evidence that the subsurface of the Moon might be more abundant in metals such as iron and titanium than previously believed.