moon landings

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Europe Has the Next Best Thing to a New Moon

European Space Agency opens astronaut training facility with a faux lunar surface

(Newser) - Donning heavy spacesuits and visors to protect them from sunlight, astronauts Thomas Pesquet of France and Matthias Maurer of Germany, accompanied by their trusty canine robot, move slowly on what looks like the lunar surface. But it's not the moon. It will be years before the European Space Agency...

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...

Moon Landing Anniversary Is Upon Us
Moon Landing Anniversary
Is Upon Us
Jul 20, 2024 7:32 AM CDT

Moon Landing Anniversary Is Upon Us

NASA, museums have plenty of ways to celebrate

(Newser) - The cosmos is providing a full moon for the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing this weekend, and plenty of other events honor Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's giant leap. Aldrin, 94, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, headlines a gala at the San Diego...

We Still Haven't Solved the Space Poop Problem
We Still Haven't Solved
the Space Poop Problem
longform
Jul 7, 2024 2:25 PM CDT

We Still Haven't Solved the Space Poop Problem

Wired digs into the surprisingly challenging issue as moon expeditions intensify

(Newser) - Neil Armstrong left more than his footprints on the moon. As Becky Ferreira writes in Wired , he and his fellow Apollo astronauts also left nearly 100 bags of poop up there over various missions, where they remain to this day. For one thing, this raises the prospect of humans contaminating...

China Launches Ambitious Moon Mission

Chang'e-6 is expected to return with samples from moon's far side after 53 days

(Newser) - China launched a lunar probe on Friday to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe—named after the Chinese mythical moon goddess—...

Odysseus to Be 'Tucked in for the Cold Night of the Moon'

Moon lander broke leg upon landing on lunar surface

(Newser) - The first private US spacecraft to land on the moon broke a leg at touchdown before falling over , and had just a few hours of power left before its anticipated premature shutdown Wednesday night, the AP reports. Intuitive Machines, the company that built the lander, released new photos Wednesday, six...

After Sideways Landing, Private Moon Lander to Shut Down

Odysseus, a private US spacecraft, will cease operations on Tuesday

(Newser) - Odysseus made it to the moon in historic fashion, but the private lunar lander will shut down for good on Tuesday because of a bumpy landing that left it toppled over on its side. As the AP reports, that's "two to three days" earlier than expected. Details:
  • The
...

'Odysseus Has Found Its New Home'
'Odysseus Has Found
Its New Home'
Feb 23, 2024 6:55 AM CST

'Odysseus Has Found Its New Home'

It's a big moment for the 'lunar economy'

(Newser) - "Houston, Odysseus has found its new home," Intuitive Machines mission director Tim Crain said Thursday after the company's lander became the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since 1972. The landing—which came after some tense moments —makes the Texas-based company the first private...

Private Spacecraft Makes Historic, Tense Moon Landing

Odysseus switches to experimental NASA system after failure

(Newser) - Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander is on the moon's surface and transmitting to Earth, though the signal is weak. "I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface, and we are transmitting," CEO Steve Altemus said on a webcast Thursday evening, CNN reports. "...

How to Watch Today's Attempted Moon Landing
How to Watch
Today's Attempted
Lunar Landing
the rundown
Feb 22, 2024 1:30 AM CST

How to Watch Today's Attempted Lunar Landing

Odysseus is in orbit, will attempt to touch down at 5:30pm Eastern time

(Newser) - Odysseus, the robotic moon lander launched last week by a private Houston company, successfully entered the moon's orbit Wednesday, and is scheduled to land Thursday at 5:30pm Eastern time—which, if successful, would be the first time in more than five decades that a US spacecraft has touched...

'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...

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' Nears Its Target
A 5th Country Has
Landed on the Moon
UPDATED
Jan 19, 2024 11:51 AM CST

A 5th Country Has Landed on the Moon

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' is sending back data but solar cells aren't working, JAXA says

(Newser) - This story has been updated with new developments. Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon. The country's space agency, JAXA, says Smart Lander for Investigating Moon—SLIM—has landed on the moon and is sending back data, though its solar panel isn'...

Emmys Pick 10 Biggest Moments in TV History

From Beatles and MLK Jr., all the way through 9/11 coverage, these moments made an impression

(Newser) - The Emmys take place Monday, and it's the awards ceremony's 75th anniversary of celebrating the best on the boob tube. To honor that milestone, the Television Academy assembled members and academics who sifted through more than seven decades of TV gold, including news reports, sitcoms, dramas, variety shows,...

NASA Delays Next 2 Moon Missions
NASA Delays
Artemis Missions
Jan 9, 2024 5:55 PM CST

NASA Delays Artemis Missions

Agency says astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 at the earliest

(Newser) - Tuesday was a frustrating day for people eager to see a US spacecraft return to the moon. Soon after Astrobotic Technology confirmed that a fuel leak had doomed its plan for a lunar landing in February, NASA said it had delayed its next two Artemis moon missions. The agency said...

After Leak, Spacecraft Has 'No Chance' of Landing on Moon

'Space is hard,' NASA says

(Newser) - Astrobotic Technology says there's no longer any hope of its Peregrine probe landing on the moon. In an update posted on X Tuesday, the Pittsburgh-based company said that due to a fuel leak detected hours after liftoff Monday, "there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on...

'We Are on Our Way to the Moon!'
Historic Moon Mission
Might Be in Peril
UPDATED
Jan 8, 2024 1:20 PM CST

Historic Moon Mission Might Be in Peril

Private company's spacecraft develops fuel leak en route to first landing in more than 50 years

(Newser) - Updated throughout. The first US moon landing in more than 50 years was in jeopardy Monday after a private company's newly launched spacecraft developed a "critical" fuel leak. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology raced to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight, as battery...

First US Moon Landing in 50 Years Is Near

Two private companies are racing to get there first next month

(Newser) - India scored a moon landing last year, and Japan hopes to do the same next month. Now two private companies are hustling to get the US back in the lunar game, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended. As the AP explains, it's all part of a...

With This Rocket Launch, Japan Hopes for a 'Qualitative Shift'

SLIM lunar lander is set to reach moon in February, hopefully within just hundreds of feet of its target

(Newser) - Last month, India became the fourth nation to achieve a moon landing . Japan wants to be No. 5, and this week it launched a $100 million mission that it hopes will help it achieve that goal. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said its H-IIA rocket took off Thursday morning...

Historic Walk Accomplished, India's Moon Rover Takes a Nap

It's scheduled to wake up again on September 22

(Newser) - India's moon rover has completed its walk on the lunar surface and been put into sleep mode less than two weeks after its historic landing near the lunar south pole, India's space mission said. "The rover completes its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into sleep mode,...

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