MONTREAL, CANADA — My moonwalk was missing the most important thing. I, untrained as a spacewalking astronaut, felt literally lost in space as I fumbled around NASA‘s Gateway station circling the moon. I could see the Earth. Canadarm3 was doing its robotic arm thing right in front of me. I could even peek inside the empty crew modules. Then I finally looked down. There it was. Craters. Lumpy shadows. Goosebumps. The moon in the closeness I had wanted to see since I was a child. Though simulated, the sensation of…
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Axiom Space Tests Lunar Spacesuit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
An Axiom Space engineer wearing the AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) spacesuit kneels to collect simulated lunar samples using a scoop during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Axiom Space As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency is working to land astronauts on the lunar surface during Artemis III, laying the groundwork for a long-term human presence at the Moon for the benefit of all. When the Artemis astronauts take their first steps near the South Pole of the Moon, they will be wearing a spacesuit developed by Axiom Space. In…
Read MoreNASA to Discuss Science, First Intuitive Machines Artemis Moon Flight
This artist’s concept shows Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander on the surface of the Moon. This robotic delivery, part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, will transport agency science and technology demonstrations to the Moon for the benefit of all. Intuitive Machines NASA will host a media teleconference at 3:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 31, to discuss its science and technology demonstrations flying aboard Intuitive Machines’ first flight to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. Audio…
Read MoreNASA Interns at Johnson’s Rock Yard
NASA/James Blair In this image from May 22, 2023, a NASA intern uses an augmented reality headset to test out heads-up display technology being developed for future Artemis missions. This technology was created as part of the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students, or SUITS, design challenge in which college students from across the country help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs. Today marks the beginning of NASA’s Spring 2024 internship season; across the country, hundreds of interns are joining the Artemis Generation and contributing to the…
Read MoreFire! NASA kicks off Artemis moon program’s 2024 with big engine test (video)
As NASA battles delays in its Artemis moon program, testing on its hardware continues at a rapid pace. NASA engineers fired up an engine for the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket, a future version of the type that will help launch astronauts toward the moon as soon as 2025. The test on Wednesday (Jan. 17) successfully fired the RS-25 engine for nearly as long as a typical launch, which would be 8.5 minutes. Under scrutiny is the venerable RS-25 engine type, with heritage that dates from the space shuttle program.…
Read MoreNASA Science, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One Concludes
Cameras aboard Peregrine capture the American flag and the NASA insignia on one of the lander’s tanks to signify America’s return to the Moon. Credits: Astrobotic The first flight of NASA’s commercial lunar delivery service carrying agency science and technology, as well as other customer payloads intended for the Moon, has come to an end. After 10 days and 13 hours in space, Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One made a controlled re-entry on Earth over open water in the South Pacific at approximately 4:04 p.m. EST on Jan. 18. Astrobotic was…
Read MoreNASA to Join Astrobotic’s Media Call on Peregrine Mission One Status
NASA NASA will join an Astrobotic media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 18, to discuss updates on their Peregrine Mission One, which is carrying science for the agency as part of its Commercial Lunar Provider Services (CLPS) initiative. The audio-only teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website. Following a successful launch on Jan. 8, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue after the spacecraft entered its operational state. This is preventing Astrobotic from achieving a soft landing on the Moon. Aboard the Peregrine spacecraft are five NASA…
Read MoreChina won’t beat US Artemis astronauts to the moon, NASA chief says
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is unconcerned that China will beat the United States in returning astronauts to the moon. Both China and the United States have plans to land astronauts on the moon before the decade is over, reviving talk of a new space race. “It is a fact: We’re in a space race,” Nelson said in a 2023 interview. “And it is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond…
Read MoreNASA Science Heads to Moon on First US Private Robotic Artemis Flight
As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander launched on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket at 2:18 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Carrying NASA scientific instruments as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander launched on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket at 2:18 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Peregrine has about a 46-day journey to reach the lunar surface. Once on the…
Read MoreNASA, United Arab Emirates Announce Artemis Lunar Gateway Airlock
NASA and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have entered into an agreement for MBRSC to provide the Crew and Science Airlock module for the Gateway Space Station. As part of the agreement, NASA will fly a United Arab Emirates astronaut to Gateway on a future Artemis mission. Pictured is an artist’s concept of Gateway (left) and an artist’s concept of a government reference airlock (right). NASA NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Sunday plans for the space centre…
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