Tag: The moon

The first analysis of lava samples from the moon’s far side reveals that volcanoes were erupting there 2.8 billion years ago. The moon is tidally locked with Earth, meaning the same side always faces our planet. The far side is less explored than the near side. Only two landers, both from China, have made it to the moon’s far side. In a study published Nov. 15 in the journal Science, researchers analyzed rock samples returned to Earth by the Chang’e 6 lander. The 2024 mission brought back a little over…

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Scientists continue to piece together the moon’s complex history using lunar samples collected during NASA’s Apollo missions over half a century ago.  A fresh analysis of lunar dust collected by Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972 offers a clearer picture of the effects of asteroid strikes on the moon, allowing scientists to reconstruct billions of years of lunar history. The findings could also help upcoming crewed missions pinpoint precious natural resources for establishing moon bases, scientists say. After landing in the heavily-cratered Descartes region in the lunar highlands, astronauts John Young,…

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MILAN — The European Space Agency (ESA) is building infrastructure to support lunar exploration. ESA officially launched the Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) program here at the International Astronautical Congress on Tuesday (Oct. 15), with the aim of providing services for the more than 400 moon missions planned by space agencies and private companies over the next two decades. Moonlight will be a constellation of five lunar satellites, which together will enable precise, autonomous landings and surface mobility, according to ESA, while facilitating high-speed communication and data transfer…

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MILAN — NASA and China will need to discuss exchanges of data and mission plans as the two sides move to build sustainable presences on the moon, according to the NASA administrator.  NASA chief Bill Nelson met with the press at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here on Tuesday (Oct. 15), addressing questions related to the agency’s Artemis program. Both NASA, with Artemis, and China, with its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), are working to get astronauts to the moon and to build lunar infrastructure to support repeated and…

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MILAN — The nations signed up to the Artemis Accords are looking to spread the word on common principles and best practices on exploring outer space.  Estonia became the 45th country to sign up to the Accords just ahead of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here, which opened on Monday (Oct. 14). But engagement and enlargement efforts won’t stop there. The Artemis Accords — a set of statements that set out common principles, guidelines and best practices for exploration of the moon and beyond — had its third heads-of-agencies meeting…

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China has strutted out its moon-landing spacesuit, unveiling its design in a ceremony Saturday (Sept. 28) in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. A technician put the spacesuit — which China aims to start using on crewed moon missions by 2030 — through its paces, showcasing various movements and gestures, including climbing the rungs of a ladder.  The overall design of the moon-landing suit is inspired by traditional Chinese armor, underscoring the suit’s rugged and resolute appearance. It also features ribbons, which have always been an important element in the design of Chinese…

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We finally have a glimpse of the first-ever samples collected from the far side of the moon. The first paper on the samples collected from China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe reveals that the specimens differ in some ways from those collected from the moon’s near side. Thus, they could provide fresh insights and lead to new theories about the moon and its evolution. China launched its complex, 53-day-long Chang’e 6 lunar far side sample return mission in early May. A lander scooped and drilled for samples inside an area known…

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NASA is seeking the public’s help for innovative solutions to help Artemis astronauts navigate in and around the lunar south pole. The Artemis program aims to land humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions managed to achieve the feat over 50 years ago. Astronauts will land near the lunar south pole, where permanently shadowed regions may contain areas of water ice that could be accessed to support future missions to Mars. The Lunar Navigation Challenge, which officially opened on Sept. 4, seeks ideas for a…

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It is easy to imagine the moon as an atmosphere-less hunk of rock orbiting Earth. However, while lacking breathable air, our planet’s loyal natural satellite companion does have a thin and wispy atmosphere.  Scientists have long puzzled over the existence of this tenuous atmosphere or “exosphere” and have searched for the main process that sustains it, but new research indicates that this tenuous lunar atmosphere or “exosphere” owes its existence to renewal and replenishment caused by the violent bombardment of space rocks upon the moon.  The team behind the research…

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Could the moon soon be home to frozen biological samples of Earth’s endangered creatures? New research suggests scientists could use naturally occurring lunar cold spots, some of which haven’t seen sunlight for billions of years, to do just this. Recent studies have shown that as many as 8 million species exist on Earth, and over 1 million of these are under threat of extinction. Worryingly, this estimate could be the tip of the iceberg, as there could be many species that could become extinct before they have even been identified.…

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