Latest news with #Apollo-era
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
US space agency Nasa will not fund study on China's moon sample: American scientist
Advertisement Earlier this month, planetary scientist Timothy Glotch of Stony Brook University was selected by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to receive a rare set of specimens collected by China's lunar sample return mission in 2020. Glotch told the South China Morning Post he hoped to compare properties of the soil and rock samples to Apollo-era rocks . His goal was to help answer long-standing questions about the moon's volcanic past, diverse surface materials and how they have been altered by billions of years in space. But unlike most US research involving lunar samples, his project will not be supported by Nasa. The reason is the Wolf Amendment , a congressional restriction that bars Nasa and its grantees from direct cooperation with Chinese government entities like CNSA. A moon surface taken by a panoramic camera aboard the lander-ascender combination of Chang'e-6 spacecraft after it landed on the moon. Photo: CNSA/Xinhua via AP 'I'm grateful to my institution for providing funds for me to travel to China and to my research collaborators' institutions to carry out our proposed work,' Glotch said. Advertisement While the process is still in its early stages, he will collaborate with scientists from the University of Hong Kong and San Francisco State University to analyse the samples. Stony Brook's officials must still sign the loan agreement with CNSA before the samples can be shipped, Glotch added.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA stacks moon-bound Artemis 2 rocket: Space photo of the day
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. On March 23, 2025, technicians working at NASA's Kennedy Space Center mated together major elements of the rocket that will launch the Artemis 2 mission with the first humans to the moon in more than 50 years. The core stage, which is covered in yellow-orange foam insulation, is the largest component of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, standing 212 feet tall (65 meters). In addition to holding the propellant for its four rear-mounted rocket engines, the core is the backbone of the rocket, supporting the launch vehicle stage adapter, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Orion stage adapter and the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 on either side of the core stage are twin five-segment solid rocket boosters, which were earlier stacked on the same mobile launch platform. Standing 177 feet tall (54 meters), the two boosters will provide the majority of the thrust needed to propel the four Artemis 2 astronauts on their journey around the moon. From the vantage point of the photo, you are looking up and into High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in the most voluminous building in the world, the VAB was previously used to stack the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket and the space shuttles that flew for 30 years. The launch vehicle stage adapter will be the next element of the SLS lifted and secured atop the core stage in the coming the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module have been stacked and configured for flight and are waiting their move to the VAB from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center. Once fully assembled, the Orion topped SLS will be rolled out to Launch Complex 39B for testing. The Artemis 2 mission is targeted for launch no earlier than April 2026. You can read and see more from the stacking of the Artemis 2 core stage and boosters, as well as learn more about NASA's Artemis 2 mission. You can also follow the latest updates about the Artemis 2 mission here.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A new company just stamped its name on the moon
Firefly Aerospace landed its Blue Ghost spacecraft on the moon on Sunday. Moon landings were once exclusive to government agencies, but Firefly is now the second company to do it. The Blue Ghost mission, funded by NASA, includes experiments to study lunar dust and moon GPS. Firefly Aerospace became the second company to ever land on the moon on Sunday when its Blue Ghost spacecraft plopped onto the gray dust of a lunar plain known as Mare Crisium. Moon landings have long been the sole domain of government space agencies, but no longer. Blue Ghost is one of a series of commercial missions ushering in a new era, with companies joining the race to the moon in a bid to build new industries of space tourism and mining. Though the Blue Ghost mission is funded by NASA and carries 10 payloads for the agency, Firefly built the hardware and coded the software that stuck the landing. "This is such an incredible feat for Firefly, NASA, our nation, and the world, as we pave the way for a lasting lunar presence," a Firefly team member said on a livestream after they confirmed the landing. Landing on the moon is a nail-biting maneuver, and engineers often describe it as "15 minutes of terror." As it plummets towards the lunar surface, a moon lander must continually sense the ground below it, calculate its altitude, point itself toward a safe landing spot, orient itself to land upright, deploy its legs, and slow itself down at just the right time. There's no time for sending commands back and forth, so the spacecraft must execute this complex series of tasks without the help of the humans who built it. "It's just the first time it's completely on its own, making decisions," Ray Allensworth, the director of Firefly's spacecraft program, told Business Insider in mid-February. "I think a lot of us will be holding our breath, you know, lighting a candle." Many have tried and failed. The moon is littered with crashed spacecraft from India, Russia, an Israeli nonprofit, and the Japanese company ispace. And the US company Astrobotic had to completely forgo its landing attempt last January after a valve failure caused a propellant leak in orbit. An elite few have landed softly on the moon: the Apollo-era US, the Soviet Union, China, Japan, India, and the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines, which landed its Odysseus spacecraft a little off-kilter but in one piece a year ago. Now Firefly has joined their esteemed ranks. "Even just talking about it kind of sends a little chill down your spine," Allensworth said ahead of the landing. If all goes well, Firefly's mission will operate for about 14 Earth days, which is a full lunar day. The landing site, Mare Crisium, is in the northeast quadrant of the near side of the moon. It's relatively free of craters and boulders, making it a perfect site to study the lunar surface. The experiments onboard the lander include a drill to probe just beneath the lunar surface and a vacuum to suck up lunar dust — both from Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin — as well as a demo computer from Montana State University that's designed to withstand extreme radiation, and an Italian experiment that's "like GPS for the moon," Allensworth said. At the end of the lunar day, Blue Ghost plans to observe the sunset and study how the sun causes moon dust to levitate, a mysterious phenomenon observed by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan. Even before landing, Allensworth said, "I think we have a lot of things to be proud of. We've returned a really significant amount of data for our payloads and from the spacecraft." All of that data will inform the company's next mission, which aims to land on the far side of the moon in 2026. "Ultimately, our goal is that we're going to the moon at least yearly and hopefully increase that cadence over time," Allensworth said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 150 — Our Listener Special
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. On Episode 150 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik answer your questions, respond to your comments, and have lined up a number of your most tummy-tickling space jokes. This one is more fun than wearing new shoes!Join us as we talk about asteroid 2024YR4, the Space Launch System's prospects, Katy Perry in space, the newest lunar missions, the X-37B "secret shuttle," Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, solar sails, the cage match between Elon and astronaut Andreas Morgenson, and the best meteor shower of the year! Download or subscribe to this show at: episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at 'That's impact probability zero folks!' Earth safe from 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 Long-time advocate of SLS rocket says it's time to find an 'off-ramp' NASA Working to Reestablish Communications With Lunar Trailblazer Katy Perry will launch to space with historic all-female crew on Blue Origin rocket Private Blue Ghost moon lander captures amazing footage of Earth behind and lunar surface below U.S. Space Force releases rare image of the mysterious X-37B spacecraft in orbit Astronauts vs. Musk: Public spat ensues over claims that politics delayed a flight to Earth TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Looking for a telescope to see planets and comets? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide. Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars? Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.
CNN
21-02-2025
- Business
- CNN
NASA strikes deal to avoid mass layoffs, says job cuts will be ‘performance-based or voluntary'
NASA confirmed Thursday that the space agency may have sidestepped the sweeping layoffs it was expected to implement this week, potentially saving hundreds of newly hired employees and career professionals. In a statement, the agency said it worked with the Office of Personnel Management — which has been at the forefront of the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the federal workforce — on 'a careful evaluation of our workforce and mission requirements.' Those discussions led to a determination that job cuts for probationary employees, typically those hired within the past year, will be 'performance-based or voluntary in accordance with agency policy.' That move stands in contrast to orders at some other federal agencies in which probationary employees were ordered to be cut across the board. 'The agency will continue to monitor all employee performances and take swift action as appropriate with any issues, ensuring American citizens have an excellent and efficient workforce at NASA,' the space agency's statement reads. However, roughly 5% of NASA's workforce accepted offers under the deferred resignation program — which was a move by the Trump administration to lure federal employees to step down from their roles in exchange for being paid through September, the space agency said. That figure includes a 'small subset' of probationary employees, NASA said. NASA employs nearly 18,000 people, according to the space agency, so roughly 900 workers may have taken that offer. One NASA employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive topics, expressed concern about how patents and intellectual property may be affected if NASA workers leave their job but are still on the agency's payroll for the months ahead. It's not clear how intellectual property issues might play out legally in that regard, the source said. Concerns in space community According to two sources familiar with the matter, there were about 1,300 probationary workers at NASA. The prospect of all probationary employees losing their jobs set off alarm bells in the space community. The head of space policy at the nonprofit Planetary Society, which is led by Bill Nye and advocates for space exploration, said in a statement that the 'indiscriminate dismissal of upwards of 1,000 scientists, engineers, and explorers at NASA' would mark 'the largest involuntary workforce reduction since the end of the Apollo program.' Those Apollo-era layoffs at NASA occurred 'when we were winding down a moon program,' Planetary Society chief of space policy Casey Dreier told CNN. 'But we're actively spinning one up right now.' Dreier was referring to the Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the lunar surface as soon as mid-2027, according to the most recent timeline NASA mapped out. According to Dreier's research, NASA employed more than 35,000 people as the Apollo program reached its peak in the late 1960s. Unlike the Apollo program, however, NASA intends to outsource much of the work on its Artemis program to the private sector through fixed-price contracts. Dreier said that the Planetary Society is not advocating for NASA's head count to grow — or even suggesting workforce reductions won't help the agency become more nimble. The problem, however, is 'the blunt, non-strategic, indiscriminate nature (of the firings) that we're fundamentally worried about,' he said. 'That will hinder NASA's ability to move forward on its plans.'
