Latest news with #Apollo15
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
All about the abandoned Apollo capsule in 'The Last of Us' (Season 2, Episode 6)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Whether you are a fan of space exploration history or of the game on which the series is based, "The Last of Us" has just delivered a real blast from the past. In the penultimate episode of the second season, which premiered Sunday night (May 18) on HBO Max, the story briefly visits the Wyoming Museum of Science and History. Warning: If you have not yet watched Season 2, Episode 6 of "The Last of Us," you may want to stop reading here, as there are minor spoilers ahead. If you have never seen the series or played the game, for the purposes of this article you only need to know that it is about Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor of a global pandemic that has destroyed civilization, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl who Joel has taken charge of and who may be humanity's last hope. As part of the episode, Joel is shown surprising Ellie with a visit to the museum. Inside, they enter the space and astronomy hall to Ellie's delight (her interest in flight and what it represents — escape and being able to control her own destiny — is a recurring theme in both the game and the television adaptation). The two find a working, floor-to-ceiling solar system orrery, historic spacesuits on display and, at the center of the main hall, an Apollo command module. "Is it real?" asks Ellie, almost in a whisper. "It is real," replies Joel. "That one went up and back, Apollo 15 in 1971." After picking out a helmet to wear (the type worn by Gemini astronauts), Ellie climbs into the capsule, followed by Joel, who closes the hatch behind him. Ellie immediately starts flicking switches, making sound effects and calling out commands to accompany each click. Joel then surprises her with a tape cassette. "Happy birthday, kiddo," he says. "This is something that took a mighty effort to find. Play it." Ellie inserts the cassette into her Walkman and, following Joel's suggestion, closes her eyes as the audio begins to play. "Thirty seconds and counting," says a man's voice. "The astronauts report it feels good. T-minus 25 seconds..."What Ellie (and those watching the episode) are listening to is the actual audio of NASA public affairs officer Jack King counting down to the launch of Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the moon, on July 16, 1969. As King continues to narrate, the sounds of the spacecraft come alive and the lights grow dim. At nine seconds and "ignition sequence start," Ellie starts to rattle side to side in her seat. The light from the engines igniting pours through the window, lighting up her face as she begins to shake more rapidly. "Liftoff, we have a liftoff, 32 minutes past the hour..." The sound and motion of the launch are soon replaced by the serenity of what Ellie imagines it is like being in space. The light from the sun dances across her face until she slips back into reality with a wide smile. End scene. The real Apollo 15 command module, which its crew named "Endeavour," is on display today at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and, unlike the spacecraft in the show, it is exhibited without its interior control panels and equipment. It also does not have vines growing all over it. Otherwise, the two might be twins. Well, almost. "Interestingly, it was 110% of the real thing. We bumped it up just slightly [in size] for all sorts of reasons," said Don Macaulay, the production designer for this season of "The Last of Us," in an interview with "We tried to stick pretty true to the game in terms of how we shot that and how it was lit. That is so much easier to do in a digital set than on a real set." The scene in the series was directly inspired by a segment in "The Last of Us Part II," a game released for Sony's PlayStation 4 in 2020. To achieve the desired look, Macaulay and his team began with a softball-sized, 3D-printed model of the command module that they used to work out what pieces they needed to be removable so they could insert cameras and lighting. They then advanced to a full-scale foam version, so they could test the lighting and views. "And then, yeah, we built a complete interior and exterior," said Macaulay. "We shot them separately, but it was all one set. We took the module to a separate stage to shoot the interior, and then we brought it back to the museum to shoot the exterior of it, but it was all one set." In addition to having the game, Macaulay also referenced the drawings and diagrams of the command module that NASA has posted online. He took the same care when recreating the orrery from the game, which worked just as shown. (He admitted, though, that he had to look up the word "orrery" when he first found out he had to build one; Macaulay has led the production for a number of science fiction projects ["Tomorrowland", "Star Trek Beyond"], but this was his first to be based on real space exploration and astronomy.) The spacesuits were rented from a prop house. Macaulay wanted to mach the look of the game, so he also arranged for a full-scale lunar rover, a display of scale rockets and built a model of the moon, although only the latter made the final cut. "It's one of those things where we provided a ton and then, just based on how it's shot and edited, some of it doesn't make it on screen. In fact, we built and shot an entire dinosaur exhibit [inside the museum] and it didn't make it into the show," he told collectSPACE. The television series often veers far from what was seen in the game, which is why, Macaulay said, sets like the space museum were so important to get right. "It's so iconic in the game that we do try to be fairly true to it. I mean, we can never take the [virtual] models they used in the game and just build from them. Their sets are usually way over scaled, and we build sets specifically for the action required. So getting the essence of the set is more important in this case," he said. "There was the iconic image of [Joel and Ellie[ standing in front of the capsule, so, that was something — and the capsule itself — we tried to replicate as best we could," said Macaulay. Related stories: — The Apollo Program: How NASA sent astronauts to the moon — The best sci-fi TV shows of all time — Apollo 15: The moon buggy debuts So that leads up to an obvious question: After all of that attention to detail and care to get the look just right, what becomes of a command module that was abandoned in the context of the show's (and game's) plot, and now is no longer needed in terms of the production of the show? "We still have it," said Macaulay. "I don't know if there's a lot of demand, but someone could want it for their prop house, or maybe HBO Max will keep it for use on some other show down the line." Follow on Facebook and on X at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Belgian artist of 'Fallen Astronaut' figurine on the moon dies at 99
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck (right) presents Apollo astronaut Michael Collins, director of the National Air and Space Museum, with a replica of the "Fallen Astronaut" figure in 1972. . | Credit: Smithsonian A Belgian sculptor credited with the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine left on the surface of the moon in 1971 has now fallen himself. Artist Paul Van Hoeydonck died on Saturday (May 3) at his home in Wijnegem, Antwerp in Belgium, according to a statement released by his family. He was 99. "Paul went home peacefully this afternoon," read the note on his Facebook page. A close-up view of the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine and plaque left on the moon in memory of 14 astronauts and cosmonauts. | Credit: NASA On Aug. 2, 1971, as NASA's Apollo 15 astronauts wrapped up their third of three excursions out onto the lunar surface, the mission's commander David Scott placed a small aluminum figure and its accompanying plaque near where he had parked their lunar rover for the last time. Although Scott did not make mention of it while he was on the moon, he revealed the "Fallen Astronaut" statuette once he and his crewmates, Jim Irwin and Al Worden, were back on Earth. "We left a small memorial on the moon about 20 feet north of [the lunar rover] in a small, subtle crater," said Scott. "There's a simple plaque with 14 names, and those are the names, in alphabetical order, of all of the astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the pursuit of the exploration of space." "Near it is a small figure representing a fallen astronaut," he added. Three years earlier, Van Hoeydonck came up with the idea of the mini monument to celebrate "humanity rising into space." After making adjustments to the sculpture to meet NASA requirements and its purpose being recast as a tribute to the space explorers who made the ultimate sacrifice, Van Hoeydonck met with the Apollo 15 astronauts to hand over his creation a month before their launch. Related stories: — The Apollo Program: How NASA sent astronauts to the moon — Apollo 15: The moon buggy debuts — NASA honors fallen astronauts with 'Day of Remembrance' ceremony "I didn't think it would ever happen. Of course I was interested in all this, but being an artist, who would have thought it possible of having one of my statuettes put on the moon?" said van Hoeydonck in a 2015 interview with the British Interplanetary Society's Spaceflight magazine. Complying with NASA's requirement that the statue not be commercialized, Scott did not disclose the name of the artist. It was not until a replica of the "Fallen Astronaut" was requested and put on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. that Van Hoeydonck's role in the tribute first became public. Van Hoeydonck's plans to sell replicas of his statuette were deferred after Scott and NASA expressed concerns over the exploitation of the memorial. (Van Hoeydonck, in partnership with the Breckner Gallery in Düsseldorf, Germany, recreated the artist's original 1969 idea for the statue and marketed a limited run of 1,971 signed and numbered pieces in 2019.) In 2021, Scott rebuked Van Hoeydonck's involvement, writing in a memorandum that the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine that he left on the moon had been "fabricated by NASA personnel." He said that the design "was based on standard 'stick-figures' that had been universally accepted in the late 1960s as location symbols for bathrooms." Scott wrote that before the mission there was "absolutely no contact or knowledge outside these limited NASA personnel regarding this project." Whether of not Van Hoeydonck is properly credited with the "Fallen Astronaut" on the moon, his other space sculptures have been exhibited in Milan, Tokyo and at the Guggenheim in New York City. He was also the focus of the 2020 documentary "The Fallen Astronaut," about "a sculpture that died on its way to the moon." Born on Oct. 8, 1925 in Antwerp, Belgium, Van Hoeydonck studied at the Institute of Art History in his home town and at the Institute of Art History and Archaeology in Brussels. Follow on Facebook and on X at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Belgium's Van Hoeydonck, first artist to exhibit on Moon, dies
Van Hoeydonck is best known for 'Fallen Astronaut', an aluminium sculpture left on the moon in 1971 by Apollo 15, in tribute to fallen astronauts. Photo: Studio Paul Van Hoeydonck Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, who made what was for decades the only work of art on the Moon, died on Saturday aged 99, his family said on Facebook. Born on Oct 8, 1925, Van Hoeydonck was a prolific artist whose works spanned sculpture, painting, drawing, collage and graphic design. He is best known for Fallen Astronaut , an aluminium sculpture left on the moon in 1971 by the crew of the Apollo 15 spacecraft, in homage to their fallen colleagues. It was the first and, for decades, the only work of art on show on the Moon's surface. In February 2024, Fallen Astronaut was joined by 125 miniature sculptures by the American artist Jeff Koons. - AFP
Euronews
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Belgian Paul Van Hoeydonck, first artist on the moon, dies aged 99
ADVERTISEMENT The Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, best known for being the first artist to have his work on the moon, has died aged 99. His family announced the news in a post on Facebook on Saturday. 'Fallen Astronaut' was an 8.5 centimetre aluminium sculpture made to represent both astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space. Paul Van Hoeydonck's 'Fallen Astronaut' was the first artwork, other than the US flag, on the moon. NASA The stylised figure was made to be light, solid and able to resist the extreme temperature variations of the Moon's surface. The work can be found at Hadley Rille on the lunar surface. The two Apollo 15 astronauts gather lunar samples. David R. Scott, commander, is on the left; lunar module pilot James B. Irwin is on the right. AP Photo/NASA It was placed by David Scott, on 1 August 1971 alongside a commemorative plaque with the names of eight US astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts. For decades 'Fallen Astronaut' had pride of place as the first and only artwork on the moon but in February last year it had to share the honour joined by 125 mini-sculptures made by the American artist Jeff Koons . Paul Van Hoeydonck, born on 8 October 1925 in Anvers, was a prolific artist who also produced paintings, drawings and collages.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Water mining on the moon may be easier than expected, India's Chandrayaan-3 lander finds
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Future astronauts traveling to the moon may have easier access to life-sustaining water and extractable ice than previously thought, according to new research. A team of scientists led by Durga Prasad of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad analyzed lunar temperature data collected on site by India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, which landed near the moon's south pole in August 2023. The researchers found that temperatures at the spacecraft's landing site fluctuated dramatically, even among areas that are very close to each other. To better understand these temperature swings, the researchers plugged this data into a computer model they fine-tuned to match the spacecraft's landing conditions, including local topography and illumination. The results suggest higher latitudes on the moon with slopes that face its poles share conditions similar to those at Chandrayaan-3's landing site. These regions typically receive less intense solar energy, which leads to cooler surface temperatures that could allow for the accumulation of ice at relatively shallow depths. This means such lunar areas would present fewer technical challenges for accessing local resources compared to the more extreme conditions at the moon's crater-riddled poles, the researchers say. The findings hold significance for agencies planning long-term crewed missions to the moon's south pole, such as NASA with its Artemis program. If ice can be found and harnessed on the moon, it could reduce astronauts' reliance on Earth-based supplies, making missions more sustainable and cost-effective. Water extracted from ice could serve multiple purposes for astronauts, not only as drinking water but also for producing rocket fuel by splitting water molecules into their constituent parts — oxygen and hydrogen. For decades, however, the only direct measurements of the moon's surface temperature were taken during the Apollo 15 and 17 missions in the 1970s, both of which landed near the moon's equator — far from the proposed sites for future polar missions. In August 2023, shortly after the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft notched a flawless touchdown near the lunar south pole, an instrument onboard its lander, called ChaSTE — short for Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment — bored into the moon's soil, reaching a depth of up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) and measured local temperatures over the course of a lunar day. The recorded data showed temperatures at the spacecraft's landing site that's on a sunward-facing slope — named "Statio Shiv Shakti" — peaked at 179.6 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius) and plummeted to -270.67 degrees F (-168.15 degrees C) during the night. However, just a meter away, where the terrain flattened out and faced toward the pole, the temperature peaks were much lower, reaching just 138.2 degrees F (59 degrees C). Related Stories: — Chandrayaan-3: A complete guide to India's third mission to the moon — The moon: Everything you need to know about Earth's companion — India aims for 2028 launch of Venus orbiter as part of ambitious space roadmap Simulations suggest that slopes greater than 14 degrees in higher latitudes, but facing in the poleward direction, may be cool enough for ice to accumulate at shallow depths. And these conditions are similar to those proposed for future lunar south pole landing missions, including with NASA's Artemis moon missions, the researchers write in their new study: "Such sites are not only scientifically interesting but also pose less technical challenges for exploration in comparison with regions closer to the poles of the moon." The study was published on Thursday (March 6) in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
