JustSpaceThings

NASA’s Gateway Lunar Station Is Getting Closer To Reality

6Oct

By JustinNo Comments

NASA’s Gateway Lunar Station Is Getting Closer To Reality

NASA wants to house astronauts in the Moon's orbit. To do that, they have been working on the Gateway Lunar Station. According to the agency, we are getting closer to it happening.The agency said Gateway's HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) passed a round of "static load testing". This is basically a stress test, defining how it would respond and work in deep space.This means the Gateway Lunar Station won't break down in space. This part of the station is currently in Italy, and will; now be transferred to Arizona. Once its there, engineers will adding finishing touches.If and when the Gateway Lunar Station launches, it will be our first structure to orbit the moon with humans. NASA hopes to launch it on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket in December 2027, and then inhabit it...

NASA’s Percy Rover Is About To Trek Up The Rim of Jezero Crater

14Aug

By JustinNo Comments

Moon

NASA’s Percy Rover Is About To Trek Up The Rim of Jezero Crater

NASA's Percy Rover is about to mark a new journey. Taking a month long, the rover is about to ascend up the rim of the Jezero Crater.The exploration of the Jerzo crater took about two and a half years. On August 19, NASA expects the rover to start ascending up the western rim of the Jezero Crater. The rover will rely on auto-navigation systems, while coming across slopes of up to 23 degrees.Once it reaches the top, NASA says the rover will have gained 1,000 feet in elevation.

NASA Wants to Build a Railway System on the Moon

13May

By Justin2 Comments

Moon

NASA Wants to Build a Railway System on the Moon

We never thought we would see a railway system on the moon, but it looks like NASA is planning on doing just that.“We want to build the first lunar railway system, which will provide reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transport on the Moon,” Ethan Schaler, NASA's Jet Propulsion LaboratoryNASA is calling it "FLOAT", or "Flexible Levitation on a Track". The railway system will allow payloads to be transported between outposts and other areas on the moon.The entire system will operate autonomously, which means little human interaction is required. The proposed railway could possibly carry 110 tons in weight, using magnetically polarized robots.As of now, this is only an Idea. This may happen someday, but only time will tell.Image Credit: NASA / Ethan Schaler

Peregrine One Mission Lander Mission Experiences A Failure

13Jan

By JustinNo Comments

NASA, Moon

Peregrine One Mission Lander Mission Experiences A Failure

On Monday, NASA tried to send the Peregrine Mission One Lander to the moon. After leaving Earth, the mission experienced some issues. According to NASA, there was a failure within the propulsion system that caused a critical loss of propellant.The idea behind this mission was to send five payloads to the moon, aboard Astrobiotic's Peregrine Lander. The payloads will aim to locate water molecules on the moon, measure radiation and gasses, and evaluate the lunar exosphere.Because of this failure, NASA will be abandoning the Peregrine One. It will become space debris. However, a second lander is scheduled to launch in February.Another moon mission, Artemis II, plans to send astronauts to the moon in 2026.Image Source: Astrobotic

Artemis III Moon Landing Has Been Delayed Until 2026

9Jan

By Justin1 Comment

NASA, Moon

Artemis III Moon Landing Has Been Delayed Until 2026

In 1969, people landed on the moon for the first time. NASA wants to go back, but it looks like it might be longer. The Artemis III mission has been postponed to September 2026.Originally, NASA planned on sending people top the moon in September 2025. However, the space agency pushed the flight to 2026 to give the team more time.“We are returning to the Moon in a way we never have before, and the safety of our astronauts is NASA’s top priority as we prepare for future Artemis missions. We’ve learned a lot since Artemis I, and the success of these early missions relies on our commercial and international partnerships to further our reach and understanding of humanity’s place in our solar system." NASA Administrator Bill NelsonThis mission is named Artemis III, which is planned ...

SLIM Spacecraft Will Land On The Moon On January 19th

5Dec

By JustinNo Comments

JAXA, Moon

SLIM Spacecraft Will Land On The Moon On January 19th

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan will be doing their first ever moon landing on January 19th.To land on the moon, Japan will use it's robotic Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft. The plan calls for SLI to begin its decent towards the moon around 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT; 12 Am Japanese Standard Time). The first ever Japanese moon landing will be scheduled to occur 20 minutes later.The SLIM spacecraft launched atop a Japanese H-2A rocket on September 6th, and began it's journey towards the moon. On Christmas day, the spacecraft will enter lunar orbit. After that, it will spend a month prepping for it's touchdown.Once it lands, Japan will be the 5th country to land on the moon.Image Source: JAXA

China Is Starting To Make Plans For a China Moon Base

29Apr

By JustinNo Comments

CNSA, Moon

China Is Starting To Make Plans For a China Moon Base

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has started making plan for creating the International Lunar Research Station, which will be a base on the moon.The project is already in the works, and is expected to be finished by 2050. However, it looks like "basic version" of the base will be completed by 2028. The basic version will be built over the course of seven launch missions - these include the Chang'e missions, as well as three international missions.The Chang'e missions will focus on exploring the moon, as well as gathering samples and data. Other missions such as ILRS 1-5 will help build the full version of the base between the years 2030 and 2040.According to Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of the country's lunar program, building this large-scale base beyond earth will help...