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What happened to the jettisoned Apollo lunar modules?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

What became of the discarded lunar modules from the Apollo missions? James JarvisSan Francisco, California All but one of the Apollo program’s used lunar modules either crashed into the Moon’s surface or burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. Apollo 10’s lunar module, Snoopy, is still out there, drifting aimlessly around the solar system, waiting for someContinue reading "What happened to the jettisoned Apollo lunar modules? "

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NASA pushes first Moon landing since Apollo era to 2027

Mark Zastrow — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 15:57:20 +0000

For the second time this year, NASA has pushed back its timeline to land the first Americans on the Moon since the Apollo era. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Thursday revealed that due to an issue with the heat shield on NASA’s Orion capsule discovered during the 2022 Artemis 1 test mission, the Artemis 3Continue reading "NASA pushes first Moon landing since Apollo era to 2027"

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How astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving in space

Elizabeth Gamillo — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may be far from family and friends this Thanksgiving, but will still enjoy a festive meal. The SpaceX CRS-31 supply mission that docked Nov. 5 carried some 2,119 pounds (961 kilograms) of crew supplies. Among those supplies are holiday treats for the eight astronauts currently manning the station, whichContinue reading "How astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving in space"

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SpaceX Starship Flight 6: No booster catch, but still pushing the envelope

Alison Klesman — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 20:13:16 +0000

While it did not recreate the historic Super Heavy booster catch it pulled off last time, SpaceX continued to push the envelope during the sixth test flight of its Starship spacecraft. The largest and most powerful rocket ever built lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase launchpad in Texas on Tuesday evening, Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines creating aContinue reading "SpaceX Starship Flight 6: No booster catch, but still pushing the envelope"

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We’re entering the era of private space stations

Doug Adler — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

The era of the International Space Station (ISS) is coming to a close. In the near future, NASA plans to bring down the station in a controlled deorbit. The end of the ISS will leave a large gap in human spaceflight, although the Chinese Tiangong space station is currently active. Still, to make a spaceContinue reading "We’re entering the era of private space stations"

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Here are the nine sites where Artemis 3 might land on the Moon

Robert Reeves — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:26:36 +0000

It has been 52 years since Apollo 17 lifted off from the Taurus-Littrow Valley on the Moon. All the Apollo landing sites, starting with Tranquility Base on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility, have been immortalized in print and film and are well known to space aficionados worldwide. But soon, another name will join the exclusiveContinue reading "Here are the nine sites where Artemis 3 might land on the Moon"

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Opinion: An international affairs expert breaks down Harris and Trump’s records on space policy

Alison Klesman — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 19:45:49 +0000

The next president of the United States could be the first in that office to accept a phone call from the Moon and hear a woman’s voice on the line. To do so, they’ll first need to make a series of strategic space policy decisions. They’ll also need a little luck. Enormous government investment supports outerContinue reading "Opinion: An international affairs expert breaks down Harris and Trump’s records on space policy"

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Here’s how ISS astronauts will vote in the 2024 election

Alison Klesman — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:05:07 +0000

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbit the Earth hundreds of miles above American soil. But that doesn’t mean they can’t vote while they float. Indeed, Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams—who have been in the orbital laboratory since June after their test mission was extended due to safety concerns—said they intend to cast their ballots in theContinue reading "Here’s how ISS astronauts will vote in the 2024 election"

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For sale: One Boeing space program, says report

Korey Haynes — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 18:48:39 +0000

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Boeing is getting out of the space business — or trying to. Part of a wider move to trim and improve business holdings and operations, the company is looking to offload its space program, assuming it can find a suitable buyer. Boeing has been one of NASA’sContinue reading "For sale: One Boeing space program, says report"

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What to watch: NASA Crew-8 astronauts set for early Friday splashdown

Mark Zastrow — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:35:32 +0000

Four NASA astronauts are set to splash down Friday morning after spending more than 200 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The four-person crew of NASA’s Crew-8 mission — comprising NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin — will return to Earth around dawn on Friday, splashing downContinue reading "What to watch: NASA Crew-8 astronauts set for early Friday splashdown"

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