Artemis: How ever-changing U.S. space policy may push back the next moon landing

Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan blasted off from the Taurus-Littrow valley on the moon in their lunar module Challenger on December 14 1972. Five days later, they splashed down safely in the Pacific, closing the Apollo 17 mission and becoming the last humans to visit the lunar surface or venture anywhere beyond low-Earth orbit. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-artemis-ever-changing-space-policy-moon.html…

‘Earth wind’ may generate water on the moon

Particles carried from Earth’s poles via our planet’s magnetosphere could be interacting with lunar rocks to create small quantities of water on the moon. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/earth-wind-may-generate-water-on-moon…

Every challenge astronauts will face on a flight to Mars

In 1972, the space race officially ended as NASA sent one last crew of astronauts to the surface of the moon (Apollo 17). This was the brass ring that both the US and the Soviets were reaching for, the “moonshot” that would determine who had supremacy in space. In the current age of renewed space exploration, the next great leap will…

A moon rock decorates Biden’s Oval Office

A lunar sample collected during Apollo 17, the final mission to the moon, is now on display in President Biden’s Oval Office. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/moon-rock-in-president-bidens-oval-office…

Aiming for the moon with NASA’s Artemis I

Artemis I is the first in a series of NASA missions that will enable human exploration on the moon again, and ultimately Mars, scheduled to launch in 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/all-about-nasa-artemis-1-mission…

NASA Lays Out $28 Billion Plan To Land First Woman on the Moon

Last year, NASA had said that in four years, it would be landing the first woman ever on the moon, and returning to Earth’s only natural satellite for the first time since 1972, through its Artemis programme. Now, in a release on September 22, NASA has shared an update outlining its plan, announcing a whopping $28 billion plan for the return…

Our home world from afar

Celebrate Earth Day with these 10 images of Earth from space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/earth-images-from-space…

One small grain of moon dust, one giant leap for lunar studies

Back in 1972, NASA sent their last team of astronauts to the Moon in the Apollo 17 mission. These astronauts brought some of the Moon back to Earth so scientists could continue to study lunar soil in their labs. Since we haven’t returned to the Moon in almost 50 years, every lunar sample is precious. We need to make them count…