China’s robotic Chang’e 5 will be the 1st sample-return from the moon since the 1970s. It launched successfully last week atop a Chinese Long March 5 rocket. Now it’s reported to have entered orbit around the moon. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/china-moon-mission-change-5-sample-return…
Tag: space program
China in final preparations for latest lunar mission
Chinese technicians were making final preparations Monday for a mission to bring back material from the moon’s surface in what would be a major advance for the country’s space program. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-china-latest-lunar-mission.html…
Bridenstine to step down as NASA administrator
Jim Bridenstine is leaving the post of NASA chief administrator. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/bridenstine-to-step-down-as-nasa-administrator…
10 proofs the Moon Landing was real, debunking conspiracy theories
How is the flag waving on the Moon? Why aren’t there any stars in the Apollo photos? EarthSky debunks these Moon Landing conspiracy theories and more. Source: https://earthsky.org/uncategorized/10-proofs-the-moon-landing-was-real-debunking-conspiracy-theories…
NASA announces Venus rover challenge winners
The Venus rover challenge – called “Exploring Hell” – received a great response from countries around the world. NASA said the design ideas submitted will help advance the final design of a mechanical rover that might one day explore the hellish surface of Venus. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/nasas-venus-rover-challenge-winners-announced…
GTA Online, Red Dead Online Will Temporarily Go Offline In Honor of George Floyd
Rockstar Games, 2K games, and their parent company Take-Two Interactive announced on Thursday that they will shut down the servers for games such as Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Online, and NBA 2K for two hours on Thursday afternoon “to honor the legacy of George Floyd.” Polygon reports: “Black Lives Matter,” said Rockstar Games on its official Twitter account. “To…
Game Publisher Cancels Contract With Developer, Then Tries To Poach Its Entire Team
Three months after losing a deal with Take-Two, Star Theory Games was out of business. From a report: One Friday evening last December, employees of game designer Star Theory Games each received the same unusual recruitment message over LinkedIn. It struck them as bizarre for two reasons. One, it came from an executive producer at the publishing company funding their next…
China’s Long March 5 Rocket Returns To Flight
schwit1 shares a report from Space.com: China’s biggest rocket, the Long March 5, returned to flight for the first time since a 2017 failure Friday (Dec. 27) in a dazzling nighttime launch for the Chinese space program. The Long March 5 Y3 rocket lifted off at 8:45 p.m. Beijing Time carrying the experimental Shijian 20 communications satellite into a geosynchronous orbit….
Alexei Leonov, the First Human To Walk In Space, Has Died At Age 85
The Russian space agency confirmed Friday that legendary cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first human to walk in space and later the commander of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that docked with a NASA Apollo capsule, has died after a long illness. CBS News reports: An accomplished amateur artist and a widely respected statesman in the international space community, Leonov remained a lifelong…
Contact with India moon lander lost, moments before touchdown
The Vikram lander was to have made India the 4th nation of Earth to soft land on the moon. Contact with it was lost just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) above the moon’s surface. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/india-chandrayaan-2-vikram-lander-lost-contact…