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The moon is once again a popular destination, as several space-faring nations are talking about setting up bases there. One reason would be to mine fuel for future fusion reactors. The fuel in this case is helium-3, a lighter isotope of the helium used in balloons. In high energy collisions, helium-3 fuses with other nuclei to release more energy and less waste than the reactions in traditional nuclear reactors. "If we can show that we can burn helium-3, it is a much cleaner and safer energy source than other nuclear fuels," said Gerald Kulcinski, director of the Fusion Technology Institute...

Hardy Earth bacteria can grow in lunar soil 00:53 14 March 2008 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga, Houston A hardy life form called cyanobacteria can grow in otherwise inhospitable lunar soil, new experiments suggest. Future colonists on the Moon might be able to use the cyanobacteria to extract resources from the soil that could be used to make rocket fuel and fertiliser for crops. NASA plans to send astronauts back to the Moon starting in 2020, with the ultimate aim of setting up a permanent lunar base. Sustaining such a base will be a major challenge, because it is so...

LOS ANGELES - The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon. Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings. Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday. As the moonlight dims — it won't go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus...

The Moon will turn an eerie shade of red for people in the western hemisphere late Wednesday and early Thursday, recreating the eclipse that saved Christopher Columbus more than five centuries ago. In a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth and Moon are directly aligned and the Moon swings into the cone of shadow cast by the Earth. But the Moon does not become invisible, as there is still residual light that is deflected towards it by our atmosphere. Most of this refracted light is in the red part of the spectrum and as a result the Moon, seen from Earth,...

NASA is wrestling with a potentially dangerous problem in a spacecraft, this time in a moon rocket that hasn't even been built yet. Engineers are concerned that the new rocket meant to replace the space shuttle and send astronauts on their way to the moon could shake violently during the first few minutes of flight, possibly destroying the entire vehicle. "They know it's a real problem," said Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor Paul Fischbeck, who has consulted on risk issues with NASA in the past. "This thing is going to shake apart the whole structure, and they've got to solve...

BEIJING -- China's space program has defended a photo of the moon's surface taken by its lunar probe as authentic, dismissing critics who suggested it had been copied from a similar image captured by an American orbiter. China last week presented the first picture taken by its Chang'e 1 lunar probe at a gala ceremony attended by Premier Wen Jiabao, part of the ruling Communist party's program of using the space program to instill national pride. However, critics posting on Chinese-language Internet sites questioned the image's authenticity, saying it was all but identical to a photo captured by a U.S....

Chinese lunar orbiter to begin observations 11:33 20 November 2007 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga China's Chang'e 1 spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 7 November and is now ready to begin studying the Moon Chang'e 1, China National Space Administration China National Space Administration Chang'e 1 information, NASA China's lunar orbiter is set to begin switching on its science instruments. The spacecraft should help determine the thickness of the lunar soil and shed new light on the Moon's internal composition, which could help in understanding its origins. The China National Space Administration launched the Chang'e 1 spacecraft on 24 October...

HOLLOMAN AIR FORE BASE, New Mexico – The rocketeers at Armadillo Aerospace, thwarted by engine problems and other mechanical failures, left this year's X Prize Cup empty-handed after their spacecraft burst into flames on liftoff Sunday. Over the two days during a Holloman Air and Space Expo, attempts at snaring the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge's $350,000 purse with their design were fraught with technical snags. At one point on Saturday, they were within seconds of winning the money – only to have the multi-legged vehicle self-abort and tip over on landing. An attempt on Sunday to hop from launch...

DENVER - The Earth's shadow will creep across the moon's surface early Tuesday, slowly eclipsing it and turning it shades of orange and red. The total lunar eclipse, the second this year, will be visible in North and South America, especially in the West. People in the Pacific islands, eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand also will be able to view it if skies are clear. People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will have set when the eclipse...

'Lunar Ark' Proposed in Case of Deadly Impact on Earth Kevin Holden Platt for National Geographic News August 14, 2007 The moon should be developed as a sanctuary for civilization in case of a cataclysmic cosmic impact, according to an international team of experts. NASA already has blueprints to create a permanent lunar outpost by the 2020s. (Read: "Moon Base Announced by NASA" [December 4, 2006].) But that plan should be expanded to include a way to preserve humanity's learning, culture, and technology if Earth is hit by a doomsday asteroid or comet, said Jim Burke of International Space University...

Ticket to Ride?Astrophysicists mull a return to the moon Ron Cowen Scientists who study the moon and design the spacecraft to get there are typically worlds apart from astronomers who explore the realms of space beyond the solar system. The two groups attend different meetings, talk a different lingo, and usually get their funding from different divisions within NASA. But with a financially strapped space agency setting its sights—and the majority of its resources—on a highly publicized plan to return to the moon and establish a base there (SN: 12/9/06, p. 373: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061209/fob5.asp), astronomers are looking for ways to jump...

Lunar dust 'may harm astronauts' By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News, Houston Lunar dust brought back to Earth from the Apollo 17 mission Scientists are investigating the possible threat posed to astronauts by inhaling lunar dust. A study suggests the smallest particles in lunar dust might be toxic, if comparisons with dust inhalation cases on Earth apply. Teams hope to carry out experiments on mice to determine whether this is the case or not. Nasa has set up a working group to look into the matter ahead of its planned return to the Moon by 2020. A team at...

LONDON - The moon darkened, reddened, and turned shades of gray and orange Saturday night during the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years, thrilling stargazers and astronomers around the world. The Earth's shadow took over six hours to crawl across the moon's surface, eating it into a crescent shape before engulfing it completely in a spectacle at least partly visible on every continent. About a dozen amateur astronomers braved the cold and mud outside the Croydon Observatory in southeast London to watch the start of the eclipse. "It's starting to go!" said Alex Gikas, 8, a Cub Scout...

NASA unveiled plans yesterday to set up a small and ultimately self-sustaining settlement of astronauts at the south pole of the moon sometime around 2020 -- the first step in an ambitious plan to resume manned exploration of the solar system. The long-awaited proposal envisions initial stays of a week by four-person crews, followed by gradually longer visits until power and other supplies are in place to make a permanent presence possible by 2024. The effort was presented as an unprecedented mission to learn about the moon and places beyond, as well as an integral part of a long-range plan...

China’s unfolding space plans include that country’s first foray into exploration of the moon. A Chang’e I lunar orbiter is nearing final construction, being readied for rocketing to the moon in 2007. Preparations to launch Chang’e I — named after the Chinese goddess who flew to the moon in a popular fairy tale — are to be completed by February for launch later next year, according to a November 29 report by China’s Xinhua news agency. Among several tasks, the orbiter will provide 3D images of the moon’s surface, chart elements on the moon, measure the thickness of the lunar...

Lockheed Martin wins CEV contract, Orlando Sentinel"Sources on Capitol Hill tell the Orlando Sentinel that Lockheed Martin has won the contract to build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle that will eventually carry astronauts to the moon and on to Mars.More details will be posted here after a 4 p.m. press conference."NASA Selects Lockheed Martin To Be Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Prime Contractor"DDT&E work is estimated to occur from Sept. 8, 2006, through Sept. 7, 2013. The estimated value is $3.9 billion.Sustaining engineering work will be assigned through task orders. The work is expected to occur from Sept. 8, 2009, through...

Old rocket science tied to today's at Marshall Thursday, August 10, 2006 KENT FAULK, News staff writer HUNTSVILLE - NASA engineers are going old-school with a new twist as they design rockets to take astronauts back to the moon and eventually give them a boost toward Mars. Marshall Space Flight Center engineers have enlisted the help of retired rocket scientists, dug through archives and taken parts off museum pieces as they look toward mixing Apollo and space shuttle technology with later innovations into the Ares I and Ares II rockets. "We're marrying the best of historical knowledge and understanding with...

LOS ANGELES - Maverick aerospace designer Burt Rutan on Thursday criticized NASA's decision to use an Apollo-style capsule to return to the moon, saying it "doesn't make any sense" to build a new generation of space vehicles using old technology. The designer of SpaceShipOne said NASA's proposed crew exploration vehicle to replace the aging space shuttle fleet doesn't push the technical envelope needed to accomplish more complex future missions that might include manned flights to other planets and moons. "I don't know what they're doing," said Rutan, referring to NASA. "It doesn't make any sense." Rutan said there needs to...

On 26th of this month, the US Cable News Network and some other media published a same piece of news: NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said he has accepted the invitation to visit Beijing and will have negotiation with China on the possibility for the US-China cooperation in the sphere of space. Earlier, Luo Ge, Vice Administrator of China National Space Administration paid an informal visit to NASA. Despite the low-key statement of Griffin and the visit by Luo Ge, many people raise the same question here: will there be a day when the Chinese and US astronauts fly to the...

Excerpt - "Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed." The words of Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander and the first human to set foot on the moon, told a tense and waiting Earth that humans had finally reached the lunar surface. It was July 20, 1969. With fuel running low and computers sounding alarms, Armstrong had taken manual control of the lunar module Eagle and piloted it past a boulder-strewn field to a safe landing. Now he and his crewmate Buzz Aldrin were sitting on the moon, with Mike Collins orbiting above in the command module. Armstrong's words from...

BEIJING, China (UPI) -- A Chinese space expert said China is unlikely to catch up with the United States in space technology within a decade, contradicting an earlier assessment. Luan Enjie, commander in chief of the country`s lunar probe program, followed an optimistic forecast by another senior scientist who said China would be able to narrow the gap within 10 years. Luan told the South China Morning Post the prediction was 'ridiculous,' saying that China still lags far behind the United States and Russia in space technology. Luan is former director of the aerospace administration and heads an advisory committee...

At the south pole of the moon, a row of peaks juts from the gently sloping rim of Shackleton Crater, named for the early 20th-century Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. The 15-mile-wide crater and its rugged surroundings, including a vast depression created by the impact of an ancient asteroid or comet, starkly show the drama that marked the early history of Earth's companion. Overlooked as a half-dozen Apollo expeditions landed on the moon two generations ago, the lunar south pole could figure prominently in NASA's plans to return to the moon with explorers. Satellite photos reveal that parts of...

Monday, October 3, 2005 NASA Propulsion Strategy Reaches Back While Looking Ahead By Brian Berger Space News Staff Writer The initial propulsion work in support of NASA's bid to return to the Moon and go on to Mars will focus primarily on adapting space shuttle systems and developing methane-fueled engines, a technology with which the United States has little experience. The space shuttle main engine and solid rocket boosters are the basis for two new launchers NASA intends to develop, one for lofting an astronaut-carrying capsule known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), and a heavy lifter for Moon-bound cargo...

China is expected to launch its first ever lunar probe satellite in 2007, given that the country's moon exploration project has so far been proceeding smoothly, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC). Addressing a forum on space technology held Tuesday in Beijing, Ye Peijian, chief designer of the satellite with the CASTC, said that Dubbed "Chang'e-I", China's first lunar orbiter is scheduled to be launched in 2007 for the country's first fly-by mission. "The design of various plans which serve to meet different situations and simulation satellites has finished and all related professional experiments are...

On the day after the election of Pope Benedict XVI, it was Ted Turner time at the United Nations. The 2005 prestigious Alan Cranston Peace Award was presented to Turner, former CNN media mogul, and the man who once referred to Christianity as a "religion for losers". Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev presented the award on behalf of the Global Security Institute (GSI). This is not the first UN accolade bestowed on Jane Fonda’s ex-hubby. In August 2000, Turner was the keynote speaker at the World Peace Summit, held in the UN General Assembly Hall. "New Age billionaire Maurice Strong...

The San Francisco Chinese New Year's Parade, happening today, is a big event, drawing a half million or more spectators, and serving as the largest public event for the Bay Area's large (and growing) Chinese population. Unfortunately, this year's event is marred by gross poltical bias. The Falun Gong movement, undergoing savage repression in China, but an active part of the overseas Chinese community, is being banned from sponsoring a float. Meanwhile, a float promoting same sex marriage, will be featured in the parade. It is a private event (using public streets - like the St. Paddy's Day parade in...

Pelosi Celebrates the Lunar New Year Tue Feb 8, 5:04 PM ET To: National Desk Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today and joined millions of Americans in celebrating the Lunar New Year, which begins tomorrow. "On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, we take this opportunity to honor the significant contributions made to our country by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The AAPI community of California's 8th District is a vital...

After returning from Mexico, President Bush will set his sights on the moon and beyond. He plans to announce a new space initiative on Wednesday in Washington, and already the critics are carping -- and Bush's aides are defending him. President Bush will call for Americans to build a permanent outpost on the moon to serve as a launch pad for future missions to Mars. Critics warn that the moon-to-Mars project will cost an astronomical amount of money - and they want to know where the money will come from. Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and...

This photo-montage released by the European Space Agency shows a series of images taken with the AMIE camera on board SMART-1 during the second lunar total eclipse the spacecraft witnessed from space.(AFP/HO-ESA)

Shaded moon will be last eclipse of 2004 PARIS (AFP) Oct 25, 2004 A total eclipse of the Moon will occur overnight Wednesday, an event that can turn Earth's satellite to a colourful shade ranging from deep red to dark brown and sometimes an existential grey. The phenomenon will be visible from North and South America, when it will be late Wednesday, as well as Europe and Africa, when it will be early Thursday, and Antarctica, astronomers said Monday. According to the US magazine Sky and Telescope, the eclipse will occur during Game 4 of baseball's World Series, when the...

I vividly remember watching Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon. It was about 12:05 Eastern time and the next morning my entire fourth grade classroom had been decorated in an Apollo theme, with “A SMALL STEP FOR A MAN, A GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND” in block letters carefully placed above the chalk board. Has mankind simply stumbled after such a great leap, or have unnecessary obstacles stagnated our progress?The technology presently exists for individuals or corporations to profit from the resources on the moon. The flat lowlands, or "mare" regions formed about 4 billion years ago when...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 June 5 Apollo 17's Lunar Rover Credit: Apollo 17, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague) Explanation: In December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations by a Lunar Roving Vehicle....

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 May 8 Good Morning Sydney Credit & Copyright: Stephen Thorley Explanation: Rising before dawn on May 5th, Stephen Thorley looked out across the skyline of Sydney, Australia. And while a leisurely lunar eclipse was clearly in progress, from his vantage point on planet Earth the Moon set as the total phase of the eclipse began. Still, before the setting Moon was hidden by the cityscape he captured...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 May 6 A Lunar Eclipse Mosaic Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis Explanation: From start to finish, this impressive digital mosaic covers May 4th's total eclipse of the Moon. Astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis reports that the eclipse viewing was wonderful from Greece, where skies cleared shortly before the celestial show began. His mosaic includes images, recorded at five minute intervals and arranged sequentially in an arc, that trace the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 April 12 Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronaut Running Credit: Apollo 17 Crew, NASA; Mosaic Assembled & Copyright: M. Constantine (moonpans.com) Explanation: What would it be like to explore the surface of another world? In 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth's own Moon. In this recently compiled panorama of lunar photographs originally taken by astronaut Eugene...

Scientists are divided about the use of the Moon as a base to develop ways to travel to Mars, according to reports given to the US government. Some have said the possibility of water-ice existing at the lunar poles would allow a moonbase to use the ice as rocket fuel for a Mars mission. Others contend that it would be too difficult to extract. And there is disagreement about whether the moon is a good alternative to space as a base for advanced telescopes. In January, President Bush redirected the US space effort sending astronauts back to the Moon and...

NASA Planning Steps To Moon, Mars back to the future or forward to the past? - (Apollo 15 file photo)  by Frank Sietzen  Washington (UPI) Mar 01, 2004NASA's plan to implement President George W. Bush's moon-Mars-beyond space vision will use small incremental steps called space policy building blocks, according to documents just released by the agency. The strategy is meant to keep costs low and make sure no one policy direction will threaten the evolution of the overall project. The first of the building blocks, called Lunar Testbeds and Missions, will include a major new series of space robotic probes...

When President George W. Bush officially announced the new space initiative at NASA Headquarters on January 14, he invoked the memory of a famous pair of explorers, Lewis and Clark. As Bush put it: Two centuries ago, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis to explore the new lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. They made that journey in the spirit of discovery, to learn the potential of vast new territory, and to chart a way for others to follow. America has ventured forth into space for the same reasons. A closer reading of history, though, suggests that the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 February 15 A Spherule from the Earth's Moon Credit: Timothy Culler (UCB) et al., Apollo 11 Crew, NASA Explanation: How did this spherule come to be on the Moon? When a meteorite strikes the Moon, the energy of the impact melts some of the splattering rock, a fraction of which might cool into tiny glass beads. Many of these glass beads were present in lunar soil samples...

Expert Warns NASA Can't Afford Mars Plan 1 hour, 25 minutes ago By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer An aerospace executive warned a presidential commission Wednesday that NASA (news - web sites) does not have enough money ? or bright young stars ? to achieve President Bush (news - web sites)'s goal of returning astronauts to the moon and flying from there to Mars. "It would be a grave mistake to undertake a major new space objective on the cheap. To do so, in my opinion, would be an invitation to disaster," said Norman Augustine, retired chairman of Lockheed Martin...

Many happy returns A re-usable lunar lander could be used for the Moon missions NASA plans to carry out from 2015 under President Bush's space plan. The lander would operate between the Moon's surface and an orbiting space station, eliminating the need for a new vehicle for each Moon trip. David Smith, Boeing's lead engineer for its Crew Exploration System (CES), said the vehicle could take four astronauts to the lunar surface. The astronauts' spacecraft would be self-assembled in low earth orbit before travelling to the lunar space station, from where the crew would descend to the surface on the...

Seeking a rationale for human space exploration by Jeff FoustMonday, February 9, 2004 It would be difficult to find two people whose opinions on human spaceflight are farther apart than Robert Park and Robert Zubrin. Park, a physics professor at the University of Maryland who is perhaps better known as the director of the Washington office of the American Physical Society and author of their “What’s New” weekly newsletter, is a staunch opponent of human spaceflight, arguing that robotic missions can do science just as well and for far less money. Zubrin, founder and president of the Mars Society, is...

NASA Budget Lays Out CEV Spiral Development By Jefferson Morris February 4, 2004 NASA's fiscal year 2005 budget request lays out the agency's spiral development plan for the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), which would be produced in three production blocks with accompanying demonstration flights starting in 2008. Drawing on the work performed in the agency's terminated Orbital Space Plane (OSP) program, the CEV is to launch atop an expendable rocket and carry human beings to the moon, Mars, and other destinations beyond low-Earth orbit. NASA plans to develop the vehicle under the name "Project Constellation," and is requesting...

NASA's Moon-Mars Plans Take ShapeBy Robert Roy BrittSenior Science Writerposted: 06:30 am ET05 February 2004  Planning for NASA's return to the Moon is now in full swing and officials expect to meet the tight timetable of putting a robot there by 2008. Meanwhile, the focus of robotic Mars missions will soon shift to further prepare for human exploration.As analysts had expected, a stark financial and resource refocusing is underway at NASA in which robotic efforts will be planned less for pure science and more for supporting future human spaceflight. The first mission to the Moon will likely be an...

Boeing has posted it's concept art of several of the elements of the new space initiative online, I'll post a few here: CES - Crew Habitat – Lunar Surface VersionAn artist’s rendering of an inflatable habitat for an initial lunar surface base. It uses a derivative Resource Module to land on the lunar surface and provides power and cooling to the Crew. CES - Lunar Space Station Boeing artist’s rendering of an assembly base for Lunar Landing Vehicles, Space Telescopes and Interplanetary Transfer Vehicles. This station is assembled in lunar orbit using derivatives of the Autonomous Cargo Vehicle and Crew...

STATUS REPORT Date Released: Thursday, January 22, 2004 Source: NASA HQ Guiding Principles for Exploration Pursue Compelling Questions Exploration of the solar system will be guided by compelling questions of scientific and societal importance. Consistent with the NASA Vision and Mission, NASA exploration programs will seek profound answers to questions of our origins, whether life exists beyond Earth, and how we could live on other worlds. Across Multiple Worlds NASA will make progress across a broad front of destinations. Consistent with recent discoveries, NASA will focus on likely habitable environments at the planet Mars, the moons of Jupiter, and in...

nbc5i.com Russians Excited About NASA's New Vision POSTED: 3:16 p.m. EST January 20, 2004 President George W. Bush's plan for missions to the moon and farther out in the solar system is reviving the hopes of space engineers in Russia. TO THE MOON AND BACK Bush Plots New Course For NASA Explore Past Moon MissionsExplore MarsMission To Mars: Too Expensive?What Should NASA Do Next? They've spent years designing futuristic spacecraft for missions to Mars with little hope they would survive the financial meltdown of Russia's once-glorious space program. Russia has developed some cutting-edge space technologies it now hopes to share...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 January 13 An Apollo 15 Panorama Credit: Apollo 15 Crew, USGS, NASA Explanation: The Apollo 15 mission to Earth's Moon was dedicated to better understanding the surface of the moon by exploring mountains, valleys, maria, and highlands. Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin spent nearly three days on the Moon while Alfred Worden orbited above in the Command Module. The mission, which blasted off from Earth on 1971...

WASHINGTON (AP) Bush to announce plan to send Americans to the moon and Mars, officials say.

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 January 2 An Apollo 12 Panorama Credit: Apollo 12 Crew, USGS, NASA Explanation: The Apollo 12 mission was the second ever to land humans on the Moon. The mission was dedicated to studying the Moon, developing techniques, and developing instruments that could be used in future lunar landings. Astronauts Charles (Pete) Conrad and Alan Bean spent just under two days on the lunar surface in November 1969, while...