Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

First US Lunar Lander in More Than 50 Years Rockets Toward Moon With Commercial Deliveries
Epoch Times ^ | 1/8/2024 | Staff

Posted on 01/08/2024 6:32:19 AM PST by Red Badger

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—The first U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years rocketed toward the moon Monday, launching private companies on a space race to make deliveries for NASA and other customers.

Astrobotic Technology’s lander caught a ride on a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan. The Vulcan streaked through the Florida predawn sky, putting the spacecraft on a roundabout route to the moon that should culminate with an attempted landing on Feb. 23.

“So, so, so excited. We are on our way to the moon!” Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton said.

The Pittsburgh company aims to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. But a Houston company also has a lander ready to fly, and could beat it to the lunar surface, taking a more direct path.

“First to launch. First to land is TBD,” to be determined, Mr. Thornton noted.

NASA gave the two companies millions to build and fly their own lunar landers. The space agency wants the privately owned landers to scope out the place before astronauts arrive while delivering NASA tech and science experiments as well as odds and ends for other customers. Astrobotic’s contract for the Peregrine lander: $108 million.

(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: moon; nasa; spaceexploration; themoon
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-104 next last
To: Jan_Sobieski

All of which has nothing to do with Apollo going AROUND the van Allen radiation BELTS ... which you know and continue to lie about.


61 posted on 01/08/2024 8:26:40 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Army Air Corps

Yes…better answer


62 posted on 01/08/2024 8:42:52 AM PST by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

A month and a half to get there??


63 posted on 01/08/2024 9:09:45 AM PST by aquila48 (Do not let them make you "care" ! Guilting you is how they control you. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: aquila48

They are taking the scenic route................


64 posted on 01/08/2024 9:10:53 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while l aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: aquila48

NASA didn’t want to pay for United Launch Alliance Vulcan Prime ...


65 posted on 01/08/2024 9:11:51 AM PST by x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Maybe airport taxi drivers consulted on the route.


66 posted on 01/08/2024 9:12:45 AM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

In 1970 it took 4 days to get to moon.

2024 it takes 40 days !!


67 posted on 01/08/2024 9:14:42 AM PST by George from New England
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lonesome in Massachussets

“Minimum energy trajectory: “

Everything is ‘green’ these days. What a joke.


68 posted on 01/08/2024 9:16:13 AM PST by George from New England
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: ConservaTexan

“They must be using Google maps.”

Someone checked ‘no toll route’


69 posted on 01/08/2024 9:19:01 AM PST by George from New England
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: George from New England

“Minimum energy” means “maximum payload”.


70 posted on 01/08/2024 9:19:01 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Boogieman

“Hopefully there will be live video from the lander.”

Didn’t some other country, India, or such, send a vehicle to the moon in the past six months ?

There was alot of control room partying, but NO ONE ever saw any video from their work.

Just saying.


71 posted on 01/08/2024 9:21:52 AM PST by George from New England
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Army Air Corps

They had to navigate around all that space junk...............


72 posted on 01/08/2024 9:29:59 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while l aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: George from New England

No launching payloads into space is extraordinarily expensive. Virtually all missions are on nearly minimum energy trajectories. New Horizons was an exception because it would have taken so long that the crew that launched it would have been retired by the time it arrived, and the power for its instruments mostly gone.

Voyager took advantage of an exceptional (like once in 175 years) alignment of the outer planets to execute a series of gravity assists. New Horizons also got a big gravity assist from Jupiter.


73 posted on 01/08/2024 9:48:49 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

That’ll be an expensive Starbucks delivery.


74 posted on 01/08/2024 10:07:52 AM PST by bgill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jan_Sobieski
The VA belts were the first challenge. Additionally, there was no protection beyond them.

Earth is protected from various damaging energized particles/radiation - solar and galactic - by the magnetosphere. The moon offers no such protection, and neither does the 238K miles of empty space between the Earth and Moon.

Positing that the the "heat-shielded" hull of the space module, the "aluminized mylar" outer coating of the lunar module, as well as the "21 layer" space suits - were sufficient protection from extremely harmful radiation - is dubious.

75 posted on 01/08/2024 10:16:40 AM PST by yelostar (Spook codes 33 and 13. See them often in headlines and news stories. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: George from New England
In 1970 it took 4 days to get to moon. 2024 it takes 40 days !?!

Come on, silly. There were gas stations in space and on the moon before everything went “green”! The trip was much faster back then…well…except for the Van Allen Radiation Belts.
76 posted on 01/08/2024 10:20:09 AM PST by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: yelostar

Exactly!


77 posted on 01/08/2024 10:23:30 AM PST by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Paging Delos D. Harriman.

Please pickup the lunar courtesy phone.


78 posted on 01/08/2024 11:10:09 AM PST by Redcitizen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain

“Van Allen belts”

https://www.aulis.com/traj_craft.htm

https://www.aulis.com/orion_vanallens.htm


79 posted on 01/08/2024 11:14:38 AM PST by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: yelostar

The Apollo mythos is going to die hard—with Freepers yelling and screaming and pounding the table and calling people names and accusing them of guilt by association of various kinds.

It is like living in ancient Greece or Rome and trying to convince them that their Gods did not exist.

The Empire is going to have to fall before the lies fall with it.


80 posted on 01/08/2024 11:17:46 AM PST by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-104 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson