Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?
Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?
Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?
Tag: Moon
Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?
An update on China’s lunar rover Yutu.
An update on China’s lunar rover Yutu.
This is an excellent summary of the mission and its status, including detailed maps outlining the rover’s path before it finally lost the ability to move.
An update on China’s lunar rover Yutu.
This is an excellent summary of the mission and its status, including detailed maps outlining the rover’s path before it finally lost the ability to move.
As the NASA lunar probe LADEE nears its planned end — where it will crash onto the Moon — the scientists running it admit that they have as yet been unable to solve its primary scientific question about levitating lunar dust.
As the NASA lunar probe LADEE nears its planned end — where it will crash onto the Moon — the scientists running it admit that they have as yet been unable to solve its primary scientific question about levitating lunar dust.
A major goal of the mission was to understand a bizarre glow on the Moon’s horizon, spotted by Apollo astronauts just before sunrise. “So far we haven’t come up with an explanation for that,” project scientist Rick Elphic, of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, said at a media briefing on 3 April. One leading idea is that the Sun’s ultraviolet rays cause lunar dust particles to become electrically charged. That dust then lofts upwards, forming a cloud that caught the light and the astronauts’ eyes.
LADEE carries an instrument that measures the impact of individual dust particles, as well as the collective signal from smaller particles. Lunar scientists had expected a certain amount of tiny dust to explain what the Apollo astronauts saw. But LADEE didn’t find it. “We did measure a signal that indicates that the amount of lofted dust has to be at least two orders of magnitude below the expectations that were based on the Apollo reports,” says Mihály Horányi, the instrument’s principal investigator, who is at the University of Colorado. Perhaps the dust lofting happens only occasionally, he suggests, and the astronauts were in just the right place at the right time to see it.
This remains an important question. Knowing what caused that horizon glow and knowing how often it occurs is essential knowledge for any future lunar base or research station.
As the NASA lunar probe LADEE nears its planned end — where it will crash onto the Moon — the scientists running it admit that they have as yet been unable to solve its primary scientific question about levitating lunar dust.
A major goal of the mission was to understand a bizarre glow on the Moon’s horizon, spotted by Apollo astronauts just before sunrise. “So far we haven’t come up with an explanation for that,” project scientist Rick Elphic, of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, said at a media briefing on 3 April. One leading idea is that the Sun’s ultraviolet rays cause lunar dust particles to become electrically charged. That dust then lofts upwards, forming a cloud that caught the light and the astronauts’ eyes.
LADEE carries an instrument that measures the impact of individual dust particles, as well as the collective signal from smaller particles. Lunar scientists had expected a certain amount of tiny dust to explain what the Apollo astronauts saw. But LADEE didn’t find it. “We did measure a signal that indicates that the amount of lofted dust has to be at least two orders of magnitude below the expectations that were based on the Apollo reports,” says Mihály Horányi, the instrument’s principal investigator, who is at the University of Colorado. Perhaps the dust lofting happens only occasionally, he suggests, and the astronauts were in just the right place at the right time to see it.
This remains an important question. Knowing what caused that horizon glow and knowing how often it occurs is essential knowledge for any future lunar base or research station.
New geological research suggests that the hydrogen levels that have detected on the moon — which are used to predict the presence of water — might be a false positive and not exist at the levels predicted.
The uncertainty of science: New geological research suggests that the hydrogen levels that have been detected on the moon — which are used to predict the presence of water — might be a false positive and not exist at the levels predicted.
Instead, what scientists thought was hydrogen in water molecules might be calcium as part of a mineral called apatite. If so, this would mean that the Moon has a lot less water than hoped. This data might also explain the lack of water seen in the Apollo samples as compared to what is suggested should be there from more recent orbital data. This also might explain the conflicting results from instruments on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The uncertainty of science: New geological research suggests that the hydrogen levels that have been detected on the moon — which are used to predict the presence of water — might be a false positive and not exist at the levels predicted.
Instead, what scientists thought was hydrogen in water molecules might be calcium as part of a mineral called apatite. If so, this would mean that the Moon has a lot less water than hoped. This data might also explain the lack of water seen in the Apollo samples as compared to what is suggested should be there from more recent orbital data. This also might explain the conflicting results from instruments on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
China’s Yutu rover is still functioning but cannot move.
China’s Yutu rover is still functioning but cannot move.
Last week Yutu and its companion spacecraft, the Chang’e 3 Moon lander, awoke from a period of dormancy after the frigid, two-week lunar night — the third awakening since landing on 14 December, Chinese scientists said this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. The probes continue to gather data and send it back to Earth.
But Yutu may never move more than the 100–110 metres it has already travelled from its landing site — in the Mare Imbrium. Mission officials had hoped that Yutu would travel to the rim of a nearby crater and explore it, but a mechanical failure in Yutu’s drive system has stilled the rover since late January.
I wish they would get their story straight. This article suggests that the problem wasn’t in the circuit that controls the storage of equipment during the long lunar night, as reported previously, but in the system that actually moves the rover.
It also appears from the story above that scientists were disappointed by the amount of information released at the Texas conference.
China’s Yutu rover is still functioning but cannot move.
Last week Yutu and its companion spacecraft, the Chang’e 3 Moon lander, awoke from a period of dormancy after the frigid, two-week lunar night — the third awakening since landing on 14 December, Chinese scientists said this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. The probes continue to gather data and send it back to Earth.
But Yutu may never move more than the 100–110 metres it has already travelled from its landing site — in the Mare Imbrium. Mission officials had hoped that Yutu would travel to the rim of a nearby crater and explore it, but a mechanical failure in Yutu’s drive system has stilled the rover since late January.
I wish they would get their story straight. This article suggests that the problem wasn’t in the circuit that controls the storage of equipment during the long lunar night, as reported previously, but in the system that actually moves the rover.
It also appears from the story above that scientists were disappointed by the amount of information released at the Texas conference.
Want to explore the Moon’s north pole? You now can, from your home, using an interactive mosaic of images taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Want to explore the Moon’s north pole? You now can, from your home, using an interactive mosaic of images taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Want to explore the Moon’s north pole? You now can, from your home, using an interactive mosaic of images taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
China finally reveals Yutu’s problem: the failure of a control circuit prevents it from storing its solar panels during lunar night.
China finally reveals Yutu’s problem: the failure of a control circuit prevents it from storing its solar panels during lunar night.
A functioning control circuit is required to lower the rovers mast and protect the delicate components and instruments mounted on the mast from directly suffering from the extremely harsh cold of the Moon’s recurring night time periods. “Normal dormancy needs Yutu to fold its mast and solar panels,” said Ye. The high gain communications antenna and the imaging cameras are [also] attached to the mast. They must be folded down into a warmed electronics box to shield them from the damaging effects of the Moon’s nightfall when temperatures plunge dramatically to below minus 180 Celsius, or minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit.
China finally reveals Yutu’s problem: the failure of a control circuit prevents it from storing its solar panels during lunar night.
A functioning control circuit is required to lower the rovers mast and protect the delicate components and instruments mounted on the mast from directly suffering from the extremely harsh cold of the Moon’s recurring night time periods. “Normal dormancy needs Yutu to fold its mast and solar panels,” said Ye. The high gain communications antenna and the imaging cameras are [also] attached to the mast. They must be folded down into a warmed electronics box to shield them from the damaging effects of the Moon’s nightfall when temperatures plunge dramatically to below minus 180 Celsius, or minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit.
A September asteroid impact on the Moon captured by Spanish astronomers.
A September asteroid impact on the Moon captured as it happened by Spanish astronomers.
On 11 September 2013, Prof Jose M. Madiedo was operating two telescopes in the south of Spain that were searching for these impact events. At 2007 GMT he witnessed an unusually long and bright flash in Mare Nubium, an ancient lava-filled basin with a darker appearance than its surroundings. The flash was the result of a rock crashing into the lunar surface and was briefly almost as bright as the familiar Pole Star, meaning that anyone on Earth who was lucky enough to be looking at the Moon at that moment would have been able to see it. In the video recording made by Prof Madiedo, an afterglow remained visible for a further eight seconds. The September event is the longest and brightest confirmed impact flash ever observed on the Moon.
A September asteroid impact on the Moon captured as it happened by Spanish astronomers.
On 11 September 2013, Prof Jose M. Madiedo was operating two telescopes in the south of Spain that were searching for these impact events. At 2007 GMT he witnessed an unusually long and bright flash in Mare Nubium, an ancient lava-filled basin with a darker appearance than its surroundings. The flash was the result of a rock crashing into the lunar surface and was briefly almost as bright as the familiar Pole Star, meaning that anyone on Earth who was lucky enough to be looking at the Moon at that moment would have been able to see it. In the video recording made by Prof Madiedo, an afterglow remained visible for a further eight seconds. The September event is the longest and brightest confirmed impact flash ever observed on the Moon.
The Google Lunar X-Prize has chosen 5 finalists of the 18 teams remaining in the private competition to land a rover on the Moon by 2015.
The Google Lunar X-Prize has chosen 5 finalists of the 18 teams remaining in the private competition to land a rover on the Moon by 2015.
Astrobotic, Moon Express and Team Indus are finalists for prizes of $1 million per team for achievement in hardware and software systems to enable a soft landing on the Moon. Astrobotic, Moon Express, Hakuto and Part-Time Scientists are finalists for prizes of $500,000 per team related to the mobility systems that allow a team’s lunar craft to travel 500 meters across the lunar surface after landing. Astrobotic, Moon Express, Part-Time Scientists and Team Indus are finalists for prizes of $250,000 per team for technology designed to produce high-quality images and video on the Moon.
The first team to land before the end of 2015 will win $20 million.
Posted from Tucson International Airport.
The Google Lunar X-Prize has chosen 5 finalists of the 18 teams remaining in the private competition to land a rover on the Moon by 2015.
Astrobotic, Moon Express and Team Indus are finalists for prizes of $1 million per team for achievement in hardware and software systems to enable a soft landing on the Moon. Astrobotic, Moon Express, Hakuto and Part-Time Scientists are finalists for prizes of $500,000 per team related to the mobility systems that allow a team’s lunar craft to travel 500 meters across the lunar surface after landing. Astrobotic, Moon Express, Part-Time Scientists and Team Indus are finalists for prizes of $250,000 per team for technology designed to produce high-quality images and video on the Moon.
The first team to land before the end of 2015 will win $20 million.
Posted from Tucson International Airport.
Is Yutu alive or dead? Only the Chinese know for sure.
Is Yutu alive or dead? Only the Chinese know for sure.
Is Yutu alive or dead? Only the Chinese know for sure.
Though Chinese engineers say that Yutu is still having problems, they have gotten a signal from it.
It’s alive! Though Chinese engineers say that Yutu is still having problems, they have gotten a signal from it.
The reports continue to be vague. It appears that they are in communication with the rover, which is good, but cannot get it to do what they need or want it to do, which is bad.
It’s alive! Though Chinese engineers say that Yutu is still having problems, they have gotten a signal from it.
The reports continue to be vague. It appears that they are in communication with the rover, which is good, but cannot get it to do what they need or want it to do, which is bad.
Yutu is dead.
Apparently the rover was not prepped properly for the long lunar night and did not survive its second night.
Apparently the rover was not prepped properly for the long lunar night and did not survive its second night.
Awaiting contact from China’s rover as lunar day arrives.
Awaiting contact from China’s rover as lunar day arrives.
The sun started coming up over the weekend, so if Yutu is to come back to life, it must do it soon.
Awaiting contact from China’s rover as lunar day arrives.
The sun started coming up over the weekend, so if Yutu is to come back to life, it must do it soon.
Curiosity takes its first image of the Earth/Moon system from Mars.
Curiosity takes its first image of the Earth/Moon system from Mars.
Curiosity takes its first image of the Earth/Moon system from Mars.
One NASA lunar orbiter snags an image of another NASA lunar orbiter.
One NASA lunar orbiter snags an image of another NASA lunar orbiter.
One NASA lunar orbiter snags an image of another NASA lunar orbiter.
More information on the problems with China’s lunar rover Yutu.
More information on the problems with China’s lunar rover Yutu.
It appears that the rover was not responding properly to commands from the ground and thus did not prep itself properly for going into hibernation for the long lunar night.
More information on the problems with China’s lunar rover Yutu.
It appears that the rover was not responding properly to commands from the ground and thus did not prep itself properly for going into hibernation for the long lunar night.
Something is wrong with China’s lunar rover.
Something is wrong with China’s lunar rover.
The link above is exceedingly short, one sentence, and describes the problem as an “abnormity” which makes no sense, so there is as yet no clear idea what the issue is.
A longer report is here, but it doesn’t add much, other than the “abnormality” is related to “mechanical control.”
Something is wrong with China’s lunar rover.
The link above is exceedingly short, one sentence, and describes the problem as an “abnormity” which makes no sense, so there is as yet no clear idea what the issue is.
A longer report is here, but it doesn’t add much, other than the “abnormality” is related to “mechanical control.”
Penn State’s Google Lunar X Prize team has now launched a kickstarter campaign to fund its effort.
Penn State’s Google Lunar X Prize team has now launched a kickstarter campaign to fund its effort.
Penn State’s Google Lunar X Prize team has now launched a kickstarter campaign to fund its effort.
China’s rover and lander on the Moon have both been successfully reawakened after hibernating through the two week long lunar night.
China’s rover and lander on the Moon have both been successfully reawakened after hibernating through the two week long lunar night.
China’s rover and lander on the Moon have both been successfully reawakened after hibernating through the two week long lunar night.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted China’s Yutu rover on the Moon’s surface.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted China’s Yutu rover on the Moon’s surface.
These images confirm that the rover landed in Mare Imbrium, not Sinus Iridum, the originally announced landing site and the site that many Chinese news sources continue to report as the landing site.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted China’s Yutu rover on the Moon’s surface.
These images confirm that the rover landed in Mare Imbrium, not Sinus Iridum, the originally announced landing site and the site that many Chinese news sources continue to report as the landing site.
The Chinese rover Yutu, before going into hibernation for the long lunar night, successfully took its first spectrum of the Moon’s surface.
The Chinese rover Yutu, before going into hibernation for the long lunar night, successfully took its first spectrum of the Moon’s surface.
The Chinese rover Yutu, before going into hibernation for the long lunar night, successfully took its first spectrum of the Moon’s surface.
China’s rover about to go to sleep for the long lunar night.
China’s rover is about to go to sleep for the long lunar night.
According to Wu Fenglei of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the lander will “go to sleep” at about 7 a.m. on Christmas Day and the moon rover, Jade Rabbit, will fall asleep at about 1 a.m. on Boxing Day. The forthcoming lunar night, expected to begin on Dec. 26, will last for about two weeks, experts with the center estimated. During their “sleep”, both lander and rover will have to tolerate minus 180 degrees Celsius. Scientists tested the lander early Tuesday to ensure it can stand the temperature drop. Both lander and rover are stable, said Wu, adding they have completed a series of scientific tasks in the past two days.
This report states the rover landed in Sinus Iridum, the original announced landing site, contradicting other reports that said the lander came down in Mare Imbrium.
China’s rover is about to go to sleep for the long lunar night.
According to Wu Fenglei of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the lander will “go to sleep” at about 7 a.m. on Christmas Day and the moon rover, Jade Rabbit, will fall asleep at about 1 a.m. on Boxing Day. The forthcoming lunar night, expected to begin on Dec. 26, will last for about two weeks, experts with the center estimated. During their “sleep”, both lander and rover will have to tolerate minus 180 degrees Celsius. Scientists tested the lander early Tuesday to ensure it can stand the temperature drop. Both lander and rover are stable, said Wu, adding they have completed a series of scientific tasks in the past two days.
This report states the rover landed in Sinus Iridum, the original announced landing site, contradicting other reports that said the lander came down in Mare Imbrium.
An update on the Google Lunar X-Prize competition.
An update on the Google Lunar X-Prize competition.
A number of teams have dropped out, narrowing the competition to eighteen teams.
An update on the Google Lunar X-Prize competition.
A number of teams have dropped out, narrowing the competition to eighteen teams.
After a successful soft landing, China’s lunar rover Yutu has successfully rolled onto the lunar surface.
The competition heats up: After a successful soft landing, China’s lunar rover Yutu has successfully rolled onto the lunar surface.
The real significance of this mission is that China has now demonstrated that it has developed the engineering to achieve a controlled soft landing on another world. With this technology, they can move on to building a manned lander, something only the U.S. has been able to accomplish.
The competition heats up: After a successful soft landing, China’s lunar rover Yutu has successfully rolled onto the lunar surface.
The real significance of this mission is that China has now demonstrated that it has developed the engineering to achieve a controlled soft landing on another world. With this technology, they can move on to building a manned lander, something only the U.S. has been able to accomplish.
China’s Chang’e 3 lunar orbiter has lowered its orbit around the Moon.
China’s Chang’e 3 lunar orbiter has lowered its orbit around the Moon.
This is in preparation for the planned landing of its rover on December 14.
China’s Chang’e 3 lunar orbiter has lowered its orbit around the Moon.
This is in preparation for the planned landing of its rover on December 14.
China’s lunar probe has entered lunar orbit.
China’s lunar probe has entered lunar orbit.
The rover Yutu is scheduled to descend to the surface on December 14.
China’s lunar probe has entered lunar orbit.
The rover Yutu is scheduled to descend to the surface on December 14.
China has successfully launched its first rover mission to the Moon.
China has successfully launched its first rover mission to the Moon.
Touchdown on the Moon is scheduled for December 14. If they succeed, it will be the first softlanding on the Moon since 1976.
China has successfully launched its first rover mission to the Moon.
Touchdown on the Moon is scheduled for December 14. If they succeed, it will be the first softlanding on the Moon since 1976.
China next lunar mission, set to launch next month, will have a rover named “Yutu”.
China’s next lunar mission, set to launch next month, will have a rover named “Yutu”.
In Chinese folklore, Yutu is the white pet rabbit of Chang’e, the moon goddess who has lent her name to the Chinese lunar mission. Legend has it that, after swallowing a magic pill, Chang’e took her pet and flew toward the moon, where she became a goddess, and has lived there with the white jade rabbit ever since.
Chang’e 2 is the name of the entire mission.
China’s next lunar mission, set to launch next month, will have a rover named “Yutu”.
In Chinese folklore, Yutu is the white pet rabbit of Chang’e, the moon goddess who has lent her name to the Chinese lunar mission. Legend has it that, after swallowing a magic pill, Chang’e took her pet and flew toward the moon, where she became a goddess, and has lived there with the white jade rabbit ever since.
Chang’e 2 is the name of the entire mission.
Some spectacular oblique images from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have been released.
Some spectacular oblique images from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have been released.
The top three images are all oblique. Make sure you click through to the full caption of each image to get more information.
The Lunar Alps image is especially interesting to those who have ever explored the Moon with a telescope from Earth. The rill shown is well known to amateurs, as are the Montes Alpes, or Alps Mountains, adjacent to it. From Earth that rill definitely looks like a meandering river canyon. This LRO image resolves it into a canyon made up of a series of crater-like depressions, a geological feature quite different from the river canyons of Earth.
Some spectacular oblique images from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have been released.
The top three images are all oblique. Make sure you click through to the full caption of each image to get more information.
The Lunar Alps image is especially interesting to those who have ever explored the Moon with a telescope from Earth. The rill shown is well known to amateurs, as are the Montes Alpes, or Alps Mountains, adjacent to it. From Earth that rill definitely looks like a meandering river canyon. This LRO image resolves it into a canyon made up of a series of crater-like depressions, a geological feature quite different from the river canyons of Earth.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter inaugurates a new website of its images of the landing or impact sites of every human vehicle to arrive or crash on the Moon.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter inaugurates a new website of its images of the landing or impact sites of every human vehicle to arrive or crash on the Moon.
I found the site because they have a new release of images of the impact crater produced when Ranger 7 hit the Moon on July 28, 1964.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter inaugurates a new website of its images of the landing or impact sites of every human vehicle to arrive or crash on the Moon.
I found the site because they have a new release of images of the impact crater produced when Ranger 7 hit the Moon on July 28, 1964.