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☆ What’s on the far side of the moon? Here’s why scientists want to find out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The far side of the moon is very different from the near side,” said Li Chunlai, China National Space Administration deputy chief designer. The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. Far side mysteriesDespite years of orbital data and samples collected during six of the Apollo missions, scientists are still trying to answer key questions about the moon. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesChang’e-6 is just one mission heading to the moon’s far side as NASA has plans to send robotic missions there as well. Cracking the lunar codeOne of the most fundamental questions that scientists have tried to answer is how the moon formed.

Persons: Von, hasn’t, ”, Li Chunlai, David Trone, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson, “ We’re, Pink Floyd, Renu Malhotra, Louise Foucar, we’ve, Noah Petro, Artemis III, “, ” Petro, Artemis, Malhotra, Brett Denevi, ” Denevi, Hector Retamal, Denevi, Aitken, “ it’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, China National Space Administration, NASA, Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research, Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Soviet Union, Johns Hopkins, Getty Locations: China, Tucson, AFP, Hainan Province

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ returns images after third long, lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. And Moon Sniper wasn’t expected to withstand even one lunar night, which is a period of darkness on the moon lasting about two weeks. Riding out the lunar nightThe mission team communicated with Moon Sniper on April 23 after the lander rode out its third lunar night. From JAXAIn addition to surviving the extreme cold of the lunar night, Moon Sniper has also endured the searing temperatures of the lunar day, which can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. On February 29, after seven days of operating, Odie went to sleep because it wasn’t intended to survive the lunar night.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, ’, Moon, ”, Odysseus, Odie ”, Odie, “ Odie, Jack Fischer, Fischer, ” Fischer, “, I’m, Vikram, Artemis, Noah Petro, Artemis III, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JAXA, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Apollo Locations: Japan, Houston, India, China

☆ Crater offers new clue near-Earth asteroid is really a piece of the moon, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The space rock, known as 2016 HO3, is a rare quasi-satellite — a type of near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun but sticks close to our planet. Astronomers first discovered it in 2016 using the Pan-STARRS telescope, or Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, in Hawaii. Scientists call the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, a name derived from a Hawaiian creation chant that alludes to an offspring traveling on its own. Kamo’oalewa specimen: A connecting puzzle pieceStudying crater impacts on the moon can also help scientists better understand the consequences of asteroid impacts should a space rock pose a threat to Earth in the future. There’s no other place, no other planet in our solar system with a moon like our moon.

Persons: they’ve, Giordano Bruno, Yifei Jiao, ”, Erik Asphaug, Kamo’oalewa, “ You’d, Asphaug, ” Jiao, ” Asphaug, Renu Malhotra, China’s, Patrick Michel, Noah Petro, Artemis III, Petro, “, ” Petro, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Survey Telescope, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, Tsinghua University, University of, London, NASA, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, National Centre for Scientific Research, Reconnaissance, Artemis Locations: Hawaii, Beijing, “, France

☆ A Lunar Eclipse Warms Up the Moon for April’s Solar Eclipse
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the moon prepares to blot out the surface of our sun in two weeks, it’s warming up with a penumbral lunar eclipse on Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on your time zone. Lunar eclipses occur when the planet slides between the sun and the moon. That’s in contrast to a solar eclipse, which happens when the moon interjects between the other two bodies. In the most dramatic version of the event, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow washes over the lunar surface, making it shine crimson. This is a total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon.

Persons: “, ”, Noah Petro, Dr, Petro Organizations: Lunar, Orbiter, NASA

☆ Space photos from 5 recent moon-landing missions show how tiny engineering errors can cause big problems, like crashing or landing sideways
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Houston-based company's uncrewed Odysseus lander was almost lost to one of the tiniest possible mistakes. The view from the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander as it descended to its landing site. Intuitive MachinesWith less than two hours to go before landing, Intuitive Machines engineers frantically whipped up a new navigation system. Indeed, several robotic moon landing attempts have crashed or otherwise malfunctioned in the last few years. Similarly, Intuitive Machines' success on Thursday shows that small errors don't necessarily have to spell the end of a mission.

Persons: Steve Altemus, Trent Martin, Odysseus, Astrobotic —, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic, Astrobotic, Vikram, SpaceNews, Robert Braun, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, ispace, NASA's, Braun, Japan's Smart Lander, SLIM, LEV, Takara Tomy Organizations: US, Business, NASA, Reconnaissance, Goddard, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, freefall, JAXA, Takara, Sony Group Corporation, Doshisha Locations: India, Japan, Houston

☆ Odysseus lunar lander shares new photos from its harrowing descent
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Odysseus spacecraft has dispatched new images it captured of the lunar surface during the lander’s harrowing approach to the moon. The grainy images were shared by Intuitive Machines, the company that developed Odysseus, on Monday morning. What Odysseus’ images revealAn image released by company Friday showed a view of the moon’s Schomberger crater captured by the spacecraft during its descent. “The camera is on the starboard aft-side of the lander in this phase,” the Intuitive Machines post noted, referring to the right rear portion of the vehicle. Intuitive Machines shared Odysseus’ precise location: The spacecraft is sitting at the coordinates 80.13°S and 1.44°E on the moon, resting at about 2,579 meters (8,500 feet) in elevation.

Persons: Odysseus, ’, “ Odysseus, Odie, Florida —, Embry ‑ Riddle CubeSat, ” Embry, Riddle Organizations: CNN, Reconnaissance, NASA, Goddard, Arizona State University, Embry, Riddle University Locations: Florida

☆ The moon is shrinking, and it could be a problem for astronauts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On the lunar surface, however, it’s a different story. “We also knew that the largest of the shallow moonquakes detected by the Apollo seismometers was located near the south pole. As part of the mission, two astronauts will spend about a week living and working on the lunar surface. They can be an opportunity to better study the moon as we do on the Earth with earthquakes,” Husker said. Studying moonquakes at the south pole will tell us more about the Moon’s interior structure as well as its present-day activity.”

Persons: India’s, Russia’s Luna, Artemis, ”, Thomas R, Watters, ” Watters, LRO, “, Renee Weber, ” Weber, Weber, Yosio Nakamura, Nakamura, Allen Husker, Husker, Jeffrey Andrews, Hanna Organizations: CNN, NASA, National Air, Space Museum’s, for, Planetary Studies, Lunar, Science, Apollo, University of Texas, California Institute of Technology, University of Arizona Locations: China, Austin

☆ Sea of Nectar: What you should know about the moon area where Japan’s lander touched down
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

If the lander turns on again, it could make good on its objectives to collect unprecedented information about a region called the Sea of Nectar. The 1969 US moon mission Apollo 11 captured this oblique view of the large crater Theophilus at the northwest edge of the Sea of Nectar. Here's the first picture sent back by the Moon Sniper after it landed on the lunar surface. The Sea of Nectar is much smaller than its neighbor the Sea of Tranquility, which is over 540 miles (875 kilometers) across and is similarly smooth and flat. “After the Apollo missions, we brought back samples and learned they were essentially massive lava planes,” Osinski said.

Persons: Smart, SLIM —, Moon, Theophilus that’s, ”, Gordon Osinski, who’s, Artemis, Osinski, we’ve, ” Osinski, Sara Russell, haven’t, Russell, “, SLIM, ” “, John Pernet, Fisher, Pernet, it’s, Tranquillity, Canada’s, maria ”, “ It’s, NASA’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, Western University, Lunar Reconnaissance, Planetary Materials, Ritsumeikan University, Aizu, University of Manchester, Planetary Institute, Apollo, Getty Locations: Japan, , Ontario, Shioli, United Kingdom

☆ Japan has landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time, but the mission didn't go exactly according to plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Japan successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time in the nation's history. AdvertisementOn Friday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced that its SLIM spacecraft had successfully landed on the moon. But the spacecraft isn't generating solar power. But many of these instruments may go unused if the spacecraft can't generate solar energy to power them. Even though the mission didn't go exactly according to plan, Kuninaka said that JAXA considers it a success since the spacecraft successfully touched down on the moon.

Persons: —, James Stuby, Smart Lander, SLIM aren't, Hitoshi Kuninaka, there's, Kuninaka Organizations: Service, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, SLIM, Japan, JAXA, NASA Locations: Japan, China, India

☆ Fact Check: The moon is not a reflection of Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The moon is not a reflection of Earth, despite a viral TikTok clip circulating online. A clip (archived) circulating online opens with a visual of the moon and text printed across the upper-third that reads, “This Proves My Video ‘Moon is a Reflection of Earth.’”A voice over can then be heard claiming that the moon is a “translucent plasma luminary” which is why you can see the moon during the day. The individual moves the light source and with it, the two light points move, opposite each other, around the resin. The video does not prove that the sun and moon are reflections of another light source, or that the moon is a reflection of Earth. The moon is not a reflection of Earth.

Persons: ” Mike Boylan, Read Organizations: University of Texas, Reuters, European Space Agency, National Aeronautical and Space Agency, NASA, Reconnaissance, Thomson Locations: Austin

☆ November’s full beaver moon will shine bright this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —November’s full moon, known as the beaver moon, will shine bright in the night sky starting Sunday, offering a dazzling sight to behold. “The upcoming full Moon (the Beaver Moon) will look like the familiar full Moon, however the specific features are always a little different from one Moon to the next,” said Dr. Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry lab, in an email. For optimal moon gazing, Petro recommends finding a space with a clear view of the sky — away from trees, buildings and bright lights. More on the beaver moonThe beaver moon’s name is believed to be a nod to this full moon’s appearance when the industrious animal retires to its lodge in anticipation of winter. Remaining celestial events for 2023The final full moon of the year is the cold moon on December 26, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Noah Petro, libration, Petro, ” Petro, it’s, Artemis, Ursids Organizations: CNN, NASA, Farmers, American Meteor Society Locations: Earth’s

☆ India’s Chandrayaan lunar lander goes to seep
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar surface on August 23. The Chandrayaan-3 lander is captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently in orbit around the moon. The day after landing, the ISRO confirmed that the Chandryaan-3 lander had successfully deployed the six-wheeled lunar rover that had ridden to the surface tucked inside the spacecraft’s body. pic.twitter.com/1g5gQsgrjM — ISRO (@isro) August 26, 2023Together, the lander, which weighs about 1,700 kilograms (3,748 pounds), and the 26-kilogram (57.3-pound) rover are packed with nearly a dozen scientific instruments. Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” the ISRO posted on X.

Persons: Narendra Modi, NASA's, —, Luna, ove Organizations: CNN, Soviet Union, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO Locations: India, United States, China, Chandryaan, Russia

☆ Russia dominated the first space race, but now it can't even land on the moon. Photos show the US and China are way ahead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

China, Russia, and the US (with its international allies) are all plotting huge new moonshots. Photos of the space efforts of the US, China, and Russia reveal how far behind the former space power has fallen. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US and China are innovating, while Russia's space tech agesNASA's Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Berger cited other underlying issues that are stifling Russia's space ambitions, like budget cuts, quality control, and corruption. Western sanctions have harmed Russia's space program in other ways, limiting its access to high-quality microchips, the AP reported.

Persons: Artemis, Russia isn't, hasn't, Russia's Luna, Bill Nelson, Luna, NASA’s, —, Tingshu Wang, Sergei Markov, Russia's, Steve Seipel, Yuri Borisov, Borisov, Bill Ingalls, Eric Berger, Vladimir Putin's, Berger, Xue Lei, landers, Roscosmos, Victoria Samson Organizations: Service, NASA, AP, Soviet Union, Operation, Space Corporation, Politico, New York Times, China National Space Administration, Vostochny, Luna, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University NASA, Orion, NASA NASA, SpaceX, National Museum, Reuters, Kremlin, Kennedy Space Center, CNN, Russian Soyuz, Baikonur, Future Publishing, Getty, European Space Agency, ESA, Secure, Foundation Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, China National Space Administration Russia, Russia's Far, India, Russian, Beijing, Ukraine, Florida, Kazakhstan, Washington

☆ NASA orbiter spies likely lunar crater from Russia’s Luna 25 crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A new crater has appeared on the moon, and it was likely created when Russia’s uncrewed Luna 25 mission crashed into the lunar surface. Images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and released by the agency on Thursday reveal the fresh crater. The Luna 25 spacecraft, Russia’s first lunar lander in 47 years, launched on August 10 and was expected to land near the lunar south pole a couple of weeks later. But communication with the spacecraft was disrupted and Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, reported an “emergency situation” occurred while Luna 25 tried to enter a pre-landing lunar orbit on August 19. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter previously imaged the site in June 2022.

Persons: Russia’s uncrewed Luna, Luna, NASA's, India’s Organizations: CNN, Reconnaissance Orbiter, Roscosmos, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Reconnaissance, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University, NASA

☆ NASA discovered a new crater on the moon as wide as a 3-story building, and it's probably Russia's Luna-25 gravesite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The crater was likely caused by Russia's Luna-25 lander crashing into the moon last month, NASA said. Had Luna-25 not crashed, it would've been the first craft to explore the lunar south pole region. It could be the crash site of Russia's Luna-25 moon lander, NASA said in a statement Thursday. "During its descent" on August 19, "Luna 25 experienced an anomaly that caused it to impact the surface of the Moon," NASA said in the statement. The country had previously tried to land a craft near the lunar south pole, but it failed the first time.

Persons: Russia's Luna, would've, Luna, Robert Braun Organizations: NASA, Service, Reconnaissance, Luna, Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Wall, Silicon, India, Russia

☆ Crashed Russian mission left a crater on the moon, NASA images show
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Luna-25, Russia's first moon mission in 47 years, failed on Aug. 19 when it spun out of control and crashed into the moon, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft imaged a new crater on the surface of the moon that it concluded was the likely the impact site of Russia's Luna 25 mission. "The new crater is about 10 meters in diameter," NASA said. "Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor." After the crash, Moscow said a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons behind the loss of the Luna-25 craft.

Persons: Russia's Luna, Luna, Russia's, Yuri Gagarin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: NASA, Reconnaissance, U.S . National Aeronautics and, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia's, Moscow, Soviet

☆ Racing to Land, or Crash, on the Moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jonathan Corum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission will attempt to land on the moon on Wednesday, and other missions will follow in coming months. Moon imagery from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera via NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter flew over the area ten days later but was unable to locate the lander, known as Vikram. Vikram’s impact site 100 METERS Vikram’s impact site 100 METERS Vikram’s impact site 100 METERS Vikram’s impact site 100 METERS A composite image highlighting recent changes on the lunar surface. Hakuto-R’s impact site 50 METERS Hakuto-R’s impact site 50 METERS Hakuto-R’s impact site 50 METERS Hakuto-R’s impact site 50 METERS A composite image highlighting recent changes on the lunar surface.

Persons: Russia’s Luna, Luna, India’s, Vikram, Curtius Manzinus Moretus, Curtius Manzinus Chandrayaan, Japan’s Ispace, Artemis, Eugene A Organizations: ISRO, Soviet Union, European Space Agency, Lunar, Reconnaissance Orbiter, New York Times, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Arizona State Univ, Goddard Space Flight, Future Missions Japan, JAXA, Univ, Apollo Locations: Soviet, United States, Japan, India, China, Israel, Arizona, Indian, Hakuto

☆ Japan’s Ispace reveals why its lunar lander crashed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“While the lander estimated its own altitude to be zero, or on the lunar surface, it was later determined to be at an altitude of approximately 5 kms (3.1 miles) above the lunar surface,” according to Ispace’s news release. The company received valuable data to fine-tune its lunar lander design for another attempt, Hakamada said. The lunar lander was carrying the Rashid rover — the first Arab-built lunar spacecraft, which was developed by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Even before the failed landing attempt, Ispace had been bracing for mishaps. That same year, the Indian Space and Research Organisation lost contact with a lunar lander shortly before it was slated to touch down on the moon.

☆ Japanese Moon Lander Crashed Because It Was Still Three Miles Up, Not on the Ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The Beresheet lander, from an Israeli nonprofit named SpaceIL, launched to the moon in 2019, but it crashed. The Indian Space Research Organization attempted to land a lunar spacecraft the same year, too, and that vehicle, Vikram, also crashed. Only China has landed robotic spacecraft on the moon recently, with three successes in three attempts over the past decade. Ispace had obtained insurance for the lander, and the financial impacts on the company would be small, Mr. Hakamada said. The Indian space agency also announced this week that Chandrayaan-3, a follow-up to its moon landing attempt in 2019, could launch as early as July 12.

Persons: ”, Ryo Ujiie, “, Vikram, Takeshi Hakamada, ” Mr, Hakamada, Ispace Organizations: Draper Laboratory of Cambridge, NASA, Lunar Reconnaissance, Indian Space Research Organization, Technology, Pittsburgh, Houston Locations: China

☆ Commercial lunar lander presumed lost after historic moon landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A Japanese lunar lander, carrying a rover developed in the United Arab Emirates, attempted to find its footing on the moon’s surface Tuesday — and potentially mark the world’s first lunar landing for a commercially developed spacecraft. The lunar lander, called Hakuto-R, was carrying the Rashid rover — the first Arab-built lunar spacecraft, which was built by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. Israel-based company SpaceIL was the first XPrize contestant to attempt to put its lander on the moon after the program ended. Its Beresheet spacecraft crashed in 2019 after ground teams lost contact with the lander as it approached the surface. That same year, the Indian Space and Research Organisation lost contact with a lunar lander shortly before it was slated to touch down on the moon.

☆ The incredible true story of the time an astronaut played golf on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The resulting creation, a Wilson Staff Dyna-Power 6-iron head, was tucked away in Shepard’s space suit for launch, with a few balls hidden in a sock. “Miles and miles and miles,” the jubilant astronaut remarked as the ball sailed out of his view, swallowed by the infinite blackness of space. What does any of that have to do with an astronaut playing golf on the moon? Saunders believed Shepard’s “miles and miles” remark to have been made tongue-in-cheek, an almost instinctive reflex of his hyper-competitive, “fighter-jock” nature. “We always talk about getting to the moon, landing on the moon, returning back to Earth – that’s how we think of the moon,” Odom said.

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