Space

Houston-based Intuitive Machines landed its Odysseus robot near the lunar south pole.

It took some minutes for controllers to establish that the craft was down, but eventually a signal was received.

"What we can confirm, without a doubt, is our equipment is on the surface of the Moon and we are transmitting," flight director Tim Crain announced.

Staff at the company cheered and clapped at the news.

It was an important moment, not just for the commercial exploitation of space but for the US space programme in general.

Just ignore the unscientific music 😉 As a fan of space travel I think this is a very interesting study for observations how people can move around in zero gravity collaboratively. Not just dance or sports but also working together.
Music video on Invidious. The behind the scenes video (invidious) is also very interesting.

A comet is set to pass by Earth this spring, and it may be missing its tail.

The comet poses no danger to Earth—it is about the same distance from our planet as we are from the sun—but scientists need images of C/2021 S3 Pannstars from amateur astronomers to improve forecasts of space weather. These forecasts are vital to prevent problems caused by solar winds, which are streams of particles containing solar storms that can damage technology in space and on Earth.

Sarah Watson, the University of Reading Ph.D. researcher leading the project, said, "What we are expecting to see may look rather unusual. When we talk about comets, people often think of a large, bright sphere followed by a long thin tail."

"The comet we are observing may look different as its tail could 'detach' as it is buffeted by solar winds."

"We need lots of timed photos of the comet to build up a picture of its journey through our solar system. This is a fantastic opportunity for amateur astronomers to get out their telescopes, capture a truly spectacular cosmic moment, and make a big contribution to some important science."

A few years ago, astronomers uncovered one of the Milky Way's greatest secrets: An enormous, wave-shaped chain of gaseous clouds in our sun's backyard, giving birth to clusters of stars along the spiral arm of the galaxy we call home.

Naming this astonishing new structure the Radcliffe Wave, in honor of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, where the undulation was originally discovered, the team now reports in Nature that the Radcliffe Wave not only looks like a wave, but also moves like one—oscillating through space-time much like "the wave" moving through a stadium full of fans.

The six NASA payloads aboard Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission include:

• LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator)- A small, CubeSat-sized flight hardware experiment that integrates navigation and communication functionality for autonomous navigation to support future surface and orbital operations. Principal investigator: Dr. Evan Anzalone, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

• LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array) - A collection of eight retroreflectors that enable precision laser ranging, which is a measurement of the distance between an orbiting or landing spacecraft to the reflector on the lander. LRA is a passive optical instrument and will function as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come. Principal investigator: Dr. Xiaoli Sun, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

• NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing) - A Lidar-based (Light Detection and Ranging) descent and landing sensor. This instrument operates on the same principles of radar but uses pulses from a laser emitted through three optical telescopes. NDL will measure vehicle velocity (speed and direction) and altitude (distance to surface) with high precision during descent to touchdown. Principal investigator: Dr. Farzin Amzajerdian, NASA’s Langley Research Center

• RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Gauge) - A rocket propellant gauge used to measure the amount of spacecraft propellant in a low-gravity space environment. Using sensor technology, RFMG will measure the amount, or mass, of cryogenic propellants in Nova-C’s tanks, providing data that can help predict propellant usage on future missions. Principal investigator: Dr. Greg Zimmerli, NASA’s Glenn Research Center

• ROLSES (Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the Photoelectron Sheath) - Four antennas and a low-frequency radio receiver system designed to study the dynamic radio energy environment near the lunar surface and determine how natural and human-generated activity near the surface interacts with science investigations. It will also detect radio emissions from the Sun, Jupiter, and Earth, as well as dust impacting the surface of the Moon. Principal investigator: Dr. Nat Gopalswamy, NASA Goddard

• SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies) - A suite of four cameras to capture stereo and still images of the dust plume created by the lander’s engine as it begins its descent to the lunar surface until after the engine shuts off. Principal investigator: Michelle Munk, NASA Langley

The timber satellite has been built by researchers at Kyoto University and the logging company Sumitomo Forestry in order to test the idea of using biodegradable materials such as wood to see if they can act as environmentally friendly alternatives to the metals from which all satellites are currently constructed.

The launch date of Artemix II for a 4 astronaut flyby of the moon is planned for September of next year (2025).

Do you think NASA will be able to make this date? (https://www.nasa.gov/event/artemis-ii-launch/)

It's a very exciting time to see something like this, something humans haven't done for 50 years.

And as a matter of historical significance, this will be the furthest humans have ever travelled from Earth. We've existed for 300,000 years (homo sapiens), and no human has ever gone as far from this rock as these 4 people are about to do.

Quoted from the site:

Join us virtually for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission!

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Registration will provide communications about launch schedule changes, access to curated launch resources, and a commemorative virtual stamp to collect following a successful launch.

There is no physical ticket for online participation nor access to on-center activities, register to participate from your spot in the universe! All resources, participation, and registration are FREE.