NASA rolled out its largest-ever rocket, Space Launch System (SLS), to a launch pad in Florida on Friday and will try again 10 days from now to blast off on a much-delayed uncrewed mission Artemis I to the Moon.
After two launch attempts were scrubbed this summer because of technical problems, the rocket returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building to protect it from Hurricane Ian.
The US space agency used the time to carry out minor repairs and to recharge the batteries that power systems on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
The SLS rocket’s four-mile (six-kilometer) journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B took nearly nine hours, NASA said.
The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket was rolled out slowly on a giant platform known as the crawler-transporter designed to minimize vibrations.
The next launch attempt is scheduled for 12:07am Eastern Time (09:37am IST) on November 14 with backup dates on November 16 at 1:04am ET (10:34am IST) and November 19 at 1:45am ET (11:15am IST).
“We’re comfortable launching at night,” NASA associate administrator Jim Free said at a briefing on Thursday.
Free said radar and infrared camera imaging will provide the necessary data to track the rocket’s performance.
If the rocket blasts off on November 16, the mission would last a little more than 25 days with the crew capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 9.
The highly anticipated uncrewed mission, dubbed Artemis 1, will bring the United States a step closer to returning astronauts to the Moon five decades after humans last walked on the lunar surface.
The goal of Artemis 1, named after the twin sister of Apollo, is to test the SLS rocket and Orion crew capsule that sits on top.
Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for astronauts on the mission and will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.
The Orion capsule is to orbit the Moon to see if the vessel is safe for people in the near future. At some point, Artemis aims to put a woman and a person of color on the Moon for the first time.
And since humans have already visited the Moon, Artemis has its sights set on another lofty goal: a crewed mission to Mars.
During the trip, Orion will follow an elliptical course around the Moon, coming within 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach and 40,000 miles at its farthest — the deepest into space ever by a craft designed to carry humans.
Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third mission to the moon, in June next year with a more robust lunar rover onboard which is crucial for future inter-planetary explorations.
The space agency has also lined up the first test flight of the ‘abort mission’ for Gaganyaan, the country’s first human spaceflight, early next year.
“Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) launch will be in June next year onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3),” said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somnath while interacting with media personnel on the sidelines during an event.
He said ISRO plans to fly Indian astronauts into orbit by the end of 2024 after carrying out successful abort missions and uncrewed test flights.
India’s maiden attempt to land a rover on the moon ended in failure after the Vikram lander onboard the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the surface of the moon in September 2019.
“C-3 is ready now. It is not a replica of C-2. The rover is there. The engineering is significantly different. We have made it more robust so that it does not have problems like last time,” Somnath said.
“There are many changes. The impact legs are stronger. It will have better instrumentation. In case something fails, something else will take over,” the ISRO chairman said.
He said the rover will also have different methods to calculate the height to be travelled, identify hazard-free locations and have better software.
On the human spaceflight Gaganyaan, Somnath said ISRO would carry out six test flights before actually flying humans into orbit.
Somnath said the preparations for the Gaganyaan mission were progressing at a “slow and steady pace”.
“This is the right way to put it. It is a very complex mission. We cannot boast about it. It requires very critical steps to be crossed,” he said.
The first un-crewed flight of Gaganyaan will be after two abort missions to demonstrate that the space agency has the capabilities to rescue the crew in case of any eventuality.
The first abort mission is likely to be carried out in trans-sonic conditions when the spacecraft is travelling at the speed of sound after reaching an altitude of 10-15 kms, Somnath said.
The second would entail demonstrating crew rescue capabilities when the spacecraft is travelling at twice the speed of sound and in “not so good” aerodynamic conditions.
As part of the abort mission, the space scientists will have to sail the crew from the launch vehicle using a saving system, land the capsule carrying the crew in water and collect it.
“If this is successful, we will repeat it once again and then we will go for an unmanned mission. The unmanned mission will be a full-fledged rocket. It will go to orbit, then it will come back,” Somnath said.
“We will repeat the abort missions two more times followed by another unmanned mission,” he said, adding that the human space flight will happen if these six test flights are successful.
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SpaceX plans to announce two new space tourists slated to fly on the Starship rocket: Dennis Tito, the world’s first-ever space tourist in 2001, and his wife, Akiko.
The couple paid an undisclosed amount to fly around the moon on Starship once the vehicle is complete. They will travel with 10 other undisclosed passengers on a roughly week-long journey. The trip doesn’t include a landing on the lunar surface and it’s unclear if the other passengers have been chosen yet.
It may be a while before the mission gets underway and there’s still no target date. It’s scheduled to be Starship‘s fourth passenger mission, conducted after SpaceX uses the vehicle to land astronauts on the moon for NASA and following trips by other customers who have purchased rides in the vessel.
Then there’s the fact that Starship has yet to travel to space. SpaceX still needs to send an uncrewed version of the vehicle to orbit, which Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said could occur as early as November. The company must also show it can refuel Starship while in space so that it can reach the moon’s vicinity, and it needs the necessary life-support systems and other hardware to keep humans alive.
“I know this rocket is going to be tested backwards and forwards; there’ll be hundreds of flights before we’re flying,” Tito said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re not going to fly next year. It’s going to be a wait.”
After a brief stint working as a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tito co-founded investment-management firm Wilshire Associates in 1972. He was the first civilian space tourist to visit the International Space Station, paying $20 million (nearly Rs. 1,64,500 crore) to purchase a seat on Russia’s Soyuz rocket for a week-long stay. Tito said that, at the time, NASA wasn’t happy with his trip.
Since his flight, space tourism has greatly expanded, and NASA has opened up the ISS to more commercial endeavors. Nearly a dozen tourists have flown there with the help of a company called Space Adventures. The first all-civilian crew visited the space station in April, coordinated by a company called Axiom.
Paying customers are also able to get a brief taste of space by purchasing tickets on suborbital vehicles from companies like Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which send passengers to the edge of space and back.
SpaceX has also entered the space-tourism market. In 2021, an all civilian crew, sponsored by billionaire Jared Isaacman, flew into orbit for three days on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, a mission called Inspiration4.
‘To the Moon’
Tito’s plans came about when he visited SpaceX in June 2021 after a friend of his wife arranged a meeting with company personnel. He was asked if he wanted to go to space again, either to visit the space station or on a quick trip to orbit.
“No, I want to go to the moon,” Tito recalled saying. “And then I looked at Akiko just when I said that, and she said ‘me, too.’ And that’s how it started.”
Dennis Tito is 82 years old, which could make him the oldest person to go into orbit and into deep space. He acknowledged that he’s been focused on staying fit while waiting for Starship’s development. He and his wife, who is 57, are both pilots, while Dennis says he holds four American weightlifting records for an 80-year-old.
“Whatever will be, will be. It’s going to take a certain amount of time, but it will be ready, and it will be safe when it’s ready,” Tito said. “It’s more limited by how much time I have on this planet.”
It’s time to step into our power and seize the day! The Hunter’s Moon roars on October 9, 2022. We will be infused with courage, energy and desire.
This will ignite a fire within you to pursue what you desire at the core of your being, regardless of what others, partners or society wants.
This full moon could invigorate you to conquer your path forward, allowing you to manifest the life of your dreams. Those who strike out now, who are the first to chase forward, could see great personal or professional gains. However, because everyone’s egos will be ramped up, there’s a higher likelihood of competition, conflict and power struggles.
The Hunter’s Moon will get you fired up!Shutterstock / digantarajkhowa
ARIES (MARCH 21 – APRIL 19)
Step into the spotlight, Aries. The most important lunation of the year has arrived for you! This energizes your zodiac sign and will infuse you with passion, desire and enthusiasm. A dearly held goal, project or dream that you’ve been building toward for six months or so could now be within reach. Assert yourself and show the world that you are ready to revel in your victories.
TAURUS (APRIL 20 – MAY 20)
It’s time to lie low, recharge and reset your batteries, Taurus. This lunation could have you feeling a bit burnt out. Listen to your natural rhythms and if you’re able to take some time off for some rest and relaxation, go for it. Schedule a spa day, sleep in or allow yourself time to nap. You may also have a turning point around a project in development. This full moon could also give you the strength to heal your past, let go and move on.
GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUNE 20)
Network up a storm now, Gemini. The full moon is firing you up to be seen, heard and known! Your social life could be popping off at this time, so it would be great to dust off your vision board of what you want to manifest in the year ahead and see who you know that can help you out. You’ll likely attend an exhilarating event near this time. If single, definitely use this firepower for online dating or meeting new people through your pals.
CANCER (JUNE 21 – JULY 22)
Victory is calling your name, Cancer. The full moon will erupt around you like fireworks. A big culmination or turning point is at hand in regards to your ambitions, career and professional life — especially the cycles you’ve been building upon for six months or so. A promotion, new job offer, milestone or recognition could be right around the corner.
The Hunter’s Moon is our first full moon in autumn 2022.Shutterstock / LilKar
LEO (JULY 23 – AUGUST 22)
It’s time to shake up your routine, Leo. The full moon is energizing you to step out of your comfort zone, try new things and look at life from a newfound perspective. You may now be reaching a turning point or culmination around an international business or travel endeavor or in regards to academics, spirituality, media or legalities.
VIRGO (AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 22)
Intimacy will be your M.O. now, Virgo. You’ll be eager to assess the true strength in your relationships. If you’re not on the same page, it will be explicitly shown and it’s time to be upfront and hash it out. This lunation could cause you to go your separate ways, especially if you’re finalizing a divorce settlement. Last, this full moon could bring a big shift to your assets, investments and large money matters.
LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22)
Unite or break apart, Libra. The full moon is bringing dramatic change to your significant partnership in business or love. This could bring you closer together, such as allowing you to move in, make long-term promises, get engaged or even be wed. Yet, if you’re not on the same page, you’re likely to face the music and go your separate ways. Singles can line up options that possess LTR potential.
SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21)
It’s time to act like a well-oiled machine, Scorpio. The full moon will make you especially busy. Your work-life balance is going to be on the top of your mind as you’re juggling your routines, responsibilities, projects, plans and priorities! You could be polishing off a big project for your employer or even leaving one job for the next. If you want to see a change in your health, such as fitness or diet, use the full moon’s energy now.
The Hunter’s Moon will empower you to pursue your desires and goals.Getty Images
SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21)
Embrace the magic of the heart, Sagittarius. The full moon could bring you a rapture of passion, romance and joy. Singles may cross paths with a soulmate or find that they’re falling in love. Couples can use this energy to reignite their spark, so plan something fun and sizzling! If you have children or are looking to, this lunation will put a spotlight here. Last, if you’re involved in sports or the arts, you’ll see exciting news now.
CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 – JANUARY 19)
It’s time to dig deep now, Capricorn. This lunation spotlights your domestic life. A big change could be at hand in regard to family, home or real estate. Some of you may move, get a new roommate or decide to redecorate or renovate. If something important pops up in regards to family or parents, jump on top of it.
AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 18)
You’ll find your mind is firing on all cylinders, Aquarius. This full moon could bring a turning point or culmination to an important writing, speaking, advertising or communications-related project. Contracts could also pop up for negotiation or signing now. Last, you may feel invigorated for a quick trip, either on the road or in the sky.
PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 – MARCH 20)
Money is calling your attention, Pisces. The full moon will bring shifts around income and expense. Depending on how you’ve been building or spending for the past six months or longer, it’ll be visibly clear now. A raise, new job offer, lucrative client or side hustle could appear. If not, expect a hefty expense where you’ll have to sign on the dotted line.
The Hunter’s Moon could make bring a clash of egos.Getty Images
What else should I know about the Hunter’s Moon?
Full moons take place at the culmination of every lunar cycle. They appear when the moon’s light and energy are at their most potent. Full moons bring impact and information to light within three to four days before or after but are often most intense on the exact day they reach fullness. Full moons echo the patterns and situations initiated at the most recent new moon— but also the new moon in the same zodiac sign six months prior. Reflect back on what occurred near April 1, 2022, as it will directly reflect the situations, conversations and themes that pop up now.
The Hunter’s Moon was very important for Native American tribes and colonial farmers because it signaled the period in the year when it was crucial to gather meat to prepare for the winter months. Because the harvests were usually reaped in late September or early October, now it was much easier to see deer, fox and other animal game. This year, the Hunter’s Moon is also a full moon in Aries. The energy of this Fire sign will bring momentum, enthusiasm and passion to our lives. We may feel invigorated and inspired to launch in new directions or carve out the future. Aries is the first zodiac sign on the wheel, encouraging us to be courageous and take chances. Aries energy is fiery, confident and adventurous and focuses us on our innermost desires. Ruled by Mars, Aries is dominant, assertive and a leader — encouraging us to embrace what makes us unique and different.
When analyzing the cosmic energy of this full moon, we can see many significant planetary aspects that will further color the vibration of the lunation. The full moon stands opposite Venus, which will dramatically affect our need for companionship, emotional attachment and intimate relationships. If our unions are not aligned, there could be some rocky disagreements about these needs not being met or increased loneliness. However, the full moon harmonizes sweetly with Saturn, which can help bring stability and security to our emotions and personal lives. Mars, the ruler of this lunation, will also be highly active at this time. First, he will clash violently with Neptune, bringing weakness, illness, confusion or challenges to us. One moment we may feel fired up and the next on the bottom of the rung. Mars also conflicts with Mercury, which can bring short tempers, arguments and impulsiveness. Luckily, Mars also dances with Saturn, too, which can bring us the strength, patience and perseverance we need if we’re willing to ground ourselves and focus. This full moon’s ultimate message is that we can achieve self-actualization and step into our power — otherwise if we don’t, we may just be charging into battle looking for trouble. Use the energy wisely.
What other names are there for the Hunter’s Moon?
The October full moon has many other names that were passed down from Native American tribes as well as expanded by the Farmer’s Almanac. Other names for this lunation are the Sanguine Moon, Blood Moon, Drying Rice Moon (Dakota), Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe), Freezing Moon (Ojibwe), Ice Moon (Haida) or Migrating Moon (Cree).
When is the Hunter’s Moon this year?
The Hunter’s Moon reaches fullness on October 9, 2022, at 16 degrees of Pisces. View it at 4:54 P.M. (Eastern time).
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Kyle Thomas is a globally recognized pop culture astrologer who has been featured in “Access Hollywood,” E! Entertainment, NBC & ABC television, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Hulu, Bustle, Elite Daily, Marie Claire and more. He is known for his cosmic guidance for celebrities, business executives and prominent influencers. His work harnesses the power of the stars in regards to entertainment lifestyle and trends affecting people worldwide. For more information, visit KyleThomasAstrology.com.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to make its second attempt to launch its powerful new Moon rocket this Saturday. The uncrewed mission, which is dubbed Artemis 1, will bring the United States closer to returning astronauts to the Moon after five decades. The blast off was earlier planned for Monday morning but was cancelled later. Prospects for success for the second attempt appeared clouded and weather reports suggest only a 40 percent chance for a succesful take-off.
Days after failing to send its first uncrewed mission to Moon, NASA will take a second attempt at launching the powerful new Moon rocket this Saturday, September 3. The mission, dubbed Artemis 1, was earlier heading to a launch this Monday but was later cancelled after a test to get one of the rocket’s four RS-25 engines to proper temperature range didn’t turn out to be successful.
According to launch weather officer Mark Burger, a 60 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms has been predicted on the day of the launch this Saturday.
NASA’s Artemis 1 aims to test the 322-foot-long Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule that is sitting on top. NASA earlier planned to launch the Artemis I mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As mentioned earlier, this will be an uncrewed mission and mannequins equipped with sensors will stand in for astronauts on the mission.
“You can expect in a test flight that everything is not going to go as you expect it to. That’s part of a test flight,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson insisted to NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“That’s part of, for example, developing aircraft. That’s why you have a test pilot,’’ he said.
“But we’re pretty confident about this,” Nelson added.
Nelson explained that during a test launch “everything is not going to go as you expect it to.”AP Photo/John Raoux
Nelson’s comments come at a crucial juncture for the space agency. If the moon rocket is successful during its six-week flight into lunar orbit, it could lead to astronauts returning to the moon in a few years.
“This time we’re going back, we’re going to live there, we’re going to learn there,’’ he said of men on the moon.
“We’re going to develop new technologies, all of this so we can go to Mars with humans.” Nelson said the goal is to develop ways to live on other worlds.
“They may be floating worlds, they may be the surface of Mars,” Nelson said. “But this is just part of our push outward, our quest to explore, to find out what’s out there in this universe.”
The Artemis 3 Orion crew module that could be used to eventually land on the moon if the Artemis I is successful. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI/Shutterstock
Three test dummies will be strapped in for the Artemis I mission, which NASA is forging ahead with the take-off Monday despite a series of lightning strikes at the launch pad.
“This first flight is a test. We test it, we stress it,” Nelson told host Chuck Todd. “We make this rocket and the spacecraft do things that we would never do with a human crew.
“The main purpose of the flight is to test the heat shield because you can’t test that in a lab. So if the heat shield survives and does what it is expected to do, it’s a successful test.”
Meanwhile, Nelson, a former US senator from Florida, insisted that despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inexcusable” invasion of Ukraine, NASA’s cooperation with Russia at the International Space Station “doesn’t miss a beat,” including with continued crew exchanges.
“Despite the horrors that are going on in Ukraine, the professionalism, the relationship between the astronauts and the cosmonauts on board the International Space Station, as well as our two mission controls, one in Houston, one in Moscow, it doesn’t miss a beat,” Nelson said.
Weighing in on NASA’s race with China to the south pole of the moon, Nelson added that he doesn’t want the Chinese to arrive first and then claim the territory belongs only to them.
“That’s what I’ve said all along, that we’re in a space race. And we want to get to the south pole of the moon where the resources are, where we think water is,” Nelson said.
“If there’s water, there’s rocket fuel. And we don’t want China suddenly getting there and saying, ‘This is our exclusive territory.’ ”
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) telescope has discovered more water on the Moon’s surface. The fresh findings of water have been made in the Southern Hemisphere of the Moon. The research was led by Casey Honniball, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The team have discovered water in the Moretus Crater region, which is close to the Moon’s Clavius Crater, where the original findings were made. With the new observation and availability of comprehensive data, researchers have also been able to create a map showing water abundance in the crater.
“If you can find [sufficiently] large concentrations of water on the surface of the Moon – and learn how it’s being stored and what form it’s in – you can learn how to extract it and use it for breathable oxygen or rocket fuel for a more sustainable presence,” said Honniball.
SOFIA, with its Faint Object infraRed Camera, was able to overcome the challenges in differentiating between water and hydroxyl – a molecule composed of oxygen bound to a single hydrogen atom (OH), compared to water’s two hydrogen atoms (H2O). The telescope, which flies above 99 percent of the water vapour in Earth‘s atmosphere, can see what ground-based telescopes cannot.
SOFIA’s ability to distinguish between water and hydroxyl has also helped astronomers in the discovery of the theory of how water originally comes to the Moon.
“The Moon is constantly being bombarded by the solar wind, which is delivering hydrogen to the lunar surface,” Honniball said. “This hydrogen interacts with oxygen on the lunar surface to create hydroxyl.”
When the Moon is hit by micrometeorites, the high temperature of the impact causes two hydroxyl molecules to combine, leaving behind a water molecule and an extra oxygen atom. While a lot of this formed water is lost to space, a portion of it gets trapped within glass formed on the Moon’s surface by the impact.
The researchers, using data from SOFIA, have also made observations to understand the variation of water depending on the Moon’s latitude, composition, and temperature.
The most popular theory about the formation of the Moon is that it is the result of a collision between Earth and another celestial object. Now, a study has suggested that the Moon may have a deeper relationship with the Earth. Scientists from the ETH Zurich have concluded that Moon inherited some noble gases, such as neon and helium, deep from the Earth’s mantle. The discovery was made by analysing lunar meteorites found in Antarctica.
The team found that the traces of noble gases in the meteorites matched those in the solar gases. The findings are likely to help astronomers understand the process through which Earth, Moon, and other celestial bodies were formed.
In the study, published in Science Advances, doctoral researcher Patrizia Will obtained six samples of the lunar meteorites found in Antarctica and studied them. These celestial bodies consist of basalt rock that is formed after magma spews out of the Moon’s interior and cools rapidly. They remained covered by multiple basalt layers, protecting them from the cosmic rays, especially solar wind. This cooling process led to the formation of lunar glass particles along with other materials found in the magma.
Upon analysing the glass particles, the team found chemical fingerprints or isotopic signatures of the solar gases in them. These included helium and neon that are present in the Moon’s interior. “Finding solar gases, for the first time, in basaltic materials from the Moon that are unrelated to any exposure on the lunar surface was such an exciting result,” said Will.
The team used a state-of-the-art noble gas mass spectrometer at the Noble Gas Laboratory of ETH Zurich. They used the instrument to measure the sub-millimeter glass particles and were able to rule out solar winds as the possible source of the detected gases.
“I am strongly convinced that there will be a race to study heavy noble gases and isotopes in meteoritic materials,” said ETH Zurich Professor Henner Busemann, one of the world’s leading scientists in the field of extra-terrestrial noble gas geochemistry.
The professor added that while such gases are not necessary for the survival of life, it would be fascinating to unravel how they survived the brutal formation of the Moon. It is also likely to help scientists create more new models explaining the process.
This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss iPhone 13, new iPad and iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7 — and what they mean to the Indian market. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
China on Monday opposed remarks made by an official of NASA on its space program after the administrator of US space agency Bill Nelson said that Beijing’s space program is a “military” space program.
Addressing a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that it is not the first time that NASA has disregarded the facts and smeared China.
He said some US officials have continuously framed and slandered the normal and reasonable outer space cause of other countries, and China firmly opposes such irresponsible remarks.
Zhao said Nelson, as the director of the US aerospace department, should be very aware of the dark history of the US space program, the negative role the United States has played in creating space junk, provoking arms races in outer space, and undermining global strategic stability.
In recent years, the United States has openly defined outer space as a combat domain, accelerated the formation of the outer space force, developed and deployed offensive outer space weapons, and has long passively resisted the negotiation of legal documents on outer space control, and continuously strengthened the outer space military cooperation with its allies, he said.
According to the Chinese spokesperson, the United States has set up obstacles in space cooperation, arbitrarily sanctioned the space agencies of other countries, and introduced laws to restrict space cooperation and exchanges with China.
China advocates the peaceful use of outer space, opposes the weaponisation of an arms race in outer space, and calls for the building of a community with a shared future in outer space, Zhao said.
He stressed that China’s exploration of outer space is to meet the legitimate needs of the country’s economy, society, science and technology, and security. The development of China’s aerospace industry is achieved independently, and its rights and achievements cannot be questioned or smeared.
“We urge the US official to earnestly shoulder the responsibilities of a major country, seriously review and correct the negative words and deeds of the US side in outer space, and make due contributions to safeguarding sustained peace and security in outer space,” Zhao said.
Earlier, Bill Nelson told the Bild newspaper that China might be contemplating a “takeover” of the Moon as part of its military space program.
Nelson said that the US is now involved in a new race to space, with China this time. He further claimed that in 2035, Beijing might finish the construction of its own Moon station and start experiments a year later.
Nelson claimed that we must be very concerned about China landing on the Moon and saying that it now belongs to the Peoples’ Republic and everyone else should stay out, RT reported.
Astronomers last year discovered the body of a rocket headed for a lunar collision. The impact occurred on March 4, and the resulting crater was later discovered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Surprisingly, the crater actually consists of two craters, an eastern crater (18 meters in diameter, about 19.5 yards), overlying a western crater (16 meters in diameter, about 17.5 yards).
The double crater was unexpected and may indicate that the rocket body had large masses at each end. Typically a spent rocket has mass concentrated at the motor end; the rest of the rocket stage mainly consists of an empty fuel tank. Since the origin of the rocket body remains uncertain, the double nature of the crater may indicate its identity.
No other rocket body impacts on the Moon created double craters. The four Apollo SIV-B craters were somewhat irregular in outline (Apollos 13, 14, 15, 17) and were substantially larger (greater than 35 meters, about 38 yards) than each of the double craters. The maximum width (29 meters, about 31.7 yards) of the double crater of the mystery rocket body was near that of the S-IVBs.
LRO is managed by NASA‘s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities.
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