Tag: Moon
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As new lunar race heats up, the Moon answers a centuries old question of craters on Earth
For the second time in as many months, a new mission to the moon is nearly ready to launch. As the new Moon race heats up, lunar science continues to expand our understanding of our constant gray companion and has revealed an answer to a centuries old question of asteroid bombardment in Earth’s past. Lunar…
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Israeli lunar lander passes tests in preparation for SpaceX launch to the moon
SpaceIL’s Beresheet lunar lander is suspended at a payload processing facility in Florida. (SpaceIL Photo via Twitter) The managers of Israel’s first mission to the moon say their lunar lander has passed a crucial set of tests in preparation for February’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with an assist from a Seattle space…
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All-American lunar eclipse will darken the moon and brighten spirits (if skies clear)
A ruddy lunar eclipse hangs over Mount Rainier in 2015. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) Are you ready for Sunday night’s “Super Blood Wolf Moon”? The good news is that North America is well-positioned to see a total lunar eclipse for the first time in nearly a year. The bad news? If the skies are…
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In the 2020s, China aims to lay groundwork for a moon base — plus missions to Mars
Video captured by China’s Chang’e-4 lander shows the Yutu 2 rover roaming the surface of the moon’s far side. (CNSA via Weibo) Flush from the success of the world’s first rover mission to the moon’s far side, Chinese space officials said today that they’re planning robotic trips to the lunar south pole to prepare the…
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China releases more images from far side of the moon
China’s Yutu 2 rover on the far side of the moon. This image was released by Chinese space officials Friday, Jan. 11. Credit: CNSA/CLEP Chinese officials on Friday released more imagery from the Chang’e 4 mission, a robotic lander and rover exploring the far side of the moon after a successful landing Jan. 3. The…
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China releases more images from far side of the moon
China’s Yutu 2 rover on the far side of the moon. This image was released by Chinese space officials Friday, Jan. 11. Credit: CNSA/CLEP Chinese officials on Friday released more imagery from the Chang’e 4 mission, a robotic lander and rover exploring the far side of the moon after a successful landing Jan. 3. The…
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Chinese rover begins exploring far side of the moon
China’s Yutu 2 rover drives off the Chang’e 4 landing platform on the far side of the moon. Credit: CNSA/CASC/CLEP A robotic Chinese spacecraft named Chang’e 4 braked out of lunar orbit and slowed to a controlled touchdown on the far side of the moon Thursday, a first in the history of space exploration. The…
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After media mix-up, China says Chang’e-4 makes first landing on moon’s far side
An image captured from the Chang’e-4 lander shows the Yutu 2 rover rolling onto the terrain of the lunar far side. (CLEP via Weibo / Twitter) Official Chinese media confirmed that the nation’s robotic Chang’e-4 probe made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon — but not before issuing, and then withdrawing, an initial…
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China lands Chang’e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon
Following a December 7, 2018 launch on a Long March-3B/G3Z rocket, China has now landed its fourth and most ambitious lunar exploration mission on Thursday, January 3, 2019. This is the first mission to land on the far side of the Moon. The Chang’e-4 mission is part of the second phase of China’s lunar program,…
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How engineers (and astronauts) made Apollo 8’s ‘Earthrise’ trip to the moon possible 50 years ago
Apollo 8’s astronauts were the first to witness Earthrise from lunar orbit, on Christmas Eve in 1968. (NASA Photo / Bill Anders) It’s been 50 years to the day since Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders’ “Earthrise” photo changed our world forever, but that mission to the moon and back wouldn’t have happened the way it…