Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 03, 2009 - Much attention has been focused on plans by various nations to return astronauts to the Moon. At the moment, it doesn't seem that anyone will be landing there for at least another decade. America is revising its original plans for the Orion program, which calls for a return to lunar orbital missions and landings.
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 25, 2009 - We've studied the human body in weightlessness for decades, and we now have a fairly good understanding of how it affects us. It's important to know this. Weightlessness, or microgravity, can seriously influence the health and performance of astronauts.
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Nov 24, 2009 - Nowadays, solar eclipses are seen as a fascinating natural phenomenon. In earlier times, people viewed them instead as something threatening, since the Sun provides us with light and heat, without which life on Earth could not flourish.
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 20, 2009 - 2009 will go down in history as one of the greatest years for lunar exploration. We were stunned by the discovery that the sun-drenched lunar surface, once thought to be bone dry, hosts small traces of water! Orbital observations of the Moon's polar regions revealed areas that are probably the coldest regions in the solar system, with temperatures plunging below that of Pluto!
Huntsville AL (SPX)) Nov 19, 2009 - NASA has successfully completed a series of autonomous drop tests of a robotic lander test article - in a record 10 months - to demonstrate the ability to perform a controlled landing on the moon or other airless planetary bodies.
Huntsville AL (SPX) Nov 16, 2009 - The argument that the Moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water. Researchers have revealed preliminary data from NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicating that water exists in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the Moon.
Washington (AFP) Nov 14, 2009 - The dramatic revelation of a significant amount of frozen water found on the moon has been hailed by the jubilent US space agency as heralding a giant leap forward in space exploration.
Washington (AFP) Nov 13, 2009 - The moon, which is once again the focus of an international space race, could hold the key to the birth of our planet some 4.5 billion years ago, and help unlock the oldest secrets of the universe.
The Moon is a harsh place, as decades of direct exploration have demonstrated. It carries all of the risks of conventional spaceflight, then adds to them.
Paris, France (ESA) Nov 09, 2009 - ESA's Education Office has awarded a contract to Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd of the UK to manage the development and testing of the first European student mission to the Moon. Launch is expected in 2013-2014.
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 09, 2009 - NASA is accepting applications from students at U.S. colleges and universities who want to send their experiments to the edge of space on a high-flying scientific balloon.
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 03, 2009 - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) released data from the lunar explorer KAGUYA (SELENE) (L2 products) during the nominal operation phase (from December 21, 2007 to October 31, 2008) to the public through the Internet. L2 products are calibrated/validated processed data from KAGUYA science mission instruments.
Sydeny, Australia (SPX) Oct 27, 2009 - When Apollo astronauts landed on the Moon, they found it wasn't easy to walk around. The low gravity, uneven ground and bulky spacesuits hindered their movement. To move long distances quickly, the astronauts found it was easier to make small kangaroo hops with both legs. They would literally propel themselves above the surface before they made gentle falls to the ground.
Pasadena CA (SPX) Oct 26, 2009 - NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small. Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, also was found in the lunar soil. The findings were published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.
Huntsville AL (SPX) Oct 26, 2009 - Right now, the Moon is a ghost town. Nothing stirs. Here and there, an abandoned Apollo rover - or the dusty base of a lunar lander - linger as silent testimony to past human activity. But these days, only occasional asteroid impacts disrupt the decades-long spell of profound stillness.
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Oct 20, 2009 - Nineteen teams pushed their robot competitors to the limit, and three teams claimed a total of $750,000 in NASA prizes at this year's Regolith Excavation Challenge on Oct. 18. This is the first time in the competition's three-year history that any team qualified for a cash prize, the largest NASA has awarded to date.
