What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! UPDATE: FROM ISRO: Chandrayaan-2 update: Lunar Orbit Insertion Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) maneuver was completed successfully today (August 20, 2019). The duration of maneuver was 1738 seconds beginning from 0902 hrs IST. With this, Chandrayaan-2 was successfully inserted into a Lunar orbit. The orbit achieved is 114 km x 18072 km. Following this, a series of orbit maneuvers will be performed on Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft to enable it to enter its final orbit passing over the lunar poles at a distance of about 100 km from the Moon’s surface. Subsequently, the lander will separate from the Orbiter and enters into a 100 km X 30 km orbit around the Moon.  Then, it will perform a series of complex braking maneuvers to soft land in the South polar region of the Moon on September 7, 2019. The health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Ne...

Hi Space Placers! The Moon rush is on. 2019 is going to be the year that humanity starts heading back to the Moon. China's Chang'e 4 mission on the far side is underway and continuing its exploration. SpaceIL, a private Israeli company, has their lunar lander enroute to an April landing on the Moon if all goes well.  Artist Rendition of  Beresheet on the Moon CREDIT: SPACEIL NASA also just announced , " 12 science and technology demonstration payloads to fly to the Moon as early as the end of this year, dependent upon the availability of commercial landers. These selections represent an early step toward the agency’s long-term scientific study and human exploration of the Moon and, later, Mars." And last but certainly not least is NASA's announcement that, " NASA Scientists Show How Ingredients for Water Could Be Made on Surface of Moon, a 'Chemical Factory."    If water can be "made" on the Moon, this is a huge resource...