Topics: Astronautics, Astrophysics, Moonbase, NASA One of the key challenges in building and sustaining a permanent settlement on the moon, as in 2001: A Space Odyssey, is finding a reliable and economical means of transporting essential resources, such as water and energy. The good news is that while the moon may look like a barren wastelandContinue reading “Hitchhikers…”
Category Archives: Astronautics
Dr. Ronald E. McNair…
Topics: African Americans, Astronautics, Black History Month, Diversity in Science, Lasers, NASA, Space Shuttle, Spaceflight Ronald McNair (born October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina, U.S.—died January 28, 1986, in flight, off of Cape Canaveral, Florida) was an American physicist and astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster. McNair received a bachelor’s degree in physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, in 1971 andContinue reading “Dr. Ronald E. McNair…”
Colonel Frederick D. Gregory…
Ronald McNair, Guion Bluford, and Frederick Gregory, NASA’s first Black astronauts, from the 1978 astronaut class. Topics: African Americans, Astronautics, Black History Month, Diversity in Science, NASA, Space Shuttle, Spaceflight Frederick Drew Gregory is the first astronaut born, reared, and educated in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, which is also home to the Smithsonian’s NationalContinue reading “Colonel Frederick D. Gregory…”
Dr. Guion “Guy” S. Bluford Jr…
Topics: African Americans, Astronautics, Black History Month, Diversity in Science, NASA, Space Shuttle, Spaceflight Dr. Guion “Guy” S. Bluford Jr. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) was the first African American to fly in space. He was also the first African American to return to space a second, third and fourth time. As the first African American toContinue reading “Dr. Guion “Guy” S. Bluford Jr…”
Canceling V.I.P.E.R…
The completed VIPER rover awaits one of two fates: be sent to the Moon by an organization other than NASA or be cannibalized for its parts and instruments. Credit: NASA Topics: Astrobiology, Astronautics, Astrophysics, Chemistry, COVID-19, NASA, Space Exploration, Spectrographic Analysis “Boldly going” has budget constraints, but all is not lost. “Plan B” is atContinue reading “Canceling V.I.P.E.R…”
The Checkbook of Space Travel…
An illustration of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in orbit around the moon. (Image credit: Lockheed Martin) Topics: Astronautics, History, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo missions sent a total of a dozen astronauts to the surface of the moon — and that was before the explosion of modern technology. So why does it seem likeContinue reading “The Checkbook of Space Travel…”
Valentina Tereshkova…
Valentina Tereshkova. Credit: ESA Topics: Astronautics, ESA, History, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight, Women in Science The first female cosmonaut flew years before NASA put a man on the Moon and decades before any other country would send a woman into orbit. On a drab Sunday in Moscow in November 1963, a dark-suited man stood besideContinue reading “Valentina Tereshkova…”
Fly Them to the Moon…
The Artemis 2 crew, from left to right: Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. (NASA TV) Topics: Astronautics, Astrophysics, International Space Station, NASA, Space Exploration NASA has selected the four astronauts that will travel to the Moon during the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, which will be humanity’s first crewed return to theContinue reading “Fly Them to the Moon…”
Life Detector…
An Orbitrap cell. Credit: Ricardo Arevalo Topics: Astrobiology, Astronautics, Biology, Laser, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Exploration As space missions delve deeper into the outer solar system, the need for more compact, resource-conserving, and accurate analytical tools have become increasingly critical—especially as the hunt for extraterrestrial life and habitable planets or moons continues. A University ofContinue reading “Life Detector…”
Caveat Colonizing…
Topics: Astronautics, Climate Change, Environment, Futurism, Global Warming, Mars, Spaceflight When Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, he envisioned a greenhouse on Mars, not unlike the one later depicted in the 2015 blockbuster The Martian. Soon, his fantasy grew from a small-scale botanical experiment into a vision for a self-sustaining Martian city. In a speech at theContinue reading “Caveat Colonizing…”
Physics and Nano 