More than 4.2 billion years ago, the moon turned itself inside out to create the lunar surface that has become familiar to humanity. Most scientists agree that the moon was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, when another massive body in the solar system struck Earth, ejecting molten material into space, which coalesced to form … Read more
Several countries are targeting the moon as a destination beyond Earth for long-term human presence. NASA is once again touted to get another literal ‘stepping stone’ to the moon through its Artemis program. the way to trump and train for marching to Mars. In many ways, such a future endeavor could be compared to Antarctica, … Read more
After a nerve-wracking descent and tense silence from the lunar surface, the United States is back on the moon. Odysseus, a robotic lander built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, landed near the moon’s south pole tonight (Feb. 22). It was a milestone for space exploration: No private spacecraft had ever landed softly on the moon … Read more
Sending human remains to the moon with the first commercial lunar lander, Peregrine 1, on January 8, 2024, along with scientific instruments, caused controversy. Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation, objected, saying that “the moon occupies a sacred place” in Navajo and other tribal traditions and should not be defiled in this way. The … Read more
Sending human remains to the moon with the first commercial lunar lander, Peregrine 1, on January 8, 2024, along with scientific instruments, caused controversy. Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation, objected, saying that “the moon occupies a sacred place” in Navajo and other tribal traditions and should not be defiled in this way. The … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. For thousands of years, the moon inspired people from afar, but the bright beacon in Earth’s night sky – more than 200,000 miles (321,868 kilometers) away – remained out of reach. That all changed on … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. For thousands of years, the moon inspired people from afar, but the bright beacon in Earth’s night sky – more than 200,000 miles (321,868 kilometers) away – remained out of reach. That all changed on … Read more
For better or worse, the moon is officially open for business. On Monday (Jan. 8), United Launch Alliance’s shiny new Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander and the Celestis and Elysium commemorative payloads of human remains and DNA. Two memorial companies, Elysium Space and … Read more
The year 2023 proved to be a big year for space missions, with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returning a sample of an asteroid and India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission exploring the moon’s south pole, and 2024 will be another exciting year for space exploration. Several new missions under NASA’s Artemis plan and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative … Read more