#beresheet mission

[piratesexmachine420]

Copy and pasting the following from a discussion of this video in a discord server I'm in, because I think it's a point worth making:

It's very annoying to see how telephone game'd the Mars Climate Orbiter failure has become.

It didn't crash into Mars, it was simply too low when it went for an aerobrake pass. It definitely didn't leave "a scar that you can see from the other orbiters". Mark is probably either thinking of Beagle 2 or Mars Polar Lander, or maybe one of the more recent unmanned lunar landers (Beresheet, maybe?).

It wasn't a mixup of inches and centimeters, it was a mixup of pound force-seconds and newton-seconds.

Lockheed weren't idiots, and it's frankly insulting to all teams involved to claim so. The actual MCO mishap investigation report -- which Mark clearly either hasn't read or hasn't read thoroughly -- clearly states throughout that while the direct cause of failure was the faulty data in the Angular Momentum Desaturation modeling file (not just incorrect units, but also formatting issues and just plain errors), the root causes were multivalent:

The ops. team were understaffed and running three missions simultaneously.

Team members were inadequately trained.

Inadequate onboard navigation ("total reliant on [the] Earth-based Deep Space Network")

Contingency maneuvers that could have saved the mission, weren't taken because the teams weren't prepared (or able to prepare) for them.

End-to-end testing of the software stack, which should have been performed beforehand, never occurred.

And more! You can read the MCO phase I mishap report here and phase II here, if you're interested in learning what actually happened, instead of just blaming Lockheed for being stupid degenerate Americans with no safety culture.

You might notice with a sense of dramatic irony that the MCO phase I report makes a lot of recommendations for the concurrent MPL program; that mission would similarly fail less than a month after the report's publication for related reasons (not the units mixup part, the other ones).

MCO was not an isolated incident and it's frankly malpractice to ignore that (by omission or otherwise). The 90s were bad for space programs, mostly down to budget pressures. The MCO phase II report goes deep into the problems with NASA "Faster, Better, Cheaper" philosophy at the time.

Let me summarize: MCO was not a failure of software design. It was not a failure of unit conversion, either. It was a failure of project management. While the course (in)corrections were what doomed MCO directly, it was always going to be something. The team running MCO simply could not have succeeded given the conditions they were in. If it was anyone's fault, it was Congress' fault for not funding the deep space program enough.

[gaetaniu]

I tardigradi hanno colonizzato la Luna?

Una sonda spaziale che si è schiantata sulla Luna cinque anni fa, potrebbe aver dato un passaggio ai curiosi piccoli invertebrati noti come tardigradi. Chiamato Beresheet e costruito da SpaceIL e Israel Aerospace Industries, doveva essere il primo veicolo spaziale privato a eseguire un atterraggio morbido sul nostro satellite. Entrò in orbita lunare il 22 febbraio 2019 ma la missione ebbe…

[cinquecolonnemagazine]

Spazi: la sfida di Intuitive Machines

La compagnia americana Intuitive Machines ha dato il via alla sua seconda missione lunare, "IM-1", con l'obiettivo di diventare la prima entità privata a realizzare un atterraggio morbido sulla Luna. Il lander Nova-C di forma esagonale, soprannominato "Odysseus", è decollato a bordo di un razzo SpaceX Falcon 9 all'1:00 del mattino (ora locale). Intuitive Machines: un viaggio verso la storia Il lander è alimentato da un nuovo tipo di motore a metano liquido e ossigeno super raffreddato, che gli permette di raggiungere la Luna in tempi rapidi evitando la pericolosa fascia di Van Allen. Nonostante un rinvio di un giorno per problemi tecnici, "Odysseus" dovrebbe raggiungere il cratere Malapert A il 22 febbraio. Obiettivi scientifici e commerciali La NASA ha finanziato la missione con 118 milioni di dollari per due scopi principali: testare tecnologie per la futura esplorazione umana della Luna e raccogliere dati su ghiaccio lunare che potrebbe essere utilizzato come acqua potabile e carburante per missili. Oltre agli strumenti scientifici, "Odysseus" trasporta anche 125 mini-sculture dell'artista americano Jeff Koons. Sfide e concorrenza L'atterraggio morbido sulla Luna è un'impresa complessa, resa ancora più ardua dalla mancanza di atmosfera e dal ritardo di comunicazione di diversi secondi. Intuitive Machines non è la prima a tentare l'impresa: la missione "Peregrine" di Astrobotic è fallita a gennaio, mentre altre compagnie come Beresheet (Israele) e Ispace (Giappone) hanno avuto atterraggi "duri". Il futuro dell'esplorazione lunare Intuitive Machines ha in programma altri due lanci per quest'anno, mentre Firefly Aerospace, un'altra società del Texas, ne ha uno in programma. Astrobotic ci riproverà a fine 2024. La competizione è serrata, ma il successo di una di queste missioni private aprirebbe la strada a una nuova era di esplorazione lunare. Un'eredità da conquistare Solo cinque nazioni hanno finora raggiunto la Luna: Unione Sovietica, Stati Uniti, Cina, India e Giappone. La Cina è stata la più attiva negli ultimi anni, con tre atterraggi dal 2013. Gli Stati Uniti, che vantano l'unica esperienza di missioni umane sulla Luna, sono ansiosi di riprendere il loro ruolo di leader nell'esplorazione spaziale. La speranza di un nuovo inizio La missione "IM-1" rappresenta un passo importante verso questo obiettivo. Il successo di Intuitive Machines dimostrerebbe la capacità del settore privato di contribuire all'esplorazione spaziale e potrebbe ispirare una nuova generazione di pionieri lunari. Foto di LoganArt da Pixabay Read the full article

[spacenutspod]

Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar lander appears to have achieved a soft touchdown on the Moon’s surface but is currently unable to generate electricity from onboard solar cells. With the spacecraft running only on internal battery power, controllers are working to balance the recording and downloading of data, utilizing the remaining battery life to maximum effect. The reason for the lack of electrical generation is not currently known, but officials report that the solar cells do not appear to be damaged and that all other systems are working as designed. There is some optimism that sunlight may reach the solar cells and recharge the batteries, but this is by no means guaranteed. The mission has been officially marked as reaching its minimum success levels at this time, subject to further data analysis. Four months after launching from Tanegashima Space Center, SLIM, led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), made a landing near Shioli, an impact crater within the larger Mare Nectaris (“Sea of Nectar”) at 11:20 PM JST on Jan. 19, 2024 (15:20 UTC). SLIM has been on a unique voyage involving two close approaches to the Moon and orbits, which took it out into deep space, traveling for 110 days before making a lunar insertion burn on Christmas Day into a Lunar Orbit of 15 x 600 kilometers. Further burns have slowly lowered and circularised the orbit. The long looping trajectory was designed to save vital fuel and mass for the landing phase, giving the spacecraft the best possible chance for a soft landing. JAXA Update on SLIM: Lander did land, they have comms, but the solar cell is not generating electricity. On battery power. Trying to maximize science. LEV separated as planned but JAXA needs more time to gather data. https://t.co/4Wct726bum — Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) January 19, 2024 Japan was hoping to join the small group of countries that have soft-landed on the Moon, along with Russia, the United States, China, and, more recently, India. Japan has had two previous attempts at landing on the Moon — Omotenashi and Hakuto-R — both of which failed. There have also been several other notable failed attempts at a Lunar landing in recent years: Omotenashi was a small 6u cubesat launched from Artemis 1, which had issues with solar cell orientation and was lost. Hakuto-R was a commercial lander designed by the Japanese company iSpace. This lander crashed into the Moon on April 25, 2023, following confusion between the various navigation systems leading to fuel exhaustion. Previously, in 2019, Israel’s Beresheet lander was another failure, crashing onto the Moon’s surface after a gyroscope failed, resulting in loss of control of the craft. More recently, the Astrobotic Peregrine One lunar lander was unable to attempt a Moon landing following an anomaly in the propulsion system, which, in turn, caused problems keeping the spacecraft in a Sun-facing orientation. Propellant leaking from the system added to the issues, ruling out any landing attempt. The leak slowed down as the days passed, which allowed controllers to concentrate on allowing Peregrine to complete as much science as possible. Astrobotic was able to maintain transparent and informative communication with the public throughout the mission. Controllers steered the lander carefully and responsibly to avoid creating any space debris, bringing it onto a course to intercept Earth’s atmosphere, where it burned up safely over the Pacific on Jan.18, 2024. SLIM’s primary mission was to demonstrate that advanced navigation and radar systems can provide a pinpoint landing within 100 meters of any given target. To achieve this vastly improved accuracy, the spacecraft carried several advanced instruments, including a laser range finder and a landing radar. During its descent to the lunar surface, the lander was able to compare the terrain below to high-resolution imagery gathered from Japan’s previous lunar orbiter, Kaguya, and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, to make autonomous real-time decisions about its speed and course using image processing algorithms developed by JAXA. Accurately targeted landings are seen as vital for ensuring optimum results from future landers, but the final position of this landing may not be known for some weeks, according to JAXA officials. The target for landing, the Shioli crater, is an impact crater about 300 meters wide and has important scientific potential, not least for the suspected presence of the mineral olivine, which is conjectured to comprise part of the Moon’s mantle. The near-infrared Multi-Band Camera aboard SLIM will determine the composition of olivine by analyzing the spectra of sunlight reflected off the lunar surface. The data will further inform scientists about the early formation of the Moon. See AlsoSLIM Mission UpdatesMore Japanese Missions CoverageNSF StoreClick here to Join L2 The second major objective for this mission is the “realization of a lightweight lunar and planetary probe system to allow more frequent lunar and planetary exploration missions.” To this end, SLIM has been through thoughtful weight reduction, using modern construction techniques, and a powerful chemical-based thruster system. The structural core of the spacecraft is the integrated fuel tank, a cylinder that holds both fuel and oxidizer using a common dome to save mass. The oxidizer portion has a specially developed form of Polytetrafluoroethylene lining to prevent reaction. There are two main engines, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. KYOCERA Corporation. These feature ceramic combustion chambers, a very wide thrust range, and can fire using advanced pulsing techniques to aid precision positioning. The engines each provide around 500 newtons of thrust and are used for the main insertion burns during transit to the Moon and the descent/landing burn. Thrusters used to provide attitude control were built by IHI AEROSPACE Co. Ltd. There are 12 of these thrusters, each with a thrust rating of around 20 newtons. They use the same fuel/oxidizer as the main engines to aid in the lightweight design by avoiding the need for additional fuel tanks. Graphic showing SLIM’s landing procedure. (Credit: JAXA) The solar panel arrays for SLIM are built by the SHARP Corporation and are made of thin, light, and flexible film. These are designed to bend around some of the curved surfaces of the craft and are attached simply with velcro in some places. SLIM was designed to land on a slope of approximately 15 degrees from the horizontal. As the spacecraft approached its landing with the main engines pointing downward to reduce the rate of descent, the thrusters were expected to tip the craft over to about 45 degrees, so that the main landing legs touch down first and then the craft completes the rotation into horizontal mode with the auxiliary legs touching down last. The legs all have a crush pad of 3D-printed aluminum alloy to absorb any impact stresses during touchdown. Just before landing, SLIM ejected two small automata Lunar Excursion Vehicles (LEV), LEV-1 and LEV-2. These will explore and photograph the surrounding environment and the lander, each utilizing novel experimental propulsion techniques. LEV-1 is designed to hop frog-like around the Lunar surface, not only taking photos but also measuring slope, elevation, temperature, and radiation of the local lunar environment. This rover is also capable of direct communication back to Earth. LEV-2 has been developed by JAXA in collaboration with Tomy, Sony, and Doshisha University, Japan. Weighing a mere 250 grams and only eight centimeters in diameter, this baseball-shaped vehicle has been inspired by co-developer Tomy’s Transformers toys. The initial design concept had to be reduced in size and weight to meet the limitations imposed by the mission’s lightweight ideals. On landing, the ball split apart to form two wheels and reveal pop-out cameras and a stabilizer. The method of forward movement, a waggling motion was inspired by that of the sea turtle. This collaboration with Tomy is intended to inspire children to dream big, and indeed a toy version of SORA-Q as LEV-2 is also known, is being sold in Japan. SLIM ejects two LEV’s onto the Moon. (Credit: JAXA) LEV-1 will beam data from both LEVs back to the Deep Space Network stations on Earth. Before the landing, the information available suggested that SLIM is a limited lifetime proof of concept lander, and was expected to function only until the Sun sets on the landing site after a maximum of 14 Earth days. At this point, the spacecraft would lose all power, and the electronics would likely be damaged by the extreme cold of the lunar night. However, since the issue with the electrical supply became known, the JAXA officials are suggesting that the lander could be put into sleep mode until the Sun lights the cells again. There has been an upturn in interest in landing on the Moon, and there are several more landing attempts due in the near future. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) is providing incentives for commercial partners to demonstrate reliable cargo delivery capabilities to support the Artemis mission. CLPS has already produced the Peregrine One mission, which has provided data, and experience and generated public interest despite its failure to land. Intuitive Machines is hoping to succeed with its first Moon landing attempt when its Nova-C lander launches as early as February 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Nova-C is described as being the size of a telephone box and carries 130 kilograms of payload, mostly instrumentation for NASA, but also a cubesat and a deployable camera called EagleCAM. Intuitive Machines has three missions for Nova-C under the CLPS contract. Japan has a second Hakuto-R mission planned for NET Q4 2024. This mission, named Resilience, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and will feature a micro-rover. (Lead image: Render of the SLIM Lander on the Moon. Credit: JAXA) The post Japan’s SLIM lands on the Moon, power issues cast doubt on lander’s survival appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[bitcoincables]

Bitcoin Genesis Plate Sent to the Moon Aboard Peregrine 1 Spacecraft

The Peregrine 1 spacecraft, developed by a partnership including BitMEX, has taken off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the "Bitcoin Genesis Plate." 🚀 The Genesis Plate includes a physical coin engraved with a private key and a public vanity address, making it "the first-ever financial asset sent to the Moon." 🌕 The Bitcoin wallet on the coin is loaded with 1 BTC. The spacecraft is expected to make the first commercial landing on the Moon on 23 February. The mission is symbolic of the goal to create a "monetary system for a space economy," according to BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz.

The Peregrine 1 spacecraft, carrying 20 payloads including the Bitcoin Genesis Plate, is a joint project by BitMEX, robotics firm Astrobotic Technology, Bitcoin Magazine, and Oxcart Assembly. The Genesis Plate contains a copy of the Genesis Block, the first block of bitcoin ever mined, along with a physical coin holding a private key and a public vanity address. The spacecraft, which launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, marks a major step forward in the pursuit of a commercial moon landing. Previous attempts, such as Israel's Beresheet spacecraft in 2019, have not been successful. 🌑

Bitcoin's value was seen to rise on Monday, reaching just above $45,000 as the Peregrine 1 spacecraft embarked on its journey to the Moon. The Bitcoin Genesis Plate, loaded with 1 BTC, is a representation of the cryptocurrency community's vision to create a monetary system for the space economy. The partnership behind the project aims to allow individuals to interact with the physical coin both on Earth and in space. However, given the lack of a moon-based Bitcoin full node connected to the internet, this interaction is currently limited to Earth. 🌍

Read the original article Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Space Moon

[cavenewstimes]

Second Israeli lunar lander faces funding uncertainty

A model of the original Beresheet lander on display at IAI’s booth at the International Astronautical Congress in Dubai. Beresheet 2 will use a very different design, with two smaller landers and an orbiter. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust WASHINGTON — As India prepares to launch its second lunar lander mission, the fate of a second Israeli lander is in doubt after the organization developing it…

[laocommunity]

Watch the jaw-dropping footage of Lunar spacecraft plunging 3 miles before epic crash on the moon

Watch the jaw-dropping footage of Lunar spacecraft plunging 3 miles before epic crash on the moon Watch the Jaw-Dropping Footage of Lunar Spacecraft Plunging 3 Miles Before Epic Crash on the Moon If you're fascinated by the mysteries of space, you may have heard about the recent lunar crash of the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet. The mission marked Israel's first attempt to land on the moon. Unfortunately, it ended in disaster when Beresheet crash-landed onto the lunar surface. However, the journey of Beresheet has captivated the attention of people all around the world. The highlight of this journey is the jaw-dropping footage of the spacecraft plunging 3 miles before the epic crash on the moon. It's a moment that has to be seen to be believed. In this article, we will take a closer look at this fascinating event and explore what led to this moment of impact. Introduction Beresheet was an unmanned spacecraft built by the nonprofit Israeli company SpaceIL. The goal of the mission was to land on the moon and conduct scientific experiments. The spacecraft was launched on February 22, 2019, from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After weeks of travel, Beresheet finally arrived at the moon's orbit on April 4, 2019. The Lunar Plunge On April 11, 2019, Beresheet made its final descent to the moon's surface. The spacecraft was successfully navigating its way down when its main engine malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to lose control. The team on the ground could not regain communication with the spacecraft, and it started to plummet towards the surface. As Beresheet neared the lunar surface, the Israeli Space Agency's lunar lander crashed. However, Beresheet's cameras remained active, capturing the entire descent and eventual impact. The footage was streamed live and quickly went viral, captivating people all over the world. The Impact The impact of Beresheet on the lunar surface was a major disappointment for the team behind SpaceIL. The spacecraft suffered considerable damage, but scientists managed to retrieve data from the onboard experiments. The team's disappointment with the outcome of the mission was palpable, but they remain optimistic about the future of space exploration. The Beresheet Mission's Significance The Beresheet mission was a significant moment in the history of space exploration. It marked Israel's first attempt to land on the moon, which is a major milestone for the country's space program. Additionally, the mission was spearheaded by SpaceIL, a nonprofit organization, which shows that private individuals and organizations have a significant role to play in space exploration. What Went Wrong? After Beresheet's successful arrival in the moon's orbit, the spacecraft began its descent towards the surface. However, as it was making its way down, the spacecraft's main engine malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to lose control. The team on the ground attempted to regain communication with the spacecraft, but it was too late. Beresheet started to plummet towards the surface, and there was nothing the team could do to stop it. What's Next? Despite the setback, SpaceIL and the Israeli Space Agency remain committed to space exploration. The team behind Beresheet is already planning their next mission, which they hope will be successful. The Beresheet mission has shown that space exploration is challenging and fraught with risk, but it's a necessary step for humans to expand their knowledge of the universe beyond their planet. FAQs Q. Was the Beresheet mission successful? A. No, the mission ended in a crash landing on the moon's surface. Q. Was anyone injured in the Beresheet crash? A. No, the spacecraft was unmanned, and no one was injured. Q. Who built Beresheet? A. Beresheet was built by the nonprofit Israeli company SpaceIL. Q. How did Beresheet's engine malfunction? A. The exact cause of the malfunction is not yet known, but it caused the spacecraft to lose control during its descent. Q. Will there be another attempt to land on the moon? A. Yes, SpaceIL and the Israeli Space Agency are already planning their next mission. Q. What was the goal of the Beresheet mission? A. The goal of the mission was to land on the moon and conduct scientific experiments. Conclusion While the Beresheet mission may not have ended as planned, it's still a significant moment in the history of space exploration. The footage of Beresheet's lunar plunge is a breathtaking reminder of the challenges and risks associated with space exploration. Despite the setback, the team behind the mission is already planning their next attempt, which shows their unwavering commitment to advancing our understanding of the universe. Watch the jaw-dropping footage of Lunar spacecraft plunging 3 miles before epic crash on the moon is an experience that will remain etched in our memories for years to come. #TECH Read the full article

[sciencespies]

Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon

https://sciencespies.com/space/japanese-firm-ispace-is-racing-to-put-first-private-lander-on-the-moon/

Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon

The Japanese Hakuto-R lander is vying to be the first privately-funded spacecraft to land on the moon

Space 28 November 2022

By Leah Crane

The ispace lunar lander inside the fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket

ispace

A Japanese company called ispace is getting ready to launch its Hakuto-R lunar lander on 30 November. If the mission is a success, it will be the first spacecraft funded and built by a private firm to ever land on the moon – provided it isn’t beaten by competitors set to launch next year on a more direct route through space.

The Israeli non-profit SpaceIL made a similar landing attempt in 2019 with the Beresheet spacecraft, but it suffered a fatal engine flaw during the landing attempt and ended up crashing on the lunar surface. Like SpaceIL, ispace started working on its lander as part of the Google Lunar X Prize, which offered a cash prize to the first successful moon landing not funded by a government. The prize ended without a winner in January 2018, and so far, only governments – the US, the Soviet Union and China – have managed to land on the moon.

Since the X Prize, ispace has grown to become a multinational firm with offices in Japan, the US and Luxembourg. “We’re a quite international business already, and I’d like to position ispace as an international bridge between the US and other companies,” says ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada. The company now has contracts with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to land on the lunar far side and collect samples of moon dust and water, as well as other collaborations with companies and agencies around the world.

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Its first mission, called M-1, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 30 November. The lander will carry a small rover for the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), an even smaller two-wheeled robot for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and a camera and flight computer prototype for Canadian companies. If it succeeds, it will not only be the first private moon landing but also the first time any craft from Japan or the United Arab Emirates has visited the lunar surface.

Hakuto-R’s path to the moon is a circuitous one, designed to require less fuel so the spacecraft can fit more scientific payloads aboard. Rather than flying straight there, it will use the gravity of Earth and the sun to give it an extra push during its four-month voyage. The two-metre-tall craft will weigh about 1000 kilograms when it launches, but most of that mass is propellant which will be burned on the way, and the lander will have a mass of only 340 kilograms by the time it touches down.

Once it arrives at the moon, it will spend about two weeks in orbit, with each circle around the moon taking it closer to the surface. Finally, if all goes well, it will land softly in an area called Atlas Crater.

There is a slight wrench in ispace’s plan to be the first private firm on the moon, though: there are two other contenders from the US, the Nova-C lander built by Intuitive Machines and the Peregrine lander from Astrobotic. While both spacecraft are not scheduled to launch until early next year, they will take more direct routes to the moon and could potentially beat Hakuto-R there.

“We don’t care very much about who is going to land first,” says Hakamada. “Our vision is to create an economically viable lunar ecosystem – I don’t think it’s possible to do that with only one company, so we want several companies to do business there.” The company has two more lunar missions already in development, with the goal of maintaining momentum with launches in 2024 and 2025.

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[beardedmrbean]

10, they forgot Israel. Unless the 'private company' bit is keeping them off of the list, but that would pull Luxembourg off the list too so it's not gonna be that then.

Achieved orbit, but the lander crashed so I'd say that counts as semi successful.

Only nine nations (or political unions) have been to the moon, its orbit or its vicinity as part of a successful or semi-successful missions – and the runner-up doesn’t even exist anymore. The U.S. tops the current list, with 42 completed successful or semi-successful missions.

by StatistaCharts

[eretzyisrael]

Israel’s next lunar landing will include a space bid of a different kind: growing plants on the moon.

The attempt to nurture a host of seeds into plants on the moon is the most ambitious space agriculture experiment in history and will pave the way to understanding how food and medicines can be produced in lunar environments, as well as providing oxygen for astronauts on moon missions.

According to the team of researchers from the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Beersheba’s Ben Gurion University, the project will also enable scientists to advance sustainable food production on Earth.

It is perhaps of no coincidence that the team, a crew of engineers, biologists and space experts, hail from a research institute located in the heart of the Negev desert, which is famous for having gone from barren to blooming.

The plant seeds will accompany Beresheet 2, the spacecraft with which Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL will attempt a double landing with two landers on both sides of the moon in 2025. The mother craft will orbit the moon for a further five years.

The first Beresheet mission crashed on the moon’s surface in April 2019.

The plants have been carefully selected to withstand the extreme temperatures they will face en route for four and a half months, and will be monitored for imaging within 72 hours of landing on the moon.

The plants will receive water and heat on an automated system.

In parallel, experiments using the same seeds and saplings will be conducted by high school students and others in Israel and overseas for the purposes of comparison, said Professor Simon Barak, who is leading the team.

[scifigeneration]

What's on the far side of the Moon?

by Wayne Schlingman

The far side looks a lot like the near side. NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, CC BY

Looking up at the silvery orb of the Moon, you might recognize familiar shadows and shapes on its face from one night to the next. You see the same view of the Moon our early ancestors did as it lighted their way after sundown.

Only one side of the spherical Moon is ever visible from Earth – it wasn’t until 1959 when the Soviet Spacecraft Luna 3 orbited the Moon and sent pictures home that human beings were able to see the “far side” of the Moon for the first time.

Comparison of humanity’s first glimpse of the lunar far side and the same view thanks to LRO data 50 years later. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, CC BY

A phenomenon called tidal locking is responsible for the consistent view. The Earth and its Moon are in close proximity and thus exert significant gravitational forces on each other. These tidal forces slow the rotations of both bodies. They locked the Moon’s rotation in sync with its orbital period relatively soon after it formed – as a product of a collision between a Mars-sized object and the proto-Earth, 100 million years after the solar system coalesced.

The Moon’s orbital period and rotational period are the same length of time.

Now the Moon takes one trip around the Earth in the same amount of time it takes to make one rotation around its own axis: about 28 days. From Earth, we always see the same face of the Moon; from the Moon, the Earth stands still in the sky.

Buzz Aldrin descends from the lunar module to the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969. JSC/NASA, CC BY

The near side of the Moon is well studied because we can see it. The astronauts landed on the near side of the Moon so they could communicate with NASA here on Earth. All of the samples from the Apollo missions are from the near side.

Although the far side of the Moon isn’t visible from our vantage point, and with all due respect to Pink Floyd, it is not accurate to call it the dark side of the Moon. All sides of the moon experience night and day just like we do here on Earth. All sides have equal amounts of day and night over the course of a single month. A lunar day lasts about two Earth weeks.

With modern satellites, astronomers have completely mapped the lunar surface. A Chinese mission, Chang'e 4, is currently exploring the Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon — the first such mission ever landed there. Researchers hope Chang'e 4 will help answer questions about the crater’s surface features and test whether things can grow in lunar soil. A privately funded Israeli mission, Beresheet, started as a mission to compete for the Google Lunar X Prize. Despite crashing during an attempted landing earlier this month, the Beresheet team still won the Moon Shot Award.

Being shielded from civilization means the far side of the moon is “radio dark.” There, researchers can measure weak signals from the universe that would otherwise be drowned out. Chang'e 4, for instance, will be able to observe low-frequency radio light coming from the Sun or beyond that’s impossible to detect here on the Earth due to human activity, such as TV and radio broadcasts and other forms of communication signals. Low-frequency radio peers back in time to the very first stars and the very first black holes, giving astronomers a greater understanding of how the structures of the universe began forming.

Arrows indicate position of Chang'e 4 lander on the floor of the Moon’s Von Kármán crater. The sharp crater behind and to the left of the landing site is 12,800 feet across and 1,970 feet deep. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University, CC BY

Rover missions also investigate all sides of the Moon as space scientists prepare for future human missions, looking to the Moon’s resources to help humanity get to Mars. For instance, water – discovered by NASA’s LCROSS satellite beneath the Moon’s north and south poles in 2009 – can be broken up into hydrogen and oxygen and used for fuel and breathing.

Researchers are getting closer to exploring the Moon’s polar craters, some of which have never seen the light of day – literally. They are deep and in just the right place to never have the Sun shine onto the crater floor. There are certainly dark parts of the Moon, but the whole far side isn’t one of them.

About The Author:

Wayne Schlingman is Director of the Arne Slettebak Planetarium at The Ohio State University.

This article is republished from our content partners at The Conversation, under a Creative Commons license. 

[satellyeet]

An artist's illustration of the Beresheet moon lander, built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Israeli Lunar Lander Beresheet

Beresheet was a small robotic lunar lander (a spacecraft designed to conduct a Moon landing) which competed in the Google Lunar X Prize contest to land a spacecraft on the Moon. SpaceIL, an Israeli organization successfully launched it’s lander on 22 February 2019. This would have been the first privately funded moonshot to reach the lunar surface. Beresheet stands about 1.5 meters tall and is designed to spend two Earth days on the moon taking photos and other measurements (for example measure Moon’s magnetic field at the landing site).

Unfortunately the mission ended in failure. On 11 April the lander began it’s de-orbit and landing procedure. The probe was just 25 km from the surface and the team rotated it to slow the spacecraft down and allow it to land. Only a few minutes left to go, Beresheet’s engine cut out unexpectedly and the team lost communication with the lander. They were able to get the motor restarted but lost control and the lander crashed into the lunar surface.

Iisraeli kosmoseaparaat Beresheet

Beresheet oli väike robootiline kosmoseaparaat, mis oli mõeldud Kuule maandumiseks. See osales Google Lunar X Prize’i kosmoseaparaadi Kuule viimise võistlusel. 22. veebruaril 2019 startis Iisraeli organisatsioon SpaceIL kosmoseaparaadi edukalt. See oleks olnud esimene erarahastatud katse jõuda Kuu pinnani. Kosmosesond Beresheet on umber 1,5 meetrit kõrge ja on disainitud veetma 2 Maa päeva Kuu peal tehes pilte ja mõõtes erinevaid asju (näiteks Kuu magnetvälja sondi maandumispaigas).

Kahjuks lõppes missioon ebaõnnestumisega. 11. aprillil alustas kosmoseaparaat Kuu orbiidilt väljumist ja seejärel maandumisprotseduuri. Kosmosesond oli Kuu pinnast 25 kilomeetri kaugusel, tiim juhtis selle pöörlema, et vähendada selle kiirust ja lubada sel maanduda. Ainult mõned minutid olid puudu täielikust maandumisest kui tiim kaotas sondiga ühenduse. Nad olid võimelised mootori uuesti käivitama, kuid kaotasid siiski kontrolli ja kosmoseaparaat kukkus Kuu pinnale puruks.

The crash site of Beresheet spacecraft on the Moon spotted by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

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Japan has become the fifth nation to land a functioning robot on the moon, but the mission could fall short of complete success due to a problem with the lander’s power-generating solar cells.The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, was launched along with an X-ray space telescope called XRISM from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center in early September — and after weeks of in-space maneuvers, SLIM touched down today at 1520 GMT (10:20 a.m. ET Jan. 19, or 12:20 a.m. JST Jan. 20).The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency reported that the landing was successful. During a news briefing, Hiroshi Kuninaka, director general of JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said the achievement marked “a major milestone” in Japan’s effort to send spacecraft to the moon, and eventually to Mars.Kuninaka said SLIM was able to communicate with Earth and respond to commands. “However, it seems that the solar cells are not generating electricity at this point in time,” he said. “And since we are not able to generate electricity, the operation is being done using batteries alone.”Mission controllers prioritized efforts to transmit the data stored on the lander back to Earth before the batteries ran out. SLIM was expected to lose power within hours if the solar panel problem couldn’t be fixed.Kuninaka said the problem could have arisen because the solar cells weren’t properly aligned toward the sun. “We are trying to analyze the data that we’re gathering at this point in time and analyzing the status,” he said.The lander was designed to make a precision touchdown near Shioli Crater, in a region of the moon not far from where the Apollo 11 and Apollo 16 landings took place more than 50 years ago. SLIM’s objective was to land within 100 meters (330 feet) of the targeted landing spot. The plan for an ultra-accurate moonshot explains why SLIM came to be called “Moon Sniper.” Kuninaka said mission managers would need “a little more time” to confirm how close SLIM came to the target.He also said two mini-rovers, known as LEV-1 and LEV-2, were successfully deployed during SLIM’s descent to the surface. LEV-1 is built to capture imagery and record temperature and radiation levels as it hops around the surface. LEV-2 has the shape of a deformable sphere, and is designed to roll around the surface to take pictures.“If LEV-1 and LEV-2 are functioning properly, then SLIM’s photos and images have been taken by LEV-1 and LEV-2. I believe such data is now being sent to us,” Kuninaka said.Despite the power problem, SLIM’s successful landing was a welcome development for JAXA’s space exploration program. It added Japan to a short list of countries that have guided robotic spacecraft to soft landings on the moon — a list that also includes the U.S., Russia, China and India.Other recent developments have demonstrated that putting a robot on the moon isn’t easy. This week, for example, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander fell back to Earth after a propellant leak ruled out a moon landing. Last year, a different type of commercial lander — built by a Japanese startup called ispace — failed during its descent to the lunar surface. Russia’s Luna-25 mission also ended with a crash landing on the moon last year. In 2022, a Japanese mini-probe called Omotenashi failed to function after its deployment during NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission. And in 2019, the Israeli-built Beresheet moon probe failed to stick its landing.In contrast, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander/rover mission and China’s Chang’e missions stand out as notable successes in the recent wave of moon exploration efforts.The post Japan’s Moon Lander Touches Down, But Power Problem Mars Its Mission appeared first on Universe Today.

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“This is a gift for all Israelis,” al-Mansoori said at the pavilion.“I am happy to be here and to give the Israeli flag as a gift to the people here and to the public in Israel.”

UAE astronaut gifts Jewish state with Israeli flag he took to space

Hazzaa al-Mansoori flew to the International Space Station with the national ensign a year before the Abraham Accords normalized relations between the UAE and Israel

The first Emirati astronaut brought an Israeli flag with him when he traveled to the International Space Station in 2019, the director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Alon Ushpiz said in a tweet that Hazzaa al-Mansoori gifted the flag to Israeli officials during a visit this week to the Israeli pavilion at the Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Photos posted by Ushpiz showed al-Mansoori with a small, framed Israeli flag.

The astronaut’s trip — the first by an Arab to the International Space Station — came nearly a year before Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize diplomatic ties as part of the United States-backed Abraham Accords.

In October, Israel and the United Arab Emirates finalized an agreement to collaborate on a number of space projects, including a joint launch of the “Beresheet 2” mission to the moon, Israel’s attempt — its second — to land an unmanned spacecraft on the lunar surface by 2024, when the countries expect to plant their flags alongside each other.

The United Arab Emirates Space Agency also signed a deal at the time with the Israel Space Agency to enhance cooperation in scientific research, space exploration, and knowledge transfer and to conduct joint research based on information from the “VENµS” microsatellite launched in 2017, a collaboration between Israel and France.

Those agreements were the latest step forward in the burgeoning relationship between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi since the signing of the Abraham Accords. The agreements created a buzz of excitement regarding the potential for economic cooperation, particularly in technology.

The Beresheet 2 mission is being coordinated by Israeli non-governmental organization SpaceIL which said in a statement that the agreement with the UAE “created a model for cooperation between the two peoples in many aspects — technological, scientific and educational — which will deepen the connection between the countries and serve as inspiration for further cooperation between Israel and other Arab countries.”

The UAE has its own successful space program, launching the “Amal,” or “Hope,” space probe to Mars earlier this year.

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Beresheet crashed on the moon, but its 'Lunar Library' likely survived - The Arch Mission Foundation's 30-million-page archive of history, books and even magic was built to last longer than Earth itself. via /r/space http://bit.ly/2VaiDWG