Moon

NASA's Artemis 1 lunar mission ended today in a splashdown of the uncrewed Orion capsule in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California at 9:40 am PST, after which it was recovered by the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland.

NASA's Artemis 1 mission is on track for its December 11 splashdown after the uncrewed Orion spacecraft completed a second powered flyby of the Moon today that brought it within 79 miles (127 km) of the lunar surface at 11:42 am EST.

NASA's Artemis 1 Moon mission has left lunar orbit and is returning to Earth. At 4:53 pm EST, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft fired its main engine for one minute and 45 seconds, placing it on a lunar flyby trajectory that will ultimately send it home.

NASA's Artemis 1 mission notched up a new record today, when the uncrewed Orion spacecraft reached the farthest distance from Earth achieved by a human-rated spacecraft, breaking the previous record set by Apollo 13 on April 15, 1970.

After a lift-off from the Kennedy Space Center last Wednesday and a close fly-by of the Moon earlier this week, it had been pretty smooth sailing for NASA’s Artemis I mission so far. Mission control has now experienced a small hiccup, however.

NASA's Artemis 1 deep-space mission reached a major goal today as the uncrewed spacecraft successfully completed its powered flyby of the Moon that brought it within 81 miles (130 km) of the lunar surface.

NASA is pressing ahead with its Artemis I mission, putting recent setbacks behind it to schedule another launch attempt. According to the agency, the rocket and spacecraft will be returned to the pad in early November ahead of lift-off later that month.

It’s believed that the Moon formed billions of years ago, from debris from a cosmic collision with Earth. New high-resolution simulations not only illustrate the idea in stunning detail, but reveal that the Moon’s birth might have taken mere hours.

As Florida braces for a strengthening Hurricane Ian, which is expected to bring powerful storms and flooding rainfall to the state, NASA is taking no chances with its massive Moon rocket and Orion capsule.

Saturn is home to several solar system mysteries. Using data from Cassini, astronomers now suggest a simple answer to a few questions – a lost moon once orbited the planet before being torn to shreds.

Even if it eventually becomes available, a vacation to the Moon is going to be financially out of reach for many. However, a $5 billion architecture proposal aims to offer visitors a tiny taste of lunar life right here on Earth.

It seems China's Chang'E-5 robotic Moon mission has discovered more than water on the lunar surface. Scientists have confirmed the discovery of a new mineral, a transparent crystal named Changesite-(Y), as well as a promising potential fusion fuel.