Moon

Radiation is a major danger of space travel, and with human crews heading back to the Moon it’s important to understand the risks. Now we have the clearest data on that to date, thanks to an instrument onboard the Chinese lunar lander Chang’e-4.

Last year, NASA awarded a contract to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and its spinoff Astrobotic to build an autonomous Moon rover as a technology demonstrator and water prospector. The rover has now completed its preliminary design review.

NRAO has announced a new addition to NASA’s upcoming moon-shot Artemis program. From the silent skies on the far side of the Moon, the DAPPER spacecraft will listen out for radio signals from the cosmic “Dark Ages,” before the first stars fired up.

NASA has released an updated outline of its Artemis program to return US astronauts to the Moon and set up a permanent human presence there, beginning with the landing of the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Blasting spacesuits with a beam of electrons could cause jagged, abrasive particles of moon dust to leap right off them. Finding a way to deal with the sharp particles is a priority for NASA as the agency seeks to return to the Moon.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation have released the official nickname for their manned pressurized, long-range lunar rover that is powered by fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology.

A full-sized mock-up of the lander that may one day put the next US astronauts on the Moon was unveiled today in Houston. The mock-up of the Human Landing System will be used to help astronauts and NASA engineers provide feedback on the final design.

Julien's Auctions is offering a trio of historic Apollo 11 artifacts as part of its Legends & Explorers auction. Three of the hand controllers used to steer the Columbia spacecraft are expected to fetch between US$80,000 and $200,000 each.

NASA's Artemis mission will (hopefully) take astronauts to the Moon in 2024 … and when those people get there, they'll need to go to the bathroom. With that in mind, the space agency is now looking to the public for ideas for "moon toilets."

NASA has awarded Astrobotic a US$199.5-million contract to deliver the space agency's VIPER to the Moon. The Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company will provide end-to-end delivery of the unmanned water-prospecting rover under NASA's CLPS program.

There are some places that a solar-powered rover just can’t reach, like the Moon’s polar regions that are permanently in shadow. Now, ESA has outlined a new system where a lander shines a laser at a rover to keep it powered from miles away.

Danish design duo Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sørensen have been busy developing a self-expanding lunar module, which they plan on putting to the test in the harsh environment of Northern Greenland later this year.