moon

A Falcon 9 has been roaming through space for more than a year. An astronomer believes it will crash into the Moon in summer

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An upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 has been orbiting uncontrollably for more than a year and astronomers indicate that it will end up crashing on the Moon next August. Although at first it may seem serious, the truth is that it does not represent any danger to us. However, that does not mean that the event has once again revived the debate on the space junk and what may happen in the future if the Moon ends up being inhabited. What is going to happen and when. On August 5, at 8:44 a.m. (Spanish peninsular time), an upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket will collide with the lunar surface at approximately 8,700 km/h, which is equivalent to about seven times the speed of sound. The prediction It was published by Bill Grayprofessional astronomer and developer of Project Pluto software, a widely used tool for tracking near-Earth objects. According to Gray, the impact will occur in the surroundings of Einstein crater, on the edge of the visible side of the Moon from Earth. Where does this piece of rocket come from? The stage in question, cataloged as 2025-010D, is the upper part of the Falcon 9 that launched two private lunar landers on January 15, 2025: the Blue Ghost from Firefly Aerospace and the Hakuto-R from the Japanese company ispace. The first achieved the first completely successful commercial lunar landing in history, touching down at Mare Crisium on March 2, 2025. The second lost contact with Earth during the descent maneuver and crashed. Meanwhile, the rocket’s upper stage continued to orbit. With more than 1,000 observations accumulated since launch, Gray assures There is no doubt: it is this piece of the Falcon 9. Why can’t it be seen from Earth. Although the Moon will be visible to much of the Western Hemisphere at the time of impact, Gray warns that the flash will almost certainly be too faint to detect with ground-based telescopes. The researcher himself remembers what happened with the LCROSS mission from NASA in 2009, when a Centaur stage deliberately impacted the lunar south pole to study the ground and yet no flash could be observed from Earth. The scientific value, if any, will come from further study of the fresh crater left by the impact. No danger, but with a warning. The stage measures 13.8 meters long and 3.7 meters in diameter. Since the Moon does not have an atmosphere, the device will reach the surface intact. There is no risk to lunar infrastructure, rovers or ships in orbit. Still, Gray account which “does highlight a certain lack of care in the way in which remnants of space hardware are disposed of,” he writes in his report. There is a relatively simple technical solution, and that is that with a little more planning and some extra fuel, companies that launch rockets could send these stages to heliocentric orbits (around the Sun), where they would pose no threat to either the Earth or the Moon. Now it matters more. Both the US and China plan to multiply the pace of their lunar missions during the second half of this decade, with the aim of installing semi-permanent bases near the south pole of the Moon. The United States aims for annual missions with Artemis IV and V from 2028; China wants have your own taikonauts stepping on lunar soil before 2030. More missions means more rockets, more unreused upper stages, and therefore more space junk orbiting near the Moon. If there were people or infrastructure on the surface then, things would get serious. It’s not the first time it happens. Gray stumbled upon another rocket stage a few years ago. In 2022, he predicted that a piece of rocket would hit the Moon on March 4 of that year, getting the time right within seconds and the location within just a few kilometers. Gray had initially identified the object as another stage from a Falcon 9, but it turned out to be a booster from the Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 rocket. This time, however, continuous monitoring since launch rules out any doubts. Cover image | SpaceX and NASA In Xataka | We have found something that astronomers have been searching for decades: the precise edge of the Milky Way

China has discovered a new mineral on the Moon. It’s so fluorescent it could change the way we make LED light bulbs

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So far, 11 unique minerals have been discovered on the Moon. The last of them has just been revealed by a team of Chinese scientists after analyzing a lunar meteorite. It is an interesting finding, because it gives us useful information about the geology of our satellite. But also because it could have very interesting applications here on Earth. From the Moon to your light bulbs. The material just described It is cerium-magnesium changesite. It is characterized by its glassy, ​​transparent and brittle appearance. The thickness of its granules ranges from 3 to 25 micrometers, less than that of a human hair. Still, it is extremely useful due to its pronounced fluorescence, which could be very useful in improving terrestrial LED technology. A necessary color change. Unlike traditional incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs do not use heat to produce light. They make the most of electricity thanks to a semiconductor material, which allows the flow of electrons from a layer with an excess charge to another with a lack of it. That second layer has what are known as voids. That is, atoms that have lost electrons, leaving something like a free hole. The moment an electron encounters one of these holes, falls inside, in a process in which energy is released in the form of light. The light obtained in this process is blue, but we have all seen that, in general, the light from LEDs is white. The color change is achieved thanks to the coating the bluish chip in which the process occurs with a fluorescent material. This absorbs some of the blue light and, in turn, emits yellow light. Both are what are known as complementary colors of light. Therefore, when you mix them you obtain white light. The more fluorescence, the better. The fluorescence of this lunar mineral is so powerful that it would be a wonderful complement to LED bulbs. White light would be obtained in a much more efficient way, resulting in even greater energy savings. More achievements for China. The Asian country has become an expert in lunar geology, thanks to the Chang’e missions. In fact, the Changesite-(Y) phosphate was already discovered on Chang’e-5, directly related to this other mineral that a meteorite brought to Earth. For now, we can only dream. Logically, going to the Moon to excavate minerals is not very viable. And if it were, it would be good to think twice before jumping in headfirst. We also don’t know if there would be enough on the Moon. It would be necessary to explore it further to know. Therefore, the applications of lunar minerals in terrestrial technology are nothing more than hypotheses. It is interesting, but it does not have a close application in time. What these minerals do teach us. Analysis of lunar geology It can teach us many things. If we find mostly minerals that also exist here on Earth, we can understand that, at some point, similar conditions existed on Earth and the Moon. On the other hand, if many unknown minerals are found on Earth, as is already happening, it is understood that there were conditions on our satellite that have not occurred on our planet. All this serves to understand very well where we are and where we come from. Let’s stay with that instead of thinking about mining our satellite and leaving it without resources as we are already beginning to do on Earth. Image | freepik In Xataka | We have not yet colonized the Moon and we have already filled it with garbage: there are even abandoned golf balls

Athletics has just experienced its own “moon landing.” And Adidas has defeated Nike in its particular space race

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May 6, 2017. Eliud Kipchoge appears on the finish line of the Monza circuit, northern Italy. This time the sound of the engines is provided by the crash against the asphalt of the athletes who accompany the Kenyan in the breaking 2the first attempt to go under two hours in marathon distance. But it is the tires that attract attention. The feet fit the Nike Vaporfly Elite. A very high profile, a foam with an absorption capacity unlike anything seen before. And the most striking thing: a carbon plate. The promise is that the shoe saves energy when running. That is, fatigue comes later and/or the athlete can run faster with the same feeling of effort. Almost a decade ago, Eliud Kipchoge was a handful of seconds away from breaking the two-hour marathon distance. He breaking 2 It did not break the desired 120-minute barrier, but Nike had just opened a new page in the history of athletics. A space race began that has ended almost nine years after that challenge. On April 26, 2026, the moon was reached. But Adidas has put the flag. A photo for history Since 2017 we have been wondering who would be the first man to break under two hours in a conventional marathon. Eliud Kipchoge himself achieved it the following year, becoming the first to complete the 42,195 meters in less than 120 minutes. But the event, surrounded by hares, with a car making a screen to block the wind and with mobile supplies, could not be validated as a world record. In 2018, in the Berlin marathon, considered one of the circuits faster of the world, Eliud Kipchoge amazed by stopping the clock at 2:01’39”. The following year, the legendary Kenenisa Bekele was just two seconds away from that same record in one of the cruelest final stretches in history. At that time, records were already falling in pairs with the new Nike carbon plate. Athletes were breaking records at the same rate as complaints of technological doping were rising. Some, in fact, They broke contracts when they understood that they were playing at a disadvantage. With the world’s fastest man in the long distance 99 seconds away from breaking the two-hour barrier, the question of whether we would ever see this milestone was more than repeated. In 2022, Kipchoge managed to get closer and made us dream. He finally exceeded it by one minute and nine seconds. On April 26, 2026, Sabastian Sawe put the flag on the Moon. And Yomif Kejelcha propped it up. Adidas had won the space race with a photo that will go down in history. Since Nike revolutionized the market with the launch of the first Vaporfly, athletics brands went into combustion. Sneakers with carbon plates multiplied, foams softened and became more reactive. The competition arrived and Nike seemed to have fallen behind. Kelvin Kiptum in 2023 proved that we were wrong, that he was the main candidate to break the mythical barrier. He was 35 seconds away from achieving it in the Chicago Marathon but a car accident ended his life a few months later. A few months earlier, Tigst Assefa stopped the clock in a historic 2:11’53” in the Berlin Marathon. He had just shaved almost two minutes off the world record. On his feet, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro EVO 1. The Nike-Adidas battle is on fire and in 2024 Ruth Chepngetich, dressed by Nike, becomes the first woman in history to beat 2 hours and 10 minutes. The following year, Chepngetich is sanctioned for doping but it does not affect this record. This same year in Barcelona, Fotyen Tesfay manages to go under two hours and 11 minutes and Adidas also already has the second fastest mark in the history of the women’s marathon. But the final blow was given yesterday. Only two men have gone under two hours in a conventional marathon. They both wear Adidas. From the Vaporfly to the Adizero Adios Pro EVO 3 When Nike first released the Vaporfly, all hell broke loose. Not only among the more or less amateur public, athletes verified on the spot that their shoes were not up to par with those of the Oregon brand. Until its arrival, competition shoes had been standardized in minimal profiles and low drop (the difference in height between the front and rear area). The Vaporfly blew up what was known until then. Impossible heights for the time, very soft foams and zero “feel” of the asphalt for feet accustomed to always being close to the ground. However, for some reason, they worked. The improvement was quickly attributed to the carbon plate but the plate is only one of the pieces that make the whole work. Although it was directly attributed to the plate, the truth is that that sensation of “catapult” and extreme rebound of the foot was the result of using a supercritical foam with a lot of return. In fact, the carbon served to structure the shoe and give stability to the foot. Javi Moro, head of material at the magazine Corridorexplains that these foams “are very light and have a great capacity to retain and return energy” but emphasizes that they really have not changed much in general. “They have changed the curvatures of the plate and the midsoles to generate more rocker effect,” he explains, although he emphasizes that it is more as a means to adapt to all types of audiences “because not all runners tolerate the same type of plate in the same way.” This swing is more pronounced as brands have sought the limits of the regulations. World Athletic, which organizes major events and certifies the tests and the validity of the results, prevents competition with shoes whose height between the ground and the support of the insole exceeds 40 mm. But brands play with “where” those measurements are taken (at two specific points, heel and midfoot) to play with the geometries and try to put more foam … Read more

a wish list with everything you need to set up a base on the moon

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When NASA still did not know how Orion’s journey was going to go within the framework of the Artemis II mission (it left on April 1 and returned successfully ten days later), the North American space agency presented its “Ignition” project with an ambitious objective: to establish a permanent base at the lunar South Pole. He approach To achieve this, it requires spending 20 billion dollars in seven years and carrying out 81 launches. It is not only a roadmap, but also a wish list for the industry and international partners where it identifies the technological gaps that must be closed to convert one-time lunar exploration into permanent human presence. NASA’s plan. The strategy to set up a base on the moon is divided into three clear stages and is iterative: Phase 1 focuses on demonstrating that it can be reached reliably, validating the landing sites and carrying the first astronauts. The limit of four tons per trip will be reached. There are 25 launches and 21 moon landings planned. Phase 2 aims to establish initial infrastructure, manned missions every six months, and increase payload capacity to 60 tons. With 27 launches and 24 moon landings. Phase 3 already aims for continuous human presence, having the capacity to move 150 tons of cargo and prepare the lunar territory. With 29 launches and 28 moon landings. Why is it important. To begin with, because the South Pole of the moon allows access to frozen volatiles (mainly water ice) in permanently shadowed regions, which could enable the use of in-situ resources, an essential step for spatial autonomy. But although the lunar base is an achievement for humanity per se, we must not lose sight of the fact that NASA does it with another objective in mind: Mars. The moon is their testing ground. In fact, this base on the moon will be a testing laboratory for seven critical areas before establishing a human base there: nuclear reactors that operate in space, operating without constant help from Earth, understanding how long missions affect the human body, creating space supply chains, protecting against abrasive dust, avoiding contaminating other worlds, and designing systems that serve both the Moon and Mars. On the other hand, with the moon NASA intends to open a market where private industry assumes some services, reducing costs for the North American organization (and therefore, for citizens). Context. Unlike the Apollo missions, which landed in equatorial areas, there is now interest in landing and settling at the lunar south pole as it offers a unique strategic duality: craters that never see sunlight (and may have water ice) next to mountains that almost always have sunlight (for solar panels). Having access to energy and frozen volatiles scientifically, strategically and economically justifies the site selection. But working there is extremely difficult. The terrain is rugged, there are high mountains and deep craters, and there are extreme thermal and lighting challenges. The Sun remains low on the horizon, creating long shadows that make solar energy generation difficult and subject equipment to periods of extreme cold. For the astronaut team it will be hard: You will have problems seeing dangers and doing basic tasks, because the human eye does not adapt quickly between extreme light and total darkness and you will also have to access those pronounced craters for ice. What NASA needs. The document identifies functional gaps that the industry must help close, classified into six subsystems: Robotics: robots that unload and move cargo weighing hundreds of kilos, that are controlled from Earth, and that work near astronauts without danger. Communications: fast connections (over 500 Mbps) between the Moon and Earth, allowing lunar equipment to communicate with each other, and lunar GPS. Logistics: systems to connect pressurized modules and transfer water, oxygen and cargo. Housing: habitats that function from days to months, with gym and medical systems so that astronauts do not weaken, garbage management, and that survive voids between missions. Transport: small rovers to explore, large rovers (at 10 km/h) manned and autonomous, which work both in light areas and in dark craters. Energy: generate and store 5 kilowatts withstanding more than 5 days of total darkness, distribute electricity between equipment. How are they going to do it?. Essentially they will follow two strategies: Previous tests with commercial robotic missions before risking human lives. Although the technologies exist on Earth, they work differently on the Moon, so they need to fly to space to validate them for debugging. An example: from the manned flyby of Artemis II to the surface landing on the moon there will be an intermediate mission in 2027. Astronauts will test docking, life support systems and communications with commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, but in low Earth orbit, where rescue is still possible. There will be interoperability. With common standards that allow systems from different providers to work together. Collaborative development of standards for power, coupling and communications will enable effective partnerships. NASA is seeking partners for nine critical areas: habitats, cargo transportation, small robots, large rovers, mapping lunar resources, sample storage, and advanced navigation. Yesyes, but. The mission is ambitious, essential for space colonization and the schedule is tight, but it also faces three main threats. For starters, basic information about the moon is still lacking. We do not know the accessibility of features of interest, such as rocks or craters, or how lunar dust behaves or something as essential as where exactly the ice is. On the other hand, politics kills space projects: according to the Planetary Society To date, they have already spent 107 billion dollars, largely due to the continuous changes in the programs carried out by the different administrations. Finally, it is worth remembering that this is a race. China and Russia also want put a nuclear base at the South Pole and whoever gets there first will decide the rules. That pressure to go against the clock can cause NASA to accelerate and make the mistake that the plan wants … Read more

While Artemis II searches for a way to return to the Moon, there are those who have already become millionaires selling lunar plots

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There are sellers so skilled that they are capable of selling the Moon to anyone. It is not in a figurative sense. As NASA works to put astronauts back on the lunar surface with Artemis IIAmerican Dennis Hope has been building a fortune for more than forty years by putting a price on each hectare of the satellite and sending property titles by mail. And the most striking thing is that no one has stopped him from doing so. Hope came into this business in 1980, when she was going through a divorce and had her account in the red after more than a year of unemployment. As he related in an interview with Vice magazine, he thought he could make some money if he had some property, he looked out the window and it occurred to him that there would be a lot available on the Moon. What came next was not just a hunch: it was a million-dollar operation based on a very particular reading of international law. The legal vacuum that made it possible. His first step was to go to the library and look for the Outer Space Treaty 1967. What he found was a door ajar: the article 2 of that treaty establishes that the Moon and other celestial bodies are not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, use or occupation, or by any other means. The treaty placed limits on the appropriation of lunar territories to countries, but did not say anything explicit about the ownership of individuals. Hope submitted a formal claim of ownership over the Moon, the other eight planets and their moons to the United Nations, explaining his intention to parcel out those spaces and sell the properties to private buyers. In his letter he added that if they had any legal problem, they should let him know. Nobody answered him. So Hope interpreted this administrative silence as an absence of legal opposition, and from there he started his business. According to counted your son to ABCsix million people have already purchased land outside of Earth. An intergalactic business with luxury clientele. Since then, Hope has sold plots not only of the Moon, but also of Mars, Venus and Mercury. In an interview to the BBCHope claimed that he sold an average of 1,500 properties a day and explained that the way to choose the lots was by closing his eyes and pointing with his index finger at a point on the lunar map. “It’s not very scientific, but it’s fun,” he told the British media. It is estimated that he has earned about 12 million dollars with this business, which he claims is the only one he has had since 1995. Among his clients are former US presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, Hollywood stars and greats. hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott. The space race reopens the debate. What for decades seemed like a picturesque anecdote has returned to the debate table in light of the reactivation of space programs to the moon. Artemis II has become the first manned mission to leave Earth’s orbit since the Apollo program in 1972, and its objective is to prepare the ground for future missions to the lunar south pole and even Mars. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits the appropriation of territories on the Moon or other planets, but does not explicitly prohibit extracting their resources, which has generated a legal gray area that was revealed in the 2023 ratification of this treaty, which also covers Hope’s real estate business. For Kai-Uwe Schrogl, president of the International Space Law Institute, the situation is clear: “There are no legal loopholes. There are only willfully erroneous interpretations of the treaty,” declared to D.W.. Is the Moon for everyone? As and as he explained Juan Manuel de Faramiñán, emeritus professor at the University of Jaén and co-director of the AstroÁndalus Chair of aerospace and astronomical studies at National Geographicin 2020 NASA issued the Artemis Agreementsa document in which the US establishes a set of practical principles to guide cooperation in space exploration between nations. “It must be considered that the signatory States of the Artemis Agreements are not signatories of the Moon Agreement. I must say, and it is a personal opinion, that the Artemis Agreements have become a shortcut to avoid the idea of ​​the common heritage of humanity and open the spigot so that both States and companies can access the resources of the Moon in accordance with their own interests,” stated Faramiñán. Old treaties for a new space race. The current legal framework on the ownership of the Moon was born in the middle of the Cold War and was designed for a world of two superpowers. Today there are large private companies with the capacity to reach the Moon without support from the States, new state interests and the discovery of natural resources. like water ice detected on the lunar surface, which could be key for long-duration missions. He Moon Treaty of 1979which attempted to regulate the exploitation of these resources by establishing that they would be the common heritage of humanity, was never ratified by any of the current great space powers. The result is a system of rules designed for another century, with loopholes that have allowed an individual to sell lunar hectares for decades without legal consequences. Xataka | The “hidden” side of the Moon has been a mystery for decades: China already has a chemical map to shed light Image | POTPexels (Nicholas Thomas)

the success of Starship V3 accelerates the race to the Moon

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SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space companyis almost ready to launch its next-generation Starship in the month of May. But before carrying out this launch it is necessary to carry out some static tests, such as starting the engines. The first test of this type was carried out just a month ago, with a small incident at the end, but the second one went perfectly, so the launch plans are moving forward. A complete ignition test. On April 14, SpaceX performed the static ignition of the engines of its upper stage. Although the ignition test of the first stage had to end early due to a failure in the ground equipment, in this case all the engines have been able to ignite, demonstrating that this enhanced version of Starship is ready for its first flight. Why is it necessary? Logically, rocket engines are key and very sensitive parts for their proper functioning. They are one of the factors that most often fail in launches, along with fuel filling systems. Therefore, it is important to test prior to launches. In the static ignition tests, all engines start to check that there is no anomaly. In the case of version 3 of Starship none have been detected. Everything is on the right track. A battered version of the previous one. The Starship version 3 measures 124.4 meters, 1.2 meters longer than the previous version. It is much more powerful, thanks to its V3 Raptor engines. For this reason, SpaceX has already announced that it will be capable of carrying loads weighing more than 100 tons to low Earth orbit. Version 2 could only travel with 35 tons on board. Ready for the Moon? After the success of Artemis II, NASA already has its sights set on Artemis III, which will become the final test for the landing of a new batch of humans on the moon. To do this, the American company needs a rocket to match. Never better said. For now, there are two private companies working on it: Blue Origin, with Blue Moon, and SpaceX, with Starship. Although at first everything was betting that it would be SpaceX that would take the next humans to the Moon, some delays have led to thinking that Blue Moon could overtake them on the right. Therefore, the fact that version 3 of Starship has advanced in this way is good news for Elon Musk’s company. In May we will know if it really lives up to expectations. Images | SpaceX In Xataka | In 2018, Elon Musk put his own car into orbit. Eight years later it is still circling the Earth

We knew there was water on the Moon, but not why some craters were empty. Finally we have the answer

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It’s been a while since It is known that there is water on the Moon. However, accessing it is quite complicated. To begin with, so far only water in the form of ice has been detected. But also, it’s not clear what the best places to look are. There are some clues, but exceptions keep appearing that baffle scientists. That’s why, the study recently carried out by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder It has been very illuminating. Frozen water hidden in the shadows. The missions that have detected ice on the Moon have located it in the depths of the craters of the lunar south pole. Mostly, in something known as cold traps. These are places that are permanently in shadow, so that the very high temperatures that are reached during the day, of more than 120ºCthey cannot evaporate the water. An essential resource for lunar colonization. The detection of water on the Moon was a great milestone at the time, since it would make it easier for lunar colonizers to use water to cover basic needs in the future. They could use it for drinking, but also, for example, it would be possible separate hydrogen from oxygen through hydrolysis and use it as fuel. Let us remember that the formula of water is H2O, two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. It’s not that easy. Some craters containing ice have already been detected, like the Cabeus. We could think that all the craters of the south pole that are found in cold traps, like this one, will serve as water sources. Unfortunately, the task is not so simple. It is known that several craters in this situation do not contain water, so another pattern must be sought to help future lunar colonizers know where to look. A question of orientation. The authors of the study just published relied on two types of data. On the one hand, the surface temperature data provided by the Diviner instrument of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). On the other hand, the results of a series of computer simulations on lunar evolution. Studying all of this together revealed something interesting. That the orientation of the Moon has not always been the same. Its relative inclination with respect to the Earth has changed slightly over billions of years, so that what is in shadow today may not have been in the past. That’s why there are craters in cold traps that don’t have water. The older the better. Something that these scientists have also observed when reviewing previous studies is that the oldest craters at the lunar south pole are more likely to house water. Therefore, the ideal is to look for ancient craters that are located at the south pole and in cold traps. The number of likely places to search is greatly reduced. In fact, there is already a candidate following this premise: the Haworth crater. According to the models, it has been in shadow for 3 billion years. We will have to check it. The authors of this study are already designing an instrument, called Lunar Compact Infrared Imaging System (L-CIRiS), to analyze this and other candidate craters for water ice. NASA plans to deploy it near the lunar South Pole at the end of 2027. It will be a good way to detect the best lunar water sources with an eye on future long-term missions on our satellite. The more the ground is prepared, the better. Image | Xataka | The “hidden” side of the Moon has been a mystery for decades: China already has a chemical map to shed light

This is what the Moon looks like from the ship

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When we think of a GoPro, like the GoPro Hero and Hero13 Blackto mention a few examples, the first thing that comes to mind is not space, but sports, travel or any scene recorded at ground level. They are cameras designed to accompany us, to record what we experience from very close up. However, that is precisely what changes when we look at Artemis II: what we have seen these days is how that technology, with specific modifications, has made the leap to a ship that has flown over the Moon. And the most interesting thing is not only that it is up there, but that part of those images have been seen live. action cameras in space. GoPro Confirmed that its cameras are part of the Orion spacecraft’s imaging system, developed by NASA to capture images of the mission and support inspection tasks. These units, adapted for the space environment, are installed on solar panels and are added to a set of more than 28 cameras that record different moments of the trip. All of this also falls within the current phase of the mission, with the ship already back after passing through the lunar environment and with NASA beginning to disseminate this material. Where are they and what are they used for?. As we already mentioned, these cameras are not inside, but in the solar panels of Orion. It is not a coincidence: this position allows something very specific, that the ship itself appears in the frame along with the environment that surrounds it. From there they can capture high-resolution images of the vehicle, the Earth and the Moon during different phases of the journey. The manufacturer details that there are four units modified and integrated into NASA’s imaging system, and in addition to generating this visual material, they are also used to verify the status of the ship at key moments of the mission. In this image of the Orion spacecraft on Artemis I we can see a solar panel deployed The streaming. The first thing that becomes clear is that we are not facing a conventional broadcast. NASA notes that live views from Orion are part of the coverage, but also warns that signal variations may occur due to distance and communication limitations. Therefore, what we see is a broadcast that does not always maintain the same image: there are cuts, moments in blue when the signal is lost and sections in black when the ship is in darkness. In practice, the broadcast does not always maintain the same continuity, something logical in a mission of this type. Where to see it and what type of live it is. The window to all this is on the official NASA channel, with an active broadcast titled “NASA’s Artemis II Live Views from Orion“. It is a technical signal that remains active depending on the conditions of link with the ship and the priorities of the mission. This implies that we do not always see the same image or with the same continuity, something that responds directly to how a flight of this type is managed. The result is an unconventional live broadcast, closer to a technical signal than to a broadcast designed for television. Something difficult to replicate with words. Not only because of the images themselves, which already have enough weight, but because of what they represent. We are talking about a technology that many of us use in everyday contexts and that, with the necessary adaptations, has ended up being part of a manned mission around the Moon. And not only that, it has also allowed us to take a look at that journey almost live, with all the limitations that it implies. Images | POT In Xataka | Artemis II has five different hot sauces on board: the reason is a radical change in what we consider “space food”

It’s been more than 50 years since we saw the Moon like this. Artemis II has already left new historical images

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Looking at the Moon again as we are seeing it now is not something that happens every day. More than half a century after the Apollo era, Artemis II has completed its lunar flyby and it has already left a visual trail that returns us to that type of trip that we believed almost from the past. At this time, with the mission progressing as planned, NASA points out that the Orion ship would have already left the lunar sphere of influence and would have begun its way back. How we knewthere has been no lunar landing, but what we have seen during these hours, those images captured by the crew, places us again in front of the Moon from a manned perspective that we have not seen for decades. From here, the key is what this overflight has left us. During their passage through the lunar environment, the Artemis II crew has photographed the Moon at different phases of the journey, capturing both surface details and broader scenes of the surrounding space. All this material is already being organized and published by NASA in your multimedia repositorywhere you can consult images, videos and other content of the mission. We are not talking about a specific selection, but rather an archive under construction that will grow over time. The Moon as we had never seen it again Among the material that NASA has already begun to disseminate there are especially powerful scenes, with the Moon dominating the frame and the Earth visible in the background in some shots. The image conveys the scale of the trip very clearly.with our planet reduced to a luminous sphere in the face of the massive presence of the satellite. In the photographs published by the agency, this play of distances is well appreciated, but also the contrast with the surroundings, that completely black background that surrounds the scene. This is where the images gain strength, because they not only show two celestial bodies, but also the relationship between them seen from a position that very few humans have reached. If we look closer, what appears is an enormous level of detail. In photographs taken during During the flyover, large craters, ancient lava flows and structures that run across the surface such as cracks and reliefs can be clearly seen.. The Artemis II crew described these formations as they observed them, also pointing out differences in brightness and texture that help to better understand the composition of the terrain. It is not just an aesthetic issue: each of these details provides information about the geological history of the Moon. The craters on the eastern edge of our satellite Our planet, in the crescent phase, passing behind the Moon Dark spots of ancient lava on the Moon There are moments of the flyover that go beyond the still photography and that help understand the complete sequence of what happened. During the passage through the far side of the Moon, the ship was temporarily without communication with the Earth, a planned section in which one of the most unique moments of the trip also occurred: the so-called “Earthset”, when our planet disappears behind the lunar horizon from the perspective of Orion. Later, when communication was resumed, “Earthrise” arrived, the moment in which the Earth appears again on the other side. These events occurred within a very measured sequence of observations which also included an eclipse seen from the ship. The Moon completely eclipsing the Sun Another image of the total solar eclipse captured by the Artemis II mission Astronauts also use glasses to view eclipses, just like we would on Earth! Here we see the astronauts capturing images through the windows of the Orion spacecraft Not everything we’ve seen happens outside the ship. Part of the disseminated material also allows us to look inside Orion and understand how this section of the journey was experienced from the inside. In the images shared by NASA you can see the crew working in a compact space, surrounded by screens, controls and onboard systems. There are no grand gestures, but a constant sense of activity and coordination, with the astronauts documenting what is happening as they continue with the flight plan. Although the ship has already left the lunar environment behind and is moving towards its return, there is a part of the mission that begins now. All the material collected during the flyby, as we say, will be analyzed in the coming days by the scientific teams, which will seek to extract information from the images, audio and data captured by the crew. As explained by NASA, these observations will be reviewed in detail once the data download from Orion is complete. Meanwhile, the agency has already made part of this content available to the public on its multimedia platform, where the images can be consulted in high quality. Images | POT In Xataka | Artemis II has five different hot sauces on board: the reason is a radical change in what we consider “space food”

This is how well the Artemis astronauts eat on their trip to the Moon

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During a space mission, Everything that is loaded on the ship must be chosen very well.. The fuel depends a lot on its final weight, so it must be calculated carefully, taking into account every last drop of water. That also includes food. That’s why the crew of Artemis II carry with them a menu that was painstakingly designed weeks before launch. Now, just because precautions must be taken does not mean that astronauts do not eat well. It is important that they eat properly, with a balanced amount of nutrients and, of course, including foods that they like. In fact, to guarantee the latter, the crew itself actively intervenes in the design of the menu. Be careful with the crumbs. Food loaded aboard a spaceship must meet a series of requirements. To begin with, crumbs must be minimized, since they could float around the ship due to microgravity, potentially damaging electronic devices if they enter through its cracks. It is also important that the food is vacuum sealed and, if possible, dehydrated. Thus, food security is guaranteed during the days of the mission. In the case of Orión, it has a water dispenser, so that it can be transferred directly to the sachets in which the dehydrated foods are included just at the moment in which they are going to be consumed. Finally, it is important that they are nutritious foods, according to the requirements at each moment of the mission. Two key points. The water dispenser cannot be used during launch and landing. Therefore, meals eaten around these two key moments must be ready to eat, without the need for hydration. The all-round tortillas. Historically, astronauts have had the option of choosing at least one beloved food to take with them on their missions to space. Therefore, in 1985, Mexican astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela He asked to bring wheat tortillas, like those used to make fajitas. Later, what began as the culinary whim of a single astronaut became one of the most in-demand foods on space missions, since it does not release crumbs, is very versatile and can be stored safely for many days. Tortillas need accompaniment. Precisely because of this custom of including tortillas on menus, over time accompaniments have been added to make their consumption more pleasant. In the case of Artemis II, for example, They carry five different types of hot sauce on board.and. Hot or cold food. Although all food on board can be eaten cold, astronauts have at their disposal a hand warmer, contained in a type of briefcase, in which they can heat the food if they wish. Again, this would not be possible during landing and launch. In that case you should eat as quickly as possible, without preparations. Each astronaut with their personal tastes. Astronauts help prepare the menu before the mission, trying different options and choosing the ones they like best. In fact, the dishes are distributed so that each person will have their own prepared in the ten days they remain on the ship. A single container contains two to three days of meals for each crew member. That includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Artemis II Menu. Some examples of foods on board Artemis II are vegetable quiche, broccoli gratin, nuts, beef brisket or macaroni and cheese, among others. As for drinks, in addition to the water that can be obtained from the dispenser, the astronauts have 43 cups of coffee, to be distributed among the entire crew, during the 10 days of the mission. You can also flavor chocolate, vanilla or strawberry drinks. Each astronaut is assigned two flavored drinks a day. It doesn’t taste the same. Without a doubt, the menu of the Artemis II astronauts seems most pleasant. Unfortunately, they will not taste it the same as they did during the tests on Earth, because It is proven that food in space tastes different. Still, I’m sure they enjoy it. As Christina Koch explained in a video for NASAeating those highly packaged foods, together with other people, in such a different place, is a kind of camping picnic with friends. In Xataka | NASA has been racking its brains for years to figure out what we will eat on the Moon. Answer: Madrid stew Image | NASA | freepik

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