Category Archives: Space Exploration

When we found what seemed to be liquid water flowing across the surface of Mars in 2015, scientists around the world were itching to test it. There was just one problem, and it was a biggie: the United Nations'Outer Space Treaty of 1967 mandates that space exploration must be conducted in such a way as to avoid contamination.

Since we have no way of sterilising our equipment completely of Earth's microbes, that meant no touchy on the water.

According to new research, however, we needn't have worried - although there could be briny liquid water on Mars, the surface conditions otherwise really are inhospitable to terrestrial life.

"Life on Earth, even extreme life, has certain environmental limits that it can withstand," explained planetary scientist Edgard G. Rivera-Valentn of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).

"We investigated the distribution and chemistry of stable liquids on Mars to understand whether these environments would be suitable to at least extreme life on Earth."

While seeking to understand how life might exist elsewhere, we often look at extremophiles - organisms that live in some of Earth's most extreme environments. These include the arid Atacama Desert in Chile, the salty, acidic Dallol Geothermal Area in Ethiopia, and even near-Earth spaceaboard the ISS.

But while these environments have things in common with Mars, they are distinctly not Mars. Liquid water seems to be a requirement for life, but on Mars, liquid fresh water can't hang around on the surface. It's so dry and cold there, the water will either freeze or evaporate.

Of course, water doesn't have to be fresh to support life. Earth's salty oceans are teeming with it. And we know that salts of sodium, magnesium, and calcium are abundant on Mars; if these salts mixed with the water to create a high-salt solution called brine, it would lower the freezing point and slow the evaporation rate of the liquid, potentially allowing it to linger on the surface.

And if there was enough moisture in the Martian atmosphere, some of the salts could undergo a process called deliquescence, whereby they absorb the moisture to form a liquid solution.

But questions remain: Can this liquid brine form and remain on the Martian surface long enough for terrestrial life to thrive?

"Our team looked at specific regions on Mars - areas where liquid water temperature and accessibility limits could possibly allow known terrestrial organisms to replicate - to understand if they could be habitable," said planetary scientist Alejandro Soto of the Southwest Research Institute.

"We used Martian climate information from both atmospheric models and spacecraft measurements. We developed a model to predict where, when and for how long brines are stable on the surface and shallow subsurface of Mars."

Based on years of experimental data on chemical reactions in simulated Mars conditions in the laboratory, as well as the climate data, the team put together a picture of when and where liquid brines might be present on the surface of Mars, and a few centimetres below.

They found that liquid brines could persist for up to six hours from the equator to high latitudes, over 40 percent of the Martian surface. And this could only occur seasonally, for around 2 percent of the year.

It may not sound like a lot, but it's a broader range than scientists previously thought. But that still doesn't mean Earth's life could survive in it.

"The highest temperature a stable brine will experience on Mars is -48 degrees Celsius (-55 degrees Fahrenheit)," Rivera-Valentn said. "This is well below the lowest temperature we know life can tolerate."

This means, the team concluded, that Martian brines don't meet the Special Region requirements laid out by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science, and should therefore prove no hindrance to a crewed Mars exploration mission.

It's also important to note that these results don't have any bearing on native Martian life, if there is or was any throughout the planet's history - they're based entirely on our understanding of terrestrial life. And that could be a limitation, too.

"We have shown that on a planetary scale the Martian surface and shallow subsurface would not be suitable for terrestrial organisms because liquids can only form at rare times, and even then, they form under harsh conditions," Rivera-Valentn said.

"However, there might be unexplored life on Earth that would be happy under these conditions."

The research has been published in Nature Astronomy.

Read more from the original source:

Earth Germs Probably Can't Contaminate The Briny Waters on The Surface of Mars - ScienceAlert

So youve landed on the moon but all of that space exploration has made you thirsty. You reach for a big bottle of water and gulp it all down hastily.

Suddenly, you feel the urge to pee but where do you go? Youre in space now and toilets just seem so... planet Earth.

Fear not collect your liquid waste and get your best hard hat on because youre now ready to build some space structures!

A study published on 8 May found that urea the main organic compound in urine could help form the mixture for lunar concrete.

The agency said in a statement:

Thanks to future lunar inhabitants, the 1.5 liters (3.2 pints) of liquid waste a person generates each day could become a promising by-product for space exploration.

The main ingredient is powdery soil found on the moons surface known as lunar regolith.

Combining this with urine would limit the amount of water necessary in the recipe of using 3D printer-like machines to create buildings.

This means fewer materials would need to be brought from Earth, while waste management is also partly taken care of.

The hope is that astronaut urine could be essentially used as it is on a future lunar base, with minor adjustments to the water content. This is very practical, and avoids the need to further complicate the sophisticated water recycling systems in space.

This new research sure sounds like a number one small step for man and one giant leak for mankind.

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Human urine could be key to putting buildings on the moon, space agency says - indy100

Press Release - May 11, 2020

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Apollo 17 Flown MS68 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 159, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Commander Gene Cernan, Initialed as Flown on Original Case and with Signed Letter of Certification (estimate: $50,000+) belonged to the commander of Apollo 17, who spent roughly 22 hours walking on the lunar surface.

"Anything that went on a lunar mission is in extremely high demand, Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "That this belonged to Gene Cernan is additionally significant, because there has not been a mission to the moon in nearly 48 years. This is a very significant piece of space exploration history.

Like Neil Armstrong, Cernan was a graduate of Purdue University, giving the school bragging rights for both the first and last man to walk on the moon.

Apollo 11: Deluxe Limited Edition (#5/11) Framed Presentation including a Flown American Flag, a Crew-Signed Insurance Cover, a White Spacesuit NASA Color Photo, and a Crew Patch by Texas Embroidery, all Directly From The Armstrong Family Collection and CAG Certified (estimate: $40,000+) is an assembled trove of prizes from the first mission to reach the moon, the fifth of just 11 such framed collections ever assembled. The assembly includes:

A 6-1/4-by-4-inch silk U.S. flag with red cotton border stitching that was carried to the moon and back aboard the Apollo Command Module Columbia, July 16-24, 1969. Mission-flown U.S. flags are always in demand by Space collectors but this one is particularly significant because it was preserved by the first man to step on the moon.

A philatelic cover with the "Apollo 8 6 stamp (Scott #1371) affixed, machine canceled July 20, 1969, the day Apollo 11 landed on the moon, at Houston, Texas, and signed by astronauts Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The color cachet features the text: "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club/ Official Commemorative Cover/ First Manned Lunar Exploration" above a colorful moon scene. Apollo 11 was the first flight in which insurance covers were utilized.

A 10-by-8-inch NASA litho print of Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin in their famous pose, in white space suits in front of an image of the moon.

A very desirable 4-inch (diameter) merrowed edge embroidered patch as was issued only to NASA and the crew, the highest quality of all the Apollo 11 patch variations.

Each item is individually certified, and the lot includes a Statement of Provenance signed by Armstrongs sons, Mark and Rick.

The Apollo 11: NASA "Final Apollo 11 Flight Plan AS-506 / CSM-107 / LM-5 July 1, 1969-dated Book Signed by Neil Armstrong to Los Angeles Times Aerospace Editor Marvin Miles, with Crew-Signed Lunar Surface Color Photo, in Framed Display (estimate: $40,000+) is quite simply one of the most important documents in the history of space exploration, the game plan for the first successful mission to the moon. The first man to step on the surface of the moon, Armstrong signed the flight plan in 1974 to Miles: "Best Wishes/ to Marvin Miles--/ Top Aerospace Writer/ & Fellow Aerospace Enthusiast/ Neil Armstrong/ Apollo 11." The flight plan is housed in a shadow box along with a 7-by-7-inch (sight size) color photo of Aldrin setting up an experiment on the lunar surface with the Lunar Module Eagle visible in the background. The photo is signed by all three crewmembers.

An Apollo 13-Flown American Flag on a Crew-Signed Certificate, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, with Letter of Authenticity Signed by His Niece (estimate: $15,000+) is lightly mounted to a heavy 10-by-12-inch certificate with the following printed statement: "This flag was on board Apollo XIII during its flight and emergency return to Earth/ APOLLO XIII/ April 11-17, 1970/ Lowell Swigert Haise." Astronaut Lovell has signed this flag: "On board Apollo 13 Spacecraft/ James Lovell. Because Apollo 13 followed a free-return trajectory, its altitude over the far side of the moon was about 60 miles higher than any other Apollo mission, so no American flag ever has flown farther from the earth than this one.

Apollo 1 Crew-Signed Large Color Photo in Handsome Framed Display, with Full Letters of Authenticity from both Steve Zarelli and PSA/DNA (estimate: $12,000+) is a 13-1/4-by-10-1/2-inch color NASA photo of the crew scheduled to fly the first three-man American space mission. But astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, each of whom signed the image, died in a launchpad test fire in January 1967. One of the original "Mercury Seven, Grissom was the second American in space on MR-4 Liberty Bell, and later flew on the first Gemini mission. A member of the second NASA astronaut group, White flew on Gemini 4 and performed the first American spacewalk. Chaffee was in NASAs third group but lost his life before his first space mission. This is the finest signed Apollo 1 display piece ever offered by Heritage Auctions, and is accompanied by LOAs from Steve Zarelli (#190919-2107) and PSA/DNA (#AH02415).

Other top lots in the sale include, but are not limited to:

Apollo 16 Lunar Module-Flown American Flag Directly from the John W. Young Collection, with Letter of Certification (estimate: $10,000+)

Mercury Seven: Original Group Photo and NASA's "Results of the First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight February 20, 1962" Book, Both Signed by All, Together in a Framed Display (estimate: $10,000+)

Apollo 12-Flown (Certified on Case) Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 115, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Lunar Module Pilot Alan L Bean (estimate: $10,000+)

Gemini 7-Flown MS65 NGC Silver-colored Fliteline Medallion Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Pilot James Lovell (estimate: $9,000+)

Apollo 10-Flown MS66 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 89, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Command Module Pilot John Young (estimate: $9,000+)

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the worlds largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

Heritage also enjoys the highest Online dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: Hiscox Report). The Internets most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,250,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.

Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist214-409-1699; SteveL@HA.com

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Apollo 17-Flown Silver Robbins Medallion Once Owned by Last Moonwalker Could Bring $50K in... - Heritage Auctions

A system of wrinkle ridges on the nearside maria of the Moon is evidence of seismic activity set in motion 4.3 billion years ago that could be ongoing today, according to new research.

Global map of the albedo from the 750 nm filter of the UV-VIS camera onboard NASAs Clementine spacecraft. The image shows the near side and far side of the Moon in Lambert, equal-area projection. Image credit: NASA.

Most of the Moons surface is covered by regolith, a powdery blanket of ground-up rock created by the constant bombardment of tiny meteorites and other impactors.

Areas free of regolith where the lunar bedrock is exposed are vanishingly rare.

But University of Bern researcher Adomas Valantinas and Brown Universitys Professor Peter Schultz used data from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to spot strange bare spots within and surrounding the lunar maria.

Exposed blocks on the surface have a relatively short lifetime because the regolith buildup is happening constantly, Professor Schultz said.

So when we see them, there needs to be some explanation for how and why they were exposed in certain locations.

For the study, the scientists used the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), an instrument aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that measures the temperature of the lunar surface.

Just as concrete-covered cities on Earth retain more heat than the countryside, exposed bedrock and blocky surfaces on the Moon stays warmer through the lunar night than regolith-covered surfaces.

Using nighttime observations from DLRE, the team turned up more than 500 patches of exposed bedrock on narrow ridges following a pattern across the lunar nearside maria.

A few ridges topped with exposed bedrock had been seen before. But those ridges were on the edges of ancient lava-filled impact basins and could be explained by continued sagging in response to weight caused by the lava fill, Professor Schultz said.

But this new study discovered that the most active ridges are related to a mysterious system of tectonic features (ridges and faults) on the lunar nearside, unrelated to both lava-filled basins and other young faults that crisscross the highlands.

The distribution that we found here begs for a different explanation.

Infrared (upper left) and other images from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed strange bare spots where the Moons ubiquitous dust is missing. Image credit: Valantinas & Schultz, doi: 10.1130/G47202.1.

Valantinas and Professor Schultz mapped out all of the exposures revealed in the DLRE data and found an interesting correlation.

In 2014, NASAs Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission found a network of ancient cracks in the Moons crust. Those cracks became channels through which magma flowed to the lunar surface to form deep intrusions.

The study authors showed that the blocky ridges seemed to line up just about perfectly with the deep intrusions revealed by GRAIL.

Its almost a one-to-one correlation. That makes us think that what were seeing is an ongoing process driven by things happening in the Moons interior, Professor Schultz said.

The researchers suggest that the ridges above these ancient intrusions are still heaving upward.

The upward movement breaks the surface and enables regolith to drain into cracks and voids, leaving the blocks exposed.

Because bare spots on the Moon get covered over fairly quickly, this cracking must be quite recent, possibly even ongoing today.

They refer to what theyve found as the Active Nearside Tectonic System (ANTS).

They believe that the ANTS was actually set in motion billions of years ago with a giant impact on the Moons farside.

In previous studies, they proposed this impact, which formed the South Pole Aitken Basin, shattered the interior on the opposite side, the nearside facing the Earth.

Magma then filled these cracks and controlled the pattern of dikes detected in the GRAIL mission.

The blocky ridges comprising the ANTS now trace the continuing adjustments along these ancient weaknesses.

This looks like the ridges responded to something that happened 4.3 billion years ago, Professor Schultz said.

Giant impacts have long lasting effects. The Moon has a long memory. What were seeing on the surface today is testimony to its long memory and secrets it still holds.

The study was published in the journal Geology.

_____

A. Valantinas & P.H. Schultz. The origin of neotectonics on the lunar nearside. Geology, published online April 13, 2020; doi: 10.1130/G47202.1

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Active Tectonic System Spotted on Moon's Nearside | Planetary Science, Space Exploration - Sci-News.com

Editor's note: The "Space Force" trailer features strong language.

The U.S. Space Force faces the parody treatment in a brand new Netflix series aptly titled "Space Force."

The show stars Steve Carell as General Mark R. Naird who, as you can see in the brand new trailer released today (May 5), is surprised to be given command of the brand new military branch "Space Force."

This show takes the "workplace comedy" genre to a new, cosmic level. Instead of leading a small team at a paper company, like he did in "The Office," Carell is leading the entire United States in space. Much like NASA's current goals with the Artemis program, in the show, Gen. Naird's prime objective seems to be to return land on the moon.

Related: 20 sci-fi movies and TV shows to binge watch on Netflix right now

But, from the trailer, it seems as though Gen. Naird was set up to fail. As he walks through what is presumably Space Force's headquarters, he overhears someone talking about him on the phone, saying "he is blowing it just like you thought yeah, it is a complete shitshow."

Gen. Naird seems a bit goofy to begin with and it's clear from the trailer that, not only do people not take him that seriously, he is prone to mistakes. Big, explosive mistakes.

Carell seems perfectly suited for this character who, while a bit of a buffoon, seems truly dedicated to and excited about space exploration. "This is a great adventure we are embarking on today," Gen. Naird says in the trailer. "There will be setbacks, but greatness was never won without sacrifice."

In the same speech, he references the anniversary of Apollo 11, which landed astronauts on the moon in 1969. "Fifty years ago, our country put a man on the moon. Well, guess what, kids? We're going back," Gen. Naird said.

The trailer ends on a surreal note, with Gen. Naird dancing around his office while singing "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys. The show will also star John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard and Noah Emmerich.

This show, which was created by Carell and writer Greg Daniels, who has worked on shows including "The Office" and "Saturday Night Live," comes to Netflix on May 29.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Steve Carell's 'Space Force' farce will launch on Netflix May 29. See the new trailer. - Space.com

After spending over 200 days in space, the Expedition 62 returned to earth to discover a new normal brought on by coronavirus COVID-19. return to earth USA TODAY

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every aspect of everyday life, it's easy to forget about what else is going on in the world and that includes significant historical moments and fun holidays. One of them is May 1 Space Day, which is Friday.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the coolest and most unforgettable moments in space exploration after reviewing material from NASA, news articles from decades ago and information from the National Archives and Records Administration.

If Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci, and Vasco Da Gama helped Western civilization in the Age of Discovery reach new worlds, in the Space Age, Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, Valentina Tereshkova, and Neil Armstrong took humanity to Earth's orbit and beyond. Those space pioneers launched our world into a realm that had been pondered by astronomers, philosophers, religious figures, science fiction writers and poets.

The Space Age paralleled the Cold War, and when the Soviet Union succeeded in launching Sputnik into space in 1957, it was seen as much a threat to U.S. national security as a scientific triumph. Sputniks success was the starting gun of the space race that put the prestige of nations on the line.

The competition for supremacy in space made national heroes of Gagarin, Glenn, Tereshkova, and Armstrong, among many other astronauts and cosmonauts in the 20th century. They would gain fame as astronauts on the Mercury and Apollo missions during the 1960s here are 30 special skills astronauts need to master to do their job.

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1. Sputnik I

Date: Oct. 4, 1957

The Soviet Union began the space race by launching humankind's first artificial satellite. The 23-inch diameter sphere transmitted signals to Earth for 22 days and continued in orbit until burning up on Jan. 4, 1958 . The launch of Sputnik shook up the United States, which feared a technology gap between itself and the Soviet Union and began to revamp the nation's science and engineering education. A year later, NASA was created.

2. First creature in space

Date: Nov. 3, 1957

A stray husky-spitz mix named Laika was the first living creature to orbit the Earth. She was also the first fatal casualty in the Space Age. According to documents at the National Air and Space Museum, Laika reached orbit alive aboard Sputnik 2 and orbited the Earth in 103 minutes. But the temperature inside the capsule soared above 90 degrees after the fourth orbit following the loss of the heat shield, and Laika died soon afterward. The capsule continued to orbit for five months.

3. US launches first satellite

Date: Jan. 31, 1958

The United States joined the space race when Explorer 1 was launched into orbit on Jan. 31, 1958. The satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida under the direction of legendary German-born scientist Wernher Von Braun. Explorer 1, which was 80 inches long and 6.25 inches in diameter, revolved around Earth in a looping orbit that took it as close as 220 miles of Earth and as far away as 1,563 miles. Explorer orbited the Earth more than 58,000 times before burning up on March 31, 1970.

4. First creatures return from space

Date: May 28, 1959

Less than two years after Laika perished while orbiting the Earth, two monkeys, Able and Baker, became the first living beings to return to our planet alive. Able, a female rhesus monkey, and Baker, a female squirrel monkey, were sent into space by the United States aboard a Jupiter missile. The flight lasted about 15 minutes and the spacecraft's speed topped 10,000 miles an hour. The monkeys suffered no ill effects from the flight that included a period of weightlessness. The success of the mission encouraged scientists to believe manned space travel was possible. Able died during a medical procedure shortly after the flight but Baker became a celebrity and received as many as 150 letters a day from schoolchildren.

5. Yuri Gagarin

Date: April 12, 1961

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space and return to Earth safely, beating the United States by several weeks. Gagarin circled the planet in 108 minutes aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft that traveled at 17,000 miles an hour. The launch of Sputnik and the triumph of putting a man into space were twin shocks to American pride and ratcheted up the competition in the space race.

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Alan Shepard flew the Freedom 7 spacecraft on a suborbital 15-minute flight that reached a peak altitude of 116 miles and a top speed of 5,180 miles an hour. And unlike Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, whose capsule was automatically controlled, Shepard was able to take control of his spacecraft for short periods.(Photo: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons)

6. First US man in space

Date: May 1, 1961

The United States had hoped to be the first nation to put a man into space, but the Soviet Union won that race with Gagarin accomplishing that feat. Several weeks later, Alan Shepard flew the Freedom 7 spacecraft on a suborbital 15-minute flight that reached a peak altitude of 116 miles and a top speed of 5,180 miles an hour. Unlike Gagarin, whose capsule was automatically controlled, Shepard was able to take control of his spacecraft for short periods.

7. Kennedy's speech on space exploration

Date: May 25, 1961

Several weeks after Alan Shepard became the first American in space, President John F, Kennedy gave a speech before both houses of Congress, committing the nation to space exploration. Kennedy's clarion call for an ambitious space program included landing Americans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth by the end of the decade as well as other space projects.

8. Glenn orbits Earth

Date: Feb. 20, 1962

Less than a year after Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth, John Glenn became the first American to do so, completing three orbits around the planet aboard the Friendship 7 capsule. Glenn was already a military hero by the time he was chosen to be an astronaut for Project Mercury. After he completed his mission, he went on to a successful political career as senator from Ohio. He made history again at the age of 77 in 1998 by becoming the oldest person to fly into space when he flew on the space shuttle.

9. First woman in space

Date: June 16, 1963

Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is not a household name in the United States, but she is revered in Russia because she was the first woman to fly in space 20 years before Sally Ride became the first American woman to do so. Tereshkova orbited Earth 48 times in her space capsule, the Vostok 6. That was her only trip into space. She received the highest honors from the Soviet Union and was bestowed the United Nations Gold Medal of Peace. Tereshkova toured the world and became a staunch advocate for Soviet science.

10. First space walk

Date: March 25, 1965

Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to walk in space, after leaving the Voskhod spacecraft that carried two passengers. Leonov walked in space for about 10 minutes. His suit expanded minutes after he stepped into space owing to the lack of pressure, and he was unable to fit through the hatch when he tried return to the spacecraft. Leonov had to release a valve to partially depressurize his suit to allow him to get back into the spaceship. Three months later, Ed White would become the first American to walk in space.

The spacecraft Mariner 4 was the first to fly to Mars and the first to transmit pictures of Mars.(Photo: manjik / Getty Images)

11. First pictures of Mars

Date: June 14, 1965

The spacecraft Mariner 4 was the first to fly to Mars and the first to transmit pictures of Mars. Mariner 4 spent all of 25 minutes taking 21 photographs of the red planet from distances ranging between 6,200 miles and 10,500 miles above the planet. Those first, blurry images of Mars's craters and barren landscape suggested to some scientists that the planet was similar to our moon and dispelled hope that it had ever held life.

12. Soviets land spacecraft on moon, Venus

Date: Feb. 3, 1966

1966 would prove to be a significant year for the Soviet space program. In February of that year, the USSR would land an unmanned spacecraft called Luna on the moon that sent back transmissions to Earth. Less than a month later, on March 1, the Soviet Union would succeed in landing a spacecraft on Venus. The Venera 3 impacted Venus, the first spacecraft to land on another planet, but the communications systems failed before any data could be retrieved.

13. US lands spacecraft on moon

Date: June 2, 1966

The United States, still playing catch-up in the space race, landed its first spacecraft, the unmanned Surveyor 1, on the moon in June. The mission was considered a success, and the technology needed to achieve landing and operations on the lunar surface succeeded. Surveyor 1 performed engineering functions and took photos. It sent televised images of the spacecraft's footpad and the lunar surface.

14. Soviet spacecraft first to orbit moon

Date: Sept. 15, 1968

The Russian spacecraft Zond 5 became the first spacecraft to orbit the moon and return to Earth. Aboard the Zond 5 were turtles, mealworms, seeds, bacteria, and other living things. After the spacecraft landed in the Indian Ocean, all of the biological passengers were safely recovered. The flight was seen as a precursor to manned lunar landing.

15. Apollo 8

Date: Dec. 21-28, 1968

Apollo 8 was among the most famous of America's space missions the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the moon. The mission conducted a number of tests that were crucial to the lunar landing the following year. The crew photographed the lunar surface, both the far side and nearside, as well as Earth. The mission' "Earthrise" photo would become among the most famous of the 20th century. The astronauts had six live television transmissions, including the Christmas Eve broadcast in which they read from the book of Genesis, at the time the most-watched TV broadcast ever.

16. Men walk on moon

Date: July 20,1969

American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on a celestial entity other than Earth on July 20, 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's hope of landing humans on the moon before the end of the decade. Armstrong's quote as he stepped on the lunar surface, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," has become immortal. It was one of America's proudest moments, witnessed by hundreds of millions of people on television around the world. Armstrong and Aldrin spent two and a half hours on the surface collecting rocks and soil samples and, among other tasks, measuring by laser the exact distance between the moon and Earth. Armstrong and Aldrin were the first of 12 men, all Americans, who have walked on the moon.

The first space station, Salyut 1, was launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1971.(Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons)

17. First space station

Date: April 19, 1971

The first space station, Salyut 1, launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1971, achieved significant progress in humankind's ability to live and work in space. The cylindrical-shaped Salyut 1 was adapted for use with the manned Soyuz spacecraft and was about 65 feet long and 13 feet in diameter at its widest section. Salyut spent 175 days in space before crashing into the Pacific Ocean. The three-man Soviet crew that went aboard Salyut 1 for 23 days later died while returning to Earth when their Soyuz spacecraft accidentally lost its air.

18. US orbits Mars

Date: Nov. 13, 1971

Mariner 9, an unmanned NASA probe, became the first spacecraft to circle another planet after it completed an orbit around Mars. The photographs sent back from the Mariner 9 showed Mars to have varied geology and weather, according to a NASA summary of the mission, including ancient river beds, extinct volcanoes, canyons, weather fronts, ice clouds, and morning fogs.

19. Russians land on Mars

Date: May 28, 1972

On May 28, 1972, the Soviet spacecraft Mars 3 made the first soft landing on another planet when it touched down on Mars. Mars 3 had arrived at the red planet the previous December. The landing craft failed after relaying 20 seconds of video data to the orbiter. The orbiter continued to relay data to Soviet scientists until August 1972, measuring surface temperature and atmospheric conditions.

20. Skylab I

Date: May 14, 1973

The United States launched its first orbiting laboratory, Skylab I, on May 14, 1973. Skylab proved to be a success, despite technical glitches at the start. Skylab orbited the Earth for six years before it deteriorated and fell into the Indian Ocean and western Australia. Skylab hosted three crews of three astronauts who lived on the station for a total of 168 days in orbit. They conducted experiments in biomedical and life sciences and solar astronomy. Skylab also was important in understanding how humans endure extended time in space.

21. US-Soviet astronauts link up in space

Date: July 17-19, 1975

Cold War adversaries achieved detente in space in 1975, when U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts came together for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The Soyuz craft bore cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov, while the Apollo carried astronauts Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, and Donald Slayton. The two spacecraft docked in space for two days. After the vehicles came together, the space travelers shook hands and embraced and exchanged presents, plaques, and flags from their respective nations. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first mission in which the two nations began cooperating in space.

22. Viking 1 and 2

Date: July/September 1976

NASA launched the Viking 1 and 2 spacecraft in 1975, and both landed on Mars the following year, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the red planet. The photos that the two spacecraft returned to Earth deepened the knowledge about the planet's atmosphere and geology, with a greater understanding of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere. Viking 1 and 2 conducted biology experiments intended to look for signs of life. These experiments provided no indication of living microorganisms near the landing zones.

23. Voyagers I and 2 send back Jupiter images

Date: August and September 1977

Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched two weeks apart by NASA in 1977. NASA wanted to take advantage of a unique alignment of planets that happens once every 176 years. Such an alignment could slingshot each spacecraft from one planet to the next, aided by a planet's gravity. Voyager 1 would become the first spacecraft to fly by Jupiter and Saturn. It transmitted its first pictures of Jupiter back to Earth in April 1978, when it was 165 million miles away. Voyager 1 was the first to journey into interstellar space in 2012. Voyager 2 flew past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Since their launch, the spacecraft have been traveling along different flight paths and at different speeds.

24. Space shuttle takes off

Date: April 12, 1981

NASA's shuttle Columbia became the first winged spaceship to orbit Earth and return to airport landing. Columbia flew 28 missions and spent more than 300 days in space. Its early missions focused on repairing and deploying satellites and telescopes. Later, NASA shifted Columbia's priorities to science. Tragedy struck the shuttle on Feb. 1, 2003, when the spacecraft and crew were lost after the Columbia burned up during reentry. The disaster shut down the shuttle program for more than two years.

The first American woman in space, Sally Ride entered space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. She would make two shuttle flights.(Photo: Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images)

25. First US woman into space

Date: June 18, 1983

Sally Ride became first American woman in space, about 20 years after Soviet cosmonaut Tereshkova became the first woman in space. Ride, who held a doctorate in physics, was selected as one of NASA's first six female astronauts. She entered space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Ride would make two shuttle flights. Among the tasks she performed in flight were operating the shuttle's robotic arm.

26. Voyager 2 transmits images from Uranus

Date: Jan. 24, 1986

Voyager 2, launched into orbit with Voyager 1 in 1977, began transmitting images from Uranus in 1986. The massive planet showed some evidence of boiling oceanic water. Voyager 2 also found 10 new moons and two new rings around Uranus. Voyager 2 would become the only spacecraft to study all four of the solar system's outer planets at close range.

27. Voyager 2 transmits images from Neptune

Date: Aug. 1, 1989

Voyager 2 was built to examine the farthest reaches of the solar system, and this included the planet Neptune. The spacecraft is the only human-made object to have flown to that planet. During its journey, Voyager 2 found five moons and four rings around Neptune. It was discovered that Neptune's largest moon, Triton, was the coldest known planetary body in the solar system. The planet also was more active than previously believed, with winds exceeding 680 miles per hour. Hydrogen was the most common element in the atmosphere.

28. Hubble space telescope

Date: April 25, 1990

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The final frontier: The 40 most important events in the history of space exploration - USA TODAY

President Donald Trumps space policy has certainly evolved since the campaign when he was telling people that he doubted sending people to Mars was a good idea with American infrastructure needing to be rebuilt. During his presidency, Trump has set America on a course back to the moon. He has also started encouraging space commercialization, including the mining of the moon and other celestial bodies.

In 2015 before Trump took office President Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaTo energize young voters, Biden must recapture spirit of 2008 campaign Michelle Obama records robocalls urging DC residents to stay home amid pandemic How Democrats can help Biden make the sale MORE signed into law the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, which Congress passed, thanks in large part to the efforts of Texas Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzHillicon Valley: Experts worry U.S. elections vulnerable due to COVID-19 | Report finds states need more federal election funds | Republican senators to introduce coronavirus-related privacy bill Republicans to introduce bill to ban government employees from using Huawei, ZTE products On The Money: 3.8M more Americans file for unemployment benefits | Stocks cap off best month since 1987 even as coronavirus leaves millions jobless | Pelosi floats almost T for states in next relief package MORE (R). The Act, among other things, mandated that American space miners would retain ownership of the resources they extracted.

On April 6 President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump to travel to Camp David on Friday Overnight Defense: Sexual assaults increase across military | Army defends bringing cadets back for Trump graduation speech Overnight Health Care: Pelosi floats almost T for states | US intel investigating COVID-19's origins | Trump outlines efforts to protect nursing homes MORE signed an executive order confirming the principles of the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act. The EO repudiated the 1979 Moon Treaty, which the United States never ratified, and stated:

Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration, recovery, and use of resources in outer space, consistent with applicable law. Outer space is a legally and physically unique domain of human activity, and the United States does not view it as a global commons. Accordingly, it shall be the policy of the United States to encourage international support for the public and private recovery and use of resources in outer space, consistent with applicable law.

The Trump administration is pressing ahead with getting an international agreement confirming the right of private companies to mine space resources, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

As a follow up to the executive order, the administration has been quietly preparing the Artemis Accords, which it plans to present first to Americas partners on the International Space StationCanada, Europe, Japan and Russiaand later to other nations.

Just as an aside, because of recent events, China should be excluded from the list of nations to be part of the Artemis Accords for the time being. However, Taiwan should be included.

Other possible countries beyond the ISS partners that could join the Artemis Accords include Israel, India, South Korea, Australia and the United Arad Emirates. Australia would be obliged to withdraw from the Moon Treaty if it accepts an offer to join the Accords.

NASA has been tasked with returning to the moon and establishing what the space agency calls a lunar base camp to do science and to practice missions to Mars. However, the policy encouraging mining the moon and, by extension, other celestial bodies such as asteroids, recognizes a fact that has held back space exploration since the beginning.

The Apollo program to land men on the moon and the ISS have been seen as expensive hobbies by politicians who write the checks. Leaving aside studies such as the one conducted in the 1970s by Chase Econometrics that demonstrate space exploration returns many times the investment, the fact remains that science and national prestige from the space program are considered optional and not vital.

President Trump and like-minded people in Congress such as Sen. Cruz have recognized that space exploration must be made to pay in order to be sustainable. If returning to the moon creates wealth, then it becomes not just something that is nice to do but a thing that must be done for the benefit of the United States and its allies and, by extension, for all humankind.

This vision of the future goes beyond a small, lunar base camp. A town will grow up on the south pole of the moon, a center of science and commerce. While some will go exploring to wrest the secrets of the universe from the moon, others will extract our nearest neighbors hidden riches. Those riches include industrial metals such as titanium and aluminum, platinum group metals, rare earths, helium 3, which could be used for future fusion power plants, and water ice, which could be refined into rocket fuel for expeditions further into the solar system, to asteroids heavy with more riches and to Mars, the far away realm of explorers dreams for many decades.

The moons mineral wealth will fuel a new age of space exploration, a space-based industrial revolution, and, perhaps, an era of clean, limitless energy. It is a future better and more prosperous than the past or present.

Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space and politics, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond. He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. He is published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, the LA Times, and the Washington Post, among other venues.

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How the United States plans to make space exploration pay | TheHill - The Hill

Special Report

John Harrington

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every aspect of everyday life, its easy to forget about what else is going on in the world and that includes significant historical moments and fun holidays. One of them is May 1 Space Day.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the coolest and most unforgettable moments in space exploration after reviewing material from NASA, news articles from decades ago and information from the National Archives and Records Administration.

If Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci, and Vasco Da Gama helped Western civilization in the Age of Discovery reach new worlds, in the Space Age, Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, Valentina Tereshkova, and Neil Armstrong took humanity to Earths orbit and beyond. Those space pioneers launched our world into a realm that had been pondered by astronomers, philosophers, religious figures, science fiction writers and poets.

The Space Age paralleled the Cold War, and when the Soviet Union succeeded in launching Sputnik into space in 1957, it was seen as much a threat to U.S. national security as a scientific triumph. Sputniks success was the starting gun of the space race that put the prestige of nations on the line.

The competition for supremacy in space made national heroes of Gagarin, Glenn, Tereshkova, and Armstrong, among many other astronauts and cosmonauts in the 20th century. They would gain fame as astronauts on the Mercury and Apollo missions during the 1960s here are 30 special skills astronauts need to master to do their job.

Click here to see the most unforgettable moments in space exploration.

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The 40 Most Important Events in the History of Space Exploration - 24/7 Wall St.

Vaneeza Rupani by Her Bookshelf: Vaneeza Rupani, the 11th grader who named the Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity), at home in Northport, Alabama. Credit: Rupani Family. Download image

As a longtime fan of space exploration, Vaneeza Rupani appreciates the creativity and collaboration involved with trying to fly on another planet.

Vaneeza Rupani, an 11th grader at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, is the person behind the Mars Helicopter's new name. Chosen by NASA from the finalists for the agency's "Name the Rover" contest for the Mars 2020 mission, Ingenuity is an apt description for the history-making spacecraft, which launches with NASA's Perseverance rover this summer. Here, we ask Rupani what it's like to be part of a pioneering experiment.

What was going through your head when you heard that the name you submitted for the rover would be used for the helicopter instead?

I was very, very excited. To have a name I suggested used in any capacity is amazing. This helicopter is an incredible project, and I am thrilled to have a part in its journey.

Why do you think "Ingenuity" would be a good name for the helicopter?

Ingenuity would be a good name for the helicopter because that is exactly what it took to design this machine. The challenges faced trying to design something capable of flight on another planet can only be overcome with collaboration and creativity. It takes the ingenuity of an incredible group of people to create something with so many complex challenges.

What excites you most about the Mars Helicopter?

The fact that it will be the first craft to fly in a controlled way on another planet is super-exciting. Proving this is possible will open up multitudes of opportunities in space exploration. This milestone of adding an aerial element to the exploration of other worlds is extremely exciting!

Why do you think space exploration is important?

Space exploration is important because it gives us important insight into the history of planets. It tells us how different environments have changed over time and how they have reacted to different events. This information can then be used to protect Earth from any environmental dangers it may face, making space exploration extremely important to Earth's health and survival.

Bonus question for Vaneeza's mom, Nausheen Rupani: Whats an interesting story you can share about your daughter that's related to space?

Vaneeza had an interest in space science since her Montessori years. On their way to school every day, she and her dad would pretend they were in a spaceship. They would imagine seeing planets (buildings), stars (traffic lights), etc. on their way and give them names.

Space and the science of engineering that answers our questions about it have always fascinated Vaneeza since she learned to express herself. The tradition continues ... every night, we have a "fact of the day" session, where she shares new information she has learned.

We are immensely proud of Vaneeza and know she will make it big.

News Media Contact

DC Agle / Jia-Rui CookJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California818-3939-9011 / 818-354-0724david.c.agle@jpl.nasa.gov / jccook@jpl.nasa.gov

Alana JohnsonNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1501alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

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Q&A with the Student Who Named Ingenuity, NASA's Mars Helicopter - NASA Mars Exploration

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk, right, speak to press in front of the Crew Dragon that is being prepared for the Demo-2 mission.

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine believes the billions his agency has invested in Elon Musk's SpaceX have been well worth it as the company prepares to launch astronauts for the first time this month.

"The investments that we have made into SpaceX and the investment SpaceX has made in itself have really resulted in I think something that is going to be very beneficial, not just for human space exploration, but beneficial for the economy," Bridenstine said during a press conference on Friday.

NASA has awarded SpaceX with several contracts over the past two decades, ranging from development of new spacecraft to transporting cargo to the International Space Station. Under the Commercial Crew program, NASA awarded SpaceX more than $3.1 billion to fund development of its Crew Dragon capsule. Boeing also received over $4.8 billion of investment from NASA to develop a competing spacecraft called Starliner.

However, while SpaceX isset to launch NASA astronauts in its spacecraft on May 27, Boeing's Starliner is about a year behind in development after significant software issues during a test flight. The Commercial Crew program is NASA's replacement for the Space Shuttle, which retired in 2011.Although the program is about two years behind in delivering on its original goals, Bridenstine said he believes it has overall been cost effective.

"Commercial Crew is going to demonstrate cost savings if you compare it to the Space Shuttle ... We're very pleased with the level of investment that we've made and what we're getting for that investment," Bridenstine said.

The two spacecraft developed for Commercial Crew will give NASA a ride for its astronauts to get to the International Space Station. For about the past decade, NASA has paid Russia to fly astronauts to the ISS.

"We need to have the capability of accessing space, not just for NASA, but for all of humanity," Bridenstine said.

Musk has said previously that SpaceX has spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" of its own cash in developing the spacecraft. Asked on Friday specifically how much, president and COO Gwynne Shotwell deferred.

"SpaceX invests heavily in our products but candidly I can't tell you what the investment has been in Dragon 2. Not because I don't want to. I don't know what the number is," Shotwell said.

She added that SpaceX "hasworked closely with NASA since 2006," as flying people to space is the core of the company's mission.

"All that work is culminating to this historic event that we have upcoming here in just a few weeks," Shotwell said.

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NASA's billions of investment in SpaceX have been 'very beneficial,' agency chief says - CNBC