#Lunar Module Test Article

[lonestarflight]

"Dramatic view of the launch of Apollo 4, the first full-up test of the awesome Saturn V, 7:00:01 a.m. (EST), Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center."

Date: November 9, 1967

NAR-Rocketdyne photo no. VEH690

[whirligig-girl]

So, Sputnik and Apollo might be the soviet and USA's most well known space programs, but they are not analogous to one another.

inexhaustive list:

Sputnik (first ever artificial satellite (soviet) = "Fellow Traveller" vs Explorer (first u.s. artificial satellite; first scientific satellite).

Vostok (first crewed orbiter (soviet)) = "East" (this is the one Yuri Gagarin flew on) vs Mercury (first american crewed suborbital; later orbiter(USA) = Mercury (the fast Messenger god; a planet) spacecraft on Redstone and Atlas rockets.

Voskhod (larger, multi-crew orbiter(soviet)) = "Sunrise" or just "rise (in the astronomical sense)" vs Gemini (larger, multi-crew orbiter(USA)) = Constellation of the Twins; launched on Titan rockets (named for the powerful mythological beings)

Soyuz (the larger still multi-crew orbiter still used today(soviet/russian) = "Union" vs Apollo Command/Service Module (USA) = God who carried the sun across the sky; on the Saturn family rockets (named for the god of time or just the 6th planet.)

Luna (Lunar robotic probe) = "Moon" vs Ranger, Surveyor, and Mariner programs of the U.S.A.

Venera (Venus robotic probe) = "Venus" (Mars was just Mars) vs Mariner program of the USA.

Lunokhod (Lunar rover) = "Moonwalker" vs like... the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle? I dont think space-race era usa ever landed robotic moon rovers.

Salyut (Crewed civilian space stations) = "Salute" and Almaz (Crewed military space stations) = "Diamond" vs the huge USA Saturn S-IVB-turned-space-station Skylab

Mir (large modular space station) = "peace" or "world" vs the unbuilt US station "Freedom." (the conceptual Mir-2 and Freedom stations were combined into the International Space Station after the fall of the soviet union)

The American Space Shuttle Orbiter (Space Transportation System), with individual reusable ships titled Enterprise (after the fictional starship), Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. vs the Soviet Buran shuttle project = "Snowstorm"/"Blizzard." Enterprise is most analogous to Buran; since both were only ever experimental test articles (although IIRC Buran actually flew in space unlike Enterprise).

Even when we compare apples to red apples instead of oranges to apples, there's still this difference between a grounded, friendly sounding name versus something grand and important. like yes, Explorer-1, you are exploring, but don't get too cocky you are after all just sweeping through the earth's radiation belts with a geiger counter.

When the soviet union named spacecrafts for celestial objects, it's because that's where it's going. Ranger and Mariner bring vibes of outdoorsy adventurers; Surveyor is the only one of the american robotic probes that feels delightfully, accurately, nerdy.

Anyway. uh. where's the Enterprise x Buran forbidden love yuri art? Where's the uh. the um. the sloppy makeout between Mir and Freedom? Where's the Apollo/Soyuz shipping? ok we actually DO have that one...

ok now kiss lol.

Love the contrast between the Americans’ “Apollo” and the Soviets’ “Sputnik.” You got the Americans naming their rocket after a Greek god trying to communicate the grandness and importance of this rocket. And you got the Soviets naming their rocket “fellow traveler.” Like a friend you go on an  adventure with together. This rocket is our little friend lol 

[hobbyspacer]

Space habitat reports – May.30.2025

Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement. === International Space Station & NASA ** Space to Ground: Return Items: May 30, 2025 | NASA **Jonny Kim Discusses Life In Space With Meltwater Summit Attendees – Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | NASA Video Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 73 flight engineer Jonny Kim of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview with attendees at the Meltwater Summit in New York City. Kim, is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. ** Recent parking at the ISS: The science and cargo packed @SpaceX Dragon ended its stay undocking from the station's Harmony module at 12:05pm ET today for a return to Earth early Sunday. https://t.co/4xdwFBEeD2 — International Space Station (@Space_Station) May 23, 2025 ** Growing private gardens on the ISS: Bootleg agrarian society in the space station Astronaut Kate Rubins surprised us with her stories of secretive plant growth in the ISS. She started with sanctioned experiments to grow radishes in space. Instead of disposing of the plants, they hid them where the LED lighting… pic.twitter.com/KU1SxgCjN1 — Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) May 28, 2025 === Commercial space habitats ** Axiom Space --- Designing the habitation module: Axiom Station's habitation module will provide living quarters, work spaces, and life support systems for astronauts. Building a structure that can withstand the harsh conditions of space while maintaining a pressurized interior is quite a challenge. The Node Cylinder, 1 of 4… pic.twitter.com/U6Y8gwNrdc — Koichi Wakata 若田光一 (@Astro_Wakata) May 23, 2025 Living in space poses unique challenges that can affect mood and circadian rhythms. Traditional Space Station lighting has LED lighting focused on basic circadian regulation, but Axiom Station is taking it a step further with mood-responsive lighting that can monitor an astronaut… pic.twitter.com/bom0fE4Mh4 — Koichi Wakata 若田光一 (@Astro_Wakata) May 8, 2025 ** Sierra Space --- NASA Fires Hypervelocity Projectile at Inflatable Space Station | Sierra Space Youtube Sierra Space recently conducted successful hypervelocity impact trials at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to optimize the structural integrity of Sierra Space's Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE®) habitat. The goal of this NASA-supported testing was to refine a shield for the company’s expandable, flexible space station structure to make it capable of withstanding impacts from hazards on orbit. See also Sierra Space Advances Space Station Technology With Hypervelocity Impact Testing at NASA White Sands | Sierra Space - Apr.24.2025 Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and defense tech prime that is building a platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth, announced today that it recently conducted successful hypervelocity impact trials at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to optimize the structural integrity of Sierra Space’s Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE®) habitat. The goal of this NASA-supported testing was to refine a shield for the company’s expandable, flexible space station structure to make it capable of withstanding impacts from hazards on orbit. The LIFE habitat’s shield, constructed from innovative, high-strength, flexible “softgoods” – a chemically-woven fabric material called Vectran® – provides a lightweight yet durable alternative to traditional rigid structures. The Sierra Space and NASA test teams used a two-stage light gas gun to simulate micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impacts to LIFE’s outer shield. The testing aimed to select materials and configurations that enhance the habitat’s shielding performance while achieving significant mass savings – critical for space missions. You can view and download video of the test campaign here and photos here. “Our innovative space station technology drives scientific discovery and fuels a low-Earth orbit economy,” said Shawn Buckley, Vice President, Space Destinations Systems at Sierra Space. “This collaboration with NASA advances our efforts to development a shield that protects against micrometeoroids and space debris, bringing us closer to launching the LIFE habitat into orbit and readying our technology for repeat and long-duration space missions.” The impact testing, conducted under an unfunded Space Act Agreement called Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities (CCSC-2), used NASA’s .50 caliber two-stage light gas gun to replicate MMOD traveling at speeds around seven kilometers per second. Housed in the Remote Hypervelocity Test Laboratory, the gun uses gunpowder (the first stage) and highly compressed hydrogen (the second stage) to accelerate projectiles at high velocities to simulate orbital debris impacts on spacecraft and satellite materials and components. Testing is conducted in a near vacuum chamber to simulate space conditions. --- Growing veggies in space: For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of researching how to grow plants in space. Our Astro Garden system is a large-scale vegetable production system that uses hydroponics to grow plants without soil and offers a sustainable means of producing fresh food fresh food… pic.twitter.com/cZ8kNVrwjW — Sierra Space (@SierraSpaceCo) April 22, 2025 --- Sierra wins NASA funding to study inflatable modules for lunar shelters: Sierra Space Wins $3.6M NASA Lunar Logistics Contract | Payload - May.29.2025 Sierra Space secured a one-year, $3.6M NASA contract to study how its inflatable space station technology could provide logistical infrastructure for future lunar bases. The contract—part of NASA’s NextSTEP-2 Appendix R set of studies—tasks Sierra Space with examining how it would upgrade its LEO space station technology to withstand the lunar environment, given the Moon’s sharp regolith and extra gravity. ** Starlab - Voyager Technologies --- Vision research in microgravity: Starlab Space and Balance Ophthalmics Partner to Address Astronaut Vision Loss | Starlab - May.12.2025 Starlab Space LLC and Balance Ophthalmics have partnered to find a solution for Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, a condition that describes functional changes to the eyes of astronauts. One in three astronauts on long-duration International Space Station missions experiences symptoms of SANS, including hyperopic shifts, globe flattening, choroidal/retinal folds and cotton wool spots. If not addressed, prolonged microgravity exposure, including during missions to the Moon or Mars, could cause complete and irreversible vision loss for astronauts. This partnership demonstrates Starlab’s commitment to scientific research and to safe and repeatable space flight experiences. The company aims to enhance astronauts’ way of life today on the International Space Station, while also setting a baseline for further improvement and future use on Starlab. Dual-use technologies are key to this effort, jumpstarting discoveries that can transform humanity both on Earth and in space. Balance Ophthalmics has developed the first and only non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical way to treat eye pressure. The FYSX™ Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump features a quiet, compact, portable pump combined with innovative pressure sensing goggles. The device has been granted FDA DeNovo Classification and shown to lower pressure in every patient at every visit while worn. “While our issues are reversed in space – we need to increase pressure on the eyes rather than lower it – the technology behind Balance Ophthalmics can be a game changer for future space missions and improve our customer experience on Starlab. I’m looking forward to partnering with Balance, addressing this critical concern and exploring the many other benefits of the technology, so that our astronauts can clearly and completely focus on their best work,” said Tim Kopra, Starlab CEO. --- Starlab in Europe: Our European team recently showcased Starlab at the inaugural SpaceTechNRW Conference in Cologne, bringing together key leaders in the space sector and highlighting the region's strong position in today's space ecosystem and its vision for future growth. Starlab's Michael Boss… pic.twitter.com/X78Nf5GRxE — Starlab (@Starlab_Space) May 14, 2025 ** VAST —- Haven-1 habitat construction ahead of schedule: Vast to complete Haven-1 primary structure in July 2025, ahead of target May 2026 launch date | SpaceflightNow - May.7.2025 --- Testing of primary structure: The Haven-1 primary structure qualification article continues critical testing at our Mojave, CA, test site. Last year, in just six months, we built the qualification article, enabling early testing and validation of our design to ensure we are building a safe and low-cost… pic.twitter.com/VgOJgGTQtn — Vast (@vast) May 9, 2025 —- Vast to launch Haven-1, the world’s first commercial  space station, in May 2026 | Spaceflight Now on YouTube The International Space Station, a beacon of research and technological advancements in a low Earth orbit, microgravity environment, is nearing the end of its operational life. Vast, a commercial space station company based in Long Beach, California, is working on its bid to replace the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial LEO Development (CLD) program. As part of its proof of concept, Vast plans to launch the single-module, Haven-1 space station into LEO no earlier than May 2026. It will be followed by the first crewed mission to this new orbiting laboratory no earlier than late June 2026. Spaceflight Now Reporter Will Robinson-Smith toured Vast's Haven-1 Experience at the 40th Space Symposium with Vast CEO Max Haot and spoke with Lead Astronaut Andrew Feustel to learn about the design, manufacturing and vision for Vast's first foray into creating a commercial space station. Haven-1 is designed to pave the way for the multi-module Haven-2, which is Vast's entrant to become the successor to the ISS. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 00:34 - Our tour begins... 00:58 - Haven-1 overview 02:46 - Lead Astronaut Drew Feustel 03:53 - Science partners 06:51 - Vast and CLD development 08:36 - Glimpse of Haven-2 08:56 - Haven-1 hatch and SpaceX partnership 12:40 - Crew quarters and Vast Haven-1 sleep system 14:49 - Hardware progress on Haven-1 19:14 - Working towards Haven-2 —- Inside Vast Headquarters: Where Next Generation Space Stations Are Built | VAST Youtube --- More touring of Vast's facilities: We recently welcomed journalist Pablo Fuente to our facilities and Mojave test site for an in-depth look at our progress toward building next-generation space stations, our pursuit of NASA’s CLD bid, and the talented team making it happen. Thanks to @PabloFuente and… https://t.co/FxytfQU9By — Vast (@vast) May 6, 2025 --- Testing the domed window: Haven-1’s domed window will enable the crew to observe and photograph the Earth and space. This test fixture is critical to confirming the window’s strength and ensuring crew safety in space. Each test kick simulates hundreds of pounds of force, mimicking accidental bumps from… pic.twitter.com/DpLV17EwhT — Vast (@vast) April 25, 2025 To evaluate the performance of our Haven-1 domed window, the team conducted nighttime star photography tests. This setup allowed us to assess how light sources, such as stars and the Moon, interact with the window’s multiple panes. We evaluated camera views through the window and… pic.twitter.com/ogBEWMOKXj — Vast (@vast) May 20, 2025 --- NASA assists Vast with development of air filtration systems for station modules: NASA Helps with Progress on Vast's Haven-1 Commercial Space Station | NASA - May.29.2025 NASA-supported commercial space station, Vast’s Haven-1, recently completed a test of a critical air filter system for keeping future astronauts healthy in orbit. Testing confirmed the system can maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere for all planned Haven-1 mission phases. Testing of the trace contaminant control system was completed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of a reimbursable Space Act Agreement. Vast also holds an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA as part of the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities initiative. The subsystem of the environmental control and life support system is comprised of various filters designed to scrub hazardous chemicals produced by both humans and materials on the commercial station. During the test, a representative chemical environment was injected into a sealed environmental chamber, and the filtration system was turned on to verify the trace contaminant control system could maintain a healthy atmosphere. “Testing of environmental control systems and subsystems is critical to ensure the health and safety of future commercial space station crews,” said Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Through NASA’s agreements with Vast and our other industry partners, the agency is contributing technical expertise, technologies, services, and facilities to support companies in the development of commercial stations while providing NASA important insight into the development and readiness to support future agency needs and services in low Earth orbit.” Experts used the same environmental chamber at Marshall to test the International Space Station environmental control and life support system. The knowledge and data gained during the recent testing will help validate Vast’s Haven-1 and support future Haven-2 development. === Chinese space habitats ** Shenzhou-20 astronauts complete successful 8-hour spacewalk | CNSA Watcher - Archives 08:50 to 16:49, extravehicular activities lasted a total of 7 hours and 59 minutes 【Shenzhou-20 astronauts successfully completed their first extravehicular activity】At 16:49 today, after about 8 hours of extravehicular activities, Shenzhou-20 astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie closely cooperated with ground research personnel and successfully completed their first extravehicular task. At 08:50, astronaut Chen Dong opened the hatch of the core module and was the first to exit. After Chen Dong boarded the robotic arm, with the coordination of astronaut Chen Zhongrui ... full text Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/Pt70Zzzxd ** Chinese astronauts conduct spacewalk to add space debris protection on Tiangong space station | VideoFromSpace Shenzhou-20 astronauts Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui conducted a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on May 22, 2025. The "complete multiple tasks, including the installation of space debris protection devices," according to China Central Television. ** Shenzhou-20 Crew Thriving in Space Station Orbit | CNSA Watcher - Archives The Shenzhou-20 crew has been busy in orbit for half a month since arriving at the Chinese space station on April 25. Read the full article

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.13 (after 1900)

1900 – British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War. 1920 – The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin. 1930 – The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory. 1940 – The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. 1943 – The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków. 1954 – The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam. 1957 – Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista. 1969 – Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module. 1974 – Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36. 1979 – The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état. 1988 – The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan. 1989 – Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite. 1992 – The Mw  6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). 1993 – The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas. 1996 – The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. 1997 – The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader. 2003 – An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints. 2012 – The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children. 2013 – The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. 2016 – The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. 2016 – Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people. 2020 – President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States. 2020 – Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality. 2020 – Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.

[spacenutspod]

Teams from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), including NASA astronaut Stan Love (far right) and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (far left) help conduct human factors testing inside a mockup for the Gateway lunar space station. Thales Alenia Space Teams at NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and Thales Alenia Space, including astronauts Stan Love and Luca Parmitano, came together in Turin, Italy, this summer for a test run of Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon. The group conducted what is known as human factors testing inside a mockup of Lunar I-Hab, one of four Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the Moon’s South Pole region. The testing is an important step on the path to launch by helping refine the design of spacecraft for comfort and safety. Lunar I-Hab is provided by ESA and Thales Alenia Space and is slated to launch on Artemis IV. During that mission, four astronauts will launch inside the Orion spacecraft atop an upgraded version of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and deliver Lunar I-Hab to Gateway in orbit around the Moon. ESA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre of the United Arab Emirates are providing major hardware for Gateway, including science experiments, the modules where astronauts will live and work, robotics, and life support systems. International teams of astronauts will explore the scientific mysteries of deep space with Gateway as part of the Artemis campaign to return to the Moon for scientific discovery and chart a path for the first human missions to Mars and beyond. A mockup of ESA’s Lunar I-Hab module, one of four elements of the Gateway space station where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole Region.Thales Alenia Space An artist’s rendering of ESA’s Lunar I-Hab module in orbit around the Moon, one of four elements of the Gateway space station where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole Region.NASA/Alberto Bertolin, Bradley Reynolds Learn More About Gateway Share Details Last Updated Oct 22, 2024 EditorBriana R. ZamoraContactDylan Connelldylan.b.connell@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsGateway Space StationArtemisArtemis 4Earth's MoonExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateGateway ProgramHumans in SpaceJohnson Space Center Explore More 1 min read Gateway Stands Tall for Stress Test The Gateway space station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost has successfully completed static load testing in… Article 3 weeks ago 6 min read NASA’s Artemis IV: Building First Lunar Space Station Article 7 months ago 2 min read Gateway: Energizing Exploration Discover the cutting-edge technology powering Gateway, humanity's first lunar space station. Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Orion Spacecraft Gateway Human Landing System

[atoquarks]

[anxioushoneybadgers]

Do you need a menstrual cycle to be affected by the moon? - Abby Maske

While one of our main focuses for our research in this page is the effect lunar events have on female menstrual cycles, we don't want to overlook men and the potential effects on them. For the other half of humans what occurs in their bodys and is it similar to women? We looked at a research study called “ Does the lunar cycle affect biological parameters in young healthy men?” by Chronobiology international. This study is the test of levels in youth men during a full moon and during a new moon. They used 24 healthy young men from 25 yrs old to 27 yrs old. During the test they showed no sleep disturbance according to the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. The blood tests they did were Radioimmunoassay  kits (A68449  Melatonin  RIA,  IM1841  Cortisol  RIA,  and IM1087  Testosterone  RIA,  Beckman  Coulter Laboratories, USA). The post hoc tests revealed that medical laboratory levels and TST(testosterone) levels  were lower  during  the Full moon compared  to the  New moon, both  in the  morning. Although CRT (cortisol) levels  were  higher  in the Full moon compared to the New moon, both in the morning. In the study summary it emphasizes “This  is  the  first  study  investigating  the  effects of  LC(lunar cycle)  on diurnal variation of hormonal, biochemical, and hematolo-gical parameters in a light-controlled laboratory on healthy active men” This is necessary to our study to be able to cross compare with the statistics on womens bodys to get a better understanding of how our bodys as humans change with the lunar positioning. The main findings were  that MLT,  TST, and  NEU levels were lower during the Full moon compared to the New moon both in  the  morning and  evening.  However,  CRT  levels  were higher  during the  Full moon  compared to  the New moon  both in  the morning and evening. Interestingly, HB(heartbeat) levels were higher only on the evening of the Full moon compared to the New moon. The present  study confirms  for the first time  that the  Lunar cycle affects the hormonal and hematological profile of humans. “Whether moon phases  modulate it is not evident  and still needs to be explored.” This quote is why we have also taken the time to examine the effect on women as well during studies. The study proved that their levels of testosterone were slightly higher during a new moon but cortisol levels were lower during a new moon. The study confirmed that the stages of the moon create a biological event in the body’s blood.  The study of the moon's effect on menstrual cycles meaning we focus on people presenting with menstrual cycles but not people without. This article allows for us to get insight on the possible changes that could be happening not only in body’s with menstrual cycles but also ones without. The test itself is a piece of evidence for our blog to be able to give facts to the physical effects of the lunar light on the body.

This graph shows the difference between the testosterone on a full moon vs. a new moon. P1 represents the cortisol levels in the subjects on a new moon whereas P2 represents the cortisol levels on the full moon. D1 represents the testosterone on a new moon whereras D2 represents the testosterone on a full moon.

The graph and essay are in referance to the work done by Dergaa I; Romdhani M;Fessi MS;Ben Saad H;Varma A;Ben Salem A;Gadhavi B;Chaabane M; Souissi N;Hammouda O; (2021, March 28). Does the lunar cycle affect biological parameters in young healthy men?. Chronobiology international. 

[faqsfeedofficial]

Chandrayaan-3: India's Successful Lunar Landing

Chandrayaan-3, India's latest lunar mission, has achieved a historic milestone by successfully landing on the moon's surface. This achievement comes after the setback of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, in 2019. The landing, which took place as planned on Wednesday at 5:34 am PT (6:04 pm IST), makes India the fourth nation globally to achieve a soft landing on the moon, following the former Soviet Union, the U.S., and China. What sets this achievement apart is that India is the first country to successfully land on the lunar south pole, a region of great scientific interest. Addressing the audience after the successful landing, ISRO chairman S. Somanath expressed his gratitude to the thousands of scientists, engineers, staff, and industries involved in the mission. Chandrayaan-3's success is a testament to their hard work and dedication. The Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched on July 14th by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), aims to demonstrate safe lunar landing and rover operations while conducting scientific experiments. Despite a budget of less than $75 million, the spacecraft consists of a propulsion module, lander, and rover, equipped with seven scientific instruments. To overcome the challenges faced by its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 features improved sensors, software, and propulsion systems in its lander. Rigorous simulations and testing were conducted to ensure a robust landing. The lander will conduct experiments on various aspects, including seismic vibrations, lunar temperature, and spectral signatures of Earth. The Chandrayaan-3 rover, similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, will accompany the lander. Both the lander and rover have a mission life of one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. This achievement comes 14 years after India's first moon landing mission in 2008, which discovered evidence of water molecules in the lunar atmosphere. While the Chandrayaan-2 lander-rover mission faced challenges during its touchdown, the orbiter continues to study the moon from orbit and played a critical role in locating the landing site for Chandrayaan-3. India's space exploration efforts have seen significant growth in recent years, with over a hundred space tech startups contributing to the development of launch vehicles, satellites, and earth imaging technology. The country has also introduced a space policy to foster collaboration between private companies and government entities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that India's moon mission is a shared achievement that belongs to all of humanity. He noted that India's approach of "one Earth, one family, one future" resonates globally and that India's success will benefit future moon missions by other countries. ISRO has a list of missions in progress, including the long-anticipated human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, and the solar observatory project, Aditya L1, to study the sun. India's collaboration with NASA, including signing the Artemis Accords, signifies its growing role in international space exploration. NASA is providing advanced training to Indian astronauts and planning to send them to the International Space Station next year. Additionally, ISRO and NASA are working together to launch a low-Earth observatory (LEO) in 2024, which will provide valuable data for studying Earth's ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation, sea level, and natural disasters. Chandrayaan-3's successful lunar landing is a significant step forward for India's space program, inspiring further exploration and collaboration on the global stage. Read the full article

[nasaorion]

Orion’s top images of 2020

The Orion program showed its resilience this year during an unprecedented time, racking up several success stories building and testing the spacecraft in preparation for upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon. From hot fire and structural testing, to crew and service module assembly activities, progress on Orion brought the agency closer to sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, and sustainable lunar exploration by 2028.

Ensuring crew safety, a hot fire test was conducted on the Northrop Grumman-built attitude control motor – which provides steering for Orion’s  launch abort system in the event of an emergency during ascent – at the company’s facility in Elkton, Maryland. The 30-second hot fire was the third and final test to qualify the motor for human missions, beginning with Artemis II.

During a three-month testing campaign at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, the Orion spacecraft was subjected to the extreme temperatures and electromagnetic environment it will experience on Artemis I – Orion’s first uncrewed test flight to the Moon atop the agency’s  Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Testing wrapped up early and the vehicle was readied for its journey back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard the agency’s one-of-a-kind Super Guppy.

Before NASA astronauts fly Orion on missions to the Moon and back, testing is necessary to verify the spacecraft’s ability to withstand the stresses of launch, climb to orbit, the harsh conditions of deep space transit, and return to Earth. Engineers from NASA and its prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, completed testing on Orion’s Structural Test Article (STA) for Artemis I. The STA is structurally identical to Orion’s main spacecraft elements: the crew module, service module and launch abort system.

The first element machined for the Artemis III Orion crew module – a cone panel with openings for windows, which will provide a spectacular view – was designed by Lockheed Martin, and manufactured by AMRO Fabricating Corp., of South El Monte, California. The completed panel made its way to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, where engineers will weld it with other elements as part of Orion’s pressure vessel.

Orion’s European Service Module primary structure for the Artemis III mission arrived at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany, from its Thales Alenia Space manufacturing site in Turin, Italy. The service module will be equipped with components to power Orion and provide life support to astronauts – such as air, water, heat and cooling -- during the mission that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon.

Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairing panels were fitted onto Orion’s service module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy. Once secured, the panels encapsulate the service module to protect it from harsh environments such as heat, wind, and acoustics as the spacecraft is propelled out of Earth’s atmosphere atop the SLS rocket during NASA’s Artemis I mission.

[goodeggshen]

Wikipedia article of the day for May 16, 2021

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 16, 2021 is Apollo 7. Apollo 7 (October 11–22, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program. It was commanded by Wally Schirra, with command module pilot Donn F. Eisele and lunar module pilot R. Walter Cunningham, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts in January 1967. Determined to prevent a repetition of the fire, the crew spent long periods of time monitoring the construction of their Apollo command and service module (CSM). After liftoff on October 11, 1968, extensive testing of the CSM took place, along with testing of techniques to be used on lunar missions, and also the first live television broadcast from an American spacecraft. Despite tension between the crew and ground controllers, the mission was a complete technical success, giving NASA the confidence to send Apollo 8 into orbit around the Moon two months later, but in part because of those tensions, no member of the crew flew in space again.

[complexob7]

How NASA Train Their Astronauts?

Astronauts - We have seen them floating in space. Many of us think of being an astronaut at some point in our lifetime. But becoming one is not that easy. In this article, we are discussing "How NASA Train Their Astronauts?".

An astronaut is a person trained by the human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Members of the space program of Russia or the Soviet Union are called cosmonauts.

Although it is usually reserved for professional astronauts, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels in space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists.

Until 2002, astronauts were sponsored and trained exclusively by governments, either by the military or civilian space agencies. With the suborbital flight of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new class of astronauts has been created: commercial astronauts.

Tests and training for Astronauts

Astronaut training describes the complex process of preparing astronauts for their space missions before, during, and after a flight in areas around the world, including medical tests, physical training, extra-vehicular activity (EVA) training, The process includes training, rehabilitation process. as well as training on the experiments they will achieve while in space.

Virtual and physical training facilities have been integrated to familiarize astronauts with the conditions they will face during all phases of flight and prepare astronauts for microgravity environments.

Special considerations must be made during training to ensure a safe and successful mission, which is why Apollo astronauts received training for geology fieldwork on the lunar surface and research on best practices for future extended missions. such as the journey to Mars.

Astronaut selection and training are integrated processes to ensure that crew members are qualified for space missions.

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Types of Training: Explained

The training is classified into five objectives in general and specific aspects: basic training, advanced training, mission-specific training, onboard training, and efficiency maintenance training.

In basic training, trainees must learn acronyms in medicine, language, robotics, piloting, space systems engineering, organization of space systems, and aerospace engineering.

Sixty to eighty percent of astronauts will experience space motion sickness, including pallor, cold sweats, vomiting, and anorexia, but candidates are expected to recover from the illness as training continues.

During advanced training and mission-specific training, astronauts will learn about the operation of specific systems and the skills associated with their assigned positions in a space mission.

18 months is typically required to complete mission-specific training for Space Shuttle and International Space Station crews. It is important to ensure the well-being, physical and mental health of the astronauts before, during, and after the mission period.

Proficiency maintenance training is intended to help crew members maintain a minimum level of performance, covering topics such as extracurricular activity, robotics, language, diving, and flight training. Astronauts also take classes.

They have a lot to learn apart from science. Sometimes they have to give speeches, so they take public speaking classes.

To be prepared for any emergency, astronauts undergo survival training. It can take up to two years of training to become a fully qualified astronaut.

You should learn the basics of spaceflight and the International Space Station, as well as how to be part of a team by flying a NASA T-38 training jet. After you finish your initial training period as an astronaut candidate, you will be given a technical assignment.

In this assignment, you will support astronauts who are already in space and who are training to go. Then you'll wait, sometimes years, for the next most exciting day of your life - the day you've been assigned to a space flight.

If you did well in your initial training and worked hard at your technical assignment, someday, the chief of the astronaut office will ask you if you still want to go to space.

If you are assigned to fly to the space station as an expeditionary crew member, you will need approximately 18 months of training. However, if you haven't received any specific training on space station systems, or if you don't have the required language skills, it can take more than 18 months.

It helps to have another expedition member trained as a backup and learn to speak Russian. Astronauts must be able to understand Russian so that they can speak to the Russian Mission Control Center and understand their instructors.

If you're going to live and work on the International Space Station, you'll need to speak at least two languages. Knowing more than two languages ​​is even better!

Travel during training

During your 18 months of training, you will make several trips between the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

You can also go to Canada to take training on the robotic arm of the space station. In the future, the station's crew members will also train in Europe and Japan when modules from the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency are added to the space station.

On-Orbit Operations Training

Now let's move on to on-orbit operations training... Astronauts are trained to prepare for launch conditions as well as the harsh environment of space.

The purpose of this training is to prepare the crew for events falling under two broad categories: events related to the operation of spacecraft - internal incidents; And phenomena related to the space environment - external phenomena.

During training, astronauts are introduced to the engineering systems of spacecraft, including spacecraft propulsion, spacecraft thermal control, and life support systems.

In addition, astronauts receive training in orbital mechanics, scientific experimentation, Earth observation, and astronomy.

This training is especially important for missions when an astronaut encounters multiple systems and this training is done to prepare the astronauts for events that may affect their health, crew health, or successful completion of the mission. can pose a danger to.

These types of events can result in failure of a critical life support system, capsule sedimentation, fire, and other life-threatening events.

In addition to requiring training for hazardous events, astronauts will also need to be trained to ensure the successful completion of their missions. External phenomena more broadly refer to the ability to live and work in the extreme environments of space.

This includes adaptation to microgravity, isolation, confinement, and radiation. Difficulties associated with living and working in microgravity include spatial disorientation, motion sickness, and vertigo.

During long-duration missions, astronauts will often experience isolation and confinement. This is known to limit the performance of the astronaut crew and hence training is aimed at preparing them for such challenges.

The long-term effects of radiation on the crew are still largely unknown. However, it is theorized that astronauts on their journey to Mars are likely to receive radiation doses 1000 times higher than that of a normal person on Earth.

As such, current and future training should include systems and procedures to protect astronauts from radiation.

Scientific Experimentation on ISS

Scientific experimentation has historically been an important element of human spaceflight and is the primary focus of the International Space Station.

Training on how to successfully perform these experiments is an important part of astronaut training, as it maximizes the scientific return of the mission.

Once in orbit, communication between astronauts and scientists on the ground can be limited, and time is strictly divided between the various mission activities. It is important that astronauts are familiar with their assigned experiments so that they can be completed in a timely manner, with as little interference from the ground as possible.

For missions to the ISS, each astronaut needs to become proficient in one hundred or more experiments. During training, the scientists responsible for the experiments do not have direct contact with the astronauts who will carry them.

Instead, scientists give instructions to instructors who in turn prepare the astronauts to perform the experiments. Much of this training is done at the European Astronaut Center.

For human experiments, scientists describe their experiments to astronauts who then choose whether or not to participate in the ISS.

For these experiments, astronauts will be tested before, during, and after the mission to establish a baseline and determine when the astronaut will be returned to baseline.

Virtual Reality (VR) Training

Sometimes astronauts can also take virtual reality training. Virtual reality has been explored as a technique for artificially exposing astronauts to the conditions and processes of space before they go into space.

Using virtual reality, astronauts can be trained and assessed to perform an EVA with all necessary equipment and environmental characteristics. This modern technology allows scenarios to be changed on the go, such as testing emergency protocols.

These training systems can reduce the effects of space motion sickness through a process of accommodation. Preflight VR training can be a counterpoint to the disorientation caused by space motion sickness and the weightlessness of microgravity environments.

When the goal is to act as a practice tool, virtual reality is usually explored in conjunction with robotics and additional hardware to enhance the effect of immersion or trainee engagement.

Conclusion

So, now you can understand that astronaut training is not for everyone. Even if you are very knowledgeable, but you do not have physical strength, you cannot be an astronaut.

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Thanks for reading till the end. Comment what's your opinion about this information "How NASA Train Their Astronauts?".

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[lonestarflight]

Diagram illustrating the flight path of the Apollo 4 mission.

Date: November 9, 1967

source

[space-life]

Some things about Space Life

Space Life is a science fiction webcomic set in an indefinite future on a small spaceship traveling the cosmos. On board the spaceship we find Tom, an astronaut we always see with a suit and helmet and AL, the voice of an artificial intelligence. Welcome to spaceship Beagle 5. Sit back and enjoy following Tom and AL on an extravagant adventure among the stars. Try to find countless references to famous and little-known jewels from scifi, nerd and pop culture.

Some things about Space Life

The Beagle 5 spaceship takes its name from the HMS Beagle ship. The HMS Beagle on her second voyage hosted the then young naturalist Charles Darwin on board, whose work made the Beagle one of the most famous ships in history. Number 5 is a tribute to Eagle 5 (which also has a certain similarity with the name Beagle) spaceship of Spaceballs (A 1987 american science fiction comedy film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks).

AL is a tribute to Alan Turing. Philosopher, mathematician and cryptographer. The test that bears his name is still considered today a valid tool to ascertain whether a machine is able to compete with human intelligence.

AL also remembers HAL 9000, the supercomputer aboard the spacecraft Discovery in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Arthur C. Clarke's book of the same name. In 2003, the American Film Institute placed HAL 9000 in 13th place on its list of the 50 Best Movie Villains of All Time. What surprises will AL have in store for us?

The work break raises the question about the future of work and about human-machine interaction. For further information see Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom

The game of chess proposed by Tom in "Origin" is a tribute to the great chess challenges between man and computer. Chess and computers have gone hand in hand since the dawn of information technology. Between the end of the 40s and the beginning of the 50s the first articles appeared (with signatures of illustrious scientists such as Claude Shannon, Norbert Wiener and above all the aforementioned Alan Turing) that designed algorithms capable of playing. Memorable were the challenges between Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue.

In "Spoiler" Tom says he wants to start reading "War and Peace". The reference is to the Peanuts character Snoopy who loves War and Peace, but in order not to get tired he reads no more than one word a day.

After the Apollo 1 fire, Snoopy became the official mascot of the Apollo program's aerospace security, testing and rebuilding.

The Apollo 10 lunar module was named "Snoopy" and the command module "Charlie Brown".

The Silver Snoopy award is a special NASA award in the form of a silver pin engraved with Snoopy with a space helmet. It is given to an astronaut who works in the space program who has gone above and beyond on the pursuit of quality and safety.

In "Cultural evolution" we refer to the cultural evolution in animals. In recent decades, a burgeoning literature has documented the cultural transmission of behavior through social learning in numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species. A meaning of "cultural evolution in animals" refers to these findings and I present an overview of the key findings. I will then address the other meaning of the term focused on cultural changes within a lineage. Such changes in humans, described as "cumulative cultural evolution", have been spectacular, but relatively little attention has yet been paid to the subject in non-human animals, other than claiming that the process is unique to humans. A variety of evidence, including controlled experiments and field observations, has begun to challenge this view and in some behavioral domains, particularly birdsong, cultural evolution has been studied for many years. The scifi reference is to "Planet of the Apes" and compared to the bears to the short story "Bears Discover Fire" by American science fiction author Terry Bisson.

"Time" is set in the vicinity of the black hole M87 . It's the central black hole of the giant elliptical galaxy Galaxy Virgo A, encoded as "M87" (the largest galaxy in the "near" universe, located 56 million light years from us , in the Cluster of the Virgin). It has a mass approximately 6.6 billion times that of the Sun.

That the  time be one illusion is a mantra of many modern theoretical physicists. In the equations of the "loop quantum gravity model", with which Carlo Rovelli, Lee Smolin and others try to unify Einstein's general relativity and quantum mechanics, time disappears. What exists at the fundamental level are only "atoms of space". The universe and its history are nothing more than ways in which these "space atoms" are arranged. (Rovelli's Book)

Tom's answer - "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so"- is a quote from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.

Have fun finding references and quotes in the next few episodes! feel free to write your ideas in the comments.

[hobbyspacer]

Space habitat reports – Apr.4.2025

Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement. === International Space Station & NASA ** Space to Ground: Preboarding for Spaceflight: April 04, 2025 | NASA Johnson ** Space to Ground: Transitional Period: March 28, 2025 | NASA Johnson ** NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Talks with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Star Talk” – Thursday, April 3, 2025 | NASA Video Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 flight Don Pettit of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 3 with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Star Talk” Program. Pettit is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. ** NASA’s Northrop Grumman Cargo Resupply Services-21 Departure – Friday, March 28, 2025  | NASA Video The unpiloted Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission for NASA was released from the nadir port of the Unity Module of the International Space Station March 28 by flight controllers on the ground in Houston, Texas. Cygnus launched on Aug. 4 from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following a deorbit engine firing on March 30, Cygnus will begin a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with trash, will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. See also: Cygnus Departs Station After Release from Robotic Arm | NASA - Mar.28.2025 ** NASA's Suni Williams hands over command of ISS to Russian crewmate in ceremony | VideoFromSpace NASA astronaut Suni Williams gave the key to the International Space Station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin during a change of command ceremony on March 7, 2025. ** Microbes and the Microbial "Situation on Station."  | ISS National Lab In this bonus clip from the 1st episode of “Between A Rocket & A Hard Space,” a podcast from the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, host Patrick O'Neill and Dr. Michael Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer of the ISS National Lab, discuss Dr. Mike's passion: microbes in a closed environment. *About the Podcast*: Join your host, Patrick O’Neill, Public Affairs lead at the International Space Station National Laboratory, for “Between A Rocket and A Hard Space,” a podcast that explores space-based research with visionaries from academia, government, and private businesses who have launched their R&D to the ISS. People just like you are addressing those pesky hard spaces created by research limitations here on the ground and putting their research on a rocket to test what’s possible in space. Between a Rocket and a Hard Space is brought to you by the International Space Station National Laboratory, managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. ** The ISS Cupola observation module: This is what the ISS observation dome looks like from the outside and inside This is a module of the International Space Station (ISS), which is a panoramic observation dome consisting of seven transparent windows. It is designed to observe the surface of the Earth, outer space,… pic.twitter.com/bmsemWAco5 — Black Hole (@konstructivizm) March 28, 2025 ** In Defense Of The Space Station | TMRO In this video, members of the TMRO crew explain why we shouldn't retire the ISS early in 2027, what benefits it serves, and a reminder that SpaceX might not exist without it. ** MISSION UPDATE - SpaceX Fram2 Human Polar Mission | The Launch Pad A glimpse into the activities of the SpaceX Fram 2 crew; the first human spaceflight to fly over Earth’s polar regions from low-Earth orbit. === Commercial space habitats ** Axiom Space --- Free floating station configuration now possible as early as 2028: We have coordinated with NASA to update the Axiom Station assembly sequence. The first module to launch will be the PPTM, which includes power and thermal systems. Instead of docking to Node 2, the PPTM is able to berth to one of the ports currently used by cargo spacecraft. The… pic.twitter.com/KdmNhYDg6Z — Koichi Wakata 若田光一 (@Astro_Wakata) March 11, 2025 During the #Ax4 mission, crew will be performing a wide range of experiments and demonstrations that leverage microgravity to enhance scientific research #ForEarth. With 60 research and science-related activities, this mission sets a record for Axiom Space missions. Find out more… pic.twitter.com/u790ZMiKCB — Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) April 3, 2025 ** Gravitics --- Gravitics wins grant from the US Space Force to demonstrate use of their orbital carrier modules for military applications: - Gravitics Selected by Space Force for $60M STRATFI to Demonstrate Revolutionary Orbital Carriers | Gravitics - Mar.26.2025 - Firm wins Space Force funding to provide an “aircraft carrier” in orbit | Ars Technica - Mar.26.2025 ** Starlab - Voyager Technologies --- Starlab aims for 2028 launch of the first station module: Private Starlab space station moves into 'full-scale development' ahead of 2028 launch | Space.com - Mar.18.2025 The completion of the PDR (see previous Habitat Report) raises the company's confidence in meeting the launch date goal. ** VAST --- Vast to use NASA vacuum facility: Vast Secures Agreement with NASA to test Haven-1 Flight Vehicle at Armstrong Test Facility | VAST - Apr.3.2025 Vast and NASA have signed an agreement to allow Vast to perform the final environmental test campaign of the Haven-1 flight-ready station at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Haven-1 testing will occur at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility’s Space Environments Complex, home to some of the world's largest and most capable space simulation test facilities. Scheduled to begin in early 2026, Haven-1 will undergo rigorous testing to verify its performance and reliability when exposed to environments it will experience during launch and on-orbit operations, including acoustics, vibration, electromagnetic interference, and thermal vacuum. See also Vast signs agreement to test Haven-1 at NASA facility | SpaceNews - Apr.3.2025. Vast has signed an agreement with @NASAGlenn to perform final environmental testing of Haven-1 at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in early 2026. This test campaign will validate the station’s performance in space-like conditions, including acoustics, vibration, electromagnetic… pic.twitter.com/YqXiQi6Y1m — Vast (@vast) April 3, 2025 --- Update on Haven-1 flight module construction: We're machining Haven-1's flight panels in-house, leveraging vertical integration for speed and efficiency. Full control enables rapid iterations and optimized manufacturing, accelerating our mission to make space accessible to all. pic.twitter.com/PwQ2mw5OIz — Vast (@vast) March 12, 2025 --- Solar panel deployment testing: We tested and deployed the solar array of Haven Demo in a flight-like configuration to ensure there were no motion restrictions or configuration issues during deployment. The test allowed us to identify and adopt additional minor adjustments to optimize our configuration and… pic.twitter.com/YhgQSDn8Px — Vast (@vast) March 13, 2025 === Chinese space habitats ** China's Shenzhou-19 Crew Completes Multiple Tasks in Third Spacewalk - CCTV Video News Agency Members of the Shenzhou-19 crew aboard China's orbiting space station Tiangong completed their mission's third series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 20:50 (Beijing Time) on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). ** Riveting View of Earth Captured from China's Space Station - CCTV Video News Agency Video footages shot recently through a window of China's Tiangong space station in orbit offered breathtaking views of the Earth spinning in space like a shimmering blue gem. ** An in-space snapshot of the Chinese space station: New from orbit! We captured this image of the Chinese Space Station using a @BlackSky_Inc satellite. This NEI mission was captured from a distance of 83 km, with a resolution of 0.17 m/px. Can you identify the various modules of the space station? Photo: BlackSky pic.twitter.com/Sl9NVyBMfv — HEO (@heospace) March 27, 2025 === Space Settlement ** Broadcast 4352 John Jossy | The Space Show - David Livingston interviewed John Jossy who runs the Space Settlement Progress blog. John returned to The Space Show to discuss his having used four AI programs to look at the Musk-SpaceX plans for launching supply and humans to Mars between 2030-2050. John wanted to know how many launch sites would be required for the plans Musk has announced to date. During this program, John went through his questions for AI, his assumptions and he he evolved his model. We also disected each of the AI responses. With listener emails and phone calls, this was a thorough discussion but specific to the question John asked the AI with the assumptions he made. All of this was made very transparent on this program. https://thespaceshow.com/sites/default/files/shows/4352-BWB-2025-03-25.mp3 ** Relying on technology to sustain our lives in space is nothing unusual - Dr. Phil Metzger, director of the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research & Education at Univ. of Central Florida: A major criticism of settling space (e.g., Mars) is that we will depend on technology for air and other basic needs and thus aways be in danger if the tech fails. People on Earth don't need technology for air so we are safer here (supposedly). This is completely wrong. First,… pic.twitter.com/bTK4km5gAQ — Dr. Phil Metzger (@DrPhiltill) March 31, 2025 ** Space Habitats Living in Space CTEEs Meeting...  |  Space Renaissance Participants: Jerry Stone, Thomas Matula, Werner Grandl, Marie-Luise Heuser, Mary Kuiper, Adriano V. Autino ** US Military Wants to Grow Biological Structures in Space | Sabine Hossenfelder Last month, DARPA published a call for proposals on how to “grow” massive biological structures in space. It’s not as crazy as it sounds: The space race is heating up outside of the weird space biology sector. Some startups are building self-assembling space habitats, others are working on spaceports, and the ISS’s successor is in development. Let’s take a look. The DARPA Call: https://sam.gov/opp/426e5868fcf74dd4a... === Lunar habitation ** Lunar resources: - A New Company Plans to Prospect the Moon | Universe Today - Mar.17.2025 - Lunar microwave to purify water frozen in Moon’s soil wins UK Space Agency’s Aqualunar Challenge | GOV.UK -Mar.27.2025 --- Open Space 68: Dangers and Rewards of Moon Mining with Dr. Phil Metzger | Fraser Cain Today I'm joined by Dr. Phil Metzger, a planetary physicist with the Planetary Science faculty at the University of Central Florida. Phil specializes in economic planetary science, helping humanity learn to prosper in space. --- Moon versus Mars or Moon and Mars: Is the Moon in America’s future? Unpacking the strategic debate | The Space Review - Mar.17.2025 Mars-direct advocates argue that modern technology has made lunar steppingstones unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. Why spend precious years and billions of dollars developing lunar infrastructure when we could invest those resources in reaching Mars sooner? The Red Planet, they contend, offers humanity’s best chance for a self-sustaining civilization beyond Earth. Moon-first proponents counter that skipping lunar development would be dangerously premature. They argue that establishing lunar operations would accelerate, not delay, humanity’s path to Mars. Beyond the Mars debate, they contend that the Moon presents compelling opportunities in its own right. Commercial interests see potential for profitable ventures from tourism to resource extraction. National security experts view lunar presence as essential for preventing strategic competitors from dominating space. The choice between these approaches will determine not just where humans next land, but how quickly and safely we can establish a permanent presence beyond Earth. === Mars habitation ** LIVING IN MARTIAN MUSHROOMS: An Alternative Building Material for Space Habitats | National Space Society on Youtube As humanity prepares for long-term habitation on Mars and the Moon, the need for sustainable and lightweight building materials has never been greater. Traditional construction methods rely on heavy payloads from Earth, but what if we could grow our habitats instead? In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking work of Dr. Lynne Rothschild and NASA’s research into fungal mycelium-based architecture. Discover how synthetic biology and mycotecture could revolutionize space habitation, offering self-growing, durable, and adaptive structures for off-world colonies. Could Martian mushrooms be the key to our interplanetary future? From Ad Astra Magazine Written & Read by Rod Pyle ** No City on Mars? | National Space Society on Youtube A review on the book "A City on Mars" by NSS COO Dale Skran https://nss.org/critique-of-a-city-on... No City On Mars A Review By Dale Skran From Ad Astra 2024Q2 Written & Read by Dale Skran Produced by Isaac Arthur / SFIA 2025 === Other space habitat and settlement news and articles: - Calendar: - Advancing In-Situ Resource Utilization Technologies Through Flight Tests | NASA Flight Opportunities - Wednesday, April 2, 2025,10–11 a.m. PST - International Space Development Conference 2025 | ISDC - Orlando, Florida, June 19 - 22, 2025 - The  National Space Society's 43rd annual conference. Read the full article

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.13

624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. 1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. 1591 – At the Battle of Tondibi in Mali, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the Songhai Empire, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one. 1639 – Harvard College is named after clergyman John Harvard. 1697 – Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish conquistadors, the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. 1741 – The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins. 1781 – William Herschel discovers Uranus. 1809 – Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in the Coup of 1809. 1811 – A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars. 1826 – Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution Quo Graviora in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining freemasonry. 1845 – Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist. 1848 – The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna. 1862 – The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is passed by the United States Congress, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. 1884 – The Siege of Khartoum begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885. 1888 – The eruption of Ritter Island triggers tsunamis that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands. 1900 – British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, during the Second Boer War. 1920 – The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin. 1930 – The news of the discovery of Pluto is announced by Lowell Observatory. 1940 – The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. 1943 – The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków. 1954 – The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam. 1957 – Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista. 1969 – Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module. 1974 – Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near Bishop, California, killing 36. 1979 – The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état. 1988 – The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan. 1992 – The Mw  6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). 1993 – The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas. 1996 – The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. 1997 – The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader. 2003 – An article in Nature identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints. 2012 – The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children. 2013 – The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. 2016 – The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. 2016 – Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people. 2020 – President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States. 2020 – Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.

[spacenutspod]

Two engineers in cleanroom suits work on the Power and Propulsion Element at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.Maxar Space Systems Technicians work diligently to assemble a key power element of Gateway, the lunar space station that will become the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown. Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element will use the largest roll-out solar arrays ever built – together about the size of an American football field endzone – to harness the Sun’s energy for deep space exploration. The module is built by Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California, and managed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. That includes energizing xenon gas to produce the thrust needed to send Gateway from Earth to lunar orbit and keep it there for the Artemis IV, V, and VI missions. On those missions and beyond, international teams of astronauts will expand Gateway with additional living and working space, and will journey to the lunar South Pole region from Gateway. The Power and Propulsion Element will power Gateway’s subsystems and enable telecommunications between the lunar surface, the space station, Earth, and back again. Building on technology advancements from past successful electric propulsion missions like Psyche and DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), the module will help NASA expand the boundaries of what’s possible in deep space. NASA and its international partners will explore the scientific mysteries of deep space with Gateway, humanity’s first space station around the Moon. The international teams of astronauts living and conducting science on Gateway will be the first humans to make their home in deep space. A type of advanced electric propulsion system thruster that will be used on Gateway glows blue as it emits ionized xenon gas during testing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center.NASA An artist’s rendering of the Gateway space station, which will be humanity’s first space station around the Moon as a vital component of the Artemis missions to return humans to the lunar surface for scientific discovery and chart the path for the first human missions to Mars. NASA/Alberto Bertolin Artist’s rendering of Gateway in its initial configuration, featuring the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) connected to the Power and Propulsion Element.NASA Learn More About Gateway Explore More 2 min read Earth to Gateway: Electric Field Tests Enhance Lunar Communication Learn how engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center are using electric field testing to optimize… Article 3 weeks ago 3 min read Gateway: Up Close in Stunning Detail Witness Gateway in stunning detail with this video that brings the future of lunar exploration… Article 2 months ago 2 min read Through Astronaut Eyes, Virtual Reality Propels Gateway Forward   NASA astronauts are using virtual reality to explore Gateway. When they slip on their headsets,… Article 4 months ago Share Details Last Updated Aug 22, 2024 EditorBriana R. ZamoraContactBriana R. Zamorabriana.r.zamora@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsGateway Space StationArtemisEarth's MoonExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateGateway ProgramJohnson Space Center