 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Staff Writers Washington DC (SPX) Mar 13, 2020
NASA has selected the first two scientific investigations to fly aboard the Gateway, an orbital outpost which will support Artemis lunar operations while demonstrating the technologies necessary to conduct a historic human mission to Mars. The instruments selected for Gateway will observe space weather and monitor the Sun's radiation environment. "Building the Gateway with our commercial and international partners is a critical component of sustainable lunar exploration and the Artemis program," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Using the Gateway as a platform for robotic and human exploration around the Moon will help inform what we do on the lunar surface as well as prepare us for our next giant leap - human exploration of Mars." The radiation instrument package, built by the European Space Agency (ESA), will help provide an understanding of how to keep astronauts safe by monitoring the radiation exposure in Gateway's unique orbit. The space weather instrument suite, built by NASA, will observe solar particles and solar wind created by the Sun. As we move deeper into space, human and robotic explorers face greater challenges from the sometimes violent and unpredictable outbursts of the Sun. The space weather instrument suite will gather data and enhance our ability to forecast events originating from the Sun that could affect our astronauts on and around the Moon as well as on future missions to Mars. "Our Sun and the environment around it is very dynamic. This instrument suite will help us observe the particles and energy that our star emits - and mitigate the risks to astronauts at the Moon and eventually Mars," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Not only will we learn more about our space environment, but we'll also learn how to improve forecasting space weather wherever the Artemis Generation journeys away from Earth." Additional scientific payloads will be selected to fly aboard the Gateway in the future. These investigations will take advantage of the unique environment in lunar orbit, one that cannot be duplicated on Earth or on the International Space Station. The Gateway will orbit near the Moon and will be occupied periodically by astronauts as part of NASA's sustainable lunar exploration plans. NASA awarded Maxar Technologies a contract in May 2019 to develop the power and propulsion element which will provide solar arrays and maneuvering capabilities. NASA is continuing negotiations with Northrop Grumman to build the habitation and logistics outpost or HALO, the first pressurized module for crew visiting the Gateway. ESA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency are all actively engaged in discussions with NASA to support the construction and operation of the Gateway which, again, will support lunar surface missions and pave the way for the human exploration of Mars. "This is an incredible moment in human spaceflight as NASA is closer than any other time in history since the Apollo program to returning to the lunar surface," said Bridenstine. "America is leading a return to the Moon, and this time, we're taking all of humanity with us to explore long-term and get ready for Mars."
UNM scientists find Earth and moon not identical oxygen twins Albuquerque NM (SPX) Mar 11, 2020 Scientists at The University of New Mexico have found that the Earth and Moon have distinct oxygen compositions and are not identical in oxygen as previously thought according to a new study released in Nature Geoscience. The paper, titled Distinct oxygen isotope compositions of the Earth and Moon, may challenge the current understanding of the formation of the Moon. Previous research led to scientists to develop the Giant Impact Hypothesis suggesting the Moon was formed from debris followin ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
