Category Archives: NASA

Tuesday / 23 September 2025

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Blue Origin Completes Critical Design Review (CDR) for Blue Alchemist Moon Manufacturing System

Blue Alchemist is system to turn regolith into solar cells, power transmission wire, 99.999% pure silicon, metals and oxygen; with this system, Blue Origin melts regolith analog to 1,600°C, removes elements with electrolysis, et al, boils off / collects oxygen, extracts iron / aluminum / silicon, creates glass; system is cleaner than most current manufacturing processes; after CDR, 2026 demonstration of this autonomous system now scheduled for simulated lunar environment; supported by NASA US$35M grant, hopes to reduce lunar landing costs 60%, reduce fuel cell / battery masses by 70%

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Friday / 19 September 2025

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Paving Moon Surface Necessary for Counteracting Regolith Dust

Michigan Technical University (PI, associate professor Paul van Susante) and SpaceFactory.ai (PI, founder David Malott) working together to create Moon-paving machines to polymerize regolith top layer, preventing future issues of dust-encrusted spacesuits on Moon-walking Astronauts; paving substance must endure 300°C temperature swings, -173 to +127; NASA Small Business Technology Transfer awarded US$150,000 in 2023, and US$850,000 this year funds R&D into 2027; current work is automating excavation / grading and preparing viscoelastic, asphalt-like material; road-bed samples are cryocooled and heated to lunar temps, rover wheel traverses sample paving 900x

Image Credits: NASA / SPC / ILOA, NASA / Gene Cernan of Harrison Schmitt, MTU, SpaceFactory.ai

Friday / 12 September 2025

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Namesake Carruthers Instrument Honors Physicist, Inventor, Astronomer

Launching September alongside IMAP spacecraft is Carruthers Geocorona Observatory for imaging UV light in Earth upper atmosphere, named for George Robert Carruthers PhD, b. 1939; at US Naval Research Laboratory, Carruthers invented gold-plated Far Ultraviolet Camera / Spectrograph, which was 1st astronomical instrument on Moon; placed there 21 Apr 1972 by Astronaut John Young during Apollo 16, Young observed Earth and 550+ stars, nebulae, galaxies; Carruthers built 1st telescope age 10, awarded patent age 30 for instrument to image radiation, providing 1st proof of interstellar molecular hydrogen; spearheaded development of instruments for Moon, Skylab, ARGOS, 4 Shuttle flights; ILOA working for long-term lunar observatory

Image Credits: NASA / Charlie Duke / John Young, NRL, Center top L-R: Duke, Rocco Petrone, Carruthers, Young

Friday / 29 August 2025

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LEAG and LSIC Continue Shaping Lunar Exploration with Strategic Expertise

2025 Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group is scheduled for 28–30 October at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL); LEAG is led by Benjamin Greenhagen and guides NASA lunar exploration by analyzing scientific, technical and commercial priorities for Artemis missions; LEAG (est. 2004) unites academia, industry, and government to define mission objectives and foster sustainable lunar presence; Within Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), led by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LEAG Commercial Advisory Board chair, Stephen Indyk drives synergy aligning LSIC 3,500+ collaborators to advance technologies like ISRU and surface power

Image Credits: LEAG, NASA, LSIC

Tuesday / 19 August 2025

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Artemis II On-Track for Lunar Flyby NET April 2026

Artemis II Mission 4 astronauts practicing night launch scenario, Christina Koch and Victor Glover (pictured), Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, walking to craft, as well as emergency evacuation from pad; NASA Marshall in Huntsville “Rocket City” shipping to Florida the Orion stage adapter, 1.5 meters by 5.5 meters tall, built there, to be stacked on SLS rocket to connect to Orion craft; adapter will carry 4, and up to 17, CubeSats; 25 finalists from 10 countries are in the running for Moon Mascot plush toy zero-gravity indicator to be created by NASA, including one of Artemis herself

Image Credits:  NASA, NASA/Freelancer/collectSPACE.com, Derek Lacey/Axios

Tuesday / 12 August 2025

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Hi-Res Photos from Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Continue to Identify and Reveal

Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, marking 6 years in lunar orbit 20 Aug, has 1/4-meter resolution of Moon surface; citizen scientist Chandra Tungathurthi reveals photos from Chandrayaan-2 of Intuitive Machines IM-2 Athena lander at Mons Mouton ~85°S and 6 Mar skid marks leading to resting site; NASA LRO first photographed Athena 7 Mar, has 1/2-meter resolution; 2-year observation of Chandrayaan-3 landing success at Statio Shiv Shakti ~69°S to be marked 23 Aug; mission team recipient of 2024 IAF World Space Award 

Image Credits: ISRO / C Tungathurthi, Intuitive Machines 

Friday / 8 August 2025

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Agreement with Astrolab for Interlune Helium-3 Rover-Mounted Camera

Helium-3 lunar prospector Interlune will mount multispectral, multi-wavelength camera developed with NASA Ames on Astrolab FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover, headed to Nobile Crater ~85°S NET Q4 2025 on Astrobotic Griffin-1 lander, to seek titanium-rich ilmenite mineral correlated with helium-3; precursor for NET 2027 dedicated helium-3 mission, privately held Seattle-based Interlune has agreements for purchase by US Department of Energy and Maybell Quantum of Denver CO; estimated price for helium-3 is US$20 million per kg

Image Credits: Astrobotic, Astrolab, Interlune 

Friday / 1 August 2025

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Artemis II Astronauts Focused on the Importance of Mission

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen on Artemis 2 mission around Moon NET April 2026; “We absolutely have the team … [to] make Artemis 2 a success,” said Wiseman; Glover expresses full confidence in Orion spacecraft, “entry and heat shields … parachutes”; “A true American success story: heat shield technology,” Hansen added, reducing ~2,760°C reentry temp to ~24°C inside; Koch said, “We have to keep asking hard questions”; they are focused on proving to the world that NASA and USA are capable of returning humans to the Moon; China is committed to landing people on Moon in 2020s

Image Credits: NASA, Canadian Space Agency; Pictured CW from upper L: Wiseman, Commander; Glover, Pilot; Koch, Specialist; Hansen, Specialist

Tuesday / 22 July 2025

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New NASA Acting Admin Is “Fired Up and Ready to Launch” to the Moon; Supports Artemis

Appointed NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy opposes proposed NASA funding cut of 24.3% overall and 47% for science; Congress, both sides of the aisle / both houses, wants to maintain current funding (no inflation adjustment); Duffy tweeted: Our critical Moon mission, Artemis, must be as known & supported by America … as Apollo was! It’s a race to the Moon. Clock is ticking. I’m fired up and ready to launch! YouGov/CBS News poll shows 2/3 of Americans want Astronauts back on the Moon

Credits: NASA, X, nasawatch.com

Friday / 11 July 2025

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NASA Calls for Scientists to Add Expertise to Artemis III Geology Team; LSIC Advances Moon Missions

Participating Scientists (PS) are needed to supplement knowledge held by current members of Artemis III Geology Team and other NASA Artemis Project teams; applications to be a PS are due August 12; PS will engage in pre-mission planning for Artemis orbital and surface missions, mission operations and post-mission reports; NASA LSIC regularly convenes government, academia and industry to collaborate on technologies for a sustained human presence on the Moon, addressing challenges like power, dust mitigation and construction; online and in-person conferences are held monthly, Fall meeting just announced for Nov 5-6 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta

Credits: NASA