NASA is Looking for Help with its Upcoming Moon Mission

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Shackleton crater at the Moon’s south pole. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

With NASA planning to return to the Moon shortly as part of the Artemis mission, it is tying up loose end and figuring out what else it may need. It seems that one of the needed items is a better way to conduct its work at the lunar south pole. This comes down to two challenges, both of which have a payout to the winner.

Here’s NASA’s description of the two challenges:

Challenge 1: NASA is seeking an orienteering aid that will help the astronauts navigate on traverses away from the lunar lander and return back. While there were similar devices available to the Apollo astronauts, NASA is looking for new and unique solutions. Among other considerations, devices must be accurate, easy to use, able to be used on the moon’s surface by an astronaut wearing pressurized gloves. If your solution is one of the best, you could be eligible for a share of the $15,000 prize purse.

Challenge 2: NASA is looking for assistance in getting to and mapping the bottom of Shackleton Crater. The design must work in the extreme conditions of the lunar south pole and Shackleton Crater, map the crater, characterize and quantify what is in the crater, and send the data back to be used for future missions. If you can solve this challenge by describing your design concept in detail, you could be eligible for a share of the $30,000 prize purse.

You might wonder why NASA is only thinking of these needs now. I am hoping NASA has some less refined solutions and is only seeking for a better way.

If you have an idea or two, be sure to share it with NASA by November 25, 2024.

Good luck!

Space Stories: Axiom Space Struggling Financially, Intuitive Machines Gets $4.8 billion NASA Contract, and Water and Hydroxyl Widespread on Moon

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Credit: Axiom Space

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—ARS Technica: “A Key NASA Commercial Partner Faces Severe Financial Challenges“

Axiom Space is facing significant financial headwinds as the company attempts to deliver on two key commercial programs for NASA—the development of a private space station in low-Earth orbit and spacesuits that could one day be worn by astronauts on the Moon. Forbes reports that Axiom Space, which was founded by billionaire Kam Ghaffarian and NASA executive Mike Suffredini in 2016, has been struggling to raise money to keep its doors open and has had difficulties meeting its payroll dating back to at least early 2023. In addition, the Houston-based company has fallen behind on payments to key suppliers, including Thales Alenia Space for its space station and SpaceX for crewed launches.

—Reuters: “Intuitive Machines Clinches $4.8 billion Navigation Services Contract from NASA“

Intuitive Machines said on Tuesday it has bagged a navigation and communication services contract of up to $4.82 billion from NASA for missions in the near space region. As part of the contract, which has a base period of five years with an additional five-year option period, Intuitive will deploy lunar relay satellites and provide communication and navigation services to aid NASA’s Artemis campaign.

—Planetary Science Institute: “Sources of Water and Hydroxyl are Widespread on the Moon“

A new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the Moon shows that there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including water-rich rocks excavated by meteor impacts at all latitudes. “Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas. Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, and in particular, the deeply shadowed craters at the poles were where water could be found in abundance,” said Roger Clark, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and lead author of “The Global Distribution of Water and Hydroxyl on the Moon as Seen by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)” that appears in the Planetary Science Journal. “

Do You Have Some Ideas for Lunar or Martian Art?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
mage (Credit): AI image of a Martian colony. (Yol Gezer from Pixabay)

Do you have some time on your hands? If so, you may want to toss in a submission to the Moon to Mars contest being held by NASA.

Starting this week through October 31, you can submit your artistic interpretation of two topics: “Sustained Lunar Evolution” and “Humans to Mars.” The artist with the best image can win $10,000.

In terms of two categories, more definition from NASA is provided below.

Sustained Lunar Evolution Segment: This segment is an open canvas for exploration of the Moon, embracing new ideas, systems, and partners to grow to a long-term presence on the lunar surface. Sustained lunar evolution means more astronauts on the Moon for longer periods of time, increased opportunities for science, and even the large-scale production of goods and services derived from lunar resources. It also means increased cooperation and collaboration with international partners and the aerospace industry to build a robust lunar economy.

Humans to Mars Segment: This segment will see the first human missions to Mars, building on the lessons we learn from exploring the Moon. These early missions will focus on Martian exploration and establishing the foundation for a sustained Mars presence. NASA architects are examining a wide variety of options for transportation, habitation, power generation, in-situ resource utilization, scientific investigations, and more. How many missions would it take? How many astronauts? What sorts of technologies?

You can learn more about the contest here.

Just in case you were wondering, AI art cannot be submitted. So don’t try to submit something like the image above, nice as it is.

Space Quote: Exciting Days Ahead for the US Space Program

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Image (Credit): An image of Buzz Aldrin’s bootprint on the lunar surface from the Apollo 11 mission. (NASA)

“After having no other U.S. options for over 30 years, three different human spacecraft programs are now underway. In addition to the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, is planned to fly four astronauts around the Moon in the next couple of years. These programs have had setbacks and bumps along the way – and there will be more – but I haven’t been this excited about human spaceflight since I was an 11-year-old cheering for Apollo and dreaming about putting the first human footprints on Mars.”

–Statement by former commander of the International Space Station Michael Fossum when asked by The Conversation about NASA’s decision to return the craft uncrewed, the future of the Starliner program and its crew’s extended stay at the space station.

Space Stories: ESA Drill Going to the Moon, ROMAN Takes on the Ever-changing Universe, and Six New Worlds Discovered

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Image (Credit): The Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon photographed during the Apollo 15 mission of 1971. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—European Space Agency: “European Drill and Mini Lab Secure Ride to the Moon“

ESA’s Prospect package, including drill and a miniaturised laboratory, will fly to the Moon’s South Polar region in search of volatiles, including water ice, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative…NASA has selected Intuitive Machines for a flight opportunity in 2027 that will deepen our understanding of the Moon and answer key questions about where and how volatiles can be found on the lunar surface.V olatiles, such as water ice, are chemical components that easily evaporate or vaporise under certain conditions. Prospect is a suite of instruments that will drill up to at least one metre depth beneath the lunar surface, extract samples, and process them in a mini lab. The combination of robotic drill and sample analysis package aims to identify volatiles trapped beneath the surface at extremely cold temperatures down to –150 °C.

—Space Telescope Science Institute: “NASA’s Roman Space Telescope to Investigate Galactic Fossils“

The universe may seem static, only capable of being captured in still frames, but that is far from the truth. It is actually ever-changing, just not on timescales clearly visible to humans. NASA’s upcoming Roman Space Telescope will bridge this gap in time, opening the way to the dynamic universe. RINGS, the Roman Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, will specifically uncover the dynamic universe by searching galaxies for fossils of their formation history. RINGS will also lead scientists to clues about the true nature of dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up the majority of the mass in our universe. Roman will launch in 2027, prepared to revolutionize how scientists understand our universe and give them access to the vision of the universe as it truly is: changing.

—Science Daily: “Six New Rogue Worlds: Star Birth Clues“

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted six likely rogue worlds — objects with planet-like masses but untethered from any star’s gravity — including the lightest ever identified with a dusty disk around it. The elusive objects offer new evidence that the same cosmic processes that give birth to stars may also play a common role in making objects only slightly bigger than Jupiter.