NASA Cancels VIPER Moon Mission

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): An artist’s rendering of the NASA’s PRIME-1 spacecraft approaching the Moon. The mission will need to accomplish some of the work previously assigned to the VIPER mission. (NASA)

It has not been a great year for NASA so far. While the Chinese brought back samples from the far side of the Moon, we saw two NASA-contracted commercial spacecraft either fail to reach the Moon or critically mess up the landing. Plus we now have a Boeing capsule stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) while SpaceX just flubbed a rocket launch that brings into question manned flights to the ISS.

Am I missing anything? Oh yeah, and NASA has decided to cancel its Moon rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) project, after spending $450 million. Cost overruns and multiple delays had made the mission too expensive and too late in the game to be useful.

Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington, stated:

We are committed to studying and exploring the Moon for the benefit of humanity through the [Commercial Lunar Payload Services] program…The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years. Our path forward will make maximum use of the technology and work that went into VIPER, while preserving critical funds to support our robust lunar portfolio.

Fortunately, VIPER was one of a number of missions designed to seek water on the lunar surface. For example, NASA has the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) , which is still scheduled to land at the South Pole later this year.

It has been a rough year for NASA, but the multiple missions planned for the Moon provide more opportunities to get it right, while the ISS issues do not appear insurmountable. NASA just needs a break, and its commercial partners need to prove they can meet the goals that were set for them.

Note: If you were one of the people who added your name to the VIPER mission, maybe NASA will open up another opportunity for your name on the Moon.

A Day in Astronomy: Launch of the Manned Saturn V Rocket to the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The launch of the Apollo 11 space vehicle from the launch pad on July 16, 1969. (NASA/ Kipp Teague)

On this day in 1969, NASA launched the Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins on the first manned lunar landing. The 363-feet tall Saturn V rocket was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, at 9:32 a.m. EDT. 

While this was the most significant use of the Saturn V at that point in time, it was the backbone of the Apollo program. The first crewed Saturn V to launch was Apollo 8, which orbited the Moon without landing.

You can listen in on the control room chatter surrounding the launch at this NASA launch history site.

NASA has a number of events planned for this month to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Moon landing. You can read about the planned activities at this NASA anniversary site.

Movie: Fly Me to the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Sony Pictures

This weekend you can see a space-related movie, but it is light fare that probably should have been released on Apple TV+.

Fly Me to the Moon is a romantic comedy centered on an Apollo 11 Moon mission starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. All you need to know is shown in this trailer.

Dramatizing the Apollo 11 mission is fine, but the part of the story about trying to fake the Moon landing does not seem necessary, particularly nowadays when conspiracy kooks are around every corner.

The movie Capricorn One about a fake landing on Mars had a time and a place in a troubled America, but the use of a fake landing here is just a cheap stunt adding little value to the film.

Luckily, real life drama can be so much better than Hollywood drama. I think I will skip this movie and watch Apollo 13 again.

Podcast: Getting to Mars and Staying Alive

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you are interested in the future of humanity on Mars, you may want to tune into Red Planet Radio from The Mars Society. A recent podcast, as well as an upcoming podcast, highlight some things to consider before you pack your bags.

Back on June 15, in the podcast titled “Dr. Antonio Paris, Astrophysicist, Author “Mars: Your Personal 3-D Journey!,” we heard from Dr. Antonio Paris, who is the Chief Scientist at the Center for Planetary Science as well as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at St. Petersburg College, Florida. In this podcast, Dr. Paris discussed the difficulties of traveling in space as well as the types of structures one might need to build to live safely on Mars. He also discussed his recent book, Mar: Your Personal 3D Journey to the Red Planet.

Tomorrow (July 2) another podcast episode will include a three-person NASA panel discussing topics such as general Mars exploration, strategies for sample returns from the Red Planet, and the architecture supporting Moon to Mars missions.

The three panelists are:

  • Nujoud Merancy: Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office, in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate for NASA Headquarters.
  • Eric Ianson: Deputy Director, Planetary Science Division, and Director, Mars Exploration Program and Radioisotope Power Systems Program at NASA Headquarters. 
  • Dr. Lindsay Hays: Program Scientist in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters and Deputy Program Scientist for the Mars Sample Return Mission. 

I enjoyed the first episode and look forward to tomorrow’s discussion.

And don’t forget that from August 8-11 The Mars Society will hold its 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. You can see videos from prior conventions here.

Credit: The Center for Planetary Science, Inc.

China Successfully Retrieves Moon Rocks

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The capsule retrieval site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

It was a good day for China as it became the first nation to successfully retrieve a lunar sample from the far side of the Moon. The Chang’e-6 return capsule safely landed in China earlier today following the mission’s start back on May 3. The sample itself departed the Moon’s surface on June 4.

Wang Qiong, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e-6 mission, stated:

A portion of the samples will be stored permanently, while another portion will be stored at a different location as backup in case of disasters. Then we will prepare the remaining portion, and distribute them to scientists in China and foreign countries in accordance with the lunar sample management regulations.

Congratulations to the Chinese people. Hopefully, the entire scientific community can benefit from what the lunar sample tells us.