RIP: Bill Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Earth and Moon as captured by Apollo 8 in 1968. (NASA)

This week Apollo astronaut Bill Anders, age 90, passed away. He died during a plane crash in Washington state.

He was part of an Apollo team that was the first humans to leave low Earth orbit in 1968. He was best known for his Christmas Eve photo of the Earth rising over the surface of the Moon (shown above).

Born in Hong Kong on October 17, 1933, he would graduate from the Naval Academy in 1955, obtain a masters in nuclear engineering, and then serve as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. In 1964, he was selected by NASA to be an astronaut, serving as a backup pilot for both the Gemini XI and Apollo 11 flights, and most famously serving as lunar module pilot for Apollo 8.

Regarding his “Earthrise” image, Mr. Anders said:

The only color that we could see and contrasted by this really unfriendly, stark lunar horizon, made me think, ‘You know, we really live on a beautiful little planet.’

You can watch a NASA video on Mr. Stafford’s accomplishments here as well as more information on his life here.

You can also read more on Mr. Anders’ life and career at these sites:

Rest in peace.

Image (Credit): The Apollo 8 Crew (left to right) Frank Borman, commander; William Anders, Lunar Module Pilot; and James Lovell, Command Module pilot pose in front of the Apollo mission simulator during training. (NASA)

Pic of the Week: Forth Starship Test is a Success

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Starship rocket lifting off its launch pad in Texas earlier today. (SpaceX)

This week’s image shows the launch of the forth test of SpaceX’s Starship, which went further than any of the tests to date. In it’s summary of the flight, SpaceX noted:

Flight 4 ended with Starship igniting its three center Raptor engines and executing the first flip maneuver and landing burn since our suborbital campaign, followed by a soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean one hour and six minutes after launch.

You can see the full flight in this video.

As with yesterday’s successful launch of Boeing’s Starliner, today’s successful flight gave NASA greater assurance that the commercial sector is picking up the pace to assist the U.S. with both the International Space Station and Artemis program to the Moon (and eventually Mars).

Note: I like The Economist’s headline on the mission: “Elon Musk’s Starship Makes a Test Flight Without Exploding.”

China Lands Chang’e 6 on the Far Side of the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Chang’e 6 stacked in the clean room here on Earth before its successful launch to the Moon. (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation)

Yesterday, China successfully landed on the Moon again, this time on the far side with its Chang’e 6 mission. The probe is now in the unexplored South Pole region where it can study the lunar surface.

If all goes well, collected samples from this area will be returned to Earth for additional study. The Chang’e-6 mission includes an orbiter, a returner, a lander and an ascender.

China already returned a lunar sample successfully back in 2020 as part of its Chang’e 5 mission.

You can watch a video of the lunar landing here.

You can also read more about the mission at this China National Space Administration (CNSA) site.

Space Stories: Robot Trains on the Moon, Commercial Space Stations, and Russian Lunar Reactors

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Flexible Levitation on a Track system on the lunar surface with planet Earth on the horizon. (NASA/Ethan Schaler)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NDTV: “NASA Announces Plans To Build First Railway System On Moon“

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) readies to return astronauts to the moon, it has announced its plans to build a levitating robot train on the lunar surface. In a blog post, the American space agency provided details about the project called “Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT)”, which aims to provide a “robotic transport system” to support future lunar activities of astronauts visiting the moon. The transport system will be critical to the daily operation of a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s, NASA said in a statement. 

—IEEE Spectrum: “Commercial Space Stations Approach Launch Phase“

A changing of the guard in space stations is on the horizon as private companies work toward providing new opportunities for science, commerce, and tourism in outer space. Blue Origin is one of a number of private-sector actors aiming to harbor commercial activities in low Earth orbit (LEO) as the creaking and leaking International Space Station (ISS) approaches its drawdown. Partners in Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef program, including firms Redwire, Sierra Space, and Boeing, are each reporting progress in their respective components of the program. The collaboration itself may not be on such strong ground. Such endeavors may also end up slowed and controlled by regulation so far absent from many new, commercial areas of space.

—Newsweek: “Russia Reveals New China Nuclear Moon Base Details“

Details about joint plans between Moscow and Beijing to put a lunar nuclear reactor within the next decade have been revealed by the head of Russia’s space agency. In March, Roscosmos announced plans to work with China to build an automated nuclear reactor to power a proposed lunar base that the two countries would operate together within the next decade. To construct the site, Roscosmos director general Yury Borisov said two months ago it was looking at using nuclear-powered rockets to transfer cargo to the moon, but had not yet figured out how to build these spacecraft safely. In an article published Wednesday by state news outlet RIA Novosti, Borisov said that development of the plant was underway and the countries were working on creating experimental and research facilities as part of the project.

Video: Check Out Aeon Astronomy & Space Travel Videos

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Aeon is a website of ideas run by Aeon Media. It’s mission is to explore and communicate knowledge that addresses our shared need to make sense of the world.

While it covers quite a few topics, I wanted to highlight some of its videos on astronomy and space travel. Below are just a few I recommend. You should explore the site on your own to learn more.

Check them out and many more. It is a well organized site that operates on donations, so don’t be afraid to contribute if you really enjoy the pieces.

Image (Credit): One of the videos available on the Aeon site. (Aeon)