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

Posted on by onespaceman2000
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

Posted on by onespaceman2000
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.

Space Stories: The Search for Super Civilization, Students Sought for Lunar Mission, and Kilonova Seekers

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope in Western Australia. (Curtin University)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—SETI Institute: “SETI Institute Starts First Low Frequency Search for Alien Technology in Distant Galaxies“

The SETI Institute, the Berkeley SETI Research Center and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research announced a groundbreaking study using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia. Led by Dr. Chenoa Tremblay of the SETI Institute and Prof. Steven Tingay of Curtin University, this research is the first to search for signs of alien technology in galaxies beyond our own, focusing on low radio frequencies (100 MHz).

This innovative study used the MWA’s large field of view (FOV), allowing the team to cover about 2,800 galaxies in one observation, of which 1300 we know the distance to. Usually, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has focused on signals within our galaxy. This new approach goes further, looking at distant galaxies. This new approach looks at distant galaxies, making it one of the most detailed searches for super civilizations—those more advanced than ours. To send a signal from another galaxy, a civilization would need technology powerful enough to use the energy of their sun or several stars in their galaxy.

—KXAN: “College Students Sought to Help NASA Return to Moon“

NASA needs some help with frozen liquid. As part of the space agency’s planned trip to the moon as part of the Artemis mission, NASA is looking for a way to store “super-chilled” propellants for months on end. They’re asking college students for help. Announced earlier this month, NASA’s 2025 Human Lander Challenge (HuLC) is open for submissions. The competition, now in its second year, is asking for students to develop innovative methods for “in-space cryogenic liquid storage.”

—University of Portsmouth: “Citizen Science Project Identifies 20 New Astronomical Discoveries“

A citizen science project, which invites members of the public to take part in identifying cosmic explosions, has already identified 20 new astronomical discoveries. Over 2,000 volunteers across 105 different countries have worked on 600,000 classifications over a six-month period. The project ‘Kilonova Seekers’ aims to find kilonovae – the cosmic explosions of neutron stars and black holes colliding in distant galaxies. Volunteers are asked to play ‘spot the difference’ using data from the two Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) telescopes, which are located on opposite sides of the planet – on La Palma, in Spain’s Canary Islands, and Australia’s Siding Spring Observatory.