Moon Archive

  • Is this the first plane on the Moon?

    Is this the first plane on the Moon?

    This image is proof that opening up space travel to private industry will speed up colonization and tourism. Apparently there’s already flights on the moon. That or a plane just so happened to get in the frame of a 500mm telephoto lens. [via reddit]

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  • NASA: We found water on the Moon

    NASA: We found water on the Moon

    Well, well. It looks like the Moon bombing went well as NASA just released a whole lot of data supporting the initial findings that there’s water on the Moon. Read NASA’s take and view a whole lot of line graphs I don’t understand at NASA.gov. Next up, moonQuest DSV.

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  • Good news: NASA did not blow up the Moon with the LCROSS

    Good news: NASA did not blow up the Moon with the LCROSS

    Just a few minutes ago at 7:13:19 AM EDT, NASA crashed a probe into the Moon at 5,600 MPH with the hope of finding water. BOOM! NASA broadcasted the entire thing live on its TV station and online, but if you missed our previous post and just learned about the event, you probably didn't catch it. However, the NASA geeks are currently analyzing the LCROSS data and will hopefully announces their findings at the 10 AM EDT scheduled press event. In the mean time, go tell your wackjob neighbor that the Moon is still in the same ol' spot and there isn't a conspiracy to mess with the tides. Crazies. Gotta love 'em.

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  • Water found on the Moon, BYOB for the pool party

    Water found on the Moon, BYOB for the pool party

    That was quick. NASA just released some data last week recorded by the LRO that indicated water might be present and suddenly an Indian probe actually found some. India’s first Moon probe , Chandrayaan-1, is equipped with sensors to detect the electromagnetic signature of water. Furthermore, these sensors cannot penetrate very deep and the data [...]

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  • New thermal maps show the Moon gets damn cold

    New thermal maps show the Moon gets damn cold

    The LRO has already provided us with a lot of fascinating high-res photos of the Moon's surface. But photos are just the start. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter also has more instruments aboard and one of them, the Diviner Lunar Radiometer developed and operated by the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is sending back some wild info about the Moon's surface temperature.

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  • NASA needs $50 billion to reach the Moon by 2020

    NASA needs $50 billion to reach the Moon by 2020

    Hopefully John Hodgman was correct in calling Obama the first nerd president. If not, humans might not reach the Moon anytime soon because we all know a jock wouldn't fund a science project. The current target is 2020 and the development is already underway of the vehicles needed to get people there. But there is one small issue: Money. NASA needs lots of money.

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  • Goodyear and NASA develop the next-gen lunar rover tire (it’s springy)

    Goodyear and NASA develop the next-gen lunar rover tire (it’s springy)

    Eventually man will go back to the Moon and will need a way to travel in style. Goodyear and NASA has just unveiled the tire that will help with that. The Apollo astronauts used basic lunar rovers to explore a small part of the Moon's surface, but the current NASA plan is to sightsee a whole lot more. Because of the added distance, the original wire-type tire used in the 70's will not work. The new tire developed by Goodyear is designed to hold much more weight and withstand the abuse of a multi-thousand kilometer journey. Click through to see the tire in action.

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  • A Lunar Lander game for this century

    A Lunar Lander game for this century

    This game is probably a lot more complex than your standard claw game, but it doesn’t look it. I’m sure it uses some fancy pants calibration and high-tech wizardry. Hell, it probably has more computing power than the actual Lunar Lander did way back in 1969. But you know what, as long as it [...]

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  • Video: If Man Walked on the Moon Today

    Video: If Man Walked on the Moon Today

    Slate.com did a wonderful job creating this video that clearly demonstrates how the TV media would cover the Moon landing if it happened today. You know the routen. First they would cut to a panel of “experts” and then cut to live cams. And of course, there would be reaction from Twitter. The only thing [...]

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  • The 40th anniversary Fisher Space pen

    The 40th anniversary Fisher Space pen

    What a great way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing by owning an $800 pen. The Fisher Space pen is of course legendary for it's ability to write in space, but this one packs a little something special. The top of the pen features a bit of thermal insulation used on the Columbia Command Module that's engraved with a picture of the Moon landing. That's eff'n cool, but I don't know if it's $800 cool. If you think so, you better hurry up 'cause there is only going to be 1,000 available.

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