Are we about to find out the moon's origin? Japan's space agency says it may now have clues
A Japan space agency official says an unmanned spacecraft that landed on the moon last month has captured and transmitted data analyzing 10 lunar rocks, a greater-than-expected achievement that could help provide clues about the origin of the moon.
Japan's precision moon lander has hit its target, but it appears to be upside-down
Japanโs space agency said Thursday that its first lunar mission hit the tiny patch of the moonโs surface it was aiming for in a successful demonstration of its pinpoint landing system โ although it appears to be sitting upside-down.
An Occultation Celebration?
First, letโs get this definition out there: โoccultationโ simply means โthe act of blocking or concealing from viewโ. All of that sure sounds like a verb, but itโs a noun! And tonight, almost everywhere but HERE, the moon will pass between Earth and Mars, hiding Mars from view. The planet Mars literally goes behind the moon. Whatโs nice is that the moon is full tonight and the occultation occurs in the late evening (10pm to midnight), so lots of people will be able to see this happen. A big deal? Well, to some degree since lining up the Sun, the Earth, the full moon and Mars all at the same time only happens every couple of years.
South Korea arrests former top officials over 2020 killing
South Koreaโs former defense minister and coast guard chief have been arrested over their alleged involvement in covering up facts and distorting the circumstances surrounding North Koreaโs killing of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020 near the rivalsโ tense sea border.
Moon 2 Mars Festival
Thursday at 3:00 p.m. on Houston Life, weโre celebrating the Space Center Houstonโs Moon2Mars Festival, June 9-12. The first annual Moon2Mars Festival celebrates the future of space from the Moon to Mars. The festival has something for everyone in your family. You can explore a space capsule, get up close with a spacesuit, enjoy food from Wolfgang Puck catering and live musical concerts on an outdoor stage! Joe Sam is live from the Festival Thursday at 3:00 p.m. on KPRC 2.
Watch live: NASA picks Houston-based business for next-generation spacesuits for moonwalking, spacewalking
NASA announced Houston-based Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace were chosen to move forward in developing the next generation of spacesuits for Artemis missions at the Moon and the International Space Station. Authorities made the announcement at the agencyโs Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Watch out for Fake Moons!
I have to admit: I wish this one was real. The huge moon eclipsing the sun somewhere around the north pole went viral crazy last week looking something like youโd see in a Star Wars movie on another planet. The descriptor even read like a movie-trailer: Imagine that you are in a place between Russia and Canada in the Arctic during the day, where there is 24-hour daylight in the summertime. At a certain time, the Moon appears for 30 seconds just above the horizon - which explains itโs enormous size - and after it covers the Sun for about 5 seconds - it disappears again!
A completely fall-to-the-knees moment!
โSign for every single playerโ: Woman popular for making Astros signs excited ahead of Game 6
Whether youโre at Minute Made Park or watching the ball game from home, you will see a lot of signs in the stands.ย Signs for both teams. If you look along the third base line, you will see a regular face-- Barbara Moon.
NASA successfully conducts Green Run hot fire test for Artemis Moon Rocket
NASA successfully targeted a two-hour test window at 3:40 p.m. Thursday for the second hot fire test of the core stage for the agencyโs Space Launch System rocket at NASAโs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. WATCH LIVE:The hot fire is the eighth and final test of the Green Run series to ensure the core stage of the SLS rocket is ready to launch Artemis missions to the Moon, beginning with Artemis I. The core stage includes the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank, four RS-25 engines, as well as the computers, electronics, and avionics that serve as the โbrainsโ of the rocket. AdThe first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon to pave the way for sustainable exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Houston horticulturist shares 4 tips to help your garden recover after the winter freeze
HOUSTON โ Winter storm Uri wreaked havoc on peopleโs plants and trees all across Texas, but itโs possible for your plants to survive with the right care. Brent Moon, horticultural manager with the Houston Botanic Garden, shared helpful post- freeze tips to get your garden back in shape. Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha โHinckleyanaโ) (Houston Botanic Garden)โIt is very important to remove dead and rotting foliage as soon as possible. Firebush (Hamelia patens) in the Upland Forest (Houston Botanic Garden)โFor plants such as Hummingbird bush (Hamelia), Ixora, Oleander, Duranta, Esperanza, etc. To connect with Houston Botanic Garden, click here.
Moon, Biden agree to work on joint North Korea strategy
In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Blue House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, in South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. During their first phone talks since President Joe Bidenโs Jan. 20 inauguration, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed the allies make joint efforts for lasting peace and denuclearization. The two leaders agreed on the need to soon map out a โcomprehensive strategy on North Korea if possible,โ Moonโs spokesman, Kang Min-seok, said. AdThe U.S., which has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, regularly stages military drills with South Korea. North Korea views such military training and U.S.-led sanctions as proof of American hostility.
Moon urges Biden to learn from Trump's N. Korea diplomacy
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during an on-line New Year press conference with local and foreign journalists at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)SEOUL โ South Koreaโs president on Monday urged the incoming Biden administration to build upon the achievements and learn from the failures of President Donald Trumpโs diplomatic engagement with North Korea. Biden has accused Trump of chasing the spectacle of summits rather than meaningful curbs on the Northโs nuclear capabilities. And while Moon acknowledged that Biden is likely to try a different approach than Trump, he stressed that Biden could still learn from Trumpโs successes and failures in dealing with North Korea. โThe start of the Biden administration provides a new opportunity to start over talks between North Korea and the United States and also between South and North Korea,โ which have stalled amid the stalemate in nuclear negotiations, Moon said.
First woman, next man on moon will come from these NASA 18
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ NASA has named the 18 astronauts โ half of them women โ who will train for its Artemis moon-landing program. The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. Two are at the International Space Station right now: Kate Rubins and Victor Glover. The other experienced members on the list include Kjell Lindgren, Anne McClain and Scott Tingle, all former space station residents.
Telescope confirms existence of water molecules on moonโs sunlit surface
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ The moonโs shadowed, frigid nooks and crannies may hold frozen water in more places and in larger quantities than previously suspected. And for the first time, the presence of water on the moonโs sunlit surface has been confirmed, scientists reported Monday. While previous observations have indicated millions of tons of ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the moonโs poles, a pair of studies in the journal Nature Astronomy take the availability of lunar surface water to a new level. The presence of water in sunlit surfaces had been previously suggested, but not confirmed. For now, Sofia can analyze only the moon's outermost surface, but these water molecules could be buried yards (meters) deep, Honniball noted.
N. Korea's Kim apologizes over shooting death of S. Korean
Itโs extremely unusual for a North Korean leader to apologize to South Korea on any issue. South Korean officials condemned what they called an โatrocious actโ and pressed North Korea to punish those responsible. According to the North Korean message, North Korean troops first fired blanks after the man found in the Northโs waters refused to answer other than saying heโs from South Korea a couple of times. Then, as he made moves to flee, the North Korean troops fired 10 rounds. In 2002, Kim Jong Il, the late father of Kim Jong Un, said he felt โsorryโ about a failed 1968 attempt to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung-hee.
NASA places ad for moon rocks
HOUSTON โ NASA wants to buy moon rocks, but itโs mainly aimed at encouraging commercial companies to develop space exploration technology. According to the request for bids, the space agency will pay for between 50 and 500 grams of lunar regolith material from a contractor. The contractor must also provide imagery that identifies the material and information about where it was collected on the lunar surface. Once purchased, the material becomes the sole property of NASA, according to the bid. The goal is for the material to be retrieved and transferred to NASA before 2024, which is when the agency aims to land the next humans on the moon.
Check out this โmini-moonโ thatโs orbiting Earth
A tiny object that has gotten sucked into orbit around Earth is acting as a temporary mini-moon. The object, which is actually an asteroid, is only the second asteroid known to orbit Earth, according to CNN. Kacper Wierzchos and Theodore Pruyne, both researcher specialists for the Catalina Sky Survey, made the discovery on Feb. 15 and posted it to Twitter. On the night of Feb. 15, my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Teddy Pruyne and I found a 20th magnitude object. pic.twitter.com/zLkXyGAkZl โ Kacper Wierzchos (@WierzchosKacper) February 26, 2020Researchers said the asteroid, known as 2020 CD3, is likely between 6.2 feet and 11.4 feet in diameter.