<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/change-4-mission-chinas-second-probe-into-moon-189547">China's Chang'e-4 mission</a>, the first to perform a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, has shed light on the chemical and mineralogical composition of the lunar mantle, an advance that could unravel the mystery of the evolution of Earth and its natural satellite.

The Chinese spacecraft became the first misson to land on the lunar far side also known as the dark side of the moon in January. The rover Yutu-2 then rolled off the lander to explore its surroundings.

Using data obtained by the visible and near infrared spectrometer installed on Yutu-2, a research team led by Li Chunlai, with the National Astronomical Observatories of China under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the lunar soil in the landing area of the Chang'e-4 probe contains olivine and pyroxene which came from the lunar mantle deep inside the Moon.

The first important scientific discovery of the Chang'e-4 probe was published online in the latest issue of the academic journal Nature.

The Moon comprises a core, mantle and crust, like the Earth. With the evolution of lunar magma, the light plagioclase rose to the upper layer to form the lunar crust, while the heavier olivine and pyroxene sank to form the lunar mantle, Li said.

"But since the lunar crust is very thick, and there has been no volcanic activity and plate movement on the Moon for billions of years, it's hard to find materials from the lunar mantle on the surface," Li told state-run Xinhua news agency.

As a result of the tidal locking effect, the Moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, and the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.

The lunar far side, which is turned away from Earth, is more rugged than the familiar near side and has fewer "maria" - dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions.

The rover landed inside a 180 kilometre wide impact bowl called Von Karman crater.

But that smaller crater lies within the 2,300 kilometer wide South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, which covers nearly a quarter of the Moon's circumference.

It is not known exactly how old the SPA Basin is, but is thought to be at least 3.9 billion years old. The asteroid that carved it out is thought to have been about 170-kilometer wide, BBC reported.

The rover has now identified rocks with a very different chemical make-up to those found elsewhere on the moon, the report said.

Early results from the rover's Visible and Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS) suggest the rocks contain minerals known as low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine.

They fit the profile of rocks from the lunar mantle and suggest that the ancient impact that created the SPA drove right through the 50-kilometer deep crust into the mantle.

Observational data taken by the Moon-orbiting spacecraft have been inconclusive as to the presence of mantle rocks on the surface.

The authors of the paper want to continue their examination of these rocks and find others.

They have also raised the possibility of sending another mission to deliver some of them to Earth for study in laboratories.

The results could now help scientists understand the chemical and mineralogical composition of the mantle, which could shed light on the origins and evolution of the moon itself, it said.

The team members also want to find out more about what happened after the asteroid collided with the Moon and formed the SPA Basin.

Scientists predict that the hole in the surface may have been filled by molten rock - forming a "melt sheet" within the impact bowl, which complicates the picture of this region's geology.

Patrick Pinet, from the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) in Toulouse, France, called the results "thrilling" and said they "could have considerable implications for characterising the composition of the Moon's upper mantle".

"It is of the utmost importance to make progress towards unpacking the geology of the lunar far side, expanding our fundamental knowledge of the Moon's formation and the origin of the crustal asymmetry that exists between its near and far sides, and preparing future sample-return missions," he said.

Analysis showed the lunar soil in the landing area contains a large amount of olivine, low-calcium pyroxene and a small amount of high-calcium pyroxene, which are very likely from the lunar mantle, Li said.

China's Chang'e-4 mission, the first to perform a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, has shed light on the chemical and mineralogical composition of the lunar mantle, an advance that could unravel the mystery of the evolution of Earth and its natural satellite.

China's Chang'e-4 mission, the first to perform a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, has shed light on the chemical and mineralogical composition of the lunar mantle, an advance that could unravel the mystery of the evolution of Earth and its natural satellite. The Chinese spacecraft became the first misson to land on the lunar far side also known as the dark side of the moon in January. The rover Yutu-2 then rolled off the lander to explore its surroundings. Using data obtained by the visible and near infrared spectrometer installed on Yutu-2, a research team led by Li Chunlai, with the National Astronomical Observatories of China under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the lunar soil in the landing area of the Chang'e-4 probe contains olivine and pyroxene which came from the lunar mantle deep inside the Moon. The first important scientific discovery of the Chang'e-4 probe was published online in the latest issue of the academic journal Nature. The Moon comprises a core, mantle and crust, like the Earth. With the evolution of lunar magma, the light plagioclase rose to the upper layer to form the lunar crust, while the heavier olivine and pyroxene sank to form the lunar mantle, Li said. "But since the lunar crust is very thick, and there has been no volcanic activity and plate movement on the Moon for billions of years, it's hard to find materials from the lunar mantle on the surface," Li told state-run Xinhua news agency. As a result of the tidal locking effect, the Moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, and the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. The lunar far side, which is turned away from Earth, is more rugged than the familiar near side and has fewer "maria" - dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. The rover landed inside a 180 kilometre wide impact bowl called Von Karman crater. But that smaller crater lies within the 2,300 kilometer wide South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, which covers nearly a quarter of the Moon's circumference. It is not known exactly how old the SPA Basin is, but is thought to be at least 3.9 billion years old. The asteroid that carved it out is thought to have been about 170-kilometer wide, BBC reported. The rover has now identified rocks with a very different chemical make-up to those found elsewhere on the moon, the report said. Early results from the rover's Visible and Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS) suggest the rocks contain minerals known as low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine. They fit the profile of rocks from the lunar mantle and suggest that the ancient impact that created the SPA drove right through the 50-kilometer deep crust into the mantle. Observational data taken by the Moon-orbiting spacecraft have been inconclusive as to the presence of mantle rocks on the surface. The authors of the paper want to continue their examination of these rocks and find others. They have also raised the possibility of sending another mission to deliver some of them to Earth for study in laboratories. The results could now help scientists understand the chemical and mineralogical composition of the mantle, which could shed light on the origins and evolution of the moon itself, it said. The team members also want to find out more about what happened after the asteroid collided with the Moon and formed the SPA Basin. Scientists predict that the hole in the surface may have been filled by molten rock - forming a "melt sheet" within the impact bowl, which complicates the picture of this region's geology. Patrick Pinet, from the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) in Toulouse, France, called the results "thrilling" and said they "could have considerable implications for characterising the composition of the Moon's upper mantle". "It is of the utmost importance to make progress towards unpacking the geology of the lunar far side, expanding our fundamental knowledge of the Moon's formation and the origin of the crustal asymmetry that exists between its near and far sides, and preparing future sample-return missions," he said. Analysis showed the lunar soil in the landing area contains a large amount of olivine, low-calcium pyroxene and a small amount of high-calcium pyroxene, which are very likely from the lunar mantle, Li said.

Chinese rover sheds light on lunar mantle, may help unlock secrets of Earth, Moon's evolution

Study Shows That The Moon Is Both Dynamic & Tectonically Active.

Gravitas: The Moon Is Shrinking & Quaking

The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and quakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) published Monday.

A survey of more than 12,000 images revealed that lunar basin Mare Frigoris near the Moon's north pole -- one of many vast basins long assumed to be dead sites from a geological point of view -- has been cracking and shifting.

Unlike our planet, the Moon doesn't have tectonic plates; instead, its tectonic activity occurs as it slowly loses heat from when it was formed 4.5 billion years ago.

This, in turn, causes its surface to wrinkle, similar to a grape that shrivels into a raisin.

Since the moon's crust is brittle, these forces cause its surface to break as the interior shrinks, resulting in so-called thrust faults, where one section of the crust is pushed up over an adjacent section.

As a result, the Moon has become about 150 feet (50 meters) "skinnier" over the past several hundred million years.

The Apollo astronauts first began measuring seismic activity on the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, finding the vast majority have occurred deep in the body's interior while a smaller number were on its surface.

The analysis was published in Nature Geoscience and examined the shallow moonquakes recorded by the Apollo missions, establishing links between them and very young surface features.

"It's quite likely that the faults are still active today," said Nicholas Schmerr, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Maryland who co-authored the study.&nbsp;

"You don't often get to see active tectonics anywhere but Earth, so it's very exciting to think these faults may still be producing moonquakes."

The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and quakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) published Monday.

The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and quakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) published Monday. A survey of more than 12,000 images revealed that lunar basin Mare Frigoris near the Moon's north pole -- one of many vast basins long assumed to be dead sites from a geological point of view -- has been cracking and shifting. Unlike our planet, the Moon doesn't have tectonic plates; instead, its tectonic activity occurs as it slowly loses heat from when it was formed 4.5 billion years ago. This, in turn, causes its surface to wrinkle, similar to a grape that shrivels into a raisin. Since the moon's crust is brittle, these forces cause its surface to break as the interior shrinks, resulting in so-called thrust faults, where one section of the crust is pushed up over an adjacent section. As a result, the Moon has become about 150 feet (50 meters) "skinnier" over the past several hundred million years. The Apollo astronauts first began measuring seismic activity on the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, finding the vast majority have occurred deep in the body's interior while a smaller number were on its surface. The analysis was published in Nature Geoscience and examined the shallow moonquakes recorded by the Apollo missions, establishing links between them and very young surface features. "It's quite likely that the faults are still active today," said Nicholas Schmerr, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Maryland who co-authored the study. "You don't often get to see active tectonics anywhere but Earth, so it's very exciting to think these faults may still be producing moonquakes."

Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and quakes: Study

The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and earthquakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) published Monday.

The Moon is shrinking due to earthquakes, claims study

Providing a potential resource for future explorations, NASA on Monday revealed that water is released on the Moon during meteor showers.

The data leading up to this landmark finding was collected through the space agency's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - a robotic mission which orbited the Moon from October 2013 to April 2014, to gather information about the Moon's exosphere.

"The Moon doesn't have significant amounts of H2O or OH in its atmosphere most of the time," Richard Elphic, the LADEE project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley said.

"But when the Moon passed through one of these meteoroid streams, enough vapour was ejected for us to detect it. And then, when the event was over, the H2O or OH went away," a NASA press release quoted him as saying.

The findings of the study, spearheaded by Mehdi Benna of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center here, are published in Nature Geosciences.

According to NASA, the revelations give scientists an opportunity to understand the history of lunar water and improve the understanding of the Moon's geologic past and its continued evolution.

While there is evidence that water exists on the Moon, these findings can help explain the deposits of ice in cold traps in the dark reaches of craters near the poles of the spatial body.

However, the scientists working on the project have rejected the idea that all of the detected water on Earth's natural satellite comes from meteoroids."We know that some of the water must be coming from the Moon because the mass of water being released is greater than the water mass within the meteoroids coming in," the second author of the research, Dana Hurley from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, said.

Debates regarding the origins of the water on the Moon, amongst other things, continue.

The distribution of water on the natural satellite as well as the quantity in which the element is present on the Moon is&nbsp;a few other hotly debated topics in scientific circles.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Providing a potential resource for future explorations, NASA on Monday revealed that water is released on the Moon during meteor showers. The data leading up to this landmark finding was collected through the space agency's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - a robotic mission which orbited the Moon from October 2013 to April 2014, to gather information about the Moon's exosphere.

Providing a potential resource for future explorations, NASA on Monday revealed that water is released on the Moon during meteor showers. The data leading up to this landmark finding was collected through the space agency's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - a robotic mission which orbited the Moon from October 2013 to April 2014, to gather information about the Moon's exosphere. "The Moon doesn't have significant amounts of H2O or OH in its atmosphere most of the time," Richard Elphic, the LADEE project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley said. "But when the Moon passed through one of these meteoroid streams, enough vapour was ejected for us to detect it. And then, when the event was over, the H2O or OH went away," a NASA press release quoted him as saying. The findings of the study, spearheaded by Mehdi Benna of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center here, are published in Nature Geosciences. According to NASA, the revelations give scientists an opportunity to understand the history of lunar water and improve the understanding of the Moon's geologic past and its continued evolution. While there is evidence that water exists on the Moon, these findings can help explain the deposits of ice in cold traps in the dark reaches of craters near the poles of the spatial body. However, the scientists working on the project have rejected the idea that all of the detected water on Earth's natural satellite comes from meteoroids."We know that some of the water must be coming from the Moon because the mass of water being released is greater than the water mass within the meteoroids coming in," the second author of the research, Dana Hurley from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, said. Debates regarding the origins of the water on the Moon, amongst other things, continue. The distribution of water on the natural satellite as well as the quantity in which the element is present on the Moon is a few other hotly debated topics in scientific circles.

NASA study finds meteor showers eject water on Moon

Israeli spacecraft Beresheet made its final maneuver ahead of a planned descent to the moon on Thursday, which, if successful, will propel Israel into an elite group of countries that have mastered the lunar landing.

The unmanned robotic lander dubbed Beresheet - Hebrew for the biblical phrase “in the beginning” - has travelled through space for seven weeks in a series of expanding orbits around Earth before crossing into the moon's gravity last week.

The final maneuver brought the spacecraft into a tight elliptical orbit around the moon, just 15-17 kilometres (9-10.5 miles) from the surface at its closest. The landing is set to begin late on Thursday, with touchdown expected around 10:25 p.m. in Israel (1925 GMT), the Israeli space team said.

So far, only three other nations have carried out controlled "soft" landings of spacecraft on the lunar surface - the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.

The US Apollo program tallied six manned missions to the moon - the only ones yet achieved - between 1969 and 1972, and the United States and Soviets conducted a total of about a dozen more robotic landings between them. China made history in January with its Chang'e 4, the first craft to touch down on the dark side of the moon.

If successful, Beresheet would also make the first lunar landing by a craft not from a government programme. It was built by Israeli nonprofit space venture SpaceIL and state-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries with $100 million furnished almost entirely by private donors.

Shaped like a round table with four carbon-fibre legs, Beresheet stands about 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) tall. It blasted off from Cape Canaveral in the United States on Feb. 21 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and entered Earth's orbit about 34 minutes after launch.

At launch it weighed 585 kg (1,290 pounds), most of which was fuel burned during its circuitous flight path of around 4 million miles (6.5 million km). A direct route from the Earth to the moon covers roughly 240,000 miles (386,000 km).

The excitement was high over the lunar mission in Israel, where it has been discussed in schools and promoted on television.

&nbsp;

 
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Israeli spacecraft Beresheet made its final maneuver ahead of a planned descent to the moon on Thursday, which, if successful, will propel Israel into an elite group of countries that have mastered the lunar landing.

Israeli spacecraft Beresheet made its final maneuver ahead of a planned descent to the moon on Thursday, which, if successful, will propel Israel into an elite group of countries that have mastered the lunar landing. The unmanned robotic lander dubbed Beresheet - Hebrew for the biblical phrase “in the beginning” - has travelled through space for seven weeks in a series of expanding orbits around Earth before crossing into the moon's gravity last week. The final maneuver brought the spacecraft into a tight elliptical orbit around the moon, just 15-17 kilometres (9-10.5 miles) from the surface at its closest. The landing is set to begin late on Thursday, with touchdown expected around 10:25 p.m. in Israel (1925 GMT), the Israeli space team said. So far, only three other nations have carried out controlled "soft" landings of spacecraft on the lunar surface - the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. The US Apollo program tallied six manned missions to the moon - the only ones yet achieved - between 1969 and 1972, and the United States and Soviets conducted a total of about a dozen more robotic landings between them. China made history in January with its Chang'e 4, the first craft to touch down on the dark side of the moon. If successful, Beresheet would also make the first lunar landing by a craft not from a government programme. It was built by Israeli nonprofit space venture SpaceIL and state-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries with $100 million furnished almost entirely by private donors. Shaped like a round table with four carbon-fibre legs, Beresheet stands about 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) tall. It blasted off from Cape Canaveral in the United States on Feb. 21 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and entered Earth's orbit about 34 minutes after launch. At launch it weighed 585 kg (1,290 pounds), most of which was fuel burned during its circuitous flight path of around 4 million miles (6.5 million km). A direct route from the Earth to the moon covers roughly 240,000 miles (386,000 km). The excitement was high over the lunar mission in Israel, where it has been discussed in schools and promoted on television.

Israeli spacecraft nears moon landing and place in elite lunar club

Donald Trump's administration announced Tuesday it was speeding up plans to send US astronauts back to the Moon, from 2028 to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/by-2022-indian-son-or-daughter-to-go-in-space-carrying-national-flag-pm-narendra-modi-159291">2024</a>, calling for a "spark of urgency" to prevail over delays that have plagued NASA's lunar return plans.&nbsp;

"It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon, within the next five years," Vice President Mike Pence vowed in a speech in Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City" where American launchers have been built since the 1960s.

"Let me be clear, the first woman and the next man on the Moon will both be American astronauts launched by American rockets from American soil," he said, echoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-person-to-set-foot-on-mars-is-likely-to-be-a-woman-nasa-chief-203093">previous declarations by NASA chief Jim Bridenstine</a> that a woman could be the next human to set foot on the Moon.

The first manned Moon flight since the last Apollo mission in 1972 had been scheduled for 2028.

But the program has encountered frustrating delays in the development of a new heavy rocket for the Moon missions, the Space Launch System (SLS), whose first uncrewed flight was recently pushed back beyond 2020.

Within months of taking office, President Trump made clear his desire to reinvigorate the American space agency, which had been somewhat adrift since the 2011 end of its shuttle program.

In 2017, Trump set a goal of returning to the Moon as a first step before moving on to human exploration of Mars.&nbsp;

NASA then adopted a schedule of launching a manned mission to the Moon in 2028.&nbsp;

"That's just not good enough. We're better than that. It took us eight years to get to the moon, the first time, 50 years ago, when we had never done it before," said Pence, who heads the White House's National Space Council.&nbsp;

"It shouldn't take us 11 years to get back."

- 'Paralysis by analysis' - 
In his speech, Pence criticized the "bureaucratic inertia" and "paralysis by analysis" that he said had resulted in the SLS delays, and called for a "new mindset" at the space agency.

Included in that criticism, though unnamed, was Boeing, who is building the SLS rocket that was scheduled to launch for its first flight in 2020, until NASA recently announced it would not be ready in time.&nbsp;

"Urgency must be our watchword," said Pence. "Failure to achieve our goal to return an American astronaut to the Moon in the next five years is not an option."

He said the US was engaged in a present-day "space race" under Trump, this time against China, just as the country was in the 1960s under President John F. Kennedy against the Soviet Union.&nbsp;

Pence threatened to use commercial launch systems or to look to other partners if NASA is not ready in time.

"To be clear, we're not committed to anyone's contract. If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we will find ones that will," Pence said.

"If commercial rockets are the only way to get American astronauts to the Moon in the next five years, then commercial rockets it will be," he said.

He didn't mention SpaceX or other companies by name, but the allusion was clear, as SpaceX currently has rockets capable of launching heavy loads into space.&nbsp;

"We got it loud and clear," NASA head Bridenstine responded to the vice president. He assured the gathering that the SLS rocket would be ready in 2020.

Donald Trump's administration announced Tuesday it was speeding up plans to send US astronauts back to the Moon, from 2028 to 2024, calling for a "spark of urgency" to prevail over delays that have plagued NASA's lunar return plans.

Donald Trump's administration announced Tuesday it was speeding up plans to send US astronauts back to the Moon, from 2028 to 2024, calling for a "spark of urgency" to prevail over delays that have plagued NASA's lunar return plans. "It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon, within the next five years," Vice President Mike Pence vowed in a speech in Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City" where American launchers have been built since the 1960s. "Let me be clear, the first woman and the next man on the Moon will both be American astronauts launched by American rockets from American soil," he said, echoing previous declarations by NASA chief Jim Bridenstine that a woman could be the next human to set foot on the Moon. The first manned Moon flight since the last Apollo mission in 1972 had been scheduled for 2028. But the program has encountered frustrating delays in the development of a new heavy rocket for the Moon missions, the Space Launch System (SLS), whose first uncrewed flight was recently pushed back beyond 2020. Within months of taking office, President Trump made clear his desire to reinvigorate the American space agency, which had been somewhat adrift since the 2011 end of its shuttle program. In 2017, Trump set a goal of returning to the Moon as a first step before moving on to human exploration of Mars. NASA then adopted a schedule of launching a manned mission to the Moon in 2028. "That's just not good enough. We're better than that. It took us eight years to get to the moon, the first time, 50 years ago, when we had never done it before," said Pence, who heads the White House's National Space Council. "It shouldn't take us 11 years to get back." - 'Paralysis by analysis' - In his speech, Pence criticized the "bureaucratic inertia" and "paralysis by analysis" that he said had resulted in the SLS delays, and called for a "new mindset" at the space agency. Included in that criticism, though unnamed, was Boeing, who is building the SLS rocket that was scheduled to launch for its first flight in 2020, until NASA recently announced it would not be ready in time. "Urgency must be our watchword," said Pence. "Failure to achieve our goal to return an American astronaut to the Moon in the next five years is not an option." He said the US was engaged in a present-day "space race" under Trump, this time against China, just as the country was in the 1960s under President John F. Kennedy against the Soviet Union. Pence threatened to use commercial launch systems or to look to other partners if NASA is not ready in time. "To be clear, we're not committed to anyone's contract. If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we will find ones that will," Pence said. "If commercial rockets are the only way to get American astronauts to the Moon in the next five years, then commercial rockets it will be," he said. He didn't mention SpaceX or other companies by name, but the allusion was clear, as SpaceX currently has rockets capable of launching heavy loads into space. "We got it loud and clear," NASA head Bridenstine responded to the vice president. He assured the gathering that the SLS rocket would be ready in 2020.

US to put (another) man on the moon by 2024: Mike Pence

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-to-send-astronauts-back-to-moon-then-mars-202800">The first person to set foot on Mars</a> is likely to be a woman, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said.

While Bridenstine did not identify a specific person, he said that women are at the forefront of the US space agency's upcoming plans.

Asked if a woman will go to the moon for the first time, Bridenstine said "The answer is absolutely. In fact, it is likely to be a woman, the first next person on the moon."

"It is also true that the first person on Mars is likely to be a woman," Bridenstine said during a recent interview on the science and technology radio talk show "Science Friday."

NASA recently announced that it will have its first all-female spacewalk at the end of the month, when astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will get to float around in space.

"We have the first all-female spacewalk happening this month at the end of March, which is of course, National Women's Month. So NASA is committed to making sure that we have a broad and diverse set of talent. And we are looking forward to the first woman on the moon," he said.&nbsp;

The first person to set foot on Mars is likely to be a woman, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said. While Bridenstine did not identify a specific person, he said that women are at the forefront of the US space agency's upcoming plans.

The first person to set foot on Mars is likely to be a woman, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said. While Bridenstine did not identify a specific person, he said that women are at the forefront of the US space agency's upcoming plans. Asked if a woman will go to the moon for the first time, Bridenstine said "The answer is absolutely. In fact, it is likely to be a woman, the first next person on the moon." "It is also true that the first person on Mars is likely to be a woman," Bridenstine said during a recent interview on the science and technology radio talk show "Science Friday." NASA recently announced that it will have its first all-female spacewalk at the end of the month, when astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will get to float around in space. "We have the first all-female spacewalk happening this month at the end of March, which is of course, National Women's Month. So NASA is committed to making sure that we have a broad and diverse set of talent. And we are looking forward to the first woman on the moon," he said.

First person to set foot on Mars is likely to be a woman: NASA chief

The administrator of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-captures-unprecedented-images-of-supersonic-shockwaves-201957"> NASA</a>, Jim Bridenstine, said Monday that the return to the moon is part of a "sustainable" project that will turn this satellite into a "test" base for an ambitious project: to organise the first manned mission to Mars and discover possible life on other planets.

With words of enthusiasm, Bridenstine revealed at a conference at the Kennedy Space Center the plans of the US space agency, which was made possible thanks to the fiscal year 2020 budget proposal of the White House, which has bipartisan support in Congress.

This next mission to the Moon aims to be, for the first time, "sustainable," which means that the human presence on its surface will be lasting. "This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars, " Bridenstine said in a statement.

"Beginning with a series of small commercial delivery missions to the Moon as early as this year, we will use new landers, robots and eventually humans by 2028 to conduct science across the entire lunar surface," he added.

NASA has embarked on the construction of the Gateway space base, which will orbit with "highly efficient" solar energy around the Moon and will have contributions from other space agencies and private companies.

The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) pointed out that "this budget will build on our successes in low-Earth orbit to create a sustainable exploration campaign that combines NASA's expertise with that of our commercial and international partners."

Bridenstine made reference to the successful test trip to the International Space Station (ISS) carried out by the US company SpaceX, whose unmanned capsule Crew Dragon returned to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-rocket-to-image-earths-leaky-atmosphere-180849">Earth</a> on March 8.

This confirmed SpaceX's ability to send modules with astronauts into space and the possibility of making NASA its customer.

This success makes SpaceX approach the milestone of launching the first commercial flights into space with humans on board, following the launch last March of this unmanned capsule to the ISS.

But the "sustainable mission" to the Moon with "commercial and international partners" is much more than that. "We will continue planning and developing the first round-trip mission to the Red Planet with Mars Sample Return" Bridenstine said.

The return to the Moon and the exploration of Mars have been two of the objectives set by US president, Donald Trump, whose plans include the installation of the Gateway orbital platform whose initial construction price will be $500 million and which will be ready by the year 2024.

The administrator of NASA then referred to the exciting commitment to reach Mars, a planet, he said, that was once covered with water, suggesting that it was habitable, with complex organic compounds detected on its surface.

He said that the possibility of finding life on other planets has increased when it comes to microbial life and the budget for 2020 will allow the search for life on other planets.

NASA, which began operations on October 1, 1958, already announced last year its intention to return to the Moon and then go to Mars with manned missions in the coming years.

The administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, said Monday that the return to the moon is part of a "sustainable" project that will turn this satellite into a "test" base for an ambitious project: to organise the first manned mission to Mars and discover possible life on other planets.

The administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, said Monday that the return to the moon is part of a "sustainable" project that will turn this satellite into a "test" base for an ambitious project: to organise the first manned mission to Mars and discover possible life on other planets. With words of enthusiasm, Bridenstine revealed at a conference at the Kennedy Space Center the plans of the US space agency, which was made possible thanks to the fiscal year 2020 budget proposal of the White House, which has bipartisan support in Congress. This next mission to the Moon aims to be, for the first time, "sustainable," which means that the human presence on its surface will be lasting. "This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars, " Bridenstine said in a statement. "Beginning with a series of small commercial delivery missions to the Moon as early as this year, we will use new landers, robots and eventually humans by 2028 to conduct science across the entire lunar surface," he added. NASA has embarked on the construction of the Gateway space base, which will orbit with "highly efficient" solar energy around the Moon and will have contributions from other space agencies and private companies. The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) pointed out that "this budget will build on our successes in low-Earth orbit to create a sustainable exploration campaign that combines NASA's expertise with that of our commercial and international partners." Bridenstine made reference to the successful test trip to the International Space Station (ISS) carried out by the US company SpaceX, whose unmanned capsule Crew Dragon returned to Earth on March 8. This confirmed SpaceX's ability to send modules with astronauts into space and the possibility of making NASA its customer. This success makes SpaceX approach the milestone of launching the first commercial flights into space with humans on board, following the launch last March of this unmanned capsule to the ISS. But the "sustainable mission" to the Moon with "commercial and international partners" is much more than that. "We will continue planning and developing the first round-trip mission to the Red Planet with Mars Sample Return" Bridenstine said. The return to the Moon and the exploration of Mars have been two of the objectives set by US president, Donald Trump, whose plans include the installation of the Gateway orbital platform whose initial construction price will be $500 million and which will be ready by the year 2024. The administrator of NASA then referred to the exciting commitment to reach Mars, a planet, he said, that was once covered with water, suggesting that it was habitable, with complex organic compounds detected on its surface. He said that the possibility of finding life on other planets has increased when it comes to microbial life and the budget for 2020 will allow the search for life on other planets. NASA, which began operations on October 1, 1958, already announced last year its intention to return to the Moon and then go to Mars with manned missions in the coming years.

NASA to send astronauts back to Moon, then Mars

Israel was gearing up to launch a spacecraft to the moon that will be the first private initiative of its kind in the world, the non-profit organization responsible for the project announced on Monday.

The $100-million spacecraft, which will cover the longest route to the moon – spanning nearly 6.5 million kilometres – was set to be ready to launch on February 22 from Florida's Cape Canaveral in the United States, according to Morris Kahn, president of SpaceIL, the company in charge of the project.

"The upcoming launch in Cape Canaveral and the lunar landing about two months later will be the culmination of eight years of hard work and dedication," Kahn said.

"This mission is a source of inspiration for people around the world, and we are looking forward to making history and watching as the Israeli flag joins superpowers Russia, China and the United States on (the) moon," he added.

Next Friday, the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to be launched; it will carry the spacecraft that is set to separate from the booster 32 minutes after the launch.

Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis has already headed to the United States to attend the launch process.

Should everything go according to schedule, the promoters of the project are expected to receive a signal from the spacecraft after the separation at the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries, located in the central Israeli city of Yehud, where the technology was manufactured.

After landing on the moon on April 11, the spacecraft, which has been christened with the name Beresheet, will start a series of tests to guarantee it is fully functioning.

Beresheet carries a digital time capsule, which includes thousands of documents about the history of humankind and of Israel. In addition, it contains photos of the manufacturers, as well as drawings, stories and music made by Israeli children who took part in the project.

During a press conference ahead of the launch, the project's promoters discussed the main challenges that the initiative – which has been made possible through private donations – was expected to face.

The main challenges included the launch itself, positioning the spacecraft, staying in contact with it at such a long distance, its ability to resist extreme conditions and landing successfully.

Israel was gearing up to launch a spacecraft to the moon that will be the first private initiative of its kind in the world, the non-profit organization responsible for the project announced on Monday.

Israel was gearing up to launch a spacecraft to the moon that will be the first private initiative of its kind in the world, the non-profit organization responsible for the project announced on Monday. The $100-million spacecraft, which will cover the longest route to the moon – spanning nearly 6.5 million kilometres – was set to be ready to launch on February 22 from Florida's Cape Canaveral in the United States, according to Morris Kahn, president of SpaceIL, the company in charge of the project. "The upcoming launch in Cape Canaveral and the lunar landing about two months later will be the culmination of eight years of hard work and dedication," Kahn said. "This mission is a source of inspiration for people around the world, and we are looking forward to making history and watching as the Israeli flag joins superpowers Russia, China and the United States on (the) moon," he added. Next Friday, the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to be launched; it will carry the spacecraft that is set to separate from the booster 32 minutes after the launch. Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis has already headed to the United States to attend the launch process. Should everything go according to schedule, the promoters of the project are expected to receive a signal from the spacecraft after the separation at the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries, located in the central Israeli city of Yehud, where the technology was manufactured. After landing on the moon on April 11, the spacecraft, which has been christened with the name Beresheet, will start a series of tests to guarantee it is fully functioning. Beresheet carries a digital time capsule, which includes thousands of documents about the history of humankind and of Israel. In addition, it contains photos of the manufacturers, as well as drawings, stories and music made by Israeli children who took part in the project. During a press conference ahead of the launch, the project's promoters discussed the main challenges that the initiative – which has been made possible through private donations – was expected to face. The main challenges included the launch itself, positioning the spacecraft, staying in contact with it at such a long distance, its ability to resist extreme conditions and landing successfully.

Israel readies to launch world's first private spacecraft to moon

NASA, China aim to set up human colony on moon

Astronomy buffs across the United States have been promised all the makings of a spectacular total lunar eclipse on Sunday except one - clear skies.

Stargazers from Los Angeles to New York will keep their eyes on the sky for the eclipse, known as a super blood wolf moon, expected to appear at 11:41 pm&nbsp;EST (0441 GMT).

Although it is a total eclipse, the moon will never go completely dark but rather take on a coppery red glow - called a blood moon. It is also a full moon that is especially close to Earth, called a supermoon.

And since it appears in January, when wolves howled in hunger outside villages, it has earned the name wolf moon, according to The Farmers Almanac.

But no matter how perfectly the stars align for this stellar event, the thrill or disappointment of the evening really depends on one thing: the weather.

If skies are clear on Sunday night, the spectacular total lunar eclipse will be visible with the naked eye.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires eye protection to safely enjoy the view, no extra measures need to be taken for hazard-free lunar eclipse watching.

If cloud cover ruins visibility, there is always a view on the internet.

"Anyone clouded out can go online and see the view from our sky cameras around the world," said Andrew Fazekas, spokesman for the site AstronomersWithoutBorders.org.

Next chance for Americans to see a total lunar eclipse is 2022.

The blood moon's red hue is the result of sunlight travelling through the Earth's dusty, polluted atmosphere, Fazekas said. The shorter, more pliable blue wavelengths of light are scattered outside the Earth's shadow and the longer, less bendable red wavelengths are refracted toward the moon.

Best viewing of the one-hour total eclipse will be from North and South America, with as many as 2.8 billion people able to see it from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, West Africa and northernmost Russia.

Astronomy buffs across the United States have been promised all the makings of a spectacular total lunar eclipse on Sunday except one - clear skies. Stargazers from Los Angeles to New York will keep their eyes on the sky for the eclipse, known as a super blood wolf moon, expected to appear at 11:41 pm EST (0441 GMT).

Astronomy buffs across the United States have been promised all the makings of a spectacular total lunar eclipse on Sunday except one - clear skies. Stargazers from Los Angeles to New York will keep their eyes on the sky for the eclipse, known as a super blood wolf moon, expected to appear at 11:41 pm EST (0441 GMT). Although it is a total eclipse, the moon will never go completely dark but rather take on a coppery red glow - called a blood moon. It is also a full moon that is especially close to Earth, called a supermoon. And since it appears in January, when wolves howled in hunger outside villages, it has earned the name wolf moon, according to The Farmers Almanac. But no matter how perfectly the stars align for this stellar event, the thrill or disappointment of the evening really depends on one thing: the weather. If skies are clear on Sunday night, the spectacular total lunar eclipse will be visible with the naked eye. Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires eye protection to safely enjoy the view, no extra measures need to be taken for hazard-free lunar eclipse watching. If cloud cover ruins visibility, there is always a view on the internet. "Anyone clouded out can go online and see the view from our sky cameras around the world," said Andrew Fazekas, spokesman for the site AstronomersWithoutBorders.org. Next chance for Americans to see a total lunar eclipse is 2022. The blood moon's red hue is the result of sunlight travelling through the Earth's dusty, polluted atmosphere, Fazekas said. The shorter, more pliable blue wavelengths of light are scattered outside the Earth's shadow and the longer, less bendable red wavelengths are refracted toward the moon. Best viewing of the one-hour total eclipse will be from North and South America, with as many as 2.8 billion people able to see it from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, West Africa and northernmost Russia.

Total lunar eclipse set to wow star gazers, clear skies willing

ISRO chief K&nbsp;Sivan on Friday briefed media about the upcoming missions and projects of the year. He shared that the national space research body is soon to come out with a television channel.&nbsp;

"Our PM said we should call it innovation TV," Sivan said.&nbsp;

The ISRO chief reacted to the Chinese rover's landing on the far side of the moon claiming that the Indian mission will aim to land on the south pole of the moon.&nbsp;

"We are going to land on the south pole of the moon, unlike the Chinese who landed on the dark side," he stated.&nbsp;

Giving details about various ISRO missions planned this year, Sivan noted that Chandrayaan-2 launch window is set between March 25 and April 30.

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ISRO Chief K Sivan: We have developed an incubation centre at Tripura and four more will be created at Trichy, Nagpur, Rourkela and Indore
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"ISRO will launch 32 planned missions this year. 14 launch vehicles and 18 satellites including Chandrayaan 2 mission. 1st student satellite to be launched and will be called Kalam 1," Sivan told media.&nbsp;

"We have developed an incubation centre at Tripura and four more will be created at Trichy, Nagpur, Rourkela and Indore," he said.&nbsp;

Sivan further noted that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ready-to-send-humanoid-for-gaganyaan-mission-isro-chief-191176">Gaganyaan will be the top focus of the year</a>. ISRO has planned a manned mission wherein a humanoid will be sent for the Gaganyaan space project, he added.&nbsp;

Sivan added that first flight will take off in July this year with a payload up to 500 kilograms.&nbsp;Besides this satellite, GSAT-6A will be launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp;

Sivan also noted that ISRO wants the private sector to step in. To begin with, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will be taken to the private sector.&nbsp;

The design for the crew module and crew service module for Gaganyaan - India's first manned space mission set to launch in 2022 - is nearing finalisation, he said.

ISRO chief K Sivan on Friday briefed media about the upcoming missions and projects of the year. He shared that the national space research body is soon to come out with a television channel.

ISRO chief K Sivan on Friday briefed media about the upcoming missions and projects of the year. He shared that the national space research body is soon to come out with a television channel. "Our PM said we should call it innovation TV," Sivan said. The ISRO chief reacted to the Chinese rover's landing on the far side of the moon claiming that the Indian mission will aim to land on the south pole of the moon. "We are going to land on the south pole of the moon, unlike the Chinese who landed on the dark side," he stated. Giving details about various ISRO missions planned this year, Sivan noted that Chandrayaan-2 launch window is set between March 25 and April 30. ISRO Chief K Sivan: We have developed an incubation centre at Tripura and four more will be created at Trichy, Nagpur, Rourkela and Indore — ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2019 × "ISRO will launch 32 planned missions this year. 14 launch vehicles and 18 satellites including Chandrayaan 2 mission. 1st student satellite to be launched and will be called Kalam 1," Sivan told media. "We have developed an incubation centre at Tripura and four more will be created at Trichy, Nagpur, Rourkela and Indore," he said. Sivan further noted that Gaganyaan will be the top focus of the year. ISRO has planned a manned mission wherein a humanoid will be sent for the Gaganyaan space project, he added. Sivan added that first flight will take off in July this year with a payload up to 500 kilograms. Besides this satellite, GSAT-6A will be launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Sivan also noted that ISRO wants the private sector to step in. To begin with, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will be taken to the private sector. The design for the crew module and crew service module for Gaganyaan - India's first manned space mission set to launch in 2022 - is nearing finalisation, he said.

Chinese landed on moon's far side, we will aim for lunar south pole: ISRO chief

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan has said when it comes to India versus China debate in the space sector, India is at par with China. His comments have come&nbsp;days after China's launch of Chang'e 4 lunar probe on the dark side of the moon and ahead of India's Chandrayaan-2 mission which will be launched later this year.&nbsp;

Speaking to our correspondent Siddhant Sibal, the chairman also spoke on Gaganyaan and ISRO's focus for 2019.

WION: What will be your focus this year?

K Sivan: This year we mainly want to make use of the children, students and we want them to be more and more aware of ISRO's programmes. We want to bring students for the&nbsp;young scientist programme. Student satellite Kalam SAT is being launched. Along with this outreach programme, we have incubation centres. These are for spreading the wings of ISRO. Along with this, we have priority for Gaganyaan. We have 32 missions to be completed this year.&nbsp;

WION: We are going to launch Chandrayaan-2 this year. Weeks ago <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinese-landed-on-moons-far-side-we-will-aim-for-lunar-south-pole-isro-chief-191189">China landed Rover</a> on the dark side of the moon. What is the difference?

K Sivan: The Chinese have landed on the <a href="http://wionews.com/world/china-launches-rover-for-first-far-side-of-the-moon-landing-182334">dark side of the moon</a>. We are going to land on the light side of the moon. Only thing is where we are landing, nobody else has gone. Going closer to the South pole, which nobody has gone. We expect a lot of science available for that.

WION: Your reaction to China versus India space debate?

K Sivan: Regarding the tech part. We are at par with them.

WION: How are we helping the South Asian region?

K Sivan: South Asia, we have one South Asia satellite. We are giving one transponder free of cost to each country. Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives&nbsp;are making use of this. Happy to note they are using satellite for the benefit of their country

WION: On Gaganyaan, are we taking help of countries?&nbsp;

K Sivan: Gaganyaan, many countries are ready to help us. France and Russia are ready to help. We will make use of everybody's expertise to our benefit. NASA is also ready to help us. We want to make use of everyone's help for maximum benefit

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan has said when it comes to India versus China debate in the space sector, India is at par with China.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan has said when it comes to India versus China debate in the space sector, India is at par with China. His comments have come days after China's launch of Chang'e 4 lunar probe on the dark side of the moon and ahead of India's Chandrayaan-2 mission which will be launched later this year. Speaking to our correspondent Siddhant Sibal, the chairman also spoke on Gaganyaan and ISRO's focus for 2019. WION: What will be your focus this year? K Sivan: This year we mainly want to make use of the children, students and we want them to be more and more aware of ISRO's programmes. We want to bring students for the young scientist programme. Student satellite Kalam SAT is being launched. Along with this outreach programme, we have incubation centres. These are for spreading the wings of ISRO. Along with this, we have priority for Gaganyaan. We have 32 missions to be completed this year. WION: We are going to launch Chandrayaan-2 this year. Weeks ago China landed Rover on the dark side of the moon. What is the difference? K Sivan: The Chinese have landed on the dark side of the moon. We are going to land on the light side of the moon. Only thing is where we are landing, nobody else has gone. Going closer to the South pole, which nobody has gone. We expect a lot of science available for that. WION: Your reaction to China versus India space debate? K Sivan: Regarding the tech part. We are at par with them. WION: How are we helping the South Asian region? K Sivan: South Asia, we have one South Asia satellite. We are giving one transponder free of cost to each country. Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives are making use of this. Happy to note they are using satellite for the benefit of their country WION: On Gaganyaan, are we taking help of countries? K Sivan: Gaganyaan, many countries are ready to help us. France and Russia are ready to help. We will make use of everybody's expertise to our benefit. NASA is also ready to help us. We want to make use of everyone's help for maximum benefit

We are at par with China: ISRO chairman on space race

A photograph taken on January 7 and released on Tuesday by China's National Space Administration showed seeds, carried by China's Chang'e-4 moon probe, sprouting on the far side of the moon.

The cotton seed sprouts became the first biological matter to grow on the moon and according to the probe's biological experiment payload's chief designer, was laying the foundation for a lunar base and long-term space exploration.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe landed on January 3 and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the far side of the moon. China's National Space Administration applauded the launch as a first that "lifted the mysterious veil" of the far side of the moon and claimed it as a major achievement for the country's ambitious space program.

The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain and mineral makeup and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of its far side.

A photograph taken on January 7 and released on Tuesday by China's National Space Administration showed seeds, carried by China's Chang'e-4 moon probe, sprouting on the far side of the moon.

A photograph taken on January 7 and released on Tuesday by China's National Space Administration showed seeds, carried by China's Chang'e-4 moon probe, sprouting on the far side of the moon. The cotton seed sprouts became the first biological matter to grow on the moon and according to the probe's biological experiment payload's chief designer, was laying the foundation for a lunar base and long-term space exploration. The Chang'e-4 lunar probe landed on January 3 and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the far side of the moon. China's National Space Administration applauded the launch as a first that "lifted the mysterious veil" of the far side of the moon and claimed it as a major achievement for the country's ambitious space program. The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain and mineral makeup and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of its far side.

Seeds carried by China probe sprout on the moon

China will seek to establish an international lunar base one day, possibly using 3D printing technology to build facilities, the Chinese space agency said Monday, weeks after landing a rover on the moon's far side.

The agency said four more lunar missions are planned, confirming the launch of a probe by the end of the year to bring back samples from the moon.

The future launches will culminate with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/how-cold-is-the-moon-at-night-china-to-find-out-190033">a mission to test equipment for an international moon research base</a>, Wu Yanhua, deputy chief commander of China's Lunar Exploration Programme, said at a press briefing.

"China, the United States, Russia and Europe are all discussing whether to build a research base or a research station on the moon," Wu said.

Scientists are looking into "whether we can use 3D printing technology" to build lunar facilities, he added.

China took a major step in its ambition to achieve space superpower status when it became the first nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon on January 3.

The Chang'e-4 lander -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- released a rover that will perform experiments in the Von Karman Crater, which is located in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

The rover, dubbed Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit), was preparing to go back to work after waking from five days of hibernation on Thursday.

"It will be the first time that we are able to study the origin and formation... (of) the darker side the moon, including the age of... the moon," said Wu Weiren, general designer of the Lunar Exploration Programme.

Basking the mission's success, the China National Space Administration discussed plans for the future missions.

The Chang'e-5 probe, originally scheduled to collect moon samples in the second half of 2017, will launch by the end of the year, Wu said.

The mission was delayed after its planned carrier, the powerful Long March 5 Y2 rocket, failed in a separate launch in July 2017.

Following that mission, China will launch Chang'e-6 to gather samples on the moon's south pole and bring them back to Earth, Wu said.

"We will decide whether it will do it on the dark side of the moon or the near side depending on the sampling situation of the Chang'e-5," Wu told reporters.

It will be followed by Chang'e-7, which will conduct a "comprehensive exploration of the moon's south pole", including its topography, material composition and space environment, he said.

Finally, the Chang'e-8 mission will test technologies and do "some preliminary exploration for countries to jointly build a lunar research base in the future", Wu said.

China will seek to establish an international lunar base one day, possibly using 3D printing technology to build facilities, the Chinese space agency said Monday, weeks after landing a rover on the moon's far side.

China will seek to establish an international lunar base one day, possibly using 3D printing technology to build facilities, the Chinese space agency said Monday, weeks after landing a rover on the moon's far side. The agency said four more lunar missions are planned, confirming the launch of a probe by the end of the year to bring back samples from the moon. The future launches will culminate with a mission to test equipment for an international moon research base, Wu Yanhua, deputy chief commander of China's Lunar Exploration Programme, said at a press briefing. "China, the United States, Russia and Europe are all discussing whether to build a research base or a research station on the moon," Wu said. Scientists are looking into "whether we can use 3D printing technology" to build lunar facilities, he added. China took a major step in its ambition to achieve space superpower status when it became the first nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon on January 3. The Chang'e-4 lander -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- released a rover that will perform experiments in the Von Karman Crater, which is located in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. The rover, dubbed Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit), was preparing to go back to work after waking from five days of hibernation on Thursday. "It will be the first time that we are able to study the origin and formation... (of) the darker side the moon, including the age of... the moon," said Wu Weiren, general designer of the Lunar Exploration Programme. Basking the mission's success, the China National Space Administration discussed plans for the future missions. The Chang'e-5 probe, originally scheduled to collect moon samples in the second half of 2017, will launch by the end of the year, Wu said. The mission was delayed after its planned carrier, the powerful Long March 5 Y2 rocket, failed in a separate launch in July 2017. Following that mission, China will launch Chang'e-6 to gather samples on the moon's south pole and bring them back to Earth, Wu said. "We will decide whether it will do it on the dark side of the moon or the near side depending on the sampling situation of the Chang'e-5," Wu told reporters. It will be followed by Chang'e-7, which will conduct a "comprehensive exploration of the moon's south pole", including its topography, material composition and space environment, he said. Finally, the Chang'e-8 mission will test technologies and do "some preliminary exploration for countries to jointly build a lunar research base in the future", Wu said.

China says it is looking to build base on the moon

China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover, which is exploring the dark side of the moon, will measure the freezing night temperature, scientists said Sunday.

Chang'e-4, named after a Chinese moon goddess and comprising a lander and a rover, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-chinas-lunar-rover-change-4-begins-work-shows-moon-landscape-189503">touched down on the dark side of the moon on January 3</a>, the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon by any country.

It was a giant leap for cosmic exploration and a major boost to the Communist nation's quest to become a space superpower.

Since the moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, the same side always faces the Earth. The other face, most of which cannot be seen from the Earth, is called the far side or the "dark side" of the moon, not because it is dark, but because most of it is uncharted.

A lunar day equals 14 days on the Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. Temperatures vary enormously between day and night on the moon.

Scientists estimate that the highest temperature during the day might reach 127 degrees Celsius, while the lowest at night could fall to minus 183 degrees Celsius.

In 2013, China launched Chang'e-3, the country's first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. The scientific instruments on its lander are still operating after more than 60 lunar nights in the past five years, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"It was a success, but Chang'e-3 was designed according to foreign temperature data," Zhang He, the executive director of the Chang'e-4 probe project from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), told Xinhua.

"Without our own data about lunar temperatures, we don't know how cold a lunar night can actually be," Zhang said.

"Chang'e-4 will measure the temperature differences between the day and night on the moon, helping scientists estimate the properties of the lunar soil," she said.

Tan Mei, a consultant for the probe from CAST, said Chang'e-4 will switch to a "sleep mode" during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power, and rely on the radioisotope heat source, a collaboration between Chinese and Russian scientists, to keep warm.

"We need to transform heat into power to run the thermometry to measure the temperatures of the lunar surface at night," Tan said.

The lander is equipped with dozens of temperature data collectors and the data they collect at night will be transmitted after the probe is wakened during the moon's daytime, said Li Fei, a designer of the lander from CAST.

Sun Zezhou, the chief designer of the Chang'e-4 probe from CAST, said the probe will get first-hand data by directly measuring the temperatures of the lunar soil, probe's surface, and its key interior equipment during the lunar night.

Used for the first time in a Chinese spacecraft, the isotope thermoelectric generation technology on Chang'e-4 is a prototype for future deep-space explorations, Sun said.

NASA's Curiosity rover also adopts this power technology, freeing it from the sunshine, sand and dust restrictions that have bothered its predecessors Opportunity and Spirit, he explained.

"It is a technology that we must master if we want to go to the moon's polar regions or deep space farther than Jupiter, where solar power cannot be used as the primary power source," he said.&nbsp;

China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover, which is exploring the dark side of the moon, will measure the freezing night temperature, scientists said Sunday. Chang'e-4, named after a Chinese moon goddess and comprising a lander and a rover, touched down on the dark side of the moon on January 3, the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon by any country.

China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover, which is exploring the dark side of the moon, will measure the freezing night temperature, scientists said Sunday. Chang'e-4, named after a Chinese moon goddess and comprising a lander and a rover, touched down on the dark side of the moon on January 3, the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon by any country. It was a giant leap for cosmic exploration and a major boost to the Communist nation's quest to become a space superpower. Since the moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, the same side always faces the Earth. The other face, most of which cannot be seen from the Earth, is called the far side or the "dark side" of the moon, not because it is dark, but because most of it is uncharted. A lunar day equals 14 days on the Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. Temperatures vary enormously between day and night on the moon. Scientists estimate that the highest temperature during the day might reach 127 degrees Celsius, while the lowest at night could fall to minus 183 degrees Celsius. In 2013, China launched Chang'e-3, the country's first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. The scientific instruments on its lander are still operating after more than 60 lunar nights in the past five years, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "It was a success, but Chang'e-3 was designed according to foreign temperature data," Zhang He, the executive director of the Chang'e-4 probe project from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), told Xinhua. "Without our own data about lunar temperatures, we don't know how cold a lunar night can actually be," Zhang said. "Chang'e-4 will measure the temperature differences between the day and night on the moon, helping scientists estimate the properties of the lunar soil," she said. Tan Mei, a consultant for the probe from CAST, said Chang'e-4 will switch to a "sleep mode" during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power, and rely on the radioisotope heat source, a collaboration between Chinese and Russian scientists, to keep warm. "We need to transform heat into power to run the thermometry to measure the temperatures of the lunar surface at night," Tan said. The lander is equipped with dozens of temperature data collectors and the data they collect at night will be transmitted after the probe is wakened during the moon's daytime, said Li Fei, a designer of the lander from CAST. Sun Zezhou, the chief designer of the Chang'e-4 probe from CAST, said the probe will get first-hand data by directly measuring the temperatures of the lunar soil, probe's surface, and its key interior equipment during the lunar night. Used for the first time in a Chinese spacecraft, the isotope thermoelectric generation technology on Chang'e-4 is a prototype for future deep-space explorations, Sun said. NASA's Curiosity rover also adopts this power technology, freeing it from the sunshine, sand and dust restrictions that have bothered its predecessors Opportunity and Spirit, he explained. "It is a technology that we must master if we want to go to the moon's polar regions or deep space farther than Jupiter, where solar power cannot be used as the primary power source," he said.

How cold is the moon at night? China to find out

By David Rothery

In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration – during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed “Ultima Thule”) and eased OSIRIS-REx into orbit about the asteroid Bennu – the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) has set its Chang'e 4 lander and rover down on the far side of the moon.

Chang'e is the name of the Chinese moon goddess – and Chang'e 4 builds on the success of the Chang'e 3 lander, which touched down on the moon in December 2013.

This new landing is far from being a mundane event. Only the US and the Soviet Union have ever landed spacecraft on the moon before. Those were either steered by humans onboard or, if uncrewed, relied on luck for a safe landing. Chang’e 4 used a downward-looking camera and hazard avoidance software to steer itself to a flat and sufficiently boulder-free landing spot, as it slowed its descent using retrorockets – an impressive technological feat.

Crucially, any spacecraft on the lunar far side cannot “see” the Earth, and so it can neither send to nor receive a radio signal from its control centre on Earth. To circumvent this problem, CNSA placed a relay satellite in a cunning “halo orbit” around a point in space sufficiently far beyond the moon that it can always see both the lunar far side and the Earth above the lunar horizon. The relay satellite is called Queqiao, which means “Magpie Bridge”, recalling a bridge formed by birds across the Milky Way in Chinese mythology.

This is the first time ever that anyone has landed a probe on the far side of the moon. That side sees just as much sunlight as the Earth-facing side of the moon, so is not literally a “dark side”, as it is often casually called. However, it is metaphorically dark, in that the moon’s rotation acts to keep that side facing away from the Earth as it progresses around its orbit, and its nature was unknown before the space age.

The far side of the moon differs from the near side in having far less area covered by dark lava flows (the lunar maria or “seas”). There is also a 2,500 km wide depression known as the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin occupying much of the southern part of the far side. This is probably the scar of a very ancient impact – and because it is about 8 km deep it provides a window through the moon’s crust and into the mantle that underlies it. It is special in that it never became flooded by lava like the large impact basins on the near side.

The chosen landing site, Von Karman crater, is in the north of the SPA basin about halfway between the south pole and the equator, and punches a little deeper than the surrounding basin floor. This gives the rover the best possible chance of locating rocks that originated from deeper inside the moon than have been analysed before – offering a chance to learn more about how the satellite formed.

There is some lava on the floor of Von Karman (which is what makes it a smooth, and hence fairly safe, place to land), however, but the rover will probably not have to travel far to find some lumps of rock redistributed from the exposed floor of the SPA by later, smaller, impacts. A few candidates can be seen in the first image from the surface.

Scientific measurements

The solar-powered six-wheeled rover is only 140kg, and measures 1.5 metres in its longest dimension. Its nominal lifetime is three months, but with luck, it may keep going for more than a year. Its science instruments are a camera, a ground-penetrating radar (to measure the depth and physical state of the lunar regolith or “soil”), an imaging spectrometer that will give some information on the mineralogy of the rocks and regolith, and a Swedish instrument to look at how the solar wind interacts with the surface.

This science payload is relatively modest and doesn’t take the best advantage of being inside the SPA basin. But just landing on the far side is nevertheless a notable milestone. China’s next step will probably be Chang'e 5, a mission to bring samples back to Earth from a region of apparently young lavas on the near side.

Measuring their age by laboratory techniques on Earth will provide an important piece for the jigsaw of lunar chronology, which is missing because these have never been sampled. Bizarrely, this was originally scheduled to happen before Chang'e 4, but was delayed by problems with the heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket.

China’s further steps in lunar exploration will clearly include a crewed landing, probably within five to ten years. In partial preparation for this, the static part of the Chang'e 4 lander includes a 3kg sealed biosphere within which potato seeds and silkworm eggs will be encouraged to germinate and hatch. This could help unveil whether the carbon dioxide exhaled from the larvae can be balanced by the amount taken up by the seedlings during photosynthesis.

Ultimately, that’s one small step towards a sustainable closed ecosystem on the moon.

(David Rothery is Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/china-lands-on-the-far-side-of-moon-here-is-the-science-behind-the-mission-108566">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By David Rothery In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration – during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed “Ultima Thule”) and eased OSIRIS-REx into orbit about the asteroid Bennu – the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) has set its Chang'e 4 lander and rover down on the far side of the moon.

By David Rothery In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration – during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed “Ultima Thule”) and eased OSIRIS-REx into orbit about the asteroid Bennu – the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) has set its Chang'e 4 lander and rover down on the far side of the moon. Chang'e is the name of the Chinese moon goddess – and Chang'e 4 builds on the success of the Chang'e 3 lander, which touched down on the moon in December 2013. This new landing is far from being a mundane event. Only the US and the Soviet Union have ever landed spacecraft on the moon before. Those were either steered by humans onboard or, if uncrewed, relied on luck for a safe landing. Chang’e 4 used a downward-looking camera and hazard avoidance software to steer itself to a flat and sufficiently boulder-free landing spot, as it slowed its descent using retrorockets – an impressive technological feat. Crucially, any spacecraft on the lunar far side cannot “see” the Earth, and so it can neither send to nor receive a radio signal from its control centre on Earth. To circumvent this problem, CNSA placed a relay satellite in a cunning “halo orbit” around a point in space sufficiently far beyond the moon that it can always see both the lunar far side and the Earth above the lunar horizon. The relay satellite is called Queqiao, which means “Magpie Bridge”, recalling a bridge formed by birds across the Milky Way in Chinese mythology. This is the first time ever that anyone has landed a probe on the far side of the moon. That side sees just as much sunlight as the Earth-facing side of the moon, so is not literally a “dark side”, as it is often casually called. However, it is metaphorically dark, in that the moon’s rotation acts to keep that side facing away from the Earth as it progresses around its orbit, and its nature was unknown before the space age. The far side of the moon differs from the near side in having far less area covered by dark lava flows (the lunar maria or “seas”). There is also a 2,500 km wide depression known as the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin occupying much of the southern part of the far side. This is probably the scar of a very ancient impact – and because it is about 8 km deep it provides a window through the moon’s crust and into the mantle that underlies it. It is special in that it never became flooded by lava like the large impact basins on the near side. The chosen landing site, Von Karman crater, is in the north of the SPA basin about halfway between the south pole and the equator, and punches a little deeper than the surrounding basin floor. This gives the rover the best possible chance of locating rocks that originated from deeper inside the moon than have been analysed before – offering a chance to learn more about how the satellite formed. There is some lava on the floor of Von Karman (which is what makes it a smooth, and hence fairly safe, place to land), however, but the rover will probably not have to travel far to find some lumps of rock redistributed from the exposed floor of the SPA by later, smaller, impacts. A few candidates can be seen in the first image from the surface. Scientific measurements The solar-powered six-wheeled rover is only 140kg, and measures 1.5 metres in its longest dimension. Its nominal lifetime is three months, but with luck, it may keep going for more than a year. Its science instruments are a camera, a ground-penetrating radar (to measure the depth and physical state of the lunar regolith or “soil”), an imaging spectrometer that will give some information on the mineralogy of the rocks and regolith, and a Swedish instrument to look at how the solar wind interacts with the surface. This science payload is relatively modest and doesn’t take the best advantage of being inside the SPA basin. But just landing on the far side is nevertheless a notable milestone. China’s next step will probably be Chang'e 5, a mission to bring samples back to Earth from a region of apparently young lavas on the near side. Measuring their age by laboratory techniques on Earth will provide an important piece for the jigsaw of lunar chronology, which is missing because these have never been sampled. Bizarrely, this was originally scheduled to happen before Chang'e 4, but was delayed by problems with the heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket. China’s further steps in lunar exploration will clearly include a crewed landing, probably within five to ten years. In partial preparation for this, the static part of the Chang'e 4 lander includes a 3kg sealed biosphere within which potato seeds and silkworm eggs will be encouraged to germinate and hatch. This could help unveil whether the carbon dioxide exhaled from the larvae can be balanced by the amount taken up by the seedlings during photosynthesis. Ultimately, that’s one small step towards a sustainable closed ecosystem on the moon. (David Rothery is Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

China lands on the far side of moon – here is the science behind the mission

A Chinese space probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Thursday, state media said, hailing it as a historic first landing there on a mission seen as an important step for China's space programme.

Chinese state television said the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, made the "soft landing" at 0226 GMT and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the dark side of the moon.

The moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate that it orbits our planet, so the far side - or the "dark side" - is never visible from Earth. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon but none has landed on it.

The landing "lifted the mysterious veil" from the far side of the moon and "opened a new chapter in human lunar exploration", the broadcaster said.

The probe, which includes a lander and a rover, touched down at a preselected landing area, the official Xinhua news agency said, after it had entered the moon's orbit in mid-December.

Xinhua posted a wide-angle colour picture of a crater from the moon's surface to its official microblog.

The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain, landform and mineral composition, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration has said.

China aims to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030. It is planning to launch construction of its own manned space station next year.

However, while China has insisted its ambitions are purely peaceful, the U.S. Defense Department has accused it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets during a crisis.

Apart from its civilian ambitions, Beijing has tested anti-satellite missiles and the U.S. Congress has banned NASA from bilateral cooperation with its Chinese counterpart due to security concerns.

The United States is so far the only country to have landed humans on the moon. U.S. President Donald Trump said in 2017 he wants to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a foundation there for an eventual mission to Mars.

China said in 2017 it was making preparations to send a person to the moon.

In 2003, it became the third country to put a man in space with its own rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States, and in 2013 completed its first lunar "soft landing".

Chinese state television said the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, made the "soft landing" at 0226 GMT and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the dark side of the moon.

A Chinese space probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Thursday, state media said, hailing it as a historic first landing there on a mission seen as an important step for China's space programme. Chinese state television said the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, made the "soft landing" at 0226 GMT and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the dark side of the moon. The moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate that it orbits our planet, so the far side - or the "dark side" - is never visible from Earth. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon but none has landed on it. The landing "lifted the mysterious veil" from the far side of the moon and "opened a new chapter in human lunar exploration", the broadcaster said. The probe, which includes a lander and a rover, touched down at a preselected landing area, the official Xinhua news agency said, after it had entered the moon's orbit in mid-December. Xinhua posted a wide-angle colour picture of a crater from the moon's surface to its official microblog. The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain, landform and mineral composition, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration has said. China aims to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030. It is planning to launch construction of its own manned space station next year. However, while China has insisted its ambitions are purely peaceful, the U.S. Defense Department has accused it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets during a crisis. Apart from its civilian ambitions, Beijing has tested anti-satellite missiles and the U.S. Congress has banned NASA from bilateral cooperation with its Chinese counterpart due to security concerns. The United States is so far the only country to have landed humans on the moon. U.S. President Donald Trump said in 2017 he wants to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a foundation there for an eventual mission to Mars. China said in 2017 it was making preparations to send a person to the moon. In 2003, it became the third country to put a man in space with its own rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States, and in 2013 completed its first lunar "soft landing".

Watch: China 'lifts mysterious veil' by landing Chang'e-4 probe on dark side of the moon

China's Lunar Rover to land on dark side of the moon

Israeli scientists making final preparations to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon added a special passenger on Monday that will accompany the journey.

A time capsule of three digital discs containing thousands of files was ceremoniously placed within the space pod by organisers wearing white dust coats at the plant where it is being constructed and tested.

They included drawings by children, pictures of Israeli symbols like the flag, Israeli songs and a booklet written by a Jewish man of his personal account of the Holocaust.

One of the founders of the nonprofit organisation behind the launch, SpaceIL, compared the time capsule to prayers written on bits of paper that worshippers stuff into Jerusalem's Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites.

"Today we are putting all those dreams on the spaceship like you would take a note and put it in the Kotel, wishing for a bright future," said Yonatan Winetraub, using the Hebrew word for the Western Wall.

The spacecraft weighing some 585 kilogrammes (1,300 pounds) is expected to be launched in the coming months, though a precise date has not been set. Organisers are hoping for February.

It will be sent via a Falcon 9 rocket from American entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX firm and will take around a month and a half to arrive.

The launch will be from Cape Canaveral in the United States.

The cost of the project is some $95 million (84 million euros), with private philanthropists providing funding. SpaceIL has also partnered with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, among the country's largest defence firms.

'Budget of almost $10 mn' 
Organisers say if successful it will not only be Israel's first spacecraft to land on the moon, but also the first private one. Israel would be the fourth country to land on the moon.

It is called Beresheet, or Genesis in Hebrew, a name chosen by the public, and resembles a tall, oddly shaped table with round fuel tanks under the top.

It will measure the magnetic field as part of efforts to investigate how the moon was formed. The data will be shared with US space agency NASA.&nbsp;

"I've seen hundreds of kids look at the spacecraft and you see in their eyes that they say, 'Wow, if a small country can do this maybe little old me can do almost anything'," said Opher Doron, general manager of IAI's space division.

The project began as part of the Google Lunar XPrize, which in 2010 offered $30 million in awards to encourage scientists and entrepreneurs to come up with relatively low-cost moon missions.

Although the Google prize expired in March without a winner having reached the moon, Israel's team pledged to push forward.

Asked whether the project had so far gone as planned, SpaceIL co-founder Yariv Bash said "hell no".

"Back when we got started, we thought it was going to be a two-year project, the budget would be less than $10 million, and the spacecraft will weigh less than five kilogrammes," he said.&nbsp;

"And here we are eight years later with a project with a budget of almost $100 million."

Israeli scientists making final preparations to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon added a special passenger on Monday that will accompany the journey.

Israeli scientists making final preparations to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon added a special passenger on Monday that will accompany the journey. A time capsule of three digital discs containing thousands of files was ceremoniously placed within the space pod by organisers wearing white dust coats at the plant where it is being constructed and tested. They included drawings by children, pictures of Israeli symbols like the flag, Israeli songs and a booklet written by a Jewish man of his personal account of the Holocaust. One of the founders of the nonprofit organisation behind the launch, SpaceIL, compared the time capsule to prayers written on bits of paper that worshippers stuff into Jerusalem's Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites. "Today we are putting all those dreams on the spaceship like you would take a note and put it in the Kotel, wishing for a bright future," said Yonatan Winetraub, using the Hebrew word for the Western Wall. The spacecraft weighing some 585 kilogrammes (1,300 pounds) is expected to be launched in the coming months, though a precise date has not been set. Organisers are hoping for February. It will be sent via a Falcon 9 rocket from American entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX firm and will take around a month and a half to arrive. The launch will be from Cape Canaveral in the United States. The cost of the project is some $95 million (84 million euros), with private philanthropists providing funding. SpaceIL has also partnered with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, among the country's largest defence firms. 'Budget of almost $10 mn' Organisers say if successful it will not only be Israel's first spacecraft to land on the moon, but also the first private one. Israel would be the fourth country to land on the moon. It is called Beresheet, or Genesis in Hebrew, a name chosen by the public, and resembles a tall, oddly shaped table with round fuel tanks under the top. It will measure the magnetic field as part of efforts to investigate how the moon was formed. The data will be shared with US space agency NASA. "I've seen hundreds of kids look at the spacecraft and you see in their eyes that they say, 'Wow, if a small country can do this maybe little old me can do almost anything'," said Opher Doron, general manager of IAI's space division. The project began as part of the Google Lunar XPrize, which in 2010 offered $30 million in awards to encourage scientists and entrepreneurs to come up with relatively low-cost moon missions. Although the Google prize expired in March without a winner having reached the moon, Israel's team pledged to push forward. Asked whether the project had so far gone as planned, SpaceIL co-founder Yariv Bash said "hell no". "Back when we got started, we thought it was going to be a two-year project, the budget would be less than $10 million, and the spacecraft will weigh less than five kilogrammes," he said. "And here we are eight years later with a project with a budget of almost $100 million."

Israeli spacecraft gets special passenger before moon journey

China launched a rover early Saturday destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower, state media said.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the southwestern Xichang launch centre at 2:23 am (1823 GMT), according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The blast-off marked the start of a long journey to the far side of the moon for the Chang'e-4 mission, expected to land around the New Year to carry out experiments and survey the untrodden terrain.

Xinhua said the successful launch had opened "a new chapter in lunar exploration".

Unlike the near side of the moon that is "tidally locked" and always faces the earth, and offers many flat areas to touch down on, the far side is mountainous and rugged.

It was not until 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the heavily cratered surface, uncloaking some of the mystery of the moon's "dark side".

No lander or rover has ever touched the surface there, positioning China as the first nation to explore the area.

"China over the past 10 or 20 years has been systematically ticking off the various firsts that America and the Soviet Union did in the 1960s and 1970s in space exploration," said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"This is one of the first times they've done something that no one else has done before."

Next up: Humans

It is no easy technological feat -- China has been preparing for this moment for years.

A major challenge for such a mission is communicating with the robotic lander: as the far side of the moon always points away from earth, there is no direct "line of sight" for signals.

As a solution, China in May blasted the Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") satellite into the moon's orbit, positioning it so that it can relay data and commands between the lander and earth.

Adding to the difficulties, Chang'e-4 is being sent to the Aitken Basin in the lunar south pole region -- known for its craggy and complex terrain -- state media has said.

The probe is carrying six experiments from China and four from abroad.

They include low-frequency radio astronomical studies -- aiming to take advantage of the lack of interference on the far side -- as well as mineral and radiation tests, Xinhua cited the China National Space Administration as saying.

The experiments also involve planting potato and other seeds, according to Chinese media reports.

Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon.

The Chang'e 4 mission is a step in that direction, significant for the engineering expertise needed to explore and settle the moon, McDowell said.

"The main thing about this mission is not science, this is a technology mission," he said.

'National pride'

Chang'e-4 will be the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, following the Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") rover mission in 2013.

Once on the moon's surface, the rover faces an array of extreme challenges.

During the lunar night -- which lasts 14 earth days -- temperatures will drop as low as minus 173 degrees Celsius (minus 279 Fahrenheit). During the lunar day, also lasting 14 earth days, temperatures soar as high as 127 C (261 F).

The rover's instruments must withstand those fluctuations and it must generate enough energy to sustain it during the long night.

Yutu conquered those challenges and, after initial setbacks, ultimately surveyed the moon's surface for 31 months. Its success provided a major boost to China's space programme.

Beijing is planning to send another lunar lander, Chang'e-5, next year to collect samples and bring them back to earth.

It is among a slew of ambitious Chinese targets, which include a reusable launcher by 2021, a super-powerful rocket capable of delivering payloads heavier than those NASA and private rocket firm SpaceX can handle, a moon base, a permanently crewed space station, and a Mars rover.

"Our country's successful lunar exploration project not only vaults us to the top of the world's space power ranks, it also allows the exploration of the far side of the moon," said Niu Min, a booster and expert on China's space programme.

The project, he said in an interview with local website Netease, "greatly inspires everyone's national pride and self-confidence".

China launched a rover early Saturday destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower, state media said.

China launched a rover early Saturday destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower, state media said. The Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the southwestern Xichang launch centre at 2:23 am (1823 GMT), according to the official Xinhua news agency. The blast-off marked the start of a long journey to the far side of the moon for the Chang'e-4 mission, expected to land around the New Year to carry out experiments and survey the untrodden terrain. Xinhua said the successful launch had opened "a new chapter in lunar exploration". Unlike the near side of the moon that is "tidally locked" and always faces the earth, and offers many flat areas to touch down on, the far side is mountainous and rugged. It was not until 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the heavily cratered surface, uncloaking some of the mystery of the moon's "dark side". No lander or rover has ever touched the surface there, positioning China as the first nation to explore the area. "China over the past 10 or 20 years has been systematically ticking off the various firsts that America and the Soviet Union did in the 1960s and 1970s in space exploration," said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "This is one of the first times they've done something that no one else has done before." Next up: Humans It is no easy technological feat -- China has been preparing for this moment for years. A major challenge for such a mission is communicating with the robotic lander: as the far side of the moon always points away from earth, there is no direct "line of sight" for signals. As a solution, China in May blasted the Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") satellite into the moon's orbit, positioning it so that it can relay data and commands between the lander and earth. Adding to the difficulties, Chang'e-4 is being sent to the Aitken Basin in the lunar south pole region -- known for its craggy and complex terrain -- state media has said. The probe is carrying six experiments from China and four from abroad. They include low-frequency radio astronomical studies -- aiming to take advantage of the lack of interference on the far side -- as well as mineral and radiation tests, Xinhua cited the China National Space Administration as saying. The experiments also involve planting potato and other seeds, according to Chinese media reports. Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon. The Chang'e 4 mission is a step in that direction, significant for the engineering expertise needed to explore and settle the moon, McDowell said. "The main thing about this mission is not science, this is a technology mission," he said. 'National pride' Chang'e-4 will be the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, following the Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") rover mission in 2013. Once on the moon's surface, the rover faces an array of extreme challenges. During the lunar night -- which lasts 14 earth days -- temperatures will drop as low as minus 173 degrees Celsius (minus 279 Fahrenheit). During the lunar day, also lasting 14 earth days, temperatures soar as high as 127 C (261 F). The rover's instruments must withstand those fluctuations and it must generate enough energy to sustain it during the long night. Yutu conquered those challenges and, after initial setbacks, ultimately surveyed the moon's surface for 31 months. Its success provided a major boost to China's space programme. Beijing is planning to send another lunar lander, Chang'e-5, next year to collect samples and bring them back to earth. It is among a slew of ambitious Chinese targets, which include a reusable launcher by 2021, a super-powerful rocket capable of delivering payloads heavier than those NASA and private rocket firm SpaceX can handle, a moon base, a permanently crewed space station, and a Mars rover. "Our country's successful lunar exploration project not only vaults us to the top of the world's space power ranks, it also allows the exploration of the far side of the moon," said Niu Min, a booster and expert on China's space programme. The project, he said in an interview with local website Netease, "greatly inspires everyone's national pride and self-confidence".

China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing

Discovery, the leading infotainment channel, will premiere a one-hour special show titled `Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon` based on the exciting journey of TeamIndus on October 30 at 9 PM. 
 
&nbsp;The show captures the best of this eventful and enlightening seven-year journey of a team which germinated with a group of friends coming together and went on to become TeamIndus. 
 
It started in 2007 when The Google Lunar XPRIZE haD announced the largest incentivized space exploration challenge in human history.

A small group of friends came together and coughed up personal resources to register last minute as the only Indian team in the global contest. 
 
This young enthusiast team, with no aerospace background, had the grit, the tenacity to take on the best in the world in their endeavor to win the $30 million, Google Lunar XPRIZE. 
 
Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon has garnered huge traction from marquee advertisers. 
 
The on-air broadcast of the show is Co-Presented by Amazon Echo and Co-Powered by Levi Strauss and PUBG, Nokia as the Mobile Partner. Sony Bravia, ForeverMark, Idea 4G, Honda Motorcycles and Phillips Trimmer have come on board as Associate sponsors. 
 
Conceived in a server room in Noida, near India`s capital, Rahul Narayan helmed the whole challenge and took the first step of deciding to participate in this global lunar race. 
 
He started looking out for people who would join him out of sheer passion unaware about the challenges the team would face as the race would progress. 
 
An inhouse robotic rover named `Ek Choti si Asha` was designed with the Ackerman steering concept and a deployable masthead. 
 
What happened next? Don`t miss to watch Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon that brings to you a spectacular journey of an aerospace startup that came together, to reach for the moon! 
 
Can they possibly meet the harsh technical demands of a lunar mission? And even so, from where will they raise the enormous amount needed to get to the moon! Pitted against several resourceful teams from across the globe, does TeamIndus stand a chance to win this race for space?&nbsp;

Discovery, the leading infotainment channel, will premiere a one-hour special show titled `Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon` based on the exciting journey of TeamIndus on October 30 at 9 PM.

Discovery, the leading infotainment channel, will premiere a one-hour special show titled `Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon` based on the exciting journey of TeamIndus on October 30 at 9 PM. The show captures the best of this eventful and enlightening seven-year journey of a team which germinated with a group of friends coming together and went on to become TeamIndus. It started in 2007 when The Google Lunar XPRIZE haD announced the largest incentivized space exploration challenge in human history. A small group of friends came together and coughed up personal resources to register last minute as the only Indian team in the global contest. This young enthusiast team, with no aerospace background, had the grit, the tenacity to take on the best in the world in their endeavor to win the $30 million, Google Lunar XPRIZE. Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon has garnered huge traction from marquee advertisers. The on-air broadcast of the show is Co-Presented by Amazon Echo and Co-Powered by Levi Strauss and PUBG, Nokia as the Mobile Partner. Sony Bravia, ForeverMark, Idea 4G, Honda Motorcycles and Phillips Trimmer have come on board as Associate sponsors. Conceived in a server room in Noida, near India`s capital, Rahul Narayan helmed the whole challenge and took the first step of deciding to participate in this global lunar race. He started looking out for people who would join him out of sheer passion unaware about the challenges the team would face as the race would progress. An inhouse robotic rover named `Ek Choti si Asha` was designed with the Ackerman steering concept and a deployable masthead. What happened next? Don`t miss to watch Moonbound: India`s Race to the Moon that brings to you a spectacular journey of an aerospace startup that came together, to reach for the moon! Can they possibly meet the harsh technical demands of a lunar mission? And even so, from where will they raise the enormous amount needed to get to the moon! Pitted against several resourceful teams from across the globe, does TeamIndus stand a chance to win this race for space?

Dicovery channel to premiere one-hour special show- 'Moonbound: India's Race to the Moon'

China is reportedly in the process of launching "artificials moon"&nbsp;into orbit which will be bright enough to illuminate Chengdu, the southwestern province of Sichuan in China.

According to reports, Chinese scientists are planning to launch three satellites into orbit by 2020 with claims that the light the "moons" give&nbsp;off will be enough to replace the streetlights of Chengdu city.

These manmade moons will reportedly be eight times brighter than the real moon and will&nbsp;be made from a&nbsp;reflective material like glass with solar panel-like wings to reflect light from the sun.

According to reports, the angles of these wings can also be adjusted&nbsp;to focus light on a particular location.

The testing of these devices reportedly&nbsp;started years ago and now they are ready to send into space.

According to local media reports, these artificial moons will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year in electricity costs.

China's local media agency, Xinhua has reported that the idea for the man-made moon originated from a French artist who imagined hanging a necklace made of mirrors in the sky to light up the streets of Paris at night.

Russia in 1999 had also attempted a similar project in which it was planning to&nbsp;launch a 25-metre "space mirror" to light up cities in Siberia. However, later the project was cancelled.

Meanwhile, scientists have shown concern that it could disturb wildlife and disrupt systems that observe the earth's atmosphere.

Details related to the project's cost, maintenance and the launch date is not revealed yet.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;&nbsp;

China is reportedly in the process of launching "artificials moon" into orbit which will be bright enough to illuminate Chengdu, the southwestern province of Sichuan in China.

China is reportedly in the process of launching "artificials moon" into orbit which will be bright enough to illuminate Chengdu, the southwestern province of Sichuan in China. According to reports, Chinese scientists are planning to launch three satellites into orbit by 2020 with claims that the light the "moons" give off will be enough to replace the streetlights of Chengdu city. These manmade moons will reportedly be eight times brighter than the real moon and will be made from a reflective material like glass with solar panel-like wings to reflect light from the sun. According to reports, the angles of these wings can also be adjusted to focus light on a particular location. The testing of these devices reportedly started years ago and now they are ready to send into space. According to local media reports, these artificial moons will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year in electricity costs. China's local media agency, Xinhua has reported that the idea for the man-made moon originated from a French artist who imagined hanging a necklace made of mirrors in the sky to light up the streets of Paris at night. Russia in 1999 had also attempted a similar project in which it was planning to launch a 25-metre "space mirror" to light up cities in Siberia. However, later the project was cancelled. Meanwhile, scientists have shown concern that it could disturb wildlife and disrupt systems that observe the earth's atmosphere. Details related to the project's cost, maintenance and the launch date is not revealed yet.

China to launch 3 'artificial moons', will replace streetlights of city

A Boston auction house is offering what it says is the largest chunk of moon rock ever put up for auction, a rare lunar meteorite that was discovered in northwest Africa.

The meteorite comes in six pieces that fit together, weighing a total of about 12 pounds (5 kilograms), and has a sale estimate of $500,000 in the sale closing October 18, RR Auction said.

"It is one of the larger lunar meteorites ever found," Geoff Notkin, the chief executive officer of Aerolite Meteorites, the company selling the specimen, said in an interview. "And there's never been one like this and we call it a lunar puzzle."

Although the pieces closely resemble regular brownish-black earth rocks to the untrained eye, Notkin said it was a thing of rare beauty to a meteorite aficionado such as himself.

Some pieces of moon rock have made their way back to earth in the care of Apollo astronauts. The rest were blasted off the moon's surface by meteorite impacts, typically hundreds or thousands of years ago, blazing through earth's atmosphere like a shooting star.

Most likely disappear into the planet's oceans, but a few hundred confirmed examples of lunar meteorites have been found in recent decades on land, many in Antarctica or the deserts of northwest Africa.

In 2012, Heritage Auctions offered what it said then was the largest chunk of moon rock ever come to up for auction, weighing about 4 pounds (1.8 kg).

Even the largest single fragment of the Aerolite specimen, known as Northwest Africa 11789, appears to be bigger, weighing over 4.4 pounds (2 kg), according to its entry in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database run by the Meteoritical Society, a non-profit group based in Virginia.

The database entry says the meteorite is composed of nine pieces, not six.

"I'm pretty sure it was a mistake," said Dustin Dickens, the meteorite trader who submitted the entry after purchasing the specimen last year in Mauritiana from a meteorite hunter he said wanted anonymity after finding the pieces in neighbouring Mali.

He believes it was seven pieces, but said he gave the smallest piece, weighing a few dozen grams, to the University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics for testing.

Notkin and RR Auction did not immediately respond to questions about the discrepancy.

In 2007, one of the largest lunar meteorites ever found was discovered in Morocco, a single lump weighing 25 pounds (11.5 kg.)

A Boston auction house is offering what it says is the largest chunk of moon rock ever put up for auction, a rare lunar meteorite that was discovered in northwest Africa.

A Boston auction house is offering what it says is the largest chunk of moon rock ever put up for auction, a rare lunar meteorite that was discovered in northwest Africa. The meteorite comes in six pieces that fit together, weighing a total of about 12 pounds (5 kilograms), and has a sale estimate of $500,000 in the sale closing October 18, RR Auction said. "It is one of the larger lunar meteorites ever found," Geoff Notkin, the chief executive officer of Aerolite Meteorites, the company selling the specimen, said in an interview. "And there's never been one like this and we call it a lunar puzzle." Although the pieces closely resemble regular brownish-black earth rocks to the untrained eye, Notkin said it was a thing of rare beauty to a meteorite aficionado such as himself. Some pieces of moon rock have made their way back to earth in the care of Apollo astronauts. The rest were blasted off the moon's surface by meteorite impacts, typically hundreds or thousands of years ago, blazing through earth's atmosphere like a shooting star. Most likely disappear into the planet's oceans, but a few hundred confirmed examples of lunar meteorites have been found in recent decades on land, many in Antarctica or the deserts of northwest Africa. In 2012, Heritage Auctions offered what it said then was the largest chunk of moon rock ever come to up for auction, weighing about 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Even the largest single fragment of the Aerolite specimen, known as Northwest Africa 11789, appears to be bigger, weighing over 4.4 pounds (2 kg), according to its entry in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database run by the Meteoritical Society, a non-profit group based in Virginia. The database entry says the meteorite is composed of nine pieces, not six. "I'm pretty sure it was a mistake," said Dustin Dickens, the meteorite trader who submitted the entry after purchasing the specimen last year in Mauritiana from a meteorite hunter he said wanted anonymity after finding the pieces in neighbouring Mali. He believes it was seven pieces, but said he gave the smallest piece, weighing a few dozen grams, to the University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics for testing. Notkin and RR Auction did not immediately respond to questions about the discrepancy. In 2007, one of the largest lunar meteorites ever found was discovered in Morocco, a single lump weighing 25 pounds (11.5 kg.)

Largest moon rock ever put up for auction

A recent study done by scientists in America has shown that days on earth are getting longer and in million years from now, a day will last 25 hours on earth.

However, the process will take 200 million years in stretching hours of the day to 25 hours from 24.

The study done by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has said that the reason of this is the moon as it is moving away from the earth, affecting the earth spins on its axis.

According to the research, currently,&nbspthe moon is pulling away at the rate of 3.82 centimetres a year. The scientists further said that over a few billion years it Moon has slowly moved away from the earth slowing the earth's spin.

Researchers at Durham University and the United Kingdom's nautical almanac office also said that the day is lengthening by two milliseconds every 100 years and getting an extra minute in a day will take 6.7 million years.

They studied some 1.4 billion-year-old rock layers in northern China, known as the xiamaling formation, to determine what the earth was doing at the point in history, including the length of its days and distance from the moon. &nbsp &nbsp

According to the research, 1.4 billion years ago a day on earth used to last for 18 hours.

The scientists'&nbspconclusions came through a new tool which combined astronomical theory, geologic data and a sophisticated statistical approach. &nbspIt enabled them to account for the uncertainty in the earth-moon relationship when studying rock samples. &nbsp 
&nbsp

The study done by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has said that the reason of this is the moon as it is moving away from the earth, affecting the earth spins on its axis

A recent study done by scientists in America has shown that days on earth are getting longer and in million years from now, a day will last 25 hours on earth. However, the process will take 200 million years in stretching hours of the day to 25 hours from 24. The study done by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has said that the reason of this is the moon as it is moving away from the earth, affecting the earth spins on its axis. According to the research, currently,&nbspthe moon is pulling away at the rate of 3.82 centimetres a year. The scientists further said that over a few billion years it Moon has slowly moved away from the earth slowing the earth's spin. Researchers at Durham University and the United Kingdom's nautical almanac office also said that the day is lengthening by two milliseconds every 100 years and getting an extra minute in a day will take 6.7 million years. They studied some 1.4 billion-year-old rock layers in northern China, known as the xiamaling formation, to determine what the earth was doing at the point in history, including the length of its days and distance from the moon. According to the research, 1.4 billion years ago a day on earth used to last for 18 hours. The scientists'&nbspconclusions came through a new tool which combined astronomical theory, geologic data and a sophisticated statistical approach. &nbspIt enabled them to account for the uncertainty in the earth-moon relationship when studying rock samples.

In million years, days on earth will last for 25 hours

US astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died, his family announced in a statement released by NASA. He was 86 years old.

The moonwalker who went on to become a painter died Saturday in Houston after suddenly falling ill weeks before, the statement said.

He was among the elite group NASA chose for its third group of astronauts in 1963, having served as a test pilot in the US Navy.

He twice ventured into space, originally in 1969 on the Apollo 12 moon landing mission, and later as commander of the second crew to fly to the first US space station Skylab in 1973.

His second foray outside of Earth's atmosphere saw Bean log a record-breaking 59-day, 24.4 million-mile flight (39.3 million kilometers).

He retired from NASA in 1981 to embark on a third career as an artist, creating Apollo-themed paintings textured with lunar boot prints or using acrylics infused with small bits of his mission patches sprinkled with moon dust.

Fellow astronaut Harrison Schmitt called Bean "one of the great renaissance men of his generation -- engineer, fighter pilot, astronaut and artist."

Born March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas the future moonwalker earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Texas in 1955.

He is survived by his wife, sister and two children from a prior marriage.

Walt Cunningham, who flew on Apollo 7 and called Bean his best friend of 55 years, said "we are accustomed to losing friends in our business but this is a tough one."

"Alan and I never missed a month where we did not have a cheeseburger."

In 1994 Bean told The New York Times the otherworldly perspectives he got in space inspired him to devote the latter half of his life to art, to the surprise of many of his colleagues.

"Every artist has the Earth or their imaginations to inspire their paintings," he said.

"I've got the Earth and my imagination, and I'm the first to have the moon, too."

The moonwalker who went on to become a painter died Saturday in Houston after suddenly falling ill weeks before, the statement said

US astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died, his family announced in a statement released by NASA. He was 86 years old. The moonwalker who went on to become a painter died Saturday in Houston after suddenly falling ill weeks before, the statement said. He was among the elite group NASA chose for its third group of astronauts in 1963, having served as a test pilot in the US Navy. He twice ventured into space, originally in 1969 on the Apollo 12 moon landing mission, and later as commander of the second crew to fly to the first US space station Skylab in 1973. His second foray outside of Earth's atmosphere saw Bean log a record-breaking 59-day, 24.4 million-mile flight (39.3 million kilometers). He retired from NASA in 1981 to embark on a third career as an artist, creating Apollo-themed paintings textured with lunar boot prints or using acrylics infused with small bits of his mission patches sprinkled with moon dust. Fellow astronaut Harrison Schmitt called Bean "one of the great renaissance men of his generation -- engineer, fighter pilot, astronaut and artist." Born March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas the future moonwalker earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Texas in 1955. He is survived by his wife, sister and two children from a prior marriage. Walt Cunningham, who flew on Apollo 7 and called Bean his best friend of 55 years, said "we are accustomed to losing friends in our business but this is a tough one." "Alan and I never missed a month where we did not have a cheeseburger." In 1994 Bean told The New York Times the otherworldly perspectives he got in space inspired him to devote the latter half of his life to art, to the surprise of many of his colleagues. "Every artist has the Earth or their imaginations to inspire their paintings," he said. "I've got the Earth and my imagination, and I'm the first to have the moon, too."

Moonwalking astronaut-artist Alan Bean dies at 86

South&nbsp;Korean President Moon Jae-in met North&nbsp;Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday to discuss Kim's possible upcoming summit with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, the South&nbsp;said in the second inter-Korean summit in as many months.

Moon and Kim met just north of the heavily militarised border in the afternoon to exchange views to pave way for a summit between North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;and the United States,&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea's presidential office said.

The Blue House, South Korea's presidential office, said the two leaders held talks for two hours in the truce village of Panmunjom, where they had met last month and made a declaration vowing to improve ties.

"They exchanged views and discussed ways to implement the Panmunjom Declaration and to ensure a successful US North Korea summit," the Blue House said in a statement, adding further details would be released Sunday morning.

South Korea on Saturday welcomed the renewed prospect of a summit between the United States and North Korea after President Trump cancelled talks with Kim Jong Un only to suggest they might still take place.

"We find it fortunate that the embers of the North Korea-US talks are reignited. We are watching developments carefully," Presidential Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-Gyeom said.

Trump's cancellation of the summit blindsided treaty ally South Korea, which had brokered the remarkable detente between Washington and Pyongyang.

President Moon Jae-in had to scramble his national security team when news of Trump's decision first reached Seoul late Thursday evening as he called Washington's U-turn "shocking and very regrettable".

On Friday, Trump turned on his heels again, saying the meeting with Kim could go ahead after all -- and would "likely" happen on the originally scheduled date of June 12 in Singapore.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Blue House, South Korea's presidential office, said the two leaders held talks for two hours in the truce village of Panmunjom, where they had met last month and made a declaration vowing to improve ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday to discuss Kim's possible upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump, the South said in the second inter-Korean summit in as many months. Moon and Kim met just north of the heavily militarised border in the afternoon to exchange views to pave way for a summit between North Korea and the United States, South Korea's presidential office said. The Blue House, South Korea's presidential office, said the two leaders held talks for two hours in the truce village of Panmunjom, where they had met last month and made a declaration vowing to improve ties. "They exchanged views and discussed ways to implement the Panmunjom Declaration and to ensure a successful US North Korea summit," the Blue House said in a statement, adding further details would be released Sunday morning. South Korea on Saturday welcomed the renewed prospect of a summit between the United States and North Korea after President Trump cancelled talks with Kim Jong Un only to suggest they might still take place. "We find it fortunate that the embers of the North Korea-US talks are reignited. We are watching developments carefully," Presidential Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-Gyeom said. Trump's cancellation of the summit blindsided treaty ally South Korea, which had brokered the remarkable detente between Washington and Pyongyang. President Moon Jae-in had to scramble his national security team when news of Trump's decision first reached Seoul late Thursday evening as he called Washington's U-turn "shocking and very regrettable". On Friday, Trump turned on his heels again, saying the meeting with Kim could go ahead after all -- and would "likely" happen on the originally scheduled date of June 12 in Singapore. (With inputs from agencies)

South Korean president met North Korea's Kim Jong-un Saturday: Seoul

Three weeks before an unprecedented US-North Korea summit is supposed to take place, President Donald Trump will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday as US&nbspofficials try to figure out whether Pyongyang is serious about negotiating a deal on denuclearisation.

Moon’s White House visit was originally arranged as a meeting to fine-tune a joint strategy for dealing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but has instead become more of a crisis session after Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the planned June 12 summit in Singapore.

Moon’s government-led efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and gave enthusiastic accounts of its encounters with Kim, spurring Trump to accept an offer of the first-ever meeting between US&nbspand North Korean presidents.

But the White House was caught off-guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest US-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threw into doubt the summit with Trump if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting, telling Fox News that North Korea should not attempt to seek concessions for promises it did not intend to keep.

Trump has warned in the past that the summit might not take place or that he could walk out if it looked like a deal was not possible. His aides are now looking to Moon to help determine whether Kim is taking a harder line against denuclearisation than South Korea had previously communicated to them, a US&nbspofficial said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Other US&nbspofficials have privately expressed concern that Moon, eager to make progress with the North, may have overstated Kim’s willingness to negotiate in good faith over the dismantling of his nuclear arsenal.

Two visits by US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo over the past two months have apparently failed to yield much clarity on Kim’s intentions.

Some in the US&nbspgovernment worries that Moon may be prepared to accept a less-stringent version of North Korean denuclearisation than Washington wants and could be open to faster sanctions relief for Pyongyang, the officials said.

Most analysts say it is unrealistic to believe North Korea will agree to complete abandonment of its nuclear program, which has focused on developing a missile capable of hitting the United States and which Kim sees as crucial to his survival in power.

If the summit is cancelled or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

The uncertainty comes at a time when Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism internationally, his moving of the US&nbspembassy to Jerusalem has fueled violence on the Israel-Gaza border and he is on the defensive over an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Treating Trump

North Korea's warning of a possible withdrawal from the summit is seen as an effort to test Trump’s willingness to make concessions on his demands for Pyongyang's denuclearisation, the US&nbspofficial said.

"It’s straight out of North Korea’s playbook," the official said.

North Korea’s condemnation of Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, for proposing that North Korea should emulate Libya by abandoning its program of weapons of mass destruction was believed meant to sow divisions within the administration.

Despite Trump having contradicted Bolton on the Libya point, there has been no sign of Bolton losing influence.

Seoul has been hoping to ensure a successful summit after a historic meeting last month between Moon and Kim produced a declaration of goodwill.

But South Korea’s role has been brought into question since last week when North Korea's chief negotiator derided Seoul as "ignorant and incompetent."

Seoul has refrained from responding.

"The heads of South Korea and the United States are expected to discuss measures to guarantee a bright future for North Korea in the case it truly goes through complete denuclearisation," said Nam Gwan-pyo, an official at the presidential Blue House.

Trump has sought to placate Kim by holding out the possibility of economic development, and he pledged on Thursday that Kim’s security would be guaranteed in any deal.

But Trump has insisted on concrete steps before any easing of sanctions and warned that failure to reach a denuclearisation agreement could lead to "decimation" of Kim's rule.

"They are locked into not giving much to the North Koreans early...whereas South Korea probably has a bit more interest in economic incentivization," said Christopher Green, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "So they need to calibrate between the two of them."

China could also be on the agenda. Trump suggested last week that Beijing, which Washington is at odds with over trade, may be influencing North Korea's hardened stance.

Beijing responded on Friday that it stands for stability on the Korean peninsula and for settlement through diplomacy.

However, Trump on Monday urged China, North Korea's main trading partner, to maintain tight sanctions, tweeting that "the word is that recently the Border has become much more porous."

Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting

Three weeks before an unprecedented US-North Korea summit is supposed to take place, President Donald Trump will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday as US&nbspofficials try to figure out whether Pyongyang is serious about negotiating a deal on denuclearisation. Moon’s White House visit was originally arranged as a meeting to fine-tune a joint strategy for dealing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but has instead become more of a crisis session after Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the planned June 12 summit in Singapore. Moon’s government-led efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and gave enthusiastic accounts of its encounters with Kim, spurring Trump to accept an offer of the first-ever meeting between US&nbspand North Korean presidents. But the White House was caught off-guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest US-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threw into doubt the summit with Trump if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment." Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting, telling Fox News that North Korea should not attempt to seek concessions for promises it did not intend to keep. Trump has warned in the past that the summit might not take place or that he could walk out if it looked like a deal was not possible. His aides are now looking to Moon to help determine whether Kim is taking a harder line against denuclearisation than South Korea had previously communicated to them, a US&nbspofficial said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Other US&nbspofficials have privately expressed concern that Moon, eager to make progress with the North, may have overstated Kim’s willingness to negotiate in good faith over the dismantling of his nuclear arsenal. Two visits by US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo over the past two months have apparently failed to yield much clarity on Kim’s intentions. Some in the US&nbspgovernment worries that Moon may be prepared to accept a less-stringent version of North Korean denuclearisation than Washington wants and could be open to faster sanctions relief for Pyongyang, the officials said. Most analysts say it is unrealistic to believe North Korea will agree to complete abandonment of its nuclear program, which has focused on developing a missile capable of hitting the United States and which Kim sees as crucial to his survival in power. If the summit is cancelled or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. The uncertainty comes at a time when Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism internationally, his moving of the US&nbspembassy to Jerusalem has fueled violence on the Israel-Gaza border and he is on the defensive over an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Treating Trump North Korea's warning of a possible withdrawal from the summit is seen as an effort to test Trump’s willingness to make concessions on his demands for Pyongyang's denuclearisation, the US&nbspofficial said. "It’s straight out of North Korea’s playbook," the official said. North Korea’s condemnation of Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, for proposing that North Korea should emulate Libya by abandoning its program of weapons of mass destruction was believed meant to sow divisions within the administration. Despite Trump having contradicted Bolton on the Libya point, there has been no sign of Bolton losing influence. Seoul has been hoping to ensure a successful summit after a historic meeting last month between Moon and Kim produced a declaration of goodwill. But South Korea’s role has been brought into question since last week when North Korea's chief negotiator derided Seoul as "ignorant and incompetent." Seoul has refrained from responding. "The heads of South Korea and the United States are expected to discuss measures to guarantee a bright future for North Korea in the case it truly goes through complete denuclearisation," said Nam Gwan-pyo, an official at the presidential Blue House. Trump has sought to placate Kim by holding out the possibility of economic development, and he pledged on Thursday that Kim’s security would be guaranteed in any deal. But Trump has insisted on concrete steps before any easing of sanctions and warned that failure to reach a denuclearisation agreement could lead to "decimation" of Kim's rule. "They are locked into not giving much to the North Koreans early...whereas South Korea probably has a bit more interest in economic incentivization," said Christopher Green, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "So they need to calibrate between the two of them." China could also be on the agenda. Trump suggested last week that Beijing, which Washington is at odds with over trade, may be influencing North Korea's hardened stance. Beijing responded on Friday that it stands for stability on the Korean peninsula and for settlement through diplomacy. However, Trump on Monday urged China, North Korea's main trading partner, to maintain tight sanctions, tweeting that "the word is that recently the Border has become much more porous."

With North Korea summit on shaky ground, Trump to press South Korean leader

A relay satellite was launched by China on Monday. Queqiao (Magpie Bridge) satellite aims to set up a communication link between Earth and the planned Chang'e-4 lunar probe that will study the mysterious far side of Moon.

Carried by a Long March-4C rocket that blasted from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Queqiao is expected to enter a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the Earth-Moon system, about 455,000 km from the Earth.

Queqiao will be the world's first communication satellite operating in that orbit.

The launch was the 275th mission of China's Long March rocket series and facilitates China's mission to become the first country to send a probe to the far side of the Moon.

Queqiao is expected to meet with many challenges, including multiple adjustments to its orbit, braking near the Moon and taking advantage of the lunar gravity.

 
&nbsp;

Queqiao's launch was the 275th mission of China's Long March rocket series

A relay satellite was launched by China on Monday. Queqiao (Magpie Bridge) satellite aims to set up a communication link between Earth and the planned Chang'e-4 lunar probe that will study the mysterious far side of Moon. Carried by a Long March-4C rocket that blasted from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Queqiao is expected to enter a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the Earth-Moon system, about 455,000 km from the Earth. Queqiao will be the world's first communication satellite operating in that orbit. The launch was the 275th mission of China's Long March rocket series and facilitates China's mission to become the first country to send a probe to the far side of the Moon. Queqiao is expected to meet with many challenges, including multiple adjustments to its orbit, braking near the Moon and taking advantage of the lunar gravity.

China satellite launch to explore Moon's mysterious far side

South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said that US President Donald Trump should win a Nobel Peace Prize for his making the Korea talks possible.&nbsp;

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media.

Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. &nbsp;

Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday pledged to end hostilities between the two countries and work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade.

Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite.

If Trump does indeed land the Nobel, he will be the fifth US president to win it, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Trump is preparing for his own summit with Kim in late May or early June. That upcoming meeting was the main subject of a private walk and chat that Kim and Moon had during their meeting at the border, the official said.

In January, Moon said Trump "deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure."

Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible.

South Korean President Moon Jae-Un said that US President Donald Trump should win a Nobel Peace Prize for his making the Korea talks possible. "President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told a cabinet meeting, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media. Trump has tamped down expectations from the North Korea talks over its nuclear weapon programme but has claimed credit for making it possible. Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday pledged to end hostilities between the two countries and work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade. Calls have followed for the Nobel Peace Prize for Trump, Kim and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. According to a leading London bookie, the Korea reconciliation initiative is currently the favorite for the prize in 2018, with Kim and Moon front-ending it. Trump is the next favorite. If Trump does indeed land the Nobel, he will be the fifth US president to win it, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Trump is preparing for his own summit with Kim in late May or early June. That upcoming meeting was the main subject of a private walk and chat that Kim and Moon had during their meeting at the border, the official said. In January, Moon said Trump "deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure."

Donald Trump should win Nobel Peace Prize: South Korea President

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