#moonmission — Public Fediverse posts

What happened, Moon Mission?

After watching the video, I am thinking, we should land a Starship in a deep crater and unload the Lunar Boring Machines sooner rather than later. Bore an opening to the massive lava tubes, mine the water ice that covers the floor of the lava tube, and build the habitat.??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-nUKSLPw6c

If we are actually planning to stay on the Moon, we need the protection of a hundred meters of regolith. And the water ice to stay alive…
‘I was thinking that for years…’

Prompt:
Video Link
Summarize and list the key points

Gemini Said:
This video by Astrum Extra, titled “Exactly How We’re Going to Colonise the Moon,” is a compilation discussing human return to the Moon, lunar science, and recent exploration missions.

Video Summary

The video explores humanity’s ongoing efforts and technical strategies to set up permanent bases on the Moon. It details how satellite mappers (like NASA’s LRO and South Korea’s Danuri/ShadowCam) identify crucial lunar resources and shelter sites, examines the test results and mission progression of NASA’s Artemis program (from Artemis 1 through Artemis 4), and reviews the findings of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission regarding the search for water ice at the lunar South Pole [00:51], [08:41], [13:58], [01:13:04].

Key Takeaways & Points

1. Lunar Geology & Natural Resources

• Pit Craters & Lava Tubes: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) discovered pit craters over 100 meters deep that lead to subterranean lava tube cave systems [02:34], [03:06]. These offer natural protection from lethal solar/cosmic radiation and meteorites, serving as ideal shelter locations for human habitats [03:53], [04:16].
• Lunar Water Cycle: Trace amounts of water exist in the surface regolith and shift in a subtle cycle driven by temperature changes throughout the lunar day [04:41], [05:11].
• Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs): Polar craters shielded from direct sunlight reach temperatures as low as -250°C, making them the coldest measured places in the solar system [05:54], [06:46]. These “cold traps” host locked reserves of water ice along with carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen compounds [07:04], [07:23].

2. Mapping and Imaging Advancements

• ShadowCam (Danuri Orbiter): Developed by NASA and carried aboard South Korea’s KPLO (Danuri), ShadowCam features 200-times greater light sensitivity than LRO cameras, allowing scientists to peer deep into shadowed crater interiors like Shackleton Crater to inspect for surface ice deposits [08:41], [09:08], [09:23].

3. The Artemis Program Milestones & Challenges

• Artemis 1 (Uncrewed Flight Test): Successfully launched aboard the SLS rocket in late 2022, placing the Orion capsule into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon and testing key autonomous navigation, deep-space life support systems, and atmospheric re-entry [15:38], [21:43], [26:06].
• Anomalies Identified: Post-flight inspections revealed heat shield erosion (AVcoat material charring/chipping unexpectedly during re-entry) and minor helium/propulsion system leaks [35:52], [36:08], [01:06:07].
• Artemis 2 (Crewed Flyby): Designed as a 10-day mission carrying four astronauts (Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) to perform flybys of the Moon, testing human systems, optical laser communication (O2O), and radiation exposures in deep space [29:43], [50:23], [53:49], [55:55].
• Artemis 3 & 4 Adjustments: Artemis 3 was shifted to a low-Earth orbit docking test (similar to Apollo 9) to lower technical risk, targeting the actual crewed lunar landing at the South Pole for Artemis 4 [38:32], [39:33], [41:51].
• Next-Gen Suits & Tools: Astronauts will use modern Axiom Space suits (built with Prada) and specialized instruments (like DUSTER) to withstand extreme cold and fine, abrasive lunar glass dust [43:21], [44:41], [45:37].

4. Chandrayaan-3 and the Search for Ice

• Historic Landing: India’s ISRO became the first agency to land a spacecraft (Vikram lander and Pragyan rover) near the lunar South Pole on a budget of ~$75 million [01:13:12], [01:17:28].
• Surface Composition: In-situ testing detected elements like aluminum, titanium, iron, calcium, oxygen, and sulfur in the polar regolith [01:19:12], [01:19:21].
• Where Is the Water? The rover found no immediate surface ice or hydrogen in the top layer [01:19:43], [01:23:57]. However, thermal probes revealed that while surface temperatures reached ~60°C, temperatures plunged down to -10°C just 8 cm below the surface, showing that lunar regolith acts as an insulator and suggesting water ice is buried underneath [01:24:25], [01:25:03].

NASA Invites ISRO to Join Moon Base Programme

#Artemis #ArtemisAccords #ArtemisMoonMission #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #CNSA #ILRS #India #IndianSpaceResearchOrganisation #InternationalLunarResearchStation #ISRO #Moon #MoonBaseCamp #MoonBaseProgramme #MoonLander #MoonMission #NASA #NASAISROSyntheticApertureRadar #NISAR #ROSCOSMOS

https://www.scientificeuropean.co.uk/sciences/space/nasa-invites-isro-to-join-moon-base-programme/

Mindbogglingly tone deaf for a day like today.

I think I've had enough of American Grotesque for tonight....

Let's see if we can build a #BetterWorld tomorrow.

#americans #grotesque #imperialism #tonedeaf #ignorance #extractivism #conquest #missioncontrol #nasa #imperialisme #ResourceWars #ArtemisII #colonialism #usa #space #moonmission #lunarexploration #theworldisnotenough #dontbeevil #dobetter

It’s really striking that everyone who has ever been to space tries to hammer home the message that, viewed from out there, we’re all one thing, one people, on a single fragile orb that’s our only home in all the void. They’re desperately trying to get us to understand it, and to act like it. That’s an Easter message I can get behind.

https://youtu.be/WdgsAtjrxq4

#artemis #artemis2 #easter #CosmicPerspective #moon #moonmission

☀️🚀 As the Artemis II crew prepares to leave Earth's magnetic field, they face potential exposure to solar flares and cosmic rays.

Here's how NASA and NOAA monitor solar activity to protect the Orion spacecraft and ensure the safety of the first humans to visit the lunar vicinity in over 50 years.

👉 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/space-weather-could-threaten-nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-during-their-trip/

#ArtemisII #SpaceWeather #NASA #Astronomy #Science #SpaceExploration #SolarFlare #Radiation #MoonMission #STEM #Physics #Sun

From Vegemite Rockets to Space Robots (IAC 2025)

I went to IAC 2025 thinking it would be a normal space conference. It was not. Within five days I saw a jar of Vegemite that literally went on a rocket, got trapped in an elevator with a disco ball and music, had my AstroBoy shirt turned into art by an astro artist, and accidentally ended up interviewing some of the biggest brains in the space industry.

They shut down an entire street in Sydney for opening night, I climbed through the CSIRO mobile command station like an excited child, met lunar rover designers, and spoke to RMIT students who casually launched a cubesat into orbit.

This was the wildest event I’ve ever been to — and I was NOT prepared.

#IAC2025 #SpaceIndustry #SpaceConference #AerospaceEngineering #NewSpace #CommercialSpace #SpaceTech #SpaceInnovation

#Astronomy #SpaceExploration #SpaceNews #Astrophotography #Stargazing #NASA #ESA #RocketLaunch #SpaceNerd #SpaceCommunity #FutureOfSpace #MoonMission #MarsMission #ScienceYouTube #STEM #Engineering #TechInnovation #BehindTheScenes #Interviews #Vlog #CreatorLife

Organisations

Open Cosmos - https://www.open-cosmos.com/
CSIRO - https://www.csiro.au/en/
Australian Astronomical Optics - https://aao.org.au/
NH Micro - https://www.nhmicro.com/
Southern Launch Space - https://www.southernlaunch.space/
Australian Space Agency - https://www.space.gov.au/
Gilmour Space - https://www.gspace.com/
Stella Engineering - https://stellaengineering.com.au/
Astrea Technologies - https://astrea.com.au/
RMIT University - https://www.rmit.edu.au/
Mawson Rovers - https://mawsonrovers.com/

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/mxIYTAsMOP0

ISRO achieved a significant milestone as it successfully established a two-way communication link between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3

#ISRO #LunarMission #Chandrayaan2 #Chandrayaan3 #MoonMission #VikramLander

https://www.ganganews.com/science/chandraayan-mission-isro-establishes-two-way-communication/