To the Moon, Alice

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July 2009
- Indian Woman Killed in Eclipse Stampede
  
  Associated Press | Jul 22, 09 2:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A woman was killed early today in a stampede at the Ganges River where thousands of devout Hindus gathered to witness a total eclipse of the sun, AP reports. Millions poured outside to see the longest eclipse of the 21st Century. But many in the superstitious nation fearfully huddled indoors until sunlight returned. More »
June 2009
- Colonize the Moon? NASA to Scope It Out
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 13, 09 2:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NASA will launch a mission Wednesday to gather information about how humans might someday colonize the moon, the Los Angeles Times reports. A robotic orbiter will provide detailed maps of the topography and first-of-their kind peeks inside craters where ice might be hiding. “We're going to provide NASA with what is needed to get human beings back to the moon and to stay there for an extended duration,” said one mission official. More »
- Armstrong Flubbed Moon Line, Made It Stellar
  
  BBC | Jun 4, 09 2:15 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Stressed out Neil Armstrong flubbed his line as he became the first human to step on the moon—and turned it into out-of-this-world poetry, reports the BBC. The astronaut was supposed to say: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," as he walked onto the moon in 1969. But he dropped the "a" in the pre-scripted phrase penned by NASA. More »
May 2009
- Hubble Gets New Camera
  
  Space.com | May 14, 09 4:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to budge at first. The spacewalk is the first of five planned over the shuttle's 11-day mission to service Hubble. More »
April 2009
- After 4 Decades, Physicist Solves Mystery of Moon Dust
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 23, 09 8:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Moon dust has been a “bloody nuisance” to NASA for decades, says a physicist: it sticks to spacesuits, clogs instruments, and could be a health risk for future colonists. Scientists believe the stickiness is due to a positive charge from the sun’s rays, NASA says. Now the physicist, 75 and retired, thinks he’s figured out the key to its behavior: the angle of the sun, the Los Angeles Times reports. More »
March 2009
- Firm Vows to Grow Flower on the Moon
  
  New Scientist | Mar 27, 09 6:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A company that builds biospheres to sustain life in outer space is planning to grow a mustard plant on the moon, New Scientist reports. Paragon Space Development will piggyback its greenhouse on a lunar lander competing in a $30 million contest to go to the moon. "We want there to be a great inspirational picture" to rouse excitement for spaceflight, says Paragon's CEO. More »
- Discovery Heads for Home
  
  Space.com | Mar 25, 09 6:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery and its seven-astronaut crew undocked from the International Space Station today after an eight-day mission, Space.com reports. Before heading toward earth, the shuttle flew around the station to get the first photos of its handiwork—the installation of a final set of solar panels that brought the station to full power. Discovery is due home Saturday. More »
- Astronauts Install Last Pair of Solar Panels
  
  Space.com | Mar 19, 09 6:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The International Space Station is about to get full power for the first time. Two astronauts today installed the last pair of solar panels for the station in a six-hour spacewalk, reports Space.com. The station, which now has a total of eight solar panels, will unfurl the newly installed pair tomorrow. Astronauts Steven Swanson and Richard Arnold had some trouble with cables, but nothing major. More »
- Shuttle Docks at Space Station
  
  Associated Press | Mar 17, 09 4:41 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - Space shuttle Discovery has arrived at the International Space Station. The shuttle docked with the orbiting outpost late this afternoon, carrying the station's final set of solar wings. Before arriving, Discovery did a 360-degree backflip so station astronauts could photograph its belly. NASA will examine the photos as a precaution to check for damage during launch. Discovery will remain at the space station eight days. More »
February 2009
- NASA Plans Jupiter Mission
  
  Washington Post | Feb 18, 09 9:03 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - NASA plans to send an orbiter to study the mysteries of one of Jupiter's moons, the Washington Post reports. Scientists suspect Europa has a massive ocean—possibly bigger than all of the Earth's oceans combined—beneath its ice-covered surface, the Post notes. Don't look up just yet: The $3 billion project—in tandem with the European Space Agency—still needs funding, and it won't launch until 2020. Oh, and the trip takes six years. More »
- 2 Satellites Collide: Space Station at 'Elevated' Risk
  
  Washington Post | Feb 11, 09 6:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - In a space first, two fully intact satellites have collided about 500 miles above Siberia, the Washington Post reports. Yesterday's collision—between a commercial satellite owned by the US company Iridium and a Russian one thought to be defunct—puts the International Space Station at a "very small" but "elevated" risk of being struck by debris. It also endangers about 20 other commercial satellites in the area. More »
December 2008
- Moon Will Appear Extra Bright Tonight
  
  Space.com | Dec 12, 08 4:29 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - If tonight’s full moon looks bigger and brighter than normal, that’s because it is, Space.com reports. The satellite reaches its perigree today, making its position the closest of the year to Earth—though still some 222,000 miles away. The moon's irregular orbit causes the distance to vary. More »
- British Satellites May Provide Cell Phone Service on Moon
  
  CNET | Dec 5, 08 5:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The UK’s space agency is reviewing the feasibility of a mission to put satellites in orbit around the moon, CNET reports. The MoonLITE study plans to send four “penetrator darts” containing geophysical instruments into the moon’s crust, monitoring their findings with four accompanying satellites. The resulting data will deliver information on moonquakes and the composition of the moon’s crust and core. More »
November 2008
- Missing Tool Bag Spotted in Space
  
  Space.com | Nov 25, 08 4:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Look, in the sky: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's … the tool bag that floated away during a spacewalk last week. A few backyard astronomers have spotted the shiny bag that drifted away from an astronaut outside the International Space Station. The $100,000 toolkit will be visible through binoculars by the end of next week in the evening skies over most of North America. More »
- Astronauts Wrap Up Second Spacewalk (No Lost Tools)
  
  Associated Press | Nov 20, 08 8:49 PM CST
  
  (AP) - Spacewalking astronauts performed more repair work on a jammed joint at the International Space Station today, keeping a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time. The spacewalk—the second of four planned for shuttle Endeavour's visit— went smoothly and fell on the 10th anniversary of the space station. More »
October 2008
- Hubble's Back in Action
  
  Space.com | Oct 30, 08 7:15 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Hubble has perfect vision again. NASA today released the first photos taken by the space telescope since an instrumental glitch put it out of commission last month, Space.com reports. Engineers fixed the problem this week, then got photos of a pair of galaxies about 400 million light-years from Earth. The two galaxies look a bit like the number 10, leading mission specialists to call Hubble's feat a "perfect 10." More »
- India Launches First Moon Mission
  
  BBC | Oct 21, 08 8:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - India has launched its first mission to the moon, the BBC reports. The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from southern Andhra Pradesh. The robotic probe is scheduled to orbit the moon for two years, during which time it will compile a 3-D atlas of the surface and search for minerals and water. China and Japan already have crafts orbiting the moon, and India was under pressure not to fall behind in the Asian space race. More »
September 2008
- China Astronauts Get Ready for First Spacewalk
  
  Reuters | Sep 26, 08 10:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - China's 3-man spacecraft is now safely in orbit and all systems are go for the nation's first spacewalk tomorrow, reports Reuters. One of the astronauts is set to spend 40 minutes outside the shuttle in a $4.4 million Chinese space suit. Beijing plans to build a permanent space station within the next decade, and could eventually shoot for a moon landing. More »
July 2008
- Astronaut Reports Alien Visits
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jul 25, 08 3:44 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission, says aliens have visited Earth but the information has been covered up by the government. The 77-year-old astronaut told a radio interviewer he was "privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited," reports the Daily Telegraph . More »
- Water Found in Moon Rock
  
  Space.com | Jul 10, 08 5:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Water has been detected in moon rock brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, reports Space.com. A team used a new super-sensitive technique to discover the water in volcanic glass beads in the rock. The stunning find, detailed in the journal Nature , is forcing scientists to rethink theories about the moon's origin 4.5 billion years ago. More »