Here is the NASA Moon-to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) Overview. NASA’s goal is to develop, deliver, and demonstrate on-demand capabilities to protect astronauts and create infrastructure on the lunar surface via construction of landing pads, habitats, shelters, roadways, and blast shields using lunar regolith-based materials. ICON Build is the primary commercial developer of …
Blue Origin and its National Team partners will develop and fly both a lunar lander that can make a precision landing anywhere on the Moon’s surface and a cislunar transporter. NASA has awarded a NextSTEP-2 Appendix P Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) contract to Blue Origin. Blue Origin’s National Team partners include Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, …
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $3 billion moon human landing system (HLS) contract. Blue moon lander is different than Glenn, Glenn refuels it and then the lander will take things from Gateway to lunar surface. Lockheed Martin vehicle goes from LEO to Gateway. The Blue Origin landers will stay at the Gateway orbit when …
Re-analysis of data from NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, along with new computer modeling, has led NASA scientists to conclude that four of Uranus’ largest moons likely contain an ocean layer between their cores and icy crusts. Their study is the first to detail the evolution of the interior makeup and structure of all five large moons: …
One of NASA’s primary goals is to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. Oxygen is a crucial building blocks for making that vision a reality. Oxygen is used for breathing nad can also be used as a propellant for transportation. Scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston successfully extracted oxygen from simulated …
Seven university teams were selected to develop concepts supporting metal production on the Moon in NASA’s 2023 annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge: Lunar Forge. The awards total about $1.1 million, with values between $120,000 and $180,000 based on each team’s proposed concept. The challenge is a unique collaboration between NASA’s Space Technology …
Icon is developing the Olympus’ printing technology processes to turn local lunar regolith (moon dust) into a super strong building material using only energy and then 3D-prints structures with it. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 …
SpaceX is making water-cooled steel plate for launching and landing the two stages of the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship. The launch and landing pad challenges for the moon and Mars are far less than for the Earth. For the Moon, NASA has awarded a lunar landing pad contract to ICON. From the lab to the …
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers the State of NASA address for 2023. Learn about NASA plans to explore the Moon and Mars, monitor and protect the planet, sustain U.S. leadership in aviation and aerospace innovation, drive economic growth and promote equity and diversity within the agency and across the nation, while inspiring the next generation …
Since 2021, Blue Origin has been making solar cells and transmission wire from regolith simulants. Using regolith simulants, their reactor produces iron, silicon, and aluminum through molten regolith electrolysis, in which an electrical current separates those elements from the oxygen to which they are bound. Oxygen for propulsion and life support is a byproduct. Above …
NASA has published its new goals for the moon and Mars. Most of the ambitious goals will require SpaceX to develop the Superheavy Starship, in orbit refueling and the lunar Starship. The purple infrastructure goals are interesting for developing a lunar power grid and robotics automation. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and …