Using water as fuel to travel through space—this is the challenge of WET – Water-based Electric Thrusters, a new research project under Horizon Europe coordinated by the University of Bologna. Researchers will explore the behavior of plasma generated from water to design a new type of electric thruster that can be used in space satellites. […]
Space Exploration
Posted inModern Era
How the Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando Became the Bishop of the Moon
The year 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of Man’s landing on the Moon. It was on July 21, 1969, when Commander Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface where the Eagle, the lunar module of the Apollo XI mission, had landed six hours earlier. He was then followed by Buzz Aldrin while Michael Collins stayed behind […]
Posted inScience
The Pioneer Anomaly, the Mystery that Challenged Space Science
The Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 space missions were launched in the 1970s with the goal of exploring the far reaches of the Solar System. Pioneer 10 was launched on March 2, 1972, and Pioneer 11 on April 5, 1973. Both carry plaques with messages explaining their origin to a possible extraterrestrial civilization, designed by […]
Posted inScience
NASA Unveils Message to be Sent to Jupiter’s Moon Europa
In October, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper spacecraft on a mission to explore Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The spacecraft will carry a special message that includes the names of more than 2.6 million people who submitted their names to NASA. Scientists believe that Europa has a vast ocean beneath its icy surface, containing more than […]
Posted inModern Era, Science
Two Tortoises were the First Living Beings to complete a Full Orbit around the Moon
In September 1968, the former Soviet Union launched the Zond 5 mission, a milestone in space exploration that marked not only the first time a spacecraft orbited the Moon in a circumlunar trajectory and returned to Earth but also the first time living beings did so. Onboard the spacecraft were two tortoises, becoming the first […]
Posted inScience
Hydrogen detected in lunar rocks would allow astronauts to obtain water on the Moon
Scientists at the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have made an exciting discovery on the Moon. They found hydrogen in samples of Moon rocks and dirt brought back to Earth by NASA’s Apollo missions. This hydrogen was from the solar wind blowing onto the lunar surface. Finding hydrogen on the Moon is big news […]
