Het nieuwe jaar is alvast op ruimtevaartvlak schitterend begonnen. Met heel wat (media-)aandacht voor de prestaties van New Horizons diep in de Kuipergordel, maar ook voor hetgeen de Chinezen verwezenlijkten met de landing van Chang'e 4 op de achterkant van de Maan. Onze naaste buur zal dit jaar trouwens regelmatig in het nieuws komen, want er staat ginds nog veel te gebeuren. Ondertussen zal hier op onze Aarde SpaceX regelmatig met de aandacht gaan lopen. Er is weldra de eerste lancering in kader van Commercial Crew, maar er staan ook weer lanceringen gepland van de Falcon Heavy en ondertussen wordt er ijverig gewerkt aan de StarShip Hopper.

Bij deze allemaal een geweldig 2019 toegewenst.

Bij de foto: Het eerste ritje dat Yutu 2 aflegde nadat deze Chinese maanrover het Chang'e-4-platform verlaten had.

OSIRIS-REx in een baan om Bennu.
NASA: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Enters Close Orbit Around Bennu, Breaking Record.
Geek Wire: OSIRIS-REx probe goes into close orbit around asteroid Bennu and sets a record.
The Planetary Society: News brief: OSIRIS-REx arrives in orbit at Bennu.
ABC News: NASA spacecraft enters orbit around asteroid, sets records.

Ultima Thule en de flyby.
New Horizon Website: New Horizons Spacecraft Homing in on Kuiper Belt Target.
New Horizon Website: New Horizons Successfully Explores Ultima Thule.
New Horizon Website: NASA's New Horizons Mission Reveals Entirely New Kind of World.
New Horizon Website: New Ultima Thule Discoveries from NASA's New Horizons.

Space News: New Horizons ready for Ultima Thule flyby.

Mashable: Queen rockstar unleashes badass space song about mysterious world of Ultima Thule.

GeekWire: Success! NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft ‘phones home’ from 4 billion miles away.
Space News: New Horizons completes flyby of Ultima Thule.
The Verge: NASA spacecraft confirms successful flyby of distant Solar System object.
Collect Space: New year, New Horizons: NASA probe flies by distant Ultima Thule.
Sky & Telescope: New Horizons Reaches “Ultima Thule”.
NasaSpaceFlight: New Horizons succeeds in daring, historic flyby of 2014 MU69.

SpaceCom: New Horizons reveals Kuiper Belt object is a contact binary.
Ars Technica: NASA probe finds a snowman-shaped relic of the early Solar System.
Science News: New Horizons shows Ultima Thule looks like a snowman, or maybe BB-8.
The Planetary Society: MU69 appears as a bi-lobed baby comet in latest New Horizons images.
NasaSpaceFlight: 2014 MU69 revealed as a contact binary in first New Horizons data returns.

VRT NWS: Ultima Thule, de verste wereld die we ooit hebben verkend: dinsdag moet het gebeuren.
VRT NWS: Radiosignaal heeft aarde bereikt: missie New Horizons geslaagd, nu wachten op de foto's .
VRT NWS: “Ultima Thule” of hoe het verste punt altijd verder opschuift.
VRT NWS: NASA geeft nieuwe foto vrij van "sneeuwman" Ultima Thule.

SpaceCom: The Hunt Is On for Moons Around Ultima Thule.

SpaceCom: Ultima Thule in Pictures: Flyby Views of 2014 MU69 by New Horizons.

Plots was er ook enige beroering over de naam.
SpaceCom: 'Ultima Thule': Nickname for New Horizons' Target Celebrates Exploration, Not Nazis, Scientist Says.

Voorlopig is het even wachten op nieuwe data.
SpaceCom: After Ultima Thule Flyby, New Horizons Hits Pause on Data Dump

En wat misschien nog komen gaat:
Space News: New Horizons team looking ahead to another flyby.
SpaceCom: NASA's New Horizons Just Made the Most Distant Flyby in Space History. So, What's Next?

En dan is het nu tijd voor een reeks filmpjes:
Beginnen doen we met de live-verslaggeving van het JHU APL:
JHU APL: Update on the New Horizons Ultima Thule Flyby (28/12/2018).
JHU APL: New Horizons Mission Update (31/12/2018).
JHU APL: New Horizons Ultima Thule Flyby (31/12/2018).
JHU APL: New Horizons Ultima Thule Flyby (01/01/2019).
JHU APL: New Horizons: "Phone Home" & First Images of Ultima Thule (01/01/2019).
JHU APL: New Horizons press briefing: spacecraft status, latest images and data download schedule  (01/01/2019).
JHU APL: New Horizons Press Briefing: Science Results & First Clear Photos from Ultima Thule (02/01/2019).
JHU APL: New Horizons Press Briefing: Ultima Thule & Closest Approach (Results) (03/01/2019).

Verder:
Scott Manley: Exploring Ultima Thule - An Ancient Tiny, Planetessimal On The Edge Of Our Solar System.
EuroNews: NASA's New Horizons probe reaches Ultima Thule.
PBS News Hour: Why the latest New Horizons flyby represents a space exploration milestone.
SciNews: Ultima Thule - First Images.
SciNews: Ultima Thule in 3D.

Om af te ronden, de flyby wekte blijkbaar ook de nodige inspiratie op:
Queen Official: Brian May - New Horizons (Ultima Thule Mix) [Official Music Video].
JHU APL: New Horizons - "It is Amazing, I am Amazed".

Chinees autootje op de achterkant van de Maan.
GB Times: Chang'e-4 lowers orbit ready for first-ever landing on far side of the Moon.
GB Times: Where on the far side of the Moon will the Chang'e-4 lunar spacecraft land?
NPR: China's Lunar Lander To Explore Moon's Far Side.
SpaceCom: With First-Ever Landing on Moon's Far Side, China Will Enter 'Luna Incognita'.

CGTN America: China achieves historic first landing on far side of the moon.
BBC: China Moon mission lands Chang'e-4 spacecraft on far side.
The Planetary Society: China successfully lands Chang'e-4 on far side of Moon.
GeekWire: After media mix-up, China says Chang’e-4 makes first landing on moon’s far side.
Collect Space: China's Chang'e 4 probe achieves first landing on far side of moon.
GB Times: First photo of moon's far side sent by China's lander.

SpacePage: China landt op de achterkant van de maan.
De Morgen: Chinese Chang'e 4-missie als eerste ooit succesvol geland op achterzijde van maan.

GB Times: China's 'Yutu 2' Chang'e-4 rover is now rolling on the far side of the Moon.
The Planetary Society: Chang'e-4 deploys rover on far side of the Moon.
Space Policy Online: The View From Yutu 2.
SpaceCom: Chinese Moon Rover Making Tracks on Lunar Far Side (Photo).
NasaSpaceFlight: China lands Chang’e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon.

The Guardian: What could Chang'e 4 discover on far side of the moon?
VRTNWS: Gaan de Chinezen echt aardappelen en rupsen kweken op de maan? 4 vragen over hun nieuwste maanmissie.
SpaceCom: There Are Plants and Animals on the Moon Now (Because of China).

GB Times: China's 'Yutu 2' Chang'e-4 rover is now rolling on the far side of the Moon.
BBC: Chang'e-4: Chinese rover now exploring Moon.

SpaceCom: Resist the 'Dark Side' of Moon Names: The Lunar Farside Is Plenty Bright.
The Guardian: Lunar tunes: culture's fascination with the dark side of the moon.

SpaceCom: The Far Side of the Moon: How China's Chang'e 4 Can Crack Lunar Mysteries.
The Guardian: The space race is back on – and is China in the lead?
BBC: What's behind China's space programme expansion.
PhysOrg: Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?

SpaceCom: Photos from the Moon's Far Side! China's Chang'e 4 Lunar Landing in Pictures.

De filmpjes:
CCTV: China's Chang'e 4 Probe Soft-lands On Moon's Far Side.
New China TV: China's Chang'e-4 probe soft-lands on moon's far side.
CCTV: Chang’e-4 Probe Takes First Photo of Moon’s Far Side.
CCTV: China's New Lunar Rover Features Strong All-terrain Mobility: Designer.
CCTV: Chang'e-4 Probe's Rover Separates From Lander.
CCTV: New Rover Yutu 2’s Next Step and Major Highlights.

Epic Future Space: China's Chang'e 4 Lands on Far Side of Moon.

New China TV: One small step for Chang'e-4, one giant leap for humankind!
CGTN: Exploring the far side of the moon: Why the Von Kármán crater?
PBS News Hour: What China hopes to gain from unprecedented lunar mission.

En tenslotte nog deze uitgebreide reportage:
CGTN: Chang'e-4 – China’s lunar project

Meer nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Aarde:
BBC News: Anak Krakatau volcano: Satellites get clear view of collapse.

Mars:
SpaceCom: NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Is Unique. And So Is Its Paint Job.

Jupiter:
NASA: NASA's Juno Mission Halfway to Jupiter Science.
SWRI: Light from the plumes and fires of Io on Earth’s darkest night.
SpaceCom: Volcanic Plume on Jupiter's Moon Io Spied by Juno Spacecraft.
Universe Today: Juno Saw One of Io’s Volcanoes Erupting During its Recent Flyby.
Science Alert: Breathtaking NASA Video Shows Jupiter's Moons Race Across Its Great Red Storm.

SpaceX – Deze maand de onbemande test van de Crew Dragon.
Spaceflight Insider: Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon vertical at Launch Complex 39A.
NasaSpaceFlight: Falcon 9 with Dragon 2 rolls out for DM-1 dry dress rehearsal at 39A.

SpaceX – De volgende Falcon Heavy-lancering.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy begins to arrive at 39A as center core heads to TX.

SpaceX – Beelden van StarShip Hopper.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starship prototype proceeds at breakneck pace towards hop tests.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starship hopper spotted with trio of dual-bell Raptor engines.
Parabolic Arc: Images of SpaceX’s Starship Hopper Under Construction at Boca Chica.
Scott Manley: What's Going On With SpaceX's Stainless Steel Starship?  (filmpje).
Parabolic Arc: Musk Tweets New Image of Starship Hopper.

Russische ruimtevaartbaas mag voorlopig de VS niet binnen.
Space Daily: Roscosmos Chief Could Visit US in Early 2019, NASA Working on Sanctions Waiver.
TASS: NASA prepares for Roscosmos chief's visit underway despite criticism in Washington.
Politico: 'Wow': NASA startles with invitation to sanctioned Russian.
TASS: NASA informs Roscosmos that its chief’s visit to US needs to be postponed.
Space News: NASA postpones Rogozin visit.
TASS: Roscosmos has no official notification from NASA yet Rogozin’s visit is postponed.
TASS: Roscosmos expects official explanations from NASA as to return visit of Russian delegation.
Space Daily: Russia demands explanation over US snub to space chief.

Nog dit: Weldra een bevalling in de ruimte?
Over het Mars One concept kon je nog discussiëren: Het idee om iemand naar Mars te sturen en hem daar (met de nodige ondersteuning) achter te laten.
Maar dit ?

Metro: Eerste bevalling in de ruimte verwacht in 2024.
The Atlantic: Imagine Giving Birth in Space.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen