De volgende maanden gaat de belangstelling voor de Maan alsmaar toenemen. En dat is niet alleen omwille van de 50ste verjaardag van de eerste maanlanding. Ook omdat er steeds meer onbemande vluchten naar onze naaste buur worden voorbereid. Ondertussen steekt men bij de NASA een tandje bij om binnen 10 jaar terug mensen op de Maan te hebben. En dat onder één voorwaarde: het succes van het Space Launch System. Het worden nog spannende tijden.

Bij de foto: Bijna 15 jaar lang trok Oppy een spoor door het zand op Mars. Sporen die langzaam verdwijnen. Gelukkig is er de karrevracht aan informatie die de Marsrover op zijn tocht verzamelde.

NASA op zoek naar (bemande) maanlanders.
Space News: NASA seeks to accelerate work on lunar missions.
Ars Technica: NASA emphasizing “speed” in its return to the Moon

GeekWire: NASA lays out its commercial roadmap for putting astronauts on the moon in 2028.
SpaceCom: NASA Wants Help from Private Companies to Land Astronauts on the Moon by 2028
Ozy: NASA: Join us in going to the Mon … and beyond.

NASA: NASA Administrator Hosts Industry Forum on Lunar Exploration Plans (filmpje).

Parabolic Arc: Spaceflight to Launch First Privately Funded Lunar Lander.
Teslarati: SpaceX to submit Moon lander proposal for latest NASA spaceflight competition.
The Washington Post: NASA wants to get to the moon ‘as fast as possible.’ But countries like China and India are racing there, too.

En nog een filmpje:
Scott Manley: NASA's New Plans To Land Humans On The Moon In 10 Years.

Ook de Russen willen naar de Maan.
Russia Today: Russia’s super-heavy rocket to deliver landing/launch module to Moon in 2029 – report
Aviation Week: Russia Prepares For Return To The Moon.
Space Daily: Russia mulls delivering takeoff-landing system to Moon in 2029.
Sputnik News: Russia Could Send Heavy Mining-Capable Rover to Moon After 2030 – Source.
Space News: Rogozin teases new Russian super-heavy rocket Yenisei.

TASS: Russian Soyuz spacecrafts can be useful for Moon exploration, says NASA.

Naar de Maan/Mars.
Universe Today: Here’s a Clever idea. Build Moon Bases in Craters and then Fill them in with Lunar Regolith.

Mashable: Elon Musk says Mars round trip could cost only $100,000 one day.
Discovery Magazine Blog: We’ll Need A Whole New Landing Approach to Put Humans On Mars.

ISS – Allerlei nieuwtjes.
NanoRacks: NanoRacks Completes Sixth CubeSat Deployment from Cygnus Spacecraft, Continues Historic Program.

TASS: Russia's space corporation OKs flights program to ISS for UAE astronauts.
TASS: Roscosmos will not pay NASA for UAE astronaut’s accommodation on ISS.

TASS: Russian cosmonauts to make next spacewalk in May.

NASA: Space to Ground: Busy as Astrobees: 02/15/2019 (filmpje).
NASA: SpaceCastWeekly February15, 2019 (filmpje).

Psychology Today: Astronauts Open Up About Depression and Isolation in Space.
GeekWire: After twin-astronaut tests, NASA readies new wave of studies on space health risks.
SacBee: Year in space put US astronaut’s disease defenses on alert.
WTTW: Of Mice and Men in Space: Chicago Researchers Helping NASA Prepare for Mars.

NasaSpaceFlight: International partners making progress on ISS funeral plans.

SLS – Nieuwe test voor RS-25.
Spaceflight Insider: RS-25 engine goes through another test.
Beelden van de test op 13 februari jl. vind je hier.

NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel: Uitdagingen voor SLS/Orion en Commercial Crew.
Parabolic Arc: NASA Safety Panel: Significant Challenges Remain for SLS & Orion Programs.
Parabolic Arc: NASA Safety Panel: Commercial Crew Program Making Progress But Challenges Remain.
Het rapport vind je hier (PDF).

Meer Commercial Crew:
United Launch Alliance: Go Atlas! Go Starliner! A Rocket Scientist, an Astronaut and the Atlas V Starliner (filmpje).

ISS/Commercial Crew: NASA bestelt wellicht nog twee Soyuz-zitjes.
Space Daily: US to extend use of Russia's Soyuz for ISS missions until April 2020.
Ars Technica: NASA moves to buy more Soyuz seats for late 2019, early 2020.
US News: NASA Mulls Buying New Rides to Space From Russia Amid Program Delays.
Space Policy Online: NASA wants to buy two more Soyuz seats.
Sputnik News: US to Extend Use of Russia's Soyuz for ISS Missions Until April 2020 – Source.

SpaceX – Concurrentie en certificatie.
Teslarati: SpaceX calls ULA NASA launch contract “vastly” overpriced in official protest.
Space News: SpaceX protests NASA launch contract award.

Teslarati: SpaceX competitor Arianespace criticized for lackluster response to Falcon 9’s success.
Ars Technica: French auditor says Ariane 6 rocket too conventional to compete with SpaceX.

Defense News: Pentagon’s inspector general to launch probe into certification of SpaceX rockets … but it’s unclear why.
Ars Technica: Military to audit decision to certify the Falcon Heavy rocket.

SpaceX – Raptor-record.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starship engine breaks Russian rocketry record held for two decades.
Teslarati: paceX job posts confirm Starship’s Super Heavy booster will be built in Texas.

Ex-astronaut Kelly in de politiek.
Mark Kelly is de tweelingsbroer van Scott Kelly, de astronaut die een tijdje geleden bijna een jaar in de ruimte verbleef.
The Guardian: Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Gabby Giffords, to run for Senate.
The Verge: Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly is running for the US Senate in Arizona.
Time: Mark Kelly Isn't the First Astronaut to Consider a Political Campaign. But Most Didn't Have the Right Stuff.

Mars One Ventures failliet.
Strikt genomen niet hetzelfde als Mars One Foundation, maar wel veel betekend.
Mars One: Mars One Ventures AG in administration.
Space News: Mars One company goes bankrupt.
Ars Technica: To almost no one’s surprise, Mars One is done [Updated]
Spacepage: Mars One is failliet.
Scientias: Belangrijke tak van Mars One is failliet - maar er is hoop.

Opportunity definitief opgegeven.
NASA: NASA's Record-Setting Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End.
NASA: Taking a Look Back at Opportunity's Record-Setting Mission.
NASA: Six Things to Know About NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover.

Collect Space: Opportunity's end: Rover's mission complete after 15 years on Mars.
Space News: NASA declares Opportunity Mars rover mission over.
The Planetary Society: The Mars Exploration Rovers Update Special Report: NASA Declares Opportunity and MER Mission “Complete”.

Mashable: Goodbye, Opportunity: 5 times the mighty Mars rover delighted the galaxy
Geek Wire: Opportunity on Mars, 2004-2019: NASA sings requiem to a rover — and looks ahead.

De filmpjes:
NASA: Opportunity – Press Briefing.
NASA: Opportunity: NASA Rover Completes Mars Mission.
SciNews: Opportunity Rover On Mars (2004 – 2019).
Time: A Eulogy For NASA's Opportunity Rover.

InSight plaats tweede instrument op Mars.
NASA: NASA's InSight Prepares to Take Mars' Temperature.
DLR: InSight mission – DLR 'Mole' deployed on surface of Mars.
The Planetary Society: Touchdown for InSight's Heat Probe.

Maven bereidt komst Marsrover 2020 voor. Nieuws over de  Europese 2020 ExoMars.
NASA: NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Shrinking its Mars Orbit to Prepare for Mars 2020 Rover.
NASA: Mars 2020 Rover Build Update (filmpje).
NASA: NASA InSight Mission Control Mars Landing Celebration (360 video).

TASS: Launch window for 2020 ExoMars mission to open on July 25 — ESA.
EC/Cordis: Self-driving rovers explore Moroccan desert, shooting for Mars.

De drum van het Aards magnetisch veld. Van Allen gordels.
NASA: In Solar System’s Symphony, Earth’s Magnetic Field Drops the Beat.
Een filmpje vind je hier.
Wil je enkel de drumslag horen, dan vind je hier het filmpje.

NASA: NASA’s Van Allen Probes Begin Final Phase of Exploration in Earth's Radiation Belts.
NasaSpaceFlight: Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes prepare for mission’s end.

Meer nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Aarde:
NASA: NASA Finds Possible Second Impact Crater Under Greenland Ice.
Een filmpje vind je hier.
PhysOrg: Satellites reveal a new view of Earth's water from space.
EurekAlert!: Tiny satellites reveal water dynamics in thousands of northern lakes.
NASA: NASA Administrator Bridenstine Speaks to World Ag Expo (filmpje).

Maan:
Space News: Chang’e-4 powers down for second lunar night.
CCTV: Chinese moon lander rests (filmpje).
CGTN: Chang'e 4 landing site named 'Statio Tianhe'.
SciNews: Chang’e-4’s landing site named Statio Tianhe.
SciNews: Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2 seen by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (filmpje).
En een mooi overzichtsfilmpje om dit Maan-gedeelte af te ronden:
CGTN: The review of Chang’e 4 lunar probe’s lunar journey.

Bennu:
NASA: OSIRIS-REx: Mission Status Update.

Over het kleine grut in ons zonnestelsel:
Science At NASA: NASA ScienceCasts: Big Questions About Small Worlds (filmpje).

RemoveDebris test harpoen.
BBC: Space harpoon skewers 'orbital debris'.
The Verge: Watch a satellite spear space debris with a harpoon.

Een filmpje:
SciNews: RemoveDEBRIS’s Harpoon captures space debris.

Nog dit: Navigatiesatellieten en hun toepassingen.
Russia Insight: Russia's GLONASS Based Toll Revolutionizes India's Largest Motorway - New Delhi (filmpje).
GPS World: Luggage that uses GPS to follow you.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen