Latest Moon landing Stories

Christmas Eve, 1968. As one of the most turbulent, tragic years in American history drew to a close, millions around the world were watching and listening as the Apollo 8 astronauts -- Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders -- became the first humans to orbit another world.As their command module floated above the lunar surface, the astronauts beamed back images of the moon and Earth and took turns reading from the book of Genesis, closing with a wish for everyone "on the good...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has issued delivery orders to three companies as part of its Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) project. Each order is worth $500,000 and will help develop vehicle capabilities and demonstrate end-to-end robotic lunar landing missions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) The three companies selected are: -- Astrobotic Technology Inc., Pittsburgh-- Dynetics Inc., Huntsville, Ala.-- Moon Express Inc.,...

GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is allowing researchers to create the most precise and complete map to date of the moon's complex, heavily cratered landscape. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) "This dataset is being used to make digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future scientific and human exploration missions to the moon," said Dr. Gregory Neumann of NASA's...

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is allowing researchers to create the most precise and complete map to date of the moon's complex, heavily cratered landscape."This dataset is being used to make digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future scientific and human exploration missions to the moon," said Dr. Gregory Neumann of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "After about one year taking data, we already have nearly 3...

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) and NASA are marking the 10-year anniversary of NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. The spacecraft, built by ATK for the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, had an initial design and mission life of one year, but continues operating today, more than nine years past the initial mission. The EO-1 satellite launched on November 21, 2000. ATK served as the Prime Contractor, Satellite Mission Integrator and Bus...

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has visited and photographed two craters informally named for the spacecraft that carried men to the moon 41 years ago this week.Opportunity drove past "Yankee Clipper" crater on Nov. 4 and reached "Intrepid crater" on Nov. 9. For NASA's Apollo 12, the second mission to put humans onto the moon, the command and service module was called Yankee Clipper, piloted by Dick Gordon, and the lunar module was named Intrepid, piloted by Alan Bean and commanded...

On Monday, China is reported to have released photos that its lunar probe took of the spot the nation picked out for its first landing on the moon. The National Space Administration said in a statement that the photos of the moon's surface were taken at the end of last month by the Chang'e-2 unmanned probe. The probe was launched October 1 and went into orbit eight days later.  It was expected to first circle the moon at a distance of 62 miles, and then drop into orbit just 9 miles from...

Officials from China's Manned Space Engineering Project have announced plans to launch a manned space station sometime around the year 2020, according to various media reports.According to AFP news reports, space officials in the Asian nation released a statement on Wednesday confirming their intentions on sending a space laboratory into orbit within the next six years. The stellar lab would be used to study "key technology involved in a space station, such as living conditions for...

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Team FREDNET (http://teamfrednet.org), the leader in open-source space exploration, officially announced that it has been awarded a NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) contract at the maximum government purchase value of $10.01 million. As a recipient of this ILDD contract, Team FREDNET will offer technical data relating to its robotic Google Lunar X PRIZE landing mission, which in-turn will influence the development of future NASA...

NASA has awarded Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) contracts to six companies for the purchase of technical data resulting from industry efforts to develop vehicle capabilities and demonstrate end-to-end robotic lunar landing missions. The data from these contracts will inform the development of future human and robotic lander vehicles and exploration systems.The ILDD Broad Agency Announcement resulted in multiple award firm-fixed price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity...