Tag

Apollo

All articles tagged with #apollo

space18 days ago•5 min saved

A 1973 Venus Flyby: NASA's 396-Day Three-Astronaut Interplanetary Dream

NASA once explored a bold 1973 plan to send three astronauts on a 396-day Venus flyby using modified Apollo hardware and a Saturn V, with a wet-workshop habitat in the S-IVB and gravity assist to return to Earth while deploying atmospheric probes; the mission would have tested year-long life support and deep-space operations, but budget and political priorities shifted, ending the proposal and shaping Skylab as the lasting offshoot of Apollo-era spaceflight.

via 19FortyFive|

#apollo #nasa #skylab

technology1 month ago•23 min saved

Omega Speedmaster: From Racing Chronograph to Moonwatch Legend

Originally launched in 1957 as a racing chronograph, the Omega Speedmaster evolved into NASA’s Moonwatch after rigorous testing, becoming the first watch worn on the Moon and the only wristwatch qualified for EVA; through Gemini, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13, its Caliber 321 and later evolutions (861, 1861, 3861) powered astronauts and demonstrated enduring reliability, while modern variants—including FOIS, Dark Side of the Moon, Gray Side, Moonshine Gold, and the Silver Snoopy Award editions—continue to showcase its blend of iconic design and advanced horology.

via Revolution Watch|

#apollo #moonwatch #nasa

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Apollo Moonprints: Here for Millions of Years, Not Forever

Apollo bootprints pressed into the Moon’s dry, airless regolith are expected to persist for about ten million years due to the lack of wind, water, and atmosphere. Slow erosion from micrometeorite impacts, solar wind, and extreme temperature cycling will eventually erase them, but NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the sites remain intact from orbit. Future crewed or robotic activity near the sites could disturb the footprints, and there are protections being used to preserve the Apollo landing areas.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #footprints #lunar-regolith

politics2 months ago•7 min saved

Black dodges NDA questions as Epstein probe hits a snag in House hearing

Leon Black refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements during a closed House hearing into Jeffrey Epstein, prompting subpoenas for the NDAs and for a future deposition; Democrats say the NDAs and Epstein’s involvement are central to the probe, while Black’s team calls the move partisan. The testimony revisits Black’s long ties to Epstein and the payments involved, and follows an Apollo Global Management independent review that found no evidence of wrongdoing by Black or Apollo, even as related lawsuits and investigations continue.

via The Guardian|

#apollo #congress #epstein

science2 months ago•15 min saved

Forgotten Lunokhod 1 reflector reactivated, boosting lunar laser ranging

In 2010, NASA’s LRO imagery pinpointed Lunokhod 1’s lunar reflector after decades of ambiguity, enabling APOLLO to recover a strong laser return and significantly improve Earth–Moon distance measurements and gravity tests.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #lro #lunar-laser-ranging

space2 months ago•14 min saved

The Moon's pause: politics, not physics, kept humans from stepping again

Space history explains why no human has walked on the Moon since 1972: the Apollo program ended not from lack of capability but because its Cold War mission—beating the Soviets—lost political and budgetary momentum once Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface. NASA redirected funds toward Skylab and the Space Shuttle, dissolving the Saturn V production line and the workforce to sustain lunar missions. Restarting the Moon program with Artemis is rebuilding that infrastructure, but its success will depend on whether new strategic reasons—competition with China, commercial interests, and scientific goals—provide enduring support beyond political momentum.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #artemis #moon

space2 months ago•14 min saved

Apollo Moon Flags Bleached to White, Leaving Shadowed Reminders

Space Daily reports that the six nylon flags planted on the Moon by Apollo crews between 1969 and 1972 have likely faded to white due to decades of ultraviolet exposure, solar wind, and extreme day‑night temperature swings; while LRO imagery shows five flags still standing (Apollo 11’s flag was reportedly knocked over), color cannot be confirmed from orbit, making the white, brittle rectangles the new honest reminder of the Moon’s harsh environment.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #flags #lunar-environment

science2 months ago•10 min saved

Apollo Bootprints Might Endure for a Million Years on the Moon

The Moon’s windless, waterless environment preserves Apollo bootprints for a very long time, with LRO imagery showing tracks decades after the landings. However, slow erosion from micrometeorite impacts and a process called impact gardening gradually churns the top few centimeters of regolith, meaning there’s no precise expiry date for a single print. A million-year timescale is plausible but not guaranteed, and some experts estimate traces could fade over tens to hundreds of millions of years. In any case, the landing-site marks will outlast nearly all human-made structures while slowly disappearing on geological timescales.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #erosion #micrometeorites

$Apollo debris taught the Moon to ring and revealed its solid, fractured interior$

space2 months ago•11 min saved

Apollo debris taught the Moon to ring and revealed its solid, fractured interior

From 1969–1972 NASA intentionally steered spent Apollo hardware into the Moon to serve as calibrated seismic sources; the near-side seismometer network recorded highly diffused, long-lasting signals—nearly an hour in some cases—because the Moon’s dry, fractured megaregolith scatters and slowly absorbs seismic energy, not a hollow shell, producing a bell-like reverberation rather than sharp Earth-like waves. Apollo 12’s LM impact created a ~9-meter crater and the larger third-stage impacts rang even longer; gravity mapping by the GRAIL mission and continued data analysis confirm the Moon is solid, not hollow, though the seismic network logged more than 12,000 moonquakes before going standby in 1977.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #lunar-geology #moon

space3 months ago•16 min saved

Decades after a silent Moon rover, a laser reflector finally answers Earth

A Soviet Lunokhod 1 rover carried a passive laser retroreflector that went silent in 1971; nearly forty years later NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter pinpointed Lunokhod 1’s location, enabling the APOLLO laser-ranging program to re-measure the Earth–Moon distance. The 2010 return was far stronger than typical retroreflector signals (about 2,000 photons, four to five times Lunokhod 2), due to favorable orientation and less degradation. Since then Lunokhod 1 has become a valuable, ongoing part of lunar ranging, supporting tests of general relativity and precise Earth–Moon distance measurements.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #lunar-laser-ranging #lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter

science3 months ago•8 min saved

Pentagon Opens Trove of Declassified UAP Files, From Apollo Era Sightings to New Infrared Footage

Pentagon released a declassified trove of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena files—more than 160 documents detailing over 400 incidents from the 1940s to 2024 on a public site—some Apollo-era sightings among them. While no evidence of alien contact is presented and some cases are debunked, officials say the data will be released rollingly to boost transparency under the PURSUE framework, with NASA backing ongoing disclosures.

via NBC News|

#apollo #nasa #pentagon

business3 months ago•5 min saved

Behind the back-leverage: HSBC’s $400m hit from Apollo-backed lending

HSBC faces a roughly $400 million loss from a back-leverage loan to Market Financial Solutions, with Atlas SP Partners (an Apollo unit) handling sponsor due diligence; the episode underscores the risks of sponsor-led private credit where lenders rely on intermediaries and non-recourse structures, highlighting the need to verify sponsors’ checks even as the industry prioritizes speed and diversification.

via eFinancialCareers|

#apollo #atlas-sp-partners #business

space4 months ago•19 min saved

Moon Trash, Human Heritage: A look at what we left on the Moon

Humans have dumped a surprising amount of material on the Moon—from rocket stages and rovers to sentimental keepsakes (an Apollo 16 family photo, Gene Shoemaker’s ashes, and goodwill messages from 73 nations), commemorative patches, a rumored Moon Museum ceramic wafer, a falcon feather, and even 96 bags of human waste. NASA’s 2012 list tallies about 400,000 pounds of Apollo‑era debris, with additional gear from other programs; retroreflectors remain on the surface for millimeter‑precision distance measurements. As new missions resume lunar exploration and imaging improves, lunar debris management could become a hot topic for future explorers.

via Hackaday|

#apollo #lunar #moon

science4 months ago•3 min saved

Earth in Focus: A Century of Space Photography From Apollo to Artemis

Earth in Focus chronicles Earth Day’s origins and a long legacy of awe-inspiring images captured from space, from the 1946 V-2 photo to Apollo 8’s iconic Earthrise, through the Apollo era, the ongoing work from the International Space Station, and the contemporary Artemis II era, highlighting how robotic and human spaceflight have repeatedly captured breathtaking views of our planet and helped inspire environmental awareness. The piece notes a 12-photo gallery and frames these images as a thread linking exploration with Earth conservation.

via USA Today|

#apollo #artemis-ii #earth

business5 months ago•8 min saved

Apollo Invests $1B for 49% Stake in Realty Income Net Lease JV

Apollo-managed funds will invest $1.0 billion for a 49% interest in a new joint venture that will own a diversified portfolio of approximately 500 single-tenant net-lease retail properties, with Realty Income continuing to manage; the deal supports Realty Income's private capital initiative and is expected to close March 31, 2026. The arrangement includes permanent equity treatment from Moody's and S&P and a call option to redeem Apollo after year 7, under predefined terms.

via realtyincome.com|

#apollo #business #joint-venture