Kolkata: There will be a partial solar eclipse on April 30 and a total lunar eclipse on May 16 but neither of the two celestial phenomena will be visible from the city and its neighbourhood, astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari said.The city will, however, be able witness the next partial solar eclipse on October 25 and the partial lunar eclipse on November 8, he said. The April 30 partial solar eclipse will be seen from the south and south-western parts of South America, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and most of the land mass of Antartica but will not be visible from this part of the world, the former director of M P Birla Planetarium said. “People in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia or in Antartica can see the phenomenon. The solar eclipse always starts at one location and because of the spinning of the Earth ends at another location,” he said in a statement on Sunday.The partial solar eclipse will begin around 6.45 p m universal time which will be May 1, 00:15 a m IST. The maximum for India will be around 2.11 a m on May 1 and end at 4.07 a m. As it will be night time in this country, no one will be see the cosmic event, he explained.The situation will be the reverse during the May 16 lunar eclipse as it will take place the daytime. It will start at 7.02 a m Indian Standard Time and the total eclipse will begin at around 7.57 a m. The maximum eclipse will be around 9.41 a m when the Moon will be at the deepest part of Earth’s shadow and the total eclipse will end at 10.23 a m.The partial phase of the eclipse will end by 11.25 a m, he said.Sky lovers, enthusiasts and amateur astronomers in India will be missing the “show” since it will happen during the daytime when the moon itself will not be present in the Indian skies, he elaborated.This eclipse, either in its totality or at its partial phases can be seen in southern and western parts of Europe and Asia, Africa large parts of North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions and parts of Antartica, Duari said.The city will see the partial solar eclipse on October 25 albeit for a very brief period just before sunset, Duari said in a statement.The degree of the eclipse visible from Kolkata will be small as the obscuration of the solar disc will be at the most four per cent at the maximum, he said.The November 8 total lunar eclipse will not be seen in its entirety from this part of the country, he said.“From Kolkata it will be not be visible in its entirety, but again partially that also just from the moon rise. The total phase will occur when the moon is below the horizon at Kolkata,” he said.A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the it comes between the Earth and the Sun. It then partially or totally blocks the Sun from the Earth for some time.A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon night when the cosmic satellite passes through the shadow of the Earth. —PTI&nbsp;

There will be a partial solar eclipse on April 30 and a total lunar eclipse on May 16 but neither of the two celestial phenomena will be visible from the city and its neighbourhood, astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari said.

Solar, Lunar Eclipses On April 30, May 16 To Elude City

New Delhi: North American Skygazers can see the moon take on a reddish tint on the night of May 15-16.Almost a year after the last total lunar eclipse, the sight of the moon sliding into the shadows of the Earth returns and graces the sky.Viewers of most of North America, all of Latin America, Western Europe, most of Africa, and the East Pacific will see the Moon darken and acquire a reddish hue from the late evening of May 15 into the early hours of May 16.The Moon charts a course via the southern half of Earth's shadow and is expected to ultimate for eighty-five minutes. Mid-eclipse will occur on May 16 (4:12 Universal Time), approximately 1 1/2 days earlier than the Moon reaches perigee, the point in its orbit when it's closest to the Earth. On eclipse night, the Moon will seem around 12 per cent larger than it does when it's at apogee (farthest from Earth in its orbit). However, in all likelihood, the most committed Moon watchers will observe this. The May 15-16 eclipse could be a fairly dark one, but look for a bit of brightening along the Moon's southern limb.Viewers may have the possibility to see the summer Milky Way glowing nicely during totality as the overwhelming brightness of the full Moon is dimmed by Earth's shadow.The stages of the eclipse occur simultaneously for everyone, but not everyone will see the full eclipse. Weather permitting, observers in the eastern half of North America will witness the entirety of the event starting on the evening of May 15th, with the partial eclipse phase beginning about two hours after sunset for the East Coast and around one hour after sunset for the Midwest. On the West Coast, the Moon will be about to enter totality as it rises around sunset. And in the Northwest, the Moon rises as the later stages of the eclipse are already underway. Most of Alaska will have to sit this one out, though.South America will see the whole show, starting on the evening of May 15th, while viewers in western Europe and Africa will have to set their alarms to enjoy the event in the hours before dawn on May 16th. For observers in the British Isles, the Moon sets as it's fully immersed in Earth's dark, inner shadow, whereas viewers in New Zealand will catch the tail end of the event on the evening of May 16th, as the Moon rises while it's exiting Earth's shadow.Mechanics of a Lunar Eclipse"A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and a full Moon form a near-perfect lineup in space, in what is known as syzygy," says Diana Hannikainen, Observing Editor at Sky &amp; Telescope. The Moon slides into Earth's shadow, gradually darkening, until the entire lunar disk turns from silvery grey to an eerie dim orange or red. Then events unfold in reverse order, until the Moon returns to full brilliance. The whole process for the May 16th eclipse will take about five hours and 20 minutes.The event has five stages, each with different things to watch.(1) The Moon's leading edge enters the pale outer fringe of Earth's shadow: the penumbra. You probably won't notice anything until the Moon is about halfway across the penumbra.The penumbra is the region where an astronaut standing on the Moon would see Earth covering only part of the Sun's face.(2) The Moon's leading edge enters the umbra, the cone of Earth's shadow within which the Sun's completely hidden. You should notice a dramatic darkening on the leading edge of the lunar disk. With a telescope, you can watch the edge of the umbra slowly engulfing one lunar feature after another, as the entire sky begins to grow darker.(3) The trailing edge of the Moon slips into the umbra for the beginning of total eclipse. But the Moon won't black out completely: It's sure to glow some shade of intense orange or red.Why is this? The Earth's atmosphere scatters and bends (refracts) sunlight that skims its edges, diverting some of it onto the eclipsed Moon. It's the same effect that happens at sunset. If you were on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, you'd see the Sun hidden by a dark Earth rimmed with the reddish light of all the sunrises and sunsets ringing the world at that moment.The red umbral glow can be quite different from one eclipse to the next. Two main factors affect its brightness and hue. The first is simply how deeply the Moon goes into the umbra as it passes through; the center of the umbra is darker than its edges. The other factor is the state of Earth's atmosphere. If a major volcanic eruption has recently polluted the stratosphere with thin global haze, a lunar eclipse can be dark red, ashen brown, or occasionally almost black.In addition, blue light is refracted through Earth's clear, ozone-rich upper atmosphere above the thicker layers that produce the red sunrise-sunset colors. This ozone-blue light tints the Moon also, especially near the umbra's edge. You'll need binoculars or a telescope to see this effect.(4) As the Moon continues moving along its orbit, events replay in reverse order. The Moon's edge re-emerges into sunlight, ending totality and beginning a partial eclipse again.(5) When all of the Moon escapes the umbra, only the last, penumbral shading is left. Some time later, nothing unusual remains.(4) As the moon moves further along the orbit, the events will play in reverse order. The lunar limbs reappear in the sun, ending with a total solar eclipse and starting again with a partial solar eclipse.(5) When the entire moon leaves the umbrella, only the last shade of the penumbra remains. After a while, nothing unusual remains.&nbsp;—ANI

North American Skygazers can see the moon take on a reddish tint on the night of May 15-16.

Total Lunar Eclipse 2022: Everything You Need To Know About Blood Moon

Washington: Scientists have for the first time grown plants in lunar soil brought back to Earth by astronauts in the Apollo missions, a step towards producing food and oxygen on the Moon or during future space missions. The researchers at the University of Florida (UF) in the US showed that plants can successfully sprout and grow in lunar soil. Their study, published in the journal Communications Biology, also investigated how plants respond biologically to the Moon's soil, also known as lunar regolith, which is very different from soil found on Earth.This research comes as NASA's Artemis Program plans to return humans to the Moon. "Artemis will require a better understanding of how to grow plants in space," said Rob Ferl, one of the study's authors and a professor at UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). "For future, longer space missions, we may use the Moon as a hub or launching pad. It makes sense that we would want to use the soil that is already there to grow plants," Ferl said.The researchers designed a simple experiment: plant seeds in lunar soil, add water, nutrients and light, and record the results. They only had 12 grammes -- just a few teaspoons -- of lunar soil with which to do this experiment. On loan from NASA, this soil was collected during the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions to the moon.The researchers applied three times over the course of 11 years for a chance to work with the lunar regolith. To grow their tiny lunar garden, the researchers used thimble-sized wells in plastic plates normally used to culture cells. Each well functioned as a pot.Once they filled each "pot" with approximately a gram of lunar soil, the scientists moistened the soil with a nutrient solution and added a few seeds from the Arabidopsis plant which is widely used in the research because its genetic code has been fully mapped. Growing Arabidopsis in the lunar soil allowed the researchers more insight into how the soil affected the plants, down to the level of gene expression.As points of comparison, the researchers also planted Arabidopsis in JSC-1A, a terrestrial substance that mimics real lunar soil, as well as simulated Martian soils and terrestrial soils from extreme environments. The plants grown in these non-lunar soils were the experiment's control group. The researchers found that nearly all the seeds planted in the lunar soils were able to sprout. "We were amazed. We did not predict that. That told us that the lunar soils did not interrupt the hormones and signals involved in plant germination," said Anna-Lisa Paul, one of the study's authors and a research professor of horticultural sciences in UF/IFAS.The researchers observed differences between the plants grown in lunar soil and the control group. For example, some of the plants grown in the lunar soils were smaller, grew more slowly or were more varied in size than their counterparts. These were all physical signs that the plants were working to cope with the chemical and structural make-up of the Moon's soil, Paul explained.This was further confirmed when the researchers analyzed the plants' gene expression patterns. "At the genetic level, the plants were pulling out the tools typically used to cope with stressors, such as salt and metals or oxidative stress, so we can infer that the plants perceive the lunar soil environment as stressful," Paul said."Ultimately, we would like to use the gene expression data to help address how we can ameliorate the stress responses to the level where plants -- particularly crops -- are able to grow in lunar soil with very little impact to their health," she said.The researchers found that the plants with the most signs of stress were those grown in what lunar geologists call mature lunar soil. These mature soils are those exposed to more cosmic wind, which alters their makeup. On the other hand, plants grown in comparatively less mature soils fared better, they added.—PTI

Scientists have for the first time grown plants in lunar soil brought back to Earth by astronauts in the Apollo missions, a step towards producing food and oxygen on the Moon or during future space missions.

Scientists grow plants in soil from Moon for first time in history

Seoul:&nbsp;South Korea said on Monday it has named its first lunar orbiter scheduled to be launched in August — Danuri.Danuri — a portmanteau of the Korean words for moon and enjoy — was chosen from a national naming contest held from January 26 to February 28. It was suggested by a doctorate student in new materials engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and was chosen among 62,719 submissions, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the US state of Florida on August 3 carrying the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, reports Yonhap news agency.The orbiter will circle around the moon from December and conduct a yearlong mission to observe it using an array of instruments, including cameras and magnetometers. It will also identify potential landing sites for future lunar missions.South Korea has launched a preliminary feasibility study for the successor to the Nuri rocket, the country’s first homegrown space launch vehicle, with the goal of sending a lunar landing module to the moon in 2031. —IANS

South Korea said on Monday it has named its first lunar orbiter scheduled to be launched in August — Danuri.

South Korea's 1st Lunar Orbiter 'Danuri' Set For August Launch

Washington: NASA's impending Artemis programme will include a Japanese astronaut, US President Joe Biden has said. Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Tokyo on Monday where they announced progress on collaboration for human and robotic lunar missions.They confirmed their commitment to include a Japanese astronaut aboard the lunar Gateway outpost and their shared ambition to see a future Japanese astronaut land on the Moon as part of the Artemis mission. "In recent years, the alliance between Japan and the United States has grown stronger, deeper, and more capable as we work together to take on new challenges -- just as important as the opportunities -- of a rapidly changing world," the US President added."A great example of this: We viewed Japan's lunar rover... a symbol of how our space cooperation is taking off, looking towards the Moon and to Mars. And I'm excited about the work we'll do together on the Gateway station around the Moon and look forward to the first Japanese astronaut joining us in the mission to the lunar surface under the Artemis programme," he said.The US and Japan are working to formalise the Japanese astronaut's inclusion on Gateway through an implementing arrangement later this year.As part of ongoing collaborations on space and Earth science missions, Biden and Kishida reaffirmed the US and Japan's continued cooperation on Earth science data sharing to improve scientific understanding of the Earth's changing climate.—IANS

NASA's impending Artemis programme will include a Japanese astronaut, US President Joe Biden has said. Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Tokyo on Monday where they announced progress on collaboration for human and robotic lunar missions.

 NASA's Artemis mission will fly a Japanese astronaut to Moon: Biden

Washington: NASA has delayed its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission aimed to study the lunar surface's ice and other potential resources by 2024.VIPER will be delivered to the lunar surface on American aerospace company Astrobotic of Pittsburgh's lander via NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.NASA's CLPS initiative allows rapid acquisition of lunar delivery services from American companies for payloads that advance capabilities for science, exploration or commercial development of the Moon.The delay is for additional ground testing of the Astrobotic's Griffin lunar lander, which aims to reduce the overall risk to VIPER's delivery to the Moon, NASA said.To complete the additional NASA-mandated tests of the Griffin lunar lander, an additional $67.8 million has been added to Astrobotic's CLPS contract, which now totals $320.4 million."Through CLPS, NASA has tasked the US companies to perform a very challenging technological feat -- to successfully land and operate on the Moon," said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington."VIPER is NASA's largest and most sophisticated science payload to be delivered to the Moon through CLPS, and we've implemented enhanced lander testing for this particular CLPS surface delivery." VIPER, is a golf cart-sized robot designed for the extremes and unknowns of the moon's south pole. The rover, which will travel several kilometres over several lunar days -- or about 100 Earth days -- will assess things like what form the water is in, how much of it is there, whether it's more like frost on the surface or ice at depth, and whether there's more of it in some areas than others.The measurements returned by VIPER will provide insight into the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and help determine how the Moon's resources could be harvested for future human space exploration.CLPS is a key part of NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans. The science and technology payloads sent to the Moon's surface will help lay the foundation for human missions on and around the Moon.The agency has made seven task order awards to CLPS providers for lunar deliveries between in the early 2020s with more delivery awards expected through 2028. —IANS

NASA has delayed its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission aimed to study the lunar surface's ice and other potential resources by 2024.

NASA Delays Mission To Study Ice & Water On Lunar Surface To 2024

Seoul: South Korea's first lunar orbiter has entered its planned trajectory towards the moon, the country's Science Ministry said Friday, in a historic first step towards space exploration.The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter -- also known as Danuri, a portmanteau of the Korean words for "moon" and "enjoy" -- was travelling on a ballistic lunar transfer trajectory as of 2 p.m. on a trip to the moon that could take four and a half months, Yonhap reported.South Korea confirmed that the orbiter was generating power with its solar panels and all onboard devices were functioning properly after being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in the US.Danuri also made its first communication with a Deep Space Network antenna of NASA in Australia's Canberra, at 9.40 a.m. (Korean time), according to the Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT)."The Danuri will be recorded as the first step in the history of South Korea's space exploration. There is still a long road ahead for Danuri, including entering the lunar orbit and conducting its yearlong mission," Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho said in Cape Canaveral after observing the launch. The launch, which was postponed for two days due to a maintenance issue with the rocket, marked South Korea's first space mission to travel beyond Earth's orbit and its first lunar observation mission. It's mission is to measure terrain, magnetic strengths, gamma rays and other traits of the lunar surface using six onboard instruments during its year-long mission, starting in late December.The orbiter will also identify potential landing sites for future lunar missions.South Korea has set the goal of sending a lunar landing module to the moon in 2031 as President Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged to invest in opening a space economy era and to support the aerospace industry through the establishment of an aerospace agency.In June, South Korea launched its first homegrown rocket, Nuri, becoming the seventh country in the world to develop a space launch vehicle that can carry a satellite of more than one tonne.The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which oversees the lunar orbiter project, has undergone developments of deep-space internet protocol design, landing device design and technology development, lunar exploration rover and nuclear batteries for future landing missions."We have to take steps, but I think it's possible to go to the moon with our own capabilities," KARI President, Lee Sang-ryool said in November.NASA has been deeply involved in the South Korean mission after signing a formal agreement with the KARI to work together in 2016. The US space agency has shared experience in designing the missions and will provide access to the agency's Deep Space Network antennas around the globe to track the spacecraft. Kim Eun-hyeuk, a project scientist at the KARI, said that exploring the realm of deep space without exploring the moon is impossible, adding that "many Asian countries, such as Japan, India and China, have already started space exploration programmes, and the best candidate (for immediate exploration) is the moon."As of now, only six countries and regions -- the US, China, Japan, India, the European Union and the former Soviet Union -- have succeeded in either lunar landings or lunar orbiter explorations.If Danuri reaches its intended destination in late December, South Korea will become the seventh country to reach lunar orbit. Experts say that the Danuri mission will provide critical insights into the challenges of deep space exploration and further bolster the space capabilities South Korea has gained fast in recent years.As part of the project, KARI has built South Korea's first homegrown deep space antenna in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, which is expected to be used in future space exploration projects.Bang Hyo-choong, an aerospace engineering professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, compared the mission to "the experience of a person travelling to a foreign country for the first time." "South Korea does not have any prior experience in conducting interplanetary space missions, so the Danuri project, especially the aspect of its ballistic lunar transfer travel method, will provide new experience and insight regarding manoeuvring spacecrafts in space," Bang said. —IANS

South Korea's first lunar orbiter has entered its planned trajectory towards the moon, the country's Science Ministry said Friday, in a historic first step towards space exploration.

S Korea's First Lunar Orbiter Is Enroute To Moon

Seoul: South Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri was scheduled to undergo a critical trajectory manoeuvre on Friday to travel toward the moon for the country's first lunar mission, officials said.
Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, was launched last month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the US state of Florida for South Korea's first space mission beyond Earth's orbit.
The orbiter is currently on its way to the moon on a ballistic lunar transfer trajectory -- which takes the vehicle toward the sun before looping back to arrive at the moon's orbit in December.
The route, while much longer than traveling directly toward the moon, allows more fuel efficiency as it uses the sun's gravity for travel, reports Yonhap news agency.
According to the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Danuri was scheduled to carry out a Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM), in which Danuri's direction, position and speed will be readjusted to head back toward the moon.
Cho Young-ho, head of the Danuri mission operations team at KARI, said the TCM will effectively serve as the "bridge role" in the orbiter's journey spanning from the Earth to the sun and then to the moon. Engineers will be able to verify its success 48 hours later. —IANS

South Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri was scheduled to undergo a critical trajectory manoeuvre on Friday to travel toward the moon for the country's first lunar mission, officials said.

S Korean Lunar Orbiter To Undergo Critical Trajectory Manoeuvre

Badrinath: In view of the total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), the doors of Badrinath Temple were closed earlier today and would remain so till late evening.
"Badrinath Dham Temple closed for the lunar eclipse. The temple will re-open at 6:25 pm after the eclipse", Ajendra Ajay, Chairman of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee told ANI.
Due to the Lunar Eclipse, temples across India have been closed since morning and would remain closed till 6:30 pm in the evening. Temples have announced that after performing the Sandhya Aarti and other rituals for purification, the temples would be opened to the public.
A Lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and a Full Moon form a near-perfect Syzygy in space. The Moon slides into the Earth's shadow and gradually darkens until the entire lunar disc turns into an eerie red or dim orange from its usual silvery grey shade. The event unfolds in reverse order further, until the moon returns to its full brilliance.The November 8th lunar eclipse is the last lunar eclipse of the year and the second total lunar eclipse in the year 2022, the earlier was on May 15-16th. Today's eclipse would be visible across India along with parts of Asia, North America, Australia, and a few places in Europe as well as in the entire North America. The next Lunar eclipse is predicted to be on the 5th of May, 2023.
Every year, from anywhere between four to seven times, the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up in a Syzygy, forming what is called either the Solar or Lunar Eclipse. —ANI

In view of the total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), the doors of Badrinath Temple were closed earlier today and would remain so till late evening.

Badrinath Temple Closed For Years's Last 'Total Lunar Eclipse'

Bhubaneswar (The Hawk): Following the organisation of a biryani feast during the lunar eclipse on Tuesday, conflicts between rationalists and ritualists erupted in Bhubaneswar and Berhampur.
The rationalists had previously organised a similar solar eclipse biryani feast. The Puri Shankaracharya and other prominent Hindu figures had fiercely condemned it.
The rationalists openly announced that they would be having a similar feast on Tuesday during the moon eclipse, challenging the ritualists.
The first incidence was recorded from Berhampur, when rationalists held a community feast to convey to the public that, in accordance with scientific theory, anyone can eat anything during a solar or lunar eclipse.
They said that the feast was planned to promote scientific thinking and discourage individuals from adhering to superstitious ideas.
When other ritualists arrived to oppose the action, tension erupted. The police used lathicharge when things got out of hand.
The Lohia Academy experienced a similar scenario while eating during the lunar eclipse. Members of the Bajrang Dal arrived at the location as the rationalists were setting up the feast and objected to the consumption of cooked food during the lunar eclipse, which is a long-standing Hindu ritual.
"We have faith in science. Superstitions don't hold any sway with us. They have come here to attack us because they can make no scientific claims "said rationalist Bhalachandra Sarangi.
Another rationalist argued that the ritualists should present themselves for a fruitful discussion if they have anything to prove.
All Odisha Temple Servitors' Association President Kameswar Tripathy remarked, "By celebrating a biryani festival during a moon eclipse, they are breaking with our tradition. We vehemently disagree with such rationalist actions."
(Inputs from Agencies)

Following the organisation of a biryani feast during the lunar eclipse on Tuesday, conflicts between rationalists and ritualists erupted in Bhubaneswar and Berhampur.

Conflicts break out in Odisha during a moon eclipse over a biryani feast

Seoul: South Korea’s unmanned space vehicle Danuri has successfully entered the orbit of the Moon earlier than planned, the science ministry said on Wednesday.
Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, was captured by the Moon’s gravity on Tuesday and began rotation, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. It was achieved after three rounds of lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuvers since the first one held on December 17, reports Yonhap news agency.
Danuri was scheduled to achieve the lunar orbit on Thursday after performing a total of five rounds of LOI maneuvers, the adjustment process for a space vehicle to lower its speed and commit itself to the gravity of the moon.
After travelling for 145 days from Earth, Danuri is now orbiting the moon at a speed of 1.62 kilometres per second in a regular two-hour cycle, the ministry said. It has 93 kgs of fuel left, enough to serve its yearlong mission next year.
The lunar orbiter will transform its system to the main operation mode next month to carry out its mission on the moon.
For the next year, the space vehicle will measure the terrain, magnetic strengths, gamma rays and other traits of the lunar surface using six onboard instruments during its yearlong mission starting in February. The orbiter will also identify potential landing sites for future lunar missions.
The science ministry said South Korea has become the world’s seventh country to send a lunar orbiter to the moon, achieving the feat 30 years after it developed its first satellite named KITSAT-1 in 1992 and 10 years after it started its moon exploration project in 2012.
“Based on research materials from Danuri, we will develop a new lunar lander in 2013 and launch it with our rocket,” Vice Minister Oh Tae-seog said in a press briefing. “In the long term, we will prepare projects to explore Mars.” Danuri, South Korea’s first space mission beyond Earth’s orbit, was launched in August aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the US state of Florida for South Korea’s first lunar mission. It has traveled a cumulative 5.94 million kilometres so far. —IANS

South Korea’s unmanned space vehicle Danuri has successfully entered the orbit of the Moon earlier than planned, the science ministry said on Wednesday.

S Korea's Lunar Orbiter Danuri Enters Moon's Orbit

Los Angeles: At least 10 people were killed, and another 10 injured, in a shooting on Saturday night in California's Monterey Park city, where thousands of people had gathered for the Lunar New Year festival, as per local police, reports said.
The incident happened at around 10.20 p.m. local time on Saturday (11.50 a.m. on Sunday IST).
"Last night, at approximately 22:22 (local time) officers from the Monterey Park police department responded to a local business (on) West Garvey Avenue in the city of Monterey Park regarding a shots fired call.
"When officers arrived on scene they arrived numerous individuals - patrons of the location - pouring out of the location screaming.
"The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims. The Monterey Park police (and) fire department responded to the scene and treated the injured and pronounced ten of the victims deceased at the scene," Captain Andrew Meyer of the LA Country Sheriff's department said, the BBC reported.
"There were at least ten additional victims that were transported to numerous local hospitals and were listed in various conditions, from stable to critical," he added. "The suspect fled the scene and remains outstanding," Meyer said. The city, located around 13km east of Los Angeles, is said to have a large Asian population. The Los Angeles Times cited an eyewitness as saying that three people ran into his restaurant and told him to lock the door as there was a man with a machine gun in the area.
—IANS

At least 10 people were killed, and another 10 injured, in a shooting on Saturday night in California's Monterey Park city, where thousands of people had gathered for the Lunar New Year festival, as per local police, reports said.

10 Killed In California Shooting, Search Launched For Gunman

Washington: A NASA camera onboard South Korean orbiter Danuri has sent back images of the South Pole region on the Moon. Developed by Malin Space Science Systems and Arizona State University (ASU), the NASA instrument ShadowCam is flying with five other Korean instruments aboard KARI's (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) KPLO (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter), also known as Danuri. Danuri, which was launched in August 2022, entered the lunar orbit on December 27 after 145 days of travelling from Earth. It started its operation on February 4. ShadowCam is significantly more light-sensitive than comparable lunar cameras. It acquires high-resolution images of permanently shadowed regions, which never receive direct sunlight. ShadowCam has been routinely capturing images of the lunar North and South Pole regions. One of ShadowCam's first images from lunar orbit is the permanently shadowed wall and floor of Shackleton crater, which is found near the South Pole. The level of detail in this image is possible thanks to ShadowCam's ability to operate in extremely low-light conditions -- it is 200 times more sensitive than the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera. In another image, ShadowCam showed shadowed areas near the poles. The image, however, was taken under earthshine in the equatorial region of the Moon as part of an instrument sensitivity test. It reveals the interior of Bruce crater and bright streamers that formed from soil sliding down the crater's walls. While earthshine is about 10 times dimmer than the illumination available in the average permanently shadowed region from sunlight reflected off lunar geologic features, ShadowCam was still able to image the surface using earthshine, indicating the instrument's ability to see into the dimmer areas of the South Pole. ShadowCam also captured an image of the rim of Marvin crater, about 26 kilometres from the South Pole. The image shows a broader area surrounding Marvin crater. The white area on the left side is where the surface was in direct sunlight - the source of secondary illumination within the shadowed areas. ShadowCam was designed to operate in low-light, so the sunlit areas are saturated (indicated by the white areas). ShadowCam images will also help in science and exploration planning for Artemis missions. But it will not be able to image Artemis astronauts walking on the surface of the Moon if they are in direct sunlight because the powerful light would render the images saturated. However, it may be possible using earthshine, if astronauts are spacewalking during lunar night. —IANS

A NASA camera onboard South Korean orbiter Danuri has sent back images of the South Pole region on the Moon.

NASA Camera Onboard S Korean Orbiter Captures Lunar South Pole Region

Washington: NASA has selected a new scientific payload to establish the age and composition of hilly terrain created by volcanic activity on the near side of the Moon. The DIMPLE instrument suite, short for Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer, will investigate the Ina Irregular Mare Patch, discovered in 1971 by Apollo 15 orbital images. While some 70 Irregular Mare Patches have been discovered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Ina remains the largest identified so far. Learning more about this mound will address outstanding questions about the evolution of the Moon, which in turn can provide clues to the history of the entire solar system, the agency said. DIMPLE is part of the PRISM (Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon), which sends science investigations to the Moon through a NASA initiative called CLPS, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services. The CLPS initiative is a key part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration efforts. “This commercial payload delivery initiative is helping to provide a burst of lunar science and exploration,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement. “DIMPLE will add to a growing body of knowledge about the Moon, which in turn helps us understand the origins of Earth and other planets in the solar system. Additionally, the more we understand about our closest neighbour, the more we can support long-term human exploration at the Moon, and someday, Mars,” he added. DIMPLE will help determine whether Irregular Mare Patches formed from recent or ancient volcanic processes. The mission will make use of a CLPS-provided rover, a collection gripping instrument, and a spectrometer that can help determine composition of the lunar material to analyse the age and composition of samples collected from the surface of Ina. DIMPLE will be able to collect and analyse anywhere from three to more than 25 samples to learn more about the timing of the volcanic activity that formed this feature. “With the selection of DIMPLE, we aim to definitively resolve the debate on how recently the Moon was volcanically active,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “Not only is this a scientifically intriguing enigma that will fundamentally change our understanding of lunar thermal evolution, but this is also the demonstration of an exciting technology that can be used to measure absolute ages of a variety of geologic terrains across the solar system,” he added. NASA said the cost cap for the payload suite is $50 million, and the delivery date is set for the second quarter of 2027. The space agency expects to work on issuing a CLPS task order in 2024 to determine the launch services to deliver DIMPLE to the Moon. —IANS

NASA has selected a new scientific payload to establish the age and composition of hilly terrain created by volcanic

NASA To Study Volcanic Activity On Lunar Surface

Chennai: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully injected the Chandrayaan 3 -- spacecraft to the moon -- into the TransLunar orbit, an official said. "Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the earth and heads towards the moon. A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit. Next stop: the Moon. As it arrives at the moon, the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for August 5, 2023," ISRO tweeted.
Translunar orbit injection is the process whereby the moon-bound spacecraft is put into a trajectory so that it can reach the moon.
The Indian space agency said it will carry out the LOI process on August 5, 2023.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was put into orbit on July 14, 2023, in a copybook style by India's heavy lift rocket LVM3.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).
The main object of the mission is to safely land the lander on the lunar soil.
The lander will get separated from the propulsion module a couple of days after it enters lunar orbit.
The lander is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 evening at 5.47 p.m.
The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon's surface.
The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.
Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.
Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days.
--IANS

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully injected the Chandrayaan 3 -- spacecraft to the moon

Chandrayaan-3: Next stop Moon with successful insertion into TransLunar orbit

Bengaluru: Saturday saw the successful insertion into lunar orbit of India's 'Chandrayaan-3' spacecraft, the fruit of the country's ambitious third Moon mission.
ISRO, India's national space agency, tweeted that the necessary movement had been carried out from a facility in the city.
The lunar orbiting spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted. ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bengaluru, commanded a retro-burning at the Perilune," the space agency stated in a tweet. The closest approach to the moon is called perilune.—Inputs from Agencies

Saturday saw the successful insertion into lunar orbit of India's 'Chandrayaan-3' spacecraft, the fruit of the country's ambitious third Moon mission.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully inserted into lunar orbit, says ISRO

Moscow: Russia on Friday launched Luna 25, the country's first lunar mission in 47 years. Luna-25 took off from the Vostochny launch facility in Russia’s Far East, Russia-based TASS news agency reported. Launched aboard a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket, Luna 25 took flight at 8:10 am (local time) on Friday, CNN reported. The Fregat booster separated from the rocket’s third stage approximately 564 seconds after the launch, according to TASS reported. The Luna-25 spacecraft will separate from the booster about an hour after the launch. The flight to the moon will take up to 5.5 days.  The spacecraft will spend between three and seven days about 100 kilometres above the lunar surface before reaching the Boguslawsky crater area. Meanwhile, Manzinus and Pentland-A craters have been named as alternative landing sites. The primary goal of the mission will be to polish the soft landing technology. The mission might become the first spacecraft ever to reach near the South Pole of the Earth’s natural satellite, according to TASS. The spacecraft will look for natural resources, including water, and analyse the effects of space rays and electromagnetic emissions on the lunar surface. Luna 25, also called the Luna-Glob-Lander, will study the composition of the moon’s polar soil and the plasma and dust contained in the very thin lunar exosphere, or the moon’s scant atmosphere, for one year. The lander has several cameras and they will make timelapse footage of the landing and an HDR wide-angle image of the moonscape. Luna-25 will turn its cameras during pre-programmed periods and after a signal from the Earth, TASS reported.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the statement said, "The lander has a four-legged base containing the landing rockets and propellant tanks, an upper compartment holds the solar panels, communication equipment, on-board computers, and most of the science apparatus."  According to the statement released by NASA, the lander has a 1.6 meter-long Lunar Robotic Arm (LRA, or Lunar Manipulator Complex) to remove and gather the surface regolith to depths of 20 to 30 cm. The LRA is equipped with a scoop (175 cubic cm volume) and a sample acquisition tool, a 4.7 cm long tube with an internal diameter of 1.25 cm. It’s keenly watched around the world as Europe and America work to isolate Russia amid the war in Ukraine, and as Russia tries to strengthen its political and economic ties with non-Western countries in response. —ANI

Russia on Friday launched Luna 25, the country's first lunar mission in 47 years. Luna-25  took off from the Vostochny launch

Russia Launches Luna-25 Mission To Moon, Its First Lunar Lander In 47 Years 

Chennai: India’s moon lander is all set to make a landing on the lunar soil on August 23, 2023 evening as the final deboosting operation got over in the wee hours of Sunday, said Indian  The moon lander or the lander is part of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.  The spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).  “The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST,” ISRO tweeted.  The 25km x 134 km was achieved at 1.50 a.m. on Sunday.  The main purpose of India’s third moon mission costing about Rs 600 crore is to land the lander softly on the moon.   The Chandrayaan-2 mission failed as the lander called ‘Vikram’ crashed on to the moon.  According to the ISRO, the lander is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.  The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon’s surface.   The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.  Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.  Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days.   Meanwhile, the propulsion module will go around the moon for some more period with its payload Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth (SHAPE) doing its job.  The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3.  The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1.  On that day a successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, the ISRO had injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit. —IANS

India’s moon lander is all set to make a landing on the lunar soil on August 23

All set for India’s moon lander to touch down on lunar soil

Chennai: It is not just India’s moon lander which is on the moon now, but also the Indian space agency officials -- those involved in the Chandrayaan-3 mission and those not.  The entire set of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials at the Mission Operations Complex at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru led by ISRO Chairman S. Somanath who were glued to their monitors got up and clapped when the moon lander safely and softly landed on the lunar soil in a text-book style. All were seen beaming with a great sense of relief and more so Somanath, whose name means the Master of Moon.  “People wanted us to succeed. The ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 project team has put in tremendous effort. They have been breathing Chandrayaan-3 for the past four years,” M. Shankaran, Director, U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, said after India landed on the moon. Shankaran also said the Chandrayaan-3 team was supported by teams in navigation, propulsion and others. According to him, the bar has now gone up, as the success has put higher responsibility on them.  “The entire mission happened flawlessly and on time. India is also the first country in the world to go near the moon’s South Pole,” said P. Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3. Referring to the safe landing of the moon lander, Associate Project Director Kalpana said it was the most remarkable and happiest moment for the Chandrayaan-3 team.  She added that all the goals that were set have been achieved after the team built Chandrayaan-3 learning from the failure of Chandrayaan-2.  It may be recalled that the Vikram lander that was part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the moon while it was on the last phase of landing a couple of years ago. On that day, then ISRO Chairman K. Sivan was literally in tears and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had come to witness the landing, had to console the former.  But on Wednesday, the ISRO officials' mood was diametrically opposite. What was more interesting was Somanath's attitude. Instead of monopolising the mike time after the landing success, he cut short his speech and allowed the team members to talk.  The Master of Moon - Somanath - showed he is also a Master Manager. —IANS

It is not just India’s moon lander which is on the moon now, but also the Indian space agency officials 

ISRO officials over the moon as lander touches lunar surface

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon.  On Wednesday evening, India’s moon lander successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar soil as planned, as the country became the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat.  "This is historical. It's a significant achievement for the country. It's a matter of pride for all of us. The success of Chandrayaan-3 is a result of the hard work of all citizens, ISRO scientists, engineers, and employees. Congratulations to everyone involved. Bharat Mata ki Jai," Kejriwal posted on X (formerly Twitter).  He also attached a tweet by ISRO that read: ""Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 'India, I reached my destination and you too!': Chandrayaan-3. Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon! Congratulations, India!"  The lander landed near the South Pole of the moon after travelling about 3.84 lakh km for over 40 days.  With the landing, a major portion of the Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission has been realised. The remaining portion is the moon rover rolling down from the lander, moving around and doing the programmed experiments.  —IANS

Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon

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