London: A recent research has explored how humans could survive on the Moon and have successful habitats there in the future.Researchers at the University of Surrey and the University of Milano-Bicocca have partnered with SAGA Space Architects to investigate the psychological impact of social isolation in harsh environments, such as on the Moon.The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Acta Astronautica'.As part of the project, two space architects, Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sorensen designed an airtight, portable, foldable pod that enables its occupants to live self-sufficiently. From September 2020, the architects lived inside the pod for 61 days in northern Greenland -- a place that reflects the harsh environment of the Moon and its freezing temperatures. The pod was built to withstand external threats -- which was tested in the arctic simulation in the form of a visit from a local polar bear -- and was designed to leave no trace of waste in the environment.To investigate the impact of social isolation on the men, the researchers measured their perceptions of time, their positive and negative emotions, levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (e.g. self-esteem and control), behavioural intentions (for example, whether they developed aggressive tendencies) and coping strategies. To record this data, Sebastian and Karl-Johan kept daily diaries and completed a 20-minute questionnaire daily.Konstantin Chterev, a Psychology PhD student at Surrey and co-author of the study, said, "Research to address the technical challenges of human missions into space is growing at a rapid rate. Therefore, it is critical that we explore the social-psychological aspects of individuals' experiences of confinement within these habitats. We know that social isolation is among one of the main risk factors in these environments, but we still have a lot to learn."The two space architects were limited in how much they could communicate with the outside world. They had no access to the internet but could use a satellite phone to send daily messages (up to 160 characters) to the headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.The results showed that, for both space architects, their desire for social contact increased over time, whereas negative feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and unworthiness did not. Talking about personal matters and engaging in leisure time was associated with a decrease in these negative feelings, but also increased the desire for social contact. Furthermore, engaging in leisure activities increased the perceived speed of time.Konstantin Chterev continued, "Space travel will likely become more frequent in the next few decades, due to the opening of the private market, NASA's plans to send people to the Moon this decade, and government agencies in China and India joining the space travel race. With more organisations involved in sending people to space, we need more studies to focus on the mental health impacts involved in long missions in extreme and confined environments.""Work like this will be able to inform future training and the planning of schedules in extreme environment expeditions and lunar missions, in which it is crucial to balance mission-critical tasks and physical wellbeing with protecting psychological wellbeing and mitigating the negative effects of long-term isolation," Konstantin Chterev concluded. —ANI

A recent research has explored how humans could survive on the Moon and have successful habitats there in the future.

Wellbeing Sessions Can Improve Mental Health In Extreme Isolation In Moon-Like Habitat: Study

Washington: NASA has for the third time halted Artemis 1 moon rocket's "wet dress rehearsal" - this time over fuel leak.Wet dress rehearsal is an opportunity to refine the countdown procedures and validate critical models and software interfaces.The test, earlier scheduled for April 1-3, was stopped prior to tanking, due to loss of ability to pressurise the mobile launcher using two fans. It was then shifted to April 12 and April 14.On April 14, Artemis 1 team members observed a liquid hydrogen (LH2) leak on the tail service mast umbilical, which is located at the base of the mobile launcher and connects to the rocket's core stage, officials said in a statement. LH2 is one of Space Launch System rocket's two propellants, along with liquid oxygen (LOX)."The leak was discovered during liquid hydrogen loading operations and prevented the team from completing the test," it added.The mission engineers had last identified a helium check valve - that allows liquid or gas to flow in a particular direction and prevents backflow - that was not functioning. Helium is used for several different operations, including purging the engine, or clearing the lines, prior to loading propellants during tanking, as well as draining propellant.When teams paused propellant loading, the rocket's core stage liquid oxygen tank was about 49 per cent filled and the LH2 tank had been loaded to about 5 per cent capacity prior to the hydrogen leak. While the core stage LH2 tank will be kept at about 5 per cent and the core stage LOX loading remains stopped, with the teams working to drain propellant from the rocket."The team will not conduct the terminal countdown activities today as planned and will assess next steps after today's operations," Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team at KSC, said via Twitter.The test is the culmination of months of assembly and testing for SLS and Orion, as well as preparations by launch control and engineering teams, and set the stage for the first Artemis launch.Artemis 1 is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than late May 2022.The uncrewed Artemis I mission is the first flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft together. Future missions will send people to work in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface.With the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon and establish long-term exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and Orion, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway that will orbit the Moon, are NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. —IANS

 NASA has for the third time halted Artemis 1 moon rocket's "wet dress rehearsal" - this time over fuel leak.

NASA Again Calls Off Wet Dress Rehearsal Of Moon Rocket Over Fuel Leak

Washington: A team of scientists has urged NASA to probe the ice giant Uranus and look for life on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, on priority in the coming decade.In a report, the team at National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS), recommended NASA to focus on three high-level scientific themes: origins, worlds and processes, and life and habitability, in the next 10 years, Zdnet reported.Despite the fact that ice giant systems are the most common form of planets in the universe, there is a "dearth of knowledge" about them, said Robin Canup, co-chair of the NAS steering committee for the decadal survey, in a statement.Ice giants are the only class of planet in our solar system that hasn't had a dedicated orbital tour. The Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) should be NASA's highest priority large mission, the report said.The UOP aims to conduct a multi-year orbital tour to transform knowledge of ice giants in general, and the Uranian system in particular, through flybys and the delivery of an atmospheric probe."Uranus is one of the most intriguing bodies in the solar system," the report said."Its low internal energy, active atmospheric dynamics, and complex magnetic field all present major puzzles. A primordial giant impact may have produced the planet's extreme axial tilt and possibly its rings and satellites, although this is uncertain." Further, the report stated that NASA's next priority should be the Enceladus Orbilander - a mission to search for evidence of life on Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon of Saturn.The mission would take place from orbit and during a two-year landed mission that would perform detailed studies of fresh plume material coming from Enceladus' interior ocean.The comprehensive decadal report also evaluated a wide range of other missions.It lauded the progress made studying Mars, as well as NASA's Discovery Programme. It also stresses the potential for combining human and robotic exploration in space.The report also focused on planetary defence - the effort to detect and track objects like asteroids that could pose a threat to life on Earth.It recommends a focus on enhancing near-Earth object (NEO) detection, tracking, and characterisation capabilities, as well as the improving NEO modeling and prediction. It also suggests developing technologies for NEO deflection and disruption missions. —IANS

 A team of scientists has urged NASA to probe the ice giant Uranus and look for life on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, on priority in the coming decade. In a report, the team at National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS), recommended NASA to focus on three high-level scientific themes: origins, worlds and processes, and life and habitability, in the next 10 years, Zdnet reported.

Scientists Urge NASA To Probe Uranus, Search For Life On Saturn's Moon

 A team of scientists has urged NASA to probe the ice giant Uranus and look for life on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, on priority in the coming decade. In a report, the team at National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS), recommended NASA to focus on three high-level scientific themes: origins, worlds and processes, and life and habitability, in the next 10 years, Zdnet reported.





New York: Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter's innermost moon, Io, has grand meandering ridges.Now, a research led by Rutgers University provided a new explanation of how dunes can form even on a surface as icy and roiling as Io's.The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is based on a study of the physical processes controlling grain motion, coupled with an analysis of images from the 14-year mission of NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which allowed the creation of the first detailed maps of Jupiter's moons."Our studies point to the possibility of Io as a new 'dune world'," said first author George McDonald, a postdoctoral researcher in Rutgers' Earth and Planetary Sciences Department."We have proposed, and quantitatively tested, a mechanism by which sand grains can move, and in turn dunes could be forming there," McDonald said.Current scientific understanding dictates that dunes, by their nature, are hills or ridges of sand piled up by the wind.And scientists in previous studies of Io, while describing its surface as containing some dune-like features, concluded the ridges could not be dunes since the forces from winds on Io are weak due to the Moon's low-density atmosphere.Data from the Galileo mission, which lasted from 1989-2003, revealed that volcanic activity on Io is so high that its volcanoes repeatedly and rapidly resurface the little world.Io's surface is a mix of black solidified lava flows and sand, flowing "effusive" lava streams, and "snows" of sulphur dioxide. The scientists used mathematical equations to simulate the forces on a single grain of basalt or frost and calculate its path. When lava flows into sulfur dioxide beneath the moon's surface, its venting is "dense and fast moving enough to move grains on Io and possibly enable the formation of large-scale features like dunes", McDonald said.Once the researchers devised a mechanism by which the dunes could form, they looked to photos of Io's surface taken by the Galileo spacecraft for more proof. The spacing of the crests and the height-to-width ratios they observed were consistent with trends for dunes seen on Earth and other planets.&nbsp;—IANS

Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter's innermost moon, Io, has grand meandering ridges.  Now, a research led by Rutgers University provided a new explanation of how dunes can form even on a surface as icy and roiling as Io's.

Scientists Find How Dunes Form On Jupiter's Moon

Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter's innermost moon, Io, has grand meandering ridges. Now, a research led by Rutgers University provided a new explanation of how dunes can form even on a surface as icy and roiling as Io's.




WASHINGTON :&nbsp;NASA has yet again delayed its Artemis 1 moon rocket launch and now the US space agency is planning it for August, the media reported.Artemis 1, was earlier scheduled to launch in late May 2022. However, due to multiple delays in its wet dress rehearsal, touted as the final test, the mega moon rocket has been pushed further.NASA now plans to take its final test in June, and if all goes according to plan it could set the stage for its first launch in August, Space.com reported.The Artemis 1 stack, a huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with an Orion crew capsule on top, rolled out to Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in mid-March for its "wet dress rehearsal", a crucial series of tests that includes fueling up the SLS.Although the wet dress began on April 1 and was supposed to wrap up two days later, the team encountered several problems, including a stuck valve on the mission's mobile launch tower and a hydrogen leak in one of the "umbilical" lines connecting the tower to the SLS. This led to delay and ultimately a halt after three fueling attempts.On April 25, team members rolled the Artemis 1 stack off Pad 39B back to KSC's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to investigate the problems and make the necessary fixes, NASA officials were quoted as saying last week, adding that the probe of the faulty valve continues.However, even as the probe continues, the team remains optimistic for another wet dress try."We're looking right now at that next wet dress in the early to mid-June timeframe," Jim Free, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, was quoted as saying.For this the teams would have to roll out the SLS and Orion from the VAB by late May because the Artemis 1 team needs 12 to 14 days to prepare for the wet dress test, Free added.Free was confident that the fourth attempt would prove to be a success, but he acknowledged that "it may take more than one attempt to get the procedures where we need them".While NASA won't set a target launch date for Artemis 1 until the wet dress is complete, Free mentioned August as the likely earliest available time frame at this point—IANS

NASA has yet again delayed its Artemis 1 moon rocket launch and now the US space agency is planning it for August, the media reported.  Artemis 1, was earlier scheduled to launch in late May 2022. 

NASA now likely to launch Artemis 1 moon rocket in Aug: Report

NASA has yet again delayed its Artemis 1 moon rocket launch and now the US space agency is planning it for August, the media reported.

Artemis 1, was earlier scheduled to launch in late May 2022. 

NASA now likely to launch Artemis 1 moon rocket in Aug

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

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

Mumbai (The Hawk): Instead of making people sympathize with our characters, we want to celebrate&nbsp;our subjects and make them rock stars, said&nbsp;Prince Shah, Director of documentary ‘Moon on the Man’. “We were cautious of not showing the audience the character’s flaws. The two characters in the documentary came to our life.&nbsp;We started following them and not the other way around. Eventually the characters become&nbsp;part of our family”, he said. Prince Shah was addressing the media and delegates at #MIFFDialogue held in connection with the 17th&nbsp;edition of Mumbai International Film Festival.&nbsp;Borun Thokchom,&nbsp;Director of&nbsp;documentary&nbsp;‘I Rise’, Anshul Pandey, Producer of&nbsp;‘Moon on the Man’and Vaibhav, Cinematographer of ‘Moon on the Man’ also participated in the press conference.Following the genesis of his documentary, Prince Shah said that ‘Moon on the Man’ questions two people’s reality. “ One is Praklawn, the youngest freedom fighter of India who later worked with Guru Dutt, the great film maker. Second subject is Master Shylesh, the busiest child actor of his times. He has acted in around 55-60 films as a child actor. Since the last 30-40 years he is living on the streets. The film questions their realities and deal with lots of other issues,” he elaborated.&nbsp;<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/IMG-20220531-WA00230PRZ.jpg">Making your subject comfortable with you and the camera is important while shooting documentaries, said Borun Thokchom, Director of ‘I Rise’. “ Bonding with the subject is very important to make the documentary unique. It will take time. It took about five to six years to shoot.&nbsp;Quality matters more than quantity, ” he added.&nbsp;‘I Rise’ narrates the life of woman Pugilist Laishram Sarita Devi from Manipur.<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/IMG-20220531-WA0019(1)I7W9.jpg">Brief on the filmsMoon on the ManMoon on the Man is an observational feature-length documentary, which questions the most basic principles of reality, perception and choice through the lives of two characters. Through a focus on mental illness, old age and broken dreams, the film explores the individual's struggle to find direction in an ever-changing landscape of time and perspective.I RiseBorn in a poor family, Laishram Sarita Devi, a mother, a woman Pugilist, spared no effort to become a celebrated sports star of International fame. She came to limelight as the first Indian professional woman boxer after she became a mother. Despite her fame and glory, she is passionate about empowering people who are marginalized and runs an academy that trains and encourages destitute children to create an identity through Boxing. The story elaborates on the predicament, where she navigates between her mission and her relationship with her beloved son Tomthil. This is the story of the conflict between a mother and a change maker.<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D79bL8TH88Q?showinfo=0"></iframe> About the Directors:Prince Shah&nbsp;started his career in cinema as an assistant director on Indian and international films including Tener (2020), Sense8 (2015-2018) and Gully Boy (2019). His short films as a director include 2733 See You On The Other Side, which won the Audience Choice Award at the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images Festival (2011), Moon on the Man is his first feature length documentary as a producer and director.Borun Thokchom&nbsp;is a national award winning film maker and has more than a decade of experience in television journalism. He also worked as cinematographer for NHK World, Japan for a documentary series on WWII titled “Battle of Imphal”. He also worked as Line Producer for Kavithalayaa Productions’ musical documentary series featuring AR Rahman on Amazon Prime video. His latest documentary film I RISE is receiving awards at several national and international film festivals.

Instead of making people sympathize with our characters, we want to celebrate our subjects and make them rock stars, said Prince Shah, Director of documentary ‘Moon on the Man’. “We were cautious of not showing the audience the character’s flaws

We want to make our subjects rock stars: Director Prince Shah

Mumbai: Mom-to-be soon, actor Sonam Kapoor and her husband Anand Ahuja who were enjoying a 'babymoon' in Italy have returned home now. The 'Neerja' actor, who will be turning a year older, tomorrow expressed her excitement for her birthday and shared a short video with her husband, on her social media account, on Tuesday.Taking to her Instagram handle, Sonam dropped a lovely short video with husband Anand Ahuja, wherein she wrote, "Back home.. birthday week starts!"Fans and admirers bombarded the comment section with heart emoticons, showing their love for the couple. Sonam Kapoor is quite active on social media and frequently updates her fans and followers with photos and videos on her social media handles. In the summer of 2018, Sonam married businessman Anand Ahuja. Before marriage, the couple met six years ago, in 2016 and they started dating. Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja announced that they are expecting their first child in the March of 2022. Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonam will next be seen in the film 'Blind', which also stars Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, and Lillete Dubey in supporting roles. The film is a remake of the same-named Korean film of 2011. The actors finished filming in February 2021.—ANI

Mom-to-be soon, actor Sonam Kapoor and her husband Anand Ahuja who were enjoying a 'babymoon' in Italy have returned home now. The 'Neerja' actor, who will be turning a year older, tomorrow expressed her excitement for her birthday and shared a short video with her husband, on her social media account, on Tuesday.

Sonam shares her joy ahead of her birthday, returns from her 'babymoon'

Washington: After halting Artemis 1 moon rocket's "wet dress rehearsal" several times, NASA has successfully completed the crucial fuelling test of its Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket.The Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal ended at 7.37 p.m. EDT on June 20, NASA said in a statement. "This is the first time the team fully loaded all the SLS rocket's propellant tanks and proceeded into the terminal launch countdown, when many critical activities occurred in rapid succession,a the US space agency. However, the test did not go smoothly.During propellant loading operations, the team encountered a hydrogen leak in the quick disconnect that attaches an umbilical from the tail service mast on the mobile launcher to the rocket's core stage.While the team attempted to fix the leak by warming the quick disconnect and then chilling it back down to realign a seal, their efforts did not fix the issue, NASA said.The team then intentionally "masked" data associated with the issue to let the countdown continue. During an actual launch countdown, such data would have raised red flags. This change meant a delay, "but they were able to resume with the final 10 minutes of the countdown", NASA said."Today's #Artemis I wet dress rehearsal activities concluded after a modified countdown configuration and successfully adding propellant to the rocket. We will review the data and are meeting to discuss next steps," mission officials wrote on Twitter. The final test is the culmination of months of assembly and testing for SLS and Orion, as well as preparations by launch control and engineering teams, and set the stage for the first Artemis launch.Artemis 1, was earlier scheduled to launch in late May 2022. However, due to multiple delays in its wet dress rehearsal, the mega moon rocket has been pushed further.The success of the final test could set the stage for its first launch in August, NASA had indicated earlier. The uncrewed Artemis I mission is the first flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft together. Future missions will send people to work in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface. With the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon and establish long-term exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. —IANS

After halting Artemis 1 moon rocket's "wet dress rehearsal" several times, NASA has successfully completed the crucial fuelling test of its Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket.

NASA's Artemis 1 Moon Mission Completes Crucial Fueling Test

Washington: After facing initial setback over system checks, NASA's CAPSTONE mission -- a microwave oven-sized CubeSat -- has finally lifted off to the Moon on Tuesday.The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) weighing just 55 pounds will serve as the first spacecraft to test a unique, elliptical lunar orbit.The liftoff took place at 5:55 a.m. EDT (3:25 pm IST) aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand, NASA said in a statement."Liftoff! #CAPSTONE launched aboard a @RocketLab Electron rocket to pave the way for future @NASAArtemis missions to the Moon and beyond," mission officials reported in a tweet.It was first slated for launch on June 28, but was delayed due to system checks."NASA, Rocket Lab, and Advanced Space are standing down from the June 27 launch attempt for the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon to allow Rocket Lab to perform final systems checks," agency officials said in a statement.CAPSTONE will fly in cislunar space - the orbital space near and around the Moon. The mission will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solution at the Moon from a near rectilinear halo orbit slated for Artemis' Gateway.Once released from Rocket Lab's Photon satellite bus, CAPSTONE will use its propulsion system to travel for approximately three months before entering into orbit around the Moon.After arrival at the Moon, CAPSTONE will begin its 6-month-long primary mission. The mission will validate a near rectilinear halo orbit's characteristics by demonstrating how to enter into and operate in the orbit.Its mission objectives include demonstrate spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services that allow future spacecraft to determine their location relative to the Moon without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth; lay a foundation for commercial support of future lunar operations; and gain experience with small dedicated launches of CubeSats beyond low-Earth orbit, to the Moon, and beyond. —IANS

 After facing initial setback over system checks, NASA's CAPSTONE mission -- a microwave oven-sized CubeSat -- has finally lifted off to the Moon on Tuesday.

NASA's New Cubesat To Pave Way For Future Moon Missions

Washington: China might be contemplating a "takeover" of the Moon as part of its military space program, NASA's administrator Bill Nelson has told newspaper Bild.In an interview, Nelson claimed that the United States is now involved in a new race to space, with China this time. He emphasized that in 2035, Beijing might finish construction of its own Moon station and start experiments a year later.Nelson claimed that we must be very concerned about China landing on the Moon and saying that it now belongs to the Peoples' Republic and everyone else should stay out, RT reported.Claiming that China's space program is a "military" space program, Nelson explained that the competition for the south pole of the moon is especially intense: potential water deposits there could be used in the future for rocket-fuel production.When asked by Bild what military purposes could China be pursuing in space, Nelson claimed that Chinese astronauts are busy learning how to destroy other countries' satellites.Despite Beijing's assurances that its ambitious space program has purely peaceful purposes, Nelson has long been a tough critic of China's policy in space, RT reported. In April, he accused Chinese officials of refusing to work with the US on its operations and of concealing important data. Earlier, however, he acknowledged that NASA abides by a 2011 law that prohibits the agency from engaging in direct collaboration with the Chinese government or any China-affiliated organizations without explicit approval from Congress and federal law enforcement authorities. Chinese officials have pointed to that ban, called the Wolf Amendment, as "unfortunate" and an impediment to direct cooperation with NASA. —IANS

China might be contemplating a "takeover" of the Moon as part of its military space program, NASA's administrator Bill Nelson has told newspaper Bild.

China Might Be Contemplating A 'Takeover' Of The Moon, Says NASA Administrator

Washington: After leaving orbit, NASA's CAPSTONE mission -- a microwave oven-sized CubeSat -- has faced communications issues on its way to the Moon, the US space agency has said.The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) lifted off to the Moon on June 28 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.On Monday, the spacecraft left low-Earth orbit and started its solo journey to the Moon. It is slated to reach the Moon in November.However, "the spacecraft experienced communications issues while in contact with the Deep Space Network" NASA said in a statement on Tuesday."The spacecraft team is currently working to understand the cause and re-establish contact," it added.The agency noted that the mission officials have good trajectory data for the spacecraft."If needed, the mission has enough fuel to delay the initial post separation trajectory correction manoeuvre for several days," NASA said.The CAPSTONE spacecraft weighing just 55 pounds will serve as the first spacecraft to test a unique, elliptical lunar orbit. It will fly in cislunar space -- the orbital space near and around the Moon. The mission will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solution at the Moon from a near rectilinear halo orbit slated for Artemis' Gateway.Once released from Rocket Lab's Photon satellite bus, CAPSTONE will use its propulsion system to travel for approximately three months before entering into orbit around the Moon.After arrival at the Moon, CAPSTONE will begin its 6-month-long primary mission. The mission will validate a near rectilinear halo orbit's characteristics by demonstrating how to enter into and operate in the orbit.Its mission objectives include demonstrate spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services that allow future spacecraft to determine their location relative to the Moon without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth; lay a foundation for commercial support of future lunar operations; and gain experience with small dedicated launches of CubeSats beyond low-Earth orbit, to the Moon, and beyond. —IANS

After leaving orbit, NASA's CAPSTONE mission -- a microwave oven-sized CubeSat -- has faced communications issues on its way to the Moon, the US space agency has said.

NASA's Microwave Sized Cube Faces Communication Issues Enroute To Moon

Beijing: The Chinese government pressed South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol administration on Wednesday to maintain a policy on the advanced US missile defence system called THAAD.It was referring to the so-called three "No"s -- no additional THAAD deployment in Korea, no participation in a US-led missile defence network and no involvement in a trilateral military alliance with Japan -- a principle held by the liberal Moon Jae-in government, Yonhap news agency reported."South Korea expressed its respectful stance on the THAAD issue in 2017," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for Beijing's foreign ministry, said during a press briefing. "It played an important role in cooperation and deepening of mutual trust."He was responding to a question about recent comments by South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin that the three-no approach was not any formal agreement or promise with China.He added that a new leader "can't turn a blind eye to past debts" and urged Seoul to "act with prudence" with regard to a highly sensitive issue affecting the security of a neighbouring country.When he was on the campaign trail, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party raised the need for South Korea to get an additional THAAD battery deployed on its soil to counter growing missile threats from North Korea. China, in particular, is known to be sensitive about the powerful radar operated for THAAD.—IANS

The Chinese government pressed South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol administration on Wednesday to maintain a policy on the advanced US missile defence system called THAAD.

China calls on SKorea to uphold former Moon administration's policy on THAAD

New Delhi: "This could encompass activity outside of office hours or on weekends that does not impact their productivity on the full-time job or have a conflict of interest with Swiggy's business in any way," a company release said.&nbsp;Moonlighting policy allows employees to work second jobs, outside normal business hours of the primary job, under certain conditions. Elaborating upon the rationale behind the move, the Bengaluru-headquartered firm said during the countywide lockdowns, a significant portion of the working population discovered new hobbies and perhaps even an activity that provides an additional source of income."Be it volunteering with an NGO, working as a dance instructor, or content creation for social media, Swiggy firmly believes that working on such projects outside of one's full-time employment can significantly contribute to both professional and personal development of an individual," it added.The policy prescribes guidelines that employees must adhere to while pursuing Moonlighting projects.Projects that pose a higher risk of conflict of interest or interference with the employees' duties to Swiggy are subject to an approval process.The policy is available to all full-time employees of Bundl Technologies, including subsidiaries, affiliates, associate, and group companies.Bundl Technologies Pvt Ltd runs the Swiggy app. "With the Moonlighting Policy, our goal is to encourage employees to pursue their passion without any constraints due to their full-time employment with us."This is yet another step in our journey towards building a world class 'people first' organization,” Head of Human Resources at Swiggy Girish Menon said.Last week, Swiggy announced its permanent work-from-anywhere policy for majority of its roles.—PTI

Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy on Wednesday said it has introduced an industry-first 'Moonlighting policy', wherein employees can take up external projects for pro-bono or economic consideration based on internal approvals.

Swiggy launches industry-first 'Moonlighting policy'

Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy on Wednesday said it has introduced an industry-first 'Moonlighting policy', wherein employees can take up external projects for pro-bono or economic consideration based on internal approvals.



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

Washington: The US space agency has asked university students to design a metal production pipeline on the Moon — from extracting metal from lunar minerals to creating structures and tools.&nbsp;
The ability to extract metal and build needed infrastructure on the Moon advances the Artemis Programme goal of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface, NASA said in a statement.&nbsp;
“Here at home, forging metal has long been a key part of building our homes and infrastructure, and the same holds true as we work towards a sustained presence on the Moon,” said Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).
“This challenge gives students the opportunity to help develop the future technology that will help us find, process, and manufacture with metal on the lunar surface,” Werkheiser added.
The 2023 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge invites university students to tackle some of the most critical needs facing space exploration and help create the mission capabilities that could make new discoveries possible.
Student teams will develop innovative ways to extract and convert metals from minerals found on the Moon, such as ilmenite and anorthite, to enable metal manufacturing on the Moon.
The NASA-funded challenge provides development awards of up to $180,000 to up to eight selected teams to build and demonstrate their concept designs and share the results of their research and testing at the culminating forum in November 2023.
The availability of derived metals on the Moon would allow infrastructure needed for a lunar base — including pipes, power cables, landing pads, transport rails, and pressure vessels to contain volatiles like fuel — to be made locally using additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.
“NASA is already thinking about supporting longer-term missions to the Moon. This BIG Idea Challenge theme links university teams to the push toward sustained human presence on the Moon and on other planets,” said Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, Space Grant project manager in NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. —IANS

The US space agency has asked university students to design a metal production pipeline on the Moon — from extracting metal from lunar minerals to creating structures and tools. 

 NASA asks students to design metal production pipeline on the Moon

Washington: The US space agency has asked university students to design a metal production pipeline on the Moon -- from extracting metal from lunar minerals to creating structures and tools.
The ability to extract metal and build needed infrastructure on the Moon advances the Artemis Programme goal of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface, NASA said in a statement.
"Here at home, forging metal has long been a key part of building our homes and infrastructure, and the same holds true as we work towards a sustained presence on the Moon," said Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).
"This challenge gives students the opportunity to help develop the future technology that will help us find, process, and manufacture with metal on the lunar surface," Werkheiser added.
The 2023 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge invites university students to tackle some of the most critical needs facing space exploration and help create the mission capabilities that could make new discoveries possible.
Student teams will develop innovative ways to extract and convert metals from minerals found on the Moon, such as ilmenite and anorthite, to enable metal manufacturing on the Moon.
The NASA-funded challenge provides development awards of up to $180,000 to up to eight selected teams to build and demonstrate their concept designs and share the results of their research and testing at the culminating forum in November 2023.
The availability of derived metals on the Moon would allow infrastructure needed for a lunar base -- including pipes, power cables, landing pads, transport rails, and pressure vessels to contain volatiles like fuel -- to be made locally using additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.
"NASA is already thinking about supporting longer-term missions to the Moon. This BIG Idea Challenge theme links university teams to the push toward sustained human presence on the Moon and on other planets," said Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, Space Grant project manager in NASA's Office of STEM Engagement. —IANS

 The US space agency has asked university students to design a metal production pipeline on the Moon -- from extracting metal from lunar minerals to creating structures and tools.

NASA Asks Students To Design Metal Production Pipeline On The Moon

New York: Studying a bizarre underwater snow below ice shelves on Earth can help understand the ice shell Jupiter's moon Europa, according to researchers.
Europa is a rocky world about the size of the Earth's moon that is surrounded by a global ocean and a miles-thick ice shell.
Below Europa's thick icy crust is a massive, global ocean where the snow floats upwards onto inverted ice peaks and submerged ravines.&nbsp;
The underwater snow is much purer than other kinds of ice, which means Europa's ice shell could be much less salty than previously thought, revealed the study published in the journal Astrobiology.
The finding is important for mission scientists preparing NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will use radar to peek beneath the ice shell to see if Europa's ocean could be hospitable to life.
Previous studies suggest the temperature, pressure and salinity of Europa's ocean nearest to the ice is similar to what you would find beneath an ice shelf in Antarctica.
The new information will be critical because salt trapped in the ice can affect what and how deep the radar will see into the ice shell, so being able to predict what the ice is made of will help scientists make sense of the data.
Knowing what kind of ice Europa's shell is made of will also help decipher the salinity and habitability of its ocean, said the team from the University of Texas at Austin.
"When we're exploring Europa, we're interested in the salinity and composition of the ocean, because that's one of the things that will govern its potential habitability or even the type of life that might live there," said lead author Natalie Wolfenbarger, a graduate student researcher at the varsity's Institute for Geophysics (UTIG).
The new study also examined the two different ways that water freezes under ice shelves, congelation ice and frazil ice. Congelation ice grows directly from under the ice shelf. Frazil ice forms as ice flakes in supercooled seawater which float upwards through the water, settling on the bottom of the ice shelf.
Both ways make ice that's less salty than seawater, which Wolfenbarger found would be even less salty when scaled up to the size and age of Europa's ice shell.
Further, the frazil ice - which keeps only a tiny fraction of the salt in seawater - could be very common on Europa. That means its ice shell could be orders of magnitude purer than previous estimates. This affects everything from its strength, to how heat moves through it, and forces that might drive a kind of ice tectonics, Wolfenbarger said.
According to co-author Donald Blankenship, a senior research scientist at UTIG, the research is validation for using the Earth as a model to understand the habitability of Europa.
"We can use Earth to evaluate Europa's habitability, measure the exchange of impurities between the ice and ocean, and figure out where water is in the ice," he said.&nbsp;
—IANS

Studying a bizarre underwater snow below ice shelves on Earth can help understand the ice shell Jupiter's moon Europa, according to researchers.

The Hawk

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Wellbeing Sessions Can Improve Mental Health In Extreme Isolation In Moon-Like Habitat: Study

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Tag : Moon

Wellbeing Sessions Can Improve Mental Health In Extreme Isolation In Moon-Like Habitat: Study

Sunil Aswal

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