missions to the Moon Archives

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 by Evan Gough

Hardy Tardigrades on Board Israel’s Beresheet Lander Probably Survived the Crash

A Full Moon, as imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio

When SpaceIL’s Beresheet lander crashed into the Moon, it was a bitter-sweet moment for Israel’s space exploration aspirations. The privately-built spacecraft was punching above its weight class by proceeding on its journey to the Moon. Unfortunately, it crashed, ending the dream.

But Beresheet carried some unusual passengers, as part of an unusual, yet visionary, sub-mission: tardigrades.

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by Evan Gough

NASA’s 2024 Moon Mission is called Artemis, and Will Need an Additional $1.6 Billion in Funding

NASA is adjusting to its ambitious new timeline to get to the Moon by 2024. Image: NASA.

The Moon’s going to have more human visitors in the year 2024. NASA has announced that their mission to the Moon, which is named Artemis after the Greek goddess of hunting, has been advanced by four years, from 2028 to 2024. But there’s a catch: they need more dough to do it. $1.6 billion more.