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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Axiom Space partnered with Prada to develop a spacesuit.</li><li>The spacesuit is being designed for NASA's Artemis III mission.</li></ul>The next time an astronaut walks on the moon, it could be in style.<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/axiom-space-x-launch-first-ever-private-astronaut-mission-iss-2022-4">Axiom Space</a> unveiled a Prada-designed spacesuit on Wednesday at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, where Prada is headquartered.The Prada suit is intended for use on NASA's Artemis III <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-shrinking-nasa-lunar-missions-artemis-threatened-2024-2">mission to the moon</a>, which, if successful, would be the first crewed landing on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.Axiom Space, a Houston-based company cofounded by former NASA employee Michael Suffredini, first <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-prada-luxury-fashion-brand-design-new-spacesuits-astronauts-2023-10">announced its collaboration</a> with the Italian luxury fashion group in October 2023.The spacesuit is officially called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). It's a long way from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacesuit-design-history-timeline-changes-nasa-2018-3#mercury-suit-1961-1963-1">first NASA spacesuits</a> that Mercury astronauts wore in the early '60s.<div type="image" title="Axiom and Prada spacesuits for NASA Artemis III mission" height="6000" width="4000" msid="114294274" hostid="261" sizebytes="463652"></div>"Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, establishing new pathways to innovative solutions and applying a state-of-the-art design approach for the AxEMU," Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, said in a press release. "We have broken the mold. The Axiom Space-Prada partnership has set a new foundational model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what's possible in commercial space."The press release said Prada's design and product development team worked alongside Axiom Space engineers to create a spacesuit that could withstand the moon's environment, including <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-dust-is-toxic-2012-7">lunar dust</a>, which can damage human lungs if inhaled, and extreme temperatures."Prada's expertise enabled advanced technologies and innovative sewing methods to bridge the gap between highly engineered functionality and an aesthetically appealing white outer layer, providing astronauts with an increased level of comfort while improving the materials' performance," the press release said.The spacesuit would allow astronauts to perform spacewalks for at least eight hours.<div type="image" title="Axiom Space and Prada design for a spacesuit for NASA Artemis III mission." height="2160" width="3840" msid="114294276" hostid="261" sizebytes="517104"></div>"It includes advanced coatings on the helmet and visor to enhance the astronauts' view of their surroundings, as well as custom gloves made in-house featuring several advancements over the gloves used today," the press release said. "The spacesuit architecture includes life support systems, pressure garments, avionics, and other innovative systems to meet exploration needs and expand scientific opportunities."Axiom Space said it worked to improve the spacesuit over the past two years for the Artemis III mission, and it's nearing the final development stage.Russell Ralston, executive vice president of extravehicular activity at Axiom Space, told Business Insider that the "critical design review" stage will begin in 2025."Once the AxEMU spacesuit is through NASA's CDR and qualification testing, the spacesuit will be ready for the Artemis III mission," he said in a statement.Representatives for Prada did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.<h2 id="8af3ebaa-ce92-435e-9490-b0c0c5312f7a">NASA's Artemis III mission could be the first time a woman and a person of color walks on the moon</h2>The Prada spacesuits are being developed for Artemis III, which is scheduled for no earlier than September 2026, according to NASA."Over the course of about 30 days, the Artemis III astronauts will travel to lunar orbit, where two crew members will descend to the surface and spend approximately a week near the South Pole of the Moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth," the agency says.The mission could also be the first time a woman and a person of color walk on the moon.Artemis III will follow <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-missions-first-black-astronaut-woman-canadian-to-moon-2023-4">NASA's Artemis II</a>, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2025. The Artemis II mission could also make history by having the first woman, Black astronaut, and Canadian fly around the moon with NASA.Artemis II astronauts will "confirm all of the spacecraft's systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space," according to NASA.

The next time an astronaut steps foot on the moon, it could be in a Prada spacesuit. See the design.

Half a century has passed since the last <keyword id="961511" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon-landing" source="Orion">Moon landing</keyword>, which is disappointing for humanity and we should now aim to have a living base in space, Tesla and SpaceX CEO <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> said on Monday. The Apollo 11 mission in 1969 first landed humans on the Moon. Commander <keyword id="6452894" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neil-armstrong" source="Orion">Neil Armstrong</keyword> and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969 and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later, and they spent about two and a quarter hours together exploring the site they had named Tranquility Base upon landing. "Only 66 years from first flight to landing on the moon, but now half a century has passed since the last moon landing," Musk posted on X. He said that this cannot be "our high water mark as a civilisation". "Humanity should have a <keyword id="1544790" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon-base" source="Orion">moon base</keyword>, cities on <keyword id="47638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mars" source="Orion">Mars</keyword> and be out there among the stars," the X owner added. Musk has bigger plans for traveling beyond Earth's orbit. "We should have a base on the moon, like a permanently occupied human base on the moon, and then send people to Mars. Maybe there's something beyond the space station, but we'll see," he had said in the past. The tech billionaire has predicted that SpaceX's Starship mega rocket can make an uncrewed mission to Mars in three or four years.

Humanity should have a moon base, cities on Mars: Musk

As it readies its constellation of <keyword id="21665619" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Earth-observation-satellites" source="keywords">Earth observation satellites</keyword>, <keyword id="22385578" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru-based-startup" source="keywords">Bengaluru-based startup</keyword> <keyword id="22317867" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pixxel-Space" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Pixxel Space" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Pixxel Space">Pixxel Space</keyword> has plans to map the Moon and <keyword id="20578027" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asteroids" source="keywords">asteroids</keyword>, and look for materials required to build settlements in outer space. In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters here, Pixxel Space co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed spelt out the long-term plans of the startup and these include exploration of asteroids with the intention of finding building materials or possible <keyword id="22407481" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fuel-sources" source="keywords">fuel sources</keyword> for future settlements in space. "We are building hyper-spectral cameras that look at the Earth. The same cameras can be turned outwards to look at other objects in space. We can send these spacecraft to the Moon, <keyword id="19901192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mars" source="keywords">Mars</keyword> or the asteroid belt, and build a map of the solar system," Ahmed said. He said the startup would also like to place satellites in orbits around the Moon -- cis-lunar orbits -- to explore the Earth's only natural satellite in greater detail. "We can go between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt and identify which of these asteroids are stunning and useless, and which of them have certain precious materials that can be useful in space," Ahmed said. Satellites can look for ice on asteroids which can be used as fuel by splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen, and can also be stored as water, he said. "So, when humanity expands towards space it does not make sense to mine all of that material from Earth when there's so much more material actually available in space," ahmed said. He said Elon Musk's SpaceX was building railroads for the space revolution, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and others were building habitats for space. "We want to be the ones to provide the material to sort of make it all happen. But very long term vision," Ahmed said. Pixxel Space plans to launch six hyper-spectral satellites later this year as part of its constellation to map the Earth in greater detail. Another 18 satellites are slated for launch next year that will complete the Bengaluru-based startup's constellation in low Earth orbit.

Bengaluru-based Pixxel Space plans to mine asteroids for building settlements in space

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's lunar probe returned to Earth with the first-ever samples from the moon's far side. </li><li>The samples could answer crucial questions about how planets form.</li></ul>China just took a huge leap forward in its plans to dominate space.On Tuesday, its Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully returned to Earth carrying the first-ever samples from the moon's far side. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrFGMaB9kjo">A video showed </a>an official triumphantly planting a Chinese flag near the capsule in Mongolia after it glided back to our planet by parachute.The samples, which include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock, could answer crucial questions about how planets form, as well as the moon's history.But they are significant for another reason too.They signify China's growing prowess in orbit, as well as its potential to someday leapfrog the US in the race to dominate space.<h2 id="e5565559-09e3-4a5e-aba9-a6a2fdad33fa">The moon's far side</h2>The moon's far side is considered particularly challenging to explore because of its craters and the difficulty of maintaining communications with vehicles landing there.China is the only country to have landed in this tricky terrain and returned with samples. The latest mission, which launched on May 3, is China's second successful landing on the moon's far side, with the first launched in 2019.Overall, it has soft-landed on the moon four times.The US, meanwhile, has had less luck. In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astobotic-faulty-valve-doomed-peregrine-moon-lander-lunar-mission-leak-2024-1">January</a>, Astrobiotic <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vulcan-peregrine-us-mission-first-land-moon-astrobotic-human-remains-2024-1">launched a lander</a> into space, with the aim of it being the first American spacecraft to soft land on the moon since the Apollo era.But its hopes were quickly dashed after a <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astrobotic-moon-lander-leaking-fuel-after-launch-threatening-mission-2024-1">fuel leak</a> caused a failure in the spacecraft's propellant system.In February, Intuitive Machines, in collaboration with NASA, achieved a first: landing a US commercial spacecraft <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-moon-landings-on-lunar-south-pole-crashed-2023-8">on the moon without crashing</a>.But that had complications. As previously reported by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intuitive-machines-im-1-odysseus-moon-lunar-landing-mission-nasa-2024-2">Business Insider,</a> when the spacecraft touched down on the moon, it stopped communicating with mission control.The recent moon-landing scoreboard is "4 to 0.5" in favor of China, Simone Dell'Agnello, a researcher who collaborated with Chang'e 6, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/historic-moon-mission-gets-china-one-small-step-ahead-in-space-race-41894d41">The Wall Street Journal. </a>"The first difference is that China has missions landing on the fucking moon."<h2 id="31daf330-3f01-460b-9b3b-5b7588f74167">The space race heats up</h2>China is now rivaling the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-beat-us-race-moon-lunar-lander-peregrine-fuel-leak-2024-1">US and Russia as a leading space power. </a>It has its own manned space station, Tiangong, and in 2022 became the second country after the US to land a robotic vehicle on the surface of Mars.Analysts believe that China's leader, Xi Jinping, sees huge economic and military opportunities in space. China is planning to send a crewed flight to the moon by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-beat-us-race-moon-lunar-lander-peregrine-fuel-leak-2024-1">2030 and build a base at the lunar south pole.</a>The US is gearing up for its own space exploration missions and has rival plans to land a crewed flight on the moon and build a base.The head of NASA, Bill Nelson, has said that the US and China are involved in a new "space race" and that China's research missions are being used for covert military activity.He said that China seems to be accelerating its plans to send a crewed flight to the moon."It is incumbent on us to get there first," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5115651/nasa-administrator-race-chine-south-pole-moon">told Congress in April.</a>At stake are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4783/1">water supplies scientists believe may be on the moon's far side</a>, which China could claim. These supplies would be vital for establishing a moon base or for further space exploration.Pentagon officials have warned that China is seeking to potentially disable US satellites if a war breaks out between them.China has insisted its space program is for the benefit of humanity.But it's also a race for control of economic resources and military power in the intensifying rivalry between the US and China.

China's historic moon mission is just the start of its plans to dominate space

8 major differences between the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' movie and the nonfiction book it's based on

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have the most convincing evidence yet of an underground cave <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">on the moon</a>. </li><li>The large cave could be a safe, warm place for astronauts to work and live.</li></ul>In the ongoing effort to establish a permanent base on the moon where humans can live and work, scientists have discovered a possible game changer: a large <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/france-group-spends-40-days-in-cave-with-no-clocks-or-sunlight-2021-4">underground cave</a>.For decades, scientists have suspected <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-three-moon-missions-after-discovering-new-lunar-mineral-2022-9">the moon</a> may harbor caves below its surface. Now, a new paper from a team of researchers offers the most convincing evidence yet."Lunar caves have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vanishing-radio-signals-mystery-objects-in-milky-way-galaxy-center-2022-1">remained a mystery</a> for over 50 years. So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence," the authors Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento told the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-caves-nasa-astronauts-2dc57751f41a6e24f377c2259e8668ba#">Associated Press</a>.The team speculates that, given how they think this cave formed, there could be hundreds more hidden under the lunar surface. Instead of building homes on the moon, we could inhabit the existing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-hole-whats-inside-possible-alien-life-home-for-astronauts-2024-6">caverns beneath it</a>."Caves like this provide natural shelters against harmful radiation, extremes in temperature, and meteorite bombardment," Wes Patterson, a planetary geologist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and a co-author on the study, told Business Insider via email."While making caves habitable for astronauts would still require bringing materials from Earth, the task would be far easier and more cost-effective than having to build habitats on the surface," he added.<h2 id="b239c3e0-e708-4387-89f3-2e42feb7d927">How such a large cave formed on the moon</h2><div type="image" title="The surface of the moon covered in holes, with a line of pits running down the right of the photo." height="1100" width="1100" msid="111794197" hostid="261"></div>Judging from the data, the researchers estimate the cave is about 150 feet wide and up to 260 feet long, which is slightly smaller than an American football field with the end zones cut off.The cave sits deep within <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-teenager-digs-underground-man-cave-after-fight-with-mom-2021-5">a pit</a> called the Mare Tranquillitatis pit, which most likely formed when a lava tube collapsed. The moon has no active volcanoes today, but billions of years ago, its surface was covered with lava that flowed down and through valleys, carving tubes across the lunar surface.Over millennia, some of those tubes became unstable and collapsed, creating pits such as the one the research team studied from radar images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. We don't have a clear picture of what the caves look like inside, but <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hawaii-man-fell-into-lava-tube-died-2019-11">lava tubes</a> such as those in Hawaii can offer some idea.NASA's LRO has identified more than 200 of these pits on the moon, suggesting there could be hundreds of underground caves, too. The researchers reported in the paper, which was published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=bb6d000940fa14eb3f866c8bd4b27e186b935a9a9e3791c4417a6d2313e44a7b&amp;postID=66968022c87a0f570985895c&amp;postSlug=scientists-discover-underground-moon-cave-astronauts-could-live-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41550-024-02302-y%3Futm_medium%3Daffiliate%26utm_source%3Dcommission_junction%26utm_campaign%3DCONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PBOK_ALWYS_DEEPLINK%26utm_content%3Dtextlink%26utm_term%3DPID100024933%26CJEVENT%3De70f4b97443911ef80a303610a82b839">Nature Astronomy</a>, that these caves could offer future astronauts protection against the extreme conditions on the moon's surface.<h2 id="eb3ecc6a-7871-4cb5-9860-0b7c7de2ed4d">The pros and cons of living in moon caves</h2><div type="image" title="A pit on the moon with a shadow cast over the bottom of it." height="415" width="415" msid="111794198" hostid="261"></div>Because the moon has no atmosphere to help regulate climate, its surface has drastic temperature swings. During the day, the sun's heat bakes the lunar surface to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and at night, it can dip below -200 F.But in underground caves, the temperature would be both consistent and, as indicated by past research, very comfortable.In a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022GL099710">2022 study</a> of the same region — Mare Tranquillitatis — a separate team of researchers used computer simulations to suggest that permanently shadowed regions within these lunar pits, and any adjacent caves, would remain at about 63 F."These caves would provide an environment where temperature is much easier to control," Patterson said.Reaching these pits and caves is another matter. The cave inside Mare Tranquillitatis is more than 400 feet from the surface near the bottom of a steep slope lined with loose debris.Getting up and down that slope would require some technological ingenuity, whether it's jet packs that can fly us in and out, some type of lunar elevator that can shuttle people up and down, or something else.<h2 id="0f5166c7-ccb7-47f3-90eb-eaab140eb646">To the moon cave and beyond</h2><div type="image" title="A person in a white spacesuit watering a plant on a mock-up of the moon's surface, with an image of Earth in the background." height="1414" width="2121" msid="111794195" hostid="261"></div>Radar technology could help scientists identify even more caves and tubes extending from open pits on the moon's surface. In the future, a spacecraft with a higher-resolution radar could even map the interior of all the pits LRO has identified, the Nature paper says.Such a "complete survey" would allow them to assess the best locations for further exploration and future moon bases, the researchers wrote.There's also a chance that moon caves harbor water, a crucial resource for any future moon bases.Scientists have long known there's frozen water on the moon — just under its surface, in its permanently shadowed craters, and even in lonely H2O molecules sprinkled across the sunlit lunar dirt, less moist than the Sahara Desert.Since underground caves are shielded from the merciless vacuum of space and the radiation of the sun, they could have water or ice, Bruzzone told the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-16/cave-discovered-on-the-moon/104102032">Australian Broadcasting Corporation</a>.Access to lunar water is key to NASA's plans to establish a permanent base on the moon and, eventually, use it to hopscotch astronauts to Mars. Water wouldn't just be for drinking; it could also be broken down into its elementary components — hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen for breathing.Bruzzone and his coauthors also noted that caves and lava tubes of different ages might act like fossilized records of the moon's history. Eventually, exploring them up close could help scientists better understand volcanic activity.

Scientists found an underground cave on the moon where astronauts could live and think there may be hundreds more

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Fly Me to the Moon" is a romance about a publicist and the NASA director during the space race.</li><li>The pair film a fake moon landing in case NASA's mission fails.</li></ul>"Fly Me to the Moon," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scarlett-johansson-controversy-timeline-most-divisive-moments">Scarlett Johansson</a> and Channing Tatum's new romantic comedy-drama about faking the moon landing, is fictional but draws on some true historical events.The film is set in the 1960s and follows marketing expert Kelly Jones (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-disney-paid-scarlett-johansson-black-widow-other-marvel-stars">Johansson</a>) as she tries to garner support from the American public for NASA's moon mission.The White House eventually tasks Kelly with filming a fake moon landing in case the real one fails. Apollo 11 spaceship launch director Cole Davis (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/channing-tatum-zoe-kravitz-relationship-timeline-photos-2022-2">Tatum</a>) opposes Kelly's plan, believing it will discredit NASA's efforts.This storyline leans into the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/believing-conspiracy-theories-makes-people-feel-special-2017-9">conspiracy theory</a> that NASA faked the US moon landing in 1969.The theory began to spread in 1976 when Bill Kaysing, a writer who briefly worked at a rocket engine company, published a book called "We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle," which claimed that the government <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">faked the moon landing</a> to compete with the USSR.Though NASA has denied this claim, it has become embedded in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stanley-kubrick-fake-moon-landing-2016-7">pop culture</a>.Greg Berlanti, the director of the new film, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fly-me-to-the-moon-cast-director-conspiracy-theory-moon-landing-1235943530/">The Hollywood Reporter</a> on Monday that the movie is really about the importance of the truth."When you see the movie, without giving away the ending, you realize that so much of it is about why the truth is important," Berlanti said. "And so I think I was fine to take on an OG conspiracy theory, knowing that in the end, what we were really trying to say why the truth matters." Berlanti told <a target="_blank" href="https://ew.com/scarlett-johansson-fly-me-to-the-moon-fought-to-get-made-8640847">Entertainment Weekly</a> in May that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-no-plans-to-use-spacex-dragon-rescue-stranded-astronauts-2024-7">NASA</a> gave the production team their blessing and allowed them to film at Cape Kennedy in Florida, where Apollo 11 launched in 1969.Here are the accurate moments in "Fly Me To The Moon."<h2 id="000a1544-057c-4171-84e9-4ea258e1c324">Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins are the few characters in the movie based on real-life figures</h2><div type="image" title="Channing Tatum standing in front of a memorial for three NASA astronauts." height="880" width="1173" msid="111691201" hostid="261" sizebytes="33496"></div>The lead characters in "Fly Me To The Moon," Kelly and Cole, appear to be fictional. However, the movie does feature some real-life figures.Nick Dillenburg, Christian Zuber, and Colin Woodell play Apollo 11 astronauts <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-was-neil-armstrong-the-first-person-on-the-moon-2014-7">Neil Armstrong</a>, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin: the first humans to land on the moon.The movie also features NASA astronauts Ed White, Roger Chaffee, and Gus Grissom. In real life and in the movie, they died in a cabin fire in 1967 during a launch rehearsal test for the Apollo 1 spaceship.The final two real-life figures in the movie are former USSR president Nikita Khrushchev and Yuri Gargarin, the first man to travel to space in 1961.<h2 id="6dc9434f-3c0d-4634-ae25-be32618970c7">NASA used a public relations campaign promote the space program</h2><div type="image" title="Channing Tatum and Ray Romano stand next to each other with headsets in a crowded room that represents NASA mission control." height="1333" width="1777" msid="111691207" hostid="261" sizebytes="92836"></div>Kelly didn't exist, but NASA had an extensive public relations campaign to promote the space program in the 1960s.At the time, the US was fighting the Vietnam War, dealing with racial tensions during the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-history-month-explained-origins-themes-colors-2023-1">civil rights movement</a>, and worrying about a potential nuclear war with the USSR.So officials had to persuade the public that the space program was worth the money.According to David Meerman Scott and Richard Jurek's book, "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=bi-auto-70681-20&amp;h=4cbc5dfaf49d314cbc588f1f52bf93f49e4cd063a7649128ae2ff27faeef832c&amp;postID=668d5aaa7d643e28300b5e08&amp;postSlug=fly-me-to-the-moon-true-story-fake-landing-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMarketing-Moon-Selling-Apollo-Program%2Fdp%2F0262026961">Marketing the Moon</a>," NASA decided to promote facts about space travel through methods including press releases and educational programs to get the public interested. NASA thought being transparent would win the public over.<h2 id="20bed00b-5543-41ea-8b16-95309a3448e2">Television networks did simulate part of the space flight, but the landing was not faked</h2><div type="image" title="Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum stand in front of a big television camera." height="1229" width="1639" msid="111691203" hostid="261" sizebytes="89480"></div>NASA's PR team helped television stations broadcast live footage of part of Apollo 11's flight.Television networks used models to simulate the rest of the space flight when live footage was unavailable. But there's no evidence to suggests NASA or any network tried to fake the moon landing.A television camera was mounted on the side of Apollo 11 to capture Armstrong's first steps on the moon, and the rest is history."Fly Me to the Moon" is out now in theaters.

'Fly Me to the Moon' explores the ultimate space race conspiracy theory. Here's what's fact and fiction in the movie.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA and Intuitive Machines' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-intuitive-machines-moon-landing-attempt-after-astrobotic-fail-2024-2">IM-1 mission</a> landed on the moon on Thursday.</li><li>This is NASA's first return to the lunar surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972.</li></ul>An American moon lander touched down on the lunar surface for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">first time in more than 50 years</a> on Thursday.The uncrewed Odysseus lander, made by the Houston company Intuitive Machines in collaboration with NASA, claimed a major victory not just for the US but for the space industry at large: It's the first commercial spacecraft to ever <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-moon-landings-on-lunar-south-pole-crashed-2023-8">land on the moon without crashing</a>. The past five years have racked up a series of failed moon landings — by Russia, India, Japan, an Israeli nonprofit, a Japanese company, and, just last month, the NASA collaborator <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astrobotic-moon-lander-leaking-fuel-after-launch-threatening-mission-2024-1">Astrobotic</a>. Everyone is scrambling to get their feet on the moon in a new race to claim lunar territory and resources.The success of Odysseus brings NASA and its commercial partners, finally, to the front of the 21st century's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">mad moon dash</a>.There were some initial complications in the landing. When the spacecraft touched down on the moon, it stopped communication with mission control.<div type="image" title="Illustration of Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft attempting moon landing" height="604" width="1094" msid="107926875" hostid="261"></div>"We're not dead yet," the mission director, Tim Crain, said on NASA's livestream of the landing. "It's faint, but it's there."A couple of hours later, however, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1760838333851148442">Intuitive Machines</a> announced on X it had established communications and learned the spacecraft had landed upright on the moon."After troubleshooting communications, flight controllers have confirmed Odysseus is upright and starting to send data. Right now, we are working to downlink the first images from the lunar surface," the private company wrote on X.<h2>The Odysseus lander's odyssey so far</h2>Odysseus launched atop a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">SpaceX</a> rocket on February 14, carrying 12 payloads — six of them belonging to private companies and six of them science experiments for NASA.The spacecraft traveled 620,000 miles to aim for its destination: a crater in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientist-microbial-life-hiding-on-moon-south-pole-2023-6">moon's south pole</a>.On Thursday, however, the landing was delayed about 45 minutes after the lander's navigation system failed.Intuitive Machines mission controllers scrambled to upload software patches that instructed the lander to instead use a system of navigation lasers that NASA had loaded on board. The NASA laser system was meant to be a demo to see whether the technology even worked — not to guide the landing on its own.As Odysseus plummeted to the lunar surface and tilted itself to point the lasers toward the lunar surface to map it out, everything seemed to be going well. But the lander fell out of communication in the final moments of its descent to the lunar surface.Intuitive Machines mission control reported that it was receiving pings from the lander, which meant it touched down at about 6:24 p.m. ET, intact and alive.It's unclear whether the touchdown issues were related to the navigation-system failure.<h2>A race to the moon's south pole</h2>The IM-1 mission was designed to get NASA and Intuitive Machines closer to the moon's south pole than anyone had ever been before.The US — along with its commercial and international allies — is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">racing against China and Russia</a> to establish a permanent base in this lunar region. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientists-discover-moons-hidden-water-stores-2020-10">moon's south pole</a> is so coveted because it contains water frozen in its permanently shadowed craters. In theory, NASA (and anyone else who claims a crater) could use that water to produce fresh rocket fuel from their lunar base.With that fuel, astronauts could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-made-oxygen-out-of-thin-air-on-mars-2023-9">launch toward Mars</a> from the surface of the moon.Adding a lunar pitstop to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-seeking-applicants-mars-simulation-habitat-live-year-2024-2">mission to Mars</a> would mean the spacecraft doesn't have to leave Earth with all the fuel required to make it to the red planet.Until now, only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-moon-rover-to-collect-first-samples-lunar-south-pole-2023-8">India</a> had solidly landed in the moon's south-pole region.<h2>Landing on the moon is tricky and expensive</h2>Landing on the moon is no easy feat. The US isn't the only nation to have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-moon-lander-peregrine-burn-up-earth-atmosphere-satellite-astrobotic-2024-1">tried and failed</a> in previous attempts.India found success several years after crashing during its first attempt. Russia's lunar lander was destroyed in a crash in August, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-moon-probe-landed-upside-down-still-works-2024-1">Japan's landed upside down</a> in January.<div type="image" title="The IM-1 mission spacecraft floating in space with Earth in the background." height="945" width="1260" msid="107926876" hostid="261"></div>"Spaceflight is hard. A million things have to go right, and if one thing goes wrong, you can still have a failure," Trent Martin, the vice president of Intuitive Machines' space systems, said during a NASA press briefing last month.In fact, only about 50% of lunar landing missions succeed. While technology has advanced a lot since Apollo, the moon's treacherous terrain and distance from Earth make failure pretty likely.<h2>Space exploration goes commercial</h2>The IM-1 mission is part of NASA's new deep-space strategy.Through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, the government space agency can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">outsource spacecraft design to private companies</a>, such as Intuitive Machines.The idea is that companies build the hardware, and NASA hitches a ride, saving taxpayer money and giving the agency more options.IM-1 wasn't the first time NASA has done this. For its last lunar-landing attempt in January, NASA partnered with the Pittsburgh company Astrobotic Technology to send its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-moon-lander-peregrine-burn-up-earth-atmosphere-satellite-astrobotic-2024-1">Peregrine spacecraft</a> to the moon. But the mission didn't succeed.<div type="image" title="Earth photographed by the Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander." height="945" width="1260" msid="107926877" hostid="261"></div>NASA has several CLPS missions scheduled over the next two years, including two more with Intuitive Machines.In Intuitive Machines' next mission, its spacecraft is scheduled to launch toward the moon's south pole again in 2024, this time to deliver a drill designed to dig down into a ridge near the Shackleton crater to look for ice.Even later this year, a different Intuitive Machines spacecraft is scheduled to head to the western edge of the moon's near side. In that mission, it's targeting a specific geographic feature named a "lunar swirl" that has a localized magnetic field.So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

NASA is back on the moon &mdash; with the first commercial lunar landing ever

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Eating lots of plant-based protein can help you build lean muscle and boost gut health.</li><li>Gut health experts recommend eating 30 different plant foods a week.</li></ul>A plant-based personal trainer shared three recipes that help her reach her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need">protein</a>, fiber, and plant diversity goals in one.Sophie Waplington, who is based in the UK and is also a recipe developer, told Business Insider she buys the same staple ingredients each week, such as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/follow-blue-zone-diet-high-protein-no-meat-2023-9">beans, nuts, chickpeas, tofu, and seeds</a>, and switches up her fruit and veggies according to what's in season.These plant-based staples <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gi-doctor-shares-3-tips-to-eat-more-fiber-without-bloating-or-gas-2024-5">contain fiber</a>, which feeds the "good" microbes in the gut, but are also good sources of protein. This helps Waplington build muscle and care for her gut health without too much thought."The beauty of being 100% plant-based is you don't really have to think about fiber that much because all of your plant protein sources contain fiber as well as your vegetables, your fruits, your veggies," she said.Research suggests that the wider the variety of plants you eat the healthier your gut microbiome — the trillions of microbes that live in the gut — tends to be. Gut health experts recommend aiming for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plant-based-shopping-list-dietitian-no-meal-prep-2024-3">30 plants a week</a>. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gut-health-boost-overall-digestion-better-moods-2024-7">A diverse gut microbiome</a> is linked to many health benefits beyond just better digestion, from a stronger immune system to a healthier brain.Meanwhile, getting enough protein is essential for health, but particularly if you're looking to build or maintain muscle. The US government recommends women get a minimum of around 46 grams of protein per day, rising to 56g for men — or around 0.36 g of protein per pound of body weight. But data suggests getting<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-protein-maximize-muscle-gains-2022-9https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-protein-maximize-muscle-gains-2022-9"> 0.7 grams per pound is ideal</a> for building lean muscle.Waplington shared three high-protein recipes that will get you to 30 plants a week in no time.Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine said the recipes were great for getting in lots of vegetables as well as lean protein and fiber. "There are lots of different flavors involved (spices count as plants!), and I approve of the serving suggestion, too," she told BI via email.<h2 id="5ba62947-bb6a-4b38-9202-c11300f70913">One-pan 'English breakfast' beans</h2><div type="image" title="Waplington's one-pan 'English breakfast' beans. Pictured is a bowl of white beans in sauce, garnished with tomatoes and fresh herbs." height="5308" width="3981" msid="112626600" hostid="261" sizebytes="1629552"></div>Serves: Four generouslyTotal time: 35 to 40 minutesProtein per serving: 21gPlant count: nineIngredients:<ul><li>1 white onion, sliced</li><li>1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced into half-moons</li><li>4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed</li><li>250g (9oz) chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped</li><li>5 garlic cloves, minced</li><li>2 tsp smoked paprika</li><li>1 tsp ground cumin</li><li>1 tsp ground coriander</li><li>700g (1lb 9oz) white beans, plus their juices (if the bean juice is not salted, add ½ vegetable stock cube, crumbled)</li><li>3 to 4 medium tomatoes, sliced</li></ul>For the scramble sauce:<ul><li>35g (1¼oz) cashews or sunflower seeds</li><li>280g (10oz) silken tofu</li><li>20g (¾oz) nutritional yeast</li><li>1 garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic powder</li><li>1 tsp smoked paprika</li><li>1 tbsp sweet white miso</li><li>1 tbsp lemon juice</li><li>1 tsp Dijon mustard</li><li>Salt and black pepper</li></ul>To serve:<ul><li>Freshly chopped chives</li><li>Sourdough toast</li></ul>Method:<ol><li>Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.</li></ol><ol start="2"><li>In an ovenproof casserole dish on a medium heat, fry the onion and leeks in plenty of extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper for eight minutes or until it starts caramelizing.</li></ol><ol start="3"><li>Add the mushrooms and more salt, and fry until the water has evaporated. Add the garlic and spices, and more oil if needed. Fry for another two minutes until aromatic.</li></ol><ol start="4"><li>Add the beans and their juices. At this point, if you don't want to use the bean water, you can replace it with 100ml (3½fl oz) hot water, with the veg stock cube dissolved in it. Stir to combine and season to taste.</li></ol><ol start="5"><li>In a small blender cup, blend all the ingredients for the scramble sauce together. Add a little water if needed to loosen the sauce slightly so it's a pourable consistency. Add to the pan. Stir well and season to taste, adding a little more lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed.</li></ol><ol start="6"><li>Heat the grill to its top setting, then arrange the tomatoes on top of the dish, drizzle with olive oil, and add a little salt, then transfer to the top rack and grill for around six to 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to catch a small char. This will vary greatly depending on the size of your pan, the strength of your oven, and placement near the top of the grill, so do keep an eye on it as the tomatoes can burn very quickly.</li></ol><ol start="7"><li>Top with fresh chives and serve with sourdough toast.</li></ol><h2 id="278902ef-74fc-4d64-ad2e-ba84ced29913">Tofu Power Bowl with quinoa, broccoli, and edamame</h2><div type="image" title="Waplington's tofu power bowl with quinoa, broccoli, and edamame. Pictured is a bowl of crispy tofu, edamame, and other vegetables from above." height="1494" width="1179" msid="112626596" hostid="261" sizebytes="199974"></div>Serves: TwoTotal time: 30 minsProtein per serving: 34gPlant count: 10Ingredients:<ul><li>300g firm tofu</li><li>2 tsp cornstarch</li><li>150g broccoli (Waplingston uses Tenderstem)</li><li>1-2 spring onions, white parts finely chopped</li><li>60g edamame</li><li>150g dried tricolor quinoa, cooked</li><li>1/2 a vegan stock cube or 1/2 a tbsp vegetable bullion</li></ul>For the sauce:<ul><li>2 tbsp sriracha</li><li>2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari</li><li>1 tsp crushed garlic, 1 tsp crushed ginger</li><li>juice of one lime</li><li>1/2 tsp sesame oil</li></ul>To serve:<ul><li>Sesame seeds</li><li>Coriander leaves</li><li>Fresh chiles</li><li>Avocado slices</li></ul>Method:<ol><li>Put the quinoa on to boil in a medium saucepan, and cook according to the packet instructions with half a tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder or the half a stock cube.</li></ol><ol start="2"><li>In a small bowl, mix the sauce marinade ingredients together and set aside.</li></ol><ol start="3"><li>Press the tofu, or give it a good squeeze, wrapped in kitchen paper or a tea towel. Break the tofu into small chunks with your hands.</li></ol><ol start="4"><li>Toss in the cornstarch and fry in a non-stick saucepan on a medium heat in olive oil for a few minutes, turning every now and then until the edges are golden. Add the spicy salty sauce you mixed up earlier, cover well and turn down the heat. Move the chunks around the pan until the sauce is thick and glossy. Take off the heat.</li></ol><ol start="5"><li>Lightly fry off the broccoli and spring onion until bright green, in olive oil with a pinch of salt.</li></ol><ol start="6"><li>Assemble quinoa first, then broccoli, tofu, and the toppings.</li></ol><h2 id="2f7671d4-b4ba-4b1d-a5f7-27ed1e884857">Ultimate chickpea smash sandwiches</h2><div type="image" title="Waplington's ultimate chickpea smash sandwiches pictured. She is holding two sandwiches, one on top of the other, on a blue plate." height="1551" width="904" msid="112626859" hostid="261" sizebytes="100586"></div>Serves: Makes three sandwichesTotal time: 20 minsProtein per serving: 44gPlant count: 11Ingredients:<ul><li>200g (4 oz) firm smoked tofu</li><li>2 to 3 medium-large tomatoes</li><li>6 to 8 lettuce leaves</li><li>1 large ripe avocado</li><li>6 slices of wholewheat sourdough bread</li><li>6 tbsp plant-based (or other) cream cheese</li></ul>For the chickpea smash mixture:<ul><li>480g (1lb 1oz) chickpeas from a can or jar, drained and rinsed</li><li>4 spring onions, finely chopped</li><li>3 tbsp tahini</li><li>2 tsp Dijon mustard</li><li>2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar</li><li>1 tbsp chopped red chile (optional)</li><li>3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley</li><li>Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)</li><li>½ tsp salt, plus more to taste</li><li>Lots of freshly ground black pepper</li></ul>Method:<ol><li>In a large mixing bowl, combine all the chickpea smash ingredients and mash with a potato masher or fork until they are well mixed. Season to taste. Leave in the fridge whilst you prep the rest.</li></ol><ol start="2"><li>Thinly slice the tofu, tomato, and avocado. Separate, wash, and dry the lettuce leaves.</li></ol><ol start="3"><li>Toast the sourdough, then drizzle with a little olive oil and season with a small pinch of sea salt.</li></ol><ol start="4"><li>Layer three slices of sourdough with the chickpea smash, then the remaining slices with the cream cheese, then the lettuce leaves, tomato slices, tofu and avocado slices. Carefully sandwich the two layers together, wrap up, slice down the middle with a serrated knife.</li></ol>

3 quick, high-protein plant-based recipes that help a personal trainer build muscle and boost her gut health  

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">China</a> could be ready to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-three-moon-missions-after-discovering-new-lunar-mineral-2022-9">start building its lunar base</a> within five years, scientists said.</li><li>China has made major strides in space exploration, recently launching its own <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-rocket-body-falling-to-earth-this-weekend-2022-11">crewed space station</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">China wants to begin building a base on the moon</a> with the help of lunar soil within five years, Chinese media reported. The news comes just months after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-bill-nelson-warns-china-claim-moon-territory-lunar-resources-2023-1">NASA administrator Bill Nelson warned</a> that China may want to claim resource-rich areas of the moon for itself. At the first conference on the topic, more than 100 scientists from domestic universities gathered to discuss plans for the country's crewed moon base at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan on Saturday, according to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3216684/chinese-scientists-hold-first-conference-discuss-building-crewed-moon-base">reporting</a> by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), an English-language newspaper based in Hong Kong.Ding Lieyun, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in an interview with local newspaper Changjiang Daily that China could be ready to place the first brick on the moon within five years, per the SCMP."We will be using <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-lunar-rover-found-thick-dust-on-moon-far-side-2020-2">real moon soil</a> to make the first brick right there on the moon," he added, per SCMP.<div type="image" title="moon footprint" height="768" width="1024" msid="99474305" hostid="261" sizebytes="186366"></div>Ding has been working on a robot named Chinese Super Mason that can turn lunar soil into brick. These could be used to make habitats on the moon using traditional Chinese building techniques, he said.NASA has its own plan to build a permanent base on the lunar south pole. The agency plans to mine resources like water ice on the moon in order to create fuel, water, and even oxygen on-site.But NASA doesn't have a clear timeline for building that base yet. It has set an ambitious goal of landing astronauts on the lunar surface in 2025, but construction could come years after that.For China, it looks like they plan to build first, and send humans later. Though the first brick may be coming to the moon within the decade, as a technology test on the Chang'e 8 mission, it could take a lot longer for humans to settle there, said Yu Dengyun, from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, per SCMP"It might take us 20 to 30 years or longer to eventually <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-accords-deep-space-exploration-moon-mars-asteroids-comets-2020-10">settle down on the moon</a>, but we must start working together now," Yu told the conference, per SCMP. <h2>China has made incredible progress in space</h2><div type="image" title="China said it's sending a new batch of astronauts in the coming days to space station Tiangong as it nears completion. Here, students watch a televised lecture by three astronauts currently on Tiangong on March 23, 2022." height="2490" width="3320" msid="99474306" hostid="261" sizebytes="440974"></div>China, the US, and their respective allies are vying to get to the moon first this decade. This is not only for the glory and scientific interest. Getting there first could poise either nation to claim territory or set precedent for other practices, like resource mining, for the new era of exploration on the moon and beyond to Mars."It is a fact: we're in a space race," Nelson <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/01/we-better-watch-out-nasa-boss-sounds-alarm-on-chinese-moon-ambitions-00075803" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously told Politico</a>. "And it is true that we better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'"NASA has tried to get other space-faring nations on the same page through the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-accords-deep-space-exploration-moon-mars-asteroids-comets-2020-10">Artemis Accords</a>, a non-binding agreement to be peaceful, transparent, cooperative, and to use space resources sustainably as humans expand to the moon and beyond.<div type="image" title="mars astronaut" height="2569" width="2500" msid="99474308" hostid="261" sizebytes="231056"></div>Twenty-two countries have signed the Artemis Accords, but Russia and China are not among them. In any case, NASA is legally prohibited from collaborating with China ever since Congress <a href="https://www.congress.gov/112/plaws/publ10/PLAW-112publ10.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the agency from doing so in 2011.Nobody can truly own the moon, but international outer-space law is a wide-open field that will probably change drastically as the US, China, and others set up permanent bases on the moon.The moon is seen as a strategic objective for space exploration, as it could become a pit stop for rockets <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientists-discover-moons-hidden-water-stores-2020-10">on their way to Mars.</a><div type="image" title="spaceship with moon looming in the background" height="1536" width="2048" msid="99474309" hostid="261" sizebytes="143628"></div>In 2021, China officially announced its plans to build the <a href="https://www.insider.com/china-and-russia-are-building-a-lunar-space-station-together-2021-3">International Lunar Research Station</a> in cooperation with Russia. This aims to be fully autonomous at first, with robots carrying out tasks such as exploiting local resources.China's progress towards space has been "stunning" <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-moon-mission-lunar-landing-far-side-change4-2018-12">in recent years</a>, Space Force Lieutenant General Nina Armagno <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/china-poses-increasing-threat-military-space-race-top-us-general-says-2022-11-28/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said last November.</a>This includes landing a rover on the far side of the moon <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-moon-mission-change4-dark-side-chinese-future-2019-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">for the first time</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-zhurong-rover-mars-photos-2021-5">getting rovers, landers, and orbiters to Mars</a>, and building its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taikonauts-return-from-mission-to-chinas-new-space-station-2021-9">own space station</a> in Earth's orbit."I think it's entirely possible they could catch up and surpass us, absolutely," Armagno said, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/china-poses-increasing-threat-military-space-race-top-us-general-says-2022-11-28/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Reuters. </a><div type="image" title="A man in heavy clothing looks at a charred probe resting on the frozen ground. In the foreground is a Chinese flag flapping in the wind." height="1333" width="1778" msid="99474311" hostid="261" sizebytes="171162"></div>China's government said last month it aims to bring its taikonauts to the moon by the <a href="https://spacenews.com/china-unveils-lunar-lander-to-put-astronauts-on-the-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">end of the decade.</a>The US is on its own path to bring back boots on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">moon in the coming years</a>.For example, NASA recently had success with its first mission to the moon — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-megarocket-launches-orion-spaceship-toward-moon-2022-11">Artemis I </a>— that brought its SLS mega-rocket around the moon and back. The agency wants to build its own station orbiting the moon, as well as an Artemis lunar base.

China could start building a moon base with lunar-soil bricks in 5 years, amid NASA fears of a moon territory dispute

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Astronauts could one day hop a train on the moon.</li><li>DARPA, the famed US research agency, has asked a firm to come up with a lunar railroad concept. </li></ul>Astronauts may one day be able to hop on a train to travel the moon's surface.DARPA, the US Defense Department's secretive research agency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.space.com/darpa-moon-tech-study-future-lunar-economy">has been tasked</a> with figuring out how to support astronauts who could soon be living on the moon for extended periods.The plans are highly hypothetical — there are currently no permanent structures on the moon at all, and no people have been there since 1972.But the US and other nations want to get people on the moon once again, and that would require futuristic infrastructure to provide reliable power, comms, and transport.As part of this mission, DARPA tasked US aerospace and defense tech firm Northrop Grumman to develop a concept for a lunar railway.If realized, this railroad could transport people, supplies, and commercial cargo on the moon, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-to-develop-concept-for-lunar-railroad">Northrop Grumman</a> said in a statement Tuesday.The firm will not be building the railway but figuring out if it is physically and financially possible.They will have to find clever ideas to sidestep the moon's brutal landscape. Abrasive lunar dust, for one, can ruin tracks and transporters, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/general/float-flexible-levitation-on-a-track/">NASA previously said</a>.NASA previously investigated a concept for a magnetic levitating train called FLOAT to avoid that problem. In that concept, electromagnetic tracks shuttled levitating robots carrying cargo back and forth.<div type="image" title="An artist's illustration shows solar panels laid out in tracks on the moon. On top of these are robotic trays carrying lunar dust to a lunar base seen in the distance." height="2070" width="2693" msid="108651514" hostid="261" sizebytes="350880"></div>The study found the concept was doable, but required more investigation, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2023/08/16/darpa-to-explore-technology-needed-for-moon-based-economy/">per Breaking Defense.</a> It's not clear whether Northrop Grumman intends to pursue that idea or come up with something else.Though this may all sound like science fiction, it's not as far-fetched as you might think.NASA has a longterm plan underway to get people on the moon. The Artemis program kicked off with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-orion-spaceship-enters-moon-orbit-progress-toward-astronauts-2022-11">a flight around the moon in 2022.</a>Its ultimate aim is to establish astronauts on the moon and Mars, setting the groundwork for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">commercial exploitation</a> of the solar system.For the next Artemis mission, the agency aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-shares-progress-toward-early-artemis-moon-missions-with-crew/#:~:text=NASA%20will%20now%20target%20September,remains%20on%20track%20for%202028.">by the end of 2025</a>.Commercial partners, meanwhile, are already thinking of ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/marshall/nasa-geologist-paves-the-way-for-building-on-the-moon/">mine the moon.</a>This could provide building materials, water that could be used to power rockets toward Mars, and Helium-3 — a precious isotope that could be used in fusion reactors.NASA and other space agencies have also been looking at putting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rolls-royce-concept-nuclear-reactor-could-power-colony-on-moon-2023-12">miniature nuclear reactors</a> on the moon to power the bases. Plans also include putting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-gps-on-moon-nasa-esa-artemis-plans-to-fix-2023-1">comms and GPS satellites</a> in the moon's orbit to allow astronauts to navigate, talk — and even stream — from the lunar surface.Before this can happen, however, NASA needs to sort out the problem of getting astronauts to the moon from Earth. At this juncture, this depends on SpaceX and Blue Origins finessing their experimental mega-rockets.Elon Musk's Starship last week <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starship-launch-success-elon-musk-vision-cheap-space-travel-closer-2024-3">passed a milestone</a> when the almost 400-foot-tall rocket flew in space for the first time. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, for its part, aims to launch its behemoth <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-new-glenn-move-faster-2023-12">New Glenn</a> by the end of this year.

All aboard the moon train: DARPA is trying to figure out how to build a lunar railroad

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Billionaires, like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, and their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">space businesses are racing to the moon.</a></li><li>A few treaties have set norms for space exploration between countries, but there are no hard rules.</li></ul>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-jeff-bezos-space-exploration-colonization-save-earth-2024-3">space business</a> is in bloom and, so far, it's largely unregulated.A commercial <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intuitive-machines-ceo-safety-switch-almost-lost-odysseus-moon-landing-2024-2">spacecraft touched down on the moon</a> for the first time last month, in a NASA-sponsored mission by the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines.Then last week, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starship-elon-musk-rocket-launch-flight-three-2024-3">SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket finally launched into space</a> and cruised above Earth without exploding.<div type="image" title="A video still shows SpaceX's Starship starting its launch to space. The behemoth mega-rocket is engulfed in smoke in flames as it takes off." height="1080" width="1920" msid="108733448" hostid="261" sizebytes="36012"></div>Both achievements were major leaps forward for NASA's new moon program, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface using Starship. In fact, NASA's biggest plans — to replace the aging space station, establish a permanent base on the moon, and send astronauts to Mars — depend on companies like SpaceX or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-risk-blue-origin-rocket-2021-6">Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin</a>.But the billionaires helming those companies have even bigger plans.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-paid-250000-to-a-flight-attendant-who-accused-elon-musk-of-sexual-misconduct-2022-5">Elon Musk</a> has said he plans to fly 1,000 Starships to build and populate a city on Mars. Bezos envisions a trillion people living in giant space stations across the solar system.Other space startups have ambitions including asteroid mining, in vitro <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-tourists-sex-pregnancy-risk-2023-8">fertilization (IVF) in space</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/voyager-station-first-ever-space-hotel-set-open-in-2027-2021-3">space hotels</a>.<div type="image" title="An artist's concept of what lunar mining could look like. An astronaut is seen taking measurements in the foreground while rovers and various instruments are in the background of the illustration. The scene is set on the surface of the moon." height="675" width="1200" msid="108733450" hostid="261" sizebytes="46098"></div>What's to stop companies from putting giant advertisements on the face of the moon? Or industrializing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blueprints-giant-telescopes-moon-nasa-astronomers-2024-2">craters that scientists want to use for telescopes</a>? Or mining a single <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-visit-psyche-asteroid-worth-more-than-entire-world-economy-2023-10">asteroid for $100 quintillion</a> worth of precious metals, bringing it back to Earth for sale, and destabilizing the global economy? What will keep the budding deep-space industry in check?"There isn't anything specifically enforceable," Mai'a Cross, a professor of international affairs and diplomacy at Northeastern University, told Business Insider.There are no laws or regulations for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">moon landings</a> or asteroid mining. As space startups and billionaires vie for a foothold on the moon and beyond, experts say governments probably need to start setting some ground rules."We're going to have to figure out how we want to operate, what rules we want to live by, and what the framework is going to look like," George Nield, former associate administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, told Business Insider.<h2>The new space economy needs room to grow</h2><div type="image" title="the moon bright round blotchy cratered disc in the blackness of space" height="1986" width="1986" msid="108733452" hostid="261" sizebytes="220948"></div>NASA doesn't want to run the show anymore. Instead, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-offers-cover-costs-blue-origin-nasa-contract-spacex-2021-7">NASA wants to be one of many customers</a> leasing spots in private companies' rockets, spaceships, space stations, and lunar habitats."We want to really try to grow the lunar economy and have these companies be successful," Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a press briefing ahead of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intuitive-machines-im-1-odysseus-moon-lunar-landing-mission-nasa-2024-2">Intuitive Machines mission</a>.So far, the US government has deliberately avoided regulating the emerging space economy, for fear of suffocating it before it takes off.The FAA is quite active in regulating passenger safety on airplanes, for example, but has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-origin-employees-letter-new-shepard-rockets-not-safe-2021-9">no rules for spaceflight passenger safety</a>, even as Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic fly tourists to the edge of space or around the planet.<div type="image" title="Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson in flight" height="900" width="1600" msid="108733454" hostid="261" sizebytes="74372"></div>"We do need much more regulation than currently exists," Cross said."It is also in the interest of the private companies to call for this regulation sooner rather than later, because they don't want to start investing and taking action on things that, down the road, will be deemed illegal," she added.For now, only a handful of international agreements outline what is and isn't acceptable in space, and they have no teeth.<h2>Space treaties help, but they aren't enforceable</h2>Space diplomacy started with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.<div type="image" title="historical photo of president lyndon b johnson sitting at a long desk on a stage with other men in suits representing the united kingdom and u.s.s.r. signing a treaty" height="1500" width="2244" msid="108733455" hostid="261" sizebytes="149826"></div>Among other things, the treaty asserts that nobody can claim territory or sovereignty in space, nobody can put nuclear weapons in space, and that states are responsible for the space activities of even their non-government actors — such as companies or nonprofits."It's a pretty strong agreement. But like most international law, there is actually no significant way to enforce those norms," Cross said.In 2020 NASA introduced the Artemis Accords as a fresh agreement for the new lunar exploration era.Signed by 36 countries so far (but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-accords-deep-space-exploration-moon-mars-asteroids-comets-2020-10">not Russia or China</a>), the Accords call for nations going to the moon and beyond to be peaceful, help astronauts in distress, share scientific data, avoid junking up the moon and its orbit, and mine space resources sustainably.Those treaties are for nations, though. In 2022 the Hague Institute for Global Justice started a similar agreement for commercial entities.Called The Washington Compact, this treaty for space commerce reflects many of the same principles as the Outer Space Treaty. A series of space startups, civil-society organizations, consultants, and two former NASA administrators have signed it. SpaceX and Blue Origin have not signed on.<h2>In the absence of space law, peer pressure can help</h2>Still, shared norms and treaties can be powerful even without enforcement. Companies operating on the moon will have a strong incentive to play nice with each other: It's good for business.<div type="image" title="Jeff Bezos wearing a cowboy hat and blue Blue Origin jumpsuit" height="2011" width="3000" msid="108733456" hostid="261" sizebytes="117448"></div>"Sure, we can pretend we don't have any regulations, but then your mining operation is going to get ruined when somebody drives their rover too close or, whatever you set up, your telecommunications platform is going to get messed up because somebody else decided to build something right next to you," Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, told Business Insider."It's going to be much, much more to your benefit, and to your shareholders' benefits, if you can manage to get along with your neighbors," she added.What's more, companies that want to leapfrog from the moon to Mars will need the moon's resources to get there. That's a built-in incentive not to over-mine or crowd the moon's orbit.<div type="image" title="An artist's rendering shows several Starships landing on Mars, next to colonies of humans, in a theoretical future." height="1152" width="2047" msid="108733458" hostid="261" sizebytes="72360"></div>Limited capacity should also hold most companies back from going rogue for a while. Intuitive Machines could only go to the moon with the help of its investors, NASA, and customers who paid to put their projects on the lander."In these early phases, everything will be so experimental that working together will be necessary," Cross said. "This wouldn't just be one space billionaire with one project."Even SpaceX's plans for fully private missions, so far, are basically joy rides bankrolled by other billionaires: Jared Isaacman and Yusaku Maezawa."That doesn't necessarily solve all the problems, but it does kind of weaken the sense that this is just someone like Elon Musk, really, determining all of the norms and rules in space," Cross said.<h2>Setting rules while the space titans are still 'Star Trek geeks'</h2><div type="image" title="william shatner talks to jeff bezos" height="1570" width="2861" msid="108733459" hostid="261" sizebytes="127742"></div>The US is at the forefront of commercial space exploration, putting Congress in a prime position to lead the way on what the rules should be.Half of global private space investment is in US companies, the US International Trade Commission <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/executive_briefings/ebot_us_private_space_launch_industry_is_out_of_this_world.pdf">reported</a> in November. Seven of the world's 10 biggest commercial space operators are based in the US, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.As the industry plows forward, Congress is starting to consider the issue. In November, two Republican representatives introduced a bill that would create a certification process for commercial space missions, adding to the FAA's launch licensing and the Federal Communications Commission's regulation of satellite transmissions, SpaceNews <a target="_blank" href="https://spacenews.com/new-commercial-space-bill-addresses-mission-authorization-and-ssa/">reported</a>.In another vein, last year <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-bill-protect-rocket-billionaires-crew-injury-death-musk-besos-2023-5">Florida passed a bill to protect space companies</a> and their owners from getting sued over spaceflight passenger death or injury."I think, frankly, government is struggling to keep pace with industry," Nield, the former FAA official, said of the overall regulatory landscape.It may be wise to catch up while the entrepreneurs vying for space seem to be truly passionate about it — "Star Trek geeks," in Hanlon's words."Right now you have a pretty small community of people who are like-minded," Hanlon said. "We really need to take advantage of this sort of camaraderie that we have, and try to build some of these frameworks before we start getting the bad actors who are really just in it for the money."

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