Lunar Spacecraft
Lunar landers and rovers
Summer at the Smithsonian
Planning a visit to the Museum? We provide some helpful hints.
July 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers*
The legal status and ownership of resources harvested from space are unclear. How does such uncertainty affect our plans to exploit them?
May 01, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Analogy for Space: Aviation or Seafaring?
Is space travel more like aviation or sea faring? It depends on your mission.
April 13, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
A Scientific Dispute
A scientific dust-up, featuring raw data and bare knuckles. Who and what should we believe?
March 27, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Legacy of a Space Titan
Wernher von Braun was born one hundred years ago, but his blueprint for space exploration still has relevance today.
March 22, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Can We Repurpose Space Assets?
A lost Russian communications satellite has the potential to teach us about operations on the Moon.
March 19, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
How the Mars Community Shot Itself in the Foot
Ask for a lot and perhaps get a little. But ask for too much and you may end up with nothing.
March 08, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Double the Space Budget?
Neil Tyson wants to double NASA's budget. Would that solve the problem with America's space program?
March 01, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Cataclysmic Conundrum
Is there a way to determine if the Moon underwent an impact cataclysm 3.9 billion years ago? Samples from an old basin may tell us.
February 13, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Everybody has won and all must have prizes
Prizes for specific accomplishments have been proposed as the solution to the problem of a moribund space program. Are they?
January 25, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
China’s Long March to the Moon
China plans to send humans to the Moon. Why we should care.
January 14, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Annus Horribilis: Space in 2011
A review of the year in space. It's not pretty.
December 27, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
The Path of Exploration
The meaning of the word "exploration" changed about a hundred years ago. We should recover its full, original meaning, which included not only discovery but exploitation and wealth creation.
December 14, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
The Latest Destination for Human Spaceflight
Humans to Venus? The latest proposed destination for human space missions illustrates the essential hollowness of the current direction of our civil space program.
December 01, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Slopes, Streaks and Flows
Dark streaks occur on slopes on both the Moon and Mars, although interpretations about their origins may differ. The Moon offers us some insight into how these features can form on all of the terrestrial planets.
November 17, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Ronald Greeley: A Gentleman and a Scholar
Some scientists are both great researchers and fine human beings. Ron Greeley was one of them.
October 29, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Replicators Have Arrived
Three-dimensional printing technology can be used in conjunction with the material and energy resources of the Moon to build new space faring capabilities.
October 24, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
It’s a gas, man!
Newly recognized "hollows" on the planet Mercury help to inform us about the origin, history and processes associated with some unusual landforms on the Moon.
October 08, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Brave Archivist Rifles Through Clinton’s Stuff, Rewarded
Among the list of things one expects to find while sifting through former President Bill Clinton's stuff, a lost moon rock might be low on the list.
September 23, 2011 |
By Heather Goss
Destination: Moon or Asteroid? Part III: Resource Utilization Considerations
Part III: Resource Utilization Considerations In Part I and Part II of this series, I examined some of the operational and scientific issues associated with a human mission to a near Earth asteroid (NEO) and contrasted them with the simpler operations and greater scientific return of a mission to the Moon. To continue the discussion [...]
September 02, 2011 |
By Paul D. Spudis
