ASAP is opening a formal recommendation expressing concerns about risks of Artemis IV and beyond and recommending NASA reexamine mission obj and potentially system architecture, to establish more balanced approach to risk, prioritize objectives-driven planning, and maintain a consistent cadence of flight missions. For every test obj incl uncrewed lander demos, NASA should develop detailed plan for testing & data collection to ensure all risks are thoroughly identified and mitigated. Will provide more balanced sequence of flt tests.

Humanity is returning to the Moon. These new footsteps in the lunar dust will inspire generations of people across Earth and herald a new era of discovery that could help unravel some of the deepest mysteries of the Moon, Earth, and the Universe.

At the request of NASA, Human Exploration Across the Moon identifies high-value science destinations for short-duration human missions beyond the lunar poles. This report charts a path toward broader exploration, presenting four non-polar destinations where human explorers could pursue distinct and complementary science objectives across a range of disciplines: Bhabha Crater, Mons Hadley, Orientale Basin, and Aristarchus Plateau.

Addressing science and applied science objectives with human explorers across the Moon will be key to establishing a long-term presence on the Moon, the next step for humankind after the successes of the Apollo missions and the International Space Station program.

With the announcement of the Blue Moon Mk2 Alpha, is the original Mk2 still being developed? Or is ‘Mk2 Alpha,’ just the modern Mk2 design, and if so, is Mk2 Alpha still reusable? If not, then do we have any idea if they still have plans for reusability?

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said NASA wants “good deals” with our European partners. It is quite notable then that ESA has the components to solve three of the biggest problems of the Artemis lunar landing program, and at zero cost to NASA.

Solving these problems if paid for by NASA under the usual NASA financing metrics would normally cost NASA billions of dollars. That they could be solved by our European partners at no cost to NASA at all counts to me as the ultimate good deal:

ESA Needs to Save NASA's Artemis Moon Program.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/esa-needs-save-nasas-artemis-moon-program-robert-clark-phmae/

There's a lot of ground to cover when you're building a Moon Base.

From robotic rovers exploring the rugged lunar landscape to lunar terrain vehicles carrying Artemis astronauts across the surface, mobility will play a crucial role in establishing an enduring human presence on the Moon.

During the early phases of Moon Base development, these vehicles will help NASA investigate the lunar South Pole region, conduct scientific research, test new technologies, and gather the information that will inform future missions.

In this Moon Base update, get a closer look at some of the lunar terrain vehicles and robotic rovers helping pave the way for humanity's first lunar outpost.

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Noticed Blue Origin’s posted a “Lunar Shift Leader, Manufacturing, Ops & Assembly” role in Seattle at $113K–$158K, higher band than their typical shift-lead postings.

Could just be normal scaling, but the explicit “Lunar” tag on a manufacturing ops role (not engineering) makes me wonder if Blue Moon production is ramping toward a cadence.

La tripulación de Artemis II se une a una compañía realmente impresionante. Entre los galardonados anteriores se encuentran Buzz Aldrin , quien caminó sobre la Luna durante la misión Apolo 11 , el naturalista David Attenborough, la primatóloga Jane Goodall y el astrofísico Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

I keep coming back to these two images side by side.

In December 1968, Apollo 8 gave us Earthrise — the Earth coming up over the lunar horizon, the first time humans saw our whole planet from another world. This April, on Artemis II, Christina Koch shot the reverse: Earthset, the Earth going down behind the Moon.

Same planet, same edge of the same Moon — one rising, one setting, fifty-eight years apart. One taken in one of the most dangerous years of the Cold War; the other now, with the Doomsday Clock where it is again.

Curious how people here read the pairing — hope, warning, or just two remarkable photographs.

New comparison between the SLS (Artemis Program) and SUPER HEAVY/STARSHIP (Block 3) systems: the two rockets that will take us to the Moon and beyond 🚀
I hope you like it; any suggestions are welcome!

I know that the SLS for the mission is being stacked as we speak, but are they really just going to do a wet dress rehearsal then let it sit for months while SpaceX and Blue Origin get their hardware in a mission-ready state? I know SLS can sit for a while, but how far can they realistically push this?

Internal NASA documents lay out plans to update the agency's websites, publications, organizational titles and digital infrastructure with a four-phase "super intelligence" implementation schedule extending into December.

I think the altair lander or something like it (Dynetics HLS) should have been an option for the HLS. Doesn't need a crazy amount of refueling missions for one trip and already had design development pre-artemis, with design guidance from Gene Cernan and Neil Armstrong.

Starship is so over complicated and overkill.

I don't think they need to reinvent the wheel, just make something that works and gets people down and back. Starship is best suited for cargo not people.

Curious on what everyone else thinks?

I want to ask if this community has any predictions, particularly someone smarter than myself.