Latest news with #ArtemisIII
Vogue
6 days ago
- Science
- Vogue
The Next Humans to Land on the Moon Will Wear This Oakley Space Visor
Become a Vogue Business Member to receive unlimited access to Member-only reporting and insights, our Beauty and TikTok Trend Trackers, Member-only newsletters and exclusive event invitations. This article first appeared on Vogue Business. If you were lucky enough to land on the moon, you'd be pretty keen to catch sight of your surroundings. But the UV radiation and lunar dust on the moon's surface make this much easier said than done. Sports performance eyewear brand Oakley has been tasked with the solution. 'When we've been on orbital missions, which is all humans have done since 1972, we've been trained to put our visors down before the sun goes up, and raise them when it goes down,' Michael Lopez-Alegria, Axiom's Chief Astronaut, tells Vogue Business in an interview. 'That happens every 45 minutes when you're going around the Earth, and if you forget to put the visor down at sun-up, you'll be quickly reminded: the sun is absolutely blazing in space, it is the widest, brightest light you can imagine.' Protecting astronauts like Lopez-Alegria from the moon's visually complex and hostile conditions requires intricate optical design, and Oakley has been chosen to design the eye protection for the next humans to land on the moon. In 2027, when astronauts take off for the Artemis III mission — the first human lunar landing since Apollo 17 back in 1972 — they'll wear a space visor co-designed by Oakley and its official partner, Axiom Space. "The sun is absolutely blazing in space, it is the widest brightest light you can imagine." Michael Lopez-Alegria, Chief Astronaut at Axiom. 'If you think of when you're in bright sunlight, everything that is in shadow seems even darker, because your eyes are adjusting to the brightness,' Lopez-Alegria says. 'Oakley's specialism is making sunglasses that can maintain visual acuity even in bright sunlight, so they were the ideal partner to design the performance coating of the space visor to help us with these transitions.' Artemis III's crew will be looking more fashion-forward than ever when they set off for the moon, because this visor will also be paired with a spacesuit that Prada has co-designed with Axiom. 'We're really in a new kind of commercial era for space.' Russell Ralston, Executive Vice President of Axiom's Program Management and Engineering. 'The aesthetics of the suit is not something that's often been thought about very much in the past, and certainly a lot of the engineering design starts first and foremost with the technical,' Russell Ralston, Executive Vice President of Axiom's Program Management and Engineering, tells Vogue Business. 'But we chose to take a perspective that it doesn't have to be or, it can be an and — we can have a suit that is safe and high performing and optimised for the requirements of the mission, and, at the same time, be aesthetically pleasing. 'We hope it's inspiring to the next generation of space explorers, because we're really in a new kind of commercial era for space,' Ralston adds.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
NASA funding is an ugly casualty of the ‘big, beautiful bill'
The 'big, beautiful bill' recently signed into law enacted a number of tax, spending and regulatory measures. President Trump and his supporters regard the new law as a triumph. Trump's enemies not so much. NASA spending measures are tucked inside the bill that can best be described as ugly, or at the very least ill-advised. As Gizmodo reported, the Trump budget proposal phased out the Space Launch System heavy lift launcher and Orion spacecraft and cancelled the Lunar Gateway space station. After the Artemis III mission, the first crewed lunar landing in decades, NASA would opt for more commercial and sustainable alternatives to maintain a moon exploration campaign. The approach was favored by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman. Congress chose to ignore the administration's recommendations in favor of a more traditional approach. According to Gizmodo, '$2.6 billion would go toward fully funding Gateway, $4.1 billion would support [Space Launch System], and $20 million would go to the development of Orion.' At least until Artemis V, the return to the moon will follow the plan first set out during the first Trump presidency. The plan was proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. There are two possible reasons for this divergence between the White House and Congress. The cynical explanation is that the Space Launch System, for all of its huge costs, provides a lot of jobs and money in key states and congressional districts. If the project goes away, the jobs and money go away. The less cynical possibility is that although Congress may be in favor of a commercial approach to the moon and Mars in theory, it is skeptical that it will happen in a timely fashion. The long time the Commercial Crew took to get off the ground may be informing this, as is the trouble SpaceX's Starship has been having not blowing up. Whatever the reason for preserving the Space Launch System, the Orion and the Lunar Gateway, — and it may be a combination of the two suggested reasons — it seems to be a step backward in the opening to human civilization of the moon, Mars and beyond. The Space Launch System is simply too expensive to be the centerpiece of an effective and sustainable program to send humans beyond low Earth orbit. Fortunately, the bill is not the end of the story where NASA funding is concerned. Congressional appropriators still have to round out the space agency's spending bill for the next fiscal year. Congress can not only restore some of the draconian cuts that the White House has proposed for NASA's science programs, but it can also start the end-to-end commercial lunar initiative first discussed in a recent piece in Ars Technica. Trump has two things on his plate that he should take care of sooner rather than later. First, he needs to reconstitute the National Space Council with Vice President JD Vance at its head. The Space Council will provide a central point for space policy going forward. Trump has named Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator. Duffy is an able man with political experience and an expressed interest in space. However, he will be spread thin running both the Department of Transportation and the space agency. Trump has to nominate a permanent NASA administrator. The deep-sixing of his previous nomination of billionaire private space traveler Jared Isaacman was an incredible act of self-sabotage that has hurt NASA and Trump's own space policy. Unfortunately, Trump doubled down with an attack on Isaacman in a social media rant against Musk, who had recommended him. Without using Isaacman's name, Trump wrote that Musk 'asked that one of his close friends run NASA.' He said he initially thought the friend was 'very good,' but 'was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.' He added, 'I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life.' As Space News notes, Isaacman is a moderate Republican who donated to both parties, a common practice for businessmen (including Trump when he was in the private sector). His ties to Musk derive from the fact that SpaceX is the only company that can provide private crewed spaceflight services. Why Trump would post such claims is open to speculation. Likely he is being lied to by staffers who dislike Musk. If the president cannot bring himself to rectify his mistake of withdrawing Isaacman's nomination, he needs to name a suitable replacement, and the sooner the better. Then Congress should fast track that person's confirmation so that he or she can start to revitalize NASA as a world-class space agency. America's future as a space power depends on it. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled 'Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?' as well as 'The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently, 'Why is America Going Back to the Moon?' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
Yomiuri Shimbun
10-07-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Astronaut Wakata Tests Artemis Lunar Spacesuit for NASA; Outfit Made by Axiom Space, Inc. Eyed for Use in 2027
WASHINGTON — Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata has participated in the first test of a spacesuit being developed for lunar activities in a 12-meter-deep pool at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas. The spacesuit, commissioned by NASA from U.S. space company Axiom Space, Inc., is intended to be worn by astronauts when they land on the moon as part of the U.S.-led Artemis lunar exploration program in or after 2027. The flexibility and safety of the spacesuit are said to have been improved compared to the suits worn when humans last walked on the moon in 1972, during the the Apollo 17 mission. Wakata, 61, who retired from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency last year, joined Axiom Space and participated in the program to test the spacesuit in May, drawing on his experience as an astronaut. In the first experiment, Wakata wore the spacesuit in an indoor pool about 12 meters deep, which is used for spacewalk training, and confirmed the operation capabilities of its life-support devices as well as the communication and cooling systems mounted on the back. He also simulated planting the U.S. flag on the lunar surface during the test. The company plans to continue the tests. 'The Axiom Space-developed spacesuit will enable astronauts to explore the moon for the first time in over 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission to the lunar south pole,' it said in a statement.
Digital Trends
08-07-2025
- Science
- Digital Trends
Watch how NASA is using VR to prep for upcoming moon missions
NASA is aiming to put astronauts back on the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for 2027. While the date could slip, the space agency will continue with training and other preparation for the highly anticipated mission, so that when the day for launch does finally come, the crew will be ready. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, has just dropped a video (top) showing how it's utilizing virtual reality (VR) technology to prepare astronauts for spacewalks — also known as extravehicular activities (EVAs) — on the moon's surface. The specially designed lab uses sandboxes, multi-directional treadmills, and mockups of spacesuits to create a realistic spacewalk environment, while other gear is used to collect data on human health and performance, enabling mission planners to design an experience for the astronauts that's efficient, comfortable, and above all, safe. 'We find virtual reality to be really helpful in our EVA testing and research,' Patrick Estep, a NASA human performance engineer, said in the video. 'It's really important that we can simulate as many great aspects of EVA as we can in a rapid, controllable, and repeatable test environment.' Estep said that one of the beauties of virtual reality is that they're able to recreate pretty much anything digitally with different tools, widgets, and heads-up displays, and then place someone virtually on the lunar surface to learn more about how astronauts might perform in such an environment. 'We're going to test a whole bunch of different scenarios,' NASA astronaut Kate Rubins said. Understanding emergency situations is of course a priority, and when a crew is eventually assigned to the Artemis III mission, they'll be trained to help them deal with a range of extreme situations. The video shows some of the training sessions the team has been engaging in as they prepare for the Artemis III mission in a few years from now. Jeff Somers of NASA's Human Physiology, Performance, Protection, and Operations Lab described virtual reality as 'a critical part' of enabling the crew members to get the big picture before embarking on their mission, 'so that they can experience what it will be like to do an EVA on the [lunar] surface.'
UPI
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
NASA to live-stream launches, spacewalks on Netflix
NASA will launch its live-streamed programming on Netflix -- featuring rocket liftoffs, astronaut spacewalks and live views of Earth from the International Space Station -- starting this summer, the space agency announced Monday. File Photo by Aaron Sprecher/UPI | License Photo June 30 (UPI) -- NASA plans to launch its live-streamed programming on Netflix -- featuring rocket liftoffs, astronaut spacewalks and live views of Earth from the International Space Station -- to the "broadest possible audience," starting this summer, the space agency announced Monday. Through Netflix, NASA+ could expand the space agency's reach to a global audience of more than 700 million viewers. NASA+ will continue to be available for free through the space agency's website and through the NASA app. "The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience," said Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+ at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. "Together, we're committed to a Golden Age of Innovation and Exploration -- inspiring new generations -- right from the comfort of their couch or in the palm of their hand from their phone," Sirmons added. NASA's grainy footage of the first Apollo moon landing in 1969 captured 650 million viewers around the world. Now the space agency is planning to showcase its Artemis moon missions with numerous high-definition cameras. Artemis II, which will orbit a crew around the moon, is currently targeting a launch date of April 2026. Artemis III, which will land on the moon, is currently scheduled for the middle of 2027. "I hope to be on the moon missions, but if I'm not, I'm going to be glued to my TV, and I'm going to be watching almost everything that comes down," Artemis astronaut Scott Tingle told UPI in 2021. "There's a huge opportunity here to pipe a lot of this through NASA TV, and I don't think that this organization is going to miss an opportunity to do that if it's technically possible," Tingle added. Netflix has been showcasing space exploration content for years. In 2021, Netflix released a five-part docuseries on SpaceX and the first launch of its all-private orbital spaceflight, Inspiration4. The series featured footage of the entire mission "from training to launch to landing." That same year, Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, produced a full-length feature film shot at the International Space Station to promote the growing commercialization of orbital spaceflight. In 2020, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that actor Tom Cruise would fly to the space station for a movie, but no date was announced. The film is still in development, as plans call for Cruise to become the first civilian to perform a spacewalk outside of ISS. "More and more movies and videos will be shot in space as the price of launches falls due to competition from firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin," James Neihouse, IMAX movie cinematographer told UPI.
