FlyIt

Hell yes! A real base on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge! It’s a brilliant start. Because of the ridge's location, you have a direct line of sight with Earth whenever it rises above the lunar horizon, which lasts for about 13.5 days at a time. For the other 13.5 days of the month, the base will rely on the Khon-2 satellite for communications. Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) will drop Khon-2 into lunar orbit during their IM-3 mission before attempting their landing at Reiner Gamma. But when Earth is visible? The view from the Shackleton Connecting Ridge will be spectacular. Because of the Moon’s libration, Earth will trace a slow, vertical figure-8 in the lunar sky over the course of a tropical month. It will spend roughly half the month in the top loop of the '8' and the other half in the bottom. The link below allows you to view a very well made video and some infographics that will help you understand what the astronauts looking at Earth from our first moon base will see. sky-lights.org/2021/11/22/ea… @NASAAdmin @CrainTim

NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) mission utilizes a closed Brayton-cycle fission reactor. The reactor will generate electricity to power a Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) engine, commonly known as an ion engine. The mission is scheduled to launch during the next Earth-Mars transfer window in December 2028, with an estimated transit time of about one year to reach Mars. SR-1 will carry three helicopters that will deploy from the descent platform while it is still airborne. This effort is known as the Skyfall Project. The helicopters are very similar to the Ingenuity helicopter, which successfully completed 72 flights on Mars before its mission ended. Because SR-1 will use the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) originally designed for the postponed Lunar Gateway, along with the proven technology demonstrated by Ingenuity, NASA was able to save enough development time to target the late-2028 Hohmann transfer window. To the best of my knowledge, @NASA has not yet finalized the region of Mars that the Skyfall Project will explore and map. Many people argue that the first human missions should target the large flat regions near the Martian equator. Arcadia Planitia is often cited as a leading candidate for the first Martian colony because of its relatively safe landing terrain and the presence of abundant subsurface water ice. Those are compelling advantages. What is discussed less often is surface radiation exposure and meteorite impact frequency. Both are higher there than they need to be. In my opinion, Hellas Planitia is the better long-term option. Its terrain is rougher than Arcadia Planitia, with hills and crevices separating flatter regions, but it also has major advantages. Hellas Planitia sits approximately 7 km lower in elevation, meaning there is more atmosphere above it compared with Arcadia Planitia. That additional atmospheric shielding slows down and breaks apart many meteorites that would otherwise strike the surface intact. The thicker atmosphere also reduces radiation exposure at the surface. Lower radiation levels would contribute to healthier colonies. Finally, Hellas Planitia experiences persistent winds that would support wind-powered turbines. Unlike solar arrays, wind power would remain available during dust storms and throughout the long Martian night. @NASAAdmin @NASAJPL @NASAMars @SpaceX youtube.com/watch?v=TYasUWRk…