The dates fixed by the space agency are 2024 for the Moon and Mars in 2033, but according to experts and industry insiders, reaching the Red Planet by then is highly improbable barring a Herculean effort on the scale of the Apollo program in the 1960s. "The Moon is the proving ground for our eventual mission to Mars," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a conference this week. "The Moon is our path to get to Mars in the fastest, safest way possible. That's why we go to the Moon." According to Robert Howard, who heads up the lab developing future space habitats at the legendary Johnson Space Center in Houston, the hurdles aren't so much technical or scientific as much as a question of budget and political will. "A lot of people want us to have an Apollo moment, and have a president stand up like Kennedy and say, we've got to do it and the entire country comes together," he said. "If that happened, I would actually say 2027. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think in our … [Read more...] about After the Moon, people on Mars by 2033…or 2060
Who headed the moon mission
Trần Nhân Tông, the King and the Buddha of the Vietnamese
Peaceful figure: Buddhist King Trần Nhân Tông ceded the Emperor's crown to reside on a secluded mountaintop to live the simple agrarian life of a monk. Photo courtesy of VOV by Trí Bửu The UN Day of Vesak Celebrations has become an opportunity to rejoice Buddha's birth in Việt Nam, where Buddhist followers number in the millions. In his opening remarks at the 2008 UN International Vesak Day in Hà Nội, then President Nguyễn Minh Triết noted: “Việt Nam is a multi-religion country in which Buddhism arrived quite early in history, some 2,000 years ago. Since its very first days in this country, Buddhism with its philosophy on the four immeasurables of loving -kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity - has been well received and has accompanied this nation in the spirit of joining the earthly life, combining the religion and the material life for man's … [Read more...] about Trần Nhân Tông, the King and the Buddha of the Vietnamese
To get to the Moon in 2024, the rocket is just NASA”s first headache
A lifesize model of the Orion capsule at the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. (AFP/Jason Connolly) His firm has continued to specialise in the advanced technology required for space travel and is a natural candidate to help the US space agency in its quest to return to the Moon by 2024 - once final requests for proposals go out. "We don't know when those are going to be because NASA is all thrown into a loop right now," Campbell told AFP from Draper's booth at the 35th Space Symposium, which is being held in Colorado Springs. "They're still trying to figure it out," he said. "We can't really work on their problems until they tell us, 'These are the problems we want people to work on.'" It's a similar wait for hundreds of other companies, ranging from aerospace giants to the most specialized of sub-contractors, many of whom are at the annual space industry event. Until Mar 26 of last year, American boots were set to return to the Moon in 2028 following the last such mission … [Read more...] about To get to the Moon in 2024, the rocket is just NASA”s first headache
Social News 2/9
Promotion violations found at Quảng Bình Irrigation Division At the irrigation division in the central province of Quảng Bình, 12 out of 13 members of staff hold managerial positions. — Photo dantri.com.vn The Agriculture and Rural Department in the central province of Quảng Bình on Wednesday confirmed violations relating to job promotions for two officials at its irrigation division. Director of the department Phan Văn Khoa said the irrigation division leaders appointed heads of sectors on rural clean water and dyke management without vote of confidence or approval from the agriculture department’s managers. The agriculture department asked the irrigation division to withdraw the job promotion decisions. The above moves were made after concerns from the public on the job promotions and personnel structure of the irrigation division. There are 13 members of staff working at the division but 12 of them have managerial positions … [Read more...] about Social News 2/9
Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong movie to open Venice Film Festival
Summer 2018 has so far given us plenty of hot weather and a World Cup which broke the record for most own goals scored in the tournament's history. The last thing anyone is thinking about is the winter film awards season. But despite it still being July, the starting gun for the race which will culminate in the Oscars in February has now been fired. It's been announced that First Man will open the Venice International Film Festival this year - traditionally thought of as the first of the awards season festivals. It's based on the Apollo 11 moon landing, and stars Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong - who became the First Man (y'see) to walk on on the moon in 1969. The movie is directed by Damien Chazelle, whose film La La Land - also starring Gosling - opened the same festival in 2016. The musical went on to pick up a whole host of awards - although not, notably, best picture at the Oscars. (Famously, the film was initially announced as the winner by mistake, before it finally … [Read more...] about Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong movie to open Venice Film Festival