Howdy and welcome again to TechCrunch Area. Pleased Eclipse Day for everybody celebrating! I’m lucky to be residing in part of the nation that’s within the path of totality, so I’ll be away from my desk for a lot of in the present day, soaking all of it in.
Need to attain out with a tip? Electronic mail Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com or ship me a message on Sign at 512-937-3988. You can also ship a observe to the entire TechCrunch crew at ideas@techcrunch.com. For safer communications, click on right here to contact us, which incorporates SecureDrop directions and hyperlinks to encrypted messaging apps.
NASA has given three area firms the prospect to design the next-generation moon buggy — however just one design will go to area. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab are growing rugged automobiles meant for astronauts to drive round on the lunar floor, from which NASA might select as early as subsequent 12 months.
The three groups will now enter right into a 12-month “feasibility part” that may culminate in a preliminary design assessment. At that time, there will probably be a subsequent aggressive request for proposals, the place the trio of firms will compete for an indication activity order. At that time, a closing awardee will probably be chosen. The chosen firm will probably be accountable not just for designing the lunar terrain car (LTV) but in addition for launching and touchdown it on the moon previous to the Artemis V mission, which is at present slated for no sooner than 2029.
Picture Credit: Intuitive Machines
Footage obtained by TechCrunch reveals the catastrophic ending that Astra’s Rocket 3.0 suffered throughout prelaunch testing in March 2020.
The explosion, which occurred at Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complicated, was merely reported as an “anomaly” on the time, an business time period for just about any situation that deviates from the anticipated consequence.
Picture Credit: TechCrunch
Blue Origin introduced the crew of the following New Shepard launch — and 90-year-old Ed Dwight is among the many names listed. I’m embarrassed to confess that I didn’t acknowledge the identify, however this story over at GeekWire helped fill within the lacking items to his story and its significance to the historical past of human spaceflight.
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin grew to become the primary man in area on April 12, 1961. From NASA: “His car, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a pace of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok’s reentry was managed by a pc. In contrast to the early U.S. human spaceflight packages, Gagarin didn’t land within capsule. As an alternative, he ejected from the spacecraft and landed by parachute.”
Gagarin on the way in which to the launch web site of Vostok I, April 12, 1961. Picture Credit: Sovfoto/Common Photographs Group through Getty Photographs
