Thursday, July 18, 2019

Science Times: Why Everyone Wants to Go Back to the Moon

Plus: Lunar archaeology and the new moon landing hoax conspiracy theorists
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Tuesday, July 16, 2019

American Astronauts:1, Soviet Robots: 0
Three days before Apollo 11 lifted off, the Soviet Union launched a robotic probe, Luna 15. It was racing to the moon to beat the Americans back to Earth with lunar samples.
This feat was unlikely to upstage American astronauts walking on the moon. But Luna 15 was on the minds of the crew. 
On day two, Buzz Aldrin asked mission control for an update. And during a lull on day three, NASA held a news conference on what it knew.
Frank Borman, the Apollo 8 commander, told reporters that after contacting a Soviet counterpart, he received a telegram at home about the probe's orbit, an unusual display of openness from America's rival.
But the precise goal of Luna 15 remained a mystery at the time.
"We can only guesstimate what the Russians are doing," said Christopher Kraft, the NASA flight operations director.
Technical snags bedeviled Luna 15. It was unable to attempt a landing until just before Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left the moon, and it crashed. The Soviets eventually collected samples from the moon, and Luna 24 in August 1976 was the last probe from Earth to complete such a mission.
Michael Roston
Why Everyone Wants to Go Back to the Moon
JPL/NASA
By KENNETH CHANG
Something of a new lunar race is underway, but the motivations differ from what put men on its surface 50 years ago.
A family photograph left on the surface of the moon by one of the Apollo 16 astronauts in April 1972.
NASA
By NADIA DRAKE
With renewed interest in the moon, some say it's time to consider whether, and how, to preserve humanity's lunar heritage.
Buzz Aldrin, left, and Neil Armstrong, practicing moon rock collection on Earth in April 1969.
JSC/NASA
Critic's Notebook
By AMANDA HESS
Conspiracy theories were once deadly serious. On the internet, skepticism about the moon landing shows how the mood has shifted.
Mike Lemanski
By SHANNON HALL
If we get back to the lunar surface, astronauts will have to contend with much more than perilous rocket flights and the vacuum of space.
Astronaut Eileen Marie Collins practiced using a gas mask during a terminal countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in 1997.
NASA
By MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL
The Apollo program was designed by men, for men. But NASA can learn from its failures as it aims to send women to the moon and beyond.
Mike Lemanski
By REBECCA BOYLE
The closer scientists look at theories of how the moon formed, the more questions they find.
Changes to the way people travel to space, and who gets to do so, pose the question: Whither the astronaut?
NASA
By DAVID W. BROWN
With the private sector moving aggressively into space, NASA is no longer the only game in town for would-be space travelers.
Buzz Aldrin in
Neon CNN Films
By MEKADO MURPHY
As the 50th anniversary of the moon landing approaches, these movies, television shows and podcasts help shine a light on the story.
Top: Solar eclipse; Bottom: Lunar eclipse.
Jameson Simpson
By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR
Eclipses, supermoons and other astronomical highlights to look forward to, years into the future.

ONE GIANT LEAP: THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING, 50 YEARS ON

On July 21, The New York Times presents the reading of a short play by Tony Award-winning author J.T. Rogers. Commissioned specifically for this event, the play weaves together transcripts of the Apollo 11 mission, Times coverage from the period and excerpts from interviews with the men and women who made it happen.

Following the reading, Michael Barbaro of "The Daily" will host an onstage conversation with Michael Collins, command module pilot on Apollo 11, Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station, and Poppy Northcutt, the first female engineer to work in NASA's mission control, starting with Apollo 8.

Tickets $50–$200. For more information, see https://timesevents.nytimes.com/onegiantleap.

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