The USGS recently released a comprehensive geologic map of the Moon.
Digital versions available at https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Moon/Geology/Unified_Geologic_Map_of_the_Moon_GIS.
Author reading
As part of the Generation Mars coronavirus response, I’ve decided to read the first book of the series, Scratching the Surface, on YouTube. The first installment is available now. The next will be released tomorrow (4/4).
If response is positive, I may consider some other YouTube goodies in the near future. Follow Generation Mars on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for timely updates.
youtu.be I see what they did there…
Ridiculous title, but the science behind it is quite interesting. Decades old data from Voyager 2 as it passed by Uranus suggests the planet is losing some of its atmosphere through an interesting mechanism. This could also hold clues to how Mars lost its atmosphere.
Futurism It can happen here
Did a comet explode in Earth’s atmosphere at the end of the Pleistocene?
Audiobook edition
Audiobook coming soon!
Narrated by Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society.
Rust as radiation shielding
About that radiation… what about rust as a shield?
The research focused on shielding for electronics, but could this scale? Imagine our Mars transit ships being the same color as the planet itself, coated in a layer of rust for protection.
NC State News The perennial question: Moon or Mars?
We don’t need to go to the Moon in order to go to Mars. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go to the Moon. It’s just not a prerequisite.
I love this quote from John Grunsfeld, when asked about the radiation risk of a Mars trip: “How does that compare to the risk of blowing up on the launchpad or on ascent; getting hit by a meteor, asteroid, debris, some kind of space junk on the way there; burning up in the Mars atmosphere; burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere on the way back; or missing the Earth? You add up all those risks, and the [risk of radiation exposure] is kind of just another one.”
The Atlantic Climbing on Mars
Pacific Spaceflight is field testing ideas for Mars suits.
“We bet a lot of early Mars climbing will be like nineteenth-century mountaineering—scrambling/third class/5.0 stuff where robots can’t go, or aid climbing with some crazy rack of tools.”
Little heros
I’ve been a little concerned that the actions and responsibilities taken on by Cas and Ori in my next Generation Mars book (still a WIP) are beyond what is possible for a six and eight year old. Turns out: nope.
CNN Lego ISS
Now I know what I want for my birthday.
The Brick Fan