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2 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2025 NIAC awardees for possible future missions.NASA/Left to Right: Saurabh Vilekar, Marco Quadrelli, Selim Shahriar, Gyula Greschik, Martin Bermudez, Ryan Weed, Ben Hockman, Robert Hinshaw, Christine Gregg, Ryan Benson, Michael Hecht Phase I Phillip AnsellHydrogen Hybrid Power for Aviation Sustainable Systems (Hy2PASS)University of IllinoisUrbana, IL 61801-29572025 Phase I Ryan BensonConstruction Assembly DestinationThinkOrbital Inc.Boulder, CO 80303-00012025 Phase I Martin BermudezLunar Glass Structure (LUNGS): Enabling Construction of Monolithic Habitats in Low-Gravity EnvironmentSkyeports LLCSacramento, CA 95811-00012025 Phase I Christine GreggDynamically Stable…

1 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of LEAP – Legged Exploration Across the Plume.NASA/Justin Yim Justin YimUniversity of Illinois We propose Legged Exploration Across the Plume (LEAP), based on the Salto jumping robot as a novel multi-jet robotic sampling concept for Enceladus to be deployed from Enceladus Orbilander. If successful, LEAP will enable collection of pristine, ocean-derived material directly from Enceladus’s jets and measurement of particle properties across multiple jets by traveling from one to another. In low gravity, existing jump performance would…

2 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of the Fusion-Enabled Comprehensive Exploration of the Heliosphere conceptNASA/Ryan Weed Ryan WeedHelicity Space LLC This proposal aims to revolutionize space exploration by developing a constellation of spacecraft powered by the Helicity Drive, a compact and scalable fusion propulsion system. This innovative technology will enable rapid, multi-directional exploration of the heliosphere and beyond, providing unprecedented insights into the Sun’s vast influence on our solar system and its interaction with interstellar space. We will conduct a comprehensive feasibility study,…

3 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of Beholding Black Hole Power with the Accretion Explorer Interferometer concept.NASA/Kimberly Weaver Kimberly WeaverNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Some of the most enigmatic objects in the Universe are giant supermassive black holes (SMBH). Yet after 30 years of study, we don’t know precisely how these objects produce their power. This requires observations at X-ray wavelengths. The state-of-the-art for X-ray images is Chandra (~0.5-1 arcsecond resolution) but this is insufficient to image regions near SMBH where the most…

2 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of the Thermo-Photo-Catalysis of Water for Crewed Mars Transit Spacecraft Oxygen Supply concept.NASA/Saurabh Vilekar Saurabh VilekarPrecision Combustion Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) proposes to develop a uniquely compact, lightweight, low-power, and durable Microlith® Thermo-Photo-Catalytic (TPC) Reactor for crewed Mars transit spacecraft O2 supply. As crewed space exploration mission destinations move from low Earth orbit to sustained lunar surface habitation toward Mars exploration, the need becomes more intense to supplant heritage physico-chemical unit operations employed for crewed spacecraft cabin…

4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of SUPREME-QG: Space-borne Ultra-Precise Measurement of the Equivalence Principle Signature of Quantum GravityNASA/Selim Shahriar Selim ShahriarNorthwestern University, Evanston Progress in physics has largely been driven by the development and verification of new theories that unify different fundamental forces of nature. For example, Maxwell revolutionized physics with his unified theory of electricity and magnetism, and the Standard Model of particle physics provides a consistent description of all fundamental forces (electromagnetic, strong, and weak) except for gravity. The major…

1 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of PULSAR: Planetary pULSe-tAkeR concept.NASA/Marco Quadrelli Marco QuadrelliNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory There is a strong coupling mechanism between the lithosphere, ionosphere, magnetosphere, atmosphere, and the plasmasphere of many planetary bodies. For example, the ionosphere has been shown to respond to space weather events induced by Solar activity, as well as to atmospheric events, and events in the surface and interior of a planet. PULSAR (Planetary pULSe-tAkeR) is a stable spacecraft constellation that enables large and reconfigurable detector…

4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of Inflatable Starshade for Earthlike Exoplanets concept.NASA/John Mather John MatherNASA Goddard Space Flight Center We will design the first family of ISEE’s (Inflatable Starshade for Earthlike Exoplanets) with sizes from 35 to 100 m diameter. A starshade would enable any telescope to observe exoplanets, a top priority for astronomy worldwide. Compared with other starshade concepts, we aim for a lower mass, cost and complexity, while still providing high performance and science yield (>100 targets). Our starshades would…

2 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of TOBIAS: Tethered Observatory for Balloon-based Imaging and Atmospheric Sampling concept.NASA/Ben Hockman Ben HockmanNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory A basketball-sized towbody containing a camera, atmospheric sampling instruments, and support hardware is suspended on a multi-kilometer tether from a high-altitude balloon in the Venusian atmosphere, allowing it to peer beneath the dense cloud layer and image the surface at high resolution. The towbody harvests energy from the differential wind shear via an onboard wind turbine in order to power…

5 Min Read NASA and Italian Space Agency Test Future Lunar Navigation Technology The potentially record-breaking Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) payload will be the first known demonstration of GNSS signal reception on and around the lunar surface. Credits: NASA/Dave Ryan As NASA celebrates 55 years since the historic Apollo 11 crewed lunar landing, the agency also is preparing new navigation and positioning technology for the Artemis campaign, the agency’s modern lunar exploration program. A technology demonstration helping pave the way for these developments is the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) payload, a joint effort between NASA and the Italian…