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NASA has confirmed that Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will return to Earth in late March 2025 after spending over nine months aboard the ISS. Their return is scheduled to take place once the Crew-10 mission successfully arrives at the space station. Crew-10, carrying four new astronauts, will launch on March 12, 2025, at 7:48 PM EDT and undergo a week-long handover process before Williams and Wilmore begin their journey back. The decision to return them aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule was made due to ongoing technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner. NASA has assured that all necessary preparations are in place to facilitate a safe return. Sunita Williams Health Update: NASA Astronaut’s Mother Bonnie Pandya Dismisses Health Concerns Surrounding Her Daughter, Says ‘Space Is As Safe as Anywhere Else’ (Watch Video).

Williams and Wilmore’s return capsule, the SpaceX Crew Dragon, will follow a carefully planned re-entry trajectory before making a splashdown in designated waters. NASA has shortlisted landing sites in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, with the final decision depending on weather and oceanic conditions at the time of descent. SpaceX recovery teams will be stationed near the landing zone, ready to retrieve the capsule and transport the astronauts back to shore. After landing, Williams and Wilmore will undergo a thorough medical assessment before heading to NASA’s facilities for debriefing.

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth marks the end of an unexpectedly extended mission that was originally planned for just ten days but stretched to over nine months. The delay was primarily due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner, which faced multiple failures, including propulsion system malfunctions and propellant leaks. NASA, prioritising astronaut safety, decided to postpone their return until a reliable alternative was arranged.

Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is the United States government agency responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. Established in 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act, NASA has led the U.S. in space exploration efforts, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle program.

Discover the groundbreaking physics behind skyhooks, rotovators, and space ladders, and how they could revolutionize space travel in the near future.

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Credits:
Skyhooks, Rotovators & Space Ladders.
Episode 488b; March 2, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Graphics: Jarred Eagley, Katie Byrne, Phil Swan, Sergio Botero.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Phase Shift, \

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is set to make history as it targets a March 2 lunar landing near Mare Crisium, a vast plain on the Moon’s near side. Carrying NASA’s cutting-edge science and technology, this mission marks another crucial step in humanity’s return to the Moon under the Artemis program. As part of NASA’s CLPS initiative, Blue Ghost’s success will pave the way for future lunar and Martian exploration.

Mission Overview: Blue Ghost’s Lunar Delivery.
Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on January 15, Blue Ghost carries 10 NASA payloads designed to investigate the Moon’s environment and test new technologies for future missions. These experiments will provide critical data on lunar surface conditions, radiation levels, thermal properties, and advanced landing systems—all essential for upcoming crewed missions.

Live Landing Coverage & Key Moments.
The landing event, hosted by NASA and Firefly Aerospace, will be streamed live on NASA+ and Firefly’s YouTube channel starting at 2:20 a.m. EST on March 2, roughly 75 minutes before touchdown. The stream will cover the final descent, landing confirmation, and initial mission updates. A post-landing press conference will follow, where experts will discuss the mission’s success and upcoming science operations on the lunar surface.

Why This Mission Matters.
Blue Ghost is a key part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which enables private companies to deliver science and technology to the Moon. These robotic landings will support Artemis astronauts, testing vital systems for future long-term lunar habitation and, ultimately, crewed missions to Mars. NASA’s collaboration with companies like Firefly Aerospace ensures rapid progress in space exploration, resource utilization, and sustainable lunar development.

The Future of Lunar Exploration.
With CLPS contracts valued at $2.6 billion through 2028, NASA is committed to building a strong commercial space ecosystem. The $101.5 million contract awarded to Firefly for this mission underscores the agency’s dedication to fostering innovative, cost-effective lunar transportation solutions. Future missions will refine navigation, in-situ resource utilization, and long-duration surface operations, bringing us closer to a permanent human presence beyond Earth.

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A privately built spacecraft is hours from attempting to land on the moon, a feat that only one other company has accomplished in spaceflight history.

The robotic lander, dubbed Blue Ghost, has been in orbit around the moon for roughly two weeks, preparing for its daring descent. Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace developed the spacecraft, which aims to touch down on the lunar surface early Sunday at around 3:34 a.m. ET.

If all goes according to plan, Blue Ghost will become the second privately built vehicle to land on the moon successfully. In February 2024, another Texas-based company, Intuitive Machines, made history when its Odysseus lander pulled off a nail-biting touchdown near the moon’s south pole.

Join us for LIVE Countdown to Landing coverage as Firefly Aerospace attempts to land on the lunar surface for the first time with their Blue Ghost Lunar Lander.

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“This discovery not only sets a new standard for superelastic materials but also introduces new principles for material design, which will undoubtedly inspire further breakthroughs in materials science,” Xu said.

The newly developed Ti-Al-Cr shape-memory alloy is part of the titanium alloy family, known for being lightweight, strong, biocompatible, and resistant to corrosion. What makes this alloy particularly exciting is its ability to maintain superelasticity across a wide temperature range, making it highly suitable for extreme environments such as deep space and deep-sea exploration.

In space missions, materials must endure harsh conditions while remaining functional. Current superelastic tires made from nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) for upcoming Moon and Mars missions have limited temperature ranges, which could affect their durability.

2/27/25 | 720 CT Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 Lunar Lander Successfully Commissioned and En Route to the Moon:

After liftoff on February 26, Athena established a stable attitude, solar charging, and radio communications contact with our mission operations center in Houston. The lander is in excellent health, sending selfies and preparing for a series of main engine firings to refine her trajectory ahead of lunar orbit insertion, planned on March 3. Intuitive Machines is targeting a lunar landing opportunity on March 6.

On Wednesday, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It aims to deliver multiple payloads, including NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, to detect water on the Moon. The lander, named Athena, will take an eight-day journey to the Moon’s South Pole, where it will conduct studies on subsurface materials and volatile substances. Data collected from the mission could inform future Artemis program missions and commercial lunar activities.

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What if a simple vial of synthetic blood could save millions of lives? From cutting-edge laboratories to the frontlines of disaster zones, scientists are revolutionizing medicine with the development of artificial blood. In this episode of Beyond the Veil, we take you on a journey into the world of groundbreaking innovations like ErythroMer, a shelf-stable synthetic red blood cell, and lab-grown blood cells that could transform healthcare as we know it.

Join us as we explore:
🔬 The intricate science behind replicating blood\’s vital functions.
💡 How Dr. Allan Doctor and his team are making synthetic red blood cells a reality with ErythroMer.
🩸 The NHS’s revolutionary trial of lab-grown red blood cells.
🌍 The potential to save lives in remote areas, on battlefields, and even during space exploration.
🚀 The hurdles, breakthroughs, and future implications of artificial blood research.

💉 This isn\’t just a story about science; it\’s a tale of perseverance, hope, and the determination to rewrite the rules of medicine.

Sources and Research Cited in this Episode:
📖 The Long Quest for Artificial Blood — New Yorker.
🔗 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02… Challenges in Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers — LabMed 🔗 https://www.labmed.theclinics.com/article/.… 👉 Subscribe to Beyond the Veil for more deep dives into the mysteries of science, medicine, and technology. Together, let’s explore what lies beyond the edge of discovery. #ArtificialBlood #SyntheticBlood #MedicalInnovation #BeyondTheVeil.

📖 Lab-Grown Red Blood Cells Clinical Trial (RESTORE) — NHS Blood and Transplant.
🔗https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02