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(ASTRO) DAVE RENEKE

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• One of its greatest strengths is making astronomy understandable, entertaining and accessible, without overwhelming people with technical language.
• David's work extends beyond the website into schools, community events, public astronomy nights and stargazing experiences, helping people experience the night sky for themselves.
• His astronomy tourism work also combines science, travel, education and the spectacular dark skies of Australia.
• Overall, DavidReneke.com is a long-established Australian astronomy resource, supported by decades of knowledge, media experience and genuine enthusiasm for sharing the wonders of the Universe.

In short, it is much more than a website. It is a long-running record of one Australian communicator's passion for astronomy and his efforts to bring the Universe closer to everyone.

When we imagine the hazards of space travel, our minds usually drift to catastrophic rocket failures, deadly cosmic radiation, or the freezing vacuum of space. Yet, one of the most pressing threats facing modern spacefarers is far more subtle and quietly insidious: astronaut vision loss. As space agencies prepare for long-duration missions back to the Moon and onward to Mars, scientists are racing to solve a medical condition that threatens to leave space explorers functionally blind.

On Earth, gravity constantly pulls our bodily fluids downward toward our feet. In the weightlessness of microgravity, however, those fluids redistribute evenly throughout the body, shifting about two liters of fluid upward toward the head. This shift creates sustained pressure inside the skull, pressing directly against the back of the eyeball, flattening the globe, swelling the optic nerve, and distorting the retina. Known medically as Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, or SANS, this condition leads to progressive farsightedness and blurry vision. While some astronauts recover after returning home, others suffer permanent visual damage.

To combat SANS, organizations like the European Space Agency are adapting innovative technologies originally designed for elderly patients on Earth. One promising tool is a portable eye-examination device built for octogenarians to perform self-administered eye checks at home for age-related conditions. In orbit, the same simple, handheld design allows astronauts to conduct rapid eye exams on themselves without requiring heavy equipment or specialized medical training, giving researchers real-time insight into how space affects the eye.

Finding a solution is critical for the future of deep-space exploration. While blurry vision on the International Space Station can be managed with adjustable eyeglasses, a multi-year journey to Mars poses a serious danger if chronic pressure damages an astronaut's eyesight permanently. By repurposing simple medical tools alongside new interventions, like specialized sleeping chambers that draw fluids back down toward the feet, space agencies hope to protect human sight. In a fascinating twist, the same user-friendly tools keeping senior citizens healthy in their living rooms may soon preserve the vision of the pioneers traveling to distant worlds.

For centuries, people have gazed at the Sun believing it was little more than a blazing ball of fire. But thanks to the most detailed images ever captured, astronomers have uncovered something completely unexpected. The Sun's surface isn't smooth at all—it's alive with countless tiny ripples and swirling whirlpools.

These newly discovered whirlpools look remarkably like the flowing patterns painted by Vincent van Gogh in his famous masterpiece The Starry Night. Nature, it seems, has been creating its own version of the artwork all along.

The Sun's surface is in constant motion. Hot gas rises from deep inside, cools, and sinks again, creating an endless cycle of movement. Scientists have known about this process for years, but these new images reveal that the movement is far more complex than anyone imagined. Tiny whirlpools, some only a few hundred kilometres across, twist and spin everywhere across the Sun's surface.

Although they are small by solar standards, these spinning structures may play an enormous role in powering the Sun.

Researchers believe the whirlpools act like miniature tornadoes, twisting and tangling the Sun's powerful magnetic fields. As these magnetic fields become stretched and wound tighter, they store huge amounts of energy. Eventually that energy can be released suddenly in the form of powerful solar flares or even giant eruptions known as coronal mass ejections.

These explosions hurl billions of tonnes of charged particles into space. When they head towards Earth, they can trigger spectacular auroras but also interfere with satellites, radio communications, GPS systems and even electricity networks.

Understanding how these tiny whirlpools work could help scientists predict when the Sun is preparing to unleash one of these storms. Better forecasts would give satellite operators, airlines, astronauts and power companies more warning before space weather strikes.

The discovery was only possible because of a new generation of solar telescopes capable of seeing details on the Sun never observed before. Every improvement in technology allows astronomers to uncover another hidden layer of our nearest star.

It's a reminder that even the object we know best still holds many secrets. The Sun has been shining on Earth for more than four billion years, yet it continues to surprise us.

Those tiny swirling patterns may look beautiful, almost artistic, but they could also hold the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in solar science—where the immense energy behind the Sun's most violent outbursts really comes from. Sometimes the biggest discoveries begin with the smallest whirlpools.

Imagine a place where nothing can escape—not even light. It sounds like science fiction, but these strange objects really do exist. They are called black holes, and they are among the most mysterious things in the universe. We can't see a black hole because it gives off no light. Instead, we find them by watching how they affect the stars and clouds of gas around them. Their gravity is so powerful that anything that gets too close is pulled in.

The idea of black holes isn't new. Back in 1783, an English scientist named John Michell wondered if a very heavy star could have gravity so strong that even light couldn't escape. It was an incredible idea for a time when no one really understood how stars worked. Then, in the 1960s, astronomers found convincing evidence they were real. In 2019, the world saw the first picture of one—a bright ring of glowing gas surrounding a dark centre.

A black hole begins life as a giant star, much bigger than our Sun. Like all stars, it shines because it burns fuel deep inside. But one day that fuel runs out. Without anything to hold it up, the star collapses under its own enormous into a ball only a few kilometres across. It becomes so tightly packed that its gravity grows unbelievably strong. Once anything crosses that line, there is no way back. Even light cannot escape, which is why black holes appear completely black.

Many people think black holes are giant vacuum cleaners, sucking up everything around them. That's not true. They only pull strongly on objects that come close.

If someone fell towards a black hole, something very strange would happen. The pull of gravity on their feet would be much stronger than the pull on their head. Little by little they would be stretched longer and thinner until they looked like a strand of spaghetti. Scientists even have a name for this strange effect—"spaghettification."

Black holes also do something even stranger. They can slow down time. Einstein predicted that stronger gravity makes time pass more slowly. Near a black hole, a clock would tick more slowly than one on Earth. If astronauts could somehow travel close to a black hole and safely return, they might find that many more years had passed back home than they had experienced themselves. It sounds impossible, but experiments have shown that gravity really does affect time.

Some people wonder if black holes are giant tunnels leading somewhere else. Scientists have imagined mysterious shortcuts through space called wormholes. These would be like tunnels through a mountain instead of driving all the way around it. They might connect distant parts of the universe, or perhaps even different universes altogether. It is an exciting idea, but no one has ever found a wormhole, and we don't know if they really exist.

Scientists have also imagined something called a white hole. It would be the exact opposite of a black hole. A black hole only pulls things in. A white hole would only push things out. Nothing could ever enter it. So far, no one has found a white hole anywhere in space. For now, they remain an interesting theory.

Could we ever travel through a black hole? With everything we know today, the answer is almost certainly no. The crushing gravity would destroy any spacecraft long before it reached the centre. But science is always discovering new things, and the universe has surprised us many times before.

Black holes may be the darkest places in the universe, yet they are helping us unlock some of its brightest secrets. Every discovery brings us one step closer to understanding gravity, time, space and the incredible universe we call home.

NASA is preparing to launch what could become one of the most exciting space telescopes ever built. If everything goes to plan, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will blast into space on August 30 aboard a powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. Scientists believe it could completely change the way we see the Universe and reveal secrets that have remained hidden since the beginning of time.

Every great space telescope has transformed our understanding of the cosmos. The Hubble Space Telescope amazed us with spectacular pictures of glowing nebulae, distant galaxies and dying stars. More recently, the James Webb Space Telescope stunned the world by peering farther back in time than ever before, showing galaxies that existed not long after the Big Bang.

Now it's Roman's turn. But Roman has a very different mission. Instead of looking closely at tiny patches of sky like Hubble or Webb, Roman will photograph enormous areas of space all at once. Imagine standing at a door. Hubble is like peeking through the keyhole. Roman throws the whole door wide open. Suddenly you can see everything in front of you instead of just one small detail.

That incredible wide view will allow astronomers to study the Universe on a scale never before possible.

During its mission, Roman is expected to map around two billion galaxies. That's such a huge number it's almost impossible to imagine. Each galaxy contains millions, or even billions, of stars. Somewhere among them may be countless planets, some perhaps not so different from Earth.

Roman will also search for thousands of new planets beyond our Solar System. Some may be giant worlds larger than Jupiter, while others could be rocky planets more like our own. Every new discovery helps scientists understand how planets form and whether life might exist elsewhere in the cosmos. Yet perhaps Roman's greatest challenge is solving two of astronomy's biggest mysteries.

Scientists know that everything we can see—stars, planets, gas clouds and galaxies—makes up only about five percent of the Universe. The remaining 95 percent is invisible. It is made of mysterious substances known as dark matter and dark energy.

Dark matter acts like invisible glue, helping hold galaxies together. Dark energy appears to be pushing the Universe apart faster and faster as it expands. Although these mysterious forces shape the entire cosmos, nobody knows exactly what they are. Roman has been specially designed to gather clues that could finally help unlock these cosmic mysteries. The answers may completely rewrite our understanding of how the Universe works.

The telescope's powerful instruments will also create an astonishing flood of information. Every year it is expected to send more than 500 terabytes of data back to Earth. That's more information than the Hubble Space Telescope collected during its entire 35-year mission. Hidden inside that mountain of data could be discoveries nobody has even imagined.

History shows that every time we build a more capable telescope, the Universe surprises us. Hubble revealed breathtaking beauty. James Webb uncovered ancient galaxies and challenged long-held ideas about the early cosmos.

Roman may go even further. It could discover strange new types of galaxies, reveal planets unlike anything we've ever seen, or uncover clues about the invisible forces controlling the Universe. It may even answer questions scientists haven't yet thought to ask. That's what makes this mission so thrilling. The greatest discoveries are often the ones nobody expects.

As the countdown to launch begins, astronomers around the world are waiting with enormous excitement. Within weeks, humanity could be opening another remarkable chapter in space exploration. Once again, we'll be reminded that the more we learn about the Universe, the more astonishing it becomes—and the greatest adventures are still waiting among the stars.

When astronauts eventually set foot on the Moon for months at a time—or establish the first human settlement on Mars—they'll face a challenge that's just as important as rockets and spacesuits: growing fresh food. Taking enough supplies from Earth simply isn't practical for long missions, so future explorers will need thriving gardens millions of kilometres from home.

That raises an intriguing question. What happens to seeds and plants after spending long periods in space?

Scientists have been searching for the answer for decades. Experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have shown that many seeds survive spaceflight remarkably well. Once returned to Earth, most germinate normally. Yet living in orbit is far from ideal for plants. Microgravity, increased radiation and an unusual environment all influence the way they grow.

On Earth, gravity tells roots to grow down and stems to grow up. In space that natural guide disappears. Roots can grow in unexpected directions, while water no longer drains through soil as it does at home. Instead, it clings to roots in tiny floating droplets, making it harder for plants to absorb oxygen. Researchers have had to invent clever watering systems that deliver just the right amount of moisture without drowning the roots.

Radiation presents another challenge. Outside Earth's protective atmosphere, energetic particles constantly bombard spacecraft. Over long periods they can damage plant cells and even alter DNA. Most changes are harmless, but scientists carefully monitor seeds for mutations that could affect future harvests. Surprisingly, some plants become more resilient after exposure to stressful conditions, opening the door to developing tougher crop varieties.

Scientists have also discovered that a plant's nutritional value can change in space. Studies of lettuce, radishes, dwarf wheat and leafy greens have shown small variations in vitamin C, antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. Sometimes the levels decrease slightly, while in other cases they actually increase as plants respond to environmental stress. Flavour and texture can also differ from Earth-grown produce. The good news is that carefully controlled lighting, nutrients and temperature can produce crops that are healthy, safe and enjoyable to eat.

Growing food in space isn't only about nutrition. Fresh vegetables also provide psychological benefits. Caring for living plants gives astronauts a welcome connection to Earth, while the colour, smell and taste of fresh produce can lift morale during long missions in the isolation of space.

The technology being developed is impressive. Instead of traditional soil, many experiments use hydroponics, where roots grow in nutrient-rich water, or aeroponics, where they are misted with nutrient solutions. LED lights provide the perfect mix of colours for photosynthesis while using very little electricity. Computers constantly monitor moisture, temperature, nutrients and carbon dioxide to create the ideal growing conditions.

These techniques will eventually be adapted for the Moon. Lunar greenhouses will probably sit inside pressurised habitats or beneath protective domes shielded from radiation and extreme temperatures. Processed lunar soil, known as regolith, may one day help anchor roots, while recycled water and astronaut waste will become valuable resources in a nearly closed farming system.

Mars presents even greater challenges, but also exciting possibilities. Its day is only about 40 minutes longer than Earth's, making lighting schedules easier for crops. Scientists hope to use water ice buried beneath the Martian surface and carbon dioxide from the thin atmosphere to help sustain future greenhouses.

Every successful experiment brings humanity one step closer to becoming an interplanetary species. Tiny seeds that begin their journey inside a spacecraft today could someday feed entire communities on distant worlds. Learning how plants adapt to space isn't just advancing science—it may ultimately determine whether humans can truly call the Moon or Mars a second home.

What if you could travel back to the birth of the universe? No spaceship can do it, but NASA's James Webb Space Telescope comes astonishingly close. Floating nearly 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, Webb is peering so deeply into space that it is looking back more than 13 billion years in time, sending home breathtaking images of galaxies that existed long before Earth, the Sun, or even our Milky Way had fully formed.

It sounds like science fiction, but it's based on one remarkable fact. Light, although travelling at an incredible 300,000 kilometres a second, doesn't move instantly. Because the universe is unimaginably vast, light from distant objects can take billions of years to reach us. The sunlight warming your face today left the Sun about eight minutes ago, while the nearest star beyond the Sun is seen as it was more than four years ago. When Webb photographs the most distant galaxies, however, it captures light that has been travelling for an astonishing 13.5 billion years, making the telescope the closest thing humanity has ever built to a time machine.

Every image Webb sends back is more than just a beautiful photograph—it is a message from the distant past. The galaxies we see may have grown, collided with others or changed beyond recognition during the billions of years their light has been crossing the universe. Some may not even exist today in the form we see, making each picture a priceless snapshot of cosmic history.

Webb achieves this feat because it sees the universe differently from any telescope before it. Instead of relying mainly on visible light, it specialises in infrared light. As the universe expands, the light from the earliest galaxies is stretched into infrared wavelengths that ordinary telescopes cannot detect. Webb was designed specifically to capture this ancient, hidden light, opening an entirely new window on the universe.

What it has discovered has stunned astronomers. Among its record-breaking finds is a galaxy known as MoM-z14, whose light has travelled about 13.5 billion years to reach Earth. Another remarkable object, JADES-GS-z14-0, appears exactly as it looked less than 300 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only about two percent of its present age. These are not simply distant galaxies—they are direct glimpses of the universe in its infancy.

Even more surprising is that these early galaxies don't behave the way scientists expected. For decades, astronomers believed the first galaxies would be small, faint and slowly growing. Instead, Webb keeps uncovering galaxies that are unexpectedly bright, massive and already rich in heavier elements. Some studies suggest there are more than 100 times as many brilliant young galaxies as leading theories predicted, forcing researchers to rethink how quickly the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang.

Why couldn't the famous Hubble Space Telescope reveal these hidden treasures? The answer lies in Webb's superior design. Its giant 6.5-metre mirror collects more than six times as much light as Hubble's 2.4-metre mirror, while its advanced infrared instruments allow it to detect galaxies up to 100 times fainter than Hubble could ever see. For the first time, astronomers are directly exploring the mysterious era known as Cosmic Dawn, when the first stars ignited and the earliest galaxies emerged from the darkness.

With every new observation, James Webb is rewriting the story of our cosmic origins. As it probes ever deeper into the universe, it also journeys farther back in time, revealing a cosmos that is younger, stranger and far more spectacular than anyone imagined. Each new image reminds us that the universe still holds extraordinary secrets—and that some of its greatest discoveries are only just beginning.

One of China's workhorse rockets just exploded in flight - Ars Technica 

Ars Technica If the failure involved the YF-100 engine, there are broader concerns for China's space  program.

Imagine a future where the Sun never completely sets. A giant mirror floating hundreds of kilometres above Earth could redirect sunlight from space and create patches of daylight long after sunset. It sounds like something from a science-fiction movie, but a California space company is now preparing to test the idea.

Reflect Orbital, a start-up based in Hawthorne, California, has received approval to launch a small experimental satellite carrying a large reflective mirror. The goal is simple but extraordinary: capture sunlight in orbit and beam it back down to Earth during the night.

The first test satellite will be about the size of a small refrigerator. Once it reaches low Earth orbit, it will unfold a square mirror nearly 18 metres wide. The reflected sunlight would create a bright circle of illumination on the ground about five kilometres across. But this is only the beginning. If the experiment succeeds, Reflect Orbital hopes to build a network of thousands of larger mirrors in space. Some could stretch almost 55 metres across and reflect light equal to the brightness of about 100 full moons.

The company believes its unusual technology could have several practical benefits. Solar farms could continue producing electricity after sunset, helping make renewable energy more dependable. Emergency workers could use the reflected light during disasters, while farmers, builders and mining operations could extend their working hours into the night.

Reflect Orbital even suggests the technology could one day help illuminate city streets without relying on traditional lighting systems. The company argues that extending access to sunlight could reduce dependence on fossil fuels and provide a new tool for industries that need reliable power and lighting.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the first demonstration mission, describing the project as a potentially groundbreaking development in space technology. However, the approval only covers this single test satellite. The FCC's responsibility is mainly to ensure that the spacecraft's radio communications do not interfere with others and that it can be safely removed from orbit at the end of its life.

The idea, however, has created a fierce debate. Astronomers are among the strongest critics. They warn that bright artificial reflections from space could interfere with telescopes trying to observe distant galaxies, planets and other cosmic objects. Modern astronomy depends on extremely dark skies, and even a small amount of unwanted light can make it harder to study the universe.

Some scientists worry about the bigger picture: if private companies begin placing giant mirrors in orbit, one organisation could potentially alter the appearance of the night sky for people around the world.

Wildlife experts have also raised concerns. Many animals rely on natural darkness for navigation, feeding and reproduction. Artificial light at night can disrupt birds, insects and other creatures, while changes to day-night cycles may also affect plants and human sleep patterns. Reflect Orbital's founder and chief executive Ben Nowack says the testing process will include safeguards and careful evaluation. The company plans to charge customers for the reflected light service and has discussed possible partnerships with solar energy companies.

This is not the first attempt to use space technology to bring sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russia launched an experimental satellite called Znamya, which briefly reflected sunlight over parts of Siberia. While the early demonstration showed promise, later efforts failed and the project was abandoned. Today, the idea has returned with modern technology and much bigger ambitions.

Whether giant mirrors in space become a clean-energy breakthrough or an environmental mistake remains to be seen. But the concept raises a fascinating question about humanity's future: should we simply explore space, or should we begin redesigning it to change life on Earth? The night sky has inspired humans for thousands of years. Now, for the first time, we have the technology to change what we see when we look up.

Look up at a clear night sky and you are not seeing the Universe as it is—you are seeing it as it was. Every point of light above you is a message from the past, carried across unimaginable distances at the speed of light. Even the unaided eye can reach back years, decades, sometimes centuries. With a telescope, that journey becomes even more dramatic: you are effectively looking across deep time. In a very real sense, your telescope is a time machine.

The reason is simple, yet astonishing. Light does not arrive instantly. It travels at about 300,000 kilometres per second, which sounds fast—until you start measuring the Universe in kilometres. The numbers quickly become absurd. To describe the distance to even a nearby galaxy, you would need strings of digits so long they feel almost fictional. Astronomers solve this by using light-years: the distance light travels in one year, roughly 10 trillion kilometres.

Once you think in these terms, even the Solar System becomes a place of delayed vision and communication. The Moon you see tonight is not the Moon "now," but the Moon as it was 1.3 seconds ago. Sunlight takes just over 8 minutes to reach Earth, meaning every sunset is slightly behind reality.

A telescope does not shorten this journey. It simply collects more of the ancient light, making distant objects brighter and more detailed. What you gain in clarity, you do not gain in immediacy. You are always looking backward.

Scale this up further and the effect becomes mind-bending. Some of the stars in familiar constellations like Orion's "Saucepan" pattern are so far away that any dramatic change occurring there would not be known to us for hundreds of years. If one of those stars exploded tonight, Earth would continue to see its calm, unchanged light until the year 2900 or beyond. We would be living through a cosmic delay of centuries.

Then there are galaxies entire systems of billions of stars whose light began its journey before humans even existed. When you observe them, you are witnessing the Universe in its deep history, not its present state.

For many people, this idea becomes unforgettable the first time it truly sinks in. It did for me during the early days of the Space Age. The launch of Sputnik 1 the first artificial satellite—changed everything. A polished metal sphere roughly the size of a beach ball, it circled Earth every 98 minutes, broadcasting simple radio "beeps" that could be picked up worldwide.

To some, it was a curiosity. To others, it was a shock. To me, it was electrifying. I remember listening to those faint beeps on a radio as a young observer and believing I had glimpsed something extraordinary passing overhead. Later I learned that what I had likely seen was not Sputnik itself it was too small but the rocket stage that carried it, racing across the sky at orbital speed. Yet the experience felt no less historic. I was watching humanity's first steps into space unfold in real time.

Sputnik was only 56 centimetres across, with four long antennae extending like whiskers into the vacuum. But its impact was enormous. It marked the beginning of the Space Age and the Space Race—a moment when the night sky stopped being only a source of wonder and became a destination.

And in that sense, nothing has changed. Every time you look up, you are still travelling through time. See my website for more stories www.davidreneke.com

Living on the International Space Station means adapting to a world where gravity doesn't hold your soup down, and a stray crumb can trigger an electrical fire. While space food began as unappealing pastes squeezed from aluminum tubes, it has transformed into a sophisticated culinary science. Managing a space menu requires balancing strict engineering constraints with the vital psychological need for a taste of home. 

Astronauts eat a surprisingly varied diet of thermostabilized, freeze-dried, and shelf-stable foods. Because floating crumbs can damage equipment, they avoid bread and use tortillas as a substitute. Condiments like salt and pepper are used in liquid form. Most items simply need hot water or heating before eating. The NASA Space Food menu has evolved far beyond the classic freeze-dried ice cream blocks of the past. Today, their meals generally fall into these specific categories:

• Rehydratable Foods: Water is removed to reduce weight and spoilage. Astronauts inject hot or cold water into the package before eating. Examples include macaroni and cheese, soups, and breakfast cereals
• Thermostabilized Foods: These are heat-processed to destroy microorganisms so they can stay fresh for months without refrigeration. This includes meals like tuna salads, beef jerky, and curries.
• Natural Form Foods: Items that need no preparation, such as nuts, granola bars, cookies, and fruit. 
• Tortillas: Because standard bread creates hazardous crumbs in zero gravity, tortillas are a major staple used for tacos, sandwiches, and pizzas.
• Fresh Foods: Resupply missions bring limited amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables (like apples and oranges), which must be eaten within the first few days before they spoil.

To add a taste of home, astronauts can also request personalized items and familiar treats like hot sauce or candies to boost morale during long missions.

China has taken another giant step in its race to the Moon — and this one could shape the future of space travel for decades. Late Sunday night, a blazing Long March rocket thundered into the sky from the remote Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-west China, carrying three astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft. Their destination? China's growing Tiangong space station, orbiting hundrds of kilometres above Earth. But this mission is about far more than simply floating around in zero gravity.

China wants to know what happens when humans live in space for very long periods. One of the astronauts will remain aboard Tiangong for an entire year — one of the country's longest space missions ever attempted. That's important because China has much bigger ambitions in mind. It hopes to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030 and eventually build a permanent lunar base by 2035.

And if humans are ever going to live on the Moon — or perhaps even Mars one day — scientists need answers to some serious questions. What happens to muscles and bones after months in weightlessness? How does isolation affect the mind? Can people stay healthy living far from Earth?

Space agencies have known for years that long stays in orbit can weaken the body. Astronauts can lose bone strength, suffer vision problems and even experience changes to the heart and brain. Some astronauts describe returning to Earth feeling like they've aged decades overnight. That's why this mission matters.

Interestingly, China is also making a political statement. One of the astronauts, Lai Ka-ying, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to fly on a Chinese mission. He's a former Hong Kong police inspector with a doctorate in computer forensics — not the typical image many people have of an astronaut. The choice may be symbolic. It shows China wants to present its space program as modern, diverse and united under one national banner.

The other crew members are commander Zhu Yangzhu and pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, both from the Chinese military's astronaut corps. Behind all this sits a growing space rivalry between China and the United States. NASA is planning to return astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis program, while China is rapidly building its own capabilities. Some experts believe we are witnessing a brand-new "space race" — similar to the Cold War battle between America and the Soviet Union in the 1960s.

But this time the prize is not simply planting a flag. The Moon may contain valuable resources, including rare minerals and frozen water trapped in deep craters. Water could one day be turned into oxygen for breathing and hydrogen fuel for rockets. A Moon base might also become a launch pad for future missions deeper into the solar system.

China has been moving steadily toward this goal for years. Unlike the dramatic rush of the original Moon race, Beijing's strategy has been careful, patient and methodical.

And so far, it's working. The Tiangong space station itself is proof of that. Built after China was largely excluded from the International Space Station program, Tiangong has become a symbol of China's determination to stand on its own in space. Now, with astronauts preparing for year-long stays in orbit, China is edging closer to something once found only in science fiction — humans living away from Earth for months or even years at a time. And somewhere above us tonight, three astronauts are already beginning that experiment.

More than half a century after humans last walked on the moon, NASA is preparing to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2028. But there's a catch. The spacecraft designed to land them there are still being built, tested and, in some cases, exploding spectacularly.

This time NASA isn't building the moon landers itself. Instead, two private companies are battling for the honour — Elon Musk's SpaceX with its giant Starship vehicle, and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin with its Blue Moon lander. Both companies say they'll be ready. Both still have major hurdles ahead.

NASA recently adjusted its Artemis timetable. Rather than attempting a moon landing immediately, astronauts will first test the systems in Earth orbit in late 2027. Think of it as a dress rehearsal before the real performance. If all goes well, the actual lunar landing attempt would follow in 2028.

At the moment, SpaceX appears slightly ahead. Its Starship Human Landing System is enormous — far larger than the tiny Apollo moon landers of the 1960s. Standing upright, it looks more like a shiny science-fiction skyscraper than a spacecraft. But its size creates problems. Before heading to the moon, Starship must be refuelled in orbit using several tanker spacecraft. It's a bit like trying to refill an airliner while both planes are travelling through space at thousands of kilometres an hour.

SpaceX has made impressive progress. Starship has completed numerous test flights, performed engine relights in space and demonstrated dramatic booster recoveries using giant mechanical "chopsticks." Yet some of the hardest challenges still lie ahead, including orbital refuelling, long-term life support systems and proving astronauts can safely land and return from the moon.

Blue Origin is taking a quieter and more cautious path. Its Blue Moon lander is smaller and less complicated than Starship, which could work in its favour. Rather than immediately flying astronauts, the company plans to first send an uncrewed cargo version to the moon. It's a slower approach, but perhaps a safer one.

However, Blue Origin also faces serious obstacles. Its New Glenn rocket, needed to launch Blue Moon missions, has suffered delays and technical setbacks. Without a reliable launcher, even the best moon lander remains grounded.

NASA has hinted it may simply choose whichever company proves ready first. That means this is no longer just an engineering challenge — it's a genuine space race. For Musk, success helps support his long-term dream of reaching Mars. For Bezos, it's a chance to prove Blue Origin can compete at the highest level of space exploration. For NASA, it's about finally returning humans to the moon after more than 50 years.

And despite all the futuristic technology, one thing hasn't changed since Apollo: space remains brutally difficult. Rockets fail, schedules slip and engineers constantly battle problems no one has faced before. Landing humans safely on another world is still one of the hardest things humanity has ever attempted.

Will SpaceX's Starship be ready in time? Maybe. Could Blue Origin surprise everyone and pull ahead? That's possible too. Right now, nobody truly knows. But if everything works, astronauts could once again leave fresh footprints on the moon in 2028 — arriving not in government-built spacecraft alone, but aboard machines created by rival billionaires chasing the stars.

Apollo11 – In Retrospect. A Personal Journey

In 2008 I was News editor for Australia's Sky & Space Magazine visiting all the historic people and places in Space history in the USA. I had a personal invitation for this visit to meet up with history - and it still gives me a 'buzz'...pardon the pun. THIS is a revision of that day and a retrospective version of how things were, and could have been.

The door opened without ceremony. No spotlight. No drumroll. Just a firm handshake from a man who had walked on the Moon — and inside, a living room that quietly held the weight of history.

Visiting Buzz Aldrin at his home was not what you'd expect from someone who helped change the course of the 20th century. There were no grand trophies dominating the space. Instead, framed mission patches, a carefully displayed model of the Lunar Module Eagle, and photographs that have since become icons of human achievement. The setting was modest. The story was not.

Buzz, Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 11, was the second human being to set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969 after the reclusive neil Armstrong. But what fascinated me most weren't the famous headlines. It was the fine detail — the seconds, decisions and sensations that rarely make it into documentaries.

He described those final moments of descent. The Lunar Module was low on fuel — roughly 30 seconds remaining — when Neil Armstrong took manual control to avoid a boulder-strewn crater. The onboard computer flashed 1201 and 1202 alarms, signalling executive overload. In Houston, guidance officer Steve Bales made the split-second decision to continue. Abort would have meant a very different chapter in history.

Then came the dust. As Eagle descended, the engine plume kicked up lunar regolith, creating a blinding haze. There were no trees, no buildings, no atmosphere to soften perspective. Just harsh light and shadow. Armstrong relied on instinct honed from years as a test pilot. When the contact light illuminated and the engine shut down, Aldrin calmly confirmed, "Okay. Engine stop." That composure under pressure defined the mission.

But there's another presence in this story — quieter, reflective, almost reluctant to be mythologised. Neil Armstrong, by nature reserved and semi-reclusive in later life, reinforces something that rarely makes it into public speeches: sheer amazement. He speaks softly about the lunar surface. Not theatrically. Not dramatically. Simply, honestly.

The horizon felt closer than expected, he said, because the Moon is smaller. The sky was completely black — even with the Sun glaring down. The surface wasn't smooth and poetic as imagined in paintings; it was textured, sharp, ancient. The regolith behaved almost like powdery snow mixed with ash. And yet, despite the training, the simulations, the rehearsals — nothing quite prepared him for the reality of stepping onto another world.

When pressed He admits something profound: being chosen as the first was an honour that weighed heavily. The decision had been NASA's, based on crew roles and procedures, but the historical symbolism was undeniable. Armstrong understood that the first step would echo beyond engineering or politics. It would belong to humanity. There's no bravado in his recollection. Only a kind of quiet wonder.

Buzz detailed the physical strain. The suits were pressurised to about 3.7 psi, making every movement deliberate. Heart rates exceeded 150 beats per minute during the moonwalk. This was not a stroll in low gravity; it was demanding work. Before exploration began, Armstrong collected the contingency sample — a small bag of lunar soil gathered immediately in case they had to abort. Insurance for history.

They deployed experiments that still function today. The Laser Ranging Retroreflector remains in place, allowing scientists to measure the Moon's recession from Earth — about 3.8 centimetres per year. The Passive Seismic Experiment detected moonquakes, proving the Moon was not entirely geologically dead.

Inside the cabin, once helmets were removed, the dust carried a faint smell — like spent gunpowder. It clung stubbornly to suits and equipment. We spoke of Michael Collins, orbiting alone in Columbia. As I sat there Buzz took a quick call from him. Without his flawless command module operations, there was no return. Collins described himself as "not lonely," but responsible. It was a trio, not a duo, that completed the mission.

After splashdown on July 24, 1969, the crew entered 21 days of quarantine in a Mobile Quarantine Facility — a converted Airstream trailer. NASA could not rule out lunar microbes. Caution ruled over celebration.

The Saturn V that launched them stood 110 metres tall and generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Controlled violence. Precision engineering. More than 400,000 people worked across the United States to make it happen. President Kennedy's 1961 challenge — to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade was out — had been met.

But sitting there listening, what stayed with me most was not rivalry, nor Cold War urgency, nor even technological triumph. It was awe! Buzz's measured confidence shows, Neil's quiet astonishment is legendary. Two different temperaments united by a moment when human beings crossed a threshold no species had crossed before. The footprints remain there still, undisturbed in silent dust. And in that quiet living room, the Moon did not feel distant at all.

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'ASTRO DAVE' RENEKE - A Personal Perspective

His extensive background includes teaching astronomy at the college level, being a featured speaker at astronomy conventions across Australia, and contributing as a science correspondent for both ABC and commercial radio stations. David's weekly radio interviews, reaching around 3 million listeners, cover the latest developments in astronomy and space exploration.

As a media personality, David's presence extends to regional, national, and international TV, with appearances on prominent platforms such as Good Morning America, American MSNBC news, the BBC, and Sky News in Australia. His own radio program has earned him major Australasian awards for outstanding service.

David is recognized for his engaging and unique style of presenting astronomy and space discovery, having entertained and educated large audiences throughout Australia. In addition to his presentations, he produces educational materials for beginners and runs a popular radio program in Hastings, NSW, with a substantial following and multiple awards for his radio presentations.

In 2004, David initiated the 'Astronomy Outreach' program, touring primary and secondary schools in NSW to provide an interactive astronomy and space education experience. Sponsored by Tasco Australia, Austar, and Discovery Science channel, the program donated telescopes and grants to schools during a special tour in 2009, contributing to the promotion of astronomy education in Australia. David Reneke, a highly regarded Australian amateur astronomer and lecturer with over 50 years of experience, has established himself as a prominent figure in the field of astronomy. With affiliations to leading global astronomical institutions,

David serves as the Editor for Australia's Astro-Space News Magazine and has previously held key editorial roles with Sky & Space Magazine and Australasian Science magazine. 

Heard on over 50 stations weekly