The Moon race: who will land first?

 

Avidyu

The Moon our faithful satellite has always been an object of fascination for mankind. Ever since Neil Armstrong set foot on its surface in 1969, no manned mission has returned. But in the 21st century, the Moon has once again become a strategic objective, triggering a new race to explore it. But this time the competition is more complex and exciting. It is no longer limited to a rivalry between two superpowers, as it was during the Cold War, but involves many players, including NASA, China, Europe and even private companies like SpaceX.

The big question driving this new space age is who will be the first to land humans on the lunar surface again. NASA, a historic player in space exploration, is determined to claim this title with its ambitious Artemis program. The American agency plans to return astronauts to the moon as early as 2025. 

The aim of Artemis is not only to send the first woman and the next man to the moon, but also to establish a lasting human presence on lunar soil. This mission is intended to pave the way for exploration of even more distant destinations, such as Mars.

The Artemis program is based on major technological advances such as the SLS space launch system, one of the most powerful launchers ever built, and the Orion capsule, specially designed to carry astronauts far beyond Earth orbit.

However, this return to the Moon won't happen without the help of another key player: Space X. This private company founded by Elon Musk is redefining space exploration. SpaceX has been selected to develop the Starship HLS Human Landing System, a vessel capable of safely landing astronauts. The Starship is designed to be fully reusable, a revolution that could make space exploration far more affordable. 

With Artemis and SpaceX, NASA seems to be well positioned to win this new race to the Moon. But the competition is not limited to America. The Chinese space agency CNSA has achieved several notable successes, notably in 2019 with the Chang 4 mission, which became the first to land a rover on the far side of the Moon.

China has no intention of stopping there, and plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2030. Future missions, such as Chang 6 and Chang 7, will focus on exploring lunar resources, notably the water present in the form of ice at the pole. In collaboration with Russia, China is even planning to build a permanent base on the moon, a project that will enable it to compete directly with American and European ambitions.

The European Space Agency (ESA), while not planning to send its own astronauts to the moon, plays a crucial role as a partner in the Artemis program. Europe supplies vital technologies, including the service modules for the Orion capsule. In addition, ESA is heavily involved in the Gateway project, a future space station orbiting the Moon that will serve as a starting point for manned lunar missions.

Although Europe is not at the forefront of the race, it is making a significant contribution to the success of international missions to the Moon. At the same time, private companies are redefining the rules of the game. SpaceX is not alone in this new race. Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos, is developing its own lunar module called Blue Moon, designed to enable landings on the moon. Although SpaceX has won the contract for Artemis, Blue Origin continues to work on innovative solutions for lunar exploration.

Private companies could well become disruptors in this race, offering faster, more flexible alternatives to government agencies. The Moon is not just a symbolic goal. This new conquest is motivated by strategic scientific and economic stakes.

The Moon is seen as a stepping stone to Mars and other more important planets. The lunar poles harbor reserves of water in the form of ice, a precious resource not only for sustaining human life but also for producing fuel for space travel. The idea of using the Moon as a base to launch more distant missions is becoming increasingly credible. So this new race to the Moon is much more than just a technological challenge. It's a race for the future of space exploration and the control of extraterrestrial resources. 

Who will be the first to set foot on the Moon again? NASA, with its Artemis program and the support of SpaceX... China, with its methodical plans and ambitions for a permanent lunar base... or will a private company upset the predictions? 

One thing is certain: this new lunar conquest is already underway, and its impact could redefine mankind's future in space. The question is not just who will win the race, but how this exploration will change our relationship with the universe and the opportunities it offers. 

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I post this for info purposes - not as an endorsement of any of the claims and beliefs stated by the authors.

 

The US (since the 1950's) has developed military plans to occupy the moon as a base that would help to create a military gate and thus control of the pathway on and off Earth (what is called the 'Earth-Moon Gravity Well'). 

 

The US now can't afford to pay for this costly dream by itself. The new Artemis Accords brings in allies to help pay for this US led program. 

 

Guess who would control the tip of the spear that would be aimed at China and Russia to keep them away from the Moon for as long as possible?

 

This idea is laden with conflict.

 

Bruce 

 

Source: 'Military Space Forces: The Next 50 Years'. A 1989 Congressional Study

Artists struggle to support Palestine

What happened in the art industry is SHOCKING & no one’s allowed to talk about it.

Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent, is on at the Whitechapel Gallery, London until 19th January 2025 

 https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/ex... 

 Explore Peter's artwork ► https://www.peterkennard.com

Trump wants Greenland to deploy Medium-Range Missiles aimed at Russia

 

By Claudio Resta

As early as 1946, the US administration of Harry Truman declared that the island was “essential to the security of the United States” to counter the growing Soviet threat, and offered Denmark $100 million to purchase it.

But the first time that US authorities considered the idea of ​​acquiring Greenland from Denmark along with Alaska from Russia dates back to 1867.

For Russia, the implementation of Trump’s plans regarding Greenland will have military consequences. The island, which already hosts the Thule base, will become the largest US military base with strategic bombers and P-8A Poseidon aircraft to monitor Russian submarines.

But also medium-range land-based missiles: a re-edition of the US “Ice Worm” project from the 1960s but with a different technical solution. The project involved the placement of 600 Minuteman missiles reduced to 2 stages in the tunnels of the Greenland ice sheet.

By deploying LRHW “Dark Eagle” missile systems on the east coast of Greenland with hypersonic warheads, the US would be able to strike the Russian Arctic regions, including Arkhangelsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk and Tiksi.

Greenland retains all raw material revenues for operations on the island; Denmark receives nothing and simply pays (starting in 2009 with an annual subsidy of approx. DKK 3,400 million, currently value approx. EUR 455 million).

And here’s the news: from 1 October 2023, the Greenlandic company Inuksuk has taken over the maintenance of the US space base Pituffik (formerly Thule Air Base), the largest US military facility on the island.

As part of the contract, Washington will allocate nearly DKK 28 billion to the island for the maintenance of the US space base alone until 2035, an amount comparable to all of Copenhagen’s grants.

The US interest in Greenland is strategic in nature, regardless of Trump’s statements. After all, this is where the North American Aerospace Defense Command intends to detect and intercept Russian missiles in the event of World War III.

Danish authorities announce new funding to defend the large island

Since a few days ago US President-elect Trump reiterated his desire to want to buy Greenland The Danish government answer was the announce of a major plan to strengthen Greenland’s defense capacity, just hours after US President-elect Donald Trump publicly reiterated his desire to buy the Arctic country, home to just 56,000 people.

Without providing details, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish news outlet Jyllands-Posten that Copenhagen will invest “billions of Danish kroner to improve the country’s defenses.”

The unspecified defense spending could amount to between €1.34 billion and €13.27 billion. Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the United States will seek possession and control of Greenland for “purposes of national security and freedom around the world.”

The comments came just days after the former US president suggested Washington wanted to seize neighboring Canada and retake the Panama Canal. 

PM Egede: “We are not for sale”

In response, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede said that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people.”

He also said that his country “is not for sale and never will be. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

Greenland has its own extensive local government, but is still affiliated with the Danish crown.

The country was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was reclassified as a district of Denmark.

Greenland was then fully integrated into the Danish state under the Constitution of Denmark, making its inhabitants Danish citizens.

~ Claudio Resta was born in Genoa, Italy in 1958, he is a citizen of the world (Spinoza), a maverick philosopher, and an interdisciplinary expert, oh, and an artist, too.

Sunday song

 

Addictive tech cannot be used for good.....

 

This talk by Paul Kinsgnorth was presented at Samford University by the organization Tactical Faith. 

Paul talks about resisting the distractions and pulls from the many online channels that modern Christians have to deal with.

Paul Kingsnorth is an English writer who lives in the west of Ireland. He is a former deputy editor of The Ecologist and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project.

No one is stopping Israel: Where is the international law?

 

Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan, a respected medical practitioner, addresses the UN Security Council, shedding light on the dire situation in Gaza. 

She highlights the unchecked violence and Gaza medics' plea for justice.

Gaza genocide update

 

How can any human being be expected to exist under these horrible conditions?

What does the UK, Germany, EU do? Nothing except excuse the zionists for their genocidal actions and send them more weapons. They also regularly suppress Gaza solidarity movements.

What do the Arab feudal monarchies do? Nothing except talk.

What have the so-called world courts done? Nothing except stall for time - they call it 'investigation and deliberation'. 

What does the corporate media do? They keep burying the story, just as they are told to do by their zionist paymasters. The BBC truth suppression case wins top prize for being the most duplicitous. 

What does the US government (acting as agents of Israel) do? Nothing except lie and demonize the Palestinian people.

What do the western weapons corporations do? Make lots of cash by pumping out more weapons for more war crimes.

What does the global 'Christian' community do? Nothing but issue a few 'sweet words' by the Roman pope and then celebrate the 'birth of Christ' who is actually buried under the rubble in Bethlehem. The radical right-wing evangelists raise funds for Israeli settlements and tell Congress to keep sending more bombs.

What do most Jewish synagogues around the globe do? They continue to spread fear about anti-semitism and claim the Palestinian people are all terrorists. A few Jewish organizations do participate in solidarity protests but then mainline Jewish 'leaders' claim they are all self-hating Jews. So ignore them they say.

What do the Democrats and Republicans do? They applaud Netanyahu and send the zionists more money as the American economy falters before our eyes.

So this is basically how a genocide happens. The so-called leaders of virtually every institution across the 'democratic and exceptional western world' close their hearts and call for the slaughter of the innocents.

Who is next on the genociders list of victims? Lebanon, Syria,Yemen, Iran, Iraq and more....

Bruce

Documentary: Alert in orbit, the threat of space debris

French

Alors que l'espace est devenu un nouvel eldorado, des scientifiques, partout dans le monde, cherchent aujourd'hui à nettoyer le ciel de ses poubelles. Il n'aura fallu que 60 ans de conquête spatiale pour polluer la banlieue.
 

English

At a time when space has become a new Eldorado, scientists all over the world are seeking to clean up the sky of its rubbish. It has only taken 60 years of space conquest to pollute the planet's inner suburbs, leaving behind over a hundred million pieces of debris: pieces of rockets, metal carcasses, obsolete satellites. More and more of this debris orbits the planet for decades, if not centuries. They are projectiles capable of colliding with a satellite, a space station or falling back to Earth. 

~ Scientists fear a growing cascading series of space junk collisions unless Earthlings stop polluting the orbits. It's called the Kessler Syndrome. If we don't get smart real soon this could cause much of the planet to go dark due to our reliance on satellites to run much of what we do.

Major winners & losers of halting Russian gas transit via Ukraine

 

Sputnik

As the Ukraine gas transit contract with Russia is set to end, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK received its first delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US on December 27.

Winners

US LNG producers: 

• The halting of Russia's gas deliveries through Ukraine will increase the US share and reduce competition in the EU market.
  

• The latest US LNG delivery amounts to 100 million cubic meters of gas (1 TWh of energy, or 3,530,000 MMBtu), bought by D.Trading, DTEK’s pan-European trading subsidiary. The shipment arrived at Greek LNG terminals such as Revithoussa, where it will be "re-gasified" and distributed "through EU and Ukrainian gas networks," according to DTEK. One network, the Vertical Corridor, will transmit US LNG deliveries between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
  

• LNG from the US for Europe is at least 30-40% more expensive than pipeline gas from Russia.
  

• In December 2022, the US became the world’s leading exporter of LNG amid Europe's energy crisis and the sabotage attack on Russia's Nord Stream pipelines.

Losers

• Ukraine: Ukraine will lose almost $1 billion annually from Russian gas transit fees. Additionally, Ukraine is likely to pay more for US LNG coming through the Revithoussa LNG terminal than for Russian pipeline gas, which used to come in the form of a "virtual reverse." 
  

• Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia which have long relied on Russian gas transit through Ukraine, will face challenges. Being landlocked, access to LNG delivered to marine terminals is costly and difficult. Long-term contracts with Russia's Gazprom allowed them to buy natural gas considerably cheaper than EU gas spot prices. For instance, Austria had been receiving Russian gas at a price almost three times cheaper than EU spot prices in 2022, according to Reuters.
  

• European Union: After sliding to $11.79/MMBtu in October, European gas prices rose to almost $15/MMBtu on November 22. On December 27, benchmark futures rose further by 5% on the news of halted Russian gas transit through Ukraine. Stopping the supply of Russian gas through Ukraine will cost Europe around $125 billion in total losses in 2025-2026, according to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

One thing we can do to support Palestine - Boycott these corporations

Simplicius writes about the past year:

2024 was the year of unvarnished genocide, and what’s more: it was the total white-washing of said genocide by the bought-and-paid-for corporate media.

More than anything else, I declare year 2024 as the death of mainstream media. Never before was their bias, their criminality and total hostility to truth more openly obvious, more flagrantly flaunted by them. Scandal after scandal marred the last few remnant crumbs of credibility that remained, from covering up Biden’s clear dementia, presidential incompetence, and family crimes, to covering for Israel’s genocide all year long, with ‘creative’ formatting and syntax tricks, as well as lack of any impartiality or ability to question the State Narrative. They have exposed themselves as nothing more than an antiquated soapbox of disinformation and narrative control. This year was truly the long-overdue—and much-earned—death of mainstream media as an institution.

Virtually everything of note, any newsworthy revelation or exposé, was broken on either Twitter, Substack, or associated ‘citizen journalist’ haven. People are tuning out more and more from corporate legacy programming in general, whether it’s MSM or Hollywood or even major sports—with recent headlines reporting NBA viewership down by 50%, for instance.

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In spite of all that 'Happy New Year'. Let's each do our best to turn things around so that those that come after us will not have to face this ugly madness. 

It's the least we could do.

I know many of you are on full throttle but I also am aware that there are some heavy duty skaters who read these pages that are not pulling their share of the load.

Maybe its political party loyalty, too much corporate media intake, fear of what the friends, relatives and neighbors might think, or just plain laziness. Maybe you've just given up - thrown the towel in.

What more do we all need to see before we kick it in gear?

It's time to become a human being again.... 

Please resolve to do better in 2025.

In peace,

Bruce 

Trump and his zionist 'friends'

 

Lowkey says “Donald Trump has assembled the most pro-Israel cabinet in the history of the United States, I’ve investigated his funders and it all makes sense”.