By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press Aerospace Writer
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company gave NASA a brief taste of the moon’s gravity Tuesday, without straying too far from home.
Blue Origin launched the 29 lunar technology experiments to the edge of space from West Texas. Plans called for creating a few minutes of artificial lunar gravity by repeatedly spinning the capsule.
It was Blue Origin’s first attempt at mimicking lunar gravity, which is one-sixth that of Earth.
NASA said it wants to test equipment on short spaceflights to weed out any problems before sending them to the moon. The experiments — mainly sponsored by NASA — included ways to keep lunar dust off future moonwalkers’ spacesuits and tools.
Mimicking the moon’s gravity on spaceflights can accelerate research at much lower costs and future trips can “closely mirror Mars and other solar system gravity environments,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp posted on X ahead of the flight.
The New Shepard rocket landed as planned following the late morning liftoff. The capsule with the experiments parachuted back to the desert to close out the 10-minute flight.
New Shepard alternates between flying passengers and experiments on short space hops. Blue Origin’s much bigger orbital rocket, New Glenn, made its debut launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last month.
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