Friday / 6 Apr 2018

Preserving Apollo Moon Landing Sites For Research Recommended By White House

White House Office Of Science & Technology Publishes Report “Protecting & Preserving Apollo Program Lunar Landing Sites & Artifacts”; Recommends Studying Long-Term Effects Of Lunar Environment Including Extreme Temperatures, Lunar Dust, Micro-Meteoroids, Solar Radiation On Over 187,000-kg Human-Made Materials Left Behind By 6 Apollo Missions; Opportunity For International, Commercial Cooperation With Future Moon Missions To Survey On A “Reciprocal, Transparent, Mutually Beneficial Basis”

Credits: NASA, White House, Lunar and Planetary Society

Friday / 19 June 2015

LADEE Data Indicate Permanent Asymmetrical Dust Cloud Around Moon LADEE

Moon May Have Permanent Cloud Layer Formed By High-Speed Comet Dust Particles On Eccentric Orbits According To University Of Colorado Study Of NASA LADEE Mission Which Recorded 140,000 Impacts Over 80 Days; Lead Author Mihaly Horányi States Moon May Have 120kg Of Dust In Atmosphere At Any Given Time, Other Bodies With Thin Atmosphere Expected To Have Same Phenomenon; Evidence Also Recorded From Apollo Astronaut Observations From Surface & Of Lunar Terminator

Credit: NASA, University of Colorado – Boulder

Thursday / 27 March 2014

Meteorite Impact Risk On Moon Greater Than Formerly Known

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Future Moon Settlements / Human Operations Should Be Underground, Rely On Robots For Majority Of Surface Activity To Protect From Meteorite Impacts Says Russia Astronomer Vladimir Surdin (R); Over 300 Impacts Recorded On Moon Since 2005; At LPSC, LROC PI Mark Robinson Details Data Of Secondary Impacts From Recent Lunar Impact, 248 Small Debris Impacts Found Up To 30km From Fresh 18m-Wide Crater, These Secondaries Could Pose More Threat To Surface Assets Than Primary Craters

Image Credit: NASA, Moscow State University

Tuesday / 2 July 2013

LADEE Mission Seeks Help From Amateur Astronomers

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LADEE Teaming Up With ALPO Lunar Meteoritic Impact Search Program In Call To Watch For Impacts On Moon; Dedicated Amateurs Require Telescope With Minimum 20cm Aperture, Video Recording Equipment, LunarScan Program, Ability To Continually Monitor Moon During Lunar Night; Micro-Meteoroid Issues Of Crucial Importance For Long-Duration Human Habitation Of Moon; LADEE To Launch 5 Sep, 1st Mission From Wallops Island VA To Venture Beyond LEO

Image Credit: NASA