Image Credit: ESA, NASA

ESA Working To Advance 3D Lidar Technology For Deep Space Exploration; Potential Applications Include Guidance / Navigation / Control Of Planetary Landers & Selection Of Safe Landing Site, Steering Rovers On Planetary Surface, Docking In Planetary Orbit; New Class Of Imaging Lidar Much Smaller, Needing Less Power; Landing Lidar Instrument Being Designed For ESA Lunar Lander, NET 2019

Image Credit: NASA, ASU

LRO Data Reveals Evidence Of Recent Seismic Activity On Moon; Graben (Small Ravines) Up To 500m Wide, 1.8km Long, Free Of Cratering – Formed Within Last 50M Years, Postdating Last Major Tectonic Activity (1.2B Years Ago); Recent Graben Formation Also Incompatible With Theory That Early Moon Had Fully Molten Interior; Further Data From LRO, GRAIL Will Shed More Light On These Mysteries

Image Credit: PRL, NASA, docstoc.com

India Physical Research Laboratory Scientists In Ahmedabad Propose Wireless Sensor Network For In Situ Probing Of Water Ice On Lunar Surface; Large Number Of Tiny Battery-Operated Devices Scattered On Surface With Self-Organizing Capability; Concept May Have Advantage Over Rovers For Exploration Of Permanently Shadowed Regions; Chandrayaan-2 Launch Could Be Delayed To 2016

China Lunar Exploration Program Engineers Using Chang’e-2 Lunar Orbiter Images To Select Landing Sites For Chang’e-3; Special Pictures Of Sinus Iridum 41°N With Resolutions Of 1-1.5m To Aid In Selection Of Several Potential Sites; Final Selection Will Depend On Launch Time; Chang’e-2 Images Also Provided Foundation For Recently-Released 7-m Resolution Whole-Moon Map

Image Credit: SRR, PTMSS, NORCAT, CSM

Lunar-Related Issues Prominent At 3rd Joint Meeting Of Space Resources Roundtable And The Planetary & Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium, 4-7 June 2012 At Colorado School Of Mines; Abstract Submission Deadline 30 April; Promotes Interaction Between Space & Mining Sectors In USA & Canada; Pictured: Steering Committee Chairs: Angel Abbud-Madrid (C) & Dale Boucher (R)