Author Archives: LED Editor

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 Jul – 1 Aug 2016

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India Technology Vision 2035 Report Recognizes Massive Game-Changing Potential Of Moon, Space Mining

LED-7-29-16

Executive Director of Technology Information, Forecasting And Assessment Council (TIFAC) Prabhat Ranjan Expects Realization Of Extra-Terrestrial Mining Within 10-15 Years; Highlights “Mineral Wealth” Of The Moon And Echoes NASA Estimate Of Main Asteroid Belt Value Of  US$100B Per Person On Earth; References Pending USA Approval Of Moon Express Mission, Notes India Need To Get Going Or Risk Being Left Behind; ISRO Chandrayaan-2 Advancing For 2018 Launch By GLSV-MK2; TIFAC Is Autonomous Organization (Est. 1988) Under Department Of Science & Technology 

Credit: TIFAC, NASA

Friday / 29 July 2016

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PISCES And NASA Conducting Lunar Simulations, Technologies Testing At Mauna Kea Hawai`i

PISCES 2016

Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems (PISCES) Executive Director Rob Kelso & Students Developing, Upgrading, Testing Moon / Mars Rover, Equipment & Communications Software; From Remote Location, Students Use Google Earth Images Of Mauna Kea To Move Rover & Study Geology Mimicking Real Life Lunar Robotic Mission; NASA Ames Also Testing The Rover Stereoscopic Imaging System, Data Capture & Data Processing Remotely From Florida, Taking Advantage Of Moon, Mars Analog 3,000-meter Altitude Sites At Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa

Credit: PISCES, NASA

Thursday / 28 July 2016

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Nuclear Power On Moon, Mars, Beyond

LED-7-27-16

SETI Institute Science Colloquium At Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus Features Frank Shu, Professor Emeritus, University Of California Berkeley; Discusses Lunar Base As Wise First Step Toward Humans Colonizing Mars, Traveling To The Stars; Shu Notes Lunar Water Ice Harvesting / Electrolysis To Produce Habitat-Critical Oxygen (& Hydrogen For Fuel) Requires Primary Power Source; Presents Patented Design For Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder-Reactor (2F-MSBR) Using In Situ Thorium; Overlooks Potential For Photo-Voltaic Power At Peaks Of Eternal Light (Areas Of Near-Continuous Illumination) At Moon South Pole

Credit: SETI Institute, UC Berkeley, NASA

Wednesday / 27 July 2016

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GLXP Team PTS Lands In UAE To Scout Rover Test Sites

LED-7-26-16

CEO Robert Boehme Of Part-Time Scientists Is In United Arab Emirates To Search For Extreme Environmental Conditions & Soft Sand Inclines To Test 35kg Rover; Rub’ al Khali (The Empty Quarter) Is Largest Contiguous Sand Desert On Earth, Hyper-Arid With Typical Annual Rainfall <3cm And Temperatures Up To 51°C (124°F); With 35 Fixed Staff In Berlin, Germany & 70 Contributing Members Across 3 Continents Team PTS Has Won US$750K In Milestone Prizes So Far & Is Building Significant Industrial And Academic Partnerships; Total Venture Cost About US$35M

Credit: PTS, D. Johnson / The National, D. Yoder, National Geographic

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 July 2016

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Women On The Moon:
Expanding American / Global Enterprise

2017 Women on the Moon LED

Whichever Political Party Advances The New 2017 USA Administration Could Recognize A Prime Imperative & Plan To Reclaim A Great Accomplishment — Human Presence On The Moon; Many Willing And Able Women Would Eagerly Step Up To The Challenges Of Breaking This Very High Glass Ceiling; Recent Remarks By Eileen Collins Urge Policy Makers To Facilitate America Regaining Leadership In Space Exploration, Especially By Returning To Luna-First Priorities; Suni Williams Is Helping Lead Progress Toward US Commercial Crew Capabilities; Jessica Meir Is Emerging From The ESA CAVES Mission, Looking For The Next Challenge

Credit: SPC / ILOA, RNC webcast, NASA, LRO

Friday / 22 July 2016

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UAE Satellite Maneuver Pays Tribute To Humankind’s Greatest Achievement

Moon 47th International

UAE Dubai-Sat-2 Earth Observation Satellite Turns Face & Captures Images Of Moon To Mark Achievement Of 1st Human Moon Landing, Inspire Future Space Scientists; Salem Al Marri Of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Notes Apollo As “A Pinnacle Of Engineering Development & Exploration” And Hopes To “See People On Mars & Other Celestial Bodies”; Nations Including China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea & ESA Are Focusing On Moon Missions And Outposts; U.S. Has The Technologies & Could Catalyze Space Race With Prioritization

Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Eye Radio, NASA

Thursday / 21 July 2016

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Space Studies Institute Celebrates SpaceDay 2016 With Free Release Of “The High Frontier”

LED-7-20-16

SSI Newsletter Summer 2016 Includes Kindle Edition Of Gerard K. O’Neill Space Classic “The High Frontier – Human Colonies in Space” Free Until July 23 With Preface By Kathy Sullivan, Original Don Davis Illustrations, Pat Rawlings Cover Art; 99% Invisible Podcast By Roman Mars Has Producer Katie Mingle Talk With SSI Co-Founder Tasha O’Neill, Freeman Dyson & Author Patrick McCray For Episode Home On LaGrange; Raising Funds Toward SSI G-Lab Initiative To Test Real Impact Of Reduced Gravity On Generations Of Vertebrates (Several Million US$) And For SSI Exotic Propulsion Initiative (US$42,000)

Credit: SSI, P. Rawlings

Wednesday / 20 July 2016

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Full Moon Rising Again As World Observes 47th Anniversary Of Apollo 11

LED-7-19-2016

Space Community, Scientists Gather In Silicon Valley At Ames Research Center, NASA For The Exploration Science Forum (ESF 2016) Bolstered By Renewed Global Momentum Toward Lunar Landings & Crewed Habitats; An International Moon Surface Station With Commercial Services Integration Would Be A Major 1st Step Toward Reclaiming, Sustaining And Surpassing The Greatest Advance In Human History To Date; GOP Platform Supportive Of Space Exploration, Former Astronaut Eileen Collins To Speak At Republican National Convention; Louise Prockter Named As New Director Of Lunar & Planetary Institute

Credit: NASA, LPI, ESA

Tuesday / 19 July 2016

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Women On The Moon & USA 21st Century Leadership

LED-7-18-16

Eileen Collins, Former NASA Astronaut & 1st Female Space Shuttle Commander, Set To Make 3-Minute Apolitical Speech On 20 July At Republican National Convention, Cleveland OH; The Auspicious Day Marks Apollo 11 47th Observation; Collins Previewed Focus Of Speech “We Landed On The Moon ‘In Peace, For All Mankind’ And I Know That Is A Message We Can All Get Behind”; She Also Openly Criticized, As Did Many Others Of All Sides, The Obama Administration Decision To Scrap The Constellation Program Launched By George Bush; Newt Gingrich And Ted Cruz, Active In Space Exploration Policy, Are Also Set To Speak

Credit: NASA, GOP, SYU / S. Sartori

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 July 2016

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Waypaver Foundation Launching Grant Initiative For Sustainable Lunar Settlement

LED-7-15-16

Non-Profit Research-Guided Grant Making Institution Based In Chattanooga TN Seeks To Address Humanity’s Greatest Global Challenges By Advancing Key Technologies To Open Lunar Frontier; Led By CEO Nick Arnett, COO Patrick Gray & VP Sara Jennings; Board Of Directors Includes Esther Dyson (Chairman Of Edventure Holdings), Chad Anderson (Managing Director, Space Angels Network), Chris Frangione (VP At XPrize Foundation); More Details Expected At Announcement Event Spaceday 2016 July 20, 09:45, Palo Alto CA

Credit: Waypaver