Weekend Edition
Fri-Tue / 4-8 September 2015

Lunar & Deep Space Leaders Meet In Beijing Sep 7-10

9052015Chinese Academy Of Sciences (CAS) Lunar And Deep-Space Exploration (LDSE) Continues Global Cooperation For Advancing Moon / Mars Missions & Will Discuss Policy & Program Status Updates At 2015 Conference; 2nd Bi-Annual Event Will Feature 100 Submissions, 165 International Participants, 73 Special Reports & 19 Invited Speeches Including Plenary Lectures By Prof. Ouyang Ziyuan Of CLEP (TL) Discussing Chang’e-3 Mission / Preliminary Results & Dr. Chris Sallaberger (TR) Of Canadensys Aerospace Discussing ILO-1 Moon South Pole Mission Developments & Astronomy From The Moon

Credit: LDSE, CAS, CLEP, IIAC, ILOA

Friday / 4 September 2015

Astronomy From The Moon:
Further Establishing The New Frontier

MSPA ILOA 2015 SepILOA Collaborating With National Astronomical Observatories – Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) Aboard Chang’e-3 Moon Lander At 44°N 20°W – Only Spacecraft Operating On Lunar Surface, 1st To Land On Moon In Almost 40 Years; ILOA Pursuing Moon-Based Observatory Missions, Seeks To Advance 21st Century Galaxy Imaging With ILO-1 2-Meter Radio Antenna To Malapert Mt. 86°S 2.7°E Near Moon South Pole, With ILO-X Precursor Mission Aboard GLXP Lander, With Human Service Mission To ILO-1 / Robotic Village New World Frontier

Credit: Copyright ILOA, Michael Carroll, NAOC/CAS, CNSA

Thursday / 3 September 2015

GLXP Challenge To Get To Moon More Difficult Than Expected

9032015Lunar Lion Withdraws From Competition; Multiple GLXP Teams Successful With Rover Mobility & Visual Testing Yet Securing Launch Contracts (LC) Proving Difficult; Lack Of Updates / LC / Departure Of Tim Pickens & Andy Aldrin From Moon Express Signal Possible Withdrawal; Astrobotic & HAKUTO Collaborating In Rideshare Partnership Via SpaceX Falcon 9 For Late 2016; One Team Must Secure LC Within ~4 Months To Extend GLXP

Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic Technology, HAKUTO

Wednesday / 2 September 2015

Why Is It So Hard To Go Back To The Moon?

9022015Author Mark Whittington In Upcoming Interview 6 Sept With Dr. David Livingston On The Space Show Will Discuss His Latest 92 Page Book Published August 2015; Whittington Addressing The Questions Of Ceased Apollo Missions / American Leadership / Political Intrigue; Will Also Give Views On Political Blue Prints & Learning From The Past To Set A New Course For Future Crewed Lunar Missions

Credit: NASA, Mark Whittington, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Tuesday / 1 September 2015

Russia To Launch Luna-Glob To Moon South Pole 2016?

9012015 Despite Recent Budget Cuts & Technical Difficulties Lunar Mission Announced For 2016 Launch With Russia Space Research Institute (IKI) Luna-Glob; IKI Researcher Vladislav Tretyakov Comments Inaugural Moon South Pole Landing In Boguslawski Crater “Research Will Be Carried Out Directly On Board The Probe”; Temperature Variations Of -153° To 123° C Will Be Moderated With Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator; Studies Include Landing / Extreme Environment Operations / Thermal Properties Of Lunar Soil; Possibility To Further Astronomy From The Moon

Credit: IKI, Lavochkin, Roskosmos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 August 2015

LRO Furthering Technological Advancements For Volatiles Search

8292015LRO Detailed Mapping With Laser Altimetry & Moon South / North Pole Region Assessment Inspires Researchers Including Andreas Velten From University Of Wisconsin-Madison Laboratory For Optical & Computational Instrumentation (LOCI); Velten Developing Technology With Ability To “See Around Corners” On Lunar Surface / In Lunar Caves With Laser Light Pulses To Allow For Water / Other Volatile Discoveries Without Excavation; LRO Will Continue Search For New Impacts & Characterize Radiation Environment, Data Release 23 Expected In September

 

Credit: NASA, University of Wisconsin

Friday / 28 August 2015

GSLV Mk 2 Success Leading India Toward Vital Launch Independence & Advanced Moon, Space, Human Missions ISRO GSLV

India GSLV Rocket With Indigenous Cryogenic 3rd Stage Will Be Declared Fully Operational After Recent Launch Of GSAT-6 Communication To Successful Orbit According To K Sivan, Director Of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre; GSLV Mk 2, Capable Of Carrying 2,500kg To GTO, Scheduled To Launch Chandrayaan-2 In 2017 & Subsequent Moon Missions; GSLV Mk 3, Capable Of Launching 4,000kg To GTO, First Flight Expected Dec 2016 With First Human Mission In 2021

Credit: ISRO, NASA, GSFC

Thursday / 27 August 2015

ASU CubeSat May Lead Moon South Pole Water / Ice Search

8272015 Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) CubeSat Is A Candidate To Launch On NASA SLS Exploration Mission-1, Would Be ASU First Interplanetary Mission; Lunar Water Exploration Objective Vital To NASA Strategy For Future Human Space Missions; ASU NewSpace Initiative Led By Scott Smas, Jim Bell & Craig Hardgrove (L-R) With Bell As Deputy Principal Investigator; Principal Investigator Hardgrove Reaffirms ASU Achievements / Commitments To NASA & “Abundance Of Hydrogen At Lunar Poles”


Credit: ASU, NASA

Wednesday / 26 August 2015

Lunar Fire Fountains Fueled By Carbon Monoxide According To Brown Researchers

LED 082615Brown University Researchers Revisiting Glass Collected By Apollo 15 & 17 Astronauts Suggest Moon And Earth Volatile Reservoirs Share Common Origins; Carbon & Oxygen Forms Carbon Monoxide, Mixing With Basaltic Lava To Spew Quick-Cooling Droplets Of Green And Orange Glass; Recent Analysis Reveals H2O & Carbon Concentrations Decrease Near Center, Indicating Degassing; Brown’s Alberto Saal States, “Either Some Of Earth’s Volatiles…Were Included In The Accretion Of The Moon Or…Were Delivered To Both The Earth And Moon At The Same Time From A Common Source.”


Credit:  NASA, Brown University

Tuesday / 25 August 2015

International Lunar Decade Initiative For Sustained Moon Operations

8252015Letter To President Obama By Vid Beldavs, Founding Member Of International Lunar Decade Working Group, Requests U.S. Support For International Lunar Decade (ILD) Advocacy & UN-Sanction Activity / To Address Moon Mining & Property Rights /  To Involve G20 Countries In International Collaboration; Operations In Space To Establish Permanent Infrastructure Vital For Long-Term Economic Growth Which Will Promote Commercial Business; Partnerships Will Reduce Cost To Each Organization, Key To Permanent & Sustainable Development


Credit:  NASA, Vid Beldavs, ILD