Author Archives: LED Editor

Friday / 25 April 2014

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LPI Seminar On Moon Evolution,
SRR / PTMSS Deadline

LPI Lecture & PTMSS SRR

Lunar & Planetary Institute Lecture ‘Constraints On The Formation Age & Evolution Of The Moon From 142Nd-143Nd Systematics Of Apollo 12 Basalts’ Presentation Today By Claire McLeod From University Of Houston; Will Discuss How New High-Precision Neodymium (Nd) Isotope Data For Apollo Mare Basalts Are Used To Evaluate Lunar Mantle Source Reservoirs, And 3 Potential Moon Evolution Scenarios; Abstracts Due Today For 2014 SRR / PTMSS To Advance Commercial Prospects Of Developing Moon, Mars, Asteroid Resources

Image Credit: LPI, SRR / PTMSS, NASA, GSFC, C. McLeod

Thursday / 24 April 2014

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Morpheus / ALHAT Tests May Revolutionize Lunar / Planetary Exploration

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Free Test Flight Today At NASA JSC Of 3-m Diameter, 1090-Kg Morpheus Lander With 2404-Kg-Thrust, Methane & Oxygen-Fueled Engine Will Allow ALHAT Sensor System To Prove Its Capabilities; ALHAT System Will Have 10 Seconds To Map & Choose Landing Site After Craft Flies To ~150m; ALHAT Project Manager Chirold Epp Says Team Is Shooting For System That Can Land Within 3m Of Given Spot, Current Best For Landing Precision Is ~80m

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 23 April 2014

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International Space Powers Advance Moon Missions As NASA Looks Elsewhere

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China, Russia, India & Others Valuing Moon Exploration Priority With Current And Near-Future Lander Missions; Moon Seen As ‘Training Ground’ Providing Opportunity To Learn To Live & Work On Another Celestial Body, Solve Deep Space Exploration Challenges, Test New Technologies, Facilitate Exploration Of  Mars & Beyond; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden However Asserts That Going Back To Moon Is ‘Antiquated Idea’

Image Credit: Roscosmos, hannity.com

Tuesday / 22 April 2014

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Old Moon, New Moon Lecture At Carnegie Institute

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Maria Zuber Of MIT Will Give Lecture Today Entitled ‘Old Moon, New Moon‘ At The Carnegie Institute For Science In Washington DC; Dr Zuber Will Describe How Understanding Of The Moon Evolved With GRAIL Mission Data – Surprisingly Low Density (2550 Kg / M³) & Thickness (34-43 Km) Of Lunar Crust – & How Studying The Moon Provides Insight Into How Other Rocky Planets Formed / Developed

Image Credit: MIT, NASA, Carnegie Institute for Science

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 April 2014

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LADEE Spacecraft Meets End,
Science Data Analysis Continues

LADEE Spacecraft End

LADEE Orbiting At ~5,793kph Collected Valuable Science Data & Mimicked Surveyor / Apollo ‘Twilight Ray’ Observations With Star Tracker At ~91-Meter Altitude Prior To Far-Side Impact 17 Apr Between 21:30-22:22 PDT, Possibly Smashing Into Lunar Crater Or Mountain Ridge; Will Take More Than 1 Year To Analyze Successful US$280M Mission Data Including LDEX Characterization Of Ejecta Cloud & Perturbations From Chang’e-3 Landing; Completion Of 5th USA Moon Orbiter Mission Since Apollo Era, No Controlled Landings Achieved After 1972

Pictured: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden & part of the LADEE Team

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 18 April 2014

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Lunar Orbiters Survive Eclipse With Flying Colors

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LRO Survives 2 Consecutive Orbits Going Straight From Moon Shadow To Earth Shadow; LRO Twitter Account Reports Probe Instruments Dropped To 15° C; Engineers Were Less Confident That LADEE Would Survive Cold, In Normal Orbit Probe Is Deprived Of Sunlight For 1 Hour, During Eclipse It Survived 4 Hours Of Shadow; Mission Team Received Yellow Then Red Alarms As Power / Temperatures Dropped, Once Sunlight Returned All Returned To Normal, Allowing Spacecraft To Continue Collecting Valuable Data While Gradually Reducing Altitude

Image Credit: NASA, Astro Bob

Thursday / 17 April 2014

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50-Year Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Merits Advanced Planning

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Start Planning Now For 50th Observation Of Moon Landing Says Peter Swan Of International Space Elevator Consortium; Celebrations & Memorials Should Be Well Funded & Organized, Yet Truly Honoring The Memory Of This Historic Event Will Require Concerted Effort / Consistent Investment To Return Humans To Moon For Good, Ensuring Multi World Species Status; NASA Planning Crewed Flight To Lunar Orbit ~2019, Golden Spike Company Advancing ~2020 Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Golden Spike Company, ISEC

Wednesday / 16 April 2014

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Russia Leaders Use Cosmonautics Day To Catalyze Moon Exploration Plans

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Russia Defense & Space Industry Deputy Minister Dmitry Rogozin Affirms Country’s Determination To Establish Permanent Operations On Moon; “Moon Is Not Intermediate Point In The [Space] Race, It Is A Separate, Even Self-Contained Goal;” Roscosmos Announces It Has Launched Project To Design Spacecraft Suitable For Human Moon Missions & Super-Heavy Carrier Rocket To Deliver It There; 3 Moon Missions Scheduled Later This Decade Beginning With Luna-25 To Moon South Pole In 2016

Image Credit: Phil Smith, Roscosmos

Tuesday / 15 April 2014

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Lunar Eclipse Provides Challenges / Opportunities For Moon Craft

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Total Lunar Eclipse Visible In Western Hemisphere 15 Apr Between 07:06-08:24 UT, First Of Series Of 4 (Tetrad) In Next 18 Months; Celestial Geometry Will Challenge LRO Systems As Craft Will Pass Through Earth Shadow In 2 Consecutive Orbits; Eclipse Could Cause LADEE Propulsion Systems To Freeze, Yet Should Not Affect Scheduled ~21 Apr Impact; Chang’e-3 Lander Will Have Unique View Of Earth (TL) During Eclipse, Potential Opportunity To Study How Moon Cools While In Earth Shadow

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 April 2014

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China Unveils Human Lunar Rover

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China Human Moon Rover Model Unveiled At Chongqing High Tech Show; Rover Being Developed By Ministry Of Education Joint Research Center For Deep Space Exploration, Comprised Of 27 Chinese Universities; PI Of Project – Zhan Hanqing Of Chongqing University – Says Structural & Mechanical Designs Completed, Zero-G & Thermal Control Experiments To Follow; Preliminary Conceptual Study Of 4-Wheel, Foldable, All-Terrain-Vehicle-Sized Rover Should Be Completed By End 2015

Image Credit: chinanews.com, rccm.tsinghua.edu.cn