Friday / 30 August 2013

Google Lunar X Prize Teams Advancing

GLXP Updates

Team Puli With IndieGoGo Campaign Plans To Send Rover To Moon-Like Mauna Kea In Hawai`i, Have It Take HD Video, Move 500 Meters, Test / Control Systems From Budapest, Hungary 12,552 Km Away; Team Indus Based In New Delhi, India Running Competition To Develop Lunar Rover Designs; Red Whittaker Of Astrobotic Discusses Griffin Lander / Red Rover Mission To Investigate Lacus Mortis 44.962° N, 25.61° E

Image Credit: GLXP, Puli, Indus, Astrobotic, IFA

Thursday / 29 August 2013

China Moon Lander / Rover Moves Into Launch Phase

MaXingrui0813

Chang’e-3 Now Scheduled For Launch Dec 2013; While Confirming Mission Shifting From Design To Launch Phase, CNSA / Lunar Program Chief Commander Ma Xingrui Acknowledges 1st China Attempt To Land On Planetary Body Is “An Extremely Difficult Mission That Carries Great Risk;” Crewed Lunar Missions Could Follow If China Decides To Combine Human Spaceflight & Lunar Exploration Programs

Image Credit: CNSA

Wednesday / 28 August 2013

Magmatic Water Detected On Moon

MagmaticWater813

Scientists Use Moon Mineralogy Mapper Data From Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter (R) To Make 1st Remote Detection Of Magmatic Water On Moon Surface; Significant Amounts Of Hydroxyl Discovered In 60-Km  Wide Lunar Impact Crater Bullialdus (L) Near Equator Indicates Presence Of Water Which Originated Deep Within Lunar Surface; Data Provides Clues About Volcanic Processes & Internal Composition Of Moon

Image Credit: NASA, ISRO

Tuesday / 27 August 2013

Canada Wants To Send Astronauts To Lunar Space

CanadaMoon0813

1st Canada Astronaut To Moon Could Come About Through International Collaboration; Global Exploration Roadmap Crafted By 14 Nations Includes Development Of New Space Station At Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange Point In Early 2020s; Canada Intends To Develop Lunar Rover, Have Canada Astronaut Control Rover From Orbit Or Lunar Surface; Canada Chairing ISECG This Year

Image Credit: NASA, University of Western Ontario

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 23-26 August 2013

LADEE Launch To Achieve Multiple Firsts

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Launch Of US$280M Mission, Scheduled For 23:27 EDT On 6 Sep, Will Be Visible To Tens Of Millions Of People Along America East Coast; First Lunar / Planetary Launch From Wallops Island Spaceport, VA; Inaugural Launch Of Minotaur 5 Rocket, 3 Of 5 Stages Made From Converted Cold War Ballistic Missiles; Debut Of Modular Common Spacecraft Bus Developed At NASA Ames, Smaller Version Of Which Will Be Used For Moon Express GLXP Mission

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 23 August 2013

Lunar Water Talk At Lunar & Planetary Institute

LPI Water Moon

Michael Poston Georgia Tech Chemist Gives Update On Modern Lunar Water At LPI In Houston TX; IR Spectroscopy & Neutron Depletion Remote Sensing Data Support Idea Of Hydroxyl & Water Loss, Migration, Replenishment Cycle Each Lunar Day; Will Discuss Origins & Retention Mechanisms Of Volatiles, Discrepancy Of Water-Ice In Permanently Shadowed Regions, Apollo Sample Experiments, Solar Wind & Lunar Regolith Interactions

Image Credit: LPI, NASA, JHU/APL, CIW, NAIC, Arecibo Observatory

Thursday / 22 August 2013

Global Community Working Together On Moon / Solar System Exploration

Roadmap0813

12 ISECG Member Agencies Including NASA, ESA, Roscosmos Release Update Of 2011 Global Explorations Roadmap; New Plan Confirms Intention To Include Both Moon & Asteroid Missions Instead Of Either / Or Approach; Human Moon Missions Seen As Preparatory To Mars Missions In 2030s; NASA Administrator Bolden Says Agency Willing To Contribute Expertise / Resources To Multinational Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: ISECG, NASA

Wednesday / 21 August 2013

Students Getting Involved In LADEE Mission

StudentLADEE

LADEE Partnering With Lewis Center For Educational Research & NASA JPL To Provide Students Opportunity To Help Track & Monitor Status Of Spacecraft In Flight; Students Will Remotely Control 34-M Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope From Their Classrooms To Determine Status & Position Of Craft; University Of Hawaii-Hilo Raising Funds To Send Intern Krystal Schlechter To Witness 6 Sep LADEE Launch From Wallops Flight Facility In VA

Image Credit: NASA, lewiscenter.org/gavrt/, imiloahawaii.org

 

 

Tuesday / 20 August 2013

Wargo Crater?

WargoCrater

After Unexpected Passing Of Long-Time NASA Lunar Scientist Mike Wargo, NASA Officials Petitioning IAU To Name Crater On Moon In His Honor; Initiative Sets Precedent For Those Seeking / Deserving A Lunar Presence In Some Form, Advances ‘Put Your Name On Moon’ Campaigns Of LRO, ILOA Lunar Missions To Another Level; High-Def Images Captured By Lunar Probes Reveal Millions Of Craters On Moon, Many Yet Unnamed 

 Image Credit: NASA, IAU

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 16-19 Aug 2013

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: 4 Years & Counting

LRO4Years

Innovative NASA Moon Orbiter Completes 3 Years Of Its Extended Science Mission, Additional Extension Likely As Probe Has Delivered Unprecedented Amount Of Data / Images; LRO Has Orbited Moon Over 18,000 Times, Traveling Over 200M Km, Produced Over 434 Terabytes Of Data, Laser Altimeter Conducted Over 6B Topographic Measurements; LRO Expected To Continue To Send Back Data Until Oct 2014, Though Additional 2 Years Possible

Image Credit: NASA