Author Archives: LED Editor

Friday / 19 July 2013

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Commemorating Space Exploration Day

SpaceExplorationDay0713

Frontiers Of Flight Museum In Dallas TX Hosting 5th Annual Moon Day Event On Sat 20 July, Celebrating 1st Lunar Landing While Exciting Youth About Current Space Activities & Inspiring Them To Shape Future Of Space Exploration; Utah NSS Chapter Organizing Petition To Establish 20 July – Space Exploration Day – As Legal Non-Paid USA Holiday, Requesting Presidential Executive Order With Accompanying Vision For Human Return To Moon / Future In Space

Image Credit: NASA, Frontiers of Flight Museum, NSS

Thursday / 18 July 2013

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ILO Mission Demonstrates Rising Importance Of Moon South Pole Destination

ILO_SouthPole713

South Pole Destination Of NET 2016 ILO-Moon Express Lunar Mission Selected To Ensure Long-Duration Nature Of Mission – Thermal Environment (~-50°C) / Solar Power Access On Malapert Mountain / PEL, Continuous Line Of Sight To Earth For Commercial Communications, Ability To Image Milky Way Galaxy Center; ILO Also To Observe & Report Human Lunar Buildout, Private & Public Parties Pointing To South Pole / Aitken Basin – With Prevalent Water Ice / Mineral Deposits – As Ideal Location For Development 

Image Credit: ILOA, Moon Express, NASA

Wednesday / 17 July 2013

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Pioneering A New Frontier: ILOA Teaming With Moon Express For South Pole Moon Mission

ILO_ME713

Moon Express Agrees To Deliver The International Lunar Observatory To Malapert Mountain, Near Moon South Pole, NET 2016; ILO Will Consist Of A 2-Meter Dish To Conduct Radio Astronomy / Astrophysics, Galaxy 1st Light Imaging & Commercial Communications Including Broadcasting Space Calendar Weekly; Moon Express Intends To Conduct Prospecting Of Local Area To Identify Mineral Resources & Water For Future Mining Missions 

Image Credit: ILOA, Moon Express

Tuesday / 16 July 2013

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Ad Astra Rocket Company VASIMR Engine Could Revolutionize Lunar / Space Travel

DiazVASIMR0713

Record-Holding US Astronaut Franklin Diaz Initiates US$46K Crowdfunding Project To Create Documentary About Space Propulsion Technology His Company Is Developing; Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) Uses Superheated Plasma To Propel Craft To Phenomenal Speeds Into Deep Space; With Technology Spacecraft Could Carry Twice As Much Cargo To Moon, Get To Mars In Half The Time, Redirect Dangerous Asteroids, Clean Up Space Junk 

Image Credit: Ad Astra Rocket Company

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 12-15 July 2013

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Golden Spike Company Being Courted By Florida & Texas

GSCFloridaTexas

Colorado-Based Company Seeking To Deliver 2-Person Crews To Lunar Surface For US$1.5B Is Garnering Attention From Aerospace-Minded States Florida & Texas, Which See Economic Potential In Hosting Start-up Company; CEO Alan Stern Notes Current Host Colorado Has Not Offered Support Nor Incentive To Company; GSC Rapidly Advancing Business Plan Through Recent Technical Breakthroughs With Research Partners Northrop Grumman, ULA, Etc.

Image Credit: Golden Spike Company, Space Florida, governor.state.tx.us

Friday / 12 July 2013

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Astrobotic Reduces Moon Payload Delivery Cost

Astrobotic

GLXP Team Astrobotic Technologies Inc. Offers 30% Price Reduction For Payload Delivery To Moon Aboard Its Lunar Lander / Rover With Launch Set Oct 2015 Via SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket; US$99K/kg For Trans-Lunar Injection, $1.2M/kg For Lunar Surface Delivery On Lander, $2M/kg On Rover; Lander & Rover Will Power & Support Payload Operations For 10 Days, Then Hibernate For 14-Day Lunar Night & Recover After Sunrise, Continue Operations

Image Credit: Astrobotic

Thursday / 11 July 2013

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US Lawmakers Propose National Park On Moon

ApolloNationalPark

Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act Proposed By US Representatives Donna Edwards (D-MD) & Eddie Johnson (D-TX) Seeks To Establish Apollo Landing Sites / Artifacts As National Park, Protect From Future Visitors; Bill Would Also Require US To Apply To UN For Apollo 11 Landing Area World Heritage Site Designation; Actual USA Human Moon Program May Be More Effective Way To Ensure Preservation Of Artifacts

Image Credit: NASA, NY Daily News

Wednesday / 10 July 2013

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Solar Sail CubeSat Project Aiming For Moon

LunarSail

Aerospace Research & Engineering Systems Institute, Inc Developing CubeSat Mission To Demonstrate Ability Of Solar Sail Spacecraft To Navigate Itself Into Lunar Trajectory & Insert Itself Into Lunar Orbit; 1000 Cubic Cm Craft Would Be First To Reach Lunar Orbit Under Its Own Power For Entire Journey; ‘Citizen Space Mission’ Seeking Crowdfunding To Build Craft For US$50,000, Solar Sail Via Government Grant; Launch Target Date End 2016

Image Credit: Lunarsail.com

Tuesday / 9 July 2013

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Interplanetary CubeSats Could Open Possibilities For Lunar Exploration

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0.5-kg CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) Could Propel 5-kg Cubesats To Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Beyond For 1/1000 Of Current Mission Costs; University Of Michigan Team Led By Benjamin Longmier Fundraising To Test New CAT Plasma Engine That Could Open Solar System For CubeSats; International Workshop On Implications & Opportunities Arising With Advent Of LunarCubes Set For 13 Nov 2013 In Palo Alto CA, USA

Image Credit: Kickstarter, lunarcubes.com

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 5-8 July 2013

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Lunar Lander Development Through US National / Independent Partnerships

NASArfiMOON0713

US Space Agency Seeks Concepts For Industry-Developed Robotic Lander To Support Independent And / Or NASA Lunar Surface Missions As Early As 2018; NASA Not Offering Funds, Solely Technical Expertise, Use Of Test Facilities, Hardware / Software; Interested In Landers Capable Of Delivering Payloads Of 30-100kg & 250-450kg Range; Missions Of Interest Include Prospecting Volatiles At Lunar Poles, Sample Return; 2018 Mission Still Well After China Chang’e-3, 4, 5 (Inset) & Possibly Chang’e-6 Moon Landers.

Image Credit: NASA, CNSA