Indiegogo Campaign Raising US$120,000 To Fund Memorial For The Man Who Inspired Entire Planet; Renowned Craftsman Stanley Watts Will Create 2.75m Hand-Detailed Cast Bronze Statue Of Armstrong With Engraved Granite Base Housing “Hidden Safe” Time Capsule To Be Opened When Human Sets Foot On Mars; Finished Work Will Be Donated To NASA, Smithsonian Or Other Suitable Custodian
Image Credit: Jose Jordan, atlasbronzecasting.com, NASA
Space Elevator On Moon To Transport Humans / Robots To & From Surface Could Be Built Today Says Michael Laine Of Liftport Group; Company Seeking To Raise US$8K Via Kickstarter To Create 2km High Terrestrial Prototype Elevator To Test System, Just 4 Days Into Campaign Group Already Raised Over US$17K; Laine Claims Group Made Fundamental Civilization-Changing Breakthrough 6 Months Ago
Image Credit: Mark Garlick, Liftport Group
Miniaturized Spacecraft Have Been Successful In LEO Missions Costing +- US$300,000, Lunar Missions Could Be Accomplished For +-US$3M With Upgrades In Power, Protection From Extreme Radiation / Thermal Environment; UC Berkeley / UCSC Prposing CubeSat Probes For Impact Mission Into Lunar Swirls; GLXP Missions Will Provide Ample Opportunity For LunarCube Missions For Student / Faculty Teams
Image Credit: KARI, GLXP, Vermont Tech
Flightglobal Releases Analysis Of Nations Most Likely To Win ‘Race’ To Return Humans To Moon; USA In 1st Place With Progress On Orion / SLS (L), Yet Lacking Lander / Service Module (6-4 Odds); China & Russia Tied For 2nd With Strong Political Will, Space Exploration Capabilities, Yet Lacking Heavy Lift Launcher (5-2 Odds); Isle Of Man Unlikely 4th With Excalibur Almaz, Odyssey Moon (20-1 Odds); India A Distant 5th With 100-1 Odds
Image Credit: flags.com, NASA
Energia Space Corporation Of Russia Proposing Joint Project With Kazakhstan & Ukraine To Launch Missions To Moon; Russia Would Supply Updated Version Of Super-Heavy Carrier Rocket Used In The Energia-Buran Project Of The 1980s, Ukraine To Contribute Side Boosters, Kazakhstan To Provide Launch Facilities; Proposed System Could Launch Up To 70 Tonnes, Sufficient To Orbit Moon
Image Credit: Energia, NASA, flags.com
UC Structural Engineer Yu Qiao Receives US$135,000 Award From NASA To Continue Research On ‘Lunar Cement’; Qiao & Team Developed Polymer Intercalation / Exfoliation (PIE) Cements That Mix Organic Nanointerphases (Prepared On & Transported From Earth) With Lunar Regolith; Processing Is Water Free, Straightforward, Great Potential In Building Large-Scale Structures On Moon
Image Credit: Contour Crafting, ucsd.edu
‘Mighty Eagle’ Lander Completes 2 Successful Untethered Tests At NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; 3-Legged Lander Hovered At Altitude Of 10m, Identified Its Landing Site 6.5m Away, Moved Sideways & Descended Safely; Flight Lasted 32 Seconds; Fuelled Mainly By Pure Hydrogen Peroxide, 315kg Lander Is Test-Bed Vehicle That Could Land On Moon Or Asteroids; Additional Tests Expected In Sep
Image Credit: NASA
Abstracts For 11-15 Nov 2012 PISCES Conference On Hawaii Island Due 21 Sep; International Scientists, Government Leaders, Entrepreneurs Will Evaluate Recent Developments In PISCES Vision To Establish Terrestrial Prototype For International, Extraterrestrial Research Park On Hawaii Island; Breakout Sessions To Discuss Revolutionary Surface Technologies, Establish Strategic Partnerships To Enable / Expedite Robotic & Human Missions To Moon, Mars, Beyond
Image Credit: PISCES, usgs.gov
Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Spectrometer Aboard LRO Makes 1st Spectroscopic Observations Of Helium In Tenuous Lunar Atmosphere; LAMP Examined Ultraviolet Emissions In An Observation Campaign Spanning Over 50 Orbits; Measurements Confirmed Data From 1972 LACE Experiment Deployed By Apollo 17 (L); Next Question: Does Helium Originate From Inside Moon, Or External Sources?
Image Credit: NASA
Life In Space? Exhibit Presents Prototypes Of How Lunar Settlers May Grow Food On Moon; Designed By Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC), 5.5m X 2m Cylindrical Structure Has Potential To Provide Half The Daily Amount Of Food For Single Person To Survive; CEAC Has Successfully Tested Greenhouses At Earth South Pole; Lunar Greenhouse At MSI Chicago Through Jan 2013
Image Credit: CEAC, MSI Chicago, NASA