Columbia Astrophysicist Arlin Crotts (Inset) Says Russia Secured Evidence Of Water In 1976, Ignored By West; Luna 24 Mission Drilled 2m Into Moon Surface, Returned 300g Of Rock, Found It To Be 0.1% Water; Paul Spudis Says Water Level Seems High For Mid-Latitudes, Analysis Of Samples Needs to Be Confirmed / Cross-Checked; Discovery Further Support Of In-Situ Water Manufacturing On Moon For Future Exploration
Image Credit: NASA, Columbia University
Continued Success / Progress Of India Moon Program Critical For Humanity’s Vital Expansion Into Solar System / Galaxy; Program Might Benefit From Reconsideration; GSLV Failures Have Put Ambitious Chandrayaan-2 Mission On Hold; Reconfigured Missions With A 2nd Orbiter And / Or Small Scale Lander / Rover Launched By Reliable PSLV Rocket Would Put Country Back On Track As ISRO Qualifies GSLV & Prepares For More Advanced Missions
Image Credit: ISRO, NASA
International Cooperation & Development Of Cis-Lunar Space Were Dominant Themes At Recent Global Space Exploration Conference; Russia, Japan & India Note Value / Intention Of Extensive Human Lunar Exploration; Moon Next Logical Step For ISS Partnership; Desire For More Cooperation With China; Lockheed & Boeing Officials Affirm Cis-Lunar Capabilities Will Come Quick After SLS / Orion Online
Image Credit: NASA, GSEC
Moon Express Acquires Team Next Giant Leap; Plans To Carry Forward Work Done By NGL Corporate Partners Sierra Nevada Corp, Draper Lab, MIT, eSpace, Challenger Center; Astronaut / MIT Professor Jeffrey Hoffman Praises Talented Team Composed By ME Co-Founder Bob Richards; Alex Hall Expects Further Mergers / Dropouts This Year; SpaceX Launch Success Brings Hope To Astrobotic
Image Credit: GLXP, SpaceX, Moon Express, Namco
CEO Art Dula Says Excalibur Has Purchased 4 Soviet Military Space Capsules (Each With 4 Seats) & 2 Salyut Space Station Pressure Vessels With Intent Of Sending Humans Into Lunar Orbit; Space Economics Consultancy Group Futron Says Business Case For Cislunar Activities Better Than LEO-Only If No Government Funding, Projects 29 Lunar Passengers Will Pay US$100M In 2012-2023
On Tuesday 29 May, Brown University Professor James Head Will Give A Presentation On ‘The Moon As A Touchstone For Solar System Science” At NASA Lunar Science Institute In CA, USA; Discoveries & Insights About Other Terrestrial Planets Gained From Moon Through 50 Years Of Exploration; Candidate Future Directions For Lunar Science & Exploration; Videoconference Participation Available
Autonomous Navigation, Ultra-Fast Graphical Processing Units Among Technologies GLXP Team Part-Time Scientists Hope To Advance With Lunar Mission NET 2014; Landing Vehicle & ‘Asimov’ Rover To Touch Down Near Apollo 17 Site; Autonomous Navigation System Developed In Tandem With German Aerospace Center Uses Stereo Camera To Generate 2.5-Dimensional Model Of Surroundings
Image Credit: cnet.com, Part-Time Scientists
Team Displays Early Prototypes Of Descent Vehicle & Rover At Bay Area Maker Faire In CA; Phoenicia Planning To Do Much Development Of Flight Hardware In-House; Has Plans For 2014 Launch As Secondary Payload With SpaceX; Already Raised Over US$5M For Lunar South Pole Mission; Currently Listed In 3rd Place In Unofficial Evadot Scorecard; Potential Collaborators On Human Moon Mission
Image Credit: Team Phoenicia, pcworld.com
Falcon 9 Advancing Towards ISS Cargo / Crew Transportation Capacity; Next Step For SpaceX Is Lunar Transportation: Many GLXP Teams Looking At Falcon As Likely Launch Vehicle, Astrobotic Technology Has Launch Contract With SpaceX, GLXP Teams Receive US$2M If Launch From FL, SpaceX Offering 10% Discount To GLXP Teams; Falcon 9 Does Not Require Modifications To Reach Lunar Orbit
Image Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic Technology
Moon Society Organizing CisLunar Econosphere Session On Sunday 27 May During International Space Development Conference In Washington DC; Industry, Academia & Independent Experts Will Address Key Infrastructure Elements / Capabilities Needed To Expand Economic Activity In CisLunar Space; Moon Mining From L1, Polar Ice For Fuel, GRAIL Mission Report, Communications, & More
Image Credit: Moon Society, ISDC2012