Image Credit: curtin.edu, NASA
International Team Of Planetary Scientists Led By Christian Hirt Of Curtin University Create Gravity Map Of Moon Using Topographical Data From LOLA; Map Shows How Pull Of Gravity Changes From Location To Location Over Rugged Surface, Pockmark Signatures Show Gravity Accelerations Higher At Bottom Of Craters Than At Rims; GRAIL Mission To Provide More Detailed Data For Lunar Gravity Mapping
Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology Inc
New Polaris Lunar Rover Will Prospect For Water Ice, Methane & Other Resources At Moon North Pole; Solar Powered Astrobotic Robot Will Launch Aboard Falcon 9 Rocket NET 2015, Spend 12 Days Exploring, Carry 80kg Of Payload Including Drill, Instruments To Analyze Samples, Neutron Spectrometer & Infrared Spectrometer To Search For Signs Of Ice; Design Adapted From Lunar Excavation Machine Astrobotic Prototyping Under 2010 NASA Contract
Image Credit: scoopit.com, disinfo.com, nypost.com
“NASA Has No Vision Of Establishing Colony On Moon”, But Countless Commercial Enterprises Do, Says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Proposal Of Rand Simberg (BR) For US Courts & Agencies To Recognize Private Claims On Moon, Mars & Asteroids Could Be Effective Motivator For Private Investment In Space Development; Simberg Presenting His White Paper Today On Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Image Credit: UH IFA
Earth Usually Has More Than One Moon Say Researchers From University Of Helsinki, Paris Observatory, University Of Hawai`i; Supercomputer Calculations Show That At Any Given Time At Least 1 Asteroid Is Orbiting Earth In Complex Twisting Path; MiniMoons Usually About 1m Diameter, Orbit For About 9 Months, Although Some Could Be Up To 100m, Orbit For Decades
Image Credit: EPFL
EPFL Laboratories Developing MicroThrust Ionic Motor Capable Of Propelling Small Satellites To Moon; Thruster Weighs About 200g Including Fuel & Control Electronics; 1-kg Nanosatellite Would Consume Only 100ml Of Fuel, Accelerate Up To 42,000km On 6-Month Journey To Lunar Orbit; To Be Used On Dutch Nanosatellite Lunar Mission OLFAR; ESA SMART-1 Mission Used Ion Propulsion
Image Credit: popularmechanics.com, cei.org, spacefrontier.org
New Study By Rand Simberg (TR) To Be Released Monday, 2 April: ‘Homesteading The Final Frontier: A Practical Proposal For Securing Property Rights In Space’ Argues USA Should Recognize Off-Planet Land Claims By Private Groups Under Specific Conditions & Mandates To Help Stimulate Investment In Space Exploration; Simberg To Introduce Study At Washington DC Briefing, 5 April, With Guest Speaker James Dunstan (Inset)
Image Credit: SpaceUp, Citizen Space, Brad Perks
AIAA San Francisco Chapter Is Partnering With Citizen Space To Host Inaugural SpaceUp San Francisco On 31 March To 1 April 2012; Organizers Encouraging Strong SF / Silicon Valley Culture Of Hackers, Makers, Artists, Entrepreneurs, & Internet Pros To Attend; Event Also Features Moon Pie Eating Contest; Unconference Format Allows Participants To Decide Schedule, Topics & Structure Of Event
Image Credit: NASA, Russianspaceweb.com, CLEP
Highest Resolution Image (R) Of Russia Luna 24 Lander Descent Stage Acquired By LROC From Altitude Of 29km Above Surface On Orbit #10904; Spacecraft (L) Landed On Mare Crisium On 18 August 1976, Returned 170g Of Regolith To Earth After Less Than 24 Hours On Moon; Long Hiatus From Moon Surface Will End In 2013 If China Successful With Chang’e-3 Landing
Image Credit: NASA, LPI
Conflicting Data, Heated Debate Leave Lunar Science Community Befuddled At Recent 43rd LPI Conference; Data From LRO LEND Instrument Shows Locations Of High Hydrogen Do Not Correlate With Dark Polar Cold Traps; Data Contradicts Theory On Nature Of Hydrogen / Water At Lunar Poles From Previous LRO, Lunar Prospector Data; Hydrogen-Rich Areas Will Likely Be Targeted For Future Exploration, Utilization
Image Credit: GLXP
Barcelona Moon Team Signs Agreement With China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) For NET 2014 Launch; Agreement Allows Spanish Team Led By Galactic Suite Moonrace, ALTRAN, Consortium Of Spain’s Leading Space Companies To Focus On Lunar Landings, GLXP Objectives, Securing Sponsorships; CGWIC Is Sole Commercial Organization Authorized By China Government To Provide Commercial Launch Services