Author Archives: LED Editor

Friday / 18 February 2022

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Precision Technology for Landing Within Shadowed Regions of Moon Surface Sought by NASA

Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge No. 1 offers ≤US$650,000/ea for 3 proposals on lunar landing sensing systems designed to function absent light from ≥250m altitude – a common condition especially in Moon polar regions rich in volatiles such as hydrogen, oxygen, water termed Permanently Shadowed Regions, cold traps on crater floors that are seldom / never illuminated; Hardware such as optical, radar and lidar sensors coupled with machine learning software are likely approaches to challenge; Submissions accepted until 19 May 17:00 PDT

Credits: NASA, Masten, Astrobotic

Tuesday / 15 February 2022

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Object on Course for Farside Lunar Impact Now Thought to be CNSA Chang’e 5-T1 Rocket Stage

Following consultation with Jon Giorgini of JPL, astrometry expert Bill Gray reevaluates premise used to determine identity of item on Moon impact trajectory (WE0913A – first observed by Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson AZ), ruling out Falcon 9 stage (2015-007B) and instead positing object is spent stage used to propel Chang’e 5-T1 lunar orbiter / return capsule (2014-065B); Gray advocates astrometry software, Guide, be utilized in “official, funded manner” on “international basis” to track deep space debris in light of increasing missions to cislunar space including human Moon landings

Credits: NAOC, CNSA, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 Feb 2022

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Wayward Falcon 9 Likely 1st USA Object to Impact Moon Since LADEE as Starship Prepping to Fly NET March  /// Corrected 14 Feb

Upper stage that inserted NOAA DSCOVR to Sun-Earth L1 in 2015 likely striking near Sea of Tranquility (5.18°N, 233.55°E) on Moon far side 4 March at 12:25:58 UTC, marking 1st USA impactor since 2014; Space archeologists and Moon heritage conservationists eager to study latest artificial object on Moon while cautious of debris considerations; Elon Musk says Starship prototype (Booster 4 / Ship 20) may be ready to orbit NET March pending FAA clearance from Starbase TX; CAPSTONE slated for 19 March, Artemis 1 / SLS NET April followed by Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, Luna-25, Chandrayaan-3, KPLO, ispace; SLIM and IM-2 also possible in 2022

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Friday / 11 February 2022

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New Analysis of LCROSS Impact Plume Suggests Cometary Source of MSP Volatiles

Revised assessment of data collected by LCROSS and LAMP instrument aboard LRO during 2009 Centaur rocket impact focuses on elemental prevalence of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur compared to carbon; Study authors from Southwest Research Institute, Johns Hopkins APL, Aix-Marseille University, UT San Antonio conclude comet origin best fits composition profile, that 1-3 m of regolith within Cabeus crater (84.9°S, 35.5°W) may predate latest volcanism (~1 Gya) and “returning humans to the Moon presents an unprecedented opportunity to determine the origin of volatiles stored in PSRs”

 

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 8 February 2022

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Shadowy Lunar South Pole Conditions Being Replicated for NASA Training Regimen in Texas

NASA Johnson Space Center shares Astronaut training exercise “simulating a Moonwalk” within specially outfitted 23,000,000-liter diving tank (62m X 31m x 12m) of Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, located within Sonny Carter Training Facility near Ellington Field / Houston Spaceport; Light containment used to replicate low angle of Sun relative to horizon in polar Moon regions (same effect is likely cause of water accumulation in cold traps / PSRs); Conditions pose novel challenge to Artemis astronauts set to explore area starting NET 2025

 

Credits: NASA, ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 Feb 2022

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Elon Musk to Give Update on Starship, Variant of which is to Land Humans on Moon During Artemis 3

Artemis SLS / Orion rollout now expected mid-March, while progress update on Starship prototype ‘Serial No. 20’ / SN20 to be given 10 Feb at 20:00 CST from Starbase TX; Expected topics include Raptor 2 engines (~230t thrust vs ~185 of Raptor 1) recently subjected to destructive testing, Moonship HLS variant, and orbital test flight landing 100km from Kauaʻi; FAA environmental assessment, “the schedule driver” of launch per Musk; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contention that launch activity is deleterious to Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge may trigger full EIS review

 

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Friday / 4 February 2022

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India to Launch Chandryaan-3 Lander / Rover in August to Explore Moon South Pole Region

ISRO intends to launch Chandryaan-3 via GSLV Mk 3 NET August, soft-landing near originally planned Chandryaan-2 site; Area is within southern lunar highlands ~160km from Boguslawsky crater, preferred landing site of Roscosmos Luna-25 aiming for 23 July launch, and ~350km from South Pole-Aitken basin, an area currently being investigated by CNSA Yutu-2 rover from Chang’e-4 mission with sample return planned for Chang’e-6 NET 2024; Spectral analysis from Chandrayaan-1 orbiter indicates site is rich in iron (4.2%), magnesium (5.4%), calcium (10%) and titanium (0.3%)

 

Credits: ISRO

Tuesday / 1 February 2022

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JPL Working Towards Blanket Communications Coverage of Lunar Surface with Commercial Partner

Recognizing communication needs of 90+ lunar missions under consideration for NLT 2030, Alessandro Balossino, Head of R&D for Italy microsatellite manufacturer Argotec and Faramarz Davarian, JPL Lunar Surface Communications Terminal Project Manager co-author announcement of Andromeda lunar constellation plan in which 24 relay satellites are to operate from 4 elliptical (720km periapsis, 8,090km apoapsis) 57° inclined orbits providing overlapping coverage of Moon poles; Lunar Crater Radio Telescope and Farside Array for Radio Science Investigations of the Dark ages and Exoplanets are primary science use cases

 

Credits: Argotec, SASAC, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 Jan 2022

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Official Agreements on International Lunar Research Station Anticipated as Artemis Coalition Grows to 15 Nations

Israel is latest signatory to USA-led Artemis Accords effort seeking to reestablish human presence on the Moon as SLS megarocket nears mid-Feb launchpad rollout at KSC; Russia and China set to formalize ILRS agreement per Russia diplomatic statements and China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective white paper outlining robotic and human mission goals including consideration of human lunar landings within 5 years, ILRS full operational status expected NLT 2035; 2024 Chang’e-7 Moon south pole lander / orbiter and Lunar-26 orbiter missions to be closely coordinated

Credits: CNSA, Roscosmos, NASA

Friday / 28 January 2022

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Russia Declares 23 July Preferred Landing Date for First Lunar Mission Of Modern National Era

Luna-25 is focal point of Russia space activity as Roscosmos subsidiary NPO Lavochkin announces with great specificity 23 July 02:21:45 MSK ideal launch date / time for Luna-25 robotic lander, 24 July 02:55:49 backup; Lunar daybreak occurring 1 August at landing site north of Boguslavsky Crater (69.55°S, 43.54°E) will provide power augmentation for RTG / battery system; 30kg science payload includes laser mass spectrometer; Luna-26 orbital mapping mission to follow in 2024; Luna-27 lander to utilize ESA regolith drill / PROSPECT sensor array within South Pole-Aitken basin NET 2025

 

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin