Author Archives: LED Editor

Tuesday / 6 Aug 2019

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New Analysis Of Data Obtained From NASA Spacecraft Implies Presence Of Thick Ice On Mercury And Moon

Research Conducted At UCLA And Published In The Journal Nature Geoscience Compares Topographical Data Gathered By Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) And Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry And Ranging (Messenger) Finds Simple Crater Depths Decrease By 10% Proximate To North And South Pole On Mercury / South Pole On Moon; Lead Study Author Lior Rubanenko (L) Says That Existence Of Thick, Buried Ice Deposits Can Be Inferred, LRO Scientist Noah Petro (R) Suggests “Potential Reservoir Of Frozen Water On The Moon May Be Sufficiently Massive To Sustain Long-Term Lunar Exploration”

Credits: NASA, UCLA, JHU APL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 August 2019

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China Advancing International Collaboration With Chang’e-6 While Longjiang-2 Fulfills Its Mission

47-kg Micro Lunar Orbiter Longjiang-2 Makes Controlled Impact On Lunar Surface After 437 Days In Orbit Around Moon, Launched 20 May 2018 With Queqiao Communications Relay Satellite As Part Of Chang’e-4 Far Side Exploration; International Support From Japan, Germany And The Netherlands On Development; Payload Included Saudi Made Optical Camera; CNSA Offers 20 Kg Payload Space To Domestic and International Partners On Planned Chang’e-6 Sample Return Mission – Deadline To Apply Is 31 Aug 2019

Credits: CNSA / CLEP, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

Friday / 2 Aug 2019

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New USA Commercial Lunar Lander Provider Contracts Could Be Awarded Before Oct 2019

As Announced By NASA Solicitation 80JSC019R0013, New Contracts For Lunar Landers Capable Of Delivering >10kg Payloads To Lunar Surface By 31 Dec 2023 Planned To Be Awarded To Begin 15 Oct 2019 And Possibly Extend Through 28 Nov 2028; RFP Responses Due By 29 Aug 2019; Urgency To Support Artemis Human Moon South Pole Landing By 2024, This Opportunity Will Add New Contractor(s) To Existing CLPS Contracts Which Are Now Held By Astrobotic ($79.5M) And Intuitive Machines ($77.2M), After Orbit Beyond Withdraws From Its $97M Contract

Credits: International Lunar Observatory Association, Astrobotic, Moon Express

Tuesday / 30 July 2019

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We Could Land On The Moon In Less Than Two Years, Says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

In Wide-Ranging Interview July 12 With TIME Magazine, Musk, Founder Of The Only Launch Provider To Innovate Reusable Rockets, Makes Bold Statements On Moon Exploration And Settlement Timeline, Indicating That SpaceX Could Send Crewed Lunar Mission Within 4 Years, Uncrewed Within 2; Musk Emphasizes The Need For Permanent Antarctica-Style Science Base; Says ‘Overarching Philosophy’ Depends On Expanding Consciousness, Enlightenment, Sustainability, And ‘Making Life Multi-Planetary’

Credits: NASA, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 26-29 July 2019

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Chandrayaan-2 and Rising India-Zhongguo Space Age Cooperation

India Chandrayaan-2 Successfully En Route To Moon; Third Earth Orbit Raising Maneuver Expected 29 July; Trans Lunar Insertion Is Planned For 14 Aug And Lunar Orbit Insertion 20 Aug; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Scheduled To Land 7 Sep Near Manzinus C And Simpellius N Craters At 70° S Latitude In South Polar Region; Payloads Include 22-g Retroreflector; Wu Weiren Of Chang’e-4 Mission And Hua Chunying Of Zhongguo Foreign Ministry Call For Cooperation With India In Lunar Exploration

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 26 July 2019

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Artemis Spacecraft, Service Module, And Habitability Module Making Progress Toward 2024 Human Lunar Landing  

Orion Is Ready For Integration Into Artemis-1 Mission Planned By 2021; Vice President Pence At KSC Unveils Spacecraft Accompanied By Buzz Aldrin And Rick Armstrong Before Visiting Launch Complex 39A; Northrop Grumman Is Awarded Contract To Develop Minimum Habitation Module Based Upon Cygnus Spacecraft; ESA Formally Agrees To Contribute Additional Orion Service Module For Artemis-3 Human Lunar Landing; White House Reaffirms Commitment To Send Next Man And First Woman To Moon In 5 Years

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 23 July 2019

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Purdue Engineering Initiative In Cislunar Space Launching 50 Years After Apollo 11

New Program Intended To Spur Economic Development In Space Around Earth And Moon; Initiative Will Focus On Infrastructure, Communication, Policy And Educational Requirements Of Commercial And Public Cislunar Space Activities; Purdue University Is Known As The “Cradle Of Astronauts”, Alma Mater To 25 Spacefarers Including First Moon Explorer Neil Armstrong; Engineering Dean Mung Chiang (C) Says Initiative Will “Contribute To Critical Dimensions Of The Next 50 Years Of Small Steps And Giant Leaps In Space”

Also Pictured: Program Chair Dan Dumbacher (R), Co-chair David Spencer(L); Credits: NASA, Purdue

Apollo11@50 Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 July 2019

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In Peace For All: Significant Time To Advance 21st Century Vision For Multi World Species

50th Observation Of 1969 Apollo 11 Landing At Tranquility Base Comes At Exciting And Critical Time For New Human Moon Landings; Crew Members Buzz Aldrin And Michael Collins Along With Neil Armstrong Family Meet At White House With USA President; Vice President Pence Giving Speech At Kennedy Space Center 20 July; Artemis Plan To Land First Women And Next Man At Moon South Pole 2024 Requires Additional Investment, Ideally 1% Of Federal Budget

Credits: NASA

Friday / 19 July 2019

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Jeff Bezos And Caroline Kennedy Make Enterprising, Opportune Comments For USA Return / First Women To Moon South Pole ASAP  

During Interview With CBS News On Apollo11@50, Bezos Shares His Hope For Blue Moon Lander(s) To Be On Mission To Land First Women On Moon – Which Is “Long Past Due” As Stated By Caroline Kennedy, Daughter JFK; Blue Origin Plans To Be Instrumental To USA Artemis Program, Envisions Cooperation With Dozens Of Other Companies & Governments To Achieve This Goal; Govt Commitment To Necessary Funding To Realize 2024 / Sustainable Moon Return Remains Significant Challenge

Credits: Blue Origin, NASA, LRO, LROC

Tuesday / 16 July 2019

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Spektr-RG Launches To L2 Lagrangian Point, Location Of Observatories And Lunar Probe 

Russia Spektr-RG Launches To L2 Lagrangian Point Aboard Proton-M Booster Designed For Lunar Payloads, First Successful Russia Mission Beyond LEO Since Soviet Union; Payloads Are Astronomical Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) And Extended Roentgen Survey Imaging Telescope Array Built By Germany Max Planck Institute; Spektr-RG Will Survey Sky For Galaxy Clusters, Black Holes And Hypothetical ‘Dark’ Energy; Sun-Earth L2 Point Is Location Of ESA Gaia Space Observatory, Former Stop Of Planck Observatory And Chang’e-2 Lunar Probe

Credits: Russia Academy of Sciences, Roscosmos