Category Archives: Advanced Technology

Thursday / 7 August 2014

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China Lunar Program May Develop Lunar Mining Potential

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Sole Country Operating On Lunar Surface May Be Eyeing Lucrative Moon Mining Operation; Chief Scientist Of China Lunar Exploration Program Ziyuan Ouyang Notes Lunar Helium-3 Could ‘Solve Humanity’s Energy Demand For Around 10,000 Years At Least’; He-3 Estimated At 13 Parts Per Billion By Weight In Lunar Regolith, Or ~1,100,000 Tonnes Total; Estimates On Potential Economic Value Of The He-3 Gas Is US$3B / Tonne, Estimated Cost For Fusion Development & Starting Lunar Operations ~US$20B Over 2 Decades; China Has Expressed Interest, Has Not Outlined Concrete Plans To Mine Moon For He-3

Image Credit: Moon Society, cyberphysics.com

Friday / 1 August 2014

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Potential Landing Sites & Tests For
China Chang’e-4 Mission

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China Lunar Exploration Program Chief Scientist Prof Ziyuan Ouyang Previews Possible Challenging & Pioneering Objectives For Chang’e-4 Moon Lander / Rover Mission: Could Land At Moon South Pole Region And / Or Mountain Top Peak Of Eternal Light Offering ~90% Illumination Year Round, Stable ~213K (-60°C) Temperatures, Plethora Of Science Benefits; Could Also Launch From Moon Surface To Different Moon Region – Or Directly To Mars, Reminiscent Of Chang’e-2 Orbiter Exploring L2, Asteroid 4179 Toutatis & Deep Space After Moon Mission

Image Credit: NASA, news.cn, CNSA

Thursday / 31 July 2014

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SLS Maiden Voyage To Deliver Cubesats To Moon

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11 Cubesats Will Be Delivered To Cislunar Space On First Uncrewed Mission Of SLS Rocket / Orion Capsule In Late 2017; 3 Missions Have Already Been Selected Including Lunar Flashlight; Led By Barbara Cohen Of NASA Marshall SFC; Mission Will Utilize 80m² Solar Sail To Navigate Into A Highly Elliptical Lunar Polar Orbit That Passes Near Moon South Pole, Solar Sail Will Then Be Redirected To Shine 50kW Of Sunlight Into Shaded Craters While On-Board Spectrometer Measures Surface Reflection & Composition; Data Will Identify Sites With Ample Volatiles Near Surface Ideal For More Expansive Lander / Rover / Human Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Rob Staehle

Wednesday / 30 July 2014

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China Chang’e-5 On Schedule For 2017

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Development Of Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return Mission “Progressing Smoothly” Says China State Administration Of Science & Technology Industry Spokesperson Zhijian Wu (L); Mission Will Be 1st Of China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) Phase 3 (Return) Missions; Probe Will Collect Regolith From Lunar Surface & Scoop Samples From Depth Of 2m, Launch And Rendezvous With Orbiter For Earth Return; Plans For Chang’e-4 Still To Be Confirmed, South Pole Landing Possible Says Ziyuan Ouyang; CLEP Educational Exhibit Opens National Tour At Hong Kong Science Museum, Features ~20 Replicas, Models & Interactive Exhibits

Image Credit: CLEP, Hong Kong Science Museum

Thursday / 17 July 2014

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Japan Advancing Plans For Moon Missions

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JAXA Unveils Plans For Robotic Missions To Lunar Surface Commencing In 2019; Missions Will Conduct Research On Inner Structure Of Moon, Recover / Analyze Samples & Exploit Resources, While Establishing Technical Platform Capable Of Landing On Moon & Returning To Earth With Potential Applications For Other Celestial Bodies; Prominent Hi-Tech Industry & Impressive Space Exploration Resumé Could Position Japan As A Valuable Contributor In Collaborative International Strategy To Expand Human Presence Throughout Solar System

Image Credit: JAXA

Tuesday / 1 July 2014

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Astrobotic Demonstrates Autonomous Moon Landing System

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Astrobotic Teams With Masten Space Systems To Successfully Demonstrate Astrobotic Autolanding System (AAS); Xombie Suborbital Rocket Was Boosted To 250m, Simulated Lunar Trajectory, Achieved Soft Landing Intuitively Avoiding Simulated Moon Debris On Mojave Desert Landing Field; AAS Uses Only Cameras & Inertial Measurement Unit, Necessary For Environments Like Moon Where GPS Not Available; Astrobotic Chief Tech Guru Kevin Peterson Says System Can Track Craft Location To Within 3m

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology Inc.

Wednesday / 18 June 2014

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CubeSats To The Moon

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RFI Released By NASA To Gather Feedback / Gauge Interest In Deep Space CubeSat Centennial Challenge; 1st Challenge Will Award US$3M To Competitor Able To Meet Or Exceed Propulsion, Communication, Longevity Technical Objectives While In Lunar Orbit; 2nd Challenge Will Award Up To US$1.5M For CubeSat Demonstrations Beyond Lunar Orbit; Additional US$1M For Ground Qualification Competition Reviews; CubeSats Will Be Carried Into Trans-Lunar Trajectory On 1st Launch Of NASA SLS In 2018

Image Credit: NASA, pocketspacecraft.com

Tuesday / 17 June 2014

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China Moon Program & Implications Of Lunar Helium-3

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Growing Demand For Energy, Leading-Edge Moon Exploration Program Lead Some To Believe China Seeking To Advance Helium-3 Nuclear Fusion Technology; Estimated 1.1M Tonnes Of Helium-3 On Lunar Surface, 1 Tonne Of Helium-3 Could Produce Equivalent Of 50M Barrels Of Crude Oil, Virtually No Waste, Negligible Radiation; International Cooperation / Participation In Moon Development May Determine Whether China Moon Activities Lead To Helium-3 Monopoly / Energy Supremacy, Or Equitable Sharing For Benefit Of All Humanity

Image Credit: CNSA, weeklysciencequiz.blogspot.com, greenoptimistic.com

Thursday / 12 June 2014

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Lunar Swirls May Hold Key To Facilitate Human Deep Space Travel

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Natural ‘Radiation Shelters’ On Moon Provide Clues About Surviving Solar Storms / Cosmic Radiation In Deep Space; Study Examined How Small Magnetic Fields On Lunar Surface Are Effective, Despite Their Low-Density, In Preventing High-Energy Particles From Striking Moon; Data Shows Previous Studies Have Overestimated Strength Of Magnetic Field Required To Keep Astronauts Safe, Suggests More Plausible Design For Spacecraft Mini-Magnetosphere Deflector Shields; Researchers Estimate 0.5kg Of Xenon Gas May Be Sufficient To Protect Crew For 6 Months In Deep Space

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 10 June 2014

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Moon Express Featured At IdeaCity 2014

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NewSpace Company Moon Express President Andy Aldrin & CEO Bob Richards Featured Presenters At Canada’s Premier Meeting Of The Minds: IdeaCity 2014, 18-20 June, Toronto; Limited To 600 Attendees, The Event Brings Together 50 Uniquely Distinguished Intellectuals & Adventurers To Air New Concepts And Create ‘An Incubator For Inspiration’; All-Access Pass CAD$3500 + HST; Moon Express Is Currently Developing A Series Of Missions To The Lunar Surface Beginning With Its 2015 Attempt To Win The GLXP

Image Credit: ideacityonline.com