European Space Agency Releases Video Depicting Various Lunar Rovers / Robots It Is Designing / Developing; Moon Rover With Multifunctional Wheels (Prototype Already Developed); Concept Teleoperator Robot, Forklift, Bulldozer To Assist Astronauts In Construction Of Moonbase; ESA Positioning Itself As Key Contributor To Future International Human / Robotic Moon Missions
Image Credit: ESA
ARES Institute Raises Over US$15K Via Kickstarter Campaign; Mission To Demonstrate Ability Of Spacecraft To Navigate Itself Into Lunar Trajectory & Lunar Orbit With Solar Sail; Spacecraft Will Utilize CubeSat Design, Volume ~1000 Cubic Cm; Applying For Low-Cost / No-Cost Launch Under NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative, Due Date For CLI Proposals 26 Nov 2013; Project Leader Matthew Travis Says Mission Achievable For Under $100K
Image Credit: lunarsail.com
SOM 2013 Reunion Conference: Human Moon Missions – A Center For 21st Century Leadership, Friday 18 Oct; Talks Given By Visionary Entrepreneurs Advancing Cislunar Travel & Commerce, Moon South Pole As Destination Of Importance / Discovery; (L To R) SOM Alumni Club & ILOA Steve Durst, Golden Spike Co Alan Stern, Moon Express Adrian Adamson, Shackleton Energy Co Jim Keravala, Interorbital Systems Randa Milliron; Over 100 Stanford Alumni To Participate
Image Credit: SOM, ILOA, GSC, Shackleton, NASA
Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer Now In 250-Km Near-Circular Equatorial Orbit; Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration To Begin 17 Oct, LADEE To Link Up With Ground Stations In New Mexico, California & Canary Islands, Achieve Downlink Speed 622Mbps / Uplink Speed 20Mbps, Technology Could Revolutionize Deep Space Communication; Around 11 Nov Probe Will Drop To ~50Km Altitude For 100-Day Science Mission
Image Credit: NASA
Golden Spike Company Lunar Workshop 2nd Day Includes Talks (L – R) On Lunar Exploration Orbiter To Study Environment & Mobile Payload Element To Assist Lander Missions (Ralf Jaumann), Lunar Lander Capabilities (Diego De Rosa), Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (Steven Chappell), Modular Heat Flow Probes To Understand Moon Interior, Origin & Structure (Seiichi Nagihara), Lunar Drills (Kris Zacny), Next Steps (Alan Stern)
Image Credit: GSC, TTU, DLR, ESA
Moon Express (ME) Signs Reimbursable Space Act Agreement With NASA Marshall Space Flight Center To Test ME Guidance, Navigation & Control Flight Software On ‘Mighty Eagle’ Lander; ME Reimbursing MSFC For Cost Of Providing Test & Technical Support; 1st Test Flight With ME Software Successfully Completed; ME CEO Bob Richards Says Team Hopes To Land Its Craft On Moon Late 2015
Image Credit: NASA, ME
LADEE Launch — 6 Sep, 23:27 EDT, Wallops Island VA, Via Minotaur 5 Rocket — Promises To Provide Spectacular Show To East Coast USA Viewers; US$248M-Mission Will Test New System For Ultra-Fast Optical Data Transmission — 600 Mbit/s, Unravel Mysteries Of Lunar Atmosphere / Dust Environment, Premiere Common Spacecraft Bus; Next Flight Of The Bus Likely On Moon Express (ME) GLXP Mission NET 2015; ME Announces Paul Spudis New Chief Scientist, Jack Burns Added To Science Advisory Board
Image Credit: NASA, Moon Express
America Pioneering Lunar Atmosphere And Dust Environment Explorer, With Revolutionary Modular Spacecraft Bus And Ultrafast Laser Optical Communications, Counts Down To Dramatic 23:27 Virginia Coast Night Launch; Equally Innovative PRC Chang’e-3 Moon Lander Mission Suffers Public Relations, Lunar Progress Setbacks With Grave Translation Errors Of UV-Telescope, UV-Camera, Advanced Radar Instruments
Image Credit: NASA, Wallops/P. Black, Dragon in Space
Team Puli With IndieGoGo Campaign Plans To Send Rover To Moon-Like Mauna Kea In Hawai`i, Have It Take HD Video, Move 500 Meters, Test / Control Systems From Budapest, Hungary 12,552 Km Away; Team Indus Based In New Delhi, India Running Competition To Develop Lunar Rover Designs; Red Whittaker Of Astrobotic Discusses Griffin Lander / Red Rover Mission To Investigate Lacus Mortis 44.962° N, 25.61° E
Image Credit: GLXP, Puli, Indus, Astrobotic, IFA
2013 ISEC Space Elevator Conference To Be Held 23-25 Aug In Seattle WA Includes 3-Hour Lunar Elevator Workshop Led By Michael Laine Of LiftPort Group; Humans / Cargo Would Be Transported To Lagrange Point 1 Depot Via Rocket, Then Gently Lowered To Moon Surface Via Tether; Able To Transport 36 Humans To Moon Annually; Could Travel 1,000 Times Farther Than Space Shuttle For 1/10th Price
Image Credit: LiftPort Group, Newsweek