Astronaut Chris Cassidy Pilots NASA Rover For 3 Hours Across Mock Lunar Surface At Ames Research Center; Remotely Directed Robot Unfurled ‘Antenna Film’ Developed By Jack Burns / University Of Colorado Boulder Scientists For Lunar Farside Radio Telescope Mission Concept; Burns & Team Hope To See Rover / Radio Telescope Deployed By Similar Telerobotic Technique Via Orion Mission To Earth-Moon L2
Image Credit: NASA, lunar.colorado.edu
International Lunar Development Corp. Proposed By Buzz Aldrin To Facilitate Unified International, Commercial & Academic Partnerships To Advance Moon Exploration & Settlement; China, India, Russia, Japan, Europe, USA, NewSpace Companies Such As Bigelow, Shackleton Energy, Golden Spike Urged To Implement Step-By-Step Space Plan; Humans Need To Become Multi-World Species For Long-Term Survival, Will & Should Settle On Moon Long Before Mars, Europa, Etc
Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, PISCES, Shackleton Energy Co., GSC
Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin (L) Says Geography / Geology Of Big Island, Hawaii Is Excellent Analog / Testing Ground For Permanent Moon Base; He Encourages Learning In Hawaii, Settlement Of Moon, Then Mars & Beyond; Also Supports PISCES Technology Development For Robotic & Human Missions Beyond LEO – Rob Kelso (R) Exec Director Featured On The Space Show 21 June; ISDAC-USIS Workshop On 22 June In Colorado Continues Discussion Of ‘Moon Permanent Base Headed By Buzz Aldrin’
Image Credit: Getty Images, IAF, ESA/Foster, WHT/A.Pacheco
ILO-X 180 X 70mm Telescope Built For ILOA Of Hawaii USA By Moon Express Launching To Moon 2015; Will Observe Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Moon, Earth; ILOA MoU With National Astronomical Observatories of China Enables Exchange Of ILO-X Observing Time With Lunar Telescope On Chang’e-3 Launching Late 2013; Also Collaborating With Golden Spike Co For Human Moon Missions (2018-2020); Learn More At Galaxy Forum China 22 Sep ‘Human Moon Missions: Giant Steps Into The Galaxy’
Image Credit: ILOA, NAOC
Researchers At University of New Hampshire & SwRI Report That Data From LRO’s CRaTER Validates Computer Models Which Indicate Lightweight Materials Offer Superior Shielding From Radiation; Lead Author Cary Zeitlin Of SwRI Calls Plastics “Pound-For-Pound More Effective For Shielding Against Cosmic Radiation Than Aluminum”; These Lower Mass Alternatives Open The Door To Deep Space Missions & A Permanent Human Presence On The Surface Of The Moon
Image Credit: NASA, SwRI, UNH
Morpheus Vertical Takeoff & Landing Vehicle Performs Successful 74-Second Tethered Test Flight At JSC In Houston, TX; Next Test Within 1 Week; Mighty Eagle Moon Lander Prototype Undergoing Heat Shield Inspections & System Leak Checks At MSFC In Huntsville, AL; Flight Tests Planned For July To Include Optical Hazard Avoidance – About 200 Tons Of Dirt Will Simulate Lunar Landing Situation, Vehicle To Demonstrate Ability To Detect Hazards
Image Credit: NASA
LADEE Passes Series Of Qualification Tests Conducted By National Technical Systems Inc At NASA Ames In CA; Spacecraft Subjected To High Levels Of Acoustics, Vibration & Shock Mimicking Launch / Space Travel, Is Now One Step Closer To 5 Sep 2013 Launch; Mission Will Utilize 3 Science Instruments To Gather Data On Lunar Atmosphere / Dust Environment From 50-Km Retrograde Equatorial Orbit
Image Credit: NASA, NTS
29th International Symposium On Space Technology & Science In Nagoya Japan 2-9 June; Features 3 Sessions On ‘Missions To The Moon’; Sho Sasaki (Inset) Of NAOJ To Present ‘Sciences Of Human Exploration Of Lunar Polar Regions’; Mitsubishi Electric Corp To Present On Lunar Transfer Vehicle Proposal; JAXA Planing Selene-2 Lunar Lander NET 2018 As A Precursor / Technology Demonstrator For Human Moon Exploration
Image Credit: JAXA, ISTS, NAOJ
Golden Spike Company Conducts Design Reviews In Denver CO With ULA, Paragon, Masten, ILOA, SwRI, Zero Point Frontiers & SpaceX For Human Lunar Lander Systems Studies; Team Considering Benefits Of Human South Pole Landing; Follow Up Lander Study Expected Later This Year, Aug-Sep
Image Credit: GSC, B. Campbell
700+ Students From 50 Universities & 8 Countries Showcase Student-Built Lunar Excavator Robots (Lunabots) In LunArena At KSC Visitor Complex On May 20-24; Teams Must Mine 10kg Of Moon Regolith Simulant In 10 Mins, Consider Lunabot Weight, Dust Resistance, Use Of Bandwidth; Robert Mueller (B) Lead Senior Tech Of RASSOR Says Competition Is Significant Since It Can Help Get Humans Closer To Living Off Resources Which Already Exist In Space
Image Credit: NASA