Hawaii Lawmakers Expected To Pass 2 Bills This Week Advancing Importance Of State In Emerging NewSpace Age; 1st Bill Will Establish Hawaii Spaceport Initiative, Capitalize On Projected BillionUS$ Industry; 2nd Bill Will Support Construction Of International Lunar Research Park On Hawaii Island; ILRP Will Help Design / Develop Human Moon Settlement Within 10 Years
Image Credit: hawaii.gov, UHH, Aerospace Hawaii
Image Credit: NASA
Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) System Under Development At NASA Will Enable Safe Landings In Locations Apollo Never Could Have Gone; Terrain Relative Navigation System Utilizes 3 Sensors (Optical, Lidar, Laser Altimeter) & Stored Data To Determine Lander Position & Velocity; Hazard Detection System Generates DEM With 10-cm Resolution
Image Credit: Uchusen Company, Naviblog
Uchusen Company, University Of Southampton & DeltaCAT Ltd., Present ‘Hopper Alpha’ Demonstrator; Team Went From Blank Paper To Core Physical & Electronics Framework Ready For Gimbal/Thruster, Firing & Hovering Phase, In Under 1 Calendar Year; Managing Director Mandali Khalesi: Project Is Initial Step Towards Agile Spacecraft Development Required In New Century; Could Be Utilized For Lunar Or NEO Missions
Image Credit: EPFL
EPFL Laboratories Developing MicroThrust Ionic Motor Capable Of Propelling Small Satellites To Moon; Thruster Weighs About 200g Including Fuel & Control Electronics; 1-kg Nanosatellite Would Consume Only 100ml Of Fuel, Accelerate Up To 42,000km On 6-Month Journey To Lunar Orbit; To Be Used On Dutch Nanosatellite Lunar Mission OLFAR; ESA SMART-1 Mission Used Ion Propulsion
Image Credit: Goodyear
Goodyear ‘Spring Tire’ May Contribute To Broad Lunar Exploration, Development Of Moon; Airless Tire Utilizes 800 Load Bearing Springs Contouring To Any Surface Providing Maximum Traction To Carry Heavy Vehicles Long Distances; Will Not Degrade On Moon Like Traditional Rubber Pneumatic Tires; Now On Display At 2012 Geneva International Motor Show