Category Archives: China

Friday / 20 November 2015

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China Chang’e-2 Lunar Probe Adding To Data On Formation And Evolution Of Near Earth Asteroids

11202015Chang’e-2 Images Of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis Being Studied By China & U.S. Scientists To Identify Sizes & Distribution Pattern Of More Than 200 Boulders On Surface; Findings Aid Future Asteroid, Deep Space Missions; CE-2 Heading Toward 300M Km Apogee To Verify China Deep-Space Tracking & Control Systems; CE-2 Is First Satellite To Be Removed From Moon Orbit & Go To L2, It Tested Technologies For CE-3 Moon Landing; China Affirms Chang’e Lunar Program “Going As Planned” As Stated By Chief Commander Ye Peijian Of CAST

Credit: CAST

Wednesday / 4 November 2015

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ESA ‘Lunarville’ Proposal Attracts Global Attention, Offers International Participation

11042015Human Lunar Missions With International Collaboration Priority Of (L-R) Johann-Dietrich Woerner, ESA Director Stating Desire To “Not Just Land On The Moon, But To Have A Permanent International Moon Station On The Far Side”; Far Side Site Valuable For Radio Astronomy; FAA Associate Administrator George Nield Impressed With ESA Comments / Moon Village Concept As It “Would Enable Countries To Participate” With Private Industries Playing An “Important Role”; Executive Mike Gold Reaffirms Bigelow Aerospace Position Of Supporting Long-Term Aspirations Of A Lunar Base; China Also Considering Crewed Lunar Missions; Energia Space Corp Head Vladimir Solntsev States Russia Desire To Put Humans On Moon By 2029

Credit: NASA, ESA, Foster + Partners, FAA, RSC

Friday / 30 October 2015

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China Planning Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return & 1st Ever Landing On Far Side With Chang’e-4

Chang'e Program

Chang’e-5 Being Developed For 2017 Mission While 5-T1 Test Service Module Remains In Lunar Orbit Gathering Data On Landing Sites & Rendezvous Procedures; Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover With Numerous Advanced Instruments To Launch Before 2020 To Far Side, With Relay Orbiter Launched ~2018 To L2; Chang’e-3 At 44.12°N 19.51°W In Lunar Day 24 Successfully Operating 1st Robotic Telescope On Moon; Zou Yongliao From Chinese Academy Of Sciences States “If We Can Place A Frequency Spectrograph On The Far Side, We Can Fill A Void [In Astronomy With Chang’e-4]”

Credit: Xinhua, CNSA, CSA, CCTV, China Space Website

Thursday / 29 October 2015

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Russia Focused On Luna-2015 Simulation & Proclaims Humans To Moon 2029

10292015RSC Energia Head Vladimir Solntsev (TL) Reveals Human “Lunar Landing Is Planned For 2029”; Spacecraft For Mission Currently Being Built In Moscow With Inaugural Flight Aiming For 2021, ISS Space Dock 2023, Un-Crewed Moon Mission 2025, Astronauts To Moon 2029; Luna-2015 Female-Only Crew Simulations Commence, Gathering Data With “Over 30 Experiments” As Stated By Crew Member Daria Komissarova (LC); Experiment Taking Place At Moscow Institute Of Medical-Biological Problems; Potential Collaboration Efforts Also Underway With ESA For Moon Settlement & Joint Lunar Station Prospectively With China

Credit: ESA, IMBP, RSC Energia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 October 2015

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2017 Lunar Lander Prospects:
Astrobotic, Chang’e-5, Chandrayaan-2, Moon Express, SpaceIL, Moonspike

101720152017 Moon Exploration Progressing With Private-Funding & International Initiatives; Team Astrobotic Earlier Announced Potential SpaceX Launch With Confirmation Of Contract Pending; China Chang’e-5 & India Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Missions Reveal International Desire To Advance Human Exploration; Moon Express Five Launch Deal With Rocket Lab, Including GLXP Launch, Demonstrates Momentum; Team SpaceIL To Be World’s First Verified Moon Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9; Moonspike Kickstarter Fundraising Effort Underway To Design & Construct Fully Fledged Three-Stage Moon Rocket

Credit: CCTV, CNSA, CAS, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Space IL, Moonspike, ISRO

Friday / 16 October 2015

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China Makes Public 18-Month Performance Survey Of Chang’e-3 LUT Operating On Moon Surface

Chang'e-3 18 month survey

First Robotic Telescope Working On Moon Acquiring ~10,000 Images Per Month, Displaying Highly Stable Photometric Performance During 51-Run Observation Of 17 IUE Standard Stars (Used For Calibration); Continuously Monitoring Bright Variable Stars, Performing Sky Survey At Low Galactic Latitude; Exceeding Planned Lifetime (Now In Lunar Night 23), Mission Providing Data For NextGen Telescopes; Paper Published in Astrophysics and Space Science Gains International Attention For China Accomplishments / Science, Establishing Astronomy From The Moon; Chang’e-3 LUT Mission Awaits Official 2016 Extension

Credit: CAS, NAOC, CNSA, CCTV, ILOA, NASA

Wednesday / 14 October 2015

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Space Agency Heads At IAC2015; Discussing “Moon First” Approach To Space Exploration

10142015International Participation & Cooperation, IAC2015 Plenary Session Includes Israel Space Agency Chairman Isaac Ben-Israel, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, CNSA Administrator Xu Dazhe, ISRO Scientific Secretary Krishna Murthy, Roscosmos Head Igor Komarov, JAXA President Naoki Okumura, ESA Director General Jan Woerner With Panel Moderated By German Journalist Uli Bobinger; 3 Goals Emerging: Need For Stronger International Cooperation, Moon As Next Destination, Need For Measurable Benefits To The Public; CNSA Xu Dazhe Discussing China CE5 Moon Sample Return Mission & CE4 Lander on Far Side Moon; HOA Panel Consensus Of Further Moon Exploration & Moon Before Mars As Logical Step

Credit: IAC2015, NASA, ESA

Wednesday / 30 September 2015

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Helium-3 Has Tenuous Potential As Lunar Energy Resource

9302015Engineering Capabilities Of Unproven Helium-3 Fusion Reactor Technology May Be Decades Out; Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt (T) Advocates For Lunar Mining Of Helium-3 (He-3); China, Russia, Europe, USA, India Also Showing He-3 Interest; Other Energy Solutions Including Lunar Water-Ice Extraction Proposed By Shackleton Energy Company (SEC); Strategic SEC Partnership With Penguin Automated Systems, Dr. Greg Baiden (B) Declares “There’s Also The Potential For Solar Power Stations”

Credit: NASA, Arizona Geological Society, SEC, ESA, Greg Baiden

Friday / 18 September 2015

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Total Lunar Eclipse 27 Sep To Provide Valuable Observation Opportunities

Luar Eclipse Sep 27

Chang’e-3 Lander On Moon Surface To Take Advantage Of LUT / Astronomy From The Moon During Upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse (27 Sep HST) Lasting 1 Hour 14 Mins; Will Be Full Harvest “Blood” Super Moon At Perigee (Distance 356,457km); All LRO Instruments Will Be Turned Off Except Diviner Infrared Radiometer Which Will Map Surface Temperature Changes From Elliptical Polar Orbit (20km S Pole x 165km N Pole); Two ARTEMIS Craft In 100km x 19,000km Orbits, Solar Spacecraft & Earth-Based Observatories Will Also Collect Data

Credit: NASA, LRO, GSFC, CNSA, China News, Ken Kremer, Marco Di Lorenzo

Wednesday / 9 September 2015

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Galaxy Forum China 2015 “Astronomy From The Moon” At NAOC

9092015ILOA Event On 9 Sep Features (L-R) NAOC Prof. Jianyan Wei And Dr. Jing Wang Discussing LUT Findings & Performance, Univ. Of Hawaii Dr. R. Pierre Martin On Galaxy Exploration From The Moon, ILOA Founding Director Steve Durst On 21st Century Education, Exploration & Enterprise; Moon-Based Observatory Missions To Complement Earth / Space-Based Astronomy; ILOA Collaborating With National Astronomical Observatories – Chinese Academy Of Science (NAOC) Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) On Chang’e-3 As Only Mission Operating On Lunar Surface

Credit: ILOA, NAOC