Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Friday / 22 November 2013

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Launching Life To The Moon In 2015

Plants On Moon

Lunar Plant Growth Habitat Team Of NASA Ames Research Center Will Try To Grow Arabidopsis, Basil, Sunflowers, Turnips In Coffee-Can-Sized Aluminum Cylinders On Moon; NASA Expects To Build / Launch For Under US$2M By Buying Space On Commercial Launch Of GLXP Team; Chief Biologist Dr. Robert Bowman (Center) Points Out Need To Understand Plant Ability To Overcome Stress Of Space Radiation, Moon Partial Gravity, Small / Controlled Environment For Use In Human Solar System Buildout

Image Credit: NASA, Hemil Modi

Friday / 15 November 2013

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South Korea Commits To
2020 Moon Mission

KARI 2020 Moon Mission

Prime National Objective Announced By S Korea President Park Geun-Hye To Send Lunar Lander, 10-20 Kg Rover To Look For Rare Minerals & Orbiter To Moon In 2020 Aboard Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 Rockets; 15 Government-Funded Research Institutions Led By KARI To Begin Collaborating In 2014, Hope To Overcome Challenges With NASA Support; May Need ~$655M To Complete Project By 2020; Also Potential For KARI Associate Membership In SSERVI

Image Credit: KARI, K. Dietsch/UPI/Newscom

Thursday / 14 November 2013

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Bigelow Report: COTS Model & Property Rights Can Facilitate Lunar Base

BigelowNASAReport1113

Report Prepared By Robert Bigelow Under NASA Space Act Agreement Recommends That NASA Pursue A Partnership With Industry To Develop Beyond LEO / Cislunar Space; Permanent, Semi-Commercial Lunar Base Achievable & Affordable In Next 10 Years; Private Companies / Individuals Would Need To Acquire Property Rights On Moon / Other Bodies If Plan Is To Be Viable; Bigelow Already Applying To FAA / AST For Review Of Lunar Property Rights Policy

Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, NASA

Thursday / 7 November 2013

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VASIMR Plasma Rocket Technology Ideal For Lunar Cargo Delivery

AdAstra1113

Ad Astra Rocket Company Working To Raise US$100M To Build Prototype Of Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket For Testing At ISS; Founder & 7-Time Shuttle Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz Says Already Raised $30M From Private Investors; Cites Lunar Cargo Transport As One Of Many Potential Uses For The Technology, Working As Tug Boat Between LEO & LLO, VASIMR Could Deliver Twice As Much Payload To Lunar Surface As Chemical Propulsion

Image Credit: Ad Astra Rocket Co

Tuesday / 5 November 2013

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Huge China Moon Lander A Precursor To Human Module

chinaLander1113

Chang’e-3 Lander Is 42% Mass & Scale Of Apollo Lunar Descent Module (1200kg Unfueled), Apollo Veterans Aldrin (L) & Cernan Say Size & Design Indicate Craft / Mission Is Precursor To Human Descent Stage; Moonwalkers Encourage NASA / USA To Seek Cooperation With China On Human Moon Return, Form International Lunar Outpost Authority, South Pole Base For ISRU / Prepare For Mars Habitation

Image Credit: China Space News, NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 1-4 Nov 2013

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Opportunities Abound For Lunar Explorers

BagaBucks1113

London Economic Market Study Commissioned By GLXP Projects US$Billions Of Profit From Commercial Opportunities On Moon In Next Decades; $1.9B Over Next Decade Mainly From Government Customers, 25-Year Projection Is $6.9B In Profits Predominantly From Private Sector Customers; Moon Express CEO Naveen Jain Says $150M Robotic Moon Mission Could Return $Billions Worth Of Material To Earth

Image Credit: Wired, NASA, Dreamstime

Friday / 1 November 2013

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GLXP Teams Progressing

GLXP News

Italia (Italy) Contractors Working On Final Refinement Of Lunar Lander Design With Special Attention On Propulsion Subsystem; AngelicvM (Chile) Planning Research Center In Curacavi, Will Sponsor 2014 Global Aerospace Summit In Abu Dhabi; Puli (Hungary) Hosting 2nd Campaign To Raise Funds To Test 1 of 2 Rovers On Slopes Of Mauna Kea, Hawai`i

Image Credit: Italia, AngelicvM, Puli

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 18-21 Oct 2013

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Planetary Security Through
Moon High Ground

LED 10-18-13

Moon To Become New High Ground For Human Operations,
Serve Planetary Defense To Detect Earth Approaching Objects;
New Luna Enterprise From China, America, Independents
Also To Advance Non-Military Precedent Of 7th Continent Antarctica,
Open 8th Continent Opportunities “In Peace For All”

Image Credit: ME, ILOA, CNSA, NASA, G. Nagle, UN

Friday / 18 October 2013

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Stanford On The Moon:
Human Moon Missions

SOM 2013

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

Wednesday / 9 October 2013

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New Moon Race Heating Up

RaceToMoon

China, India, Russia, USA All Planning Moon Missions In This Decade; UK, ESA, South Korea To Follow Post-2020; As Many As 3 GLXP Teams Could Also Land On Moon By 2015 Heralding Age Of Commercial Mining / Exploration; With Well-Funded Lunar Program, First Moon Lander In 37 Years (Chang’e-3 In Dec 2013) & Serious Study Of Human Moon Missions – China Is Leading Way & Compelling International Rivals / Partners To Keep Pace

Image Credit: Dreamstime, GLXP, History Channel