‘Gateway Spacecraft’ Would Hover 445,000km From Earth At Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange Point, Support Small Crew, Serve As Staging Area For Future Moon & Mars Missions; NASA To Use Orion MPCV / SLS Rocket For Transportation, Leftover Parts Of ISS For Construction; Funding & Radiation Risks Remain Issues; Some See More Value In Human-Tended Lunar Base
Image Credit: NASA
Ouliang Chang Of USC Viterbi School Of Engineering Outlines Plan For Deployment Of Supercomputer & Accompanying Radio Dishes On Moon To Ease Load On Terrestrial Mission Control, Provide Computational Power For 1st Phase Of Lunar Industrial / Settlement Development; Polar Location To Avoid Drastic Temperature Swings, Access To Water Ice For Cooling; Dishes Could Also Be Used For Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry
Image Credit: NASA
Lunar COTS Petition Founded By Doug Plata Gaining Momentum As NASA Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Manager Alan Lindenmoyer (L) Suggests Using Successful COTS Model Elsewhere In NASA; Lunar COTS Would Establish Programs To Support Commercial Cis-lunar Transportation Service, Lunar Surface Operations, Harvesting Lunar Polar Ice, Orbital Propellant & Servicing Depots, Initial Crewed Lunar Base
Image Credit: NASA
Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator, Confirms Ambitious USA Plans To Return To Moon During Speech At AIAA Conference In Pasadena, CA; Uncrewed Mission Scheduled For 2017, Human Orbital Mission By 2021; NASA Report To US Congress Outlines Plan For “Nearly Self-Sustaining Surface Habitat” On Moon For Long-Duration Astronaut Missions, Capable Of Extracting Oxygen, Water, Silicon, Etc In Situ
Image Credit: NASA, Stephan Wlodarczyk
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin Says Russia Should Set ‘Super Goal’ Of Building Large Base On Moon To Refocus Space Industry; Base Could Facilitate Leaps Of Science & Future Deep Space Projects; Possible Collaboration With USA / ESA; Moon Is Seen As Logical Next Step For Russia Exploration As Mars Is “Too Far And Too Expensive”
Image Credit: Roscosmos, wn.com
First Person To Walk On Moon Strongly Advocated Return To Moon As Vital Next Step For USA / Human Space Exploration, Often Noted There Are Over 36 Million Square Km Of Unexplored Lunar Sites, Moon Is Ideal Location For Preparation / Training For Future Solar System Exploration; Memorial Service To Honor Neil Armstrong Will Be Held 13 Sep At Washington National Cathedral
Image Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
Abstracts For 11-15 Nov 2012 PISCES Conference On Hawaii Island Due 21 Sep; International Scientists, Government Leaders, Entrepreneurs Will Evaluate Recent Developments In PISCES Vision To Establish Terrestrial Prototype For International, Extraterrestrial Research Park On Hawaii Island; Breakout Sessions To Discuss Revolutionary Surface Technologies, Establish Strategic Partnerships To Enable / Expedite Robotic & Human Missions To Moon, Mars, Beyond
Image Credit: PISCES, usgs.gov
Life In Space? Exhibit Presents Prototypes Of How Lunar Settlers May Grow Food On Moon; Designed By Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC), 5.5m X 2m Cylindrical Structure Has Potential To Provide Half The Daily Amount Of Food For Single Person To Survive; CEAC Has Successfully Tested Greenhouses At Earth South Pole; Lunar Greenhouse At MSI Chicago Through Jan 2013
Image Credit: CEAC, MSI Chicago, NASA
In Part 2 Of IPinSpace Extraterrestrial Property Rights Commentary, Andrew Rush proposes USA Institutes A Unilateral System Of Recognition & Enforcement Of Private Land Claims & Tangible Goods Derived From Space-Based Activities; Author Argues That USA Financial Dominance Will Ensure Stellar Enterprises Need To Conduct Business In USA / Abide By USA Regulations To Make Return On Their Investment
Image Credit: Astrobotic Tech, IPinSpace
Mars Curiosity Mechanical Systems Lead Adam Steltzner, Also Head Of Now Ebullient Entry Descent and Landing Team, Sets Sights On Europa, Jupiter System For Next Mission, “Most Likely Place In The Solar System To Have Existent Life;” Neil Armstrong, Recovering Well, Reminds Us That Permanent Earth-Moon System Development Should Remain Primary and Immediate Objective For Humanity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Orbiter