Category Archives: Lunar Geology

Thursday / 28 Mar 2019

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Moon Diver Planned For Lunar Lava Tubes 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Scientist Laura Kerber Advocates ‘Moon Diver’ Mission For Exploring Lava Tubes, Continuing Campaign At 50th Lunar And Planetary Science Conference; First Goal Will Be Mysterious Pit In Sea Of Tranquility Location Of Apollo 11; Two-Wheeled ‘Axel’ Rover Would Descend 40-meter Pit Walls And Rappel Another 70 Meters Into Unexplored Space; Lunar Lava Tubes Will Be Potential Natural Shelters For Storage And Habitation; Moon Diver Would Launch In Mid-2020s Timeframe When USA Plans Human Landings At South Pole

Credits: NASA, JPL

Tuesday / 27 Nov 2018

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Chang’e-4 Science Teams And Chandrayaan-2 Testing Over Analog Site

China Establishes Science Teams For Chang’e-4 Lunar Mission; Four Research Groups Devoted To Data Processing, Geological Background, Lunar Surface Morphology, And Low-Frequency Radio Environment; Launch Of Chang’e-4 Planned For 8 December, To Land In Von Karman Crater At 47° South Latitude On Lunar Farside 30-31 Dec; India Chandrayaan-2 Launch Moved To 31 Jan, Planned As First Landing In South Polar Region At 70° South Latitude; Chandrayaan-2 Sensors Being Tested In Aircraft Flying Over Analog Site: “Science City” Of Challakere In Karnataka State Hosts ISRO Research Center

Credits: CNSA, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 June 2018

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LRO Mission Enters 10th Year Orbiting Moon

On 23 June Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Embarks On 10th Year, Mission Goals Include Temporarily Going Off Nadir (Straight-On Imaging) Fall 2018 To Utilize Camera Stereo, Oblique Imaging; Inertial Measurement Unit Currently Powered Down To Reserve Power For Critical Events, Lunar Eclipses; In Lunar Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) With 7 Instruments Providing High Resolution 3D Moon Mapping, Regolith & Radiation Observations, Data May Assist In Future South Pole And Far Side Lunar Landings

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Jun 2018

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AOGS Meeting To Focus On Lunar Science, Humans In Space

Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) 15th Annual Meeting 3-8 June In Honolulu HI With 209 Sessions Will Include 4 June “Science Of Exploration As Enabled By The Moon, Near Earth Asteroids, And The Moons of Mars”; Speakers (L-R) Gregory Schmidt For International Cooperation In Exploration, Ben Bussey On Lunar Activities, Allison Zuniga On Lunar Infrastructure & Economy, With Clive Neal For Human Return To Moon, Bernard Foing On Lunar Technology

Credits: AOGS, NASA, NSS, ISDC, U. Notre Dame, IAF, SSERVI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 May 2018

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LRO Mapping And Monitoring Lunar Surface Supports NASA Return To Moon Plans

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Surpasses 40,000 Orbits Around Moon, Gathering Information On Lunar Temperatures, Geologic Activity, Newly Formed Craters, Topographical Changes; On 23 June Spacecraft With 7 Operating Instruments Will Celebrate 9 Full Years In Orbit; Inertial Measurement Unit Indicates Low Functionality, Will Be Powered Down Except For Lunar Eclipses, Safe Mode Entries; 34th Data Set Release Upcoming, Invaluable Mission Supports International, National, Commercial, Academic Ventures & Research

Credits: NASA

Friday / 20 Apr 2018

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New Views From The Moon 2 – Asia 2018 In Japan Exchanging International Lunar Research, Mission Plans

University of Aizu, Japan, and Lunar and Planetary Institute Host NVM2 Conference 18-20 April 2018 With ~55 International Lunar Experts Covering Topics Including Landing Sites, Astronomy From The Moon, Lava Tubes, Geology, Volatiles, Lunar Space Elevator; 8 International South Pole Landers Identified For Missions By 2025, Collaborations Needed To Avoid Duplication, Maximize Science And Determine Where To Lead Investigations; LEAG Commercial Advisory Board Of ~30 Members Planning Next CAB Meeting 19 June

Pictured: Clive Neal, Ben Bussey, Makiko Ohtake, (Steve) Liu Yang, Carle Pieters, Junya Terazono; Image Credits: Univ. of Aizu, Univ. of Notre Dame, NASA, Brown Univ., JAXA, ISRO, KARI, ESA, Roscosmos, CNSA, LPI, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 Mar 2018

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Brown-Vernadsky Microsymposium 59 In Texas Focuses On China Lunar Success And Plans

China Lunar And Deep Space Exploration Program Overview Set To Take Place 17-18 March In Woodlands, TX On The Eve Of 49 LPSC; Cosponsored By Brown University, Russian Academy Of Sciences, Vernadsky And Space Research Institute; Will Highlight University Research, Analysis, Results Across China; With Open Discussion, 25 Presenters Including James Head Of Brown University, NAOC Deputy Director ChunLai Li, Will Focus On Future Lunar Missions, Activities, Particularly Chang’e 1-3 Data, Chang’e-4 Landing Studies, Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission

Credits: Brown University, Planetary Society, Vernadsky, NAOC

Friday / 16 Mar 2018

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Crater-Counting AI Algorithm Discovers ~7,000 Moon Craters, Advances Extraterrestrial Mapping Techniques

 Moon Crater Identification Project Led By Ari Silburt At Penn State University And Mohamad Ali-Dib At University Of Toronto Uses Algorithm To Find Craters >5-km Diameter, Leads To Discovery Of 6,883 New Craters In Only A Few Hours & Confirms Previously Known Craters With Very Few Errors; Lunar Craters Are Significant For Solar System Origin Clues, Establishing Areas Of Interest For Exploration, Science, Sample Return, Human Settlement; Artificial Intelligence Mapping Techniques For Big Data Could Be Used For Solar / Extrasolar Systems, Geologic / Other Observations

Credits: NASA, JPL, Caltech, Ari Silburt (L), Mohamad Ali-Dib (R), Univ. of Toronto, PSRD, David Trang, LROC WAC, et al

Thursday / 18 Jan 2018

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Lava Tube Entrances May Exist In Moon Polar Regions

Planetary Scientist Pascal Lee Of SETI Institute & Mars Institute Discovers 3 Pits In Philolaus Crater Near Lunar North Pole – Candidate “Skylight” Entrances To Underground Lava Tubes; Permanently Shadowed Inside, These Pits May Give Access To Subsurface Water Ice; Polar Location Provides Solar Power & Direct Earth Communications For Easier Ice Extraction & Human Exploration; New Findings Made At NASA Ames Using Data From Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Credits: NASA, LRO, SETI Institute, Mars Institute, Pascal Lee

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 July 2016

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LRO Mission Receives NASA Extension Through March 2018

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Shedding Light On Origin And Evolution Of The Solar System Through A Multitude Of Science Investigations At The Moon; NASA Planning US$20M / Year To Operate Flagship Lunar Mission Through FY2018 (Subject To Appropriation & Annual Budget Process); Latest Results Include SwRI Team Led By Kathleen Mandt Identifying 2 Geologically Young Craters Near South Pole Using Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Detector Which Observes With Help Of Ultraviolet Light Coming From Distant Stars & From The Lyman-Alpha Skyglow Scattering Of Hydrogen Atoms In Solar System

Credit: LRO, NASA, SwRI