13th LROC Planetary Data System Release Now Available; Includes 150,548 Images Totaling 24.77 TB, 9 LROC Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) Digital Terrain Models, 6 NAC Region Of Interest Products; Release Composed Of Data Collected Between Sep-Dec 2012; To Date LROC Team Delivered 970,789 Images & Over 8,743 Data Products (RDR); US$583 Million Mission Was Launched In June 2009
Image Credit: NASA
Large-Scale Molten Seas Were Present On Moon Long After Early Moon Cooled Say Brown University Planetary Scientists Led By Grad Student William Vaughan; Data Shows 355-km Wide, 9.6-km Deep Sea Of Melted Rock Was Formed By Impact; 30 Large Lunar Impact Basins Produced About 100 Million Cubic Km Of Melt, Making Up 5% Of Moon Crust; May Account For Puzzling Findings From Lunar Samples
Image Credit: NASA, Brown University
Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Crowd Funding To Continue Work Restoring Imagery From 1960s Moon Missions; Team Led By Dennis Wingo Has Created Over 600 Images & Processed Over 20 Terabytes Of Data, Still Have Over 700 Remaining Tape Drives / 850 Images To Process; Donations Received Will Be Used To Purchase 5 New Tape Drive Heads, Pay Engineering Team
Image Credit: LOIRP, Rockethub.com
Recent LRO Narrow Angle Camera Images Of 2.2-km Wide 0.6-km Deep Linné Crater, Less Than 10M Years Old & Very Well Preserved, Provide Detailed Topography Of Cratering In Mare Basalt; Laser Mapping Shows Truncated Inverted Cone Shape, Flattened Interior Floor, Sloping Walls; 3D Model ‘Barnstorming’ Flyover Video Created
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Application Deadline 1 March For LPI Summer Intern Program At NASA JSC; Interns Will Evaluate The Study Generated By Previous Student Teams – ‘Global Landing Site Study To Provide Context For Exploration Of The Moon’ – Then Conduct Detailed Assessment Of 1 Or 2 High-Priority Landing Sites Identified In That Report; Will Utilize Latest Lunar Data, Explore Potential Traverse Routes / Stations, ID Challenges; Program: 28 May- 2 Aug 2013
Image Credit: NASA, LPI
Brown University Professor Carle Pieters Will Join ‘The Moon As A Cornerstone To The Terrestrial Planets’ Team Of NLSI On 29 Jan To Overview Implications Of New Lunar Data & Discuss How It Is Leading To New Strategies For Human & Robotic Exploration; David Kring Of LPI Will Recap Successes Of NLSI In Achieving Research Goals, Assisting In NASA Robotic & Human Mission Scenario Development
Image Credit: NASA
As GRAIL Mission Data, Including Imagery Of Spacecraft Surface Approach, Continues To Flow Through Scientific Community, NASA Invests In Technology Development To Search For Water Deposits Inside Permanently Shadowed Moon Craters; US$300K Contract Awarded To Xylem Inc. To Develop Specialized Mass Spectrometer For RESOLVE Mission Lunar Rover; With Sufficient Authorization & Funding USA / Canada Mission Could Land On Moon In 2017
Image Credit: NASA, Xylem Inc.
LADEE Spacecraft Scheduled For Launch Via 5-Stage Minotaur 5 Rocket On 12 August From Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport On Wallops Island, VA; 3 Main Science Instruments Recently Integrated On Craft: Ultraviolet & Visible Light Spectrometer, Neutral Mass Spectrometer, Lunar Dust Experiment; Mission Will Pioneer NASA Modular Common Bus Architecture, Also Set For Use By Moon Express GLXP Mission
Image Credit: NASA
Twin Probes Ebb & Flow To Impact Moon Surface On 17 Dec Ending Successful US$496M Mission; Launched Sep 2011, Crafts Arrived In Lunar Orbit Last New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day; Provided Ultra-Precise Measurements To Construct Accurate Map Of Lunar Gravity Field; Showed Moon Crust Completely Pulverized Suggesting More Violent Early History Of Inner Solar System Than Previously Believed; NASA To Host Press Conference 13 Dec To Discuss Impact
Image Credit: NASA, ESA
Recently Released Results From Mercury Mission MESSENGER Indicate Plentiful Deposits Of Water Ice At Its Poles 10-20cm Thick; Similar To Moon, Deposits Are Collected In Deep Impact Craters; UCLA Professor David Paige Says Studying Moon Poles Helped Researchers Develop Techniques To Research Water On Mercury; Findings Of Water On Harsh Environments Of Moon & Mercury Indicate Water Ice Is Common Component In Solar System / Universe
Image Credit: UCLA, NASA