Category Archives: Lunar Orbiters

Friday / 5 September 2014

Posted on by

Planetary Senior Review Panel Gives Green Light To LRO Extended Mission

LROseniorReview0914

Evaluating Proposed New Science & Previous Productivity LRO Received Grade Of Very Good / Good From NASA Planetary Senior Review Panel Chaired By Clive Neal; Panel Suggested Descoping Some LRO Instruments: Mini-RF Operations To End, CRaTER Instrument May Continue With Cost-Sharing With Helio / Astrophysics Programs; After Accepting Descoping Proposal LRO Grade Raised To Very Good / Excellent; 2nd 2-Year LRO Extended Science Mission Will Characterize Changes In Lunar Surface, Interior & Exosphere; LRO Expected 2015 Operations Cost Was US$8.1M Pre-Descoping

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 2 September 2014

Posted on by

Vision For Space Access May Be Difference In Tight Hawai`i Governor Race

HAwaiiSpaceAcessGov914

Pacific Space Access Could Become A Key Issue As Hawai’i Gubernatorial Race Heats Up; Sen David Ige (D), Duke Aiona (R), Mufi Hannemann (I) All Could Benefit From Supporting Pioneering Initiative To Develop Hawaii-Based Sea Launching Enterprise, Which Would Bring Economic And Scientific Opportunities To Islands; With NASA Missions LRO & Mars Opportunity Rover Receiving Funding For Extended Missions, Hawaii Island Role As Analog Test Site For Robotic / Human Planetary Missions Should Continue To Advance

Image Credit: PISCES, Sea Launch, KHON2

Tuesday / 26 August 2014

Posted on by

Chandrayaan-2 On Schedule For 2017 Launch

Chandrayaan2Annadurai

M Annadurai Of ISRO, Project Manager For Chandrayaan-1 and 2, Confirms India Still Planning To Launch Its 2nd Moon Mission In 2017; GSLV Rocket Expected To Boost Probe Into Earth-Parking Orbit Of 170km X 18,500km; Mission Includes Orbiter With Scientific Payloads To Confirm Presence Of Water / Resources & Lander That Will Soft Land Then Deploy Rover To Conduct Mineralogical & Elemental Analysis Of Surrounding Area With 2 Spectroscope Payloads; Next GSLV Launch Expected Later This Year After Successful Launch In Jan 2014

Image Credit: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 August 2014

Posted on by

LRO / CRaTER Continue To Uncover Mysteries Of Lunar Poles

CRaTERsparking0814

Solar Storms May Cause ‘Sparking’ In Permanently Shadowed Craters On Moon Poles Says Team Of Researchers From UNH & NASA Led By Andrew Jordan; Data From CRaTER Instrument Aboard LRO Indicates Solar Energetic Particles Build Up Electric Charges In Lunar Surface That Likely Disintegrate Regolith Into Distinct Minerals; Polar Craters Maintain Temperatures ~Minus 240 Degrees C, Known To Contain Water Ice; Team Now Investigating If Other LRO Instruments Can Detect Sparking

Image Credit: NASA, UNH

Friday / 22 August 2014

Posted on by

CubeSat Technologies Advancing Toward Interplanetary Missions

Lunar SS Cubesats

CubeSat R&D Efforts For Moon, Mars, Solar System Missions Expected To Come To Fruition Soon With Initiatives Including Vermont Tech 10x10x30cm Mooncraft, JPL Dual Spacecraft INSPIRE (Interplanetary NanoSpacecraft Pathfinder In Relevant Environment), JPL Lunar Flashlight With 80m² Solar Sail; Greatest Benefit Is Low Cost To Produce & Launch With High Science Capabilities; Could Navigate Through Planetary Rings, Release PicoSats, Land On Surface; US$50K Vermont Lunar CubeSat Currently In LEO Testing Navigation Components For Moon Mission

Pictured: CubeSat Inventors Bob Twiggs (L) & Jordi Puig-Suari

Image Credit: NASA, JPL, ed-sat.com, Vermont Tech

Tuesday / 19 August 2014

Posted on by

Stimulating Lunar Enterprise With Earth-Orbital Launch Platform

ColubiaMoonLauncher0814

Revisiting 1996 Proposal To Utilize Space Shuttle Columbia, With Its Extended-Duration Orbiter Modifications, As A Joint NASA / Private Sector Launch Platform For Rocket Stages Bearing Small Lunar Landers Which Would Then Deliver Teleoperated Micro-Robots; Current / Future Orbiter Vehicles Could Potentially Be Used For Such Purposes Helping To “Ignite A Billion Dollar, Sustained Enterprise On Moon” As Proposal Author Carey McCleskey Of NASA JSC Vehicle Engineering Directorate Originally Suggested

Image Credit: NASA, Eberhard Marx

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 August 2014

Posted on by

Decision On LRO Fate May Be Released Next Week

LRO0814

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Set To Complete First Extended Mission In Sep 2014, No Funding For Second Extended Mission Has Yet Been Granted, Will Likely Depend On Results Of Senior Review Of NASA Planetary Science Missions; Reports Indicate Senior Review Is Complete & Results Should Be Released Next Week; LRO Competing Against Other Missions Such As Cassini & Mars Opportunity Rover; Many Argue Using Existing Assets Such As LRO To Achieve New Discovery-Class Science Objectives Represents Highest Possible Return; The Lunar Orbiter Would Require Only US$8.1M For 2015 Operations

Pictured: LRO Project Scientist Richard Vondrak

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 6 August 2014

Posted on by

Russia Lunar Aspirations Persist
Though Missions Likely Delayed

RussiaMoonPlan0814

Director Of Space Research Institute IKI Lev Zeleny Confirms All Approved Lunar Missions Remain On Table; Domino Effect Of Mission Delays Pushes Luna-Glob / Luna-25 Mission To Test Landing Techniques From 2016 To 2019, Luna-Glob 2 / Lunar-26 Orbiter Mission Now Expected 2021, Luna-Resurs / Luna-27 Lander Mission With Drilling System & Scientific Payloads Pushed Back To 2023; Russia Also Working On ~US$2.8B-Project To Put Humans On Moon By 2031

Image Credit: Russiaspaceweb.com, RIA Novosti

Thursday / 31 July 2014

Posted on by

SLS Maiden Voyage To Deliver Cubesats To Moon

FlashlightSLS0714

11 Cubesats Will Be Delivered To Cislunar Space On First Uncrewed Mission Of SLS Rocket / Orion Capsule In Late 2017; 3 Missions Have Already Been Selected Including Lunar Flashlight; Led By Barbara Cohen Of NASA Marshall SFC; Mission Will Utilize 80m² Solar Sail To Navigate Into A Highly Elliptical Lunar Polar Orbit That Passes Near Moon South Pole, Solar Sail Will Then Be Redirected To Shine 50kW Of Sunlight Into Shaded Craters While On-Board Spectrometer Measures Surface Reflection & Composition; Data Will Identify Sites With Ample Volatiles Near Surface Ideal For More Expansive Lander / Rover / Human Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Rob Staehle

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 June 2014

Posted on by

LRO Enters 6th Year In Good Health, Uncertain Future

LROfuture0614

23 June Will Mark 5 Years In Lunar Orbit For LRO; All 7 Instruments Continue To Provide Valuable Scientific Moon Data & Craft Has Generous Reserve Of Fuel; Funding For 2-Year Mission Extension Dependent On Results Of Ongoing NASA Biannual Senior Review Of Ongoing Missions, Results Expected This Month; Mission Extension Would Cost ~US$8M Annually, Continued Operations Could Be Invaluable To Future Human / Robotic Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA