Category Archives: Lunar Orbiters

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 18-21 Jan 2013

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Mona Lisa Used For LRO Laser Communication Test

MonaLisaLRO

Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece Used For First-Ever One-Way Laser Communication At Planetary Distance; Black & White 152 X 200 Pixel Image, Beamed From NASA Goddard SFC To LRO LOLA Instrument 386,000km Away At Slow Rate Of 300 Bits / Second; Experiment Allowed For Calibration Of Atmospheric Distortion In Preparation For LLCD Experiment On LADEE; Laser Communication Holds Promise Of Bringing Live, HD Video Feeds From Jupiter & Beyond

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 18 January 2013

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ESA / NASA To Cooperate On Human Moon, Deep Space Exploration

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Europe ATV Propulsion Hardware And Solar Arrays Will Make Up Large Part Of NASA Orion Service Module For EM-1 (NET 2017) 7-Day, Uncrewed Circumlunar Cruise & EM-2 (~2021); Agreement May Also Entail Participation Of ESA Astronaut In EM-2; Current Plan For EM-2 Is To Send 4 Crew Members To Orbit Moon For 3-4 Days; Academics, Engineers, Industry Arguing For More Ambitious Mission, Possibly To L2, 65,000km Beyond Lunar Far Side 

Image Credit: NASA, ESA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 11-14 Jan 2013

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USA Preparing To Delve Deeper Into Lunar Exploration

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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.

Friday / 11 January 2013

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India Solar System Focus 2013

LED India 2013

ISRO Chief K. Radhakrishnan Announces Plans To Launch US$82M Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission 26-27 Nov 2013 While Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission May Be Further Delayed To 2016; India Strong Commitment To Lunar Program Should Remain In Focus As 2008 Chandrayaan-1 Proved Important Scientific & International Success; Chandrayaan-2 Progress Is Underway With GSLV Testing Scheduled April 2013 & Russia Working On Technical Issues

Image Credit: ISRO, DHNS

Friday / 4 January 2013

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Next NASA Moon Orbiter

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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

Wednesday / 19 December 2012

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USA Moon Missions Update

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With Crash Landing Of Twin GRAIL Craft Into Side Of Mountain Near Lunar North Pole, USA / NASA Now Has 3 Probes Orbiting Moon (LRO & Artemis); Next Orbital Mission – Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) – Set For Launch May 2013; Since Ending Apollo NASA Has Conducted 6 Crash Landings (4 Missions) On Moon Surface, 0 Soft Landings

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 14-17 Dec 2012

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China Lunar Orbiter Achieves Rendezvous With Asteroid

Chang’e-2 Lunar Exploration Satellite Conducts Successful Rendezvous With Toutatis 4179 Asteroid On 13 Dec; While Passing Within 3.2 Km Of Toutatis At Relative Velocity Of 11km / Second, Probe Collected Data / Images Of Size, Shape, Constitution & Orbit Of Potentially Earth-Threatening Asteroid; Results Help China Prepare For Future Asteroid Exploration 

Image Credit: CNSA

Wednesday / 12 December 2012

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GRAIL Mission Coming To Close

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

Tuesday / 11 December 2012

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India Moving Forward On Launch Vehicle / Chandrayaan-2 Mission

India On Track To Launch GSLV Space Mission With Indigenously Built Cryogenic Engine In April 2013 Says Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Director PS Veeraraghavan (TL); Rocket Is Essential For Planned Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Mission, Which Will Include Lunar Orbiter & Rover Made By ISRO, & Russia-Built Lander; India-Russia Cooperation In Space Expected To Increase With Upcoming India Visit Of President Putin (BL)

Image Credit: ISRO, Reuters

Thursday / 29 November 2012

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Russia Lunar Stirrings

Top Russia Space Officials Indicating Country Moving Focus From ISS To Moon Exploration; ISS Is ‘Closed Chapter In Russia Science‘; 3 Russia Moon Missions Planned For 2015-2017: Polar Lander, Circumlunar Mission, Mission To L2; Russia Scientists At CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Seeking Assistance From Ukraine & Kazakh Colleagues In Moon Research Program

Image Credit: Roscosmos, NASA, flags.com