Category Archives: Lunar Science

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 May 2017

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China, USA Simulate Long-Duration Human Moon Missions In Closed Habitats

Beijing, China Hosts 1-Year Moon Mission Analog With 8 Volunteers In 2 Groups (2 Women, 2 Men In Each) Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; 1st Group Will Remain For 60 Days, 2nd Group 200 Days, Then 1st Group Return For 105 Days; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 (HERA-4) Is Ongoing From 6 May – 19 Jun At JSC, Houston TX 148.1 m3 Habitat; 4 Team Members Will Test New Space Food & Hardware Prototypes Including Simulated Exploration Vehicle, Use 3-D Printer; 3 Additional 45-Day Missions Run In Aug, Oct, Feb 2018

Credits: Beihang University – Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, Xinhua, Ju Huanzong, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28 April – 1 May 2017

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China And ESA Discussing Permanent Human Moon Settlement

 China National Space Agency Secretary General Tian Yulong Confirms Talks With 22-Member States ESA On Potential International Moon Village; ESA Spokesman Pål Hvistendahl Notes China Advanced Moon Program, ESA Possible Analysis Of Lunar Samples From Chang’e-5 Mission, Plans For ESA Astronaut To Fly To China Space Station; ISS International Partners Developing Concept For Cislunar Orbiting Base; USA & Russia Aiming For Moon Surface Outposts; Human Multi World Species Status Most Likely To Be Regained And Sustained On Moon Through International Cooperation & Collaboration

Credits: ESA, CNSA, NAOC, CAS, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 April 2017

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LunarCubes Workshop 2017 Focuses On Concepts / Challenges And New Technologies / Solutions

Two Day Event With 8 Sessions At Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo CA, In Coordination With CubeSat Developers Workshop April 25-28, Will Feature Presentations By Pamela Clark (JPL), Tilak Hewagama (UMD), Jon Freeman (GRC), Nadeem Ghafoor (Canadensys), Others; Experts Will Design Compelling LunarCube Missions, Plan Engineering, Power, Thermal, Communication & Transportation Needs, And Share Their Areas Of Knowledge; 13 Secondary Payloads Are Being Developed For EM-1 Launch Sep 2018 Including 4 Lunar CubeSats; 1st Commercial Payload To The Moon, 4M Launched 2014, Could Serve As An Example For Lunar / Planetary CubeSat Missions

Credits: OHB, NASA, ASU, UCLA, Morehead State University, Canadensys

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 April 2017

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Russia Collaborating With ESA For Luna-25 High-Res Cameras And Future Moon South Pole Missions

Roscosmos And ESA Formulate Agreement On Moon South Pole Luna-25 Lander, Europe To Provide High-Res Landing Camera System To Aid Touchdown In Boguslavsky Crater 2018-19; The Two Agencies Also Set To Cooperate On Luna-27 (Moon South Pole Lander 2021), Luna-28 (Moon South Pole Sample Return 2023), ExoMars Lander / Rover 2020; Russia Aiming To Put Humans On Moon 2029, Start Lunar Base 2030-2035; Developing New Angara Rocket & Federatsiya Crewed Spacecraft For Lunar Missions

Credits: Roscosmos, ESA, NASA, LROC, Ivanov et al., 2015

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 April 2017

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Canada Prioritizes Technologies For International Lunar Deep Space Habitat And Lunar Surface Mobility (LSM) Concept Study

Canadian Space Agency Asking For Innovative Proposals For Detailed LSM Concepts & Feasibility Assessment Of Two Main Assets: Precursor To Human & Scientific Rover And Lunar Pressurized Rover Core; Planning To Select Up To 2 Six-Month Contracts; Canada Government Commits To CSA US$80.9M Over 5 Years To Accelerate Canada Leadership In Space Post-ISS Era Including Technology To Support International Human Missions On And Around Moon Such As Robotics, Rovers, Software, And Mars Surface Observation

Credits: CSA, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 3-6 February 2017

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MoonWatcher Mission Proposes 24/7 Live Video Of Moon, Seeks US$150K Crowd Funding

Co-Founders Blair DeWitt (L) & Barret Schlegelmilch (R) Of MIT Aiming To Build MoonWatcher Satellite, Design State Of The Art Camera, And Launch To LEO Via Virgin Galactic LauncherOne Rocket Feb 2018 To Provide 1st Private Real-Time, Unobstructed View Of Lunar Surface; Plan To Report Latest Lunar News & Science; This Round Of Investment Ends March 12; Future Goals Would Be Fleet Of Lunar Cameras / Satellites; Potential To View Future Lunar Missions / Activities, Lunar Base Build Out, Meteor Showers, Surface Changes; Team Advisors Include Sean Casey, Matt Blasco, Dennis Williams

Credits: MoonWatcher, Virgin Galactic

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 January 2017

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Mysteries Of The Moon: Continued Studies On Lunar Age, Dust, Formation, Evolution

Newest Theory On Earth’s Closest Celestial Neighbor Suggests Luna May Have Been Created 4.51B Years Ago, According To Apollo 14 Sample Study By Melanie Barboni & UCLA Team; Pinpointing Moon Age Helps Narrow Down When Earth Became Habitable; Recent Lunar Formation Simulation By Hagai Perets Of Technion-Israel Institute Shows Moon May Have Been Formed By Many Impacts Creating Moonlets That Merged; NASA Reports Lunar Horizon Glow Observed By Apollo Astronauts & Surveyor 5, 6, 7 Is Likely Caused By Micron-Sized Dust Particles Jumping Several Centimeters Under UV Radiation Or Exposure To Plasmas; Returning To Moon For Hands-On Lunar Surface Studies Needed To Fill In Knowledge Gaps

Credits: NASA, UCLA, Hagai Perets

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 December 2016

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Scientists Study Lunar Sonic Boomlets With ARTEMIS Probe Duo, Present Findings At AGU

“Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun” (ARTEMIS) P1 And P2 In Moon Orbit Since 2011 Are Gathering High-Fidelity Measurements Of Lunar Miniature Shock Waves Believed To Be Caused By Protons In Solar Wind Moving At Supersonic Speeds Colliding With Pockets Of Magnetic Fields From Moon Crust; Deputy PI Jasper Halekas To Present On ARTEMIS And The 40 Observed Shock Waves During AGU Which Is Hosting 24,000 Attendees & Presentations On LRO, Moon Processes, Moon-Plasma Interactions; ARTEMIS Also Finds  ‘Limb Shocks’ At Boundary Between Light Side & Dark Side

Credits: NASA, ARTEMIS, SSERVI, AGU, J. Halekas, A. Poppe, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 December 2016

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LRO Providing High-Res, Multispectral Moon Mapping, Prepares For 2017 And Revisits Apollo Landing Sites

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 7.5 Years Into Mission, Continuing Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) Since May 2015; Adding To 3D Map Of Lunar Surface At 100-meter Resolution (98.2% Coverage So Far, Excluding Polar Areas In Deep Shadow); Recent Data From Apollo Sites Provides Modern Views, New Interpretations Of Sample Materials; Release 28 Of LRO Data Expected 15 December; Science Team Schedules August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Observations Of Moon Shadow Moving Across USA; NASA Planning US$20M / Year To Operate Flagship Lunar Mission Through FY2018

Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 November 2016

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Japan Epsilon Launch Set For 20 Dec, Intended To Carry SLIM Lander To Moon 2018-19

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The 2nd JAXA Epsilon Rocket Launch Planned 20 Dec Lofting ERG Satellite Should Further Qualify Technology Enabling 1st JAXA Lunar Landing With Smart Lander For Investigating Moon (SLIM); Epsilon Launch Estimated At US$38M (Half Cost Of Predecessor M-5), Uses H-2A Solid Booster, M-5 Second & Third Stages; SLIM To Test Technologies For SELENE-2 (Lander & Rover) And Future Human Missions; JAXA, ISAS, Lunar & Planetary Laboratory ‘Workshop On Planetary Science Enabled By Epsilon Class Missions’ 15-16 Nov Establishing Potential International Collaborations & Inputs For SLIM, Penetrator Probe For Moon Or Airless Bodies, DESTINY+ For Meteor Shower Study

Pictured: ISAS Associate Professor Shinichiro Tokudome (responsible for developing Epsilon propulsion systems & integration)

Credits: JAXA, ISAS