Category Archives: Lunar Science

Wednesday / 16 December 2015

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China Chang’e-4 Readying For Moon Far Side Mission 2020, Relay Satellite 2018

12162015With Goal Of First Landing On Moon Far Side, CE-4 Communications Relay Satellite Being Prepared To Deploy In 2018 Via Long March 5 Rocket From Wenchang Satellite Launch Complex At Hainan Island; Satellite Will Serve As Communications Link Between Moon Far Side / Earth From L2; CE-4 Lander & Rover Slated For NET 2020 Launch & Will Have Low Frequency Radio Spectrometer For Astronomy; Chief Scientist Of China Lunar Exploration Program Ziyuan Ouyang States “Since Chang’e-3 Successfully Completed Its Mission We Have Had More Time To Explore A More Comprehensive Mission For Chang’e-4”

Credit: CNSA, CAST, CLEP, NASA

Tuesday / 15 December 2015

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China Chang’e-3 Spacecraft Enters Year 3 On Moon; Honorary Currency Celebrates China National Spaceflight

12152015Currently In Lunar Night 25 Chang’e-3 (CE-3) Expected To Awaken 21 Dec & Begin Lunar Day 26 Operations; First Long-Term Robotic Observatory Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) On CE-3 Continues To Gather Images Of Galaxies / Binary Stars / Deep Space With Fewer Limitations Than Earth Due To The Thin Exosphere; Chinese Lunar Exploration Program Has 3 Phases: Orbiting CE-1 & CE-2 / Landing CE-2 & CE-4 (To Far Side NET 2018) / Sample Return CE-5 (Slated For 2017) & CE-6; China’s Central Bank Commemorates Chang’e-1 On Currency (Bill & Coin) 2015 Banknote Reads “Chinese Spaceflight Commemorative”

Credit: People’s Bank of China, CNSA, CAST, CLEP, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 December 2015

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International Moon Missions Being Discussed By UN With Lunar Mission One & By ESA At Dec 15-16 Moon Symposium

UN LM1 ESA

David Iron, Founder Of Lunar Mission One (LM1), With Advice From UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo And Her Predecessor Mazlan Othman (A LM1 International Advisory Board Member) Brings LM1 To Attention Of UN, Pointing Out Practical & Inspiring Reasons For International & Commercial Moon South Pole Mission ~2024; Upcoming ESA Symposium Focusing On Coordinated Human & Robotic Moon Missions 2020-2030 Features Similar Message: Significance Of The Moon As A Starting Point For Sustained, International Space Missions For The Betterment Of Humankind

Credit: Lunar Mission One, UNOOSA, ESA, V. Martin/ITU

Friday / 11 December 2015

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Japan To Develop Moon / Planetary Robots & Analog Test Site, Expected To Launch 2nd Epsilon Rocket 2016

JAXA SLIM Moon

JAXA To Partner With Domestic Companies To Create Robotic, Vehicle, Other Technologies For Human Missions To Moon (2030) & Mars (2040); Low-Cost (US$38M Per Launch) Epsilon Rocket 2nd Flight Planned For 2016, Will Enable ~$126M SLIM Moon Lander Mission Capable Of Landing Within 100 Meters Of Target Area In FY2018; SLIM Mission To Be Discussed At Galaxy Forum Japan 20 February 2016 At NAOJ Mitaka; New Online JAXA Hub Invites Information Exchange With Industries To Participate In Sustainable Moon / Planetary Activities

Pictured L-R: Yasuhiro Morita (Epsilon Program Manager), Yoshisada Takizawa & Susumu Sasaki (SELENE Project Managers)

Credit: JAXA, NASA

 

Thursday / 10 December 2015

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ISRO Announces Opportunity For India Scientists To Conduct Lunar Research With Chandrayaan-1 Data

12102015India Researchers, Universities & Government Bodies May Submit Proposals To ISRO To Utilize Data From Chandrayaan-1 Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) With 5m Resolution & Hyperspectral Imager (HySI) With Spatial Resolution Of 80m & Swath Of ~20km; Proposal Submissions Due 15 Dec; TMC & HySI Data Meant For Photo-Geological Mapping & Understanding Moon Evolutionary Process; Projects Must Be Completed Within 3 Years & Limited Financial Support By ISRO To Be Provided For Selected Proposals; Finalists May Be Announced 31 Dec; ISRO Developing Chandrayaan-2 For 2017 Launch Of Moon Orbiter, Lander, Rover

Credit: ISRO

Tuesday / 8 December 2015

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India Chandrayaan-1 Moon Weather Data Being Studied By Swedish Institute Of Space Physics (IRF)

1282015Lack Of Atmosphere & Global Magnetic Fields On Moon Reflect Some Solar Wind Back Into Space From Surface According To IRF Researcher Charles Lue; Measurements Taken By Chandrayaan-1 Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) / Solar WInd Monitor (SWIM) Revealing Up To 10% Of Solar Wind Reflects Back Into Space; Lue States “This Knowledge Is Of Great Importance To The Lunar Space Environment” And Is Mapping Areas Where Solar Wind Is Most Prominent; Findings Could Be Utilized To Estimate How Much Water Is On Lunar Surface

Credit: Charles Lue, NASA

Friday / 4 December 2015

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SSERVI-Hosted Lunar Workshop Discusses Permanently Shadowed Regions Regolith, Effects On Rovers & Volatiles

Lunar Volatiles

Six-Hour Virtual Workshop Held Yesterday, Featuring Dr. David Kring (R) PI At Center For Lunar Science & Exploration And Brad Bailey (L) Staff Scientist SSERVI, Sought To Collect Data On Potential Trafficability Issues Rovers Can Face In PSRs; Proposed Resource Prospector With RESOLVE Payload Would Map Polar Surface & Subsurface Hydrogen, Extract O2 From Regolith & Process With Hydrogen To Make H2O For Life Support Or Propellant – Could Launch 2018 & Involve Canada Or Japan Collaboration; Lunar Flashlight CubeSat To Locate Volatiles May Launch Dec 2017 On SLS EM-1

Credit: NASA, SSERVI, LPI, Center for Lunar Science & Exploration, GSFC, SVS

Thursday / 3 December 2015

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Hawai`i Based PISCES Seeks Emergency Funds To Continue Moon & Deep Space Research Programs

1232015An Urgent Request To Hawaii Gov. Ige (R) To Appropriate Funds Of US$670k For Salaries To Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems (PISCES) FY 2016 (Jul ’15 – Jun ’16) Currently Being Deliberated; PISCES Director Rob Kelso (L) States Organization Will Continue To Operate Normally Until The End Of The Calendar Year 2015 But Without Approval “We Are Out Of Business After June”; PISCES MoonRIDERS (Research Investigating Dust Expulsion Removal Systems) Joint Partnership With NASA Kennedy Space Center & Google Lunar XPRIZE Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) Technology With High School Participants Kealakehe & Iolani Hope For Approval To Continue Hawaii High-Tech Advancement

Credit: PISCES, UH Hilo, State of Hawaii

Wednesday / 2 December 2015

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Delivering Four Billion Measurements And Counting

1222015In Year 7, LRO Continues To Provide Information Useful For Decades Of Future Human Exploration; LRO Deputy PI Benjamin Greenhagen Comments “We Honor The Moon As A Global Scientific Legacy”; Data Reveals 5 Key Lessons According To B. Dorminey (Forbes Article): Recent Volcanic Activity Confirmed By Interior Temperature & Cooling Implies Moon Is Likely Still Tectonically Active; Lunar Surface Shows Extreme Temperature Variations Of –247 °C In Permanently Shadowed Regions To +123 °C In Areas Exposed To Up To 243 Consecutive Days Of Sunlight; Moon May Hold Water / Other Volatiles Useful For Life-Support As Well As Other Resource Utilization Potentials; Moon South Pole Aitken Basin Offers Potential Samples Of Lunar Rock Originating From Interior Mantle; LRO Radiation Measurements Could Help Minimize Future Human Moon & Deep Space Exploration Hazards

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, LRO, LPI

Wednesday / 18 November 2015

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Astrobotic Signs MoU With Germany DLR For Lunar Payload Commercial Partnership

11182015DLR MoU To Explore Concepts For Possible Payload On Astrobotic Lunar Lander; Dr. Gerd Gruppe (L) Of German Space Agency DLR Executive Board States “Astrobotic Is A Representative Of The New Space Economy”; DLR Research & Development Work In Aeronautics, Space, Energy, Transport Will Be Supported By Astrobotic Delivery Service; “This Collaboration With DLR Underscores The Strong Interest Of Government Space Agencies Across The Globe In Growing Commercial Partnership To Fly To The Moon” States Astrobotic CEO John Thornton (R)

Credit: Astrobotic, DLR