Category Archives: Lunar Science

Tuesday / 19 May 2015

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Moon Express To Deploy Lunar Laser Ranging Array On Moon

MEDCurrie

4-Mission Agreement Signed With National Laboratories Of Frascati (Italy) & University Of Maryland To Deliver Series Of Laser Range Finding Arrays On Moon Surface; Total Cost Of Agreement Is US$24M, Half Of Which Will Be Paid By Moon Express; Payload Will Continue Successful Experiment Deployed By Apollo 11, 14 & 15 Astronauts, Allowing Scientists Such As Doug Currie (L) Of UMD To Test General Relativity & Advance Understanding Of Gravity

Pictured (R): Bob Richards, Co-Founder Of Moon Express

Image Credit: Moon Express, NASA

Friday / 15 May 2015

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Honeybee To Develop Lunar Heat Flow Probe & Craft For ISRU / Space Exploration Honeybee CubeSats Lunar Probe

Honeybee Robotics Of Brooklyn NY Receiving NASA Small Business Phase 1 Contracts Worth Up To US$125K Each To Design: Advanced Lunar Probe (Similar To Apollo 15 & 17 Instrument) For Measuring Moon Endogenic Heat Flow, Thermal Gradient & Conductivity; 3D-Printed Harvester CubeSat With Cold-Gas Thrusters Which Can Continue To Refuel Itself For ‘Eternal’ Moon / Asteroid / Mars / Europa Missions; ISRU Volatiles Extractor For Moon / Mars / Asteroids; Hermetically-Sealed Canisters For Sample Return Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Honeybee, ESA / The Science Office Ltd.

Thursday / 7 May 2015

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Radiation Environment May Alter Lunar Regolith

UNHcrater0515

Researchers From UNH & NASA Goddard Publish Study Detailing How ‘Sparking’ May Affect Lunar Regolith In Permanently Shadowed Craters; High-Energy Particles From Large Solar Storms Or Cosmic Rays Buildup Electric Charges Faster Than Regolith Can Dissipate Them, Particularly In -240°C Permanently Shadowed Polar Craters, Regolith Then Disintegrates Into Smaller Particles Of Distinct Materials; Researchers Used LRO CRaTER Instrument & Custom Computer Model; Team Will Now Utilize LRO Instruments At New Lower Orbit To Find Evidence For Sparking

Image Credit: NASA, UNH

Wednesday / 6 May 2015

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LRO Taking Closer Look At Moon South Pole

LROsouthPoleorbit0515

Orbit Of NASA Lunar Orbiter Lowered To Within 20km Of Lunar South Pole, Closest The Craft Has Been To Moon; New Orbit Enables Improved  Measurements Of South Pole Areas With Unique Illumination Conditions – Permanently Shadowed Craters (e.g. Cabeus), Peaks Of Eternal Light (e.g. Malapert); LOLA & Diviner Instruments Will Now Produce Better Signal / Higher Resolution Data; Maneuver Indicates Continued Interest In Moon South Pole Exploration Within NASA

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 17 April 2015

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5th International Lunar Surface Applications Workshop Last Day

LSA5

Final Day Of LSA5 In Cocoa Beach FL Will Feature Russell Cox (L) Of Flexure Engineering On ‘The Lunar Initiatives’, David Dunlop (R) Of NSS On ‘International Lunar Decade’, & Presentations On The Business Of Being An Astropreneur; Other Lunar Leaders Include Bob Richards (Moon Express), Dan Hendrickson (Astrobotic), Jim Keravala (Shackleton Energy); Conference Advancing Collaborations, Ideas For Robotic Science / Resource Prospecting & Human Exploration / Settlement Missions; 5th LunarCubes Workshop To Be Held Oct 6-9 In San Jose CA; LSA5 Speech By Astronaut Cady Coleman & Panel Discussion Available

Image Credit: Flexure Engineering, NSS, Bigelow, Isaac Brekken/The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine

Wednesday / 15 April 2015

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Abstract Deadline For NASA SSERVI Exploration Science Forum

SSERVIrpm

2nd Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum To Be Held At Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA On 21-23 Jul; Tomorrow Is Last Day To Submit Abstracts; Forum Will Feature Scientific Discussions Of Human Exploration Of Moon & Other Destinations Of Interest; Event To Be Followed By Resource Prospector Mission Meeting, Will Provide Introduction To Parameters & Capabilities Of Mission & Current Status Of Landing Site Analysis; Follow Up RPM Meeting In Conjunction With LEAG Meeting This Fall

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 April 2015

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LRO Providing Opportunities For Researchers & Educators

LROEducation0415

US$504-Million LRO Mission, Costing US$12.4M To Operate Annually, Will Achieve 6 Years In Lunar Orbit This Jun; Extension Of Operations Into 2016 Still In Question; Data Set 22 – With Data Collected From Dec 2014 To Mar 2015 – Expected In Jun 2015; Slides From Recent LRO Data Users Workshop Now Available; Registration For Jul 2015 Lunar Workshops For Educators Still Open

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 8 April 2015

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Lunar Workshop Highlights Opportunities Of Upcoming Surface Missions

IWLSA5

5th International Workshop On Lunar Surface Applications 14-17 April In Cocoa Beach Florida Will Provide Overview Of Lunar Surface Missions That Are In Development & Opportunities They Present For Scientists & Space Entrepreneurs; Representatives From NASA Lunar Catalyst Program Participants Moon Express, Astrobotic, Masten Will Present; Workshop Will Also Feature In Depth Look At Engineering & Science Of Lunar Polar ISRU & NASA Lunar Resource Prospector Mission

Image Credit: Flexure Engineering, NASA, Moon Express, Masten

Friday / 3 April 2015

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Moon Spacecraft To Observe Shortest Lunar Eclipse Of 21st Century

Lunar Ecplise Apr 4

Total Lunar Eclipse 4 Mins 43 Secs Starting 01:58 HST 4 April Will Be Shortest Of 21st Century & Shortest Since 1529; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter To Study Lunar Surface Temperature Changes; China Chang’e-3 At Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium May Observe Lunar Terminator & Dust Dynamics, Take Images Along With Chang’e-5-T1 In Moon Orbit;  NASA Media Teleconference & Live Feed Of Eclipse From Griffith Observatory In CA Available; Next Total Eclipse 28 Sep To Last 1 Hr 12 Mins

Image Credit: NASA, LRO, CNSA, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Phil Hart

Thursday / 2 April 2015

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Lunar Dust Experiments Opening Future Exploration Possibilities

DustyMoon0415

LADEE Results Indicate Tail Of Nanoscale Particles Trailing Moon, Likely Expelled By Asteroid Impact, <0.001g / Square Meter; LADEE Spectrometer PI Says Phenomenon Could Offer New Way To Study Surface Of Airless Planetary Bodies, “Collect Their Tails Rather Than Landing On Them”; Moon RIDERS Educational Project Testing System To Remove Lunar Dust From Moon Lander Equipment Using High Voltage Square Waves Being Tested At NASA Ames; Project Is Collaboration Of Hawai`i High Schools, NASA, GLXP Teams, PISCES

Image Credit: NASA, kealakeherobotics.org