Category Archives: Lunar Science

Tuesday / 10 February 2015

Posted on by

Lunar Sample Research Requests Due This Week

CuratorLunarSample

110,000 Individually Cataloged Samples Totaling 382 Kg Of Lunar Material Returned By Apollo Lunar Surface Exploration Are Currently Preserved At NASA Johnson Space Center; Curation & Analysis Planning Team For Extraterrestrial Materials (CAPTUM) Is Accepting Research Proposals / Lunar Sample Requests For Spring 2015 CAPTEM Meeting Until Friday, 13 Feb Deadline; Samples Can Be Used For Planetary Science Studies Or Engineering & Resource Utilization Studies

Image Credit: NASA

 

Friday / 6 February 2015

Posted on by

LRO Finds Most Lunar Hydrogen On Slopes Facing Moon South Pole

LRO Hydrogen

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds 23 Parts-Per-Million-By-Weight More Hydrogen On Crater Slopes In Southern Hemisphere (Starting Between 50-60° S Latitude) That Face Lunar South Pole Than On Equator-Facing Slopes Possibly Due To Lack Of Sunlight / Evaporation; LRO In 30 X 180-Km Altitude Orbit Passing Over Lunar South Pole With 21st Data Set Release Upcoming, Not Yet Funded For 2016 According To NASA Budget; Team Including Timothy McClanahan Of GSFC To Determine If N Hemisphere Has Same Pattern, & Effects Of Lunar Day / Night Cycle

Image Credit: NASA, Institute for Space Research, GSFC

Thursday / 15 January 2015

Posted on by

Science Lectures: Lunar Swirls For Space Exploration, Origin Of Moon

SwirlyTheia

Ruth Bamford At BIS London 21 Jan To Explain How Mini Magnetospheres (Lunar Swirls) On Moon May Provide Key For Interplanetary Travel / Radiation Protection; Using Technology Based On This Phenomenon, Radiation Protecting Hardware Mass Could Be Kept Below 3000kg Requiring Only 10-20kW Of Power, Well Within Practical Expectations; Sarah Stewart Of UC Davis To Give SETI Lecture On 27 Jan Detailing Models Of The Giant Impact Believed To Have Created The Moon, A Follow-Up From Recent Billy Quarles SETI Lecture On “Theia’s Date With Destiny“

Image Credit: Fahad Sulheria, RAL Space, UC Davis, NASA

 

Friday / 9 January 2015

Posted on by

Cube Quest Challenge Summit For
Missions Near & Beyond Moon

Cube Quest Challenge Summit 2015

2-Day Summit At Moffett Field CA Held 7 & 8 Jan Introducing US$5M NASA Program For Teams To Design, Build & Deliver Flight-Qualified, SmallSats Capable Of Advanced Operations Near & Beyond Moon; Winner(s) Qualify For Mission To Launch On Maiden Flight Of SLS ~Nov 2018; (L-R) Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden, Cube Quest Challenge Administrator James Cockrell, Planetary Protection Officer Cassie Conley & Others Discuss Mission & Engineering Details, Secondary Payloads, How Cube Quest Relates To Human Exploration

Image Credit: NASA, Ames Research Center

Friday / 12 December 2014

Posted on by

China Chang’e-4 Mission To
Moon South Pole?

Chang'e-4 MSP

Building Upon Success Of Chang’e-3 Mission, Backup Craft Chang’e-4 Could Be Launched 2015-2016 To Potentially Ignite The Race To New Frontier Of Exploration – Moon South Pole; With Other Nations / Private & Public Ventures Considering South Pole For Scientific Research, Resources Mapping & Mining, And Human Base Build Out, Chang’e-4 Could Provide Valuable Data As 1st Mission To Lunar Pole For Landing, Communications & Solar Power Technologies

Image Credit: CNSA, CCTV, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 December 2014

Posted on by

International Space University LM1 Participation Inspires Students

ISUlm1

ISU Participation In Lunar Mission One (LM1) Exemplifies Potential Of Inspirational Education; 47 ISU MSc Students From Around World Carrying Out Preliminary Mission Design For Near-Term Lunar Orbiting Cubesat To Photograph Moon Surface – Specifically Including LM1 South Pole Landing Site; Satellite Will Send Pictures Back To Earth For Space Education / Outreach, & To Raise Global Awareness Of LM1 – Which Is Planned To Land & Drill To At Least 20m, Analyze 4.5B Year Old Rocks, & Analyze Viability Of Permanent Human Base At Moon South Pole

Image Credit: ISU, Lunar Mission One

Friday / 21 November 2014

Posted on by

Galaxy Forum Hawai`i Focuses On Galaxy &
Moon Education, Exploration

GF Hawaii 2014

Galaxy Forum Hawaii 2014 In Waimea Raised The Question ‘Why The Moon?’; International Participants From Indonesia, Thailand, Canada, USA Discussed Certainty Of Role Of Moon In Human Space Exploration Future: Resources & Solutions For Earth, 1st Step Into Solar System & Galaxy; During Panel Discussion Moderated By (L-R) Sherry Bracken Of HPR, Panelists Student Melissa Adams, Chris Sallaberger Of Canadensys, Hawaii Educators Justin Brown, Janine Bonham, Janice Somerville Noted Largest Obstacles For Return To Moon Were Lack Of Education & Allocating Funds

Image Credit: ILOA, HPR, UH Hilo, et al

Thursday / 20 November 2014

Posted on by

UK Privately-Funded Mission To
Moon South Pole 2024

UK Moon South Pole

‘Lunar Mission One‘ Proposed By British Space Consultant David Iron To Send Lander To Moon South Pole, Bore At Least 20 Meters Into Crust, Extract & Analyze Samples; After 6 Months Of Science, Craft Will Then Seal Capsules Of Human DNA (Strands Of Hair) & Digital Data (Messages, Photos, Videos) In Boreholes; Planning To Launch 2024, Mission To Be Funded Entirely By Public, Estimated To Cost £500M (~US$784M); Initial £600K Crowdfunding Campaign Running Until 17 Dec

Image Credit: Lunar Missions Ltd

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 November 2014

Posted on by

Hawai`i Island Hosting ‘The Next Giant Leap’ Moon Conference

NGLC Hawaii

Hawaii Conference On Leveraging Lunar Assets For Sustainable Pathways To Space 9-13 November At Waikoloa Marriott Will Highlight Benefits / Opportunities / Technologies For Making Use Of Cislunar Space & Moon Resources, Multinational Private-Public Missions & Goals, Extending Human Presence Throughout Solar System; Featured Guests Include (L-R, T-B) Buzz Aldrin, Louis Friedman, Bob Richards, Bruce Pittman, Jim Keravala, Jim Crisafulli, Senator Will Espero

Image Credit: PISCES, UH Hilo, SFF, Telegraph, ME, NSS, et al

Friday / 7 November 2014

Posted on by

Moon Educator & Cislunar Space Workshops Promoting Lunar Science

Lunar Workshops

Lunar Educator Workshop For 45 Teachers Will Feature Apollo Missions Moon Rocks & Regolith At JPL In Pasadena CA 8 Nov; International Workshop On Scientific Opportunities In Cislunar Space: Lunar Science Illuminating The Universe On 9 Nov In Tucson AZ To Focus On Testing Deep Space Instruments In Cislunar Space (LEO To Moon Far Side Halo Orbit LL2) & Cislunar Scientific Analogs Which Can Imitate Many Extreme Conditions From Mercury To Pluto

Image Credit: NASA, Select Investor