Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Crowd Funding To Continue Work Restoring Imagery From 1960s Moon Missions; Team Led By Dennis Wingo Has Created Over 600 Images & Processed Over 20 Terabytes Of Data, Still Have Over 700 Remaining Tape Drives / 850 Images To Process; Donations Received Will Be Used To Purchase 5 New Tape Drive Heads, Pay Engineering Team
Image Credit: LOIRP, Rockethub.com
INSPIRE Mission Among 24 Small Satellites Selected By NASA To Fly As Auxiliary Payloads In 2014-2016; Dual 3U INSPIRE CubeSats Will Be 1st To Travel Beyond Earth Orbit, Demonstrating Functionality In Interplanetary Space; Relatively Affordable (~US$3M) Moon Missions By Universities & Private Organizations Likely To Follow; LunarCubes Missions Briefing 11 April 2013 At NASA KSC
Image Credit: NASA
Leonhard Bernold Of University Of New South Wales Presents At Australia ‘Off Earth Mining Forum’ About New Lunar Simulant Created By His Research Team; Substance – Made Up Primarily Of Fine Basalt Particles – Facilitates Tests Of Moon Mining Techniques, Equipment Such As 3D Printers, Waterless Lunar Concrete Formulas To Build Landing Pads & Habitats On Moon
Image Credit: University of New South Wales
Analysis Of Apollo Moon Rocks – Led By Hejiu Hui Of University Of Notre Dame – Throws Moon Origin Theory Into Question; Modern Instruments Able To Detect 6 ppm Of Water In Interior Of Genesis (R) & Other Apollo Rocks Once Thought To Be Dry; Researchers Estimate Early Moon Magma Contained Up To 320 ppm; Impact Theory Of Moon Formation (L) Does Not Account For These Damp Findings
Image Credit: nasa.gov, nd.edu
Recent LRO Narrow Angle Camera Images Of 2.2-km Wide 0.6-km Deep Linné Crater, Less Than 10M Years Old & Very Well Preserved, Provide Detailed Topography Of Cratering In Mare Basalt; Laser Mapping Shows Truncated Inverted Cone Shape, Flattened Interior Floor, Sloping Walls; 3D Model ‘Barnstorming’ Flyover Video Created
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Application Deadline 1 March For LPI Summer Intern Program At NASA JSC; Interns Will Evaluate The Study Generated By Previous Student Teams – ‘Global Landing Site Study To Provide Context For Exploration Of The Moon’ – Then Conduct Detailed Assessment Of 1 Or 2 High-Priority Landing Sites Identified In That Report; Will Utilize Latest Lunar Data, Explore Potential Traverse Routes / Stations, ID Challenges; Program: 28 May- 2 Aug 2013
Image Credit: NASA, LPI
Stanford University Civil & Environmental Engineering PhD Candidate Henning Roedel Featured As ‘Future Star’ In Feb 2013 Issue Of NewSpace Global Publication Thruster; Roedel Interested In Construction In Extreme Environments, Conducting Research At NASA Ames On Lunar Biocomposite To Create Infrastructure On Moon
Image Credit: NewSpace Global, NASA, Stanford, facebook.com
3.5 Years Into Its Mission, LRO Continues To Provide Valuable Data And Spectacular Images Of Our Celestial Neighbor; To Date The Mission Has Provided 893,493 Images & Over 8,653 Derived Data Products To The NASA Planetary Data System; LRO Team Planning To Image GRAIL Impact Sites In March / April When LRO & Sun Are Directly Overhead
Image Credit: NASA
GSC CEO Alan Stern Provides More Clarity About Business Plan Of Ambitious Company In Recent AmericaSpace Interview; Corrects Misperception That GSC Focus Is Lunar Tourism: Primary Focus Of Business Is Flying Lunar Expeditions For Foreign Science & Space Agencies, Secondary Focus Is Corporations; Elaborates On How Company Will Achieve Relatively Affordable Missions By 2019-2020
Image Credit: GSC, NASA, Planetary Society
Brown University Professor Carle Pieters Will Join ‘The Moon As A Cornerstone To The Terrestrial Planets’ Team Of NLSI On 29 Jan To Overview Implications Of New Lunar Data & Discuss How It Is Leading To New Strategies For Human & Robotic Exploration; David Kring Of LPI Will Recap Successes Of NLSI In Achieving Research Goals, Assisting In NASA Robotic & Human Mission Scenario Development
Image Credit: NASA