Tuesday / 6 Oct 2020

USA To Explore Radio Astronomy From The Moon Starting 2021

Intent On Gathering Data Relevant To Primordial Cosmology, Future Lunar-Based Astronomy Missions Were Presented By CU Boulder Professor Jack Burns At LEAG 2020: ROLSES, Set To Land On Moon In Oct 2021 As Part Of CLPS Carrier Intuitive Machines Nova-C Science Payload, Will Monitor 10 kHz – 10 MHz Spectrum With Antennae At 1 & 2 m Above Lunar Surface, Testing Response; LuSEE In 2024 Will Measure Electromagnetic Fields On Farside; DAPPER Orbiter Aims For 2025 And 10-km Diameter FARSIDE In Planning Stages Would Have Major SETI Potential

Credits: CU, NASA, JPL, ESO, Jack Burns

Tuesday / 29 Sep 2020

United Arab Emirates Announces Lunar Mission And Other Space Goals

UAE Vice President / Ruler Of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid (L) Declares 10-Year (2021-2031) Plan Of National Space Program Just Over 1 Year After First UAE Citizen Reached Space / ISS; US$6B Plan Includes Emirates Moon Exploration Project – A 2024 Lunar Mission “With National Competencies”, Astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri (R) And Reserve Candidate Sultan Al Neyadi Are Currently Students At JSC NASA Astronaut Candidate Training Program, With Another Pair From UAE Also To Join 2021 Class – Indicating Possible Artemis Ambitions; Earth Observation And Mars Hope Probe Also Emphasized

Credits: Dubai Media Office, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Twitter, JAXA

Friday / 25 Sep 2020

Cis-Lunar Exploration, Science, Security Are Focus Of NASA – USSF MoU

New Agreement Signed Sep 21 Supersedes Prior MoU Between USAF / NASA; Document Notes Realm Of USA Space Activity In Process Of Expansion From Geostationary (35,785 km) To Cis-Lunar (437,741 km), Increasing ‘Space Domain Awareness’ Mandate 1000x; Rationale For Cooperation Based On Mutual Planetary Defense Objectives Such As Meeting Goal Of Detection / Characterization Of 90% Of All NEOs <8,046,720 km From Earth By End Of 2020 Through e.g. Shared Use Of USSF Space Surveillance Telescope; Areas Of Cooperation Identified Include Communications, Navigation, Manufacture, Logistics, Recruitment, Launch Support, Search / Rescue

Credits: NASA, USSF

Friday / 11 Sep 2020

New NASA Patented Route To Moon For Small Craft Will Reduce Costs, Flight Time To 2.5 Months

Orbital Maneuvers Patent (#10696423) Published 30 June Grants Intellectual Property Rights To NASA For Innovative Lunar Trajectory Which Could Allow Smaller Craft, Such As Dark Ages Polarimeter Pathfinder (Dapper), To Reach Moon Faster With Less Fuel, And Avoid Van Allen Belts Radiation; Led By CU Boulder PI Jack Burns, US$150M Dapper Mission Contained In 80-cm Bradford Explorer Bus, Could Be First To Take New Path In 2024; Mission Will Record Low Frequency Radio Waves Emitted During “Dark Ages” Earliest Epochs Of Universe, Perhaps Give Insight Into Dark Matter 

Credits: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Jack Burns, CU Boulder, Business Insider, Jeff Steck

Friday / 28 Aug 2020

Lunar Ice Deposits May Be In Jeopardy Of Contamination From Lander Exhaust

Ancient Lunar Ice, Possibly Trapped In Permanently Shadowed Craters For Billions Of Years, May Offer Insight Into Origin Of Water In Solar System; Johns Hopkins / UT-Austin Study Warns Computer Simulations Show Exhaust From 1,200-kg Lunar Lander, Approximately The Size Of CLPS Vessels Peregrine (Astrobotic) And Nova-C (Intuitive Machines) Set To Launch In Second Half Of 2021, Would Cause 30-40% Of Lander Vapor To Remain 2 Months Later, Creating Anthropogenic Atmosphere, With 20% Eventually Solidifying Around Poles

Pictured: Study Authors (T-B) Parvathy Prem, Dana Hurley, Philip Varghese
Credits: JHU, UT-Austin, NASA, Masten, IM, Astrobotic

Tuesday / 25 Aug 2020

2-Crew Artemis III South Pole Mission Lunar Science Ideas Solicited 

NASA Science Mission Directorate Planetary Science Division, Led By (L) Lori Glaze, Forming Science Definition Team To Prioritize Lunar Science To Be Conducted By Artemis III Crew At Undetermined Site Within 6 Degrees Of Moon South Pole; RFP For 2-Page White Paper For Human Moon Surface Science Ideas To Be Integrated With Aggregated Recommendations From Lunar Exploration Analysis Group / Decadal Survey Publications; NASA Planetary Scientist Sarah Noble Is Lead On Vetting Submissions Via USRA Portal, Due 17:00 CDT 8 September

Credits: NASA, Twitter

Friday / 17 July 2020

NASA JPL Miniaturized Payload Concept Contest Advances Lunar Exploration Technology

Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Awards US$160K Through ‘Honey I Shrunk The Payload’ Competition; Design Parameters Constrain Surface Probes To Mass Of 0.4kg, Physical Dimensions Of 100mm x 100mm x 50mm; 14 International Teams And Individuals Selected From 132 Entries; Team Sun Slicers Led By Phil Jobson Takes Lunar Environment Category 1st Place ($30K) For XRAY Spectrometer, Puli Space Technologies Led By (L-R) David Lucsanyi And Tibor Pacher Wins 1st In Resource Potential Category For Lunar Water Snooper ($30K); Crowdsourcing Platform HeroX, Created By Peter Diamandis, Utilized Throughout Contest

Credits: NASA, Puli Space Technologies, Team Sun Slicers, HeroX, Team Stardust, Monash Nova Rover Team

Thursday / 28 May 2020

Lunar Surface Science Workshop Carries On Virtually With Artemis Brainstorming

Interdisciplinary Science Exchange On Crew Conducted Moon Science Moves Online May 28-29, Originally Planned For April 28–30 In Denver; Sponsored By NASA Science Mission, Human Exploration And Operations Mission, And Space Technology Mission Directorates; Conference Seeks To Integrate Science Prerogatives Within Artemis Human Landings Starting In 2024; Primary Theme Of EVA Instrument Deployment Concepts Of Operation With Secondary Focus On EVA-Compatible Scientific Instrument Development; International Presenters Include James Carpenter Of ESA, (L-R) Masaki Fujimoto Of JAXA, Caroline-Emmanuelle Morisset Of CSA And Niki Werkheiser Of NASA

Credits: NASA, LPI, USRA, JAXA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 Feb 2020

USA, PRC Lunar Probes Break Records Operating From Orbit And On Surface

Chang’e-4 Yutu-2 Operates During 15th Lunar Day In South Pole-Aitken Basin, Longest Duration Of Any Rover In Moon History; Completes Over 367 Meters Travel And Discovers Younger Rocks In 3.6-Billion Year Old Von Karman Crater On Far Side; Netherlands-China Low Frequency Explorer Operates Aboard Queqiao Orbiter, Gathering Astronomy Data In 21 Cm Range; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, In Orbit Since September 2009, Scouting Landing Sites For Artemis Human Lunar Landings

Credits: NASA, CLEP, CNSA

Tuesday / 11 February 2020

Lunar Dust Grains Are Analyzed Atom-By-Atom To Find Water And Helium

Precious Lunar Samples May Be Analyzed From A Single Grain Of Dust; University Of Chicago Graduate Student Jennika Greer And Colleagues At Field Museum Use Atom Probe Tomography, Which Allows Grains To Be Measured Atom-By-Atom For 3-Dimensional Data From Sample; APT Is Used On Small Grain From Apollo 17 Sample 71501, Separated For Particles 150-200 μm In Diameter; Technique Sees Effects Of Space Weathering And Identifies Water And Helium, Valuable Resources For Future Lunar Settlements

Credits: NASA, University of Chicago