Category Archives: Lunar Settlement

Tuesday / 10 Sep 2019

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Silicon Valley Open Lunar Foundation Seeks Investment In Moon

Open Lunar Foundation Based In San Francisco Unveils Plans To Create Moon Settlement; Nonprofit Foundation Started With US$5M Investment By Venture Capitalist And SpaceX Board Member Steve Jurvetson (L); Supporters Include Former ISS Commander Chris Hadfield, Will Marshall And Robbie Shingler Of Planet Labs, Former Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden, And Engineer Jessy Kate Shingler; Foundation Estimates That Moon Landing Could Be Accomplished For Less Than $5B; COO Chelsea Robinson (R) Seeks To Take Best Of What Humanity Has To Offer And Take Step Off Earth

Credits: NASA, CSA, Open Lunar Foundation

Friday / 16 Aug 2019

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Japan Lunar Surface Society Plans Pressurized Rover And Future Lunar Activities

JAXA, Toyota And Mitsubishi Are Joining In A Lunar Surface Society In September To Study Sustainable Lunar Activities; Toyota Is Teamed With JAXA To Study Pressurized Lunar Rover For Crew Of 2-4; Fuel Cells Would Give 6-Wheeled Rover 10,000-km Range; JAXA, Led By Hiroshi Yamakawa, Hoping To Send Rover To Moon In 2029; Avatar X, A Partnership Between JAXA And All Nippon Airways, Building Futuristic Lunar Robotics Center On Island Of Kyushu

Credits: JAXA, Cloud Architects, Avatar X

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 June 2019

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New Form Of Public / Private Collaboration Key To Realization Of Artemis Program?

Wealthiest Individual Jeff Bezos Says ‘Civilization Needs Moon’ And Space Habitation Critical To ‘Save Earth’, Hours Before NASA Administrator Bridenstine Declares 2024 Lunar Landing ‘Off The Table’ If Additional US$1.6B Congressional Funding Fails To Materialize; Given Existential Motivation For Humanization Of Space, New Form Of Public / Private Partnership Could Realize Artemis Moon Mission If Political Will Falters

Credits: NASA, Twitter

Tuesday / 30 Apr 2019

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NASA Plans South Pole Lunar Base In Parallel With Blue Origin 

USA National Space Council Leader Scott Pace (L) Says Lunar Base Is Part Of Sustainable Exploration Plan; Space Launch System May Undergo 4-Engine Static Test At Stennis Space Center, Potentially Delaying First Uncrewed EM-1 Flight To 2021; Exploration Chief Bill Gerstenmaier Calculates That SLS Crewed EM-2 May Still Occur In 2022 And Human Lunar Landing In 2024; Blue Origin Signs Contract For Unused Apollo-Era Test Stands, Hints At 9 May Announcement About ‘Endurance’ And Shackleton Crater At South Pole

Credits: NASA

Friday / 8 Mar 2019

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Sierra Nevada Corporation Building Lunar Habitat

Sierra Nevada Corporation Of Colorado, One Of Top 15 Builders Of Small Satellites, Has Sights On Moon; Dream Chaser Spaceplane For Cargo Delivery Is In Production With Launch Window In 2020; Sierra Nevada Partners With Moon Express For Lunar Mission And Is One Of Five Companies Funded By NASA NextSTEP-2 Program To Build Full-Scale Habitats; Ground Prototype Will Include Large Inflatable Fabric Environment (LIFE), Logistics Module, Environmental Control And Life Support Systems For Long-Term Human Occupation

Credits: Sierra Nevada Corporation

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 Nov 2018

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Space Vision, Settlement And Moon Village Meetings In Southern California

 Space Settlement Summit Convenes 2-3 November At University Of Southern California, Adjacent To California Science Center And Shuttle Endeavour; Summit Hosted By National Space Society Discusses Lunar Settlements; SpaceVision 2018 Opening 1 Nov In San Diego, California, Features Danielle Richey Of Lockheed Martin; The 2nd International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium Follows At USC 4-5 Nov; Keynote Presenters Include Scott Pace Of USA National Space Council, ESA Director-General Jan Worner, Giuseppe Reibaldi And John Mankins Of Moon Village Association

Credits: NASA, Lockheed Martin, ESA, Moon Village Association

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Oct 2018

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International Efforts Aiming For Village On Moon

European Space Agency, Major Advocate Of International Moon Village, Planning 1000 Square-Meter Luna Facility At ESA Astronaut Centre In Cologne, Germany; Regolith Simulant EAC-1 Will Be Used For Experiments To Construct Habitats;  China “Lunar Palace” Yuegong-1 Simulates Moonbase On 370-Day Mission; 500 Cubic-Meter Habitat Contains Integrated Living / Work Module And Two Plant Cultivation Modules; Experimental Crops Including Corn And Peanuts Grown In Closed Environment; International MoonBase Alliance Aims To Build Lunar Analog On Island Of Hawai’i

Credits: Beihang University, ESA

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Sep 2018

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NASA, ESA Working To Survive And Operate Through The Lunar Night

NASA / USRA Hosting Lunar Night Workshop 13 November Before Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Meeting; European Space Agency Investigating Capacity Of Lunar Regolith To Absorb And Store Heat; ESA System Would Use Mirrors To Channel Sunlight Through Regolith To A Heat Engine; Canadensys Aerospace Is Investigating Thermal And Energy Storage Technologies For Low-Temperature Environment Of The Moon

Image Credit: JAXA/NHK

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 Sep 2018

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JAXA, ANA Holdings AVATAR X Program Aims For Remote Robotic Lunar Base Construction

JAXA And ANA Holdings Partner On AVATAR X Program To Develop Robotic Avatars To Remotely Build Lunar Camps, Support Long-Term Missions & Deep Space Exploration; Aims For Remote Lunar & Mars Construction, Space Station Operation & Maintenance, Space Entertainment & Public Travel; Consortium Phase Begins In 2018, Opening Construction Designs To Interested Space Industry Companies; Phase Two 2019 Building Of “AVATAR X Lab@OITA” In Oita, Japan To House Infrastructure, Telecommunication Hardware, Testing Facilities; Early 2020s Phase Three To Test In LEO, Leading To Final Phase On Moon, Beyond

Credits: JAXA, ANA Holdings, Inc.

Friday / 31 Aug 2018

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Ad Astra — Paul Spudis Vision Of The Moon
“It’s Close, It’s Interesting & It’s Useful”

Dedicated Scientist And Lunar Visionary Paul Spudis Passes On, Leaving Decades Of Vital Moon Research And Inspiring Advocacy For A Human Lunar Return; Spudis Emphasis On Value Of Moon, Human Spaceflight, Solar System Exploration Speaks To Latest USA National Space Program Goals To Create Permanent & Sustainable American-International Human Lunar Presence, Explore South / North Poles & Far Side, Utilize Resources, Conduct Varied Science Experiments; Lunar Community Sends Their Ad Luna, Ad Astra, And Aloha To Spudis

Credits: LPI, NASA, LRO