Category Archives: Moon Exploration

Thursday / 19 May 2016

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Japan SLIM Moon Lander Advancing For 2018/2019 Launch

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JAXA Selects Mitsubishi Electric As Contractor For 1st Japan Lunar Lander Launching Fiscal Year 2019; Company To Work With JAXA, Several Japan Universities To Build 130-Kg Craft Capable Of Precision Landing, Goal To Improve Location Accuracy By Factor Of 10 Or More Over Similar Missions; Possible Destinations Scouted By Kaguya Include Vertical Shaft (Lava Tube Skylight?) 60m Diameter, 80m Deep; Total Project Budget JP¥18B (US$164M)

Credit: JAXA, Mitsubishi Electric

Friday / 13 May 2016

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ESA Lunar South Pole Drill Undergoing Tests For Russia Luna-27 Mission ~2021

Russia Luna Program 25-29

Ice Drill Prototype Intended To Penetrate 1-2 Meters Into Lunar Surface Near South Pole Being Tested At -140°C (Will Aim To Test At -240°C); Drill Developed For ESA By Finmeccanica Of Italy, Will Allow Samples To Be Chemically Analyzed & Resources Identified; Aligns With Russia Luna Program Launching From New Vostochny Cosmodrome At 53°N & 128°E To Set Up Future Human Base Beginning With South Pole Missions: Luna-25 Lander (2018), -26 Orbiter (2020), -27 Lander (2021), -28 Sample Return (2023), -29 Lander & Rover (2025)

Credit: ESA, Finmeccanica, Roscosmos, Anatoly Zak, RussianSpaceWeb, NASA, LROC, LCROSS

Wednesday / 11 May 2016

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Europe Focuses On Lunar Exploration And Moon Village

4th European Lunar Symposium 18-19 May At The Dutch Royal Academy Of Arts And Sciences, Amsterdam (TR), The Netherlands Is Co-Organized By NASA SSERVI; Inaugural Lecture On LRO ‘Seven Years Exploring The Moon’; A “Moon Village” Workshop Occurs At Nearby ESTEC (BL) 19-20 May To Expand, Enhance And Refine This Primary Initiative Of ESA Director General Jan Woerner Who Is Determined To Help Establish A Permanent International Outpost At Moon As Next Major Step For Global Space Endeavor Beyond ISS

Credit: SSERVI, NASA, ESA, ESTEC

Friday / 6 May 2016

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Two Conferences Supporting Moon, Mars, & Asteroids Investigate Opportunities

Two ConferencesStimulating Renewed Support In Moon / Space Activities Two Conferences Moving Into Year 8 Scheduled To Address: Lunar Exploration & Enterprise, Solar System, Near Earth Asteroids; 7-9 June Golden Colorado School Of Mines To Host  SRR, PTMSS & LPI With PISCES Rob Kelso Discussing ISRU Construction – Lunar Launch/Landing Pad; Ames Research Center Holding Annual Lunar & Small Bodies Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2016) In Mountain View California 19 July; NASA SSERVI Topics To Include Missions & Human Exploration

Credit: SRR, PTMSS, LPI, NASA, SSERVI, PISCES

Wednesday / 4 May 2016

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Discussions Continue With Renewed Energy At ‘New Views Of The Moon 2’ Lunar Workshops 24-26 May

USRA LPI Wrokshop

Workshop In Houston Texas Held By USRA / LPI Soliciting Lunar Community Support, Proposing New Ideas, Collaborating & Developing Writing Teams; Clive Neal (L) & Charles “Chip” Shearer (R) To Host Welcome Reception / Opening Remarks; Goal Of Updating The 2006 (New Views Of The Moon 1) Publication Is Instrumental In Providing Current / Relevant Data From Lunar Missions & Up-To-Date Earth-Based Observations; Paul Spudis To Speak On “Development Of The Moon”; Plenary & Oral Presentations, Workshop Sessions, Extensive Poster Session Part Of Event Covering Topics Including: Volatiles, Magmatic Evolution, Future Lunar Exploration & Commerce

Credit: LPI, USRA, University of Notre Dame, University of New Mexico

Friday / 29 April 2016

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Value Of The Moon Considered by Paul Spudis in New Book

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Planetary Geologist Dr. Paul D. Spudis At Lunar And Planetary Institute (LPI) Continues Leading Advocacy For Moon Exploration, Development; The 272-Page Illustrated Hardcover Highlights Moon Enabling Science, Commerce, Security, Human Solar System Expansion; Plan Outlines Base At Lunar Pole, In Situ Water-Ice Utilization, Regions Of Near-Continuous Sunlight, Teleoperated-Robtic Infrastructure Development Prior To Crew Missions; US$88B Cost Estimate For Human Lunar Outpost Capability

Credit: LPI, Smithsonian Books.

Friday / 15 April 2016

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2016 Lunar Conferences Head Into July Moon Landing Observation / Lunar High Tide 

Lunar Conferences 2016

 New Views Of The Moon 2 To Be Held At LPI / USRA, Houston TX 24-26 May, Covering New Data From Missions, Sample Analyses & Earth-Based Observations Of The Moon Made This Century; 2016 SRR/PTMSS At Colorado School Of Mines, Golden CO 7-9 June, Will Cover In-Situ Resource Utilization Of Lunar, Asteroid, Mars Resources; 3rd Annual Exploration Science Forum (ESF 2016) Hosted By SSERVI, NASA Ames, Mt View CA 20-22 July, Will Feature Scientific Discussions Of Human Exploration Of The Moon, NEAs, Moons Of Mars, Recent Mission Results & In-Depth Analyses Of Science & Exploration Studies

Credit: LPI, USRA, SRR/PTMSS, SSERVI, NASA

Friday / 8 April 2016

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ISRO On Track To Launch Indigenous Chandrayaan-2 Three-Craft Mission To Moon Late 2017 / Early 2018

ISRO chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, Rover To Be Launched Via GSLV-Mk 2 December 2017 Or Early 2018 To Observe / Perform Mineralogical & Elemental Studies Of Lunar Surface; Mission Allocated US$91 Million; 1,400-kg Orbiter With 5 Science Instruments Including Camera, 3 Spectrometers & Radar To Fly At 200-km Altitude; 20-kg Rover To Have 2 Spectroscopes & HD Video Camera; 1,250 kg Lander To Contain Ka-band Altimeter, HD Video Camera, Position & Hazard Detection / Avoidance Cameras; NASA May Provide Deep Space Network Communication Services

Credit: ISRO

Friday / 1 April 2016

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Long-Term Observation From Moon Surface For Earth, Space, Weather Studies

Astronomy from the Moon 2016

 Guo Huadong Of CAS Proposing Series Of Sensors For Macro Phenomena On Earth / Global Changes, China Chang’e-3 Observing Galaxy With LUT From Stable Platform Of Moon Surface, Future Landers To Be Fitted With Similar & More Advanced Cameras; ILOA ILO-1 & ILO-X Being Developed To Study Galaxy Stars, Earth, Moon Local Environment From Unique Vantage Of Moon Surface; Upcoming European Lunar Symposium (18-19 May) Will Explore Astronomical, Astrophysical Topics & ‘Science From The Moon’

Credit: CEODE, CAS, NASA, SSERVI, ELS, NAOC, ILOA

Friday / 25 March 2016

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New Space Journal Offers 4 Moon Articles From Prominent Lunar Scientists, Advocates

New Space Journal

New Space Vo. 4 No. 1 Free Online Access Through April 7 Presents ‘What Do We Do With The Moon?’ By Editor-In-Chief Scott Hubbard, ‘Toward A Low-Cost Lunar Settlement’ By Alexandra Hall, Chris McKay, John Cumbers, ‘Lunar Station: The Next Logical Step In Space Development’ By Bruce Pittman, Lynn Harper, et al, ‘Site Selection For Lunar Industrialization, Economic Development, And Settlement’ By Dennis Wingo; Team Outlines Potential Human Moon Settlement Perhaps In 5-7 Years For US$10B

Credit: New Space, Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publisher, NASA, GLXP