Category Archives: Moon Exploration

Tuesday / 25 February 2014

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Chang’e-3 Enters 3rd Lunar Night

Hainan&Chang'e-3

China Moon Lander Enters Hibernation With All Systems Functioning Nominally On Morning Of 23 Feb; Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope & Extreme Ultraviolet Camera Continued To Gather Valuable Data During 3rd Lunar Day; Yutu Rover Sends Back New Photo Of Lander (R) Proving It Is Still Alive; New China Launch Site In Hainan Advancing With Completion Of Long March 7 & 5 Launch Platforms; Site Will Be Used For Launch Of Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return Mission (NET 2017)

Image Credit: CNSA

Thursday / 20 February 2014

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GLXP Milestone Prize Contenders Announced

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9-Member Independent Judging Panel Selects Teams To Compete For 3 Terrestrial Milestone Prizes: US$1M Landing System Prize – Astrobotic (AT), Moon Express (ME), Team Indus; $500K Mobility Subsystem Prize – AT, ME, Hakuto, Part-Time-Scientists (PTS); $250K Imaging Subsystem Prize – AT, ME, PTS, Team Indus; Teams Have Until Sep 2014 To Complete Prize Requirements; Many Experts Believe GLXP Unattainable By 2015 Time Limit, Though Teams Remain Confident

Image Credit: GLXP, Moon Express

Wednesday / 19 February 2014

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Bigelow Trailblazing Path For Commercial Lunar Development

BigelowGold0214

Bigelow Aerospace Request To FAA Office Of Commercial Space Transportation Is Attempt To Start Discussion On Space / Lunar Property Rights Says Director Of DC Operations Mike Gold; Company Seeking Organic Zone Of Operation Around Future Lunar Habitat In Which No Other USA Entities Would Be Able To Enter; Robert Bigelow Says Moon Mining More Sensible Than Asteroid Harvesting; Commends NASA For Moving From COTS Model To SAA / BAA Customer Model To Support Commercial Space

Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace

Tuesday / 18 February 2014

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GLXP: True Contenders Emerging

GLXPcontenders0214

Moon Express & Other GLXP Favorites Await Announcement Of Terrestrial Milestone Prizes Finalists, Expected Later This Week, Should Help Reveal Real Contenders; Contest Now Down To 18 Teams From Original Field Of 30; Astrobotic Receives Contract To Deliver ASTROSCALE Lunar Dream Time Capsule To Moon Surface On Its Oct 2015 Mission; 1 Week Left For Lunar Lion Crowdfunding Campaign

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology, Moon Express

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 February 2014

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LADEE Sends Back First Lunar Images, Continues Analysis Of Dust Environment

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LADEE Star Tracker Instrument Captures Images Of Northwestern Hemisphere Of Moon (L) While Traveling At 96kpm; US$280-Million Mission Attempting To Answer Long-Standing Mystery Of Pre-Sunrise Glow Above Lunar Horizon Observed By Apollo Moonworkers; LADEE Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration Deemed Great Success By NASA & MIT Engineers; Probe Scheduled To Crash Into Lunar Surface On 21 Apr, Will Analyze Dust Samples Right Until Impact

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 14 February 2014

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Space Frontier Foundation Welcomes
New Leadership, Developments

SFF Return to the Moon

New Generation Takes Over At SFF: NewSpace Entrepreneur Jeff Feige (R) To Be Chairman, Co-Founder Bob Werb Retires; Next Phase Of Development Should Revisit Past / Fundamental Vision = Open Space Frontier To Human Settlement As Rapidly As Possible With Return To The Moon; Space Settlement & Return To The Moon Projects Still Incomplete; Momentum Of Return To The Moon Conferences (1999-2005) Needs To Be Reestablished

Image Credit: SFF

Thursday / 13 February 2014

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China Chang’e-4, -5, -6 Missions
Likely To Be Reconfigured

Chang'e-3-6_0214

Chang’e-3 Lander Now Into Lunar Day 3 After Apparent Yutu Rover Loss; In Completing ~50% Expected Mission Duration Rover Successfully Used Its Panoramic & Navigational Cameras, Alpha-Proton X-Ray Spectrometer & Underbelly Radar System, Providing Valuable Data; Paul Spudis Says China Accomplished All Of Its Major Mission Objectives; Chang’e-4, -5, -6 Will Be Upgraded & Possibly Delayed, As Mission Engineers Evaluate / Integrate Experience Gained From Yutu

Image Credit: CNSA

Tuesday / 11 February 2014

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4th International Workshop On Lunar Science Applications In Florida This April

LSA40214

8-11 April Event In Cocoa Beach, FL, USA Will Provide Overview Of Current Lunar Mission Data, Planned USA, Russia, GLXP Missions & Opportunities They May Provide For Secondary Payloads To Lunar Surface / Cislunar Space; LSA 4 Designed To Foster Collaboration Among Scientists, Engineers & Entrepreneurs To Solve Challenges Involved With Going To Moon & Beyond; Abstracts Due 28 Feb

Image Credit: lunarinitiatives.com, NASA, Moon Express

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon 7-10 February 2014

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Chandrayaan-2 Rover Mission
Details Emerging

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India Moon Rover Preparing For 2016 / 2017 Launch Via 3-Stage GSLV Will Employ Semi-Autonomous Navigation & Hazard Avoidance On Lunar Surface; Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) & Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) Payloads On Board 6-Wheeled Rover Will Perform Element Analysis Of Surface Near Landing Site; Rover Will Be Capable Of Using Both Lander & Orbiter Communications Relays; IIT-Kanpur Reports It Completed Rover Development In 2010, Still Awaiting ISRO Inspection / Payment

Image Credit: ISRO, IIT-Kanpur

Thursday / 6 February 2014

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Lunar CATALYST Program Inspiring GLXP, Property Rights Debates

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Moon Express & Other USA-Based GLXP Teams Enthusiastic About NASA Lunar CATALYST Program While Barcelona Moon & International Teams Concerned It Unbalances The Competition; Mike Gold (TR) Of Bigelow Aerospace Applauds NASA Initiative, Yet Warns That Private Moon Mission Investment Not Likely Until Rights To Extracted Minerals Clearly Defined; Bigelow Awaiting FAA Response To Recent Moon Mission Licensing Request

Image Credit: Barcelona Moon Team, Moon Express, NASA, Bigelow Aerospace