Explorers Club Examines Perennial Question “Who Owns the Moon?” as Independent Missions Near
Lunar property rights are subject of Explorers Club panel on Youtube and Facebook 18 Oct at 1900 EDT; Pioneering commercial spaceflight participant (L-R) Richard Garriott leads venerable group, founded in 1904 to further exploration and scientific pursuits; Panel includes Aeronautical Engineer Moriba Jah of University of Texas at Austin and attorneys Kristin Larson (bringing Antarctica background to discussion), Charlies Norchi and David Concannon; Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies of 1987 likely starting points
First USA Attempt At Robotic Far Side Soft Landing Is Set To Be Conducted Via Commercial Lunar Payload Services Provider In 2024 As Part Of PRISM Series; Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite (LITMS) Seeks Greater Understanding Of Lunar Maria, Source Of Volcanic Basalt Features Often Anthropomorphized In World Culture; LITMS PI Robert Grimm Of Southwest Research Institute Explains In Press Release That Heat Transfer / Electrical Conductivity Readings From 3m Depth Will Be Compared To Near-Side Apollo Missions To Unravel The Origin Of ‘The Man In The Moon’
Set To Fly From Vostochny Cosmodrome Via Soyuz-2.1b, Destination: Boguslavsky Crater, Luna-Glob (Lunar Sphere) Program To Continue Where Soviets Left Off 45 Years Ago With Luna-25 And New Lunar Directorate Led By Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin; 9 Science Payloads Totaling 30 kg Include Mass-Spectrometer LASMA-LR, Exosphere Plasma Measurement Device ARIES-L, Panoramic Imager STS-L, Laser Retroreflector; Lander Constructed With ESA Contribution Of Pilot-D Landing System; Mission Series Continues With Luna 26-31, Culminating In MSP Robotic Base, Followed By Human Landings By Decade End With Orel (Eagle) Spacecraft
Canadian Space Agency LEAP Offering Capability Demonstration Funds From US$115M / 5-year Allocation; Projects Intended To Display Canada-Produced Technology Useful To International Artemis Partnership; $1.9M Already Granted To Canadensys Aerospace Of Ontario For Development And Deployment Of 360° Panoramic Lunar Surface Imager, $644,000 Awarded To NGC Aerospace For GNSS-style Moon Network Which Will Aid Precision Landing, Both Are Expected To Launch NLT April 2024; Upcoming LEAP Cycles 3 And 4 (Due 26 Feb And 27 Aug 2021, Respectively) Are To Distribute Up To $3.1M/Each
LRO Data Indicates ~10-20% Of PSRs Sufficiently Cool (<110 K) To Allow Ice Formation Are Depressions Casting 1-cm – 1-km Shadows, Widely Dispersed Across Moon Polar Regions (>80° Latitude); Inclusion Of “Mini Cold Traps” In Study By UC Boulder / PSI Researchers Suggests Total Possible Lunar Ice Containing Area Is ~40,000 km2 (23,000 km2 Within <20° Moon South Pole, 17,000 km2 Within <20° Moon North Pole); Total PSRs Comprise Just 0.15% Of Total Surface Area; Relatively Small Cold Traps May Offer More Favorable Mission Parameters Than Large Craters
With Regular Moon Delivery Of Equipment, Experiments, Supplies Commencing With CLPS 1 And 2 Missions In 2021, NASA Considering Unique Load-Out Challenges On Lunar Surface; Utilizing HeroX Crowdsourcing Platform Founded By Peter Diamandis (T), Led By CEO Christian Cotichini (B), Competition To Award US$10K For 1st Place Solution, 2 $4500 Prizes For 2nd, 3 $2,000 Prizes For 3rd ($25k Total); Concepts To Be Judged On 6 Criteria: Lunar Surface Applicability, Design Flexibility, Proposal Quality, Autonomy, Mass / Volume Optimization, Reliability/ Feasibility; Contest Ends January 19, 2021 17:00 EST
First Session Of International Astronautical Federation Global Networking Forum Space Conversations Series 28 Oct Will Feature JAXA Space Exploration System Technology Unit Director / ISECG Chair Naoki Sato Presenting On 
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