Friday / 30 August 2013

Google Lunar X Prize Teams Advancing

GLXP Updates

Team Puli With IndieGoGo Campaign Plans To Send Rover To Moon-Like Mauna Kea In Hawai`i, Have It Take HD Video, Move 500 Meters, Test / Control Systems From Budapest, Hungary 12,552 Km Away; Team Indus Based In New Delhi, India Running Competition To Develop Lunar Rover Designs; Red Whittaker Of Astrobotic Discusses Griffin Lander / Red Rover Mission To Investigate Lacus Mortis 44.962° N, 25.61° E

Image Credit: GLXP, Puli, Indus, Astrobotic, IFA

Thursday / 29 August 2013

China Moon Lander / Rover Moves Into Launch Phase

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Chang’e-3 Now Scheduled For Launch Dec 2013; While Confirming Mission Shifting From Design To Launch Phase, CNSA / Lunar Program Chief Commander Ma Xingrui Acknowledges 1st China Attempt To Land On Planetary Body Is “An Extremely Difficult Mission That Carries Great Risk;” Crewed Lunar Missions Could Follow If China Decides To Combine Human Spaceflight & Lunar Exploration Programs

Image Credit: CNSA

Tuesday / 27 August 2013

Canada Wants To Send Astronauts To Lunar Space

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1st Canada Astronaut To Moon Could Come About Through International Collaboration; Global Exploration Roadmap Crafted By 14 Nations Includes Development Of New Space Station At Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange Point In Early 2020s; Canada Intends To Develop Lunar Rover, Have Canada Astronaut Control Rover From Orbit Or Lunar Surface; Canada Chairing ISECG This Year

Image Credit: NASA, University of Western Ontario

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 23-26 August 2013

LADEE Launch To Achieve Multiple Firsts

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Launch Of US$280M Mission, Scheduled For 23:27 EDT On 6 Sep, Will Be Visible To Tens Of Millions Of People Along America East Coast; First Lunar / Planetary Launch From Wallops Island Spaceport, VA; Inaugural Launch Of Minotaur 5 Rocket, 3 Of 5 Stages Made From Converted Cold War Ballistic Missiles; Debut Of Modular Common Spacecraft Bus Developed At NASA Ames, Smaller Version Of Which Will Be Used For Moon Express GLXP Mission

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 22 August 2013

Global Community Working Together On Moon / Solar System Exploration

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12 ISECG Member Agencies Including NASA, ESA, Roscosmos Release Update Of 2011 Global Explorations Roadmap; New Plan Confirms Intention To Include Both Moon & Asteroid Missions Instead Of Either / Or Approach; Human Moon Missions Seen As Preparatory To Mars Missions In 2030s; NASA Administrator Bolden Says Agency Willing To Contribute Expertise / Resources To Multinational Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: ISECG, NASA

Wednesday / 21 August 2013

Students Getting Involved In LADEE Mission

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LADEE Partnering With Lewis Center For Educational Research & NASA JPL To Provide Students Opportunity To Help Track & Monitor Status Of Spacecraft In Flight; Students Will Remotely Control 34-M Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope From Their Classrooms To Determine Status & Position Of Craft; University Of Hawaii-Hilo Raising Funds To Send Intern Krystal Schlechter To Witness 6 Sep LADEE Launch From Wallops Flight Facility In VA

Image Credit: NASA, lewiscenter.org/gavrt/, imiloahawaii.org

 

 

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 16-19 Aug 2013

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: 4 Years & Counting

LRO4Years

Innovative NASA Moon Orbiter Completes 3 Years Of Its Extended Science Mission, Additional Extension Likely As Probe Has Delivered Unprecedented Amount Of Data / Images; LRO Has Orbited Moon Over 18,000 Times, Traveling Over 200M Km, Produced Over 434 Terabytes Of Data, Laser Altimeter Conducted Over 6B Topographic Measurements; LRO Expected To Continue To Send Back Data Until Oct 2014, Though Additional 2 Years Possible

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 14 August 2013

Pacific Space Access, Hawaii Moon Initiatives Featured At Galaxy Forum Event

Galaxy Forum Hawaii 2013 On Sat 17 Aug At University Hawaii Hilo, To Advance 21st Century Galaxy Education & Hawaii-Based Space / Moon Initiatives; Steve Durst (R) Of ILOA Will Update The Pacific Aloha Offshore Spaceport Initiative; ILOA Will Outline 4 Active Moon Missions & Global HQ Development Campaign; UHH Professor John Hamilton (L) Will Speak On PISCES Activities & Kim Binsted Of UH-NASA Will Report On The Mauna Loa HI-SEAS Mars Experiment; Distribution Of New ILOA Galaxy Map 2013 To All Participants

Image Credit: ILOA, PISCES, UHH, Sea Launch

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 9-12 Aug 2013

Chang’e-3 Moon Lander / Rover Expected To Launch Dec 2013

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China Set To Make 1st Soft Landing Moon Mission In December 2013 Says China Rocket Expert & CLEP Adviser Lehao Long (TR); RTG Will Power Rover & Keep It Operational For Up To 30 Years; Chief Lunar Scientist Ziyuan Ouyang S  ays High-End Technology Has Solved Problem Of Large Temperature Variance; Mission Will Study Surface / Geological Structure Of Moon & Plasmasphere Electromagnetic Fields Above Earth

Image Credit: China Daily, CNSA

Thursday / 8 August 2013

GLXP Team Announces New Launch Date

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Barcelona Moon Team Revises Launch Date From June 2014 To June 2015; Spacecraft / Lunar Rover Competing For GLXP Will Launch Aboard Long March 2C Rocket With Upper Stage CTS2 For Lunar Transfer Orbit Insertion; Launch Contract Provided By China Great Wall Industries Corporation; Pictured: Team Leader Xavier Claramunt, President Of Galactic Suite 

Image Credit: GLXP, Barcelona Moon Team