NASA Lunar Science Institute In Mountain View CA Changes Name To Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI); Name Change Reflects Natural 21st Century Advance Of Human Exploration Goals, Building Out From Vital Well-Developed Cislunar Foundation To Include Vast Resources & Promising Research / Exploration / Human Settlement Potential Of Asteroids, Mars, Jupiter / Saturn Moons & Beyond
Image Credit: NASA
KARI President Seung-Jo Kim Visits Washington DC To Speak With NASA Head Charles Bolden About Potential Moon Mission Collaborations; S Korea Plans To Develop / Launch Lunar Orbiter By 2020 & Strontium-Powered 20-Kg Lunar Rover By 2025; NASA Wants To Redirect Asteroid To Lunar Orbit, Completes Internal Review Of Technical & Programmatic Concepts, Will Now Formulate Mission Baseline Concept
Image Credit: KARI, NASA
Team EuroLuna Leaders Recently Visited Bangalore, India To Meet With Antrix Senior Officials About Arranging Launches For Its Romit1 & Romit3 Spacecraft; Romit1 Will Be A Test Flight To Verify Computer, Radio, Camera Operations & Test Electric Ion Accelerator Rocket Engine; Romit3 Is The Craft That Will Land On Moon In Effort To Win GLXP; Romit1 Is Double-CubeSat With 10X10X20Cm Dimensions & ~2Kg Weight
Image Credit: EuroLuna; GLXP, ISRO
SHAO Director Xiaoyu Hong Says 65-M Radio Telescope In Shanghai Has Undergone 6 Months Of Calibration In Preparation For Chang’e-3 Moon Lander / Rover Mission; Team Will Use Kinematic Statistical Method Utilizing Both Ranging, VLBI Measurements & Ephemeral Data Of Motion Of Moon To Analyze Position Of Lunar Lander In Sinus Iridum During Upcoming Mission; 10 Minutes Of Data Acquisition Using This Strategy Can Reach 10-M Accuracy
Image Credit: SHAO, CNSA, NASA
Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator, Seems To Flip Flop On Previous Comments Re Moon Plans; Speaking At NewSpace 2013 Garver Says Asteroid & Moon Complimentary, Not Competitive Target Destinations; NASA Has “Increased Focus On Sustainable Lunar Activity”; Contrasted With Recent Comment That Agency Has No Funds For Lunar Activity; Likely Influenced By US House Republicans Calling For Sustained Human Presence On Both Moon & Mars
Image Credit: NASA
Golden Spike Company Human Lunar Missions Plan Advanced Through Zero Point Frontiers Corp Architecture Analysis; Company Identified Several Combinations Of Vehicles That Can Support Golden Spike Mission, Using Beyond LEO Architecture Sizing Tool (BLAST) Software It Developed For NASA; Report Provided GSC With Confidence In Technical Approach / Business Model; GSC Will Soon Issue Request For Proposal To Select Launch / Space Vehicle Providers
Image Credit: Golden Spike Company, Zero Point Frontiers Corp
23 Remaining Google Lunar X Prize Teams May Be Able To Receive Additional Cash Prizes Totaling US$14M; Current GLXP Prizes Total $30M; Proposing $7M Split Between 1st Teams To Successfully Launch, $1M For 1st Team To Reach 500-Km Moon Altitude & Eight $750K Prizes Available Prior To Launch – 4 For Complete Designs With Power, Navigation, Hardware Plans, 4 For Complete Camera Subsystem Designs
Image Credit: GLXP, NASA, Xinhua/Y. Yan, SpaceX, Teams: Indus, Penn State, Selenokhod, ARCA
ISRO Confirms Next Flight Test Of GSLV Rocket For 19 Aug 2013, After Team Of Experts Including UR Rao Gave Go-Ahead; Agency Conducted 35 Ground Tests Since The Indigenous Cryogenic Stage Failed In 2 Previous 2010 Flight Tests; Rocket Can Place 2200 Kg Into 18° GTO; Functional GSLV Required For India To Continue Chandrayaan Moon Program; India Recently Decided To Conduct NET 2015 Moon Lander Mission Alone, Was Originally Proposed As India-Russia Venture
Image Credit: ISRO
New Moon Express (ME) Facility In Huntsville AL Now Operational Says Chief Propulsion Engineer Tim Pickens; Several Propulsion Milestones Already Achieved Including Test Firing Green 1780-Newton Demo Rocket Engine, Developing Mono-Prop & Bi-Prop Propulsion In 0.44-4450-Newton Thrust Class For ME Lander; ME Seeking To Land 1st Commercial Spacecraft On Moon In 2015
Image Credit: Moon Express
To Be True Leaders / Pioneers In 21st Century Lunar Exploration Golden Spike Company May Focus On Ideal Destination For Enabling 1st Permanent Off-World Settlement: Moon South Pole; Plentiful Ice Water / Resources For ISRU In Permanently Shadowed Craters / Aitken Basin, Relatively Stable Temperature, Access To Near-Continuous Sunlight To Power Long-Duration Missions & Permanent Settlements; GSC Working To Achieve Commercial Human Moon Missions By End Of Decade
Image Credit: Golden Spike Company, NASA