LiftPort Group With Kickstarter US$110K Relaunching “Tethered Towers”; Robot Reached 1.6-km Altitude In 2006 Demonstration; 2013 Study To Refine Technical Details; Aiming For Lunar Space Elevator By 2020, Reducing Lunar Missions To 1/10th Of Current Cost; Charles Radley Formerly Of Moon Society Says Elevator Can Be Built Today For US$800M And Capable Of “Infinite” 100-kg Payloads To / From Moon
Image Credit: LiftPort Group
Annual PISCES Conference Underway In Waikoloa HI; Program Expanding With Recent US$2.34M Investment From State; New Director Rob Kelso Says New Vision For PISCES Includes Research Of: Basalt-Based ‘Lunar Concrete’, Lava Tube Exploration, Testing Habitation Modules & GLXP Lunar Rovers; Goal Is To Become ‘Aerospace Enterprise Zone’ Supporting Planetary Surface Exploration
Image Credit: PISCES, NASA, White Label Space
Initiatives Ahead To Enable Hawaii Aloha Central Pacific Offshore Location To Rise As Portal To Space, Moon, Solar System, Galaxy, Stars, Beyond; Hawaii Enterprise And State Catalyzing New Pacific Space Access Constellation Of Independent Private Commercial Ventures Such As InterOrbital Systems, SpaceX, XCOR, Virgin Galactic, Space Age Publishing Co. And National Space Programs From Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile, Others; Honolulu, Oahu or Hilo, Hawaii May Emerge As Inviting Home Port For New Pacific Space Access Sea Launching Constellation
Image Credit: NASA, SpaceX
US$504M Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Has Already Gathered As Much Data As All Other Planetary Missions Combined; Recent LRO Images / Data Of 2.2-Km-Wide Linné Crater (27.7°N 11.8°E) Helping Scientists Understand Evolution Of Impact Craters On Earth, Other Rocky Bodies; RESOLVE Lunar Rover Likely To Be Launched In 2017 To Find Water / Other Resources Useful For Space Exploration
Image Credit: NASA
Speculation Growing After Recent Election Victory That Obama Administration / NASA Will Soon Announce Plans To Develop Cislunar Space Through Series Of Human Moon Missions (NET 2021); Likely Scenario Involves Parking Spacecraft At Earth-Moon L2 To Learn More About Supporting Humans In Deep Space; Astronauts Could Then Aid In Lunar Exploration By Teleoperating Rovers On Moon Surface, Etc
Image Credit: NASA
India Aiming For 2015 Human Spaceflight Program; Human Moon Mission Proposed By Indian Space Research Organisation For 2020; Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Orbiter, Lander, Rover Mission Delayed To At Least 2014; Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Rocket Proven Success Of Chandrayaan-1 / Moon Impact Probe Will Be Used For India Mars Satellite Mission Planned Launch Nov 2013
Image Credit: ISRO, IITK
Japan Lunar Orbiter Kaguya / SELENE Data Reveals Low-Calcium Pyroxene Mineral In ‘Ocean Of Storms’ On Moon; Ryosuke Nakamura From National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science And Technology Says This Suggests Giant Impact Caused 29,000-km Wide Magma Sea; Future Japan Missions Hope To Confirm With SELENE-2 Rover Launch In Mid 2010s / SELENE-X Advanced Lander / Human Lunar Outpost In 2020s
Image Credit: JAXA, NIAIST
China Robotic Lunar Lander Mission Chang’e-3 Passes Thermal Dynamic Trials, Testing Key Mechanical Performance Of The Lander Prior To Trial Run Of Propulsion System; New Superconducting Receiver Developed By 16th Research Institute, China Electronic Corporation Installed In New Deep Space Monitor And Ground Control Station; Receiver Expected To Also Support Future Mars Mission
Image Credit: CNSA, CLEP
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LAMP (Lyman Alpha Mapping Project) Spectrometer Sensed Noble Gas Helium For The First Time, Say Scientists From SWRI; Principal Investigator Alan Stern Points To Bigger Question Of Whether Helium Comes From Interior Source Such As Radioactive Decay Or From Solar Wind; 1972 Apollo 17 LACE (Lunar Atmosphere Composition Experiment) In Situ Measurements Agree With Findings / Point To Future Search For Argon
Image Credit: NASA, NASA Goddard/Debbie McCallum
SpaceIL co-Founder Yonatan Winetraub Says Incentive Of Inspiring This Generation Of Israeli & Jewish Children With The “Apollo Effect” Is Just As Important As Winning GLXP; Team Of 10 Engineers & Scientists Helped By 170 Volunteers To Create 35kg Spacecraft; Anonymous Donor Guarantees Over US$807K Funding; Israel Aerospace Industries, Technion & Weizmann Institute Providing Facilities / Assistance; 2015 Launch Planned
Image Credit: SpaceIL