Category Archives: Moon Mining

Friday / 24 April 2020

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New USGS Unified Lunar Strata Map Fuses Data From Historical And Contemporary International Missions

USGS In Conjunction With LPI And South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology Aggregate 1:5,000,000 Scale 3-Dimensional Model Of Moon; “Definitive” Geological Map Is Result Of Decades-Long Effort Per Lead Study Author Corey Fortezzo; Presented Virtually At 51st Lunar And Planetary Science Conference; Datasets Include 6 Apollo Mission Observations Overlaid With Equatorial Imaging (60°N-60°S) Taken With Terrain Camera On JAXA SELENE Orbiter With Resolution Of 60 m/pixel And Polar Data From LRO Camera Wide Angle Camera And Laser Altimeter At 20 m/pixel; Geological Topography Of Vital Importance To Resource Prospecting

Credits: NASA, GSFC, USGS, LRO, JAXA

Friday / 10 April 2020

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NASA Provides Moon Funding Through CLPS, NIAC And ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Payload’ Initiatives

Masten Space Systems To Be Awarded US$75.9M For Building 4-Engine XL-1 Lander, Fulfilling 19C Task Order Of Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program And Joining Awardees Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic; XL-1 Craft To Soft-Land Near Moon South Pole NLT December 2022 With NASA And Commercial Payloads; Institute For Advanced Concepts Awards $7M Between 23 Academic And Industry Researchers For Lunar Proposals Including Radio Astronomy From Within A Crater On The Far Side, Deployable Landing Pads, Propellant And Water Extraction; $160,000 To Be Awarded For Miniaturized (<400g) Lunar Payload Ideas Submitted By June 1 In Mini Moon Contest

Credits: Masten, NASA, Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, Matthew Kuhns

Friday / 25 Jan 2019

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Europe Funds Studies On Lunar Mining, Astronaut EVAs, Lunar Gravity Effects

ESA Signs 1-Year Lunar Regolith Feasibility Study Contract With Arianespace To Launch “Ariane 64” Vehicle With PTScientists Lunar Lander By 2025 To Search For Oxygen, Water, Helium-3 To Produce Fuel; Pangaea-X Test Campaign In Lanzarote Spain Advancing Lunar EVA Simulations, Communications, Tools, Science Protocols; ESA-DLR-NASA Collaborate On Moon 1/6th Gravity Study To Understand Physiological Impact Of Living, Working On Moon

Credits: ESA, PTScientists, Ariane Group

Friday / 10 Aug 2018

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For All Moonkind, Preserving The Past For The Future, May Become Observer To UN COPUOS

Nonprofit Organization ‘For All Moonkind’ Recommended By UNOOSA To UN General Assembly To Be Granted Status Of Observer To COPUOS, Which Would Allow For Participation In International Discussions On All Space Topics; The Team Of Volunteer Space Lawyers & Policymakers Is Working To Create Protocols To Identify & Protect Universal Lunar / Space Heritage Sites, While Planning For Development; Status With UN Committee Could Help Advance Vital Issues Of Property Rights And Resource Extraction

Pictured: For All Moonkind Founders: Michelle and Tim Hanlon; Credits: For All Moonkind, NASA, UNOOSA, COPUOS, M. and T. Hanlon via Twitter

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 June – 2 July 2018

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Chandrayaan-2 Lunar South Pole Mission To Target Water, Possibly He-3

GSLV Mk II Launch NET Oct / Nov Of 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, 6-Wheel Rover, Will Research Topography, Mineralogy, Exosphere, Prospects For Ice-Water Utilization, Consider Future Helium-3 Extraction; Rover To Operate In Semi-Autonomous Mode For 2 Weeks; ISRO Chairman K. Sivan States India Plans To Be A Leader In Space Resource Utilization, Aims To Put India Crew On Moon

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Apr 2018

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Science And Moon Experts Advise Reinstatement Of Resource Prospector Mission

Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Chairs (L-R) Samuel Lawrence And Clive Neal Urge NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine To Reestablish Resource Prospector (RP) Mission Vital For Lunar Economy, Space Exploration; Letter States Cancellation Of NASA Only Polar Lander-Rover Mission A Source Of Incredulity And Dismay To Community; Critical To Provide Strong Leadership As 6 International Lunar Lander Missions Planned Into 2025; International Lunar Observatory Association And Space Age Publishing Company Support RP Reinstatement Within Context of Space Policy Directive 1, Dedication Of Human Return To Moon, First Women On Moon Initiative

Credits: NASA, University of Notre Dame, LEAG, ILOA

Friday / 30 Mar 2018

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Updates To Outer Space Treaty Could Define Space Regulations

During COPUOS 57th Legal Subcommittee Session 9-20 April At Vienna International Center, Countries To Discuss General Principle Consensus On Space Resource Policy Which May Be Necessary To Enable Moon And Mars Settlements, Potentially Prevent Conflict Of Interest In Space; Vidvuds Beldavs Proposes International Regime Could Govern Moon Resource Extraction Focused On Safety, Sustainability, Equitable Sharing By All Countries; Common Heritage Of Mankind Concept Inclusion To Prevent Exploitation, Encourage Preservation For Future Generations 

Credits: NASA, Space, UN, Vidvuds Beldavs

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 Mar 2018

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ULA Proposes Self-Sustaining Econosphere / CisLunar 1000 Initiative

United Launch Alliance Plans To Collaborate With Commercial Companies To Create Community Of ~1,000 People In Earth-Moon Vicinity; Self-Sufficient Economy Would Be Based On In Situ Resource Utilization From ~17,000 Near Earth Asteroids, Lunar Resources; ULA CEO Tory Bruno Says Creating Propellant In Space Will Increase Deep Space Travel; Roadmap Could Align With International Lunar Gateway, Involve Current Collaborator Bigelow Aerospace For 20-Person Cislunar Habitat & Depot; Jeff Bezos Of Blue Origin Working On Blue Moon Lunar Lander; SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Continues Plans For Rockets To Support Interplanetary / Lunar Transport Services

Credits: NASA, Boeing, Bigelow Aerospace, ULA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Business Insider

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 Sep 2017

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New Moon Water Distribution Map Points To Lunar Poles As Vital Areas Of Exploration

Brown University Researchers Including Shuai Li (T) And Ralph Milliken Moon Water Study Shows Concentration In Lunar Soil Within Upper Millimeter Of Soil Reaches Average Max Of ~500 To 750 Parts Per Million In Polar Regions, Largely Uniform With Gradual Decrease Toward Equator; Permanently Shadowed Craters & Deeper Soil Not Analyzed; Concentration Fluctuates Over Day – Indicating Water Formation Is Active And “Raises The Possibility That Water May Re-accumulate After Extraction”; Water Is Important For Habitation (Drinking Water, Oxygen) And Transportation (Fuel); Further Analysis Needed Through Detailed Science Missions Preferably With Humans Landing On Moon

Credits: Brown University, LRO, LCROSS, ISRO MMM, GSFC, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 Aug 2017

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Colorado School Of Mines Announces Plans For First-Ever Space Mining Graduate Program In 2018

Resource Exploration, Extraction and Processing On Moon, Asteroids, Mars And Beyond Is Focus Of New Graduate Level Program To Be Offered In 2018 By Well-Known And Highly Respected Science And Engineering Institution In Golden, CO; First Course “Space Resources Fundamentals” Being Run As Pilot Program In Fall 2017; Director And Research Assoc. Prof. Angel Abbud-Madrid Says Objective Is To Prepare Next Generation Of Engineers To Responsibly Access Natural Resources Of Space Including Water, Gases, Minerals And Metals To Fuel Space Development; ISRU Will Conserve Resources On Earth And Make Space Exploration Safer And More Affordable

Credits: Mines, NASA