Category Archives: NASA

Friday / 26 Apr 2019

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Conferences Look Forward To Future Lunar Landings

Lunar Launches Will Be Remembered At 46th Space Congress 4-6 June At Cape Canaveral; 19th International Space Development Conference Follows 6-9 Jun In Arlington, VA With Theme Back To The Moon To Stay; Space Resources Roundtable Observes 20th Opening In Golden, CO 11-14 Jun; 11th International Academy Of Astronautics Symposium Is 17-19 Jun On The Future Of Space Exploration Starting With The Moon; NASA Exploration Science Forum 23-25 Jul Follows 50th Observation Of Apollo 11

Credits: Moon Express, ISDC, IAA, Space Congress

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Apr 2019

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NASA 1% Of US Govt Budget Would See Humans On Moon 2025, Mars 2030

USA Commitment To ‘MoonRush’ Seeks Funding; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (R) Will Send Revised Budget Request To Congress; General Public Consensus Now Favors NASA Receiving 1% Of Federal Budget, Far Less Than The NASA 4% During Apollo Era, Which Would Double NASA Budget To US$40B With Little Effect On DoD $700B+ Outlay; MoonRush By 2024 Will Potentially Include Participation From International Partners, Such As China, India, Crescent Moon Countries, Among Others

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Apr 2019

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Call For Human Lunar Landings Inspires Private Enterprise

NASA Commits To Landing Next Man And First Woman On Moon By 2024; Lockheed Martin Releases New Design For Lunar Lander With Ascent Stage Based Upon Orion Crew Module And Descent Stage Modified From European-Built Service Module; SpaceX Designs Crew Dragon To Land On Planetary Surfaces Including Earth And Mars, Could Modify Dragon For Lunar Missions; Northrop Grumman, Builder Of Original Lunar Module, Proposes ‘New Eagle’ Family Of Spacecraft For Destinations Including The Moon

Credits: Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, NASA, SpaceX

Friday / 12 Apr 2019

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SpaceIL Attempt Leaves Way Open For 1st Commercial Lunar Landing

SpaceIL Beresheet Makes Impact 11 Apr, Meaning That First Privately Developed Soft Landing Is Yet To Reach Goal; SpaceX Falcon Heavy, Which Is Scheduled To Launch Arabsat-6A From Kennedy Space Center On Same Day, Being Considered By NASA For Launching Orion Spacecraft To Moon; United Arab Emirates Space Agency, Which Has Formal Cooperation Agreement With NASA And Is Sending First UAE Astronaut To ISS In 2019, Forms Arab Space Coordination Group With 10 Crescent Moon Countries, Joining Israel In Reaching For Landings

Credits: SpaceIL, SpaceX, UAE National Press

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Apr 2019

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Major Spacefaring Powers Joined By Other Nations Reaching For Moon

Canada Launches US$150M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) As USA Seeks Partners For Lunar Gateway; JAXA Investigates Using Robotics To Build Lunar Base; Germany PTScientists Rover May Launch In 2020; Russia Hopes To Develop Heavy Launcher For Moon Landings; Drop Test Delays India Chandrayaan-2 Until May; Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operates During Its Fourth Lunar Day; Korea KSLV-II Booster Planned For 2021 Launch Of Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter; SpaceIL Beresheet In Orbit Photographs Hidden Side Of Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, PTScientists, CNSA

Wednesday / 3 Apr 2019

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NASA Considering Human Lunar Options Including SLS And Falcon Heavy

USA Urgently Pursuing Goal Of Human Lunar Landing At South Pole In 2024; Orion And Space Launch System Flights Will Be Accelerated; At NASA Town Hall Administrator Jim Bridenstine Says “Nothing Is Off The Table” And Suggests SpaceX Falcon Heavy With ULA Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage Could Carry Orion To Lunar Orbit; International Space Station Astronauts Nick Hague, Anne McLain And Christina Koch Are “Super Excited” About USA Reaching The Moon By 2024

Credits: NASA, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 Mar – 1 Apr 2019

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Moon By 2024 Goal Will Call Upon Resources Including International Partners

Administrator Jim Bridenstine Hosts NASA Town Hall 1 April On USA Moon To Mars Plans, Including Human Return To Lunar Surface By 2024; VP Mike Pence Explicit Directive To Reach Moon “By Any Means Necessary” Invites Military Comparisons; Pence Challenges Government, Private Industry And Entire Space Enterprise To Reach Lunar South Pole; National Space Council Reiterates Space Policy Directive 1 To Involve Current And Future International And Commercial Partnerships; Orion Service Modules For Lunar Missions Will Be Built In Europe

Credits: NASA, Lockheed Martin

Wednesday / 27 Mar 2019

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USA Sending Retroreflectors On International Lunar Missions 

 NASA Laser Retroreflectors Are On Two Upcoming Lunar Landings, Israel Beresheet (L) Scheduled For 11 April And India Chandrayaan-2 (R) Launching Apr; Unpowered Laser Reflectors Will Be Useful For Lunar Navigation, Measuring The Moon’s Changing Distance From Earth And Fundamental Physics; Retroreflectors Left By 3 Apollo And 2 Russia Luna Landings Still Returning Science; Apollo Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment Reports The 384,402-km Earth-Moon Distance Increasing By 3.82 cm/yr, An Anomalously High Figure That May Indicate The Speed Of Light Changing

Credits: NASA, SpaceIL, ISRO

Tuesday / 26 Mar 2019

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Accelerated Lunar Program To Include Astronomy From Moon 

USA National Space Council Chaired By Vice President Mike Pence Meets In Huntsville, Alabama 26 March; Pence And Former Astronauts Pushing For Early Human Lunar Landing, Perhaps By 2024; University Of Colorado Astrophysicist Jack Burns, Who Will Address NSC, Is Contracted To Develop Dark Ages Polarimetry Pathfinder Smallsat For Lunar Farside, With Ultimate Goal Of Placing Array Of Telescopes On Moon; Netherlands-China Low Frequency Explorer With Three 5-meter Antennae Will Begin Operating On Lunar Farside When Chang’e-4 Finishes Primary Mission

Credits: NASA, ISIS, CNSA, University of Colorado

Friday / 22 Mar 2019

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Multiple Moon March Activities Planned By Commercial Industry And Nations Including USA

Current Lunar Activities Include SpaceIL Beresheet On Course To Vicinity Of Moon By 4 April And Planned Landing 11 Apr; 6-Person International Crew Of SIRIUS-19 In Moscow Simulating 122-Day Lunar Mission; Astrobotic Uses LIDAR-Equipped Drone To Map Iceland Lava Tube In Preparation For Lunar Applications; Japan, Canada And Lockheed Martin Plan Modules For Moon Orbit; US National Space Council Meets 26 Mar As NASA Plans Lunar Rover In 2023; Administrator Jim Bridenstine Says Next Human Landings Will Include First Woman On The Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, NASA, Astrobotic, DLR