Category Archives: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 May 2017

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China, USA Simulate Long-Duration Human Moon Missions In Closed Habitats

Beijing, China Hosts 1-Year Moon Mission Analog With 8 Volunteers In 2 Groups (2 Women, 2 Men In Each) Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; 1st Group Will Remain For 60 Days, 2nd Group 200 Days, Then 1st Group Return For 105 Days; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 (HERA-4) Is Ongoing From 6 May – 19 Jun At JSC, Houston TX 148.1 m3 Habitat; 4 Team Members Will Test New Space Food & Hardware Prototypes Including Simulated Exploration Vehicle, Use 3-D Printer; 3 Additional 45-Day Missions Run In Aug, Oct, Feb 2018

Credits: Beihang University – Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, Xinhua, Ju Huanzong, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 May 2017

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Latest NASA RFI Seeks Commercial Lunar Surface Cargo Transportation Services

Requesting Proposals For Lunar Services Starting 2018 Through Next Decade, Thomas Zurbuchen States NASA ‘Remains Committed To High-Priority Lunar Science & Investigating Potential Resources For Exploration’; SLS / Orion Circumlunar Flight 2019 & Humans To Mars 2030s Goal May Solidify Plans To Return USA To Moon; Enterprises Advancing Landers Include Moon Express With MX-1, Blue Origin Blue Moon Lander / New Armstrong Rocket, Astrobotic Peregrine & Griffin Landers; Others Planning For Moon Operations Include Bigelow Lunar Habitats / Cislunar Depot, Shackleton Energy Co. Mining Pursuits, ILOA Instruments / Human Service Mission, SpaceX Crew Dragon Lunar Tourism, Liftport Group Lunar Elevator

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Astrobotic, ILOA, Bigelow, Liftport Group, Golden Spike Company, Lunarcubes / Flexure Engineering

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 March 2017

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Cislunar Outpost Imperative And Moon Base Plans Increasing

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Human Exploration & Operations Associate Administrator Speaks On Plans For Cislunar Outpost To Support Future Crews Working On / Around Moon As A Step Toward Humans To Mars 2030s; Decisions To Be Made Within Months For SLS / Orion Payloads & Clearer Mission Plans For EM-1-3 To Be Formulated, Perhaps With Humans Aboard 2018 EM-1 Flight; Proposals Made By Bigelow For Cislunar Refueling Depots By 2020, SpaceX 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Customers, Blue Origin 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries

Credits: Bigelow, Robert Bigelow, SpaceX, Elon Musk, NASA, Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 March 2017

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Human Moon Mission Planning Advances In USA, China, Russia

US Gov Surveying Feasibility Of Human Moon Flyby Sep 2018 On Orion / SLS / EM-1, Private Venture SpaceX Plans 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Tourists, Blue Origin Proposes 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries To Start Permanent Human Settlement; China Chief Lunar Exploration Designer Hu Hao Announces Success Of CE-5 Sample Return Launching Nov 2017 Will Pave Way For Human Landing Mission Which ‘Should Be Carried Out ASAP’; Russia Begins Selection Of 6-8 Cosmonauts For Federatsiya Spacecraft Intended To Fly To Moon, First Uncrewed Test Flight Planned 2021 On New Angara Rocket

Credits: NASA, CNSA, Roscosmos, SpaceX, Blue Origin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 3-6 March 2017

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SpaceX And NASA May Return Humans To Moon Before 50th Apollo 11 Observation

Elon Musk Announces Ambitious Plans To Send 2 Commercial Tourists On 1-Week Circumlunar Trip Late 2018 In Crew Dragon Capsule Via Falcon Heavy Rocket; NASA, Originally Planning Uncrewed Circumlunar SLS / Orion EM-1 Flight 30 Sep 2018, Is Being Requested To Study Feasibility Of Redesigning Mission To Include Astronauts; U.S. President Trump States “American Footprints On Distant Worlds Are Not Too Big A Dream”; USA Could Claim First Human Return To Moon & First Woman To Moon With Energetic Timeline

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 February 2017

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U.S. Administration Considers Accelerating 1st Human Moon Mission Of 21st Century To 2018

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot Requesting Top Official For Human Spaceflight William Gerstenmaier To Explore Feasibility Of Sending Astronauts On EM-1 Flight 2018; Could Advance A Human Return To Moon, Landing 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaiming Multi World Species Status, First Missions To Mars & Beyond; Scott Pace Of Space Policy Institute At GWU Notes There May Be A Push For Significant Near-Term U.S. Accomplishments; Presidential Policy Advisor Bob Walker Believes There Is Possibility To Land Humans On Moon 2021-2025, Perhaps Using Commercial Companies & Technologies; Similar Goals Of Other Countries Could Catalyze International Collaboration For Human Lunar Missions / Settlement

Credits: NASA, ESA, Bigelow Aerospace

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 February 2017

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Europe And USA Closer To Returning Humans To Moon Via Orion / SLS In 2021

ESA Delivers Propulsion & Supply Module For Uncrewed Lunar 2018 Exploration Mission-1, Will Begin Developing Module With Airbus For 2021 Crewed Lunar Flight – Taking Humans Farther Than Any Apollo Mission; EM-1 Also Carrying 13 CubeSats, 4 Or More Will Focus On Moon Science & Observations; New U.S. Administration May Advance Human Moon Landing / Settlement Competencies & Technologies, Resource Extraction, Commercial Space Policies; Orion / SLS Has Potential To Carry Astronauts To Asteroids & Mars; SpaceX Planning Craft For Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Systems

Credits: NASA, ESA, Rad Sinyak

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 December 2016

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Scientists Study Lunar Sonic Boomlets With ARTEMIS Probe Duo, Present Findings At AGU

“Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun” (ARTEMIS) P1 And P2 In Moon Orbit Since 2011 Are Gathering High-Fidelity Measurements Of Lunar Miniature Shock Waves Believed To Be Caused By Protons In Solar Wind Moving At Supersonic Speeds Colliding With Pockets Of Magnetic Fields From Moon Crust; Deputy PI Jasper Halekas To Present On ARTEMIS And The 40 Observed Shock Waves During AGU Which Is Hosting 24,000 Attendees & Presentations On LRO, Moon Processes, Moon-Plasma Interactions; ARTEMIS Also Finds  ‘Limb Shocks’ At Boundary Between Light Side & Dark Side

Credits: NASA, ARTEMIS, SSERVI, AGU, J. Halekas, A. Poppe, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 December 2016

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LRO Providing High-Res, Multispectral Moon Mapping, Prepares For 2017 And Revisits Apollo Landing Sites

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 7.5 Years Into Mission, Continuing Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) Since May 2015; Adding To 3D Map Of Lunar Surface At 100-meter Resolution (98.2% Coverage So Far, Excluding Polar Areas In Deep Shadow); Recent Data From Apollo Sites Provides Modern Views, New Interpretations Of Sample Materials; Release 28 Of LRO Data Expected 15 December; Science Team Schedules August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Observations Of Moon Shadow Moving Across USA; NASA Planning US$20M / Year To Operate Flagship Lunar Mission Through FY2018

Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University

Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 24-28 November 2016

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USA Lunar Transport Enterprises Submitting RFI Proposals For NASA Payload Delivery 2017-2020

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Seeking To Address Strategic Knowledge Gaps In Lunar Resource Potential, Lunar Environment & Its Effects On Humans, NASA Asks USA Commercial Lunar Cargo Transportation Service Providers To Propose (By 9 December) Payload Delivery Options Available In 2017-2020; Moon Express Announces It Will Give US$500,000 For Each NASA Payload On First Three MX-1 Missions ($1.5M Total) Under Lunar Scout Program; Astrobotic Proposes Dollar For Dollar Matching Program (Up To US$12M) – For Every NASA Payload Selected To Fly On Astrobotic 1st Mission 2017, It Will Provide Second Mission In 2021 At No Charge

Credits: Moon Express, Astrobotic