Category Archives: NASA

Thursday / 2 April 2015

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Lunar Dust Experiments Opening Future Exploration Possibilities

DustyMoon0415

LADEE Results Indicate Tail Of Nanoscale Particles Trailing Moon, Likely Expelled By Asteroid Impact, <0.001g / Square Meter; LADEE Spectrometer PI Says Phenomenon Could Offer New Way To Study Surface Of Airless Planetary Bodies, “Collect Their Tails Rather Than Landing On Them”; Moon RIDERS Educational Project Testing System To Remove Lunar Dust From Moon Lander Equipment Using High Voltage Square Waves Being Tested At NASA Ames; Project Is Collaboration Of Hawai`i High Schools, NASA, GLXP Teams, PISCES

Image Credit: NASA, kealakeherobotics.org

Wednesday / 1 April 2015

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Russia USA Moon Mission Collaboration
In The Works?

RusUSMoonStation

Space Agency Leaders Of NASA & Roscosmos Confirm Intention To Work Together On Exploration Of Moon & Mars; Roscosmos Chief Igor Komarov Acknowledges More Tasks Can Be Solved & Expenses Saved By Acting Together, Says Deep Space Exploration & Protection Of Earth From Space Threats Must Be Solved By ‘Entire Humanity’; The 2 Countries Will Collaborate On ISS Until 2024, Will Not Build Another Station In NEO, Discussing Potential Cooperation On New Space Station In Lunar Orbit

Image Credit: gaetanomarano.it, Roscosmos, NASA

Friday / 27 March 2015

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ARM Project To Revive NASA Human Missions To Cislunar SpaceARM

Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Under Development By NASA To Launch Humans To Moon Orbit, While Private Companies Such As Golden Spike Aim For Moon Surface 2018-2020s; US$1.25B Robotic Mission To Launch Dec 2020, Travel 2 Years To Asteroid (Potentially 2008 EV5), Spend 400 Days Searching For 4-Meter Diameter Boulder, Bring Selected Boulder To Moon Orbit; Astronauts Will Then Launch 2025 To Moon Orbit, Dock With & Study Rock Via SLS / Orion; Additional Cislunar / Moon Surface Missions Under Consideration

Image Credit: NASA, Boeing Co., New Scientist

Wednesday / 25 March 2015

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Mojave Volatiles Prospector Preparing For
Lunar Polar Mission

MVP0315

MVP Project Using 3 Instruments – Near Infrared & Visible Spectrometer, Neutron Spectrometer Subsystem, And Downward Facing GroundCam – On KREX-2 Rover To Advance Robotic Volatile Prospecting Methods For Use At Lunar Poles; Tests Conducted In Mojave Desert Lunar Analog Site; Small Field Team In Mojave & Operational Team At NASA Ames Simulating Real-Time Analysis & Decision Making Needed For Moon Mission; Project Driven By Likelihood Of Water Ice Deposits In Permanently Shadowed Craters At Lunar Poles Colder Than 40K

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon 20-23 March 2015

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LRO Likely To Be Funded Through 2016

LROCgreen

US$1.36B Allotted For NASA Planetary Sciences In 2016, Division Director James Green Says Budget May Be Stretched To Keep LRO Active For Another Year; LRO Costs US$12.4M To Operate Annually; After Recent 21st LROC Planetary Data Systems Release, Team Has Now Delivered 1,520,409 LROC Images Totaling 176.9 TB Of Raw Data & Over 11,704 Derived Data Products; LRO Scientists Preparing For 4 Apr Lunar Eclipse; Call For Papers Relying On LRO Data For Special Issue Of Icarus Due 30 Jun

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 19 March 2015

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LRO Revealing Changing Surface Features On Moon

lroCrater0315

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Continues To Provide Valuable Data From Lunar Orbit; Probe Has Acquired 10,000 Before & After Image Pairs Of Lunar Surface Since It Began Mapping Moon In Summer 2009; 225 New Impact Craters Ranging From 1.5m – 43m Identified; Recent Discovery Of 18.8m Crater From March 17, 2013 Impact Provided Valuable Opportunity To Test Impact Models & Study Top Meter Of Regolith

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 March 2015

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Lunar Exploration Scientists Gather At LPSC 2015

LPSCDaily2015

46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Held On 16-20 March At The Woodlands, Texas; Event Begins With Session On Results From Recent Lunar Missions LADEE, GRAIL & Chang’e-3; Highlighted Concurrent Events Include LRO Data Users Workshop On 15 Mar, NextGen Lunar Scientists And Engineers Workshop, Lunar Cubes Mission Opportunities Workshop, Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Town Hall; Pictured: Conference Co-Chairs Steve Mackwell Of LPI, Eileen Stansbery Of NASA JSC

Image Credit: NASA, LPI, CNSA

Friday / 13 March 2015

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The Moon: It Keeps Coming Around

Bolden Talk

Our Moon Luna – Greatest Advance For American Human Enterprise, And Source Of Vast Power / Material / Inspiration Resources For Future Generations – Remains Missing In NASA Prospectus; Current Administration Continues To Preside Over Greatest Retreat In U.S. National History, As India, China, And American Pioneers Commit To Seeing Humanity Again A Multi World Species, Asap

Image Credit: NASA, GDFC, B.Hrybyk, Kahilu Theater

Tuesday / 10 March 2015

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New NASA Moon Rocket Advancing

ATKslsTest0315

ATK Is Set To Conduct First Full-Scale Qualification Static Motor Test For NASA Heavy-Lift Space Launch System Wednesday 11 March In Promontory UT; 2-Minute Test Will Burn 628,225kg Of Solid Propellant In The Two 54-Meter-Long Engines, Producing 1.6 Million Kg Of Force; Rocket – Along With Orion Crew Capsule – Will Be Critical For New Era Of USA Human Lunar / Solar System Exploration; First 2 Test Flights (2018 & 2021) Likely To Include Circumlunar Voyage

Image Credit: NASA, ATK

Tuesday / 3 March 2015

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Shackleton Energy Company To Develop, Test New Technology At ISS

ShackletonECISS

In A Step Towards Ultimate Goal Of Providing More Affordable Access / Operations To / In Space, Shackleton Energy Corporation (SEC) Signs MOA With CASIS To Develop & Test Mini Space Brakes / Re-entry Vehicles Called ‘Oryx’; Technology Is Critical Enabler For Aerobraking Systems Needed To Economically Fly Water From Moon To Fuel Depots In LEO; SEC To Eventually Develop Larger Re-entry Vehicles / Orbital Lifeboats For Fuel Depot Crew

Image Credit: Shackleton Energy Company