Category Archives: NASA

Wednesday / 7 January 2015

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Astronaut Hoffman: Human Moon Missions Logical Next Step

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Former NASA Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman Says It Makes More Sense To Revisit Moon Before Attempting Mars Missions; Moon On Average  Is ~600 Times Closer, Mission Would Be Cheaper, Shorter & Safer; Human Explorers Could Confirm Extent Of Water Ice Deposits, Potentially Begin Transforming Those Resources Into Rocket Fuel, Air, Drinking Water, Thereby Transforming Economics Of Space Travel; Hoffman Says, After 43 Years, USA / Humanity Needs To Get Used To Planetary Exploration Again, Practice / Test Systems & Prepare To Expand Society Into Solar System

Image Credit: ESA, ISU

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 December 2014

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Moon Express Lunar Missions Progressing With KSC Flight Tests

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MTV-1x Moon Express Lander To Undergo First Tethered Tests This Weekend At NASA KSC In Florida After Successfully Completing Full Pressurization, Telemetry & Static Thruster Tests This Past Week; Team Plans To Return To KSC In Early 2015 For Additional Testing Integrating H2O2 Thrusters, Star Tracker & Flight Vehicle Navigation Controls; 2015 Promises To Be Critical Year For Moon Express: Launch Agreement As Secondary Payload Expected, Payload Advancement To Flight Status, Integration Of ILO-X Payload, Continuation Of Fundraising To Achieve 2016 Launch

Pictured: Moon Express Co-Founders Bob Richards, Naveen Jain, Barney Pell with Buzz Aldrin

Image Credit: Moon Express

 

Wednesday / 17 December 2014

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Lunar Lander Technology Development Advancing At KSC In Florida

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Morpheus Lander Completes Final Test Flight At KSC, Climbing 240m, Making 30-Degree Glide Slope, Traversing 400m & Descending Into Simulated Moonscape; 1st Time Morpheus Was Completely Controlled By Autonomous Landing & Hazardous Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) Laser-Guided Navigation System; Craft Is Used To Demonstrate Lander / Hopper Technologies That Could Be Used In Future Moon Missions; Moon Express Also Conducting Flight Tests At KSC As Part Of Lunar CATALYST Program, 1st Static Hot Fire Tests On On MX-1 Vehicle Successful (Inset), Tethered Flight Tests Upcoming

Image Credit: NASA, Moon Express

Wednesday / 10 December 2014

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Astronaut Hadfield: We Are Going To The Moon Next, “Because It Just Makes Sense”

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Canada Astronaut Chris Hadfield Says Moon Is Logical Next Stop For Human Space Explorers; Just 3 Days Away Moon Provides Ideal Environment To Develop & Test Technologies That Will Be Needed To Explore Mars & Beyond; Hadfield Praises NASA Work On Orion, Says Next Big Step Should Be To Construct Permanent Lunar Base; Criticizes Mars One Mission, Comparing It To 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition: “If We Started Going To Mars Any Time Soon Everybody Would Die”; Comments Made To Royal Geographical Society In London

Image Credit: NASA, futuretimeline.net

Thanksgiving Edition
Thu-Mon / 27 Nov – 1 Dec 2014

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CubeQuest Challenge To Advance Lunar Exploration

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With New Centennial Challenge NASA Offers 1st In-Space Competition & Largest Prize Ever; CubeQuest Challenge Offers 3 Separate Prizes: 4 (US$500K) Ground Tournaments To Qualify For Flight On First SLS Launch, Deep Space Derby $1.5M Prize To Demonstrate Communication / Durability At >400,000,000 Km From Earth, Lunar Derby $3M For Placing CubeSat In Stable Lunar Orbit & Demonstrating Communications / Durability; Program Manager Eric Eberly Says Contest Could Dramatically Improve Affordability Of Space Missions & Increase Research Possibilities

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 18 November 2014

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Morpheus Lander Set To Initiate New Series Of Test Flights

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First In New Set Of Morpheus Tests Today – Weather Permitting – Will Be A Tethered Flight, 2 Free Flights Scheduled For 1st Week Of Dec; Team Decided Additional Tests Were Warranted After Making Software Updates Related To Navigation Algorithms & Hardware Improvements Including Relocation Of Doppler Lidar Velocimeter; Morpheus Is Simply A Vehicle To Test ALHAT Technology Which Could Be Utilized For Future Moon / Planetary Landing Missions, Enabling Identification & Avoidance Of Rocks As Small As 0.3m & Missions To Previously Inaccessible Locations Such As Moon South Pole

Image Credit: NASA

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 November 2014

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LRO Continues To Prepare For Future Moon Exploration

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Maintaining American Presence At Moon, 45 Years After Apollo 12 Mission, LRO Consistently Adding More Data & Imagery To Increase Global Understanding Of Value Of Moon For Humanity To Thrive In Solar System; Recent Imagery Of Lava Tubes And Sinuous Rilles In Oceanus Procellarum Region, Exploration Of This Area Could Provide Data On Timing & History Of Lunar Volcanism, Natural Radiation Shielding For Human Explorers, & In-Situ Resources Such As Large Pyroclastic Deposits; Keep Track Of LRO Current Location  

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 14 November 2014

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S Korea Advancing Toward 2020 Moon Mission

KARI 2020

S Korea Indigenous Lunar Orbiter & Module / Launch Vehicle-2 Feasibility Study Conducted By Ministry Of Strategy & Finance States Project May Create ~US$296M Added Value & 4,800 Jobs, Potential Value From Lunar Exploration Is ~US$3.5B (5.17 Times Budget Allotted – $677M); Hopes To Launch Orbiter In 2020 With Help From NASA Joint Research Agreement, 15 Government-Funded Research Institutions Led By KARI; Also Planning To Develop 10-20 Kg Rover To Look For Rare Minerals

Pictured: S Korea President Park Geun-Hye (L) & KARI President Seung Jo Kim

Image Credit: KARI

Friday / 7 November 2014

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Moon Educator & Cislunar Space Workshops Promoting Lunar Science

Lunar Workshops

Lunar Educator Workshop For 45 Teachers Will Feature Apollo Missions Moon Rocks & Regolith At JPL In Pasadena CA 8 Nov; International Workshop On Scientific Opportunities In Cislunar Space: Lunar Science Illuminating The Universe On 9 Nov In Tucson AZ To Focus On Testing Deep Space Instruments In Cislunar Space (LEO To Moon Far Side Halo Orbit LL2) & Cislunar Scientific Analogs Which Can Imitate Many Extreme Conditions From Mercury To Pluto

Image Credit: NASA, Select Investor

Thursday / 6 November 2014

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Bootstrapping A Moon Base

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In 3-Part Interview, Former NASA KSC Research Physicist Philip Metzger Outlines How NASA / Global Private / Public Community Could Begin Today To Develop Sustainable Lunar Base With Fraction Of Current Budget; Plan Relies On Robotic Manufacturing / Extracting Of Resources In Space To Reduce Launch Mass, Advance Immediate Payback Opportunities, Spread Cost & Development Over Extended Period Of Time; Progressive Robotic Technological Development In Cislunar Space Could Bring Benefits To Life On Earth While Facilitating Settlement Of Solar System & Beyond

Image Credit: NASA, PhilipMetzger.com