Category Archives: NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 20-23 Sep 2013

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Lunar Ambitions & Opportunities For Emerging Space-Faring Nations

HumanMoon0913

Indigenous Ingenuity, International Collaboration & Commercial Enterprise Opening Space / Lunar Exploration To Rising Space Powers; South Korea Working On 2020 Lunar Orbiter, 2025 Rover, In Talks With NASA About Lunar Missions; China Offering To Train / Provide Trips To Foreign Astronauts, Pakistan Hopes To Be 1st In Line; ILOA, Golden Spike Co Could Provide Affordable Human Lunar Access To Countries Such As Brazil & Malaysia; Galaxy Forum China 2013 – Beijing, 22 Sep: Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: KARI, GSC, ILOA, AEB, Angkasa

Friday / 20 September 2013

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LADEE Update, Moon Regolith Research

LADEE & Moon Regolith

LADEE In 2nd Phasing Loop Orbit Around Earth, Continues Instrument Checkout & Calibration Activities; Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometer In Bake-Out To Boil Off Any Contaminants; After 3rd Orbital Loop Will Fire Thrusters To Achieve Moon Orbit, Study Moon Atmosphere & Dust; NASA MSFC & USGS Creating Simulated Lunar Regolith From Stillwater Mine Rocks In Nye, Montana To Support Future Lunar Exploration

Image Credit: NASA / GSFC, A. Reinhold

Tuesday / 17 September 2013

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LRO Continuing To Produce Valuable Data

LROdata15

Release #15 Of LRO Data Now Available At Planetary Data System Archive; New Data Was Acquired Between 15 Mar & 14 Jun 2013, From CRaTER, Diviner, LAMP, LEND, LOLA, LROC & SPICE Instruments; 6 More LRO Data Releases Scheduled, Final Release In Mar 2015; LROC WAC Data Used To Create Time-Lapse Video Of Full Rotation Of Moon

 Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 10 September 2013

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LADEE: Destination Moon

LADEEempirest

383-Kg Spacecraft Now Making 30-Day Journey To Moon Through Series Of Phasing Orbits That Will Allow It To Arrive At Proper Time / Phase; Flawless Night Launch Provided Spectacular Viewing For East Coast USA; Slight Glitch With Craft Reactor Wheels Corrected By NASA Engineers; Upon 6 Oct Arrival At Moon LADEE Will Go Through 30-Day Checkout Phase & Then 100-Day Science Phase In Which It Will Orbit Moon Between 20-60-Km 

Image Credit: NASA, Ben Cooper

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 6-9 Sep 2013

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Launch Of Last Scheduled NASA Moon Mission As Lunar Experts Flock To NewSpace Companies

LADEEme0913

LADEE Launch — 6 Sep, 23:27 EDT, Wallops Island VA, Via Minotaur 5 Rocket — Promises To Provide Spectacular Show To East Coast USA Viewers; US$248M-Mission Will Test New System For Ultra-Fast Optical Data Transmission — 600 Mbit/s, Unravel Mysteries Of Lunar Atmosphere / Dust Environment, Premiere Common Spacecraft Bus; Next Flight Of The Bus Likely On Moon Express (ME) GLXP Mission NET 2015; ME Announces Paul Spudis New Chief Scientist, Jack Burns Added To Science Advisory Board

Image Credit: NASA, Moon Express

Friday / 6 September 2013

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China Chang’e-3 Publicists Fail On Eve Of USA LADEE Launch

LADEE launch Chang'e-3

America Pioneering Lunar Atmosphere And Dust Environment Explorer, With Revolutionary Modular Spacecraft Bus And Ultrafast Laser Optical Communications, Counts Down To Dramatic 23:27 Virginia Coast Night Launch; Equally Innovative PRC Chang’e-3 Moon Lander Mission Suffers Public Relations, Lunar Progress Setbacks With Grave Translation Errors Of UV-Telescope, UV-Camera, Advanced Radar Instruments

Image Credit: NASA, Wallops/P. Black, Dragon in Space

Thursday / 5 September 2013

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Current NASA Plan Derided By Apollo Legend

CKraft0913

Chris Kraft, 1st NASA Flight Director, Says Many NASA Management Prefer Return To Moon As Next Step For USA / ISS Nations, Reluctant To Speak Up Due To Restrictions From Current Administrations; Congress, Astronauts & Partner Nations Also Prefer Moon Plan; Kraft Also Notes Great Possibilities For Science / Commerce On Moon; Lack Of Motivation / Inspiration Of Next Generation Of NASA Astronauts & Engineers Caused By Unrealistic & Unclear Exploration Plan

Image Credit: NASA, mit.edu

Wednesday / 4 September 2013

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LADEE Mission Creates Excitement / Questions

LADEEquestions0913

1000 VIPs Expected To Attend LADEE Launch This Fri, 6 Sep 23:27 EDT From Wallops VA; Scientists Enthusiastic To Learn More About Lunar Atmosphere, 1 / 100,000th The Density Of Earth’s, & How Atmosphere / Dust Will Affect Future Human & Robotic Explorers; Whether / When Any Of Those Explorers Will Be American Remains Unclear However As NASA Lacking Any Follow-Up Moon Missions On Current Schedule

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Tues 30 Aug-3 Sep 2013

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Neil deGrasse Tyson A Likely Advocate For Lunar Commerce

NTysonGSC0913

Tyson States It Is “Scandal That Private Enterprise Did Not Take Off Sooner;” Feels Space Shuttle Program Should Have Been Undertaken By Independent Business Leaving NASA Free To Conduct Deep Space Exploration; Believes Increased Government Investment In Space Is Needed To Facilitate Establishment Of Successful Lunar / Space Enterprise; Tyson Has Assisted Golden Spike Company In Advisory Role 

Image Credit: Golden Spike Company, brainpickings.org

Wednesday / 28 August 2013

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Magmatic Water Detected On Moon

MagmaticWater813

Scientists Use Moon Mineralogy Mapper Data From Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter (R) To Make 1st Remote Detection Of Magmatic Water On Moon Surface; Significant Amounts Of Hydroxyl Discovered In 60-Km  Wide Lunar Impact Crater Bullialdus (L) Near Equator Indicates Presence Of Water Which Originated Deep Within Lunar Surface; Data Provides Clues About Volcanic Processes & Internal Composition Of Moon

Image Credit: NASA, ISRO