Puerto Rico Reigns ‘Supremo’ At 20th NASA Great Moonbuggy Race As Team 1 From Teodoro Aguilar Mora Vocational High School Of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico Wins 1st Place In High School Division, Finishing The 0.8-Km Course In 3 Minutes, 24 Seconds; University Of Puerto Rico At Humacao Team Wins College-Division With Time Of 3 Minutes, 32 Seconds; Winning Teams Receive Trophies & US$3, 000 Cash Rewards
Image Credit: NASA
US Congress Rep. Lamar Smith (R) States Human Moon Mission Has More Support Than Proposed NASA Asteroid Retrieval Mission; Can Learn More From Moon & Is Better Precursor For Deep Space Exploration; NASA Chief Bolden (L) Says Going To Moon Would Cost 3 Times More Than Asteroid & With US$17.7B 2014 Budget It Is All NASA Can Afford; Solidifying China, Russia, Commercial USA Moon Plans May Induce Another ‘Sputnik Effect’ On NASA In Near Future
Image Credit: house.gov, NASA
Nearly 100 College & High School Teams Will Compete In The NASA Great Moonbuggy Race On 26-27 April In Huntsville, AL, USA; 6-Person Teams Build Their Own Engineering Test Model Of A Moon Rover, Carry Rover To Starting Line Where It Is Assembled Before Taking Course; 1 Female & 1 Male Team Member Then Power Buggy Over Half-Mile Simulated Lunar Course With Time Clock Running
Image Credit: NASA
CRaTER Instrument Precisely Measures Potentially Dangerous Radiation In Space & Its Effects On Human Tissue / Electronics; Data Shows High-Mass / High-Energy Cosmic Rays (HZE Particles) Make Up Only 1% Of Radiation Detected, Yet Account For 50% Of Energy Deposited By Radiation; Researchers Also Able To Determine Effects Of Different Types Of Radiation; Findings Helping Researchers Optimize Spacecraft Shielding Without Making Them Too Heavy
Image Credit: NASA
With US$250M Budget Cap 2017 RESOLVE Mission Needs To Achieve Ambitious Goals Within Challenging Timeline; Unable To Afford Nuclear Power, Solar-Powered RESOLVE Will Be Limited To 5 Active Days On Lunar Pole To Accomplish Mission Goals: Search For Hydrogen, Drill 1 Meter, Analyze Sample, Heat To Extract Liquid Water, Demonstrate How Oxygen Can Be Pulled From Regolith & Mixed With Hydrogen To Produce Water, Help Determine Origin Of Lunar Water
Image Credit: NASA
US Rep Bill Posey (R-FL) Reintroduces 2011 Bill Called RE-Asserting American Leadership (REAL) In Space Act Which Tasks NASA To Send Astronauts To Moon By 2022 With Goal Of Establishing Long-Term Settlement; Bill Co-Sponsored By 8 Other Republican & Democrat House Members; Proponents Claim That Clear / Attainable Lunar Goal Will Give Renewed Direction To NASA, Allow For Testing Of Technologies To Master Extraterrestrial Surface Operations
Image Credit: NASA, poseyhouse.gov
Bigelow Aerospace Lunar Base Project Expected To Receive NASA Contract / Funding To “Extend & Sustain Human Activities Across The Solar System;” 3 BA-330 Inflatable Habitats With Propulsion Tanks & Power Units Would Be Joined In Space & Piloted To Moon Surface, Offer 990m3 Of Room, House Up To 18 Astronauts; Robert Bigelow Confident Habitats Could Accommodate Uneven Surface, Says Moon Great Practice For Mars & Beyond
Image Credit: Bigelow, Samuel Coniglio
No ‘In-Person’ Component For LSF2013 Due To Government Travel Restrictions; Presentations Will Be Delivered Via Adobe Connect, Allowing For 500 Combined International & Domestic Logins; Format Change Influencing Other Related Events Such As ILOA 2013 Silicon Valley Board Meeting Now Reset For 24 July — 44th Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Mission End, Eve Of NewSpace 2013 Conference
Image Credit: NASA, Space Frontier Foundation, NASA
Series Of Tests Underway In Astrobotic Contract With NASA To Demonstrate Autonomous Landing System For Moon / Asteroids / Planets; Astrobotic Successfully Flew Sensor Package On Uncrewed Helicopter Operated By Pilot On Ground; Next Step Is To Land Helicopter Autonomously – Without GPS, Then Test System On Astrobotic Griffin Lander; Landing Sensor Uses 2 Cameras, Inertial Measurement Unit, & Scanning Laser
Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology, Inc.
Human Asteroid Landing Mission Proposed By USA President Obama May Take Place In Lunar Orbit; NASA Expected To Request US$100M In Next Budget To Begin Preparations For 10-Year (~2015-2025) US$2.65B-Robotic Mission To Capture 7-m Diameter, 500,000-kg Asteroid & Tow It To High Lunar Orbit; Spacecraft Would Employ Ion Thrusters, Deploy Massive Inflatable Bag To Envelop Asteroid
Image Credit: NASA