Completing Tests Of David Clark Co. Z-1 Space Suit Prototype With Bearings For Mobility; Will Give Astronauts More Flexibility To Hop Over Lunar / Martian Soil; Increased Radiation Protection For Longer Spacewalks; Port In Back Allows Easy Entry / Exit, Bypasses Need For Airlock; Z-2 And Z-3 Revisions To Follow; NASA Plans To Make Z-3 Ready For Use By 2017
Image Credit: NASA, DCC
With Crash Landing Of Twin GRAIL Craft Into Side Of Mountain Near Lunar North Pole, USA / NASA Now Has 3 Probes Orbiting Moon (LRO & Artemis); Next Orbital Mission – Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) – Set For Launch May 2013; Since Ending Apollo NASA Has Conducted 6 Crash Landings (4 Missions) On Moon Surface, 0 Soft Landings
Image Credit: NASA
Commander John Young Awarded ILOA ‘Astronaut Of The Century’; Veteran Of 7 Space Flights On 4 Different Crafts: Gemini, Apollo Command / Service Module, Lunar Ascent Module, Space Shuttle; Deployed First ‘Telescope’ On Moon; Lifelong Efforts To Help Humanity Achieve Multi-World Species Status: “Single Planet Species Don’t Last”
Image Credit: NASA, johnyoung.org
Twin Probes Ebb & Flow To Impact Moon Surface On 17 Dec Ending Successful US$496M Mission; Launched Sep 2011, Crafts Arrived In Lunar Orbit Last New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day; Provided Ultra-Precise Measurements To Construct Accurate Map Of Lunar Gravity Field; Showed Moon Crust Completely Pulverized Suggesting More Violent Early History Of Inner Solar System Than Previously Believed; NASA To Host Press Conference 13 Dec To Discuss Impact
Image Credit: NASA, ESA
KSC Physicist John Lane Working On Project To Track Lunar Dust / Protect Apollo Sites From Future Moon Landers; Lane Used Terrestrial Rain Drops As Analog To Calibrate Laser Sensor, Consequently Discovered System Could Improve Rainfall Measurements / Weather Forecasting; NASA Considering Placing Laser Sensor On GLXP Team Lander To Help Formulate Restrictions For Future Landers Concerning Safe Distance From Apollo Sites
Image Credit: NASA, Popular Mechanics
Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) Set For Next Aug As Payload On NASA LADEE Spacecraft; Optical Communications Via High-Bandwidth Laser Light Allow For More Data Transmission For Same Power As Radio; LLCD Mission Manager Donald Cornwell Says They Hope To Demonstrate 622 mbps From Moon, Compared To 100 mbps Ka-Band Radio Communications Utilized By LRO
Image Credit: NASA, LinkedIn
Researchers At Washington State University Have Demonstrated How Lunar Regolith Could Be Used As Raw Material For 3D Printers; Team Led By Prof Amit Bandyopadhyay Used A High-Powered Laser To Liquefy & 3D Print Simple Objects Out Of Lunar Regolith Simulant Material Provided By NASA; Resulting Material Was Glassy & Brittle, Researchers Suggest Additive Manufacturing Will Likely Be Needed For Printing More Advanced Materials On Moon
Image Credit: Washington State University, NASA
Jack Burns To Provide Update On NLSI Lunar University Network For Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) Activities; Team Of Researchers, Students, NASA Centers & Federal Research Labs Investigating Use Of Moon As Platform For Space Science; LUNAR Team Exploring Technologies That Serve Both Exploration & Science; Research Areas Include Lunar Laser Ranging, Low-Frequency Cosmology & Astrophysics, New Human / Robotic Mission Concepts
Image Credit: NASA, NLSI
University Of California Physicist Tom Murphy Sending Laser Signal From Apache Point Observatory NM, USA To Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; Laser Must Hit Orbiter 362,000km Away, Travelling At Roughly 5,000km/h; Once Fired Laser Will Hit Spacecraft 1.25 Seconds Later; LRO Constantly Tugged By Irregularities On Lunar Surface; Periodic Calibration Tests Ensure LRO In Ideal Position To Map Surface Of Luna & Study Its Radiation
Image Credit: NASA, UCSD
Representatives From 20 European Union Member States Meeting In Naples, Italy (20-21 Nov) To Refine & Approve Budget For Next 3 Years Of ESA Activity; Proposed US$15.3B Budget Includes Financing An ESA Contribution To NASA Orion Spacecraft Program Destined For Human Lunar Missions Around 2020; ESA Also Seeking Funding Of Robotic Lander To Explore South Pole Of Moon
Image Credit: ESA, NASA