US$504M Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Has Already Gathered As Much Data As All Other Planetary Missions Combined; Recent LRO Images / Data Of 2.2-Km-Wide Linné Crater (27.7°N 11.8°E) Helping Scientists Understand Evolution Of Impact Craters On Earth, Other Rocky Bodies; RESOLVE Lunar Rover Likely To Be Launched In 2017 To Find Water / Other Resources Useful For Space Exploration
Image Credit: NASA
Speculation Growing After Recent Election Victory That Obama Administration / NASA Will Soon Announce Plans To Develop Cislunar Space Through Series Of Human Moon Missions (NET 2021); Likely Scenario Involves Parking Spacecraft At Earth-Moon L2 To Learn More About Supporting Humans In Deep Space; Astronauts Could Then Aid In Lunar Exploration By Teleoperating Rovers On Moon Surface, Etc
Image Credit: NASA
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LAMP (Lyman Alpha Mapping Project) Spectrometer Sensed Noble Gas Helium For The First Time, Say Scientists From SWRI; Principal Investigator Alan Stern Points To Bigger Question Of Whether Helium Comes From Interior Source Such As Radioactive Decay Or From Solar Wind; 1972 Apollo 17 LACE (Lunar Atmosphere Composition Experiment) In Situ Measurements Agree With Findings / Point To Future Search For Argon
Image Credit: NASA, NASA Goddard/Debbie McCallum
NASA’s Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) Exploration Era Debuts SLS & Orion / Looks To A Human Return To The Moon; 2017 EM-1 On Lunar Return Class Orion Validates Critical Mission Elements / Human Rating In Lunar Orbit; 2021 EM-2 Adds Crew For 3-4 Days In Lunar Orbit; 2022 EM-3 To Begin Construction Of Exploration Gateway Enabling NEA Missions / Possible Lunar Surface Missions
Image Credit: NASA
Lunar Atmosphere And Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Nears Testing As Final Instrument Installed At NASA Ames Research Center; Ultraviolet & Visible Light Spectrometer (UVS) Analyzes Light Signatures; Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) Tracks Atmospheric Variations In Multiple Environments; Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) Collects / Analyzes Particles Aloft; Tech Demo Of Laser Communications Also Aboard; Set For Aug 2013 Launch, Project Scientist Rick Elphic States, “A Mission Like LADEE Has Been Needed Since Apollo…”
Image Credit: NASA
Romney / Ryan Space Plan Calls For Setting Clear Goals For NASA, International Cooperation, Support Of Commercial Space, Strengthening Security; Industry Leaders Fear Another Change Of Direction / Cancellation Of Programs, Critics Point To Similarities To Obama Administration Space Policy, Lack Of Bold Plan: Strong Focus On Human Moon Missions / Base Should Be Central Priority For NASA / USA Global Leadership In Space
Image Credit: NASA, floridatoday.com
Lunar Enterprise Daily Will Return NLT 6 November 2012
‘Gateway Spacecraft’ Would Hover 445,000km From Earth At Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange Point, Support Small Crew, Serve As Staging Area For Future Moon & Mars Missions; NASA To Use Orion MPCV / SLS Rocket For Transportation, Leftover Parts Of ISS For Construction; Funding & Radiation Risks Remain Issues; Some See More Value In Human-Tended Lunar Base
Image Credit: NASA
Annual Event Inspired By NASA LRO Mission Set For Saturday 22 Sep; Over 250 Events Scheduled In Over 40 Countries; Telescopes & Educational Lectures / Materials Provided To Moon-Gazers At Local Events; This Year InOMN Event Dedicated To Memory Of Neil Armstrong; Organizers Hope To Instill Public Sense Of Wonder & Curiosity About Moon While Imparting Recent Lunar Discoveries
Image Credit: Huntsville Times, NASA
Ouliang Chang Of USC Viterbi School Of Engineering Outlines Plan For Deployment Of Supercomputer & Accompanying Radio Dishes On Moon To Ease Load On Terrestrial Mission Control, Provide Computational Power For 1st Phase Of Lunar Industrial / Settlement Development; Polar Location To Avoid Drastic Temperature Swings, Access To Water Ice For Cooling; Dishes Could Also Be Used For Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry
Image Credit: NASA
Maria Zuber, GRAIL PI, Reveals High-Resolution Gravity Map / Initial Results Of Mission At Recent Seminar; Average Thickness Of Lunar Crust Appears To Be 30km, About Half Of Previous Estimate; High Correlations Between Topography & Gravitational Field; GRAIL Unable To Confirm Existence Of Hypothetical Ancient Impact Basins; Map Is 3-4 Times More Detailed Than Those Of Kaguya Or Lunar Prospector
Image Credit: NASA, Wikipedia