Category Archives: NASA

Wednesday / 5 December 2012

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Lunar Dust-Tracking Laser Has Terrestrial Applications

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

Tuesday / 4 December 2012

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LADEE LLCD Test Could Revolutionize Lunar Communications

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

Friday / 30 November 2012

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3D Printing Tests With Lunar Regolith

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

Tuesday / 27 November 2012

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LUNAR Research Video Seminar Today

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

Weekend Edition / Thu-Mon 22-26 Nov 2012

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Laser Calibration Keeps LRO In Perfect Position

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

Wednesday / 21 November 2012

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Europe Role In Upcoming Lunar Missions To Be Determined At Ministerial Council

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

Weekend Edition / Fri – Mon 9-12 Nov 2012

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LRO Still Providing Valuable Data; Lander Mission Up Next

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

Friday / 9 November 2012

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New Human Moon Missions: NASA Announcement Pending?

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

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 2-5 Nov 2012

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LRO-LAMP Detects Helium

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

Thursday / 1 November 2012

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NASA BEO Plans 2 Moon Missions / Possible Human Return To Lunar Surface

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