Lunar COTS Petition Founded By Doug Plata Gaining Momentum As NASA Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Manager Alan Lindenmoyer (L) Suggests Using Successful COTS Model Elsewhere In NASA; Lunar COTS Would Establish Programs To Support Commercial Cis-lunar Transportation Service, Lunar Surface Operations, Harvesting Lunar Polar Ice, Orbital Propellant & Servicing Depots, Initial Crewed Lunar Base
Image Credit: NASA
Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator, Confirms Ambitious USA Plans To Return To Moon During Speech At AIAA Conference In Pasadena, CA; Uncrewed Mission Scheduled For 2017, Human Orbital Mission By 2021; NASA Report To US Congress Outlines Plan For “Nearly Self-Sustaining Surface Habitat” On Moon For Long-Duration Astronaut Missions, Capable Of Extracting Oxygen, Water, Silicon, Etc In Situ
Image Credit: NASA, Stephan Wlodarczyk
Program & Abstracts Now Available For 22-24 Oct 2012 LEAG Annual Meeting In Greenbelt Maryland; Presentations / Discussions On Science Objectives, Robotic Human Exploration Strategies & Technologies, Moon As Necessary Stepping Stone To Rest Of Solar System; Organizers Plan To Celebrate Apollo Legacy 40 Years After Apollo 17, Look Forward To Next Generation Of Lunar Missions; Pictured (BC): LEAG Chair Charles Shearer
Image Credit: LPI, NASA, University of New Mexico
Prototype Lunar Lander Completes Another Successful Test Flight At NASA Marshall SFC; Vehicle Navigated Autonomously Flying On Pre-Programmed Flight Profile For 35-Second Run; Flew To 30-m Altitude, Identified New Landing Target 30m Away, Took Pictures, Processed Images & Landed Safely; This Begins New Series Of Flights Testing Lander’s Autonomous Rendezvous & Capture Abilities
Image Credit: NASA, Angry Birds
‘Mighty Eagle’ Lander Completes 2 Successful Untethered Tests At NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; 3-Legged Lander Hovered At Altitude Of 10m, Identified Its Landing Site 6.5m Away, Moved Sideways & Descended Safely; Flight Lasted 32 Seconds; Fuelled Mainly By Pure Hydrogen Peroxide, 315kg Lander Is Test-Bed Vehicle That Could Land On Moon Or Asteroids; Additional Tests Expected In Sep
Image Credit: NASA
Armadillo Aerospace / NASA JSC Confirm Development Of New Morpheus Test Vehicle, To Be Ready For 1st Tethered Tests By Early 2013; Engineers Continue To Gather Data, Learn From Recent Crash; Utilizing “Lean” Development Approach To Quickly Build, Test & Redesign Hardware To Achieve Many Cycles Before Building Flight Unit; Project Has Cost About US$7M Over Last 2.5 Years
Image Credit: NASA
James Fincannon & NASA Glenn Research Center Engineers Provide Evidence That USA Flags Persevering In Harsh Lunar Environment; By Combining LROC Images Of Each Apollo Site Taken At Same Orientation But With Different Sun Angles, Team Produced Video To Show Movement Of Shadow Caused By Flags; All Flags Except Apollo 11 Still Standing
Image Credit: NASA
Sally Ride: 26 May 1951 – 23 July 2012
Respectful / Honorable Achievements Extend Beyond Her Being The First American Woman In Space (On 18 June 1983) & Her Efforts To Inspire Women To Consider Careers In Science; Ride Was Also Current PI For GRAIL MoonKAM Initiative, ‘Outpost On Moon’ (With Crew Of 30 By 2010) Was 1 Of 4 Main Initiatives In The 1987 ‘Ride Report’
Speaking At Lunar Science Forum, NASA Planetary Sciences Division Director Jim Green Says Science & Human Exploration Sectors Will Get Closer As Exploration Moves Out From Earth Orbit; Rechartered Lunar Science Institute Will Have ‘Flexible Path’ Focus On Moon, Mars, NEOs; Human Spaceflight Architecture Team Outlines Importance Of Cis-Lunar Space In Future Global Space Exploration
Image Credit: NASA
Moon South Pole, With Water Ice In Permanently Shadowed Craters / Peaks Of Eternal Light, Is Likely Destination For Future Human Exploration / Settlement As Indicated By Spacecraft Impactors That Have Targeted The Area: USA Lunar Prospector 31 Jul 1999, India Chandrayaan-1 Moon Impact Probe 14 Nov 2008, USA LCROSS 9 Oct 2009
Image Credit: NASA, ISRO