Twin ARTEMIS Crafts Reveal Unexpected Influence Of Complex Lunar Electric & Magnetic Fields On Solar Wind; NASA / GSFC Issues Sole-Source RFP To UCLA For Continuation Of Instrument / Science Management Of LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment From March 2013 – March 2015; GRAIL Crafts Ebb & Flow Preparing For Extended Science Operations 30 Aug – 3 Dec 2012
Image Credit: NASA
Lunar Extreme Workshop 2012 At Ames, Moffett Field CA, 18-22 June; High School Teachers & Students Participating In The DREAM Program Will Interact With Lunar Scientists As They Research The Extreme Environmental Dynamics Of The Moon; NASA Lunar Science Institute To Host 5th Annual Lunar Science Forum 17-19 July 2012, To Include Dedicated Side Conference For Graduate Students & Young Lunar Professionals
Image Credit: NASA
Now In Hibernation, Ebb & Flow Survived Recent Lunar Eclipse; Extended Mission To Run From 30 Aug – 3 Dec; Spacecraft Performed Flawlessly During Primary Mission; GRAIL Will Halve Operating Altitude To 23km During Next Phase To Obtain Even Closer Look At Moon Gravity Field; MoonKAM Program Also Extended, Over 70,000 Student Images Have Thus Far Been Obtained
Image Credit: NASA
3rd Generation Design Of RESOLVE Experiment Set For Mission Simulation Field Test In July 2012 On Slopes Of Mauna Kea, Hawai`i; Next Step In Understanding Available Resources At Lunar Poles; NASA / CSA RESOLVE Payload On Lunar Rover Will Perform 3-5 Sample Collections At Depth Of 1m, Over Area Of Several Square Km During 5-7 Day Mission To Map Horizontal Distribution Of Hydrogen Bearing Volatiles
Image Credit: NASA, JAXA
66 Undergraduate & Graduate School Teams From Around The World Will Compete In 3rd Annual NASA Lunabotics Competition 21-27 May At Kennedy Space Center; Teams WIll Have 10 Minutes To Maneuver Through Obstacle Course Of Lunar Regolith Simulant, Collect As Much Regolith As Possible; NASA Awarding Bonus Points For Autonomous Robots; Lunar Mining / ISRU Critical For Development Of Lunar Outpost
Image Credit: NASA, tuscaloosanews.com
3 Affordable US Lunar Lander Options Advancing Through Commercial & Government Efforts; Armadillo Aerospace Morpheus Lander Passed Several Tethered Tests At NASA JSC, Designed For 1-Way, Uncrewed Missions Up To 500kg; SpaceX Red Dragon Lander Concept Also 1-Way Option, Capsule Useful Component Of Potential Base; Masten Xeus Concept Could Carry 4.5 Tonnes To Lunar Surface & Back
Image Credit: NASA, SpaceX, Masten
Image Credit: NASA
Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) System Under Development At NASA Will Enable Safe Landings In Locations Apollo Never Could Have Gone; Terrain Relative Navigation System Utilizes 3 Sensors (Optical, Lidar, Laser Altimeter) & Stored Data To Determine Lander Position & Velocity; Hazard Detection System Generates DEM With 10-cm Resolution
Image Credit: NASA
American Astronaut Marsha Ivins Speaks To Students About Benefits / Importance Of Space Travel At Nehru Planetarium In Mumbai India; “Traveling Again To The Moon Is The Right Thing To Do”; Says Image Of Milky Way Galaxy Provides Her With Inspiration / Commitment To Support Space Exploration; Ivins Spent 55 Days In Space During 36-Year NASA Career That Included 5 Spaceflights
Image Size: NASA, ILOA
John Young, Charlie Duke Are Only 2 Humans To Ever Walk On Lunar Highlands, Spent 3 Days On Lunar Surface, Logged 26.7km On Lunar Rover, Returned 95.8kg Of Samples, Deployed First Observatory On Moon; 40 Years Later, Next Frontier Of Lunar Exploration Is Similarly Challenging Environment: Mountainous South Pole; Commander Young Now Serves As Honorary Director Of ILOA
Image Credit: NASA, ILOA
Using Unprecedented High-Resolution Topography Data From LRO LOLA Instrument, NASA Animator Ernie Wright Reconstructs “Most Influential Environmental Photo Ever Taken” For Earth Day; New Video Includes Original Audio Recording Of Apollo 8 Astronauts; ILOA / Galaxy Forum Suggests Next Culturally-Transformative Image Will Also Be Taken From Moon, Looking Out At Our Expansive Milky Way Home