Image Credit: NASA
US$496M Mission Extended 6 Months Allowing Scientists To Complete More Definitive Map Of Lunar Gravity Field From Lower Orbit; Twin Crafts Will Orbit Average Of 22.5km Above Moon During 2nd 3-Month Mapping Cycle, Sep-Dec; Mission Was Intended To End In June Before Lunar Eclipse, Mission Planners Now Hope To Crash Probes Into Lunar Surface In December, Ideally In LRO Field Of View
Image Credit: NASA, AP
Exploration Roadmap Documentation Indicates NASA Still Has Plans To Send Astronauts To Lunar Surface; Latest Con Ops Document Refers To Lunar Surface Sortie (LSS) Mission, Crew Of 4, 19-Day Mission With 7 Days On Moon; Viable In Early 2020s With Renewed Development Of Lander Vehicle (L), Political Support; Neil DeGrasse Tyson Continues Call For Increased NASA Funding, #Penny4NASA Campaign
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Veronica Osorio, internationalwomensday.com
Maria Zuber Tells 250 Female Students To “Shoot For The Moon” During International Women’s Day Event At NASA Jet Propulsion Lab; Zuber Is Chair Of Planetary & Atmospheric Studies At MIT, Principal Investigator Of GRAIL Mission Currently Studying The Gravity Field Of The Moon; To Date 55 Women Have Traveled To Space & 0 Have Traveled To The Moon
Image Credit: NASA
Twin GRAIL Probes ‘Ebb & Flow’ Begin Science Mission, Will Spend Next 3 Months Orbiting 56km Above Lunar Surface While Scientists Monitor Slight Variations In Distance To Map Gravitational Field; US$496M Mission May Support Or Debunk Various Theories Of Moon Origin; New Goddard Visualization Studio Applet Uses LRO Images To Show Phase & Libration Of Moon For Every Hour Of 2012
Image Credit: NASA
Tethered ‘Hot Fire’ Tests Of New Project Morpheus Engine Continue; Spacecraft Designed To Be Fully Integrated, Capable Of Transporting 500kg To Lunar Surface, Able To Make Entire Trip Autonomously Including Lunar Descent & Landing; NASA JSC / Armadillo Aerospace-Designed Craft Uses Cheaper & Safer Methane Fuel Which Can Be Harvested On Moon
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Exploration Mission 1 of SLS & MPCV Tentatively Scheduled For 17 Dec 2017; On 7-10 Day Mission Uncrewed Space Capsule Will Launch To High-Apogee Orbit, Make Trans Lunar Injection Burn For Lunar Flyby Followed By Free Return Trajectory To Test Thermal Protection Performance At High-Speed Reentry (~11km/s); EM-2, NET 2019, Will Send Crew Of 4 On Similar Mission
Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology Inc
Astrobotic Receives Additional Task In US$10M Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) Contract With NASA; Company Will Present NASA With Summary Of Progress Designing New Model Rover For Lunar Polar Prospecting; $100K Task Order Brings Astrobotic ILDD Contract Funding Total To $610K; Astrobotic Planning Prospecting Mission To Moon South Pole In May 2015
Image Credit: NASA, moonviews.com
Dennis Wingo / Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Seeking Private Donations Or NASA Funding To Finish ‘Techno-Archaeology’ Remastering Of 1960s Lunar Orbiter Data; Team Has Spent US$700K To Recover 1/3 Of The Data; Quality Is Comparable To Most Recent LROC Images, Useful In Demonstrating How Moon Changes Over Time
Image Credit: NASA
Recent Coronal Mass Ejections (TL) Were Most Significant Radiation Events During LRO 2.5-Year Mission, CRaTER Instrument On LRO (C) Characterizing Global Lunar Radiation Environment By Measuring Galactic / Solar Radiation From Behind ‘Human Tissue-Equivalent’ Plastic; GRAIL Sends Its 1st Video From Lunar Orbit, Ebb Captures 30-Second Video Of Lunar Far Side While Traveling North-South