Category Archives: Solar System Exploration

Tuesday / 15 December 2015

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China Chang’e-3 Spacecraft Enters Year 3 On Moon; Honorary Currency Celebrates China National Spaceflight

12152015Currently In Lunar Night 25 Chang’e-3 (CE-3) Expected To Awaken 21 Dec & Begin Lunar Day 26 Operations; First Long-Term Robotic Observatory Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) On CE-3 Continues To Gather Images Of Galaxies / Binary Stars / Deep Space With Fewer Limitations Than Earth Due To The Thin Exosphere; Chinese Lunar Exploration Program Has 3 Phases: Orbiting CE-1 & CE-2 / Landing CE-2 & CE-4 (To Far Side NET 2018) / Sample Return CE-5 (Slated For 2017) & CE-6; China’s Central Bank Commemorates Chang’e-1 On Currency (Bill & Coin) 2015 Banknote Reads “Chinese Spaceflight Commemorative”

Credit: People’s Bank of China, CNSA, CAST, CLEP, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 December 2015

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Sustainable Revitalization Strategies For Lunar Exploration To Be Discussed At “Moon 2020-2030”

1252015Moon 2020-2030 Symposium On Human & Robotic Exploration Being Held At ESTEC Noordwijk, The Netherlands 15-16 Dec Will Examine & Build Upon Approaches And Innovations For Lunar Missions; Symposium “Will Be A Key Step In Advancing The International Approach For Lunar Exploration Together With Key Players From Agencies, Academia, And Industry”; Objectives Invite Contributions In Multiple Areas Including: Operational Human Roles, Opportunities Of Lunar Exploration For Society, Planned Missions & Capabilities; Opening Plenary Session By ESA Head Of Propulsion And Aerothermodynamics Division Giorgio Saccoccia To Discuss Exploration Technology Roadmaps In Support Of Moon Initiatives & Technology Prioritization

Credit: ESA, Foster + Partners

Thursday / 3 December 2015

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Hawai`i Based PISCES Seeks Emergency Funds To Continue Moon & Deep Space Research Programs

1232015An Urgent Request To Hawaii Gov. Ige (R) To Appropriate Funds Of US$670k For Salaries To Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems (PISCES) FY 2016 (Jul ’15 – Jun ’16) Currently Being Deliberated; PISCES Director Rob Kelso (L) States Organization Will Continue To Operate Normally Until The End Of The Calendar Year 2015 But Without Approval “We Are Out Of Business After June”; PISCES MoonRIDERS (Research Investigating Dust Expulsion Removal Systems) Joint Partnership With NASA Kennedy Space Center & Google Lunar XPRIZE Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) Technology With High School Participants Kealakehe & Iolani Hope For Approval To Continue Hawaii High-Tech Advancement

Credit: PISCES, UH Hilo, State of Hawaii

Tuesday / 24 November 2015

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Lunar & Planetary Exploration Advance With Mining Potential Under U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA)

11242015H.R. 2262 Bill To Allow American Enterprises To Own / Sell Materials Mined From Other Celestial Bodies May Spur New Off-Planet Economy; House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) States “This Bill Will Unite Law With Innovation Allowing The Next Generation Of Pioneers To Experiment”; Honeybee Robotics Beginning Field Testing Of Drill For Hard Surfaces On Mars / Other Planetary Bodies & Has Several Lunar Technologies Addressing Lunar ISRU With Robotic Percussive Digger & Pneumatic Miner; Shackleton Energy Co. Working On Solutions To Mine Lunar Ice For Conversion Into Rocket Fuel; Moon Express CEO Bob Richards (L) Also Praises CSLCA Stating “Our Goal Is To Unlock The Resources Of The Moon For The Benefit Of Humanity”

Credit: Honeybee Robotics, Shackleton Energy Company, Moon Express, Congress.gov

Thursday / 12 November 2015

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Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Bolsters NewSpace, Encouraging For Lunar Property Rights

11122015Private Aerospace & NewSpace Enterprise Emboldened By The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (S. 1297) Passed Earlier & Further Passage Of H.R. 2262 Allowing U.S. Citizens To Own Asteroid Resources They Obtain As Property; “This Off-Planet Economy Will Forever Change Our Lives For The Better Here On Earth” (L-R) Chris Lewicki President Of Planetary Resources; Rick Tumlinson, Deep Space Industries Co-Founder “This Bill Is A Historic Step Forward”; Bob Richards Of Moon Express Plans To Mine The Moon For Resources Including Gold, Cobalt, Iron, Palladium, Platinum, Tungsten & Helium-3; President Of Polispace & Co-Founder Of Space Frontier Foundation James Muncy Avidly Supports Commercial Space Entrepreneurship

Credit: NewSpace 2015, Deep Space Industries, Planetary Resources, Moon Express

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Nov 2015

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National Space Society Advocates Urgent Renewal For NASA Moon Missions

11062015Vital Studies Needed At Moon Lunar Poles To Verify Water Sufficiency For Sustainable Human Moon, Mars, Solar System Exploration; NASA-Funded Evolvable Lunar Architecture (ELA) Study Demonstrates Humans Could Return To Moon In 5-7 Years For US$10B & Establish Permanent Industrial Base Within 10-12 Years For $2.8B Per Year; Lunar Pole Robotic Survey Of Water Resources Imperative To Advance ELA In ~2020; Survey Reveals Commercial Enterprise Benefits By Supplying 200,000 Kg Of Propellant Per Year Placed Into Lunar Orbit Creating NewSpace Economies Via In Situ Resource Utilization

Credit: NASA

Thursday / 5 November 2015

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Moonspike May Continue Efforts To Reach Moon, Other Private Ventures Advancing

11052015US$122K Raised From Over 1,000 Supporters Fell Short Of Crowdfunding Goals For Moonspike Spacecraft & Rocket To Crash-Land On The Lunar Surface;  Moonspike Founder Chris Larmour States “We Are Going To Spend Some Time Reviewing Our Options”; Britain Commercial Lunar Mission One Raised Over US$1.3M & Planning To Land Probe On Moon Surface & Drill 20-100 Meters For Samples To Return To Earth By 2024; Israel SpaceIL GLXP Team Set a US$240K Campaign Goal – One Dollar For Every Mile To The Moon, Team Secured Launch Services With Spaceflight Industries To Launch NLT 2017

Credit: Moonspike, Lunar Mission Ltd., SpaceIL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 October 2015

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Stanford On The Moon (SOM)
Launching The Next 50 – 75 Years

10242015Stanford University President John Hennessy (TL) Commends SOM At Reunion Weekend “It’s A Good Project, Keep It Up”; SOM Advisory Committee Consists Of 12 Alum: Founder Steve Durst 1965, Lois Driggs Aldrin 1951, Bruce Lusignan 1958, Jim McCotter 1965, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides 1996, Grant Anderson 1985, Henning Roedel 2011, Jim Michaelis 1960, John Kleeman 1969, Alicia Kavelaars 2002, William Brown 1965 & Professor Sigrid Close; Committee Drawn To Critical Thinking To Address The Need To Explore New Horizons Vital To The Future Of Humanity; SOM Launching For The Next 50-75 Year Trajectory, Planning For Stanford Center On The Moon Before 2091 University Bicentennial

Credit: SOM, NASA, Space Age Publishing Company

Thursday / 22 October 2015

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Russia-Europe To Collaborate On Human Lunar Settlement At Late 2016 Meetings

10222015Moscow Space Research Institute Prof Igor Mitrofanov (TL) Asserts “We Have To Go To The Moon” Due To Commercial, Astronomical Observation & Utilization Of Lunar Resource Benefits; Meeting Of Ministers To Decide Europe Participation Late 2016; Russia Vostochny Cosmodrome For Lunar, Planetary, Human Missions Described As “Biggest & Most Ambitious Projects” By Pres Putin (TR); ESA Lunar Exploration Head, Bérengère Houdou (BL) States “Ambition To Have European Astronauts On The Moon” & Lead Scientist Dr. James Carpenter (BR) Notes Moon South Pole Unique Characteristics Includes Possible Water Ice For “Use As Rocket Fuel; Luna-25 Luna-Glob Lander Expected 2018 & Luna-Resurs 1 Lander Expected 2020

Credit: ESA, EPA/ Alexei Nikolsky, University of Bristol, IKI

Wednesday / 21 October 2015

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President Obama Inspiring Youth To ‘Ask About The Stars’ At White House Astronomy Night

10212015Private-Sector “Educate To Innovate” (ETI) Campaign Announced By Pres. Obama Stating “We Need To Inspire More Young People To Ask About The Stars And Begin That Lifetime Quest To Become The Next Great Scientist, Or Inventor, Or Engineer, Or Astronaut”; Astronomy Night Featuring Moon, Mars Meteorite Rock Samples & New York 12th-Grader Alvarez-Bareiro Inviting President To Examine The Moon; President Outlined Priorities: Journey To Mars, Space Technology, Earth Science & Climate, ISS, Commercial Space; ETI Focus In STEM To Prepare 100k Teachers By 2021 & Other Projects To Work With 30+ States To Support ~500k Students Grades 4-8; Hawaii World Class Observatories Goal Of Inspiring A Passion For Astronomy Offering Free Tours To Students 16 Years Old As Early As November 2015

Credit: NASA, Case.edu