Category Archives: Water on Moon

Thursday / 31 July 2014

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SLS Maiden Voyage To Deliver Cubesats To Moon

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11 Cubesats Will Be Delivered To Cislunar Space On First Uncrewed Mission Of SLS Rocket / Orion Capsule In Late 2017; 3 Missions Have Already Been Selected Including Lunar Flashlight; Led By Barbara Cohen Of NASA Marshall SFC; Mission Will Utilize 80m² Solar Sail To Navigate Into A Highly Elliptical Lunar Polar Orbit That Passes Near Moon South Pole, Solar Sail Will Then Be Redirected To Shine 50kW Of Sunlight Into Shaded Craters While On-Board Spectrometer Measures Surface Reflection & Composition; Data Will Identify Sites With Ample Volatiles Near Surface Ideal For More Expansive Lander / Rover / Human Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Rob Staehle

Friday / 11 July 2014

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Benefits Of Moon First Strategy

Moon Resources

Space / Moon Experts Urge NASA To Refocus On Moon First Exploration Path: Astronaut Clayton Anderson (TL) Says Humans Should Learn To Live On Moon Before Greater Challenge Of Mars; Larry Kellogg (TR), With Input From Dr. David Schrunk (B), Writes About Apollo Inspiring Next Generation, ‘Infinite’ Resources (Lunar Regolith, Harvestable NEAs), Energy (Sunlight, H2O, Helium-3), Access To Asteroid Belt / Solar System, Potential To Create Earth-Like Environments In Moon Lava Tubes

Image Credit: NASA, Larry Kellogg, ISRO, JAXA /NHK, lifeboat.com

Thursday / 15 May 2014

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Moon Poles Offer Lab To Study Origin Of Life

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Lunar Poles Differ Dramatically From Any Part Of Moon Already Visited Says UH Professor Paul Lucey Of HIGP; Missions To Moon Poles Could Allow Field Testing Of Models Of Inorganic Synthesis, Along With ISRU Of Extensive Water Deposits – Over 600M Metric Tons Of Water / Hydroxyl At North Pole Alone; University Of Hawaii Team Led By Sara Crites Demonstrates How Small Amounts Of Volatiles Irradiated With Galactic Cosmic Rays Over 1B Years Could Have Produced Organic Compounds Detected By LCROSS

Image Credit: UH, NASA, Facebook

Wednesday / 12 March 2014

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5th Joint Meeting Of SRR / PTMSS In June

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Space Resources Roundtable And The Planetary & Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium Release 2nd Announcement Of Their 5th Joint Meeting At Colorado School Of Mines (CSM) On 9-12 June; Held In Collaboration With The Lunar & Planetary Institute The Event Will Provide A Forum To Discuss Near & Long-Term Strategies For Taking Advantage Of Emerging Opportunities For Space / Lunar Resource Utilization Activities On Planned National & Private Missions; Pictured: Angel Abbud-Madrid Of CSM

Image Credit: CSM, NASA

Wednesday / 12 February 2014

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Scientists Investigate Origin Of Organic Compounds On Moon

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Cosmic Rays From Outside Galaxy May Turn Simple Molecules In Lunar Ice Into More Complex Organics; Sarah Crites Of University Of Hawaii At Manoa Models Ice Chemistry; Simulation Suggests Up To 6% Of Simpler Molecules In Moon Polar Ice Could Be Converted Into Organic Compounds Such As Methane After 1 Billion Years Of Cosmic Ray Bombardment; David Lawrence Of Johns Hopkins APL Says Data Provides Incentive For Moon Pole Prospecting Missions

Image Credit: NASA, jhuapl.edu, Facebook

Thursday / 23 January 2014

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Clementine Mission Pivotal In Illuminating Importance Of Lunar Destination

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Advocating For Strong USA Initiative To Realize Robotic & Human Missions To Lunar Poles ASAP, Paul Spudis Reviews Impact Of 1994 Clementine Moon Orbiter On America / World Space Policy; Over 71 Days Mission Collected >2M Images, 1st Global Topographic Map Of Moon, Revealed Aitken Basin / South Pole Features That Could Sustain Human Outpost: Peaks Of Near Permanent Sun Illumination, Evidence Of Water Ice / Hydrogen; Spudis On The Space Show Sunday 26 Jan

Image Size: NASA

Wednesday / 22 January 2014

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ESA Looking To Collaborate With Russia On Lunar Exploration

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European Space Agency Leaders Advancing Collaboration With Russia On Luna-27 / Luna- Resurs 1 Mission ~2019 To Research Frozen Volatiles Near Moon South Pole & ROSCOSMOS Lunar Polar Sample Return Mission Envisaged In Early 2020s; Meetings On 17-19 Feb 2014 At ESA ESTEC Will Explore Collaboration Possibilities, Evaluate Sample Return Science Proposals

Image Credit: ROSCOSMOS, ESA

Wednesday / 28 August 2013

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Magmatic Water Detected On Moon

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Scientists Use Moon Mineralogy Mapper Data From Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter (R) To Make 1st Remote Detection Of Magmatic Water On Moon Surface; Significant Amounts Of Hydroxyl Discovered In 60-Km  Wide Lunar Impact Crater Bullialdus (L) Near Equator Indicates Presence Of Water Which Originated Deep Within Lunar Surface; Data Provides Clues About Volcanic Processes & Internal Composition Of Moon

Image Credit: NASA, ISRO

Friday / 23 August 2013

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Lunar Water Talk At Lunar & Planetary Institute

LPI Water Moon

Michael Poston Georgia Tech Chemist Gives Update On Modern Lunar Water At LPI In Houston TX; IR Spectroscopy & Neutron Depletion Remote Sensing Data Support Idea Of Hydroxyl & Water Loss, Migration, Replenishment Cycle Each Lunar Day; Will Discuss Origins & Retention Mechanisms Of Volatiles, Discrepancy Of Water-Ice In Permanently Shadowed Regions, Apollo Sample Experiments, Solar Wind & Lunar Regolith Interactions

Image Credit: LPI, NASA, JHU/APL, CIW, NAIC, Arecibo Observatory

Friday / 9 August 2013

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Moon Interior May Be Wetter Than Believed

Water Moon

Amit Sarbadhikari Member Of PLANEX Group At Physical Research Laboratory In Ahmedabad, India Conducts New Study On Moon Rocks; Lunar Rock-15555 & Others Indicate Moon Interior May Be Wetter Than Previously Believed Due To Varying Levels Of Water In Volcanic Glass Beads, Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions, Accessory Phase Apatite; Concentration Of Volatiles Over Entire Moon Still Uncertain

Image Credit: Worth1000.com, NASA, PRL