Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 3-6 May 2019

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Apollo 10 ‘Snoopy’ Ascent Stage May Be Future Target Of Rendezvous

50th Observation Of Apollo 10 Launch Is 18 May; UK Astronomers Assisted By Former Apollo Flight Controllers Find Lunar Module ‘Snoopy’ In Space; Ascent Stage Named For ‘Peanuts’ Beagle Remains In Orbit After Descending To 14.4 km From Surface And Returning In 1969; Surviving Mission Commander Tom Stafford Recalls Having No Idea Where Module Went; Nick Howes Of Royal Astronomical Society Thinks The Unique Historic Crewed Spacecraft Is Future Target For Rendezvous Mission

Credits: NASA, Charles Schulz Museum

Friday / 3 May 2019

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50th Observation Of Apollo 11 Launch To Be Celebrated At Kennedy Space Center And In Worldwide Webex

Apollo 11 Launch 16 July Will Be Observed Worldwide And Online; City Of Cocoa Beach Is Site Of Astronaut Parade 13 July And Women In Space Panel 14 July; Official Apollo 50th Gala Begins 16 July At Kennedy Space Center; Guests Will Include Andrew Aldrin, Rick Armstrong, Rusty Schweickart (L), Jim Lovell (R) And Other Astronauts; Cisco Webex At Gala Will Connect Some Of The 400,000 Workers In The Apollo Program

Credits: Northrop Grumman, Aldrin Family Foundation, NASA

Wednesday / 1 May 2019

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Lunar Exploration Is Topic Of Panel Discussion Held By Purdue University President

In Context Of USA Human Moon Landing 2024 Initiative, Former Governor Of Indiana Mitch Daniels Hosts Speakers On Future Of Space Exploration At Purdue, Alma Mater Of Neil Armstrong; NASA Associate Administrator Of Human Exploration Bill Gerstenmaier Says “Not Back To The Moon But Forward To The Moon”, Director Of Cornell Center For Astrophysics And Planetary Science Jonathan Lunine States “The Moon Is The Crossroads And The Touchstone”

 

Credits: NASA, ML Dittmar Via Twitter, Purdue University, Carl Sagan Institute

Tuesday / 30 Apr 2019

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NASA Plans South Pole Lunar Base In Parallel With Blue Origin 

USA National Space Council Leader Scott Pace (L) Says Lunar Base Is Part Of Sustainable Exploration Plan; Space Launch System May Undergo 4-Engine Static Test At Stennis Space Center, Potentially Delaying First Uncrewed EM-1 Flight To 2021; Exploration Chief Bill Gerstenmaier Calculates That SLS Crewed EM-2 May Still Occur In 2022 And Human Lunar Landing In 2024; Blue Origin Signs Contract For Unused Apollo-Era Test Stands, Hints At 9 May Announcement About ‘Endurance’ And Shackleton Crater At South Pole

Credits: NASA

Friday / 26 Apr 2019

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Conferences Look Forward To Future Lunar Landings

Lunar Launches Will Be Remembered At 46th Space Congress 4-6 June At Cape Canaveral; 19th International Space Development Conference Follows 6-9 Jun In Arlington, VA With Theme Back To The Moon To Stay; Space Resources Roundtable Observes 20th Opening In Golden, CO 11-14 Jun; 11th International Academy Of Astronautics Symposium Is 17-19 Jun On The Future Of Space Exploration Starting With The Moon; NASA Exploration Science Forum 23-25 Jul Follows 50th Observation Of Apollo 11

Credits: Moon Express, ISDC, IAA, Space Congress

Thursday / 25 Apr 2019

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Space Day China Looks Forward To Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

National Day Of Space Flight Meetings Are In Changsha 24 April, 49th Observation Of Dongfanghong-1, First Zhongguo Artificial Satellite; Theme Is “Pursue Space Dream For Win-Win Cooperation” With International Partners Contributing Science Experiments To Chang’e-4 And Queqiao Orbiter; Chang’e-4 Returns More Images Of Lunar Far Side While Chang’e-5 Is Planned For Late 2019; China National Space Administration Head Zhang Kejian (R), One Of Time Magazine’s 100 Influential People, Announces Plans To Build Research Station On Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

Credits: CNSA, Space Day, Xinhua News, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wednesday / 24 Apr 2019

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SpaceIL Helps Validate Lunar Cycler Concept

Lunar Impact Opens Door For Future Missions; SpaceIL Vows To Attempt Soft Landing With Beresheet 2.0; International Independent Enterprises Like Astrobotic, Moon Express, PTScientists, Team Indus, Team Hakuto, As Well As SpaceX, Blue Origin, And Others All Aim For Moon; SpaceNews Writer Edward Hudgins Notes That Beresheet Validates Cycler Concept Pioneered And Advocated By Buzz Aldrin; Cycler Spacecraft Could Reach Moon In Elongated Earth Orbits For Less Fuel Cost Than Conventional Paths

Credits: NASA, Heartland Institute

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Apr 2019

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NASA 1% Of US Govt Budget Would See Humans On Moon 2025, Mars 2030

USA Commitment To ‘MoonRush’ Seeks Funding; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (R) Will Send Revised Budget Request To Congress; General Public Consensus Now Favors NASA Receiving 1% Of Federal Budget, Far Less Than The NASA 4% During Apollo Era, Which Would Double NASA Budget To US$40B With Little Effect On DoD $700B+ Outlay; MoonRush By 2024 Will Potentially Include Participation From International Partners, Such As China, India, Crescent Moon Countries, Among Others

Credits: NASA

Friday / 19 Apr 2019

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Chang’e-4 Scientific Data Release Benefits International Partners

China National Space Administration Holds Ceremony 18 April To Pass Chang’e-4 Scientific Data To International Partners; Dutch Scientists Will Receive Data From Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE) Astronomy Experiment On Queqiao Orbiter; Lander Neutrons And Dosimetry (LND) Experiment Is Built By Germany To Understand Radiation Effects On Regolith; Yutu-2 Rover Carries Small Analyzer For Neutrals (ASAN) Contributed By Sweden To Study Solar Wind; Liu Jizhong (L) Head Of Lunar Exploration And Science Center Announces That China Will Be Seeking 20 Kg Of International Scientific Payloads For Chang’e-6 South Pole Lander And Orbiter

Credits: CNSA, China News

Tuesday / 16 Apr 2019

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ILOA-NAOC Sign MoU For Chang’e-3 LUT Data Processing To Advance Astronomy From The Moon 

In Beijing, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Sign Memorandum Of Understanding With International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) For Co-Sponsorship Of 2-Year Research Fellow To Process & Publish Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Data; 150-mm Aperture LUT Operational On Chang’e-3 At Mare Imbrium Can Image Galaxies, Quasars And Stars In Near-Ultraviolet 245-340 Nanometer Band; Accepting Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications Beginning This Week; Latest Lunar Astronomy Instrument ‘Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE)’ Aboard Chang’e-4 Queqiao Orbiter At L2 Is Active

Credits: ILOA, NAOC-CAS, CNSA