Category Archives: Advanced Technology

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 April 2017

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Canada Prioritizes Technologies For International Lunar Deep Space Habitat And Lunar Surface Mobility (LSM) Concept Study

Canadian Space Agency Asking For Innovative Proposals For Detailed LSM Concepts & Feasibility Assessment Of Two Main Assets: Precursor To Human & Scientific Rover And Lunar Pressurized Rover Core; Planning To Select Up To 2 Six-Month Contracts; Canada Government Commits To CSA US$80.9M Over 5 Years To Accelerate Canada Leadership In Space Post-ISS Era Including Technology To Support International Human Missions On And Around Moon Such As Robotics, Rovers, Software, And Mars Surface Observation

Credits: CSA, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 March 2017

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Cislunar Outpost Imperative And Moon Base Plans Increasing

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Human Exploration & Operations Associate Administrator Speaks On Plans For Cislunar Outpost To Support Future Crews Working On / Around Moon As A Step Toward Humans To Mars 2030s; Decisions To Be Made Within Months For SLS / Orion Payloads & Clearer Mission Plans For EM-1-3 To Be Formulated, Perhaps With Humans Aboard 2018 EM-1 Flight; Proposals Made By Bigelow For Cislunar Refueling Depots By 2020, SpaceX 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Customers, Blue Origin 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries

Credits: Bigelow, Robert Bigelow, SpaceX, Elon Musk, NASA, Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 March 2017

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Human Moon Mission Planning Advances In USA, China, Russia

US Gov Surveying Feasibility Of Human Moon Flyby Sep 2018 On Orion / SLS / EM-1, Private Venture SpaceX Plans 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Tourists, Blue Origin Proposes 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries To Start Permanent Human Settlement; China Chief Lunar Exploration Designer Hu Hao Announces Success Of CE-5 Sample Return Launching Nov 2017 Will Pave Way For Human Landing Mission Which ‘Should Be Carried Out ASAP’; Russia Begins Selection Of 6-8 Cosmonauts For Federatsiya Spacecraft Intended To Fly To Moon, First Uncrewed Test Flight Planned 2021 On New Angara Rocket

Credits: NASA, CNSA, Roscosmos, SpaceX, Blue Origin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 March 2017

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Blue Origin Proposes 2020 Plan To Start Permanent Moon South Pole, Human Settlement

Jeff Bezos Circulating 7-Page White Paper To NASA Leadership & U.S. Administration Transition Team Detailing Plan To Develop Blue Moon Lunar Lander / Cargo Craft, Amazon-Like Delivery Service Starting July 2020 To Enable Future Human Settlements Near Shackleton Crater Where Ice, Hydrogen & Constant Solar Power Are Available; Wants To ‘Partner With NASA To Achieve This Challenging, Worthy, Exciting Objective’; SpaceX, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Shackleton Energy, Golden Spike, Commercial Ventures Planning Moon Services; Robert Bigleow States “Mars Is Premature At This Time. The Moon Is Not”

Credits: Blue Origin, ESA, NASA, LRO, Bigelow Aerospace

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 3-6 March 2017

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SpaceX And NASA May Return Humans To Moon Before 50th Apollo 11 Observation

Elon Musk Announces Ambitious Plans To Send 2 Commercial Tourists On 1-Week Circumlunar Trip Late 2018 In Crew Dragon Capsule Via Falcon Heavy Rocket; NASA, Originally Planning Uncrewed Circumlunar SLS / Orion EM-1 Flight 30 Sep 2018, Is Being Requested To Study Feasibility Of Redesigning Mission To Include Astronauts; U.S. President Trump States “American Footprints On Distant Worlds Are Not Too Big A Dream”; USA Could Claim First Human Return To Moon & First Woman To Moon With Energetic Timeline

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 February 2017

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U.S. Administration Considers Accelerating 1st Human Moon Mission Of 21st Century To 2018

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot Requesting Top Official For Human Spaceflight William Gerstenmaier To Explore Feasibility Of Sending Astronauts On EM-1 Flight 2018; Could Advance A Human Return To Moon, Landing 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaiming Multi World Species Status, First Missions To Mars & Beyond; Scott Pace Of Space Policy Institute At GWU Notes There May Be A Push For Significant Near-Term U.S. Accomplishments; Presidential Policy Advisor Bob Walker Believes There Is Possibility To Land Humans On Moon 2021-2025, Perhaps Using Commercial Companies & Technologies; Similar Goals Of Other Countries Could Catalyze International Collaboration For Human Lunar Missions / Settlement

Credits: NASA, ESA, Bigelow Aerospace

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 February 2017

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Europe And USA Closer To Returning Humans To Moon Via Orion / SLS In 2021

ESA Delivers Propulsion & Supply Module For Uncrewed Lunar 2018 Exploration Mission-1, Will Begin Developing Module With Airbus For 2021 Crewed Lunar Flight – Taking Humans Farther Than Any Apollo Mission; EM-1 Also Carrying 13 CubeSats, 4 Or More Will Focus On Moon Science & Observations; New U.S. Administration May Advance Human Moon Landing / Settlement Competencies & Technologies, Resource Extraction, Commercial Space Policies; Orion / SLS Has Potential To Carry Astronauts To Asteroids & Mars; SpaceX Planning Craft For Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Systems

Credits: NASA, ESA, Rad Sinyak

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 3-6 February 2017

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MoonWatcher Mission Proposes 24/7 Live Video Of Moon, Seeks US$150K Crowd Funding

Co-Founders Blair DeWitt (L) & Barret Schlegelmilch (R) Of MIT Aiming To Build MoonWatcher Satellite, Design State Of The Art Camera, And Launch To LEO Via Virgin Galactic LauncherOne Rocket Feb 2018 To Provide 1st Private Real-Time, Unobstructed View Of Lunar Surface; Plan To Report Latest Lunar News & Science; This Round Of Investment Ends March 12; Future Goals Would Be Fleet Of Lunar Cameras / Satellites; Potential To View Future Lunar Missions / Activities, Lunar Base Build Out, Meteor Showers, Surface Changes; Team Advisors Include Sean Casey, Matt Blasco, Dennis Williams

Credits: MoonWatcher, Virgin Galactic

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 January 2017

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China And India Next-Gen Moon Missions, Planning For Mars, Venus, Jupiter

China CE-5 Sample Return Mission To Launch Late 2017; CE-4 Orbiter To Support Moon South Pole / Far Side Aitken Basin Lander & Rover Mission Launching 2018; Chief Lunar Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan Says Precise Lunar Digital Map And 4.36 x 2.2 Meter Drawing To Be Finished 2018, Released 2020; First China Mars Probe Expected 2020, Jupiter Exploration To Follow; India Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter, Lander & Rover Likely 2018 For Polar Mission To Study Atmosphere, Temperature, Plasma Environment; ISRO Associate Director M. N. Rao Says Its Planning Cost Effective Jupiter & Venus Missions, Analyzing Satellites & Rockets Needed; Mars Orbiter 2 To Launch 2018; Team Indus To Launch Two Lunar Rovers On PSLV Late 2017

Credits: ISRO, CAS, NASA

New Year Holiday Edition
Friday-Tuesday
23 December 2016 – 3 January 2017

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Russia Remains Lunar Focused, Sets Realistic Timeline For Moon South Pole, Human Missions, Lunar Base

Russia Lunar Exploration Program Planning To Launch South Pole Missions: Luna 25 Lander In 2018-19 To  Boguslavsky Crater To Look For Water, Luna 26 Orbiter In 2020, Luna 27 Lander In 2021, Luna 28 Sample Return Mission In 2023, Luna 29 Lander & Rover In 2025; According To Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Russia Moon Program 2025-2036 Includes Development Of New Super Heavy Rocket For Cargo Transport, Human Moon Missions Beginning 2030, Russian Academy Of Sciences Lunar Rovers & National Centre For Technology Development Humanoid Robots To Support Lunar Base Build Out 2031

Credits: Roscosmos, YouTube/Rokossovskiy Konstantin, Russia National Center for Technology Development and Basic Robotics, Lavochkin Research and Production Association