Category Archives: Advanced Technology

Tuesday / 17 June 2014

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China Moon Program & Implications Of Lunar Helium-3

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Growing Demand For Energy, Leading-Edge Moon Exploration Program Lead Some To Believe China Seeking To Advance Helium-3 Nuclear Fusion Technology; Estimated 1.1M Tonnes Of Helium-3 On Lunar Surface, 1 Tonne Of Helium-3 Could Produce Equivalent Of 50M Barrels Of Crude Oil, Virtually No Waste, Negligible Radiation; International Cooperation / Participation In Moon Development May Determine Whether China Moon Activities Lead To Helium-3 Monopoly / Energy Supremacy, Or Equitable Sharing For Benefit Of All Humanity

Image Credit: CNSA, weeklysciencequiz.blogspot.com, greenoptimistic.com

Thursday / 12 June 2014

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Lunar Swirls May Hold Key To Facilitate Human Deep Space Travel

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Natural ‘Radiation Shelters’ On Moon Provide Clues About Surviving Solar Storms / Cosmic Radiation In Deep Space; Study Examined How Small Magnetic Fields On Lunar Surface Are Effective, Despite Their Low-Density, In Preventing High-Energy Particles From Striking Moon; Data Shows Previous Studies Have Overestimated Strength Of Magnetic Field Required To Keep Astronauts Safe, Suggests More Plausible Design For Spacecraft Mini-Magnetosphere Deflector Shields; Researchers Estimate 0.5kg Of Xenon Gas May Be Sufficient To Protect Crew For 6 Months In Deep Space

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 10 June 2014

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Moon Express Featured At IdeaCity 2014

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NewSpace Company Moon Express President Andy Aldrin & CEO Bob Richards Featured Presenters At Canada’s Premier Meeting Of The Minds: IdeaCity 2014, 18-20 June, Toronto; Limited To 600 Attendees, The Event Brings Together 50 Uniquely Distinguished Intellectuals & Adventurers To Air New Concepts And Create ‘An Incubator For Inspiration’; All-Access Pass CAD$3500 + HST; Moon Express Is Currently Developing A Series Of Missions To The Lunar Surface Beginning With Its 2015 Attempt To Win The GLXP

Image Credit: ideacityonline.com

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 23-27 May 2014

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Morpheus Lander Tests Paving Way For Human & Robotic Moon Missions

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Final Morpheus Lander Flight Test At NASA KSC Next Wednesday Night Will Seek To Fine-Tune Performance & Demonstrate How Sensors Work In Darkness; Latest Free Flight Test Attempted To Rely Solely On ALHAT Landing Sensors To Guide Craft To Best Landing Site; Vehicle Rose To 240m Then Used Laser Sensors To Identify Up To 5 Safe Landing Sites; ALHAT Sensor Performance Not As Precise As Engineers Hoped & Pre-Set Trajectory Was Implemented To Land Morpheus; Successful Flight Tests Will Increase Likelihood Technology Will Be Incorporated Into Human / Robotic Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 23 May 2014

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LADEE Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration Performance To Be Detailed

LLCD 2014

New Comprehensive Overview Of LLCD To Be Presented At CLEO 2014 Conference 8-13 June By Team From MIT Lincoln Laboratory (Developer Of Primary Lunar Laser Ground Terminal); Will Describe Techniques To Achieve Error-Free Performance Over ~400,000km Distance / Atmospheric Disturbances; Transmitted Data From Earth To Moon At 19.44 Megabits Per Second – Beat Previous Record By Factor Of 4,800; Significant For Moon & Beyond Missions, Real-Time Communication & 3-D HD Video

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 22 May 2014

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ESA Advancing Lunar Base Construction Research

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3D Printing A Lunar Base From Raw Materials On Lunar Surface Found To Be Feasible By Extensive Research Of ESA; Industrial Partners In Study Include Renowned Architects Foster & Partners, UK-Based Monolite Ltd; Concept Uses Inflatable Dome Superstructure, Layers Of Regolith Built Up Over Dome By Rover-Operated 3D Printer To Create Protective Shell; Team Produced 1.5-Mg Building Block As Demonstration (Inset); 2nd European Lunar Symposium Featured Presentations On Human Exploration Of Moon South Pole

Image Credit: ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 May 2014

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SpaceX Innovations

Boost Future Of Lunar Exploration

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NewSpace Powerhouse Disrupting Launch Industry, Driving Innovation & Efficiency – Boon To All Who Seek High Frontier; Successful Tests Of F9 First Stage Controlled-Flight Recovery (18 Apr) & Grasshopper 1000-Meter Hop (2 May) Show Company Is Revolutionizing Future Of Exploration; Re-Usability Might Reduce Cost-To-Orbit By Half, Controlled Landing Systems Have Applications For Lunar / Planetary Exploration

Image Credit: SpaceX

Friday / 2 May 2014

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Lunar CATALYST Partnerships Begin

Lunar CATALYST

Astrobotic, Moon Express & Masten Negotiating No-Funds-Exchanged Space Act Agreements With NASA For Lunar Cargo Transportation And Landing By Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) Initiative To Advance Lunar Lander Capabilities; NASA To Provide Technical Expertise, Equipment / Software Loans, Access To Test Facilities For 3 Years; Astrobotic (Griffin Lander) & Moon Express (MX-1) Plan To Launch To Moon 2015 / Win GLXP; Masten Refining / Testing Xombie & Xaero, Designing Xeus

Image Credit: ME, Astrobotic, Masten, NASA

Thursday / 24 April 2014

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Morpheus / ALHAT Tests May Revolutionize Lunar / Planetary Exploration

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Free Test Flight Today At NASA JSC Of 3-m Diameter, 1090-Kg Morpheus Lander With 2404-Kg-Thrust, Methane & Oxygen-Fueled Engine Will Allow ALHAT Sensor System To Prove Its Capabilities; ALHAT System Will Have 10 Seconds To Map & Choose Landing Site After Craft Flies To ~150m; ALHAT Project Manager Chirold Epp Says Team Is Shooting For System That Can Land Within 3m Of Given Spot, Current Best For Landing Precision Is ~80m

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 23 April 2014

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International Space Powers Advance Moon Missions As NASA Looks Elsewhere

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China, Russia, India & Others Valuing Moon Exploration Priority With Current And Near-Future Lander Missions; Moon Seen As ‘Training Ground’ Providing Opportunity To Learn To Live & Work On Another Celestial Body, Solve Deep Space Exploration Challenges, Test New Technologies, Facilitate Exploration Of  Mars & Beyond; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden However Asserts That Going Back To Moon Is ‘Antiquated Idea’

Image Credit: Roscosmos, hannity.com