Category Archives: Apollo

SpaceDay Edition
Thu-Mon / 20-24 July 2017

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Buzz, Bezos, Bigelow, Musk Advocate For Lunar Base, Moon South Pole

Recent Comments From Jeff Bezos Receiving Buzz Aldrin 2017 Pioneer Award Include Low-Cost Access To Space, Building Permanent Settlements At Moon Poles For Water And Solar Power; Elon Musk At ISS R&D May Be Capitalizing The Moon, Says In Order To Inspire Public “We’ve Got To Have A Base On The Moon” And It Would Be “Continuance To The Dream” Of Apollo Missions; Robert Bigelow Suggesting Cislunar Refueling Depots By 2020, Illustrates China Advances On Moon, Lunar Property Rights Issues, Stating “There’s No Time To Lose”; SpaceDay 2017 Observes The 48th Anniversary Of 1st Human Footsteps On Moon By Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin, Begins 2-Year Countdown To Apollo @50, Hopes Are High For U.S. Admin To Announce Human Moon Mission, Perhaps 1st Woman On Moon

Credits: NASA, ILOA, SPC, Bigelow, SpaceX, Blue Origin

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 / 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 / 13-16 January 2017

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Mysteries Of The Moon: Continued Studies On Lunar Age, Dust, Formation, Evolution

Newest Theory On Earth’s Closest Celestial Neighbor Suggests Luna May Have Been Created 4.51B Years Ago, According To Apollo 14 Sample Study By Melanie Barboni & UCLA Team; Pinpointing Moon Age Helps Narrow Down When Earth Became Habitable; Recent Lunar Formation Simulation By Hagai Perets Of Technion-Israel Institute Shows Moon May Have Been Formed By Many Impacts Creating Moonlets That Merged; NASA Reports Lunar Horizon Glow Observed By Apollo Astronauts & Surveyor 5, 6, 7 Is Likely Caused By Micron-Sized Dust Particles Jumping Several Centimeters Under UV Radiation Or Exposure To Plasmas; Returning To Moon For Hands-On Lunar Surface Studies Needed To Fill In Knowledge Gaps

Credits: NASA, UCLA, Hagai Perets

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 December 2016

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LRO Providing High-Res, Multispectral Moon Mapping, Prepares For 2017 And Revisits Apollo Landing Sites

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 7.5 Years Into Mission, Continuing Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) Since May 2015; Adding To 3D Map Of Lunar Surface At 100-meter Resolution (98.2% Coverage So Far, Excluding Polar Areas In Deep Shadow); Recent Data From Apollo Sites Provides Modern Views, New Interpretations Of Sample Materials; Release 28 Of LRO Data Expected 15 December; Science Team Schedules August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Observations Of Moon Shadow Moving Across USA; NASA Planning US$20M / Year To Operate Flagship Lunar Mission Through FY2018

Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University

Friday / 26 August 2016

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Humans To Moon: Beyond National Efforts, International And Commercial Entity Could Accelerate 21st Century Advancements

International Moon Efforts

USA 2017 Administration Could Support New Effort To Reclaim Greatest Achievement In History With SLS 2021-23; China Long March 9 Expected Completion 2025, Proposes Human Moon Missions 2031-2036; India GSLV Mk. 3 Might Launch Crews To Space ~2021; Russia Hopes For Human Lunar Orbit 2027, Surface Mission 2029 If Funding Remains Consistent; Japan Working On Robotic SLIM Mission; ESA Proposes Moon Village; Independent Astrobotic, Moon Express, ILOA Missions And / Or Formation Of International Entity Could Increase Momentum Toward Ultimate Goal Of Lunar Exploration, Science, Resources For Earth

Credit: NASA, ESA, CNSA, ISRO, JAXA

Friday / 22 July 2016

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UAE Satellite Maneuver Pays Tribute To Humankind’s Greatest Achievement

Moon 47th International

UAE Dubai-Sat-2 Earth Observation Satellite Turns Face & Captures Images Of Moon To Mark Achievement Of 1st Human Moon Landing, Inspire Future Space Scientists; Salem Al Marri Of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Notes Apollo As “A Pinnacle Of Engineering Development & Exploration” And Hopes To “See People On Mars & Other Celestial Bodies”; Nations Including China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea & ESA Are Focusing On Moon Missions And Outposts; U.S. Has The Technologies & Could Catalyze Space Race With Prioritization

Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Eye Radio, NASA

Wednesday / 20 July 2016

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Full Moon Rising Again As World Observes 47th Anniversary Of Apollo 11

LED-7-19-2016

Space Community, Scientists Gather In Silicon Valley At Ames Research Center, NASA For The Exploration Science Forum (ESF 2016) Bolstered By Renewed Global Momentum Toward Lunar Landings & Crewed Habitats; An International Moon Surface Station With Commercial Services Integration Would Be A Major 1st Step Toward Reclaiming, Sustaining And Surpassing The Greatest Advance In Human History To Date; GOP Platform Supportive Of Space Exploration, Former Astronaut Eileen Collins To Speak At Republican National Convention; Louise Prockter Named As New Director Of Lunar & Planetary Institute

Credit: NASA, LPI, ESA

Tuesday / 19 July 2016

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Women On The Moon & USA 21st Century Leadership

LED-7-18-16

Eileen Collins, Former NASA Astronaut & 1st Female Space Shuttle Commander, Set To Make 3-Minute Apolitical Speech On 20 July At Republican National Convention, Cleveland OH; The Auspicious Day Marks Apollo 11 47th Observation; Collins Previewed Focus Of Speech “We Landed On The Moon ‘In Peace, For All Mankind’ And I Know That Is A Message We Can All Get Behind”; She Also Openly Criticized, As Did Many Others Of All Sides, The Obama Administration Decision To Scrap The Constellation Program Launched By George Bush; Newt Gingrich And Ted Cruz, Active In Space Exploration Policy, Are Also Set To Speak

Credit: NASA, GOP, SYU / S. Sartori

Friday / 15 July 2016

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Spaceweek Begins With Moon Day 2016,
Apollo 11 Launch 47th Observation

Moon Day 2016

Moon Day 2016 On July 16 At Frontiers Of Flight Museum, Dallas TX Will Feature Apollo 7 Lunar Module Pilot Walt Cunningham (BR), Apollo 7 Command Module, Adult-Oriented ‘Lunar University’ Classes, Live Talk With ISS Exp. 48 Commander Jeffrey Williams (BL), Russia Spacesuit, Inflatable Planetariums, Model Rocket Builds; Hosted Annually By The Moon Society & National Space Society Of North Texas Over 2,000 Attendees To Revisit Humankind’s 1st Steps On Another World & Learn About Current / Planned Human Exploration Efforts

Credit: NASA, Frontiers Of Flight Museum, Moon Society, Ken Murphy (TL), NSS of North Texas