Friday / 29 June 2018

Buzz Aldrin Vision For Human SpaceFlight Institute, Lunar Gateway, Global / China Space Collaboration

Iconic Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin Launching Houston-Based Human SpaceFlight Institute To Pioneer Research For Future Human Space Systems / Missions, Host Workshops & Internships – Will Announce High-Level Strategic Partners Oct 2018; Aldrin Advocates For Return To Moon Surface, Sees Lunar Gateway As Major Opportunity To Work With China, Advance Fuel / Power Tech, Build Deep Space Infrastructures Or Multiple Gateways To Reach Mars & Beyond; Inspiring Announcements Anticipated For 49th And 50th Observation Of Apollo 11 On 20 July

Credits: NASA, Buzz Aldrin via Twitter

Friday / 2 Feb 2018

Human Exploration Research Analog HERAnauts To Begin 45-Day Space Simulation Mission

Group Of 4 Compensated Volunteers Out Of ~400 Applicants To Perform >18 Investigations During HERA XVI Mission (Campaign 4 Mission 4) At Johnson Space Center, Houston TX 3 Feb – 19 Mar; Closed Habitat Of 148.1 m3 Volume Consists Of 3-Story Core, Airlock & Hygiene Facilities; Research Will Focus On Behavioral Performance, Team Performance, Crew Medical, And Enabling Technologies Including Low Latency Teleoperations Study, Lighting Protocols for Exploration, ISS Food Intake Tracker, STARWatch™ Sleep Measures For Spaceflight; Results Will Support Future Human Moon, Mars, Solar System, SLS / Orion, Potential Deep Space Gateway Missions

Credits: JSC, NASA, HERA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Sep 2017

International Human Moon, Deep Space Mission Simulations

Beijing, China 200-Day Moon Simulation With 2 Women & 2 Men Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Until Jan 25, 2018 Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; Next Group Will Perform 105-Day Mission Jan 25 – May 10, 2018; Commercial Company Space Garden 6-Person Mock Lunar Mission Performing 20 Spaceflight Experiments In Pila, Poland “Habitat Lunares” Concludes Lunar Expedition 1, Planning For 2 Additional Missions In 2017; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 Mission 2 In 148.1 m3 Habitat At JSC Houston TX Scheduled Aug 5 – Sep 18 Cut Short Due To Hurricane Harvey

Credits: Xinhua/Ju Huanzong, Monica Alcazar-Duarte, NASA, CCTV

USA Independence Day Edition
Fri-Tue / 30 June – 4 July 2017

Human 2020 Return To Moon Also Supported By Stephen Hawking

First Women / Americans On Moon As Soon As 2020 Is Within Reach – Advances Made By SpaceX On Falcon Heavy, Dragon Crew & Interplanetary Transportation System, Blue Origin New Glenn, New Shepard & New Armstrong, Bigelow Lunar Inflatable Habitats, Moon Express And Astrobotic Lunar Landers, NASA SLS / Orion And New Astronaut Class With 5 Women & 7 Men; Returning “In Peace For All” To Reclaim Greatest American / Human Advance Is Vital For Long-Term Survival And First Step To Launching Into Solar System And Galaxy; Stephen Hawking States Countries Should Collaborate To Build Moon Settlement Within 30 Years; NASA, ESA, China, India, Russia, Canada And Others Support Moon Base Construct – Focusing On Moon South Pole New Frontier To Utilize Materials And Energy; The Time To Achieve Pioneering 21st Century Return To Moon To Solidify Multi World Species Status Is Now

Credits: NASA, N. Moeller, Space Age Publishing Company, Behrokh Khoshnevis

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 June 2017

Next Gen Spacesuits Needed For Women And Men IVAs, EVAs At LEO, Moon, Mars

2017 Audit Discusses Spacesuit Advances Required For Future Cislunar Gateway, SLS / Orion Flights, Moon & Mars Surface, Accommodations For Astronauts Of Various Sizes, Improvements In Glove, Hydration, Nutrition Systems; Lunar Dust Mitigation Technologies Integrated Into Spacesuits Proposed By Kavya Manyapu Includes Carbon Nanotube Flexible Electrodes To Eject Sharp, Magnetic Moon Dust; Lockheed Martin Proposes 8-Legged, Rocket-Powered Spacesuit For Mars Moons; NASA Has 11 Fully Functioning Extravehicular Mobility Units (145 kg) & Agency ‘Years Away From Deep Space Suits’; China Currently Utilizing Feitian EVA Suit (120 kg, Cost US$4.4M) Modeled After Russia Orlan Suits (104 kg); Final Frontier Design, SpaceX, Boeing Working On Light-Weight, Flexible, Low-Cost IVA Suits

Credits: NASA / Eugene Cernan, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 May 2017

China, USA Simulate Long-Duration Human Moon Missions In Closed Habitats

Beijing, China Hosts 1-Year Moon Mission Analog With 8 Volunteers In 2 Groups (2 Women, 2 Men In Each) Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; 1st Group Will Remain For 60 Days, 2nd Group 200 Days, Then 1st Group Return For 105 Days; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 (HERA-4) Is Ongoing From 6 May – 19 Jun At JSC, Houston TX 148.1 m3 Habitat; 4 Team Members Will Test New Space Food & Hardware Prototypes Including Simulated Exploration Vehicle, Use 3-D Printer; 3 Additional 45-Day Missions Run In Aug, Oct, Feb 2018

Credits: Beihang University – Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, Xinhua, Ju Huanzong, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 March 2017

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

Tuesday / 10 November 2015

Russia IMBP Reviewing Data From ~30 “Fly Women To The Moon” Experiments

11102015Luna-15 Six-Female Crew Completes 8-Day Simulation At Moscow Institute Of Medical-Biological Problems (IMBP) To Provide Information On “The Mechanisms Of Adaptation To The Conditions Of The Female Body 8-Day Isolation In Germoobekte While Rotating At Short-Radius Centrifuge” With Sergey Ponomarev (TL) As Project Leader; Crew Members (L-R) Daria Komissarova, Tatyana Shuguyeva, Polina Kuznetsova, Inna Nosikova, Anna Kussmaul & Elena Luchitskaya; Simulations & Data Include Moon Flight, 2-Day Orbit & Landing; Scientists Hopeful To Conduct Similar Experiments With Landing On The Moon Noted By IMBP Head Mark Belakovsky (BL)

Credit: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, ESA, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, IMBP

Friday / 6 November 2015

Who Will Be The Next Astronaut To Reach The Moon?

Humans to MoonNew Class Of NASA Astronauts To Be Chosen Mid-2017, Agency Accepting Applications 14 Dec 2015 To Feb 2016; More Than 6,100 Applied During Last Call 2011 – 8 Chosen In 2013: 4 Women & 4 Men Who May Be The First Humans To Perform Lunar Mission Since 1972, Flying Aboard Orion ~2023; Private Golden Spike Co. Still Hoping For ~2020 Flights; China & India Steadily Advancing Moon Missions & Human Spaceflight Capabilities; Russia Proclaims Human Moon Mission 2029; ESA Discussing Eventual Permanent International Moon Station On Far Side

Credit: NASA, ESA

Thursday / 29 October 2015

Russia Focused On Luna-2015 Simulation & Proclaims Humans To Moon 2029

10292015RSC Energia Head Vladimir Solntsev (TL) Reveals Human “Lunar Landing Is Planned For 2029”; Spacecraft For Mission Currently Being Built In Moscow With Inaugural Flight Aiming For 2021, ISS Space Dock 2023, Un-Crewed Moon Mission 2025, Astronauts To Moon 2029; Luna-2015 Female-Only Crew Simulations Commence, Gathering Data With “Over 30 Experiments” As Stated By Crew Member Daria Komissarova (LC); Experiment Taking Place At Moscow Institute Of Medical-Biological Problems; Potential Collaboration Efforts Also Underway With ESA For Moon Settlement & Joint Lunar Station Prospectively With China

Credit: ESA, IMBP, RSC Energia