Maria Zuber Of MIT Will Give Lecture Today Entitled ‘Old Moon, New Moon‘ At The Carnegie Institute For Science In Washington DC; Dr Zuber Will Describe How Understanding Of The Moon Evolved With GRAIL Mission Data – Surprisingly Low Density (2550 Kg / M³) & Thickness (34-43 Km) Of Lunar Crust – & How Studying The Moon Provides Insight Into How Other Rocky Planets Formed / Developed
Image Credit: MIT, NASA, Carnegie Institute for Science
NSS International Committee, Sponsored by David Dunlop, Proposing Initiation Of International Lunar Geophysical Campaign To Advance Scientific Exploration Of Moon & Broaden Number Of Countries Participating In Lunar Exploration / Commercial Development; High & Middle School Students Working To Design Payloads For GLXP Missions In Moon Mission Challenge, Affiliate Of NSS; Teams Learning About Challenges Of Lunar Surface Operation, Payload Engineering, Will Present Payload Concepts At 27 Apr USA Science & Engineering Festival In Washington DC
Image Credit: National Space Society
340-kg Rover Unveiled By PISCES; Vehicle Will Be Integral Feature Of Robotic Village The Group Is Developing On Hawaii Island To Pave Way For Human Moon / Mars Bases; Companies From Around World Invited To Send Their Technology To Be Tested On Canada-Manufactured Rover; PISCES Will Utilize Rover & Analog Facilities To Promote STEM Education In Hawaii; Hawaii Aerospace Caucus & Groups Such As ILOA Also Helping To Advance Aerospace Technology & Development Opportunities In Hawaii; Pictured: PISCES Robotic Village Project Manager Rodrigo Romo
Image Credit: PISCES
Hawaii STEM Initiative Headed By Rob Kelso Of PISCES (Hilo HI) To Send High School-Built Laser-Based Imaging System To Moon On Undisclosed GLXP Team And / Or Moon Express Lander In 2015; Instrument To Collect Data On Engine & Regolith Interaction; NASA KSC To Provide Mentoring, Engineering Assistance, Equipment Testing; Hawaii Schools Raising ~US$300K To Develop Hardware / Software, Conduct Analog Field Testing; NanoRacks Providing Final Flight Fabrication, Testing & Certification Of Flight Hardware
Image Credit: NASA, PISCES, ME, NanoRacks
LRO In 30 x 200km Orbit With Periapsis Over Moon South Pole, Traveling At 1.6km/s; Captures Precise Images Of Icarus & Hayn Craters (TL & BL), Chang’e-3 Landing Site (TR), LADEE (BR); Operating Nominally 4 Years 8 Months Into Mission With 16 Data Sets Released; Mission Data Intended To Enable A Human Return To Moon; May Observe LADEE Lunar Impact Scheduled 21 April; LRO 2014 Lunar Workshop For Educators Will Be Held 14-18 July In Greenbelt MD
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
European Lunar Symposium To Be Held 15-16 May In London, United Kingdom, Hosted By European Nodes Of NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI); Science Committee Includes (L-R) James Carpenter (ESA), Mahesh Anand (Open University), Ralf Jaumann (DLR); Will Focus On Moon Astronomical, Astrophysical, Commercial, Geological, Resource Utilization, Human Outpost Considerations; 4 Broad Themes Cover: Science Of / On / From Moon, Future Lunar Missions
Image Credit: SSERVI, ESA, Open Univ.
10-12 Apr 2014 Student Competition Held In Huntsville AL, Now Dubbed ‘NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge’; Rules / Format Of 20-Year Old Moonbuggy Race Remain Relatively Unchanged; New Name & Updated Course Are Consistent With Growing Solar System-Wide Focus Of NASA: Moon As 1st Enabling Step For Human Deep Space Exploration, Then On To Asteroids, Mars, Jupiter System & Beyond
Image Credit: NASA
Lunar Plant Growth Habitat Team Of NASA Ames Research Center Will Try To Grow Arabidopsis, Basil, Sunflowers, Turnips In Coffee-Can-Sized Aluminum Cylinders On Moon; NASA Expects To Build / Launch For Under US$2M By Buying Space On Commercial Launch Of GLXP Team; Chief Biologist Dr. Robert Bowman (Center) Points Out Need To Understand Plant Ability To Overcome Stress Of Space Radiation, Moon Partial Gravity, Small / Controlled Environment For Use In Human Solar System Buildout
Image Credit: NASA, Hemil Modi
Vermont Technical College Has Launched Small Satellite Into Space To Test Navigation Components That Will Eventually Be Used To Send Satellites To Moon; ‘Lunar Lander CubeSat’ Was 1 Of 28 CubeSats Launched On ORS-3 Enabler Mission Via Minotaur-1 Rocket From NASA Wallops Island Virginia Flight Facility; CubeSat Will Remain In Space 3-5 Years; Pictured: Project Organizer / Vermont Tech Professor Carl Brandon
Image Credit: Vermont Tech
University Of Cincinnati To Open Neil Armstrong Space Science Institute To Promote Space-Based Research & Engineering In Partnership With Ames Research Center; University Of Central Florida Daniel Britt (L) Awarded US$6M Grant To Establish Center For Lunar & Asteroid Surface Science; Will Aid NASA In Planning Exploration Missions To The Moon, Asteroids, Mars Moons; Chosen As 1 of 9 Organizations Under SSERVI Program
Image Credit: UCF, UC, SSERVI, NASA