Category Archives: Human Moon Missions

Tuesday / 18 Dec 2018

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HI-SEAS In Hawai’i Prepares For Human Moon Mission Simulations

Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog & Simulation (HI-SEAS) Site On Mauna Loa To Be Repurposed For Moon; Receives US$1 Million NASA Grant For Mars Data Collection; Owner Henk Rogers Refurbishing Habitat With New Equipment And Lunar Spacesuits; New Facility Built Especially For Moon Simulation Planned For Pohakuloa Section Of Mauna Loa, Joins Parallel Lunar Analog Sites Built In China, Japan, And Europe; Women On Moon Part Of Simulations; Rogers Compares Moon Before Mars To Visiting Nearby Island Of Lanai In Preparation For Crossing Ocean

Credits: NASA, HI-SEAS, SOEST

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Dec 2018

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Moon First Proposal From Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin Of Mars Society Proposes Early Lunar Landing, Leveraging Falcon Heavy 60-Ton Payload; First Launch Would Carry Solar Power Equipment, Communications Gear, Two Crew Rovers And Squad Of Robot Rovers; Second Launch Would Carry 12-Ton Crew Habitat To Lunar Pole; Third Launch Would Orbit Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV) For Crew Launched On Falcon 9; LEV Would Carry Crew From LEO To Lunar Surface; Assuming That Hardware Cost Will Equal Launch Cost, Zubrin Claims That Early Lunar Landing Can Be Accomplished At Minimal Cost

Credits: NASA, Robert Zubrin, NPR

Thursday / 13 Dec 2018

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NASA Advancing Small, Mid-Size, And Human-Size Lunar Landers

NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program Funding Small Lunar Landers, Seeking Larger Lander For Payloads Of 300-500 Kg To Fly By 2022; Jason Crusan (L), Head Of NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Division, Studying Three-Piece Human Landers With 15-Ton Components Designed To Use Commercial Launchers; Lockheed Martin Promotes Plan For Reusable Lunar Lander With Empty Mass Of 22 Tons And Fueled Mass Of 62 Tons; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (R) Hopes To Test Elements Of Human Lunar Lander By 2024 And Land People On Moon By End Of 2020s, Though China May Go Earlier

Credits: NASA, Lockheed Martin, Moon Express

Friday / 30 Nov 2018

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First USA Private-Public Lunar Contracts Worth Up To US$2.6B To Enable ‘More Moon Missions, More Science’

NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Contracts Max Value US$2.6B Awarded To Astrobotic, Deep Space Systems, Draper, FireFly, Intuitive Machines, Lockheed Martin, Masten Space Systems, Moon Express, Orbit Beyond; “To Provide All Activities Necessary To Safely Integrate, Accommodate, Transport, And Operate NASA [Lunar] Payloads”; Hopes To Get To Lunar Surface “Fast” – As Early As Next Year, Launch 2 Payloads Per Year For Next 10, Starting With 10+ kg Cargo; Payloads Could Include Instruments From Lunar Resource Prospector, And Lunar Surface Instrument & Technology Payloads Proposed 19 Nov Advancing To Next Step 17 Jan 2019

Pictured: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (L) and Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen; Credits: NASA

Friday / 26 Oct 2018

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Stanford On The Moon (SOM) Alumni Conference Opens 1st Lunar Exhibit, Introduction By Astronaut Tammy Jernigan

Stanford Alumni Club SOM Hosts Its First Lunar Exhibit Honoring 9 Women Astronauts From Stanford – Including & Introduced By Tammy Jernigan On 26 October During Stanford Homecoming Weekend 2018 In Varian Physics Building; SOM Conference Will Also Feature SOM Advisory Committee Discussions, SOM Endowment Fund Awards To Stanford Student Observatory & Stanford Student Space Initiative; SOM Advocating For A Stanford Presence On The Moon And For First Women Landing On The Moon

Credits: SOM, NASA, Stanford University

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Oct 2018

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International Efforts Aiming For Village On Moon

European Space Agency, Major Advocate Of International Moon Village, Planning 1000 Square-Meter Luna Facility At ESA Astronaut Centre In Cologne, Germany; Regolith Simulant EAC-1 Will Be Used For Experiments To Construct Habitats;  China “Lunar Palace” Yuegong-1 Simulates Moonbase On 370-Day Mission; 500 Cubic-Meter Habitat Contains Integrated Living / Work Module And Two Plant Cultivation Modules; Experimental Crops Including Corn And Peanuts Grown In Closed Environment; International MoonBase Alliance Aims To Build Lunar Analog On Island Of Hawai’i

Credits: Beihang University, ESA

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Oct 2018

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Lockheed Martin Unveils Lunar Lander Concept, Joins Multiple Nations And Enterprises Planning Moon Missions

Lockheed Martin Releases Detailed Concept For 62,000 Kg Reusable Human Lunar Lander, Launching From Lunar Orbital Platform To Support 4-Person Crew For 2 Weeks On The Surface; Also Soliciting Proposals For Payloads To Fly On Orion; Russia And China Express Interest In Joint Projects, Including Space Center On Hainan Island To Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles; India Chandrayaan-2 And Israel SpaceIL Planning Moon Landings In Early 2019; Private Companies Aiming For Moon Include Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, Astrobotic, Moon Express, ispace Japan, Golden Spike Company.

Credits: Lockheed Martin, Airbus

Wednesday / 19 Sep 2018

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NASA Moving Ahead With Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway Despite Questions

Planning For Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, NASA Requesting Industry Proposals For Power-Propulsion Element To Launch On Commercial Rocket By 2022; Orion To Rendezvous With PPE During Exploration Mission 3; EM-3 Will Also Bring European System Providing Refuelling, Infrastructure And Telecommunications (ESPRIT) Plus US-Built Habitation Module; Additional Modules To Be Brought On Exploration Missions 4 And 5; Critics Claim LOP-G Lacks Clear Mission Of Moon Or Mars

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Sep 2018

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NASA, ESA Working To Survive And Operate Through The Lunar Night

NASA / USRA Hosting Lunar Night Workshop 13 November Before Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Meeting; European Space Agency Investigating Capacity Of Lunar Regolith To Absorb And Store Heat; ESA System Would Use Mirrors To Channel Sunlight Through Regolith To A Heat Engine; Canadensys Aerospace Is Investigating Thermal And Energy Storage Technologies For Low-Temperature Environment Of The Moon

Image Credit: JAXA/NHK

Friday / 31 Aug 2018

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Ad Astra — Paul Spudis Vision Of The Moon
“It’s Close, It’s Interesting & It’s Useful”

Dedicated Scientist And Lunar Visionary Paul Spudis Passes On, Leaving Decades Of Vital Moon Research And Inspiring Advocacy For A Human Lunar Return; Spudis Emphasis On Value Of Moon, Human Spaceflight, Solar System Exploration Speaks To Latest USA National Space Program Goals To Create Permanent & Sustainable American-International Human Lunar Presence, Explore South / North Poles & Far Side, Utilize Resources, Conduct Varied Science Experiments; Lunar Community Sends Their Ad Luna, Ad Astra, And Aloha To Spudis

Credits: LPI, NASA, LRO