Lava Tube Entrances May Exist In Moon Polar Regions
Planetary Scientist Pascal Lee Of SETI Institute & Mars Institute Discovers 3 Pits In Philolaus Crater Near Lunar North Pole – Candidate “Skylight” Entrances To Underground Lava Tubes; Permanently Shadowed Inside, These Pits May Give Access To Subsurface Water Ice; Polar Location Provides Solar Power & Direct Earth Communications For Easier Ice Extraction & Human Exploration; New Findings Made At NASA Ames Using Data From Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Credits: NASA, LRO, SETI Institute, Mars Institute, Pascal Lee
Efforts To Kick-Start Commercial Lunar Enterprise Advancing With Verified Launch Contracts, Ride Shares & GLXP Competition Extension; SpaceIL Preparing For SpaceX Launch Mid 2017, Craft To Solar Recharge Batteries Before 500m Race; Astrobotic Offering Ride Share Low-Cost Lunar Delivery Service With CEO Stating Team Will Be “The DHL To The Moon”; Teams Hakuto & AngelicvM Aboard With Astrobotic; Hakuto Additional Goal Will Be The Use Of Second Rover To Explore Caves For Potential Future Human Habitats; Moon Express Aiming For 2017 Launch With Rocket Lab; Part-Time Scientists Developing Space-Grade Parts Via 3D Printing
LRO Detailed Mapping With Laser Altimetry & Moon South / North Pole Region Assessment Inspires Researchers Including Andreas Velten From University Of Wisconsin-Madison Laboratory For Optical & Computational Instrumentation (LOCI); Velten Developing Technology With Ability To “See Around Corners” On Lunar Surface / In Lunar Caves With Laser Light Pulses To Allow For Water / Other Volatile Discoveries Without Excavation; LRO Will Continue Search For New Impacts & Characterize Radiation Environment, Data Release 23 Expected In September
Latest Advances In Autonomous Teleoperated Arial Craft (Drones) May Revolutionize Lunar & Other Planetary Explorations In Areas Too Difficult For Human Maneuvering & At Lower Cost; Drones Could Prospect Lunar Surface For Ice & Resources Further Promoting The Ability To Access Moon / Deep Space; Paul Spudis Comments On Drone Challenges Of Different Atmospheres & Adaptions Required And Advantages Of Prolonged Flight Viewing Ability For Geologic Data Collection, Prospecting & Mapping Lunar Polar Regions, Craters, Lava Tubes
Research Continues For Moon South Pole Shackleton Crater Terraforming For Future Robotic & Human Habitat / Exploration; Crater ~209 Square Kilometers With Peaks Over 4,267 Meters In Which Water Potential Has Been Identified; Technological Trans-Former Will Operate In Darkness / Low Temperatures, Reflect Sunlight & Convert Into Energy For Rover / Astronauts; NIAC Also Awarding Funds For PERISCOPE Orbiter To Shine Laser Pulses Into Crater / Caves & Gather Data
