Category Archives: Lunar Mapping

Tuesday / 24 March 2015

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Water On Moon May Have Ancient Origins

LopsidedIce

Moon Ice Concentrations Symmetrically Centered 5.5° From Lunar Poles; Research Team Including Matthew Siegler Of Planetary Science Institute Suggests This Indicates Moon Experienced Ancient Polar Shift Caused By 3.5B-Year Old Lunar Hot Spot At Oceanus Procellarum; If Theory Is Accurate Lunar Ice May Be Nearly As Ancient As Moon Itself, Potentially Locked Up As Hydrated Minerals In Rocks And / Or Protected By Insulated Layer Of Regolith; Team Relied On Data From NASA Lunar Prospector Mission

Image Credit: NASA, UCLA

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon 20-23 March 2015

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LRO Likely To Be Funded Through 2016

LROCgreen

US$1.36B Allotted For NASA Planetary Sciences In 2016, Division Director James Green Says Budget May Be Stretched To Keep LRO Active For Another Year; LRO Costs US$12.4M To Operate Annually; After Recent 21st LROC Planetary Data Systems Release, Team Has Now Delivered 1,520,409 LROC Images Totaling 176.9 TB Of Raw Data & Over 11,704 Derived Data Products; LRO Scientists Preparing For 4 Apr Lunar Eclipse; Call For Papers Relying On LRO Data For Special Issue Of Icarus Due 30 Jun

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 19 March 2015

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LRO Revealing Changing Surface Features On Moon

lroCrater0315

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Continues To Provide Valuable Data From Lunar Orbit; Probe Has Acquired 10,000 Before & After Image Pairs Of Lunar Surface Since It Began Mapping Moon In Summer 2009; 225 New Impact Craters Ranging From 1.5m – 43m Identified; Recent Discovery Of 18.8m Crater From March 17, 2013 Impact Provided Valuable Opportunity To Test Impact Models & Study Top Meter Of Regolith

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 March 2015

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Lunar Exploration Scientists Gather At LPSC 2015

LPSCDaily2015

46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Held On 16-20 March At The Woodlands, Texas; Event Begins With Session On Results From Recent Lunar Missions LADEE, GRAIL & Chang’e-3; Highlighted Concurrent Events Include LRO Data Users Workshop On 15 Mar, NextGen Lunar Scientists And Engineers Workshop, Lunar Cubes Mission Opportunities Workshop, Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Town Hall; Pictured: Conference Co-Chairs Steve Mackwell Of LPI, Eileen Stansbery Of NASA JSC

Image Credit: NASA, LPI, CNSA

Thursday / 12 March 2015

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Lunar Crust Is Focus Of Microsymposium 56 In Texas

Microsym56

Experts In Moon Exploration Such As (R-L) James Head, Carle Pieters, Maria Zuber & David Scott Will Gather In The Woodlands, Texas On 14-15 March For Brown University / Vernadsky Institute Microsymposium 56 The Crust Of The Moon: Insights Into Early Planetary Processes; Data & Discoveries From Recent Missions Chang’e-1 & 2, Chandrayaan-1, Kaguya, LRO & GRAIL Will Be Evaluated Identifying How They Improved Understanding Of Composition, Diversity, Layering, Thickness Of Lunar Crust; Key Outstanding Scientific Questions And Proposals To Address Those Questions Will Also Be Explored

Image Credit: brown.edu, mit.edu, ju.edu, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 February 2015

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LRO Team Meets In Arizona As Orbiter Continues Providing Valuable Data

LRO0215update$

22nd LRO Project Science Working Group At Arizona State University This Week To Outline Research Priorities & Opportunities; NASA GSFC Recently Granted 2-Year Contract Extension To ASU For Management Of LRO / LROC Science & Flight Operations, Data Processing & Analysis; New Contract Goes Until 15 Mar 2017; No Operational Funds Were Requested For 2016 LRO Operations By Obama Administration; LRO Costs ~US$12.4M / Year; Strong Senior Review Rating, Support In Congress Indicate LRO Will Continue To Provide Valuable Data In Coming Years

Image Credit: NASA, ASU

Tuesday / 16 December 2014

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Astrobotic ‘MoonMail’ Brings Moon Mission Participation To Individuals

MoonMail1214

New Service Provides Opportunity For People Around World To Send Special Small Items To Lunar Surface Aboard Griffin Lander On (NET Late 2015) Moon Mission; Packages Range From US$460 For 1.27 X 0.3-cm Hexagonal Package To $25,800 For 2.5 X 5-cm Package; Mission Will Include Lander, Nicknamed Andy, Which Will Attempt To Complete Requirements To Claim GLXP & Potentially Explore Interesting Cave Formations In Lacus Mortis Landing Site (45.0° N, 27.2° E)

Image Credit: astrobotic.com

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 December 2014

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Successful Launch Of GSLV Mk-3 Will Advance India Moon Landing Plan

GSLVmk3Chandrayaan2

1st Flight Of 3-Stage GSLV Mk-3 Scheduled For 3rd Week Of December; Most Powerful To Date India Launch Vehicle Will Carry 3.65-Metric Ton Crew Module Atmospheric Re-Entry Experiment; Designed To Lift 4-Metric Ton Class Payload, The Rocket – With Lift Off Weight Of 630-Metric Tons – Is Needed To Complete 2016-2017 Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter / Lander / Rover Mission; Scientific Payloads Of Moon Mission Expected To Perform Mineralogical & Elemental Studies Of Lunar Surface; Moon South Pole Is Likely Destination Of Moon Lander

Image Credit: ISRO

Friday / 12 December 2014

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China Chang’e-4 Mission To
Moon South Pole?

Chang'e-4 MSP

Building Upon Success Of Chang’e-3 Mission, Backup Craft Chang’e-4 Could Be Launched 2015-2016 To Potentially Ignite The Race To New Frontier Of Exploration – Moon South Pole; With Other Nations / Private & Public Ventures Considering South Pole For Scientific Research, Resources Mapping & Mining, And Human Base Build Out, Chang’e-4 Could Provide Valuable Data As 1st Mission To Lunar Pole For Landing, Communications & Solar Power Technologies

Image Credit: CNSA, CCTV, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 December 2014

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International Space University LM1 Participation Inspires Students

ISUlm1

ISU Participation In Lunar Mission One (LM1) Exemplifies Potential Of Inspirational Education; 47 ISU MSc Students From Around World Carrying Out Preliminary Mission Design For Near-Term Lunar Orbiting Cubesat To Photograph Moon Surface – Specifically Including LM1 South Pole Landing Site; Satellite Will Send Pictures Back To Earth For Space Education / Outreach, & To Raise Global Awareness Of LM1 – Which Is Planned To Land & Drill To At Least 20m, Analyze 4.5B Year Old Rocks, & Analyze Viability Of Permanent Human Base At Moon South Pole

Image Credit: ISU, Lunar Mission One