Category Archives: Lunar Orbiters

Tuesday / 8 April 2014

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LADEE Preparing For Final Descent

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Ground Controllers From NASA Ames Will Command LADEE To Perform Final Orbital Maintenance Maneuver On Friday 11 Apr, To Put Probe On Course For Far Side Impact On Or Before 21 Apr, Travelling At 1.6 km/sec; Total Lunar Eclipse On 15 Apr Will Expose Craft To 4 Hours Of Extreme Conditions; Exact Date / Time Of Impact Depends On Variables Such As Mascons / Lumpy Gravity, Topographic Features; Public Can Guess Impact Time In NASA ‘Take The Plunge’ Contest

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 3 April 2014

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LADEE Media Teleconference Today

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Media Teleconference Hosted By NASA Today At 11:00 PDT To Discuss LADEE Extended Mission Operations, Additional Science Gathering, Planned 21 Apr Impact Into Lunar Surface; US$263M-Probe Successfully Completed 100-Day Primary Mission In March; Spacecraft Will Continue To Gather Data At Progressively Lower Altitudes Until Impact; Teleconference Participants: LADEE Project Executive Joan Salute (T), Project Manager Butler Hine (B), Project Scientist Richard Elphic

Image Credit:  NASA

Thursday / 27 March 2014

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Meteorite Impact Risk On Moon Greater Than Formerly Known

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Future Moon Settlements / Human Operations Should Be Underground, Rely On Robots For Majority Of Surface Activity To Protect From Meteorite Impacts Says Russia Astronomer Vladimir Surdin (R); Over 300 Impacts Recorded On Moon Since 2005; At LPSC, LROC PI Mark Robinson Details Data Of Secondary Impacts From Recent Lunar Impact, 248 Small Debris Impacts Found Up To 30km From Fresh 18m-Wide Crater, These Secondaries Could Pose More Threat To Surface Assets Than Primary Craters

Image Credit: NASA, Moscow State University

Wednesday / 26 March 2014

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LRO 2-Year Extension Hinges On Senior Review, US Congress

LROshowmethe$

US$504M Moon-Mapping Orbiter Is 1 Of 7 Planetary Science Missions NASA Is Reviewing For Potential Mission Extension; LRO Extended Mission Not Included In US$17.5B Budget Proposal NASA Sent To Congress; Mission Will Require Approval Of Both Independent Biannual Senior Review Of Operating Missions – To Conclude In June – & Congress; LRO Mission Extension Would Cost ~US$8M Annually, Would Be Only NASA Spacecraft Exploring Moon Over Next 2 Years; Funding Currently Set To Expire Sep 2014

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 20 March 2014

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LRO Data Produces Interactive Mosaic Of Lunar North Pole

LRONpoleMoonMap

Largest High-Resolution Map Of Moon Ever Made Released By NASA; 10,581 Pictures From LRO Narrow-Angle Cameras Were Stitched Together To Create North Pole Map; Entire Image Measures 931,070 Pixels Square, Nearly 867B Pixels Total; Complete Printout Would Be ~100 Square Meters; Creation Of Mosaic Took 4 Years, Huge Team Effort Across LRO Project; Map Will Be Useful Identifying Landing Sites / Planning Robotic & Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 7 March 2014

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Japan Diverse Interests In Moon Missions

Japan Moon

Japan Scientists Preparing For 2nd SELenological and ENgineering Explorer (SELENE-2) Moon Mission Consisting Of Orbiter, Lander, Rover To Launch NET 2018; SELENE-3 Sample Return To Follow, Eventually Human Moon Missions & Outpost; Japan Team Hakuto Strong Contender For GLXP / Selected To Compete For Terrestrial Milestone Prizes; Commercial Interest & Advertising From Moon Highlighted By Japan Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Planning To Send ‘Pocari Sweat’ Sports Drink To Moon Surface On Astrobotic Lunar Lander

Image Credit: JAXA, GLXP, Hakuto

Wednesday / 5 March 2014

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Russia Preparing For Robotic Moon Missions

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Roscosmos Head Oleg Ostapenko Says Agency Boosting Efforts In Space Probe Development In Preparation For 3  Upcoming Moon Missions; 2016 Luna-25 Lander Destined For Moon South Pole, 2018 Orbiter, 2019 Polar Mission To Prospect For Water; Subsequent Missions Planned To Return Samples To Earth, Deploy Robotic Base On Moon

Image Credit: Roscosmos

Friday / 28 February 2014

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GRAIL, LADEE Enhancing Lunar Science

GRAIL & LADEE

LPI Seminar 28 Feb By Jeff Andrews-Hanna From Colorado School Of Mines ‘The Early Magmatic & Tectonic History Of The Moon As Revealed By GRAIL’ Highlights Linear Gravity Anomalies Caused By Ancient Igneous Intrusions, Later Formations Of Circular & Arcuate Dikes; Largest Magmatic-Tectonic Structure Revealed Is ~2500 km In Diameter, Encompasses Procellarum Region On Nearside; LADEE With ~100 Science Days Complete, Providing Data On Dust & Atmosphere Variations, Images Of Moon & Stars

Image Credit: NASA, Colorado School of Mines, Science/AAAS

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 February 2014

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LRO Going Strong, Potential To Observe
LADEE Impact In April LRO Update

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

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 February 2014

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LADEE Sends Back First Lunar Images, Continues Analysis Of Dust Environment

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LADEE Star Tracker Instrument Captures Images Of Northwestern Hemisphere Of Moon (L) While Traveling At 96kpm; US$280-Million Mission Attempting To Answer Long-Standing Mystery Of Pre-Sunrise Glow Above Lunar Horizon Observed By Apollo Moonworkers; LADEE Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration Deemed Great Success By NASA & MIT Engineers; Probe Scheduled To Crash Into Lunar Surface On 21 Apr, Will Analyze Dust Samples Right Until Impact

Image Credit: NASA