Category Archives: Lunar Orbiters

Friday / 27 July 2012

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China Lunar Exploration Program Advancing With Chang’e-2,3,4,5

China Chief Lunar Scientist Ziyuan Ouyang Provides Update On Chang’e Program; Chang’e-2 Has Left L2 After 235 Days Of Solar Observation, Now Heading For Rendezvous With Asteroid 4179, Will Arrive To Monitor / Explore Asteroid Around 1 March 2013; Chang’e-3 Lunar Rover Will Feature Atomic Fuel Cells, Radar To Explore 100m Below Surface; Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission To Be Launched By Long March 5 Rocket Currently Under Development

Image Credit: CLEP, CNSA, CCTV

Thursday / 26 July 2012

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Team Phoenicia Helping To Facilitate Lunar Nanosat Missions

Team Phoenicia Agrees With Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems LLC & Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo To Collaborate On Lunar & Interplanetary Small Satellite Launch Opportunities; Cal Poly / Tyvak Will Utilize Team Phoenicia Excess Launch Capacity On GLXP & Future Lunar Missions; With Projected Costs Between US$5-10M, First Interplanetary NanoSat Missions Could Spark Revolution With Hundreds Of Missions To Moon, Asteroids, Mars & Beyond 

Image Credit: Team Phoenicia, Tyvak, CalPoly, NASA

Friday / 6 July 2012

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Far Side Of Moon A Pristine Environment To Observe Early Universe

Shielding From Earth Ionosphere & Radio Interference Required To Explore ‘Dark Ages’ Of Universe / Receive Radio Waves Below 100 Megahertz; Far Side Of Moon Seen As Ideal Location; Jack Burns / CU Boulder Team Proposing Dark Ages Radio Explorer (DARE) Lunar Orbiter To Collect Neutral-Hydrogen Signals From 80-420M Years After Big Bang; Ultimately Seeking To Deploy Large Antennas In 180-Km-Wide Tsiolkovskiy Crater  

Image Credit: NASA, University Of Colorado At Boulder

Wednesday / 13 June 2012

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5 USA Lunar Orbiters Continue To Advance Lunar Science

Twin ARTEMIS Crafts Reveal Unexpected Influence Of Complex Lunar Electric & Magnetic Fields On Solar Wind; NASA / GSFC Issues Sole-Source RFP To UCLA For Continuation Of Instrument / Science  Management Of LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment From March 2013 – March 2015; GRAIL Crafts Ebb & Flow Preparing For Extended Science Operations 30 Aug – 3 Dec 2012

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition / Saturday – Monday 9-11 June 2012

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Successful GRAIL Spacecraft Preparing For Extended Science Operations

Now In Hibernation, Ebb & Flow Survived Recent Lunar Eclipse; Extended Mission To Run From 30 Aug – 3 Dec; Spacecraft Performed Flawlessly During Primary Mission; GRAIL Will Halve Operating Altitude To 23km During Next Phase To Obtain Even Closer Look At Moon Gravity Field; MoonKAM Program Also Extended, Over 70,000 Student Images Have Thus Far Been Obtained

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition / Saturday – Monday 2-4 June 2012

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New Path For India Moon Program?

Continued Success / Progress Of India Moon Program Critical For Humanity’s Vital Expansion Into Solar System / Galaxy; Program Might Benefit From Reconsideration; GSLV Failures Have Put Ambitious Chandrayaan-2 Mission On Hold; Reconfigured Missions With A 2nd Orbiter And / Or Small Scale Lander / Rover Launched By Reliable PSLV Rocket Would Put Country Back On Track As ISRO Qualifies GSLV & Prepares For More Advanced Missions

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 27 April 2012

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India Planning 2 GSLV Launches In Preparation For Chandrayaan-2 Launch

Image Credit: southtek.com, K. Pichumani, ISRO

ISRO Chairman Radhakrishnan Says Chandrayaan-2 Launch Will Follow 2 Successful Launches Of GSLV Rocket With Indigenous Cryogenic Engine; GSLV Systems To Undergo Series Of Tests & Modifications To Rectify Problems From 2 Failed Launches; Next Launches Scheduled For Fall 2012, Early 2013, Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter / Lander / Rover Launch NET 2014

Weekend Edition / 24-26 March 2012

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USA Lunar Orbiters Imaging Future / Past Landing Sites

Image Credit: NASA

2 4-Camera Color Video Systems Of GRAIL MoonKAM Begin Generating Video Views Of Moon Surface From Low Lunar Orbit; Thousands Of Students Have Opportunity To Capture Video / Images, Study Lunar Features & Learn About Past / Future Landing Sites; LRO Recently Provided Clearest View Yet Of Famous Apollo 11 Landing Site; Image (R) Snapped From 24-Km Altitude Displays Footprints, Lunar Module, Seismic Experiment, Lunar Ranging Reflector

Thursday / 22 March 2012

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GRAIL Mission Extended To December

Image Credit: NASA

US$496M Mission Extended 6 Months Allowing Scientists To Complete More Definitive Map Of Lunar Gravity Field From Lower Orbit; Twin Crafts Will Orbit Average Of 22.5km Above Moon During 2nd 3-Month Mapping Cycle, Sep-Dec; Mission Was Intended To End In June Before Lunar Eclipse, Mission Planners Now Hope To Crash Probes Into Lunar Surface In December, Ideally In LRO Field Of View 

Tuesday / 20 March 2012

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LRO 1000 Days In Lunar Orbit

Image Credit: NASA, bu.edu

LRO Reaches 1000 Days In Orbit & NASA Releases 2 New LRO Videos Providing Tour Of Interesting Locations On Moon, Evolutionary History; Lead Scientist Harlan Spence (L), UNH Researchers Use LRO CRaTER Instrument To Quantify Levels Of Radiation On Lunar Surface From GCR Bombardment That Can Create Complex Carbon Chains From Water Ice, Process Also Causes Regolith To Darken Over Time