Stanford University Civil & Environmental Engineering PhD Candidate Henning Roedel Featured As ‘Future Star’ In Feb 2013 Issue Of NewSpace Global Publication Thruster; Roedel Interested In Construction In Extreme Environments, Conducting Research At NASA Ames On Lunar Biocomposite To Create Infrastructure On Moon
Image Credit: NewSpace Global, NASA, Stanford, facebook.com
Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) Designed By NASA To Extract Water, Ice, For Fuel & Life Support From Regolith On Moon Or Other Dusty Bodies; 45kg, 0.75m-Tall Device Designed As Feeder For Lunar Resource Processing Plant; Current Design Likely To Evolve With Roll Out Of RASSOR-2 In Early 2014 For Testing
Image Credit: NASA
Ottawa Citizen Editorial Commends Recent ESA – NASA Partnership Agreement For Orion / MPCV Lunar Exploration Missions, Elaborates On Importance & Benefits Of Human Solar System Exploration: Technology Advances, Potential For Poverty Eradication, Innate Human Need To Explore; Canada, With Expertise In Mining & Robotics, Is Set To Be Important Contributor To USA / Europe Exploration Goals
Image Credit: CSA, NASA, NORCAT, Ottawa Citizen
Columbus New World Expedition, With Use Of Private Financing & Federally Granted Trade Patent, Used As Model By Jonathan Goff To Demonstrate A Means To Stimulate Private Lunar Development; Goff Suggests Granting Of Lunar Patents May Be As Effective, And Less Complicated, As / Than Recognizing Lunar Property Rights; Private Company Could Get 10-15-Year Rights To Percentage Of All Commercial Lunar Ventures, Including ISRU, Tourism, Etc
Image Credit: nss.org, agefotostock.com
First Private Moon Rovers Could Spur Era Of Lunar Mining, Construction & Tourism; Lunar Lion Team Leader Michael Paul Says NASA Must Harness Strength Of Private Industry To Advance Solar System Exploration, Seeking To Establish Penn State As “Go-To University” For Growing Commercial Space Industry
Image Credit: Penn State, GLXP
As GRAIL Mission Data, Including Imagery Of Spacecraft Surface Approach, Continues To Flow Through Scientific Community, NASA Invests In Technology Development To Search For Water Deposits Inside Permanently Shadowed Moon Craters; US$300K Contract Awarded To Xylem Inc. To Develop Specialized Mass Spectrometer For RESOLVE Mission Lunar Rover; With Sufficient Authorization & Funding USA / Canada Mission Could Land On Moon In 2017
Image Credit: NASA, Xylem Inc.
Rand Simberg Outlines The Valuable Resources Moon / Space Have To Offer, Reviews NewSpace Companies Such As Planetary Resources, Moon Express, Shackleton Energy Company, SpaceX That Are Seeking To Take Advantage Of Said Resources: Argues That New International Treaty Is Needed To Encourage / Regulate Extra-Terrestrial Property Rights Thereby Facilitating Settlement Of Space / Moon By Commercial Enterprises
Image Credit: Whiskey Sierra Graphics, twitter.com
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Announces New Fleet Of Rovers Developed Under Exploration Science Mobility Project; Lunar Exploration Light Rover Mobile Lunar Lab With Sample Scoop Is Largest & Fastest / Upgradeable For Human Transport; Kapvik Micro-Rover Aids Humans By Doing Light Labor; 40 Academic / Industry Organizations Collaborating; Industry Minister Christian Paradis Notes Continuation of Canadarm / Dextre Legacy
Image Credit: CSA, Industry Canada, Carleton University
Ouliang Chang Of USC Viterbi School Of Engineering Outlines Plan For Deployment Of Supercomputer & Accompanying Radio Dishes On Moon To Ease Load On Terrestrial Mission Control, Provide Computational Power For 1st Phase Of Lunar Industrial / Settlement Development; Polar Location To Avoid Drastic Temperature Swings, Access To Water Ice For Cooling; Dishes Could Also Be Used For Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry
Image Credit: NASA
Lunar COTS Petition Founded By Doug Plata Gaining Momentum As NASA Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Manager Alan Lindenmoyer (L) Suggests Using Successful COTS Model Elsewhere In NASA; Lunar COTS Would Establish Programs To Support Commercial Cis-lunar Transportation Service, Lunar Surface Operations, Harvesting Lunar Polar Ice, Orbital Propellant & Servicing Depots, Initial Crewed Lunar Base
Image Credit: NASA