Category Archives: Moon Mining

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 July 2015

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New Moon Plan For “Evolvable Lunar Architecture” & Campaign 2016 Considerations

7242015Paul Spudis (TR) Of LPI Supports Refining Lunar Water Into Rocket Fuel To Assist Deep Space Exploration; Spudis Raises Concerns On Projected Cost & Quasi-Commercial Lunar Authority Proposing NASA Base To Protect American Interest; Charles Miller (TL) NexGen President & Study’s Principal Investigator Outlines Feasibility Of Returning To Moon By Leveraging Commercial Partnerships; Paper Opens Discussions & Considerations With Upcoming Presidential Elections

Credit: NASA, National Press Club, Lunar and Planetary Institute

Wednesday / 22 July 2015

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Public-Private Partnerships To Return Humans To The Moon

7222015Preparations For Crewed Moon Missions / Lunar Base In Near Term (~5-7 Years) Possible With Innovative Cost Reducing Strategies Using Partnership Methods & Competing Commercial Service Providers; Benefits Of Lunar Structures / Commercial Mining To Export Propellant To Lunar Orbit As Economic Development For Extended Space Travel & Deep Space Exploration

Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 24 June 2015

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Harrison “Jack” Schmitt Participates At ISU Space Studies Program (SSP15)

6242015 NASA First Scientist-Astronaut Schmitt Has Busy Week At International Space University (ISU) Hosted By Ohio University; Recognized For His Apollo 17 Mission & Being The Second To Last Human To Step On The Moon His Work Continues On Lunar Exploration & Future Space Policy Issues; Advocate For Human Space Exploration & Author Of “Return To The Moon” Schmitt Describes Private Enterprise Approach & Business Proposition For Lunar Helium-3 Mining

Credit: NASA, IHMC

Thursday / 18 June 2015

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Lunar Mission One Continues To Gain

United Nations Attention

6182015Privately Funded Lunar Mission One (LMO) Gaining International Space Mission Support For Moon South Pole 2024 Exploration; David Iron (B), Founder of Lunar Missions Trust & Lunar Missions Ltd Proposes Partnership Allowing Individual & Government Collaboration; Iron Recently Addressed Committee On The Peaceful Uses Of Outer Space (COPUOS) Administered By United Nations Office For Outer Space Affairs; Supported By Former Conservative Science Minister Ian Taylor (TR), & Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees (TL), LMO To Deepen Understandings Of Moon & Earth Origins

Credit: Lunar Mission One, David Iron, Ian Taylor, Martin Rees

Wednesday / 3 June 2015

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Canada Space Program Announcement
Sets Stage For Lunar Exploration Involvement

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Canada Industry Minister James Moore & Commander Chris Hadfield Unveil Plans For Country To Continue To Participate In ISS Through 2024, Promote Innovation / Cutting-Edge Technology & Participate With International Partners On Major Projects; With NASA And Other Partners Shifting Exploration Focus To Cislunar Space, Canada Will Likely Have Opportunities To Showcase Expertise In Robotics & Space / Lunar Mining In Coming Decade, The 2 Current Canada Astronauts May Participate In Moon Orbit Or Surface Missions; CSA Annual Space Budget A Modest US$260M

Image Credit: CSA, NASA, canadianbusiness.com

Friday / 15 May 2015

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Honeybee To Develop Lunar Heat Flow Probe & Craft For ISRU / Space Exploration Honeybee CubeSats Lunar Probe

Honeybee Robotics Of Brooklyn NY Receiving NASA Small Business Phase 1 Contracts Worth Up To US$125K Each To Design: Advanced Lunar Probe (Similar To Apollo 15 & 17 Instrument) For Measuring Moon Endogenic Heat Flow, Thermal Gradient & Conductivity; 3D-Printed Harvester CubeSat With Cold-Gas Thrusters Which Can Continue To Refuel Itself For ‘Eternal’ Moon / Asteroid / Mars / Europa Missions; ISRU Volatiles Extractor For Moon / Mars / Asteroids; Hermetically-Sealed Canisters For Sample Return Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Honeybee, ESA / The Science Office Ltd.

Thursday / 14 May 2015

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Space Law Issues Raised As Asteroid & Lunar Mining Initiatives Advance

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Planetary Resources Launches 1st Of 2 Planned 2015 Asteroid Mining Demonstration Spacecraft Missions; Space Mining Experts Meeting In Canada Note Upcoming NASA Resource Prospecting Missions To Lunar Poles, Existing Canada & ESA Rovers That Could Be Used For Lunar Missions In Search Of Water-Ice; Experts Posit That Commercial Space Mining Is Likely Decades Away, Though Many Assert That A Mechanism For Regulating Space Mining / Addressing Property Rights Claims Needs To Be Established ASAP Before Commercial Asteroid & Lunar Missions Commence

Image Credit: Planetary Resources, NASA

Tuesday / 12 May 2015

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Canada Event Explores Extraction, Utilization, Commercialization Of Lunar Resources

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6th Annual Planetary & Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium / Space Resources Roundtable Continues Through Wednesday 13 May In Montreal, Canada; Event Intended To Promote Closer Relationship Between Space & Mining Sectors; Featured Speakers Today Include (L-R) NASA JSC ISRU Chief Engineer Jerry Sanders, John Hamilton Of PISCES; John Gruener Of NASA JSC Will Outline An International Lunar Polar Volatiles Strategy; Alex Ellery Of Carleton University Will Detail How ISRU & 3D Printing Can Facilitate A Self-Replicating Infrastructure On Moon

Image Credit: NASA, PISCES, Carleton University

Friday / 1 May 2015

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Copernicus Space Science Program To Feature Space Elevators & GLXP Team Puli GLXP Exosphere

Exosphere Conference In Budapest, Hungary 13-31 July With Theme ‘An Endogenously-Powered Space Elevator’ To Focus On Modeling Various Power Supply Systems, Potential Markets Resulting From Reduced Cost Payload Delivery To / From Orbit, Asteroid & Moon Mining Industries; Hungary GLXP Team Puli Will Demonstrate Its Lunar Rover; Program Supported By PuliSpace Founder (BL) Dr. Tibór Pacher, Space Elevator Expert Larry Bartoszek (BC), Enrico Dini (BR) Of D-Shape Company Which Is Experimenting With 3D-Printed Lunar Bases

Image Credit: Exosphere, GLXP, Team Puli, D-Shape, NASA SSERVI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 April 2015

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Moon May Be Critical Stepping Stone To NASA Mars Ambitions

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Moon Mission Advocate Paul Spudis Outlines How Human Mars Mission Is Unfeasible Without Use Of Lunar-Produced Propellant; Propellant Would Comprise >80% Of The ~900,000 Kg Of Equipment Needed For Mars Journey; Harvesting Volatiles At Lunar Poles, Creating Working Fueling Depot Close To Deep Space Staging Areas Where Mars Spacecraft Can Be Assembled; NASA Resource Prospector Mission Could Confirm Feasibility Of Using Volatile Deposits On Moon As Fuel / Consumables For Long Duration Spaceflight

Image Credit: NASA, aaas.org