Friday / 30 September 2016

Human Moon Missions As 1st Stop On Journey To Mars, Jupiter, Beyond

moon-village-faa-lmass

FAA Advisory Group Endorses ESA Moon Village Concept At 67th IAC Suggesting ‘Lunar Marketplace And Swap Shop (LMASS)’; George Nield, FAA Associate Administrator For Commercial Space Transportation Notes Dozen Or More Companies Eager To Do Business On Moon, Reclaim Multi World Species Status; Jan Woerner’s Vision For Moon Village Would Be International & Commercial Collaboration Taking Shape In 2020s, Providing Infrastructure, Experience, Economy, Resources For Sustaining Human Presence On Moon, Catalyzing Solar System Complete Exploration

Credits: ESA, Foster & Partners, FAA, NASA

Friday / 19 August 2016

ESA Invites 2,200 EU Citizens From 22 Member States For ‘Debate On Space’

ESA EU Citizen Debate 2016

First Major Event For European Union Public To Learn About, Voice Opinions On ESA Space Program Priorities 10 September; Topics Covered Will Include ESA Director Jan Woerner Moon Village, Human Spaceflight, Planetary Missions, Science, Exploration, Earth Observation, Telecommunication; Engaging Initiative Could Benefit USA, Other Countries To Catalyze Further Support Of Space Programs And Solidify Moon, Mars, Beyond Path For Human Space Settlement / Exploration

Credit: ESA, Euronews, D. Ducros

Friday / 12 August 2016

ILDWG Proposes G20 Leaders Discuss Financial Promise Of Developing Moon, Space Economy

ILDWG 2016

International Lunar Decade Working Group Urges Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) To Include Space Development At G20 Summit In Hamburg July 2017 As Innovative, Global Strategy For Building Sustainable, Long Term Future For Humanity; Moon Village Would Include More Nations, Surpass Financial Scope Of ISS; Cislunar Space Infrastructure Could Reduce Costs & Risks Of Operating In Space; Space-Based Resources, Asteroid Mining Would Create Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs, Drive Innovation & Discovery, Generate Tools For Earth Climate Change, Planetary Defense

Credit: ILDWG, ESA, NSS, NASA, ISDC, SFF, 5FM, Researchgate, G20

Thursday / 28 July 2016

Nuclear Power On Moon, Mars, Beyond

LED-7-27-16

SETI Institute Science Colloquium At Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus Features Frank Shu, Professor Emeritus, University Of California Berkeley; Discusses Lunar Base As Wise First Step Toward Humans Colonizing Mars, Traveling To The Stars; Shu Notes Lunar Water Ice Harvesting / Electrolysis To Produce Habitat-Critical Oxygen (& Hydrogen For Fuel) Requires Primary Power Source; Presents Patented Design For Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder-Reactor (2F-MSBR) Using In Situ Thorium; Overlooks Potential For Photo-Voltaic Power At Peaks Of Eternal Light (Areas Of Near-Continuous Illumination) At Moon South Pole

Credit: SETI Institute, UC Berkeley, NASA

Wednesday / 20 July 2016

Full Moon Rising Again As World Observes 47th Anniversary Of Apollo 11

LED-7-19-2016

Space Community, Scientists Gather In Silicon Valley At Ames Research Center, NASA For The Exploration Science Forum (ESF 2016) Bolstered By Renewed Global Momentum Toward Lunar Landings & Crewed Habitats; An International Moon Surface Station With Commercial Services Integration Would Be A Major 1st Step Toward Reclaiming, Sustaining And Surpassing The Greatest Advance In Human History To Date; GOP Platform Supportive Of Space Exploration, Former Astronaut Eileen Collins To Speak At Republican National Convention; Louise Prockter Named As New Director Of Lunar & Planetary Institute

Credit: NASA, LPI, ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 July 2016

Waypaver Foundation Launching Grant Initiative For Sustainable Lunar Settlement

LED-7-15-16

Non-Profit Research-Guided Grant Making Institution Based In Chattanooga TN Seeks To Address Humanity’s Greatest Global Challenges By Advancing Key Technologies To Open Lunar Frontier; Led By CEO Nick Arnett, COO Patrick Gray & VP Sara Jennings; Board Of Directors Includes Esther Dyson (Chairman Of Edventure Holdings), Chad Anderson (Managing Director, Space Angels Network), Chris Frangione (VP At XPrize Foundation); More Details Expected At Announcement Event Spaceday 2016 July 20, 09:45, Palo Alto CA

Credit: Waypaver

Wednesday / 29 June 2016

Russia Industry To Prepare Lunar Orbital Station Proposal For ISS Partners

LED-6-28-16

RSC Energia Working On Configurations, Elements, Interfaces Of International Habitable Periodically-Tended Circumlunar Platform; Proposals To Be Submitted To Heads Of ISS Partner Agencies 1st Half Of 2017, Working Group Signed Into Existence Late 2014; Scenarios In Line With National Interests Of Partners Including Human Exploration Of Lunar Surface, Mars, Asteroids; Sergei Krikalyov, Director For Human Spaceflight At Roscosmos, Notes Logic In Establishing Permanent Human Moonbase Using Circumlunar Station For Temporary Visits & Transfers

Credit: NASA, RSC Energia

Thursday / 23 June 2016

Multiple Human Moon Missions Evolving As Major National / International Goals

LED-6-22-16

Astronaut Tim Peake Has New Focus On Lunar Missions As ESA Plans To Establish A Cislunar ‘Deep Space Habitat’ For Lunar Surface & Solar System Exploration; Dave Parker Of ESA Human Spaceflight Cites Upcoming Discussions At Ministerial Conference In Lucerne, Switzerland In December; China Manned Space Program Deputy Chief Zhang Yulin Recently Proclaimed The Goal Of ‘Crewed Lunar Exploration’, With Analysts Predicting This Could Be Achieved As Soon As 2020s; Russia Plans To Permanently Station 12 Cosmonauts On Lunar Surface, Starting With 2-4 People By 2030

Credit: ESA, Roscosmos, CNSA

Thursday / 9 June 2016

Japan Kajima Corp. To Develop Machinery For Construction On Moon

LED-6-8-16

Fully Automated Construction Machinery On Moon, Mars For Building Long-Term Human Habitation Is Being Developed By Kajima Corporation, A Japan Industrial Services, Engineering and Construction Firm With Market Capitalization Of Almost US$8B; JAXA Selected The Project For The Space Exploration Innovation Hub; An Indoor Experiment Will Be Conducted NET April 2017 At JAXA Sagamihara Campus; Machinery Is Estimated To Be Ready To Build A Structure To Accommodate 4-6 People On The Moon By 2030

Credit: Kajima Corp., JAXA

Wednesday / 1 June 2016

China Advancing Ambitious Lunar Plans, Strong Policy Support For Civil & Commercial Space Programs

LED-5-31-2016

CNSA Secretary General Tian Yulong Provides Details Of 2017 Chang’e-5 Mission; In Addition To Landing And Sample Return, Probe To Conduct Systematic Exploration Of North & South Poles From Orbit; Tian Also Notes Recent Discussions With ESA On Moonbase / Human Mission Cooperation; Draft Of 1st China Astronautical Law And “China’s Space Flight” White Paper Expected By End Of Year; Release Of Regulations / Other Documents Is In Preparation For Multiple Space Missions During 13th Five-Year Plan Period 2016 – 2020 And To Support Continued Development In The Aerospace Industry

Credit: CNSA, Beihang University