Category Archives: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Sep 2017

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International Human Moon, Deep Space Mission Simulations

Beijing, China 200-Day Moon Simulation With 2 Women & 2 Men Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Until Jan 25, 2018 Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; Next Group Will Perform 105-Day Mission Jan 25 – May 10, 2018; Commercial Company Space Garden 6-Person Mock Lunar Mission Performing 20 Spaceflight Experiments In Pila, Poland “Habitat Lunares” Concludes Lunar Expedition 1, Planning For 2 Additional Missions In 2017; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 Mission 2 In 148.1 m3 Habitat At JSC Houston TX Scheduled Aug 5 – Sep 18 Cut Short Due To Hurricane Harvey

Credits: Xinhua/Ju Huanzong, Monica Alcazar-Duarte, NASA, CCTV

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Aug 2017

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USA Lunar Developments: Bridenstine Could Be NASA Admin, GLXP Extended Until 31 March 2018

Representative Jim Bridenstine R-OK (TL) Is Reported To Likely Become New NASA Administrator, Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President John Schumacher May Be Named Deputy Administrator; Bridenstine Advocates For Human Return To Moon Before Mars, Permanent Lunar Outpost And Increased USA Space Activity; Google Lunar X Prize 5 Teams Remaining Have Until 31 March 2018 To Complete Mission; New Prizes Include US$1.75M For Teams That Complete 1 Lunar Orbit Or Enter Direct Descent Approach To Moon Surface, And $3M For Teams To Soft Land On Moon & Transmit Data To Earth Before Deadline; Still In The Race Is Moon Express, Team Indus With Hakuto, Synergy Moon, SpaceIL

Credits: GLXP, Moon Express, Hakuto, SpaceIL, Indus, Synergy Moon, NASA. J. Bridenstine

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 July 2017

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Moon Is Rising For Human / America Future

USA Vice President Mike Pence States America Will Return To Moon, Put Boots On Mars, And NASA Men, Women & All Those At The “Gateway To The Stars” (Kennedy Space Center) Will Help Lead The Nation In Space Under Current Administration; U.S. Government Commitment To Touch Moon Would Be Major Game Changer For National, International, Commercial, Scientific Trajectories In Space; Could Catalyze “Moonrush” To Get 1st Woman To Moon, Begin Lunar Settlement, Resource Extraction / Business In Space, Cislunar Steps Into Entire Solar System; Budgetary Cuts, Naming NASA Administrators, Specific Details / Dates Still A Concern

Credits: NASA, Boeing

USA Independence Day Edition
Fri-Tue / 30 June – 4 July 2017

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Human 2020 Return To Moon Also Supported By Stephen Hawking

First Women / Americans On Moon As Soon As 2020 Is Within Reach – Advances Made By SpaceX On Falcon Heavy, Dragon Crew & Interplanetary Transportation System, Blue Origin New Glenn, New Shepard & New Armstrong, Bigelow Lunar Inflatable Habitats, Moon Express And Astrobotic Lunar Landers, NASA SLS / Orion And New Astronaut Class With 5 Women & 7 Men; Returning “In Peace For All” To Reclaim Greatest American / Human Advance Is Vital For Long-Term Survival And First Step To Launching Into Solar System And Galaxy; Stephen Hawking States Countries Should Collaborate To Build Moon Settlement Within 30 Years; NASA, ESA, China, India, Russia, Canada And Others Support Moon Base Construct – Focusing On Moon South Pole New Frontier To Utilize Materials And Energy; The Time To Achieve Pioneering 21st Century Return To Moon To Solidify Multi World Species Status Is Now

Credits: NASA, N. Moeller, Space Age Publishing Company, Behrokh Khoshnevis

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 June 2017

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Next Gen Spacesuits Needed For Women And Men IVAs, EVAs At LEO, Moon, Mars

2017 Audit Discusses Spacesuit Advances Required For Future Cislunar Gateway, SLS / Orion Flights, Moon & Mars Surface, Accommodations For Astronauts Of Various Sizes, Improvements In Glove, Hydration, Nutrition Systems; Lunar Dust Mitigation Technologies Integrated Into Spacesuits Proposed By Kavya Manyapu Includes Carbon Nanotube Flexible Electrodes To Eject Sharp, Magnetic Moon Dust; Lockheed Martin Proposes 8-Legged, Rocket-Powered Spacesuit For Mars Moons; NASA Has 11 Fully Functioning Extravehicular Mobility Units (145 kg) & Agency ‘Years Away From Deep Space Suits’; China Currently Utilizing Feitian EVA Suit (120 kg, Cost US$4.4M) Modeled After Russia Orlan Suits (104 kg); Final Frontier Design, SpaceX, Boeing Working On Light-Weight, Flexible, Low-Cost IVA Suits

Credits: NASA / Eugene Cernan, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, CNSA

Memorial Day / Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 26-29 May 2017

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ISDC 2017 Accentuates American
Moon Mission Interests

Breakout Sessions With Lunar Focus At NSS ISDC 25-29 May In St. Louis MO Include Back To The Moon, Space Settlement, Living In Space, Space Business; Madhu Thangavelu, David Schrunk, William Gerstenmaier, Brad Blair, Peter Kokh, Henk Rogers, Dennis Wingo, Ben Bussey, Michael Laine & Others Will Cover All Aspects Of A Human Return To Moon, L1 & L2 Transportation Nodes, International Lunar Decade Declaration, Moon Mining, Lunar Base Planning Underway At NASA & Private Ventures Including Cislunar & Surface Architectures, Deep Space Gateway, SLS / Orion EM-1 Mission & CubeSats; New NASA Administrator May Also Be Announced (Perhaps Jim Bridenstine)

Credits: National Space Society, ISDC, NASA, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 May 2017

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LRO Approaches 8 Full Years At Moon,
Data / Instrument Validation Aiding Future International Missions

LRO Traveling In Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) Focusing On Permanently Shadowed Craters, Is 1-Month From Reaching 8 Full Years In Moon Orbit (23 Jun); Release 30 Of LRO Data Expected Mid Jun 2017, Mission Planned To Continue Until At Least Dec 2018; Science Team Designing Aug 21 Total Solar Eclipse Observations; Narrow Angle Camera Inspires Next-Gen ShadowCam To Be Used On Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Launching Dec 2018; HD Full Model Of Whole Moon Produced

Credits: LROC, NASA, Arizona State University / Malin Space Science Systems

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 May 2017

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China, USA Simulate Long-Duration Human Moon Missions In Closed Habitats

Beijing, China Hosts 1-Year Moon Mission Analog With 8 Volunteers In 2 Groups (2 Women, 2 Men In Each) Living In Yuegong-1 (Lunar Palace-1) Complete With Two 50m2 Greenhouses / Bio-Regenerative Life-Support Systems Experiments Vital For Lunar Settlement; 1st Group Will Remain For 60 Days, 2nd Group 200 Days, Then 1st Group Return For 105 Days; NASA Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 4 (HERA-4) Is Ongoing From 6 May – 19 Jun At JSC, Houston TX 148.1 m3 Habitat; 4 Team Members Will Test New Space Food & Hardware Prototypes Including Simulated Exploration Vehicle, Use 3-D Printer; 3 Additional 45-Day Missions Run In Aug, Oct, Feb 2018

Credits: Beihang University – Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, Xinhua, Ju Huanzong, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 May 2017

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Latest NASA RFI Seeks Commercial Lunar Surface Cargo Transportation Services

Requesting Proposals For Lunar Services Starting 2018 Through Next Decade, Thomas Zurbuchen States NASA ‘Remains Committed To High-Priority Lunar Science & Investigating Potential Resources For Exploration’; SLS / Orion Circumlunar Flight 2019 & Humans To Mars 2030s Goal May Solidify Plans To Return USA To Moon; Enterprises Advancing Landers Include Moon Express With MX-1, Blue Origin Blue Moon Lander / New Armstrong Rocket, Astrobotic Peregrine & Griffin Landers; Others Planning For Moon Operations Include Bigelow Lunar Habitats / Cislunar Depot, Shackleton Energy Co. Mining Pursuits, ILOA Instruments / Human Service Mission, SpaceX Crew Dragon Lunar Tourism, Liftport Group Lunar Elevator

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Astrobotic, ILOA, Bigelow, Liftport Group, Golden Spike Company, Lunarcubes / Flexure Engineering

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 March 2017

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Cislunar Outpost Imperative And Moon Base Plans Increasing

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Human Exploration & Operations Associate Administrator Speaks On Plans For Cislunar Outpost To Support Future Crews Working On / Around Moon As A Step Toward Humans To Mars 2030s; Decisions To Be Made Within Months For SLS / Orion Payloads & Clearer Mission Plans For EM-1-3 To Be Formulated, Perhaps With Humans Aboard 2018 EM-1 Flight; Proposals Made By Bigelow For Cislunar Refueling Depots By 2020, SpaceX 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Customers, Blue Origin 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries

Credits: Bigelow, Robert Bigelow, SpaceX, Elon Musk, NASA, Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos