Category Archives: NASA

Friday / 29 July 2016

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PISCES And NASA Conducting Lunar Simulations, Technologies Testing At Mauna Kea Hawai`i

PISCES 2016

Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems (PISCES) Executive Director Rob Kelso & Students Developing, Upgrading, Testing Moon / Mars Rover, Equipment & Communications Software; From Remote Location, Students Use Google Earth Images Of Mauna Kea To Move Rover & Study Geology Mimicking Real Life Lunar Robotic Mission; NASA Ames Also Testing The Rover Stereoscopic Imaging System, Data Capture & Data Processing Remotely From Florida, Taking Advantage Of Moon, Mars Analog 3,000-meter Altitude Sites At Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa

Credit: PISCES, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 July 2016

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Women On The Moon:
Expanding American / Global Enterprise

2017 Women on the Moon LED

Whichever Political Party Advances The New 2017 USA Administration Could Recognize A Prime Imperative & Plan To Reclaim A Great Accomplishment — Human Presence On The Moon; Many Willing And Able Women Would Eagerly Step Up To The Challenges Of Breaking This Very High Glass Ceiling; Recent Remarks By Eileen Collins Urge Policy Makers To Facilitate America Regaining Leadership In Space Exploration, Especially By Returning To Luna-First Priorities; Suni Williams Is Helping Lead Progress Toward US Commercial Crew Capabilities; Jessica Meir Is Emerging From The ESA CAVES Mission, Looking For The Next Challenge

Credit: SPC / ILOA, RNC webcast, NASA, LRO

Friday / 22 July 2016

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UAE Satellite Maneuver Pays Tribute To Humankind’s Greatest Achievement

Moon 47th International

UAE Dubai-Sat-2 Earth Observation Satellite Turns Face & Captures Images Of Moon To Mark Achievement Of 1st Human Moon Landing, Inspire Future Space Scientists; Salem Al Marri Of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Notes Apollo As “A Pinnacle Of Engineering Development & Exploration” And Hopes To “See People On Mars & Other Celestial Bodies”; Nations Including China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea & ESA Are Focusing On Moon Missions And Outposts; U.S. Has The Technologies & Could Catalyze Space Race With Prioritization

Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Eye Radio, NASA

Wednesday / 20 July 2016

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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

Tuesday / 19 July 2016

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Women On The Moon & USA 21st Century Leadership

LED-7-18-16

Eileen Collins, Former NASA Astronaut & 1st Female Space Shuttle Commander, Set To Make 3-Minute Apolitical Speech On 20 July At Republican National Convention, Cleveland OH; The Auspicious Day Marks Apollo 11 47th Observation; Collins Previewed Focus Of Speech “We Landed On The Moon ‘In Peace, For All Mankind’ And I Know That Is A Message We Can All Get Behind”; She Also Openly Criticized, As Did Many Others Of All Sides, The Obama Administration Decision To Scrap The Constellation Program Launched By George Bush; Newt Gingrich And Ted Cruz, Active In Space Exploration Policy, Are Also Set To Speak

Credit: NASA, GOP, SYU / S. Sartori

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 July 2016

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LRO Mission Receives NASA Extension Through March 2018

LED-7-8-16

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Shedding Light On Origin And Evolution Of The Solar System Through A Multitude Of Science Investigations At The Moon; NASA Planning US$20M / Year To Operate Flagship Lunar Mission Through FY2018 (Subject To Appropriation & Annual Budget Process); Latest Results Include SwRI Team Led By Kathleen Mandt Identifying 2 Geologically Young Craters Near South Pole Using Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Detector Which Observes With Help Of Ultraviolet Light Coming From Distant Stars & From The Lyman-Alpha Skyglow Scattering Of Hydrogen Atoms In Solar System

Credit: LRO, NASA, SwRI

Thursday / 7 July 2016

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LPI Seminar 8 July: Micro Cold Traps On The Moon Presented By Paul Hayne

LED-7-6-16

Lunar And Planetary Institute Seminar Series Hosts Paul Hayne, Geophysics & Planetary Geosciences, JPL On Fri 8 July; Recent Observations Of Moon, Mercury Confirm Predictions Of Water Ice In High-Latitude Permanent-Shadow Craters; Some Discrepancies Exist As To Concentrations / Locations Of Volatiles, Presence Of Super-Volatiles (CH4, CO2, Methanol), Heterogeneous Thermal Environments; Hayne Presents New Theory To Explain These Based On Evidence Of Micro Cold Traps, Discusses Importance For Future Robotic / Human Exploration

Credit: LPI, JPL, UCLA/NASA/JPL/Goddard

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tue / 1-5 July 2016

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2017 USA Space Program And The Moon – Galaxy Forum USA Inaugurates Spacemonth July 2016 / July 4th Weekend

LED-7-1-2016

 GF USA 2016 In Santa Clara CA On 2 July; Presentations By Bruce Pittman Of NASA Ames On USA Space Direction 2017, Imke de Pater Of UC Berkeley Astronomy On Jupiter, Steve Durst Of SPC / ILOA On Getting Human Moon Missions & Jupiter Back Into American Space Program, Considerations For 21st Century Solar System Complete; Bipartisan Support & Implementation Of Evolvable Lunar Architecture (ELA) Study Partly Funded By NASA, Proposed July 2015 By Charles Miller Of NexGen Space; ELA Designed To Lead A Return Of Humans To The Moon Surface Within 5-7 Years For US$10B (+/-30%) Via Development Of 2 Independent Competing Commercial Service Providers

Credit: Space Age Publishing Company (SPC) , International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), NASA, NexGen Space LLC, A. Nesterova, UC Berkeley, FreeFlagIcons.com

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 June 2016

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Lunar CubeSats Queuing Up For Unique Boost Toward Moon

LED-6-24-16

13 CubeSats Hitching Ride To Translunar Space Aboard SLS EM-1 Test Flight 2018; Each No More Than 6 Units, 14 Kg; 10 Payloads Already Confirmed; 7 Selected By NASA Through NextSTEP (SkyFire, Lunar IceCube), Human Exploration & Ops Mission Directorate (NEA Scout, BioSentinel, Lunar Flashlight) And Science Mission Directorate (CuSP, LunaH-Map); 3 International; 3 TBD Pending Outcome Of CubeQuest Challenge; SLS Will Release Primary Payload Orion On Lunar Trajectory, Then 13 CubeSats To Deploy From Stage Adapter

Credit: NASA, Morehead State University

Friday / 17 June 2016

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13th International Planetary Probe Workshop Highlighting Innovative Ideas For Lunar Exploration

LED-6-16-16

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Meeting In Laurel, Maryland June 13-17 Features Talks By Alan Stern PI Of New Horizons & Ellen Stofan NASA Chief Scientist; Includes Presentations By Robert Buchwald (TR) Of Airbus On ‘Prospecting And Returning Lunar Surface Samples With Volatiles’ And By Balaji Soundararajan, Masters Student (Space Engineering) at Technical University Berlin On ‘Autonomous UAV for Lunar Inspection’ & ‘Lunar Ballistic Robot Exploration’

Credit: JHU/APL, GSFC, NASA,R. Buchwald, B. Soundararajan,