The USA Independence Revolution In The 21st Century Will Continue To The Stars, For Freedom And Equality, Life, Liberty, Happiness, And Prosperity; Many Americans, Independent Of Republicans And Democrats, Will Support A USA Space Agency Funded At Parity With, Or Greater Than, The US Dept of Defense – For Peaceful Human Exploration And Development Of Solar System Worlds And Resources, Including The Moon And Mars
Image Credit: NASA, pdxmim.com
The 50th, Youngest USA State, Hawai`i Offers A Cosmic Portal From Which Humanity May Advance And Spread Aloha To The Moon, Throughout The Solar System And To Galaxy Stars Beyond; Blessed By Location, Location, Location And Location Geo-Strategic Assets, The Mid-Pacific Volcano Islands Offer The Best Sea-Launching Space Access Sites Between KSC Florida (10,000 Km East) And PRC Hainan (12,000 Km West) To Rising 21st Century Interests and Visionary, Pioneering Leadership
Image Credit: NASA, Google
China Lunar Exploration Program Senior Adviser Ouyang Ziyuan Says Simulation Lunar Return Satellite Will Be Launched Later This Year In Preparation For Moon Sample Return Chang’e-5 Mission Which Is Scheduled To Launch In 2017 Via Long March 5 Rocket From New Hainan Launch Center, Return Up To 10kg Of Lunar Samples; Exploration Program Will Then Shift To Human Moon Missions, & Possible Building Of Lunar Base; China Then Intends To Conduct Systematic Exploration Of Solar System
Image Credit: CNSA
1st Announcement Of 2014 Annual Meeting Of LEAG, 22-24 Oct In Maryland USA; Call For Abstracts Expected 24 June; 2 Main Focus Areas: Lunar Volatiles & The Global Exploration Roadmap (GER); SSERVI Releases Agenda For 1st Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum, 21-23 July At Ames RC, California USA; Event Also Includes Discussion Of GER, To Integrate Priority Science Objectives Into NASA / International Exploration Plans; Pictured: LEAG Program Chair Samuel Lawrence
Image Credit: LEAG, NASA
Natural ‘Radiation Shelters’ On Moon Provide Clues About Surviving Solar Storms / Cosmic Radiation In Deep Space; Study Examined How Small Magnetic Fields On Lunar Surface Are Effective, Despite Their Low-Density, In Preventing High-Energy Particles From Striking Moon; Data Shows Previous Studies Have Overestimated Strength Of Magnetic Field Required To Keep Astronauts Safe, Suggests More Plausible Design For Spacecraft Mini-Magnetosphere Deflector Shields; Researchers Estimate 0.5kg Of Xenon Gas May Be Sufficient To Protect Crew For 6 Months In Deep Space
Image Credit: NASA
LOIRP Team Leaders Dennis Wingo (T) & Keith Cowing (B) Heading Up Crowdfunding Project To Reactivate Comet-Chasing Probe ISEE-3; Team Has Already Raised Over 40% Of The US$125,000 Goal, Needs To Have Funds / Contact Probe By Mid-May, Complete Orbit Change Maneuvers No Later Than Mid-June 2014, Those Maneuvers Will Include Flyby Of Moon At 50-Km Altitude; If Successful, 479-Kg Probe Will Be Directed To Study A Nearby Comet, All New Data From 13 Craft Instruments Will Be Crowdsourced
Image Credit: Rockethub.com, SpaceRef, Crowdfunder.com
Free Test Flight Today At NASA JSC Of 3-m Diameter, 1090-Kg Morpheus Lander With 2404-Kg-Thrust, Methane & Oxygen-Fueled Engine Will Allow ALHAT Sensor System To Prove Its Capabilities; ALHAT System Will Have 10 Seconds To Map & Choose Landing Site After Craft Flies To ~150m; ALHAT Project Manager Chirold Epp Says Team Is Shooting For System That Can Land Within 3m Of Given Spot, Current Best For Landing Precision Is ~80m
Image Credit: NASA
China, Russia, India & Others Valuing Moon Exploration Priority With Current And Near-Future Lander Missions; Moon Seen As ‘Training Ground’ Providing Opportunity To Learn To Live & Work On Another Celestial Body, Solve Deep Space Exploration Challenges, Test New Technologies, Facilitate Exploration Of Mars & Beyond; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden However Asserts That Going Back To Moon Is ‘Antiquated Idea’
Image Credit: Roscosmos, hannity.com
Former Astronauts (Clockwise T-B) Rusty Schweickart, Tom Jones, Garrett Reisman – To Discuss Future Of Human Spaceflight At Caltech On 8 April, Event Co-Sponsored By Planetary Society, Former Director Lou Friedman Believes Asteroid Redirection Mission Is Only Way To Advance USA Human Spaceflight Within Budgetary Constraints; Paul Spudis Points Out National Security Implications Of USA Retreat From Space, Notes Cislunar Space Is The ‘Space Theater’ Of Future, Warns Commercial Space Enterprises Unable To Open Up New Frontier Without Strong Space Presence / Capability Of Government
Image Credit: Popular Mechanics, NASA, Planetary Society, Spudis Lunar Resources Blog
Successful China Moon Mission Indicates Property Rights / Mining Claims Not Far Off Says Richard Holdaway (R) Of UK Rutherford Appleton Lab; Several Commercial Enterprises Also Making Business Cases For Moon Mining; Richard Bilder (L) Of University Of Wisconsin-Madison Says Process Of Setting Up Legal Regime Should Be Started Soon Before 1 or More Countries / Companies Have Special Stake / Interest; Holdaway Notes Nations Likely To Become Partners & Lunar Resources Will Further Space Exploration, Improve Life On Earth
Image Credit: NASA, CNSA, law.wisc.edu, stfc.ac.uk