Category Archives: South Pole Moon

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

Thursday / 7 May 2015

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Radiation Environment May Alter Lunar Regolith

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Researchers From UNH & NASA Goddard Publish Study Detailing How ‘Sparking’ May Affect Lunar Regolith In Permanently Shadowed Craters; High-Energy Particles From Large Solar Storms Or Cosmic Rays Buildup Electric Charges Faster Than Regolith Can Dissipate Them, Particularly In -240°C Permanently Shadowed Polar Craters, Regolith Then Disintegrates Into Smaller Particles Of Distinct Materials; Researchers Used LRO CRaTER Instrument & Custom Computer Model; Team Will Now Utilize LRO Instruments At New Lower Orbit To Find Evidence For Sparking

Image Credit: NASA, UNH

Wednesday / 6 May 2015

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LRO Taking Closer Look At Moon South Pole

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Orbit Of NASA Lunar Orbiter Lowered To Within 20km Of Lunar South Pole, Closest The Craft Has Been To Moon; New Orbit Enables Improved  Measurements Of South Pole Areas With Unique Illumination Conditions – Permanently Shadowed Craters (e.g. Cabeus), Peaks Of Eternal Light (e.g. Malapert); LOLA & Diviner Instruments Will Now Produce Better Signal / Higher Resolution Data; Maneuver Indicates Continued Interest In Moon South Pole Exploration Within NASA

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday / 5 May 2015

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Astrobotic Gains 3 More Contract Awards From NASA

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GLXP Contender Announces US$375,000 In Contract Awards Through NASA Small Business Technology Transfer Program; Astrobotic, In Partnership With Carnegie Mellon University, Will Advance 3 Proposals For Resource Exploration On & Under Surface Of Moon / Other Planetary Bodies: Develop Sensors To Precisely Detect Minerals In Lunar Regolith, Develop Imaging Technology To Map Lunar Robot Surroundings While In Shadowed Polar Craters, Create Navigation / Perception Technology For Flying Robots To Explore Lunar Caves Without Communication To Earth

Image Credit: Astrobotic, NASA

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

Wednesday / 22 April 2015

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India Advancing Chandrayaan-2

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Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Director M Chandra Dathan Says Chandrayaan-2 Preparations Are In Full Swing At Various ISRO Centers, Still Planning On 2017-2018 Launch; 2nd India Moon Mission Will Place Lander & Rover Near South Pole To Test New Technologies & New Experiments; Ranked 6th In Global Space Positioning – India Becoming A Role Model For Other Countries Due To Self-Reliance & Cost Effectiveness; India Spends US$3 / Per Capita On Space Technology, Compared To $7.5 For China & $123 For USA

Image Credit: ISRO, K. Murali Kumar

Wednesday / 25 March 2015

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Mojave Volatiles Prospector Preparing For
Lunar Polar Mission

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MVP Project Using 3 Instruments – Near Infrared & Visible Spectrometer, Neutron Spectrometer Subsystem, And Downward Facing GroundCam – On KREX-2 Rover To Advance Robotic Volatile Prospecting Methods For Use At Lunar Poles; Tests Conducted In Mojave Desert Lunar Analog Site; Small Field Team In Mojave & Operational Team At NASA Ames Simulating Real-Time Analysis & Decision Making Needed For Moon Mission; Project Driven By Likelihood Of Water Ice Deposits In Permanently Shadowed Craters At Lunar Poles Colder Than 40K

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 11 March 2015

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India Space Budget Indicates GSLV & Chandrayaan-2 Remain Top Priorities

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ISRO Allocated US$1.2B For Space Activities In 2015-2016 Fiscal Year (Begins 1 Apr); Budget Includes $50M For Continued Development / Operation Of GSLV Mk-3 Which Is Capable Of Lifting 4 Metric Tons To GTO, Critical For Next Steps Of Moon Program & Carrying Out India Human Space Missions According To Former ISRO Director Suresh Naik; $47M For Space Science, Including $6.3M For Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Rover / Orbiter Should Land At Moon South Pole 2017 / 2018; India Is Garnering A Reputation For Accomplishing Challenging Space Missions With Efficient / Frugal Budget

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 March 2015

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China Chang’e-3, -4, -5 Aligning To Realize Full Potential Of Moon Program

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Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover With Reconfigured Instruments To Follow Successful Chang’e-1, -2, -3 & 5-T1 Missions (2007-Present), Perhaps To Unexplored Destination Such As Moon South Pole; Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission On Track For 2017 Launch From Developing Hainan Spaceport On Long March 5 Rocket According To Chang’e Chief Cmdr / Designer Ye Peijian; Chang’e-5-T1 In Moon Orbit Testing Technologies For Chang’e-5; Chang’e-3 At 44.12°N 19.51°W May Study Lunar Terminator / Dust Dynamics, Make Other Observations During Lunar Eclipse 4 Apr & 28 Sep

Image Credit: CNSA, NASA, CCTV, Chinese Academy of Sciences, D. Davis, Chinanews.com, K. Kremer, M. Di Lorenzo, Xinhuanet.com

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 February 2015

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Moon South Pole Mission Opportunities Draw Southeast Asia Leaders To Series Of Events

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Galaxy Forum Southeast Asia Events In Bandung, Indonesia On Sat 21 Feb & In Bangkok, Thailand On Tues 24 Feb Bring Together Leaders In Astronomy & Space Exploration To Evaluate How Southeast Asia Countries Can Advance Their Space / Astronomy Initiatives And Bring More Of The Subsequent Benefits To The People; ILOA, Co-sponsor Of The Events, Will Be Presenting Opportunities For These Countries To Potentially Participate In Its Missions To The Moon South Pole To Conduct Observations & Communications; A Special ILOA Southeast Asia Executive Meeting Will Follow On Thurs 26 Feb In Singapore

Image Credit: ILOA, galaxyforum.org, ITB, NARIT