Category Archives: South Pole Moon

Tuesday / 29 January 2013

Posted on by

Consistent, Achievable Lunar Exploration Plan Emerging In Russia?

RussiaMoonPlan0113

After Years Of Grandiose Announcements / Contradictions & Mission Failures / Delays, Russia Seeking To Improve Space Industry Organizations, Reestablish Leading Space Power Status; Recently Announced Lunar Exploration Strategy Appears Realistic / Rational: 2015 Luna-Glob Orbiter, 2016 Scaled-Down Luna-Glob South Pole Lunar Lander, Luna-Resurs Research Rover With India ~2017, Human Moon Missions With New Russia Spacecraft By 2030

Image Credit: ROSCOSMOS, NASA

Wednesday / 16 January 2013

Posted on by

Russia 2015 Moon Lander

PopovkinLunaGlob0113

Roscosmos Head Vladimir Popovkin Says Russia Planning Luna-Glob Moon Lander Mission In 2015; Mission Will Be 1st From New US$1B Vostochny Cosmodrome In Far East Amur Region Of Russia; 1400-kg Spacecraft Will Place 500-kg Landing Module On South Pole Of Moon; Craft Will Carry Up To 25kg Of Scientific Equipment To Search For Water / Take Soil Samples, Yet Main Objective Of Mission Is To Achieve Landing On Another World / Moon

Image Credit: Roscosmos

Tuesday / 8 January 2013

Posted on by

New Year Review Of Lunar Exploration Resources

LRK0113

Valuable Update Of Major Lunar Research & Development Resources Being Provided By Long-Time Professional Space / Lunar Project Information Expert Larry Kellogg Via ‘To The Moon, Mars And Beyond’ Blog: Energy / Power Issues In Lunar  Settlement, China 2013 Lunar Lander / Rover, Chang’e-3 Implications For GLXP, South Pole Moon As Ideal Destination For Exploration / Development  

Image Credit: CNSA, NASA, Pat Rawlings

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon, 4-7 Jan 2013

Posted on by

Moon Lander Scenarios For NASA

NASALunarLander0113

Impending 2013 China Moon Lander Should Inspire USA To Renew National Robustness In Lunar Surface Exploration; NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Working On Mini Lunar Landers, Original 2013 Launch Date Delayed To ~2018 Due To Inconsistent Funding / Support / Incentive; With US Government Commitment Of ~US$200-300M  NASA Could Achieve Robotic Lander / Power Station On Lunar South Pole ‘Peak Of Eternal Light’ Within 2 Years

Image Credit: NASA, ESA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 30 Nov – 3 Dec, 2012

Posted on by

Implications Of Water On Mercury & Moon

Recently Released Results From Mercury Mission MESSENGER Indicate Plentiful Deposits Of Water Ice At Its Poles 10-20cm Thick; Similar To Moon, Deposits Are Collected In Deep Impact Craters; UCLA Professor David Paige Says Studying Moon Poles Helped Researchers Develop Techniques To Research Water On Mercury; Findings Of Water On Harsh Environments Of Moon & Mercury Indicate Water Ice Is Common Component In Solar System / Universe

Image Credit: UCLA, NASA

Thursday / 25 October 2012

Posted on by

Fobos-Grunt Based Luna-Globe Planning 2015 Launch

Russia Federal Space Agency Announces Two Missions To The Moon: Luna-Globe Slated For 2015 Launch To Orbit Moon And Lunar-Resource Slated For 2017-8 Launch To Land On Lunar Surface; Luna-Globe Design Based On 2011 Lost Mars Craft Fobos-Grunt; Lunar-Resource Lander Will Study Soil Of Moon’s Southern Hemisphere Says Developer NPO Lavochkin; Next Mars Probe Attempt Not Till 2025 States Space Agency Chief Vladimir Popovkin

Image Credit: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin

Wednesday / 24 October 2012

Posted on by

ESA Eyes 2019 Lunar South Pole Robotic Mission As Astrium Develops Lander / Assesses Cost

ESA Preliminary System Requirement Review Puts €500M Price On 6 Month Mission To Place Rover / Other Experiments At Moon’s South Pole; Astrium Lunar Lander Study Phase B1 Major Results Include Precision Autonomous Soft Landing Test Results From TRON (Testbed For Robotic Optical Navigation) & LAMA (Landing And Mobility Test Facility); Nov ESA Ministerial Conference Decides Whether To Proceed With Study Phase B2 Leading To Preliminary Design Review

Image Credit: Astrium, ESA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 14-17 Sep 2012

Posted on by

Lunar COTS Program Proposed

Lunar COTS Petition Founded By Doug Plata Gaining Momentum As NASA Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Manager Alan Lindenmoyer (L) Suggests Using Successful COTS Model Elsewhere In NASA; Lunar COTS Would Establish Programs To Support Commercial Cis-lunar Transportation Service, Lunar Surface Operations, Harvesting Lunar Polar Ice, Orbital Propellant & Servicing Depots, Initial Crewed Lunar Base 

Image Credit: NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 31 Aug – 3 Sep 2012

Posted on by

LRO Provides More Evidence Of Water At Moon South Pole

Mini-RF Radar On LRO Estimates Maximum Amount Of Ice Likely Inside Shackleton Crater; 5-10% Of Material In Walls Of The Permanently-Shadowed Crater Could Be Patchy Ice According To Team Led By Bradley Thomson Of Boston University; Instrument Detects Distinctive Radar Polarization Signature Of Water Ice To Depth Of 2m Below Surface; Mini-RF Currently Acquiring New Bistatic Radar Images To Locate Volatile Deposits Using Arecibo Radio Telescope 

Image Credit: NASA, bu.edu

Wednesday / 18 July 2012

Posted on by

Moon South Pole Spacecraft Impactors

Moon South Pole, With Water Ice In Permanently Shadowed Craters / Peaks Of Eternal Light, Is Likely Destination For Future Human Exploration / Settlement As Indicated By Spacecraft Impactors That Have Targeted The Area: USA Lunar Prospector 31 Jul 1999, India Chandrayaan-1 Moon Impact Probe 14 Nov 2008, USA LCROSS 9 Oct 2009

Image Credit: NASA, ISRO