Category Archives: South Pole Moon

Friday / 24 June 2022

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NASA Adds Lunar Flashlight & Trailblazer to IM-1/2 Manifests, Studying Moon Fission

6U, 14kg JPL cubesat Lunar Flashlight, formerly to launch with Artemis 1, now riding with CLPS mission Intuitive Machines-1 scheduled for 22 Dec 2022 launch; Flashlight to scout for water ice with 4 near-IR lasers while demonstrating ‘green’ propellant AF-M315E; 200kg Lunar Trailblazer moved from IMAP rideshare NET 2025 to IM-2, scheduled for mid-2023 launch; Trailblazer to utilize HVM3 spectrometer based on M3, with sufficient resolution to identify hydroxl vs molecular water, and Lunar Thermal Mapper; IX (IM + X-Energy) teamed with Maxar & Boeing to study lunar nuclear power, receiving $5M DOE award for ~1 year study along with Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse awardees

Credits: NASA, IM, JPL, Caltech

Friday / 17 June 2022

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Chang’e-5 Analyses Determine Hydroxyl / Helium-3 Prevalence, Astrobotic Working on Lunar Night Power

In-situ & laboratory analysis of Chang’e-5 samples by NAOC-CAS show 28.5 ppm OH content in soil / up to 179 ppm within apatite-containing rock samples; Separate study at Nanjing University finds 5-25nm Helium-3 bubbles trapped in surface layer of ilmenite particles, estimates 260,000t 3He may be contained on Moon, sufficient quantity in theory to power Earth for 2600 years; Astrobotic partnering with WiBotic, Bosch to develop wireless charging system capable of enduring -118° to 104°C temp during 14-Earth day lunar night

Credits: NAOC-CAS, Astrobotic, Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 April – 2 May 2022

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ISRO Proceeding Carefully with Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing, Plans International LUPEX Mission

Chandrayaan-3 flight hardware on display in new documentary Space on Wheels, also featuring 74 other domestic spacecraft; Vessel currently undergoing analysis of propulsion and other systems in Mahendragiri; Officially set for August launch, ISRO Chair S Somanath tells TOI “The list of tests is long and we do not want to compromise on anything. It is unlikely that we launch Chandrayaan-3 this year”; Lunar Polar Exploration Mission to follow NET 2024, with JAXA (rover) and ESA (instrument suite) participation; ISRO cooperating with 60 nations per 2021-22 Department of Space Annual Report

Credits: ISRO

Friday / 29 April 2022

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NASA Working to Leverage Latest Commercial LIDAR Tech for Human-Carried Lunar Mapping System

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville AL, partnering with Torch Technologies under NASA Early Career Initiative to develop Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK) device for Moon topography and live-action recording; KNaCK being designed for human use during Artemis landings, taking form as 18-kg backpack utilizing 4D (height, length, width, velocity) frequency modulated continuous wave lidar (FMCW) sensors capable of cm-level precision, supplied by Aeva of Mountain View CA

Credits: NASA, Torch Technologies, Aeva

Friday / 11 February 2022

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New Analysis of LCROSS Impact Plume Suggests Cometary Source of MSP Volatiles

Revised assessment of data collected by LCROSS and LAMP instrument aboard LRO during 2009 Centaur rocket impact focuses on elemental prevalence of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur compared to carbon; Study authors from Southwest Research Institute, Johns Hopkins APL, Aix-Marseille University, UT San Antonio conclude comet origin best fits composition profile, that 1-3 m of regolith within Cabeus crater (84.9°S, 35.5°W) may predate latest volcanism (~1 Gya) and “returning humans to the Moon presents an unprecedented opportunity to determine the origin of volatiles stored in PSRs”

 

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 8 February 2022

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Shadowy Lunar South Pole Conditions Being Replicated for NASA Training Regimen in Texas

NASA Johnson Space Center shares Astronaut training exercise “simulating a Moonwalk” within specially outfitted 23,000,000-liter diving tank (62m X 31m x 12m) of Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, located within Sonny Carter Training Facility near Ellington Field / Houston Spaceport; Light containment used to replicate low angle of Sun relative to horizon in polar Moon regions (same effect is likely cause of water accumulation in cold traps / PSRs); Conditions pose novel challenge to Artemis astronauts set to explore area starting NET 2025

 

Credits: NASA, ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 Jan 2022

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Official Agreements on International Lunar Research Station Anticipated as Artemis Coalition Grows to 15 Nations

Israel is latest signatory to USA-led Artemis Accords effort seeking to reestablish human presence on the Moon as SLS megarocket nears mid-Feb launchpad rollout at KSC; Russia and China set to formalize ILRS agreement per Russia diplomatic statements and China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective white paper outlining robotic and human mission goals including consideration of human lunar landings within 5 years, ILRS full operational status expected NLT 2035; 2024 Chang’e-7 Moon south pole lander / orbiter and Lunar-26 orbiter missions to be closely coordinated

Credits: CNSA, Roscosmos, NASA

Wednesday / 21 July 2021

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Blue Origin Strives for “Multi-Generation” Moon South Pole Settlement

With momentum of 107-km New Shepard SpaceDay private human mission over Kármán line with oldest / youngest spaceflight participants Wally Funk (82) and Oliver Daemen (18), Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos may focus on long-term vision including Blue Moon project / New Armstrong heavy lift rocket – while HLS award status to be determined by U.S. GAO by Aug 4, Bezos commands sufficient resources (US$200B+) to self-fund; MSP offers mix of sunlight (power) and shadowed regions (water) for liquid hydrogen fuel (powering BE-7 engines), regolith for O’Neill Cylinder construction

Credits: Blue Origin

SpaceWeek Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 July 2021

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Moon South Pole Malapert Mt. Next Goal for Space Billionaire Pioneers, Russia?

Critical to reclaim July 20 Apollo 11 Multi World Species existence is establishment of human base / operating center – likely at Moon South Pole, and most intriguingly perhaps is Malapert Mountain; 5-km peak (86°S, 0°) offers near-continuous line-of-sight for Earth observations and communications, ~85% illumination, more moderate thermal environment, shadowed cold-traps, shielded flank for radio astronomy; While Roscosmos Luna-25 aims for Boguslawsky 1 Oct, SpaceX plans Human lunar lander, Blue Origin Blue Moon cargo deliveries – unique real estate of Malapert high-ground for commerce, ISRU, observation, science, education should be utilized

Credits: Virtual Moon, NASA, GSFC, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Roscosmos, Lockheed Martin, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Apr 2021

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Russia Aims For First Moon South Pole Landing 2021 Q4 With Long-Awaited Luna-25

Roscosmos Plans Landing Slightly North Of Boguslawsky Crater (69.55°S, 43.54°E) With Launch NET 1 Oct / 30 Oct Backup; 6 Onboard Instruments Seeking Data On 2 Science Topics: Investigation Of Polar Regolith Composition And Plasma & Dust In Exosphere Study; Lander Equipped With Lunar Robotic Arm, Designed To Excavate 20-30cm Depth, Move 1-2cm3 Sample To LASMA-LR Laser Mass Spectrometer For Analysis; ADRON-LR & LIS-TV-RPM To Measure Water Content Via Neutron Sensing / IR; ARIES-L & PML To Quantify Dust And Charge Particles In Exosphere; STS-L To Image Local Landscape; Sequence To Continue Through Decade With Crewed Mission By 2030

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin