Monday, December 17, 2012

Astronauts' tracks, trash seen in new moon photos


My last post about the expected crash on the moon today, 12/17/12, of the twin orbiters Ebb an Flow from the GRAIL mission raised the comment from Vera about our previous missions to the moon leaving a lot of garbage and to be conscious of the mess we are doings....including astronauts´pee-bags!!

My thought was if humans go back to the moon some of the trash, including pee-bags, could be recycled.  In Japan cow poop on volcanic ash helps make soil. Others think they should be preserved as archiological items.
http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80434e/80434E0p.htm
http://tinyurl.com/dxx6w2e

If we ever go back to the moon to get He3 we will need to have humans to maintain the machinery and I would expect a lot more trash would be generated.  Maybe this needs to be addressed to the Chinese or Russians since I don't see the USA going back in my lifetime.

It is something to consider and I thought I would see if anything has been posted about our Apollo trash.  Well have a look.
- LRK -

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NASA releases new high-resolution views of three Apollo moon landing sites, sent back by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
By Alan Boyle
NASA today released the sharpest views of three Apollo moon landing sites ever sent back by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
"We all like to obsess and look at the Apollo landing site images because it's fun," said Arizona State University's Mark Robinson, principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC. "People actually used to be able to go to the moon. People used to explore the moon. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, that will continue again. But LROC is looking at the whole moon."
LRO's high-resolution camera has been looking at the whole moon, including all six of the Apollo landing sites, for the past two years. But these particular images are special because they were taken from the closest vantage point the orbiter will ever have during its $504 million mission. Because of adjustments in the car-sized probe's orbit, lately it's been flying as low as 14 miles (22 kilometers) above the lunar surface.
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By SETH BORENSTEIN - AP Science Writer | AP – Tue, Sep 6, 2011
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NASA LRO link
- LRK -

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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites. Images show the twists and turns of the paths made when the astronauts explored the lunar surface.
snip
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Maybe teach recycling to the young ones and they will be concerned as future astonauis.
- LRK -

Recycling  On The Moon
Grade Level: 5 - 6

snip
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And when we go back, if we go back.
- LRK -
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Lunar Bases and Settlement
Excerpt from speech of John Marburger
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Executive Office of the President
March 15, 2006
The Moon has unique significance for all space applications for a reason that to my amazement is hardly ever discussed in popular accounts of space policy. The Moon is the closest source of material that lies far up Earth's gravity well. Anything that can be made from Lunar material at costs comparable to Earth manufacture has an enormous overall cost advantage compared with objects lifted from Earth's surface. The greatest value of the Moon lies neither in science nor in exploration, but in its material. I am talking about the possibility of extracting elements and minerals that can be processed into fuel or massive components of space apparatus. The production of oxygen in particular, the major component (by mass) of chemical rocket fuel, is potentially an important Lunar industry.
What are the preconditions for such an industry? That, it seems to me, must be a primary consideration of the long range planning for the Lunar agenda. Science studies provide the foundation for a materials production roadmap. Clever ideas have been advanced for the phased construction of electrical power sources – perhaps using solar cells manufactured in situ from Lunar soil. A not unreasonable scenario is a phase of highly subsidized capital construction followed by market-driven industrial activity to provide Lunar products such as oxygen refueling services for commercially valuable Earth-orbiting apparatus.
snip
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Will be interesting to see how the GRAIL mission ends.
Live NASA commentary Dec. 17 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET, 2200 UT)
- LRK -

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For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and down link information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at:
http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2
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More than one way to think of planet habitability.
- LRK -

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The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a self-regulating, complex system that contributes to maintaining the conditions for life on the planet. Topics of interest include how the biosphereand the evolution of life forms affect the stability of global temperature, ocean salinity, oxygen in the atmosphere and other environmental variables that affect the habitability of Earth.
The hypothesis was formulated by the scientist James Lovelock [1] and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s.[2] While early versions of the hypothesis were criticized for being teleological and contradicting principles of natural selection, later refinements have resulted in ideas highlighted by the Gaia Hypothesis being used in disciplines such as geophysiology, Earth system science, biogeochemistry, systems ecology, andclimate science.[3][4][5] In 2006, the Geological Society of London awarded Lovelock the Wollaston Medal largely for his work on the Gaia theory.[6]
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Thanks for looking with me.
- LRK -
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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