Lunar Update

One Small Step - The Australian Story

2012-01-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching a YouTube link that Colin Mackellar passed to me.
It is about the Apollo 11 Moon landing and the part that Australia played in receiving those first pictures of the stepping off of the lunar lander.
I still have tears in my eyes as I write this.
I had watched those first steps on my own black and white TV while being stationed at Andrews Air Force base in the Naval Air Reserve.
So many memories.
Thanks much Colin.
- LRK -

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Hi Larry and Dave,

Think you would enjoy it.

I had the privilege of helping the producers with content and the story.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF04z8L0WJg>

with best wishes

Colin
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If you have not already had a chance to watch this moving production, I hope you find the time to do so.
It is 54:49 minutes and great behind the scenes action.
This story is told by the folks that were there as it happened.
Thanks much to the crews at the tracking stations in Australia.
- LRK -

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF04z8L0WJg
Uploaded by freehandtv on Dec 5, 2011

Forty years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, the one-hour documentary One Small Step: The Australian Story explores the front-line role Australian radio astronomers and technicians performed in bringing to the world a 'giant leap for mankind'. On July 20th 1969, Australia had just twelve and a half million inhabitants and was known more for its kangaroos than its space program. But the moment Neil Armstrong planted the first human footstep on the moon all that changed.

With host Peter FitzSimons, we meet some of the characters who were directly involved in bringing live pictures from the moon to the rest of the world, and hear about the dramas of this most remarkable day. Their stories are interwoven with snapshots of Australia from July 20th 1969 as we relive the day leading up to one of the most significant events in this country's brief history.

It was Australia that beamed the clearest pictures 'live from the moon' to the rest of the planet and so were the first to witness this momentous footstep. This was no ordinary television signal. After travelling 384,000km, it would inspire Australians from all walks of life and bring a sense of future possibilities to the nation.

Neil Armstrong's "one small step" was the giant leap that put man on the moon and Australia on the map.
snip
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Maybe after you watch the YouTube link you would like to learn more about the tracking stations in Australia.
- LRK -

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http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/index.html
A Tribute to
Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station
Canberra, Australia
and all who worked there

http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/about.html
Acknowledgments and info about this site
snip
About this website

This site is an ongoing work by Colin Mackellar as a tribute to the pioneering work of all who were involved with NASA’s Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station.

I was too young to be personally involved in Apollo (if you look at the photo on the opening page, that’s me in the foreground – standing outside the Honeysuckle gate in 1971. I was nearly 15). But I have always been very interested in both astronomy and manned space exploration. (On holidays our family will often just “happen” to find ourselves at places like Honeysuckle, Tidbinbilla, Parkes or Siding Spring.)

During the Apollo Program, both Honeysuckle Creek and Tidbinbilla were household names in Australia (as was the Parkes Radio Telescope) and I followed any media references to them closely.

It is surprising that there is not more information readily available about Honeysuckle (other than the tremendous resources of Hamish Lindsay’s book and Mike Dinn and John Saxon’s websites).
http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/the_book/main.html
http://members.pcug.org.au/~mdinn/apollomem/index.htm
http://www.jsaxon.org/

For that matter, there is very little on the Internet about Tidbinbilla, Goldstone or Madrid from the Apollo days. This website is the beginning of an attempt to help correct that.
snip
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It was moving to watch the Moon landing on my BW TV and it was very moving to watch again from Australia by way of the YouTube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF04z8L0WJg

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
=========================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
=========================================

Dawn Explores Vesta’s Chemistry

2012-01-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

When you read science fiction it seems easy to travel to the stars.
Warp drive engaged and you are there in almost no time at all.

We don't have warp drive yet nor have we been able to use the materials of an asteroid to build spaceships off planet.

It is easy to say we should send humans to far away places to explore, but harder to achieve.
Testing our tools with spacecraft missions sounds good too and here at least we have a beginning.
Ion propulsion is being put to the test to provide long term acceleration.
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ion_prop.asp

If you have thought about going to the stars you should find Paul Gilster's blog most informative.
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/

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http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=21450
Dawn Explores Vesta’s Chemistry

by Paul Gilster on January 20, 2012

The Dawn spacecraft, orbiting Vesta since July of last year, reached its lowest altitude orbit in December, now averaging 210 kilometers from the asteroid’s surface. Ceres is Dawn’s next stop, but that journey won’t begin until the close-in work at Vesta is complete, with the craft in its low altitude mapping orbit for at least ten weeks and then another period at higher altitudes before Dawn leaves Vesta in late July. The spacecraft’s Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) instrument is already telling us much about the giant asteroid’s surface composition.

snip
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Much at JPL's web page as well.
- LRK -

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http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/
DAWN A Journey to the Beginning of the Solar System

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/
Dawn, as a mission belonging to NASA’s Discovery Program, delves into the unknown, drives new technology innovations, and achieves what's never been attempted before. In Dawn’s case, it is orbiting one member of the main asteroid belt, Vesta, before heading to gather yet more data at a second, Ceres.

Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Each has followed a very different evolutionary path constrained by the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of solar system evolution.

snip
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You can follow the DAWN mission at NASA.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html
DAWN Journey to the Asteroid Belt

PASADENA, Calif. – NASA's Dawn spacecraft has sent back the first images of the giant asteroid Vesta from its low-altitude mapping orbit. The images, obtained by the framing camera, show the stippled and lumpy surface in detail never seen before, piquing the curiosity of scientists who are studying Vesta for clues about the solar system's early history.

At this detailed resolution, the surface shows abundant small craters, and textures such as small grooves and lineaments that are reminiscent of the structures seen in low-resolution data from the higher-altitude orbits. Also, this fine scale highlights small outcrops of bright and dark material.
snip
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The flight isn't over yet either.
- LRK -

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http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Dawn
DAWN

Goals: Dawn is designed to study the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations. The orbiter will visit both the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, two main asteroid belt worlds that followed very differently evolutionary paths.

Accomplishments: Dawn arrived in orbit at asteroid Vesta on 16 June 2011. It will depart for Ceres in 2012.
snip
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Ooops, Last chance to send your name to the Asteroid Belt, November 4, 2006.
- LRK -

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http://www.dawn-mission.org/dawncommunity/sendname2asteroid/nameentry.asp
DAWN Community

Send your name to the asteroid belt on the Dawn spacecraft. Your name will be recorded onto a microchip that will be placed aboard the spacecraft accompanying it on its mission to the asteroid belt. After entering your name below, you will have the opportunity to print a document that verifies your journey aboard the spacecraft.

We are experiencing unusually high volume. If you receive an error message on your certificate, please wait a short while and resubmit. Please note, the database does not recognize entries with apostrophes.

After you hit submit a new page will appear. Print this page as it will be your only opportunity.
snip
[Note: Error, error, error - looks like my name won't catch up with DAWN. :-) - LRK -]
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If you went to the web site above you will find some broken links.
If you chose to go on a 50 year mission to a star I wonder if your adventure would be forgotten.
- LRK -

Even planetary missions take a long time to plan and launch.
You need to be dedicated to work your way through the many parts of making it happen.
- LRK -

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http://www.esa.int/esaSC/120391_index_0_m.html
BepiColombo overview
Status
Being built and tested

Objective
One of ESA’s cornerstone missions, it will study and understand the composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history of Mercury, the least explored planet in the inner Solar System.
snip
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http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=11813
PR 40-1999: ESA's Mercury Mission Named BepiColombo in Honour of a Space Pioneer

29 Sep 1999
Meeting in Naples 20-23 September, the European Space Agency's Science Programme Committee recognised the achievements of the late Giuseppe Colombo of the University of Padua by adopting his name for the Mercury project now being planned. Almost everything known until now about the planet Mercury comes from three passes by NASA's Mariner 10 in 1974/75, which were inspired by Colombo's calculations. He suggested how to put that spacecraft into an orbit that would bring it back repeatedly to Mercury. The Italian scientist also explained, as an unsuspected resonance, Mercury's peculiar habit of rotating three times in every two revolutions of the Sun.
snip
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http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/06/22/ion-propulsion/
Aerojet and Partners to Market Ion Propulsion Internationally
Posted by Doug Messier on June 22, 2011, at 7:35 am in News

PARIS, Le Bourget and SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 21, 2011 – Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, QinetiQ, (LSE: QQ.L) and EADS Astrium Crisa, an EADS (PAR:EAD) company, announced today that the companies have entered into a joint agreement to supply the XENITH(TM) (Xenon Ion Thruster) ion propulsion system to the worldwide commercial spacecraft market. The agreement will enable customers to benefit from the combined expertise of independent market leaders in design, manufacture and supply of space propulsion systems, who are collaborating to deliver the XENITH(TM) system.

Built around the ultra high-efficient T6 ion thruster developed by QinetiQ, the XENITH(TM) propulsion system will provide a reduction in propellant consumed by more than a factor of 12 over conventional chemical propulsion systems. Ion propulsion systems have been used for orbit raising and station keeping of satellites, as well as for primary propulsion for deep space missions.

The T6 ion propulsion technology is based on the lower power T5 system, which provides precision atmospheric drag compensation for the highly successful GOCE gravity mapping mission operated by ESA. A T6-based propulsion system is being qualified for the European Bepi-Colombo mission to Mercury and has been selected to provide onboard propulsion for the Alphabus communications satellite platform. QinetiQ provides the thruster and flow control subsystem, while Crisa provides the thruster power and control electronics.

“The joint effort with Aerojet and Crisa to market the XENITH(TM) propulsion system is a significant step toward delivering QinetiQ’s proven ion propulsion technology for much wider use worldwide,” said Neil Bevan, QinetiQ Technology Solutions, Managing Director of Aerospace.

Aerojet’s electric propulsion products are currently flying on more than 150 operational satellites and span a broad range of electric propulsion products. For the XENITH(TM) system, Aerojet will perform some of the manufacturing, under a licensed arrangement with QinetiQ, and then integrate and deliver the system to spacecraft primes.

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And when you include humans on a space mission there are a lot more new products that need to be developed to provide a safe, habitable environment.
Wouldn't that be nice, and might they just be useful for those that remain on an ever crowded Mother Earth.
Just think of us living on Spaceship Earth and what would you like from the food synthesizer?
What would you like for a beverage?
Shields up, incoming asteroid.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
============================================

NASA Twin Spacecraft On Final Approach For Moon Orbit

2011-12-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

GRAIL update from NASA Headquarters News Media Services.

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_11-426_GRAIL_Highlights.html

NASA Twin Spacecraft On Final Approach For Moon Orbit

Dec. 28, 2011

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Caroline McCall
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
617-253-1682
cmcall5@mit.edu

RELEASE: 11-426

NASA TWIN SPACECRAFT ON FINAL APPROACH FOR MOON ORBIT

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit.

Named Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), the spacecraft are scheduled to be placed in orbit beginning at 1:21 p.m. PST (4:21 p.m. EST) for GRAIL-A on Dec. 31, and 2:05 p.m. PST (5:05 p.m. EST) on Jan. 1 for GRAIL-B.

"Our team may not get to partake in a traditional New Year's celebration, but I expect seeing our two spacecraft safely in lunar orbit should give us all the excitement and feeling of euphoria anyone in this line of work would ever need," said David Lehman, project manager for GRAIL at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

The distance from Earth to the moon is approximately 250,000 miles (402,336 kilometers). NASA's Apollo crews took about three days to travel to the moon. Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Sept. 10, 2011, the GRAIL spacecraft are taking about 30 times that long and covering more than 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers) to get there.

This low-energy, long-duration trajectory has given mission planners and controllers more time to assess the spacecraft's health. The path also allowed a vital component of the spacecraft's single science instrument, the Ultra Stable Oscillator, to be continuously powered for several months. This will allow it to reach a stable operating temperature long before it begins making science measurements in lunar orbit.

"This mission will rewrite the textbooks on the evolution of the moon," said Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge. "Our two spacecraft are operating so well during their journey that we have performed a full test of our science instrument and confirmed the performance required to meet our science objectives."

As of Dec. 28, GRAIL-A is 65,860 miles (106,000 kilometers) from the moon and closing at a speed of 745 mph (1,200 kph). GRAIL-B is 79,540 miles (128,000 kilometers) from the moon and closing at a speed of 763 mph (1,228 kph).

During their final approaches to the moon, both orbiters move toward it from the south, flying nearly over the lunar south pole. The lunar orbit insertion burn for GRAIL-A will take approximately 40 minutes and change the spacecraft's velocity by about 427 mph (688 kph). GRAIL-B's insertion burn 25 hours later will last about 39 minutes and is expected to change the probe's velocity by 430 mph (691 kph).

The insertion maneuvers will place each orbiter into a near-polar, elliptical orbit with a period of 11.5 hours. Over the following weeks, the GRAIL team will execute a series of burns with each spacecraft to reduce their orbital period from 11.5 hours down to just under two hours. At the start of the science phase in March 2012, the two GRAILs will be in a near-polar, near-circular orbit with an altitude of about 34 miles (55 kilometers).

When science collection begins, the spacecraft will transmit radio signals precisely defining the distance between them as they orbit the moon. As they fly over areas of greater and lesser gravity, caused both by visible features such as mountains and craters and by masses hidden beneath the lunar surface. they will move slightly toward and away from each other. An instrument aboard each spacecraft will measure the changes in their relative velocity very precisely, and scientists will translate this information into a high-resolution map of the Moon's gravitational field. The data will allow mission scientists to understand what goes on below the surface. This information will increase our knowledge of how Earth and its rocky neighbors in the inner solar system developed into the diverse worlds we see today.

JPL manages the GRAIL mission. MIT is home to the mission's principal investigator, Maria Zuber. The GRAIL mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft.

For more information about GRAIL, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/grail

-end-

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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

===========================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
===========================================

THE GRAVITY RECOVERY AND INTERIOR LABORATORY (GRAIL)

2011-12-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail/home.cfm

I was asked if GRAIL launched and I must admit I had not followed in detail.
What I found and let me know if things change.
- LRK -

http://moon.mit.edu/
Says will but doesn't look current.

Says launched 10 September but will take some time getting to the Moon.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_Recovery_and_Interior_Laboratory
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) is an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program, which will use high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecraft GRAIL A and GRAIL B were launched on 10 September 2011 aboard a single launch vehicle: the most-powerful configuration of a Delta II, the 7920H-10.[1][3][4] GRAIL A separated from the rocket about nine minutes after launch, GRAIL B followed about eight minutes later. They will arrive at their orbits around the Moon 24 hours apart.[5]

The science phase of the mission will last for 90 days. Following the science phase (or extended mission phase), a five-day decommissioning period is planned, after which the spacecraft will impact the lunar surface in about 40 days.[6] The gravity mapping technique is similar to that used by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and the spacecraft design is based on XSS-11.[7]

Unlike the Apollo program missions, which took three days to reach the Moon, GRAIL will make use of a three- to four-month low-energy trans-lunar cruise via the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1 to reduce fuel requirements, protect instruments and reduce the velocity of the two spacecraft at lunar arrival to help achieve the extremely low 50 km (31 mi) orbits with separation between the spacecraft (arriving 24 hours apart) of 175 to 225 km (109 to 140 mi).[8][9] The very tight tolerances in the flight plan leaves little room for error correction leading to a launch window lasting one second and providing only two launch opportunities per day.[10]

Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is GRAIL's principal investigator. The mission's team of expert scientists and engineers also includes former NASA astronaut Sally Ride, who will lead the mission's public outreach efforts. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the project. As of August 5, 2011, the program has cost US$496 million.[11]
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Aaah, the NASA GRAIL site with mission elapsed clock.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/main/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/launch/index.html
Spacecraft: GRAIL
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 10, 2011
Launch Time: 9:08:52 a.m. EDT

snip
Twin GRAIL Spacecraft Begin Journey to the Moon Aboard Delta II Rocket

A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket successfully sent NASA's twin moon-bound GRAIL spacecraft on their way at 9:08 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011. The launch came during the second window of the day when upper-level winds proved out of limits during the day's first opportunity, just as they had during the first launch attempt on Sept. 8.

The twin spacecraft will study the moon in unprecedented detail. GRAIL-A is scheduled to reach the moon on New Year's Eve 2011, while GRAIL-B will arrive New Year's Day 2012. The two solar-powered spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field. GRAIL will answer longstanding questions about the moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

› GRAIL/Delta II Summary (PDF 650KB)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/583711main_GRAIL%20508%20(2).pdf
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lunar insertion to be in January 2012
- LRK -

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http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail/home.cfm
snip
Welcome
The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission will create the most accurate gravitational map of the moon to date, Improving our knowledge of near-side gravity by 100 times and of far-side gravity by 1000 times. The high-resolution gravitational field, especially when combined with a comparable- resolution topographical field, will enable scientists to deduce the moon's interior structure and composition... More >

Key Dates:
Launched: Sept. 10, 2011
Lunar Orbit Insertion: January 2012
Science Mission: March - May 2012
snip
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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==========================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
==========================================

Fourth Status Report on Commercial Partners Progress Released

2011-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

This notice received. The report is only a 3 page PDF file.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_M11-253_CCP_60-day_Report.html
Dec. 16, 2011

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979/5241
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov / j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-253

FOURTH STATUS REPORT ON COMMERCIAL PARTNERS PROGRESS RELEASED

WASHINGTON - NASA released the fourth in a series of 60-day reports today showing that commercial spaceflight development programs are moving forward. The agency's U.S. industry partners continue to make progress in developing a transportation system to ferry cargo and U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station. The development of industry systems will allow NASA to concentrate its resources on deep space exploration.

The latest status report highlights the progress and accomplishments for the agency's commercial spaceflight development efforts. The bi-monthly report is targeted toward non-technical stakeholders and the American public, to inform them of NASA's achievements in maintaining spaceflight leadership.

NASA's Commercial Spaceflight Development programs are investing financial and technical resources to stimulate efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate safe, reliable, and
cost-effective space transportation capabilities.

For the report and more information visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial

-end-
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The report link.
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/610831main_Dec_2011_60_Day_Report-508.pdf

The Commercial Space Transportation page.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/
snip
Commercial space transportation is a vital component to the future of human space exploration. As NASA charts a new course to send humans deeper into space than ever before, we are stimulating efforts within the private sector to develop and operate safe, reliable and affordable commercial space transportation systems. Once the capabilities are matured and available to the government and other customers, NASA could purchase commercial services to transport crew and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and low Earth orbit.

This approach will provide assured access to the ISS, strengthen America's space industry and provide a catalyst for future business ventures to capitalize on affordable access for space.

snip
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And if you are part of the media.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_M11-252_SpaceX_Media.html
Dec. 16, 2011

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979/5241
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov/j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-252

MEDIA ACCREDITATION NOW OPEN FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., -- Media accreditation for NASA's second Commercial Orbital Transportation Services demonstration flight is open. Liftoff of a Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is targeted for Feb. 7, 2012.

During the flight, the Dragon spacecraft will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems in advance of a rendezvous with the International Space Station. The primary
objectives for the flight include a fly-by of the space station at a distance of approximately two miles to validate the operation of sensors and a flight system necessary for a safe rendezvous and approach. The spacecraft also will demonstrate the capability to abort the rendezvous.

International news media representatives without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials to cover the prelaunch and launch activities by Jan. 5. The early accreditation deadline is needed because the U.S. Air Force requires 30 days to process international media credentials.
For U.S. news media, the deadline to apply is Jan. 30.

All media accreditation requests need to be submitted online at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

For questions about accreditation or additional information, contact
NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site at 321-867-2468.

For more information on NASA's COTS program, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/cots

-end-
snip
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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
============================================

[history] Passing of Boris Chertok

2011-12-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/chertok_obit.html
Russian rocket designer Boris Yevseyevich Chertok,
one of the foundingfathers of the Russian space program,
passed away on Dec.14 at the ageof 99.
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Russian rocket designer Boris Yevseyevich Chertok
Image Credit: NASA
---

I received an e-mail from Steve Garber for the NASA History Program Office about the death of Boris Chertok.
He provided some information about his four volume memoir, "Rockets and People" and its availability on-line.
A check of Amazon . com showed that even used books are quite pricy so maybe you won't mind reading a PDF version before buying.
http://www.amazon.com/Rockets-People-V-Boris-Chertok/dp/0160732395

On NASA Technical Reports Server the whole volume 1 can be down loaded but you might want it in three parts as listed by Steve Garber.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20050010181_2005010059.pdf (3.4 MB PDF)
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------

Readers:

With great sadness, our office announces the recent deathof Boris Chertok, a towering figure in Soviet and Russian spacehistory. Chertok’s four-volume memoir, Rockets and People, hasreceived wide acclaim. The first three volumes ofthis series, edited by Dr. Asif Siddiqi, are available electronicallyfrom the links below and hard copies may be obtained through http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html#orderonline. The fourth and final volume, subtitled The Moon Race, will be published early next year. For more information on Chertok’s tremendous life story, see http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/chertok_obit.htmlonline. In sympathy,

Steve Garber

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4110/vol1-1.pdf

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4110/vol1-2.pdf

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4110/vol1-3.pdf

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4110/vol2.pdf

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4110/vol3.pdf

Stephen Garber
NASA History Program Office

Mail Suite CO72, Room 5N11
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546
202-358-0385
202-358-2866 fax
http://history.nasa.gov

-------------------------------------------
history mailing list
history@lists.hq.nasa.gov
https://lists.hq.nasa.gov/mailman/listinfo/history
--------------------------------------------

There are a lot of books available on line or that can be ordered from NASA.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------
http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html

Management Histories, (SP-4100 Series):

Rosholt, Robert L. An Administrative History of NASA, 1958-1963. NASA SP-4101, 1966. Out of print.
Levine, Arnold S. Managing NASA in the Apollo Era. NASA SP-4102,1982. Out of print.
Roland, Alex. Model Research: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics,1915-1958. NASA SP-4103, 1985.
Fries, Sylvia D. NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo. NASA SP-4104,1992. Out of print.
Glennan, T. Keith. The Birth of NASA: The Diary of T. Keith Glennan. Edited by J.D. Hunley. NASA SP-4105, 1993.
Seamans, Robert C. Aiming at Targets: The Autobiography of Robert C. Seamans. NASA SP-4106, 1996.
Garber, Stephen J., editor. Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Forty Years of Human Spaceflight Symposium. NASA SP-2002-4107.
Mallick, Donald L. with Peter W. Merlin. The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey. NASA SP-4108. Out of print.
Iliff, Kenneth W. and Curtis L. Peebles. From Runway to Orbit: Reflections of a NASA Engineer. NASA SP-2004-4109.
Chertok, Boris. Rockets and People, Volume 1. (NASA SP-2005-4110).
Click below to view this book in a three part PDF:
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Chertok, Boris. Rockets and People: Creating a Rocket Industry, Volume II. (NASA SP-2006-4110).
Chertok, Boris. Rockets and People: Hot Days of the Cold War, Volume III.(NASA SP-2009-4110).
Laufer, Alexander, Post, Todd, and Hoffman, Edward. Shared Voyage: Learning and Unlearning from Remarkable Projects (NASA SP-2005-4111).
Dawson, Virginia P. and Bowles, Mark D. Realizing the Dream of Flight: Biographical Essays in Honor of the Centennial of Flight, 1903-2003. (NASA SP-2005-4112).
Mudgway, Douglas J. William H. Pickering: America's Deep Space Pioneer.(NASA SP-2008-4113).
Click below to view this book in a three part PDF:
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.

--------------------------------------------

Much to learn from those that have gone on before.
We stand on their shoulders as we reach for the stars.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

===========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

===========================================

Landing - it is in the details -

2011-12-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

When you talk about landing humans on another planet or moon there are a lot of decisions that have to be made. On the FPSPACE list a question was asked why the American Lunar Modules had insulation wraps on the legs and the Soviet Lunniy Korabl spaceship did not.

----

Soviet Lunniy Korabl spaceship in 1:5 scale at http://lunniykorabl.blogspot.com

FPSPACE mailing list
FPSPACE@www.friends-partners.org
http://www.friends-partners.org/mailman/listinfo/fpspace

----

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LK_(spacecraft)

The LK (Lunny Korabl—"lunar ship") was a Soviet lunar lander and counterpart of the American Lunar Module (LM). The LK was to have landed up to two cosmonauts on the Moon. It completed development and was test flown successfully in Earth orbit, but never reached the Moon because development of theN1 rocket, required to take it to the Moon, was unsuccessful.

----

This PDF document has a lot of information about the Lunar Module landing-gear. The 60 page NASA Technical Note explains why paint was not enough to keep the temperature within limits especially if the astronauts had to land with the rocket engine still firing as they touched down. Testing, testing, testing, and attention to detail. And how do you drop test at 1/6 G on a 1 G Earth? :-)

- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720018253_1972018253.pdf

NASA m D-6850

APOLLO EXPERIENCE REPORT

LUNAR MODULE LANDING GEAR SUBSYSTEM

William F. Rogers, MSC

Page 19

----

Thermal Insulation

Landing-gear thermal-insulation design is based on several requirements. Landing-gear temperatures must be maintained at or below design levels to ensure positive structural margins of safety and proper mechanical operation during deployment and landing. Temperature control of the honeycomb energy absorbers within specified limits is necessary to ensure that the crush loads will be within proper levels.

Based on these requirements, an estimated 8.0 pounds of thermal paint was allotted to landing-gear thermal control early in the development program. The weight history of the landing-gear thermal insulation is shown in table II. As thermal testing and analysis progressed, it became apparent that 8.0 pounds of thermal paint were totally inadequate for landing -gear thermal protection. Additional insulation had to be provided because of the effects of LM reaction control system (RCS) plume impingement, The impingement from the RCS plume adversely affected the structural temperatures and the temperature of the honeycomb energy absorbers in the primary and secondary struts. Landing-performance analysis, for which the energy -absorber load levels that are temperature dependent were used, showed considerable degradation in landing-gear performance for worst -case combinations of honeycomb temperatures and landing conditions. The outcome of this investigation was the addition of thermal-insulation blankets to the main structural members of the landing gear. The thermal-insulation weight (table II) was increased to 29.4 pounds for the Ap0110 9 LM (LM-3) and Apollo 10 LM (LM-4), which were the first two LM flight articles to have landing gears.

[emphasis mine - LRK -]

----

snip

--------------------------------------------------------

A lot of decisions to be made for something as big as the Apollo missions. A lot of people and companies with their own ideas as to what would be the best way to get us to the Moon and back. You can read about it on-line if you haven't already. When talk about new missions that might take humans to space I wonder how much is paid to the details.

- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4205/cover.html

Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft

Contents.

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4205/contents.html

Ch 4

Chapter 4 - Matching Modules and Missions

Ch 6

Chapter 6 - Lunar Module

snip

--------------------------------------------------------

I took a look in this book. Just fold everything up in a neat package until you get ready to leave lunar orbit. Then stretch out your legs and prepare to land on soil that has only been tested by unmanned landers. Will you slide sideways, will you sink into the regolith, will you tip over on the side of meteor crater? Details, details, details!

- LRK -

Virtual Apollo:

a pictorial essay of the engineering and construction of the Apollo command and service modules : the historic spacecraft that took man to the moon.

--------------------------------------------------------

http://books.google.com/books/about/Virtual_Apollo.html?id=-Yc9pPw4OsEC

http://www.cgpublishing.com/Books/VirtualLM.html

In the book, "Virtual LM" by Scott P. Sullivan, he has pictured on p.115, Landing Gear Thermal Insulation. From the list of items: ... (Q) Primary Strut Thermal Covering (1/2 mil Aluminized Kapton), (Q2) Primary Strut Thermal Covering (5 mils Aluminized Kapton), (R) Landing Pad Thermal Covering (1/2 mil Aluminized Kapton), (S) Probe Thermal Coating (2 mils Aluminzed Kapton).

On pages 75 - 92 he has pictured the Landing Gear Assembly in its various configurations. Looks like a lot of electrical and mechanical considerations.

On page 77 Scott has a write up about the landing gear and in the last paragraph he states, "The landing gear primary strut had a footpad at the bottom that was 37 inches in diameter and was attached to the strut with a ball-socket fitting, allowing radial movement. The landing pad was an aluminum honeycomb construction and its large diameter ensured minimal penetration of the LM on lunar impact. During launch, four straps held the pads in a fixed position on the strut. The straps would shear or bend on impact with the lunar surface, permitting the pad to conform to the irregularities of the lunar surface."

On page 83 Scott has a paragraph about the lunar surface-sensing probes that were on on three of the four landing struts. They were retained in a stowed position up against the primary strut until landing gear deployment. During the deployment, mechanical interlocks were released permitting spring energy to extend the probes so that they were approximately 5 feet below the bottom of the footpad. Pressure on the probe head completed an electrical circuit letting the astronauts know to shut off the engine.

snip

--------------------------------------------------------

And how much weight will you have to add to protect you from radiation from space? Will you want to land on legs? How many legs? If you land on an asteroid, do I need legs? If I land on Mars, do I need legs? Those details.

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

===========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

===========================================

Curiosity and the Solar Storm

2011-12-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of the major problems with sending humans to space on long trips will be how much radiation they may receive. The more we can learn about this hazard the better. The Mars Rover, Curiosity, is on its way to Mars and will be measuring what radiation might hit it.

- LRK -

---------------------------------------------------------

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/14dec_mslrad/

There was no danger of a collision—Mars rover vs. solar storm. Racing forward at 2 million mph, the plasma cloud outpaced Curiosity’s rocket by a wide margin.

Next time could be different, however. With solar activity on the upswing (Solar Max is expected in 2012-2013) it’s only a matter of time before a CME engulfs the Mars-bound rover.

That suits some researchers just fine. As Don Hassler of the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in Boulder, Colorado, explains, “We look forward to such encounters because Curiosity is equipped to study solar storms."

snip

As important as RAD’s cruise phase measurements are, the instrument’s primary mission doesn’t really begin until it lands on the Red Planet.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere and no global magnetic field to protect it from space radiation. Energetic particles reaching ground level might be dangerous to life--both future human astronauts and extant Martian microbes. RAD will find out how much shielding human explorers need on the surface of Mars. RAD will also help researchers estimate how far below ground a microbe might have to go to reach a radiation “safe zone.”

Solar storms are just for starters. Stay tuned to Science@NASA for the second installment of this story:Curiosity and the Habitability Mars.

Author:Dr. Tony Phillips| Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

---------------------------------------------------------

Footnote:¹Posner notes that only the most powerful CMEs will still be accelerating particles when they are as far from sun as Curiosity will be. For a typical CME, the main thing RAD will detect is the modulation of galactic cosmic rays passing through the CME. Cosmic ray modulation could reveal new information about the interior structure of these storm clouds.

Mars-Bound Rover Begins Research in Space -- NASA press release

Mars Science Lab (a.k.a. "Curiosity") -- home page

The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater -- Science@NASA

A Mars Rover Named Curiosity -- Science@NASA

Curiosity Takes Off -- Science@NASA

Credits: The Mars Science Lab mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida managed the launch. NASA's Space Network provided space communication services for the launch vehicle. NASA's Deep Space Network will provide spacecraft acquisition and mission communication.

---------------------------------------------------------

Whatever vehicle takes humans to space, finding a way to protect them from harmful radiations is going to be a problem that needs to be solved.

- LRK -

---------------------------------------------------------

http://spaceradiation.usra.edu/aboutUs/

About Us

The goal of NASA's Space Radiation Program (SRP) is to enable humans to explore space without exceeding an acceptable level of risk from exposure to space radiation.

To achieve this goal, the SRP pursues a robust and active research program that encompasses biological, biomedical and radiation physics expertise to provide:

Recommendations for space radiation permissible exposure limits for exploration missions
Discovery of the mechanisms of biological effects from celestial radiation such as protons and heavy ions, including potential differences between celestial and terresterial radiation, such as X-rays or gamma-rays in producing biological effects
Radiobiological data, projection models, and computational tools to assess and project astronauts risk of cancer, central nervous system and degenerative diseases, and acute radiation syndromes from space radiation
Computational tools and models to project astronaut risk and to assess vehicle design for radiation protection
Assessment of updated technologies if needed, for monitoring radiation exposure, and recommendations on technologies to be used operationally
Uncertainty reductions to enable radiation protection design and crew constraints for lunar and Mars missions
Discovery of biological countermeasures for space radiation risks, and the accurate assessment of the effectiveness of physical, biological, or biological countermeasures or mitigations

The purpose of this web site is to communicate news and to promote awareness of the SRP research program and activities. The web site is produced and managed by the Universities Space Research Association Division of Space Life Sciences.

snip

http://www.bnl.gov/medical/nasa/LTSF.asp
---------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

This Way to Mars: How Technologies Borrowed from Robotic Missions Could Deliver Astronauts to Deep Space

2011-12-13T15:17:00.000-08:00

Bryan sent me a link to an article in the December Scientific American about how we might find our way to Deep Space.

[See link below - LRK -]

Whether the ideas presented will create more interest remains to be seen.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------

The following from ScientificAmerican.com has been sent to you by Bryan K.
------------------------SUBSCRIBE NOW----------------------------
Stay connected to the latest trends in science and technology with SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.
Subscribe today and save!
http://www.scientificamerican.com/subscribe/index.cfm?lsource=friendmail
------------------------------------------------------------------
This Way to Mars: How Technologies Borrowed from Robotic Missions Could Deliver Astronauts to Deep Space
The best concepts I have seen for a while! Keep looking up . . .
By Damon Landau and Nathan J. Strange
By adapting ideas from robotic planetary exploration, the human space program could get astronauts to asteroids and Mars cheaply and quickly
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=this-way-to-mars
© 2011 Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

snip

------------------------------------------

Having read the article I wonder if this will just result in more plans that eventually get dropped for lack of continued interest or money.

I have been reading some of David S. F. Portree's blogs about previous plans for going to space that didn't materialize. We seem to be good at generating ideas but not so good at following through to implementation. If you check out some of links in the blog below you will see what I mean.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-author-top-10-articles.html

Recently a correspondent asked me to identify my top 10 favorite Beyond Apollo articles. Here's the list, in case anyone else is interested. I found that I couldn't stop at 10, so I decided to list one for every 10 Beyond Apollo articles. I think that this list is a good place for a newcomer to start their exploration of Beyond Apollo, which currently amounts to more than 230 articles.

snip

------------------------------------------

We will be watching how the latest Mars rover mission, Curiosity, does on its way to Mars. Even while still in its shroud the mission begins with turning on the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD). Wish them luck on its way to a Martian landing.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

- LRK -

------------------------------------------

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_11-414_Mars_Research.txt

Dec. 13, 2011

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1726 
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov 

Guy Webster 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,Calif. 
818-354-6278 
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov 

RELEASE: 11-414

NASA MARS-BOUND ROVER BEGINS RESEARCH IN SPACE

WASHINGTON -- NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover has begun monitoring space radiation during its 8-month trip from Earth to Mars. The research will aid in planning for future human missions to the Red Planet.

Curiosity launched on Nov. 26 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The rover carries an instrument called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) that monitors high-energy 
atomic and subatomic particles from the sun, distant supernovas and other sources. 

These particles constitute radiation that could be harmful to any microbes or astronauts in space or on Mars. The rover also will monitor radiation on the surface of Mars after its August 2012 landing. 

"RAD is serving as a proxy for an astronaut inside a spacecraft on the way to Mars,"  said Don Hassler, RAD's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. " The instrument is deep inside the spacecraft, the way an astronaut would be. Understanding the effects of the spacecraft on the radiation field will be valuable in designing craft for astronauts to travel to Mars."

snip

Information about the mission is available at: 
http://www.nasa.gov/msl 

You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at: 
http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity

or 
http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity

snip

------------------------------------------

And while reading about ways to get to Mars, just happened to see the movie Red Planet on cable TV. Not the best but points out that things can go wrong. Doesn't help that you used some military hardware for your robot, AMEE which complicates your crash landing.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Planet_(film)

Red Planet is a 2000 Technicolor science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starringVal Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released on November 10, 2000.

Plot

In 2056 AD, Earth is in ecologic crisis as a consequence of pollution and overpopulation. Meanwhile, automated interplanetary missions have been seeding Mars with atmosphere-producing algae for twenty years as the first stage in terraforming the planet. When the oxygen quantity produced by the algae is inexplicably reduced, the crew of Mars-1investigates, and must continue the mission of terraforming the planet for human colonization.

snip

The landing craft is damaged entering the Martian atmosphere, veers off course, and crash-lands far from their landing zone near the habitat. In the process, they lose track of "AMEE"(Autonomous Mapping Exploration and Evasion), a military combat robot re-purposed to serve as their "Mars surface navigator", and Chantillas suffers a ruptured spleen in the crash landing. With limited air, Chantillas is left behind to allow the others to complete the mission.

snip

Critical response

The film received negative reviews, with only a 14% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 100 reviews.^[2] Stephen Holden's review in the New York Times was almost entirely negative, calling the film "a leaden, skimpily plotted space-age Outward Bound adventure with vague allegorical aspirations that remain entirely unrealized."^[3]

Errors

snip

Due to significant scientific inaccuracies, NASA refused to serve as a scientific adviser for the film, which it normally does for science fiction films. "The science was just so off the wall that eventually we felt, 'You guys go ahead and make your movie.' If there's something that's going to be so misleading to the public that we don't want to participate, then we'll say no," said Bert Ulrich, a NASA spokesperson. "The big thing is, we want to make sure we're not misleading the public completely."^[5]

snip

------------------------------------------

Hmmmm, must watch out for those significant scientific inaccuracies.

- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

MSL launch delayed to Saturday, Nov. 26

2011-11-19T18:57:00.001-08:00

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

Well now it is our turn to launch a mission to Mars.

I hope all goes well.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------

MSL launch delayed to Saturday, Nov. 26

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:09:33 PM PST

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has been delayed one day to allow time for the team to remove and replace a flight termination system battery. The launch is rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The one hour and 43 minute launch window opens at 10:02 a.m. EST.

The Monday, Nov. 21 schedule of prelaunch tours and briefings will remain the same. Rollout of the Atlas V to the launch pad moves to Friday, Nov. 25. The rest of the week's briefings and events are being reevaluated and a new prelaunch schedule will be issued on Monday.

snip

NASA News Conferences and Events for Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Launch

These events will be broadcast on NASA Television NASA Television and also carried on the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ustream channel.

Times are subject to change, so check this page for updates.

Nov. 10, 1:15 p.m. EST (10:15 a.m. PST), at NASA Headquarters, Washington, Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Mission Preview News Conference
› Archived news conference on Ustream

Nov. 21, 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST), at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., What Do We Know About Mars?

Nov. 26, 8 a.m. EST (5 a.m. PST), from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Live Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity launch coverage. First launch opportunity is at 10:02 a.m. EST (7:02 a.m. PST)

Nov. 26, approximately two to three hours after launch, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Post-Launch News Conference

snip

------------------------------------------

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/mars-science-laboratory-mission.aspx

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission

On November 26, 2011, the Curiosity Rover will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket as part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission. Mars, the Red Planet, will be the rover's destination in August 2012.

Curiosity will spend 23 months after landing gathering samples of rocks and soil. Curiosity is equipped with equipment to drill through rocks, and instrumens to collect samples and distribute to onboard test chambers. Curiosity's goal is to assess whether Mars ever had, or does still have today, an environment capable of supporting microbial life and habitability.

The rocket launch is scheduled between 10:02 - 11:45 a.m. EST on November 26, 2011. Please check back for operating hours.

snip

------------------------------------------

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Mars Science Laboratory

snip

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/overview/

Scheduled to launch on Nov. 26, 2011, 7:02 a.m. PST (10:02 a.m. EST). The launch window is between Nov 25 - Dec. 18, 2011, Mars Science Laboratory is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability."

snip

------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

New Lunar Topological Map

2011-11-18T15:30:00.001-08:00

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/484-Lunar-Topography-As-Never-Seen-Before!.html

---

---

Dan passed me some links about the recent notice of a new topological map of the Moon.

Let me share them with you.

- LRK -

-----------------------------------

(http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/18/0336225/high-resolution-global-topographic-map-of-moon)

article on "High Resolution Global Topographic Map of Moon."

The image at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/lro-topo.html

gives you an idea of why people say the moon is made of green cheese!

The ASU site (http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/?archives/484-Lunar-Topography--As-Never-Seen-Before!.html)

is also interesting.

snip

-----------------------------------

Spaceref article as well.

- LRK -

-----------------------------------

-- New Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter High-Resolution Topographic Map of the Moon
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=35266

The science team that oversees the imaging system on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has released the highest resolution near-global topographic map of the Moon ever created. This new topographic map, from Arizona State University in Tempe, shows the surface shape and features over nearly the entire Moon with a pixel scale close to 100 meters (328 feet). A single measure of elevation (one pixel) is about the size of two football fields placed side-by-side.
side.

snip

-----------------------------------

So now let us hope the information will help in planning some lunar landings.

- LRK -

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/604358main1_WAC_CSHADE_O000N1800_1000-670.jpg

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

2011-11-12T10:53:00.001-08:00

http://www.amacad.org/default.aspx

One can find a lot of interesting publications to read on the Internet.
I thought I should share some of which keeps me occupied and hence may distract me from posting.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has a large number of publications that can be down loaded or procured.

Let me pass on a few links that pertain to the use of space.
We may have some topics worth looking into.
Hope you find something of interest.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------

http://www.amacad.org/about.aspx

About the Academy

For over 230 years, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has been honoring excellence and providing service to the nation and the world. Through independent, nonpartisan study, its ranks of distinguished "scholar-patriots" have brought the arts and sciences into constructive interplay with the leaders of both the public and private sectors.

The Academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other leaders who contributed prominently to the establishment of the new nation, its government, and its Constitution. Its purpose was to provide a forum for a select group of scholars, members of the learned professions, and government and business leaders to work together on behalf of the democratic interests of the republic.

snip

-----------------------------------

Just some of the papers.
- LRK -
-----------------------------------
http://www.amacad.org/publications/occasional.aspx#top

Occasional Papers A series of Occasional Papers, disseminating the work of Academy projects, is available online. To order a copy of an Occasional Paper ($6.00 ea. unless otherwise noted) click here, or e-mail publications@amacad.org. To view individual publications, select from their titles.
Occasional Papers are sorted by project areas:
Education
Global Security
Humanities & Culture
Science & Technology Policy
Social Policy & American Institutions

snip

-----------------------------------

-----------------------------------
http://www.amacad.org/publications/occasional.aspx#security
Global Security
snip
A European Approach to Space Security
Xavier Pasco (2006)

snip
The Future of Human Spaceflight: Objectives and Policy Implications in a Global Context
David A. Mindell, Scott A. Uebelhart, Asif A. Siddiqi, and Slava Gerovitch (2009)

snip
The Physics of Space Security: A Reference Manual
David Wright, Laura Grego, and Lisbeth Gronlund ($15.00) (2005)

snip
A Place for One’s Mat: China’s Space Program, 1956–2003
Gregory Kulacki and Jeffrey G. Lewis (2009)

snip
Reconsidering the Rules for Space Security
Nancy Gallagher and John D. Steinbruner (2008)

snip
Russian and Chinese Responses to U.S. Military Plans in Space
Pavel Podvig and Hui Zhang (2008)

snip
United States Space Policy: Challenges and Opportunities
George Abbey and Neal Lane (2005)

snip
United States Space Policy: Challenges and Opportunities Gone Astray
George Abbey and Neal Lane (2009)

snip

-----------------------------------

The project for which the above references are part of.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------

http://www.amacad.org/projects/space.aspx
Reconsidering the Rules of Space Societies rely increasingly on satellites for vital communication services, environmental monitoring, navigation, weather prediction, and scientific research. This largely beneficial trend is expected to intensify as more countries develop satellite technology and utilize the services derived from it.
These technological trends have also inspired the development of military capabilities in space that go far beyond the traditional intelligence and early warning missions of the Cold War period. Protecting and enhancing US military capability in space has emerged as an important focus of military planning. Recent official documents have proposed, for example, various anti-satellite and space-based weapons to protect and augment US capabilities in space. Serious public discussion of military space plans has not yet occurred in the United States, though important questions of policy, planning and budgeting loom.

The development of space affects a range of government, commercial, and scientific interests around the world, and US leaders have yet to propose a policy framework that adequately balances these interests. The American Academy initiated the Reconsidering the Rules of Space project to examine the implications of US policy in space, and to consider the international rules and principles needed to maintain a balanced use of space over the long term.

The project has facilitated discussions between international security experts and leading stakeholders in both commercial development and scientific advancement in space. The project has published a series of papers, intended to help inform public discussion and to induce a further examination of US official policies. These papers consider the implications of physics for space security; the interaction of military, scientific, and commercial activities in space; Chinese and Russian perspectives on US space plans; and the possible elements of a more comprehensive set of rules for space security.

The Reconsidering the Rules of Space project is supported by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
snip

-----------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

===========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

===========================================

List of current and future lunar missions

2011-11-08T19:04:00.001-08:00

I thought I would see what is happening in regards to lunar missions and was pleasantly surprised at the number that are actually going on or in the works. You might be interested in checking out this Wikipedia link

There are a lot of tables with mission information so will not copy. Better you just take a look.

- LRK -

----------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_and_future_lunar_missions

List of current and future lunar missions

Currently, there are several future lunar missions scheduled or proposed by various nations or organisations.

snip
----------------------------------

It would be nice to see some lunar rovers that hopefully would have live Internet presence.

- LRK -

----------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_rover

A lunar rover or Moon rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of the Moon. Some rovers have been designed to transport members of a human spaceflight crew, such as the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots, such as Lunokhod 1.

snip

----------------------------------

The Moon so close, but so far politically. :-)

I may have to buy a smartphone to try out some of the lunar Apps coming out.

- LRK -

-----------------------------------

http://dailyappshow.com/lunar-module-3d-iphone-app-review

Lunar Module 3D app

LunarModule3D is a unique lunar lander style game that mixes classic arcade action with realistic environments. The game takes you through 5 real locations on the moon including 4 of the apollo landing sites and Tycho crater. All of the lunar environments have been generated from actual photos of the moon using shape from shading technology.

snip

-----------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

Russian Mars - Phobos sample mission with Chinese Orbiter and Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment - set to launch

2011-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

This week's issue of The Space Review informs me that I should be watching to see if the Russian launch of the Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars makes it off successfully. It is set to launch November 9, 2011.
- LRK -

------------------------
Welcome to this week's issue of The Space Review:
http://www.thespacereview.com/

Phobos sample return launches tomorrow
---
This week Russia will launch Phobos-Grunt, a mission to travel to Mars and return a sample of the Martian moon Phobos. Lou Friedman describes the mission and an unusual experiment from The Planetary Society that is onboard the spacecraft.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1966/1

Red moon around a Red Planet
---
Phobos-Grunt is a very ambitious mission for any space power, let alone for a country that hasn't launched a Mars mission in 15 years. Dwayne Day writes that it may be too ambitious a mission, but if successful could have a major payoff for planetary exploration.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1965/1

Will Russia end its curse at Mars?
---
Probos-Grunt is the latest in a long line of Russian/Soviet Mars missions, most of which failed. Doug Messier examines the history of that program and whether this mission can break from that history.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1964/1

snip
------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fobos-Grunt
Fobos-Grunt (Russian: Фобос-Грунт, lit. «Phobos-Soil») is a sample return mission to Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. Funded by the Russian space agency Roscosmos and developed by NPO Lavochkin and the Russian Space Research Institute, Fobos-Grunt is to become the first Russian interplanetary mission since the failed Mars 96. It is also set to become the first spacecraft to return a macroscopic extraterrestrial sample from a planetary body since Luna 24 in 1976.^[3] Launch is scheduled for 8 November 2011 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars' orbit in September 2012, with landing on Phobos scheduled for February 2013. The return vehicle, carrying up to 200 g of soil from Phobos, is expected to be back on Earth in August 2014.
The Chinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1 will be sent together with the mission, as will the Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment funded by the Planetary Society.
snip
------------------------

More info and pictures.
See the links on the page as well
- LRK -

------------------------
http://www.universetoday.com/90373/russia-fuels-phobos-grunt-and-sets-mars-launch-for-november-9/

Russia Fuels Phobos-Grunt and sets Mars Launch for November 9
by Ken Kremer on October 29, 2011

Russia’s Space Agency, Roscosmos, has set November 9 as the launch date for the Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars and its tiny moon Phobos. Roscosmos has officially announced that the audacious mission to retrieve the first ever soil samples from the surface of Phobos will blastoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Zenit-2SB rocket at 00:26 a.m. Moscow time.
Roscosmos said that engineers have finished loading all the propellants into the Phobos-Grunt main propulsion module (cruise stage), Phobos lander and Earth return module at Facility 31 at Baikonur.

snip
------------------------

With a successful launch we will just have a long wait to see how everything goes. :-)
- LRK -

There have been a number of missions to Mars.
See a list here.
- LRK -
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/spacecraft_planetary_mars.html

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

snip==============================================================

UK science says 'fly me to the Moon'

2011-11-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

This should be interesting. And if they should bring back a piece of regolith from the south polar region what do I hear it will sell for? Could we have an auction please. Who will be the highest bidder?

Any proto protozoa in those dark craters?

- LRK -

---------------------

British scientists and engineers want a piece of the Moon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15574653

3 November 2011 Last updated at 14:43 ET

Jonathan Amos

They're keen to participate in the European Space Agency's (Esa) Lunar Lander mission which will attempt to put down on the body's southern pole later this decade.

The lander will be unmanned but it will do the kind of experiments that would help prepare for a human mission at some future date - checking the local environment for hazards and looking for possible resources in the regolith, or "soil".

Esa will soon ask member states to declare their interest in the project, and the UK will have to decide if it wants to take part and, if so, the level of financial investment it is prepared to make.

The British lunar science community and industry recently held a meeting in London to mould their position.

They know they will have to make a strong case to the UK Space Agency (UKSA), which represents Britain at Esa.

The UKSA will have a limited pot of cash to put on the table in Europe, and other interests and activities will be competing for a share.

"We're going through a process where we're allowing all the different communities to make their cases for the programmes they want to be involved in," explained Dr Sue Horne from the UKSA.

"Through December, we'll be assessing those so that over the course of the following months, we can have some hard negotiation with Esa with clear ideas of what we want," she told me.

The Lunar Lander project will be led by Germany and is expected to cost somewhere in the region of 600-700 million euros.

snip

---------------------

Hmmm, only 600- 700 million euros.

No cold war here, just a bidding war.

I wonder who has the money?

- LRK -

Who gets the movie rights and the marketing rights for kids lunar lander toys?

How about some chemistry sets to identify soil samples so you can prepare the youngster for a job analyzing lunar samples.

Maybe an erector set that will let you build miniature digging machines that have some smart brains to teach you how to prepare a lunar lava tube for habitation. Throw in some smart avatars that will do your bidding from your latest smart phone App.

- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

===========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

===========================================

China spacecraft dock together in orbit over Earth

2011-11-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well while I have had my head in books on the synaptic organization of the brain, others have continued to work at learning how to conquer space.

- LRK -

----------

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9QP93880.htm

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 3, 2011, 9:05AM ET

China spacecraft dock together in orbit over Earth

By GILLIAN WONG

BEIJING

Two unmanned Chinese spacecraft docked successfully and were orbiting the Earth together Thursday in a step that moves China closer to manning its own space station in about a decade.

The Shenzhou 8 craft that was launched Tuesday docked with the already orbiting Tiangong 1 module, said Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program. The assembly has orbited Earth six times, with onboard instruments working normally, she said.

The U.S. and Russia are the only other countries to master the space docking technique. It was "a milestone success and sets a sound foundation for continued missions," Wu said.

----------

Hmmmm, we went to the Moon with the Apollo missions to show the Russians that we could best them in space.

No humans back to the Moon since then. Who will be the next to land on the Moon?

Today China is showing the world that they can enter space as well.

We will watch and see what they do with their space station and will they go further than LEO.

And how does NASA react?

- LRK -

----------

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45154530/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/nasa-chief-says-us-could-cooperate-china/#.TrR-ZkOXu7s

NASA chief says US could cooperate with China

Bolden sees benefits to American program, but runs into critics in House hearing

By Mike Wall

updated 11/3/2011 5:01:11 PM ET

While China and the United States don't see eye to eye on many issues, there is room for the two nations to work together in space science and exploration, NASA chief Charlie Bolden says.

In fact, cooperation in the space arena could help bridge the divide between the two superpowers while potentially benefiting both, Bolden told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

"Some level of engagement with China in space-related areas in the future can form the basis for dialogue and cooperation in a manner that is consistent with the national interests of both our countries, when based on the principles of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit," Bolden said in testimony before the subcommittee on oversight and investigations.

snip

----------

If you don't want to read about China or NASA, I guess you could check on what SpaceX or Orbital Sciences Corp. are doing towards getting to space.

- LRK -

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

DRAGON SPACECRAFT | 2011 BREAKTHROUGH AWARD WINNER

http://www.orbital.com/TaurusII/
Updated Taurus II & COTS/CRS Development & Flight Milestones

And if you just want to see what mother nature has in store for us, check out the asteroid that is NOT going to hit us, but close enough to check out with a telescope. Could have been a bad hair day if a bit closer.

- LRK -

----------

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/242791/20111103/nasa-asteroid-giant-antennae-photos-2005-yu55.htm
NASA Readying Giant Antennae to Take Photos of Passing Asteroid

By Lena Kim | November 3, 2011 10:10 AM EDT

Asteroid 2005 YU55 is scheduled to skirt Earth on Nov. 8, giving astronomers an unparalleled opportunity to make observations about the space rock. Over four hundred yards across, the asteroid is large enough to cause damage on a regional scale if it were to make contact. Luckily, it will just miss Earth, whizzing past at the decidedly cozy distance of 201,700 miles - closer than our own Moon.

snip

----------

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-332

I think I will just go back and do some reading about intelligent systems.

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

The Case for Two Asteroids and a Planet

2011-09-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.spacenews.com/commentaries/110829-case-two-asteroids-planet.html

Donald F. Robertson has been writing about space for some time and said he had posted a recent article about the suggestion we go to an asteroid with humans.

Here is the link and I will list some others as well.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

The Case for Two Asteroids and a Planet

http://www.spacenews.com/commentaries/110829-case-two-asteroids-planet.html

By Donald F. Robertson

Wed, 31 August, 2011

There are three realistic options for our next exploratory destination in space: a return to the Moon to establish a permanent presence; the current plan to visit a near-Earth asteroid; and what early space engineer S. Fred Singer calls “PhD missions.” These are trips to the martian moons Phobos and Deimos without immediately trying to land on Mars — an idea that has not been seriously considered in recent years.

Our next major project in space should be a return to our nearby and newly intriguing Moon — this time to stay. We know how to get there and visit. Now we need learn to live and work for extended periods on an airless surface dominated by regolith, while still relatively close to home and the potential for support and rescue. We can study our nearest neighbor in depth, not least to understand our star system’s history of major impacts. We should begin to use lunar resources, like oxygen and probable heavy metals from the cores of large asteroids that have struck the Moon, to support activities in low Earth orbit. Doing so would establish regular transportation routes to a single location with regular launch windows, and the earliest beginnings of inner solar system trade and commerce.

If we decline to take this logical incremental step, the martian moons make a better destination than a near-Earth asteroid.

snip

------------------------------------------------

Some earlier posts to Space Review when there was a discussion about going back to the Moon.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/military_dollar.pdf

Chasing The Military Dollar

by Donald F. Robertson

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/commerce_vse.pdf

Returning to Earth's Moon: Is There Room For Commerce?

by Donald F. Robertson

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/atobbeforec.pdf

From Point A to B before C

by Donald F. Robertson

------------------------------------------------

If you go to his website there are a number of links to articles written before 2010 which means we might well have been thinking we might really go back to the Moon to stay and develop its resources. If you are looking for things to consider about our possible use of space, check them out.

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/index.html

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/reality_check_v2.html

Space Exploration: a reality check

This article originally appeared in Space News

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/science_just.html

A Scientific Justification for Human Lunar Exploration

This article originally appeared in Meme Therapy.

http://www.donaldfrobertson.com/marstrn.html

MARS TRAINWRECK

This article originally appeared in slightly different form in Space News

------------------------------------------------

Recently we have seen more images of the Apollo landing sites from the instruments on the LRO

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/454-Skimming-the-Moon.html

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

Skimming The Moon

Low periapsis Narrow Angle Camera image of the Apollo 17 Landing Site

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/uploads/ap17_lm_25cm.png

[Thanks LRO - LRK -]

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/sep/HQ_11-289_LRO_Images.html

------------------------------------------------

That said, you can find more about the Apollo landings in a number of books.

Hope you have this one.

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

http://www.praxis-publishing.co.uk/9780387746388.htm

‘Man must explore’ Dave Scott

Exploring the Moon - The Apollo Expeditions is a story of one of the great adventures of our time. David Harland concentrates on the final three lunar landings (Apollos 15, 16 and 17); each of which spent three days on the Moon and used the famous 'lunar rover' to get around. He focuses on the exploration carried out by the Apollo astronauts whilst on the lunar surface and combines the words of the astronauts themselves with the photographs they took. It is a lunar travelogue, a minute-by-minute account of what the astronauts did, said and felt, enhanced by their subsequent reflections.

Also at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Moon-Expeditions-Springer-Exploration/dp/0387746382

snip

------------------------------------------------

Call it what you will, practice for an asteroid mission because someone said go to an asteroid.

You wouldn't want to practice to go back to the Moon. No, no, no!

- LRK -

------------------------------------------------

http://news.discovery.com/space/nasa-practicing-asteroid-exploration-in-arizona-desert-110830.html

NASA PRACTICING ASTEROID MISSION IN ARIZONA DESERT

Analysis by Irene Klotz
Tue Aug 30, 2011 03:46 PM ET

A team of about 150 engineers, scientists, astronauts, researchers and students started work this week on the first of several deep-space mission scenarios, part of an annual NASA field expedition called Desert Research and Technology Studies, or Desert RATS.

Staged from Black Point Lava Flow in the northern Arizona desert, the project is an opportunity to flesh-out plans, test equipment and practice techniques for a variety of proposed human space exploration missions. This year's campaign includes four asteroid mission scenarios, reflecting NASA's shift from lunar exploration to a planned asteroid visit, targeted for the mid-2020s.

NASA's Mission Control Center is participating in this year's simulation, along with Europe's Space Research and Technology Center in Norway. A communications time lag, which simulates what astronauts and ground controllers would experience during an actual mission at an asteroid, is part of the exercise.

"Fifty seconds does not sound like much, but it's crazy-long to have a conversation," Jeff Stone, the NASA mission operations director who leads a 12-person team in Houston, said in an article in last week's Aviation Week and Space Technology. "It takes a whole different mindset."

snip

------------------------------------------------

I wonder what is wrong with a ~2.7 second signal to the Moon and back. - LRK -

http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/education/learning-guides/robots-on-the-moon

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/

WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/

Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==========================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==========================================

Lunar Update

One Small Step - The Australian Story

Dawn Explores Vesta’s Chemistry

NASA Twin Spacecraft On Final Approach For Moon Orbit

THE GRAVITY RECOVERY AND INTERIOR LABORATORY (GRAIL)

Fourth Status Report on Commercial Partners Progress Released

[history] Passing of Boris Chertok

Management Histories, (SP-4100 Series):

Landing - it is in the details -

Virtual Apollo:

Curiosity and the Solar Storm

About Us

This Way to Mars: How Technologies Borrowed from Robotic Missions Could Deliver Astronauts to Deep Space

Critical response

MSL launch delayed to Saturday, Nov. 26

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission

New Lunar Topological Map

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

About the Academy

List of current and future lunar missions

Russian Mars - Phobos sample mission with Chinese Orbiter and Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment - set to launch

Russia Fuels Phobos-Grunt and sets Mars Launch for November 9by Ken Kremer on October 29, 2011

UK science says 'fly me to the Moon'

China spacecraft dock together in orbit over Earth

Bolden sees benefits to American program, but runs into critics in House hearing

The Case for Two Asteroids and a Planet

By Donald F. Robertson

NASA PRACTICING ASTEROID MISSION IN ARIZONA DESERT

Russia Fuels Phobos-Grunt and sets Mars Launch for November 9
by Ken Kremer on October 29, 2011