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NASA Invites 150 Lucky Twitter Followers to Launch of Lunar Spacecraft

Trond Krovel — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:27:46 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 01.09.2011]
NASA has invited 150 followers of the agency's Twitter account to a two-day launch Tweetup Sept. 7-8. The Tweetup is expected to culminate in the launch of the twin lunar-bound GRAIL spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA'S Lunar Spacecraft Completes Exploration Mission Phase

Paul Acquatella — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 19:09:09 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 15.09.2010]
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, will complete the exploration phase of its mission on Sept. 16, after a number of successes that transformed our understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor.

LRO completed a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit approximately 31 miles above the moon's surface. It produced a comprehensive map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail; searched for resources and safe landing sites for potential future missions to the moon; and measured lunar temperatures and radiation levels.

Research Suggests Water Content Of Moon Interior Underestimated

Trond Krovel — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:38:27 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 14.06.2010]
NASA-funded scientists estimate from recent research that the volume of water molecules locked inside minerals in the moon's interior could exceed the amount of water in the Great Lakes here on Earth.

NASA Invites Public to Take Virtual Walk on Moon

Trond Krovel — Sun, 16 May 2010 11:11:07 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 11.05.2010]
More than 37 years after humans last walked on the moon, planetary scientists are inviting members of the public to return to the lunar surface as "virtual astronauts" to help answer important scientific questions.

No spacesuit or rocket ship is required - all visitors need to do is go to www.moonzoo.org and be among the first to see the lunar surface in unprecedented detail. New high-resolution images, taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), offer exciting clues to unveil or reveal the history of the moon and our solar system.

Barcelona Moon Team Enters $30 Million Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition

Trond Krovel — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 07:58:49 +0000

[GLXP Press Release - 21.04.2010]
Today, Barcelona Moon Team, a multidisciplinary joint venture bringing together Spanish entrepreneurial, industrial and academic capabilities, announced its official entry into the Google Lunar X PRIZE - a $30 million competition that challenges space professionals and engineers from across the globe to build and launch to the moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and transmission tasks. Barcelona Moon Team, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, is among the 21 teams from 11 countries that are vying for their share of the $30 million prize purse.

Student Moon Orbiter passes preliminary review

Trond Krovel — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:37:01 +0000

[ESA Press Release - 08.04.2010]
The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) project passed its System Requirements Review (SRR) during a workshop held 22-26 March at ESA’s Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. The successful outcome marked a major milestone in the project’s development.

More than 30 participants attended the event, including one student from each of the participating universities, and staff from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), the project’s prime contractor.

Fly us to the Moon…south pole to be precise

Trond Krovel — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:34:54 +0000

[ESA Press Release - 31.03.2010]
The south polar region of the Moon, with dark craters and high ridges, is a world away from the relatively smooth terrain visited by Apollo astronauts four decades ago. This rugged moonscape is the target for Europe’s next leap into space.

The possible deposits of water ice, heavily cratered terrain and long periods of sunlight make the lunar south pole and areas around it extremely interesting for explorers and scientists. It is therefore a prime target for future human missions to the Moon.

Astrobotic Technology publishes call for lunar payloads

Trond Krovel — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:09:21 +0000

[Astrobotic Press Release - 15.03.2010]
Astrobotic Technology Inc. is soliciting expressions of interest and associated information regarding prospective payloads for AstroboticTM missions to the surface of the moon. The call is open to companies, universities, governments and individuals. Responses are sought in four contexts:

1. Confirm and Characterize Water
Payloads and investigations are sought to detect and characterize a measureable amount of water, methane, ammonia or other volatile. Early destinations are outside permanent shadow regions.

Student Teams Ready to Battle Lunar Terrain at NASA's 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race

Trond Krovel — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:26:01 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 05.03.2010]
More than 100 student teams from around the globe will drive their specially crafted lunar rovers through a challenging course of rugged, moon-like terrain at NASA's 17th annual Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala., April 9-10.

Some 1,088 high school, college and university students from 20 states and Puerto Rico, Canada, Germany, Bangladesh, Serbia, India and Romania are expected to participate in the race at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

NASA's LCROSS Impacts Confirm Water in Lunar Crater

Trond Krovel — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:17:30 +0000

[NASA Press Release - 13.11.2009]
Preliminary data from NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater.
The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon.

The LCROSS spacecraft and a companion rocket stage made twin impacts in the Cabeus crater Oct. 9 that created a plume of material from the bottom of a crater that has not seen sunlight in billions of years.