Moon Exploration and Science News

December 11, 2013

Silent Orbit for China's Moon Lander
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 09, 2013
China's first Moon lander is in a stable orbit around that world, awaiting the command to lower its orbit and eventually descend to the surface. Judging by what little we know, the Chang'e-3 spacecraft seems to be in a good state of health. It has successfully navigated its way from low Earth orbit though cislunar space and fired its main engine to brake into lunar orbit. These are major hurdles for the mission, and Chang'e-3 has passed them well. Given the apparent success of the mission, i ... read more

Previous Issues

Dec 10

Dec 09

Dec 06

Dec 05

Dec 04

'Solutions' necessary for rocket accidents Experts have called for an insurance plan to cover damage caused by space launches and re-entries after two houses were damaged by rocket wreckage in Hunan province on Monday. The wreckage of the Lo ... more		Turkey keen on space cooperation with China Turkey is keen on space cooperation with China, especially in lunar missions and outer space exploration, scientists said here on Wednesday after China's launching of lunar probe Chang'e-3. Th ... more		China's most moon-like place The desert of fine, soft sand ripples with low dunes and not a plant is in sight. Simmering under a ceaseless noonday sun, the Kumtag desert descends through chill to extreme frigidity as night fall ... more
				LADEE Instruments Healthy and Ready for Science Now in orbit around the moon, NASA's newest lunar mission has completed the commissioning phase, and its science instruments have passed their preliminary checks. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust ... more		Model Suggests Ocean Currents Shape Europa's Icy Shell in Ways Critical for Potential Habitats In a finding of relevance to the search for life in our solar system, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Max Pl ... more

China launches first moon rover mission China launched its first moon rover mission early Monday, the latest step in an ambitious space programme seen as a symbol of its rising global stature. ... more		Commentary: Lunar probe boosts "Chinese dream" China launched the the country's first moon rover aboard its Chang'e-3 lunar probe on Monday, bringing Chinese dreams of reaching the moon tantalizingly close. If Chang'e-3 successfully soft-l ... more		North Korea to soon unveil 'next-stage' nuclear plans, Kim says Greenland dispute is 'wake-up call' for Europe: Macron Trump warns US to end support for Iraq if Maliki returns		Designer: moon rover uses cutting-edge technology China's third lunar probe, the Chang'E Three is set to launch in early December. In recent years, China has made considerable progress in its space program. In June, three Chinese astronauts s ... more
				Moon gardens: NASA to sow first seeds of future habitat NASA is bravely venturing into new scientific territory with a plan to start growing plants on the moon no later than 2015. The experiment is designed to yield important knowledge about life's long- ... more		Helping China To The Moon Shortly after China's Chang'e-3 spacecraft departs Earth to land on the Moon, ESA's network of tracking stations will swing into action, providing crucial support for the vessel's five-day lunar cru ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Japanese firm describes proposed 'power belt' for the moon A Japanese company has unveiled its concept of a lunar solar power generation installation that could send 13,000 continuous terawatts of power back to Earth. ... more		China pursues "zero window" launch for lunar probe China will strive to launch its Chang'e-3 lunar probe at the optimal time within the launch window, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center said on Friday. China is scheduled to launch the probe i ... more		NASA advances space based tracking of marine debris Trump-era trade stress leads Western powers to China Trump troop deployments in US cities cost nearly $500 mn in 2025		Amidst and Beyond the Rings While the moon Epimetheus passes by, beyond the edge of Saturn's main rings, the tiny moon Daphnis carries on its orbit within the Keeler gap of the A ring. Although quite different in size, both mo ... more
				Spotlight on China's Moon Rover The upcoming launch of China's Chang'e-3 Moon lander and rover follows a busy year for the Chinese space program. Awareness of China's growing strength in spaceflight is rising throughout the world. ... more		China names moon rover "Yutu" China has chosen the name "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit) for its first moon rover, after a worldwide online poll challenged people to come up with names. Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China's luna ... more

Rover results include first age and radiation measurements on Mars

Bid to colonize Mars wins high-profile backing

Mars lake may have been friendly to microbes: NASA

Cassini Spacecraft Obtains Best Views of Saturn Hexagon

Model Suggests Ocean Currents Shape Europa's Icy Shell in Ways Critical for Potential Habitats

The Bright Vortex Off Saturn Way

The Sounds of New Horizons

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

SwRI study finds that Pluto satellites' orbital ballet may hint of long-ago collisions

Silent Orbit for China's Moon Lander

China's most moon-like place

LADEE Instruments Healthy and Ready for Science

	We're Going to the Moon! In 2015, Penn State's Lunar Lion team plans to put an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. In 2013, the ambitious project is putting cutting edge NASA equipment in students' hands. Through a recen ... more		NASA Spacecraft Begins Collecting Lunar Atmosphere Data NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is ready to begin collecting science data about the moon. On Nov. 20, the spacecraft successfully entered its planned orbit around the m ... more		NASA Instrument Determines Hazards of Deep-Space Radiation Deep-space radiation is a significant danger for interplanetary human space flight. But now an instrument on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has learned more than ever before about the hig ... more		Rediscovered Apollo data gives first measure of how fast Moon dust piles up When Neil Armstrong took humanity's first otherworldly steps in 1969, he didn't know what a nuisance the lunar soil beneath his feet would prove to be. The scratchy dust clung to everything it touch ... more

Gold soars towards $5,600 as Trump rattles sabre over Iran

Online platforms offer filtering to fight AI slop; EU lawmakers want AI to pay for using copyrighted work

Electron ordering mapped in quantum material with cryogenic 4D-STEM

Big Boost for China's Moon Lander		UNH scientists document, quantify deep-space radiation hazards		Martian moon samples will have bits of Mars		Mission to Mars moon could be a sample-return twofer		NASA Cassini Spacecraft Provides New View of Saturn and Earth
NASA's GRAIL Mission Puts a New Face on the Moon		UCF Lands NASA-Funded Center, Linchpin for Future Space Missions		Multiple Missions Will Get China Moving On Mars		Moon mission yields clues to face of 'man in the moon'		Shanghai-built lunar rover set for lunar landing

Historic Demonstration Proves Laser Communication Possible

UI Researchers Help Decode New View of Saturn's Moon Titan, Contribute to Cassini Mission

Cassini Gets New Views of Titan's Land of Lakes

NASA Laser Communication System Sets Record with Data Transmissions to and from Moon

Crowdfunded Lunar Spacecraft Reaches Funding Milestone

Phobos-Grunt-2: Russia to probe Martian moon by 2022

LADEE Continues To Settle Into Operational Lunar Orbit

Russia to Make Second Attempt at Mars Moon Mission

Free Newsletters - Space - Defense - Environment - Energy

Buy Advertising

Media Advertising Kit

Editorial & Other Enquiries

Privacy statement

The contents herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy statement