Moon Exploration and Science News

December 17, 2013

Clay-Like Minerals Found on Icy Crust of Europa
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 16, 2013
A new analysis of data from NASA's Galileo mission has revealed clay-type minerals at the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa that appear to have been delivered by a spectacular collision with an asteroid or comet. This is the first time such minerals have been detected on Europa's surface. The types of space rocks that deliver such minerals typically also often carry organic materials. "Organic materials, which are important building blocks for life, are often found in comets and primitive aster ... read more

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Chinaese moon rover and lander photograph each other China's first moon rover and lander took photos of each other on the moon's surface Sunday night, a move that marks a complete success of the country's Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission. Ma Xingru ... more		Mining the moon is pie in the sky for China: experts China's moon rover will survey for minerals on a dusty, barren crater named the Bay of Rainbows, but experts say there may be no pot of gold on the Earth's natural satellite. ... more		Chang'e-3 probe moves closer to the moon China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 entered an orbit closer to the moon on Tuesday night. Following an order from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the probe descended from the 100 km-high lunar ... more
				First Rock Dating Experiment Performed on Mars Although researchers have determined the ages of rocks from other planetary bodies, the actual experiments-like analyzing meteorites and moon rocks-have always been done on Earth. Now, for the first ... more		Hubble discovers water vapour venting from Jupiter's moon Europa The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has discovered water vapour erupting from the frigid surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, in one or more localised plumes near its south pole. Europa is alread ... more

Ancient crater could hold clues about moon's mantle Researchers from Brown University and the University of Hawaii have found some mineralogical surprises in the Moon's largest impact crater. Data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper that flew aboard Indi ... more		Minerals in giant impact crater may be clues to moon's makeup, origin Mineralogical discoveries in the moon's largest impact crater could yield clues to the evolution of our companion's crust and mantle, U.S. researchers say. ... 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		Silent Orbit for China's Moon Lander 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 spacecr ... more
				'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

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

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		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		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

NASA poised to launch Mars atmosphere probe

The Tough Task of Finding Fossils While Wearing a Spacesuit

Mars One Selects Lockheed Martin to Study First Private Unmanned Mission to Mars

Clay-Like Minerals Found on Icy Crust of Europa

Cassini Spacecraft Obtains Best Views of Saturn Hexagon

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

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

Mining the moon is pie in the sky for China: experts

Ancient crater could hold clues about moon's mantle

Minerals in giant impact crater may be clues to moon's makeup, origin

	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		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

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

China pursues "zero window" launch for lunar probe		Amidst and Beyond the Rings		Spotlight on China's Moon Rover		China names moon rover "Yutu"		We're Going to the Moon!
NASA Spacecraft Begins Collecting Lunar Atmosphere Data		NASA Instrument Determines Hazards of Deep-Space Radiation		Rediscovered Apollo data gives first measure of how fast Moon dust piles up		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

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