Moon Exploration and Science News

April 06, 2015

New explanation for Mercury's dark surface
Livermore CA (SPX) Apr 05, 2015
Peering into space, the surface of Mercury appears dark and unreflective, an observation that has long puzzled planetary scientists due to the planet's very low surface abundance of iron (less than 2 percent). Iron is an important darkening material in airless bodies like the moon and asteroids.While the intense space weathering environment on Mercury, which efficiently converts the small amount of available iron into submicroscopic metallic iron, contributes to its dark surface, this effect is no ... read more

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Soft Landing on the Moon an Extraordinary Challenge Chinese Chang'e 3 spacecraft on Dec. 14, 2013 became the first probe to soft land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. Other missions could follow its footsteps soon as the commerci ... more		Stop blaming the moon "It must be a full moon" is a common refrain when things appear more hectic than usual. The moon is even blamed when things get crazy at hospital emergency rooms or birth wards. "Some nurses ascribe ... more		Saturn Spacecraft Returns to the Realm of Icy Moons A dual view of Saturn's icy moon Rhea marks the return of NASA's Cassini spacecraft to the realm of the planet's icy satellites. This follows nearly two years during which the spacecraft's orbits ca ... more
				Next Steps on Journey to Mars: Progress on Asteroid Initiative NASA Wednesday announced more details in its plan for its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which in the mid-2020s will test a number of new capabilities needed for future human expeditions to deep s ... more		Europa's Elusive Water Plume Paints Grim Picture For Life A meteorite may have been responsible for a water plume briefly spotted above Europa two years ago, implying it takes a very rare event to breach the ice on the Jovian moon. Astrobiologists wo ... more

Space Tech Expo - Design - Build - Test - Long Beach CA - May 19-21, 2015

Human 2 Mars Conference Mat 5-7 2015 - Washington DC

Titan's Atmosphere Created As Gases Escaped Core A decade ago, a tiny but mighty probe descended into the soupy atmosphere of Titan. This moon of Saturn is of great interest to astrobiologists because its chemistry and liquid cycle remind us of wh ... more		Extent of Moon's giant volcanic eruption is revealed Scientists have produced a new map of the Moon's most unusual volcano showing that its explosive eruption spread debris over an area much greater than previously thought. A team of astronomers ... more		Greenland truce or Trump win? Davos "framework" pauses tariffs but not the takeover boasts Greenlanders doubtful over Trump resolution EU says ready to sign defence and security pact with India		MARSDROP Microprobes Could Expand Spacecraft Mission Capabilities Microprobes that piggyback on Mars-bound spacecraft could investigate areas currently unavailable to surface instruments, a Planetary Science Institute researcher said. The payload could be st ... more
				NASA's LRO Spacecraft Finds March 17, 2013 Impact Crater and More NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) acquired images of the lunar surface before and after the largest recorded explosion occurred on the surface. On March 17, 2013, an object the size of ... more		Extent of moon's giant volcanic eruption is revealed Scientists have produced a new map of the Moon's most unusual volcano showing that its explosive eruption spread debris over an area much greater than previously thought. A team of astronomers ... more

Army Network Modernization 2015 - Washington DC June 23-25

Yutu Changes Everything We Thought We Knew About Our Moon The "Jade Rabbit" discovered at least 9 subterranean layers beneath the lunar surface, 5 more than was previously thought. Scientists believe the layers are a result of ancient lava flow between str ... more		Private companies asked to join moon program China will open its lunar exploration program to private enterprises in an attempt to boost technological innovation and break State-owned companies' monopoly in the space field, according to the co ... more		Trump vows to relaunch Egypt-Ethiopia talks on dam row China's birth rate falls to lowest on record Chile police arrest suspect over deadly wildfires		Moon crater named for aviator Amelia Earhart One of the largest craters on the moon was only recently discovered, thanks to the hard work of scientists at Purdue University. The crater's discovery was announced on Monday at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas. ... more
Scientists fly kites on Earth to study Mars Scientists of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory have taken to kites that they fly above lava flows blanketing the Hawaiian landscape to unravel the past mysteries that shape ... more		New clues from the dawn of the solar system A research group in the UA Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has found evidence in meteorites that hint at the discovery of a previously unknown region within the swirling disk of dust and gas known as ... more		Researchers study methane-rich plumes from Saturn's icy moon Enceladus NASA's Cassini spacecraft has measured a curious abundance of methane spewing into the atmosphere of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. A team of American and French scientists published findings in Geoph ... more		Russia Plans to Start Moon Exploration Jointly With Partners Russia plans to start exploring Earth's moon alongside partners from other states, a senior Russian space official said Thursday. Last month, Russian space agency Roscosmos said it hoped to se ... more

	China's Yutu rover reveals Moon's "complex" geological history The moon's geological history is more complex than previously thought, preliminary results from China's first lunar rover, Yutu, suggested Thursday. Ground-penetrating radar measurements taken ... more		Russia Plans to Adapt New Angara-5 Rocket for Flights to the Moon Russia's new Angara-A5 carrier rocket could be modified for use in future Moon missions, Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said Thursday. "We recommend that the Khrunichev space center (Angara-5 ... more

Quantum transport method reads open quantum states

Scientists uncover new quantum state that could power future technologies

Early universe dark matter born red hot before cooling

UK skies set to dim in decade's deepest solar eclipse		Exploring the Depths of Titan's Seas		Saturn moon's ocean may have hydrothermal activity		Hot water activity on icy moon's seafloor		Billionaire Teams Up with NASA to Mine the Moon
China Gets One Step Closer to Completing its Ambitious Lunar Mission		China's test spacecraft simulates orbital docking		China has ability but no plan for manned lunar mission: expert		Fastest Star in Our Galaxy Propelled by a Thermonuclear Supernova		Mars Colonization Edges Closer Thanks to MIT's Oxygen Factory

China at technical preparation stage for Mars, asteroid exploration

China's moon rover Yutu functioning but stationary

Could Ionized Gas Do A Better Job of Sterilizing Spacecraft

How The Code Of Life Passed Through Primitive Kinds Of Cells

Core work: Iron vapor gives clues to formation of Earth and moon

Life 'not as we know it' possible on Saturn's moon Titan

For the first time, spacecraft catch a solar shockwave in the act

Apollo Lunar Samples Provide More Information on Early Earth Formation

Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history

Let's Send a Private Mission to Europa, Expert Says

US Issuing Licenses for Mineral Mining on Moon

NASA releases video of the far side of the Moon

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