Moon Exploration and Science News

April 21, 2015

Japan planning moon mission: space agency
Tokyo (AFP) April 20, 2015
Japan plans to launch an unmanned mission to the moon as a stepping stone to a future visit to Mars, officials and local media said Monday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) unveiled the plan for a moon lander to a council of the cabinet office and the ministry of education, culture, sports science and technology, a JAXA official said. If successful, Japan will be the fourth country to send an unmanned probe to the moon after Russia, the United States and China. "This is an initi ... read more

Previous Issues

Apr 20

Apr 18

Apr 17

Apr 16

Apr 15

"Hubble" - One Word Says It All You know you've made it when people know you by your first name alone. There's Cher. Beyonce. Ozzie. Angelina. Lebron. Oprah. Add to that list "Hubble." NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is more than ju ... more		Yutu finds Moon still active in old age Findings from China's first moon rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit which is the only scientific probe to land on the Moon in almost 40 years, are rewriting lunar history. Analyzing data sent back fro ... more		Russia to Launch National Orbital Station by 2023 Russia's plan to build a new space outpost was confirmed December 2014, by Oleg Ostapenko, head of Roscosmos space agency at the time. He said the new space station would also serve as a base for Ru ... more
				Manned Moon Flight Planned For 2030 The lunar flight program for 2028-2029 will be unmanned, but putting a man on the moon is scheduled for 2029-2030, the head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday. "We need to begin working now ... more		A new view of the moon's formation Within the first 150 million years after our solar system formed, a giant body roughly the size of Mars struck and merged with Earth, blasting a huge cloud of rock and debris into space. This cloud ... more

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

The World's Largest Commercial Drone Conference and Expo - Sept 9 - Las Vegas

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

Moon formed when young Earth and little sister collided It's long been believed that Earth's moon was formed by a significant planetary collision with a Mars-like protoplanet called Theia. Now, a new study suggests the primordial protoplanet that crashed into a young Earth was quite similar in size and composition. ... 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		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		Will the moon's first inhabitants live in giant lava tubes? The moon's first long-term inhabitants will require especially protective shelter. Cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures and the occasional meteorite impacts make the lunar surface a rather hostile place. ... more
				New explanation for Mercury's dark surface 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 ... more		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

Army Network Modernization 2015 - Washington DC June 23-25

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		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		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		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		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		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

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

Yutu Changes Everything We Thought We Knew About Our Moon		Private companies asked to join moon program		Moon crater named for aviator Amelia Earhart		Scientists fly kites on Earth to study Mars		New clues from the dawn of the solar system
Researchers study methane-rich plumes from Saturn's icy moon Enceladus		Russia Plans to Start Moon Exploration Jointly With Partners		China's Yutu rover reveals Moon's "complex" geological history		Russia Plans to Adapt New Angara-5 Rocket for Flights to the Moon		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

Free Newsletters - Space News - Defense Alert - Environment Report - Energy Monitor

Buy Advertising

Media Advertising Kit

Editorial & Other Enquiries

Privacy statement

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news 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 Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.