Moon Exploration and Science News

May 13, 2015

Europa's Mystery Dark Material Could Be Sea Salt
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 13, 2015
NASA laboratory experiments suggest the dark material coating some geological features of Jupiter's moon Europa is likely sea salt from a subsurface ocean, discolored by exposure to radiation. The presence of sea salt on Europa's surface suggests the ocean is interacting with its rocky seafloor - an important consideration in determining whether the icy moon could support life. The study is accepted for publication in the journal Geophysical Research Letters and is available online. "We have ... read more

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NASA's New Horizons Spots Pluto's Faintest Known Moons It's a complete Pluto family photo - or at least a photo of the family members we've already met. For the first time, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has photographed Kerberos and Styx - the sm ... more		Weather forecasts for planets beyond our solar system "Cloudy for the morning, turning to clear with scorching heat in the afternoon." While this might describe a typical late-summer day in many places on Earth, it may also apply to planets outside our ... more		Saturn Moon's Activity Could Be 'Curtain Eruptions' New research using data from NASA's Cassini mission suggests most of the eruptions from Saturn's moon Enceladus might be diffuse curtains rather than discrete jets. Many features that appear to be i ... more
				Geochemical process on Saturn's moon linked to life's origin New work from a team including Carnegie's Christopher Glein has revealed the pH of water spewing from a geyser-like plume on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Their findings are an important step toward dete ... more		NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has completed a maneuver that lowered the spacecraft's orbit to within 20 kilometers (12 miles) above areas near the lunar South Pole, the closest the space ... 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

Next Generation Integrated ISR 2015 - Washington DC - July 27-29

Volcano Loki observed from Earth With the first detailed observations of a lava lake on a moon of Jupiter, the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory in Arizona places itself as the forerunner of the next generation of Extremely Lar ... more		European Space Agency Director Wants to Set Up a Moon Base The successor to the International Space Station (ISS) should be a permanent moon base, says incoming European Agency Space leader Johann-Dietrich Worner. The Space Foundation's National Space ... 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		Russia Invites China to Join in Creating Lunar Station Russia and China are currently in talks on inviting the latter to become one of the main partners in creating a lunar station, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday. "The q ... more
				Deep Space Atomic Clock On Time For 2016 Mission As the saying goes, timing is everything. More so in 21st-century space exploration where navigating spacecraft precisely to far-flung destinations - say, to Mars or even more distant Europa, a moon ... more		Japan to land first unmanned spacecraft on moon in 2018 Japan is planning to deliver its first lander on the surface of the moon in three years, local media reported on Sunday, citing sources with close knowledge of the project. Japan's Aerospace E ... more

Army Network Modernization 2015 - Washington DC June 23-25

Dating the moon-forming impact event with meteorites Through a combination of data analysis and numerical modeling work, researchers have found a record of the ancient Moon-forming giant impact observable in stony meteorites. Their work will appear in ... more		Japan to land probe on the moon in 2018 Japan's space agency announced plans on Monday to send an unmanned lander probe to the moon by fiscal year 2018. The mission will be Japan's first attempt to visit the lunar surface. ... 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		Japan planning moon mission: space agency 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. ... more
"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		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

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

Europa's Elusive Water Plume Paints Grim Picture For Life		Will the moon's first inhabitants live in giant lava tubes?		New explanation for Mercury's dark surface		Soft Landing on the Moon an Extraordinary Challenge		Saturn Spacecraft Returns to the Realm of Icy Moons
Stop blaming the moon		Next Steps on Journey to Mars: Progress on Asteroid Initiative		Europa's Elusive Water Plume Paints Grim Picture For Life		Titan's Atmosphere Created As Gases Escaped Core		Extent of Moon's giant volcanic eruption is revealed

MARSDROP Microprobes Could Expand Spacecraft Mission Capabilities

NASA's LRO Spacecraft Finds March 17, 2013 Impact Crater and More

Extent of moon's giant volcanic eruption is revealed

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

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