From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Tue Jul 3 16:43:27 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:43:27 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] FLORIDASPACErePORT - A chronicle of developments in the space industry, updated (almost) daily. Message-ID: <468AB4EF.60400@gmail.com> FLORIDASPACErePORT A chronicle of developments in the space industry, updated (almost) daily. http://spacereport.blogspot.com/ Time passes and others post. I would not want you to miss out. Take a look at Edward Ellegood's blog FLORIDASPACErePORT. The shuttle has been returned to KSC. http://www.wesh.com/news/13612033/detail.html Russia is launching satellites to space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ohb-system.de/gb/News/presse/0307_07.html *Second SAR-Lupe satellite also successfully launched *Reconnaissance system available to the German Armed Forces as of the autumn Bremen/Plesetsk, 07-03-07 The second satellite in the SAR-Lupe system has been placed successfully in orbit. The Russian Cosmos 3M launch vehicle lifted off last night from the Russian Plesetsk space center, south of Archangelsk, on schedule at 21:38:41 hours CEST. Roughly half an hour later, it released the radar satellite into its low-earth orbit at an altitude of roughly 500 km. Snip ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://spacereport.blogspot.com/ http://spacereport.blogspot.com/2007/07/july-3-news-items.html FLORIDA SPACErePORT A chronicle of developments in the space industry, updated (almost) daily. July 03, 2007 *Homans Resigns Spaceport Authority Post* (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News) When Rick Homans took over as executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority he said he would like to hand the job over to someone else sooner or later. On Monday, he announced that would happen sooner. Homans informed the NMSA that he was leaving his post for a job in the private sector. "When I took this job May 1, I made it very clear that I considered myself an 'interim' director and that one of my key jobs would be to find my replacement, a 'permanent' director," Homans wrote. Homans said his new job will be with a company that will establish its headquarters in New Mexico. His new position starts Aug. 1. He did not specify the company. *Benson Space Company to Provide Low-G Rides* (Source: Benson) Using a patent pending combination of technology and technique, the newly designed suborbital space tourism spaceship from Benson Space Company (BSC) will produce rides that do not exceed approximately 3.0 G's of force on passengers. This technology, in development since 2002, uses dive brakes with variable feathering to greatly reduce deceleration forces during descent and reentry. The BSC spaceship, which is based on an amalgam of the NASA and Air Force X-2, X-15 and T-38 vehicles, will spread its entry deceleration over a wide altitude band by changing the vehicle's ballistic coefficient (vehicle weight divided by drag area) during the atmospheric entry. *Europe and Russia Plan Next Generation Spaceship *(Source: The Register) Plans are underway to build a European alternative to the US's shuttle replacement Orion. The European Space Agency (ESA) has convened a series of meetings with key industrial groups in Europe to thrash out the details of new passenger launch systems. Russia will lead the feasibility study of various Crew Space Transportation Systems (CSTS), while Japan is also reported to be keen to be involved. Daniel Sacotte, the ESA's director of human spaceflight, microgravity and exploration told the BBC that the move was not about beating the US, or being isolationist. "We want to have parallel systems, to be cooperative; so that if one system has a failure, there is another one that allows space exploration to continue," he said. "We cannot rely on only one [transportation system]." The form the new launch system will take is still undecided. This decision will be the focal point of the meetings. It could be based on the well-established, if slightly ageing Russian Soyuz system, or it could be totally different. The eventual form the CSTS will take will depend on what it is most likely to be used for: low earth orbit missions may call for different hardware than a moon shot, for instance. *AF Holds To EELV Schedule *(Source: Aerospace Daily) The U.S. Air Force says it is holding firm on the planned launch dates for upcoming Atlas V and Delta IV missions using the Pratt & Whitney RL10 upper-stage engine, having traced the launch anomaly on a recent National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) classified satellite launch to a stuck valve on the Atlas V's Lockheed Martin Centaur upper stage. The Air Force says for now at least the late summer launch dates for the upcoming launch of the service's Wideband Gapfiller (WGS) communications spacecraft on an Atlas V with a Centaur and the final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite on a Delta IV Heavy using the RL10 in a different stage will remain unchanged. The Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral is scheduled for Aug. 11 while the Delta IV Heavy flight is set for Aug. 28. *ICO Global Inks Deal with Loral* (Source: MarketWatch) ICO Global Communications said Tuesday it inked an agreement with Loral for the design of additional medium earth orbit satellites. Terms weren't disclosed. The company also said it's pursuing its litigation against Boeing concerning its medium earth orbit satellites. *Replacement Workers Take-On Endeavour Work During Strike* (Source: Florida Today) The orbiter Endeavour was hoisted up off its transporter in the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building by replacement crane operators as NASA pressed ahead with preparations for a planned Aug. 7 launch. The orbiter will be mated to an external tank with two attached solid rocket boosters before the fully assembled shuttle is hauled out to launch pad 39A on July 11. The work is being done by an experienced team standing in for striking workers with the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers union. USA put together a pool of people who all have experience in orbiter lifting operations, and former crane operators who all have up-to-date certifications are operating the lifting devices. The work is being done in two stages because of the strike. *NASA Extends Contract with Wyle Labs* (Source: Houston Business Journal) NASA has extended its contract with Wyle Laboratories. The $294 million contract extension will support the Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The extension, which extends the contract to April 30, 2011, is the first of two options in NASA's contract with Wyle Laboratories. Terms of the bioastronautics contract call for Wyle's life sciences group, based in Houston, to support the International Space Station, space shuttle, constellation and human research programs. Wyle maintains readiness of space and life sciences-related facilities and laboratories; provides services for program integration, habitability and environmental factors; human adaptation and countermeasures; space medicine; flight hardware; and human research activities. The work is performed at Johnson, Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. A second option, if exercised, would extend the contract to April 30, 2013. If both options are exercised, the total potential value of the contract is $973 million. *Russian Rocket Blasts Off with German Satellite *(Source: Xinhua) A Russian rocket blasted off Monday night with a German satellite atop. The Kosmos-3M booster, carrying the German intelligence satellite SAR-Lupe-2, launched from the Plesetsk spaceport. According to a contract signed in 2003, Russia will send into orbit five such satellites, part of Germany's first satellite-based radar reconnaissance system. Snip ============================================================== http://www.erau.edu/ The World's Leader in Aviation and Aerospace Higher Education At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, what we do best is teach the science, practice, and business of aviation, aerospace, and selected related technologies. We offer more than 35 degree programs at residential campuses in Daytona Beach , Florida, and Prescott , Arizona, and at more than 130 Worldwide Campuses for working professionals throughout the United States and Europe. Embry-Riddle also provides Worldwide Online for online learning, around the globe. Snip ============================================================== http://www.spacetec.org/main.asp SpaceTEC Administers the Nation's Premiere Program for Certified Aerospace Technicians CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL SpaceTEC, the National Science Foundation's Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technical Education, is the focal point for providing aerospace related post-secondary technical education for aerospace employees. SpaceTEC and its industry partners offer programs that prepare aerospace technicians to become Certified Aerospace Snip ============================================================== http://www.aerocenter.org/ The Aerospace Resource Center [ARC] for the State of Florida The ARC is Florida's first designated industry resource center -- a one-stop shop for addressing the aviation and space industry's current and future workforce training needs. The following goals help to define the services the ARC will provide: * Work with industry, education providers, and workforce development agencies to keep Florida's aerospace workforce capable and competitive. * Develop skill sets for entry-level and advanced jobs, as well as skills upgrades for the existing aerospace workforce. * Deliver, arrange, or assist in providing training with industry-level certifications. * Function as a focal point for institutions and employers by maintaining and disseminating workforce education resources. Snip ============================================================== http://www.spacecoastedc.org/ Economic Development Corporation of Florida's Space Coast HAVE YOU MADE CONTACT? Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Thu Jul 5 15:02:08 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:02:08 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] "We must ride the lightning": Robert Heinlein and American spaceflight Message-ID: <468D4030.30403@gmail.com> "We must ride the lightning": Robert Heinlein and American spaceflight http://www.thespacereview.com/article/901/1 I have been catching up on reading Science Fiction and now engrossed in Robert A. Heinlein's "STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND" July 7th would make Heinlein a 100 years old if he were still alive. There is an article at 'thespacereview' about Robert Heinlein by Dwayne A. Day posted Monday, July 2, 2007. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We must ride the lightning": Robert Heinlein and American spaceflight --- This weekend marks the centennial of the birth of Robert Heinlein, a science fiction author whose works have served as an inspiration to many who have pursued careers in the space industry. Dwayne Day examines a memo written by Heinlein over 60 years ago that outlined his belief in the promise of rocketry and spaceflight. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/901/1 Snip ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maybe you have read Heinlein's "THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS". http://www.tor-forge.com/themoonisaharshmistress http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Harsh-Mistress-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0312863551/ Many things to consider when we look at how far apart we are from what we want and what is. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.asi.org/adb/06/09/03/02/106/failure_vs_success.htm Failures are the Stuff out of Which Success is Made IN FOCUS:by Peter Kokh Snip In his classic "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", Robert A. Heinlein coined the epithet "tanstaafl", actually an acronym of "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch." Tanstaafl applies to success as to anything else that is desirable. In the end, we have to pay for it. And the coin is not only hard work and careful research and preparation and talent honing etc. The coin is frequently prior failures. Putting in place the various paving blocks of the road to space is no different from any other endeavor. But in that the task is very complex, inter-involved, and largely beyond currently pedestrian technology, we can expect the failure to success ratio to be higher than most other avenues of endeavor. Snip ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will be interesting to see how our adventures to the Moon will turn out. - LRK - Some other links about Robert A. Heinlein posted below. Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein Robert A. Heinlein From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert A. Heinlein Heinlein signing autographs at the 1976 Worldcon Born: July 7, 1907 Flag of United States Butler, Missouri Died: May 8, 1988 Flag of United States Carmel, California Occupation(s): Novelist, short story author, essayist, screenwriter Genre(s): Science fiction, Fantasy Literary movement: Science Fiction, Fantasy Debut work(s): Life-Line Magnum opus: Stranger in a Strange Land Influences: H. G. Wells, James Branch Cabell, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Rudyard Kipling Influenced: Allen Steele, Spider Robinson, George R. R. Martin, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, John Varley Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 ? May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard" science fiction. He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility that few have equaled, and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first writer to break into mainstream general magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s with unvarnished science fiction. He was among the first authors of bestselling novel-length science fiction in the modern mass-market era. For many years, Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction.[1] The major themes of his work were social: radical individualism, libertarianism, religion, the relationship between physical and emotional love, speculation about unorthodox family relationships, and the influence of space travel on human cultural practices. His iconoclastic approach to these themes led to wildly divergent perceptions of his works. For example, his 1959 novel Starship Troopers was widely viewed as glorifying militarism. By contrast, his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land put him in the unexpected role of pied piper to the sexual revolution and the counterculture. Heinlein won four Hugo Awards for his novels. In addition, fifty years after publication, three of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos" ? awards given retrospectively for years in which no Hugos had been awarded. He also won the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America for lifetime achievement. In his fiction, Heinlein coined words that have become part of the English language, including "grok", "TANSTAAFL" and "waldo." Snip ============================================================== http://www.heinleinsociety.org/ The Heinlein Society exists to preserve the legacy renowned writer Robert Anson Heinlein left us in novels, essays, speeches, and short stories that remain as fresh as ever. We need your help to do it. We intend in Heinlein's words to "PAY IT FORWARD," since we can never pay back the benefits we got from him, by spreading the wisdom of Robert Anson Heinlein to others. The Heinlein Society has established programs to: Place the books of Robert Heinlein in libraries everywhere, especially in school libraries where his juvenile novels may continue to help to form character and provoke critical and intelligent thinking among our young people Award scholarships and grants to worthy young people. Assist in disseminating the works of Robert Heinlein into new languages and formats Promote annual Heinlein blood drives Explore the possibility of accurate and true to book renditions of Robert Heinlein's stories to film and other media Promote scholarly research and overall discussion of the works and ideas of Robert Anson Heinlein Snip ============================================================== [Usenet archive about Robert A. Heinlien. - LRK -] http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~bcd/rah.html Robert Anson Heinlein, 7 July 1907 - 8 May 1988 The Heinlein Society is an excellent resource. >From tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!ucbvax!agate!eos!barry Wed Nov 23 17:20:38 EST 1988 Article 13889 of rec.arts.sf-lovers: Path: tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!ucbvax!agate!eos!barry From: barry at eos.UUCP (Kenn Barry) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers Subject: Re: You are saved from seeing Heinlein story Summary: "Beyond Doubt" has been anthologized at least twice. Message-ID: <1982 at eos.UUCP> Date: 23 Nov 88 05:33:30 GMT References: Reply-To: barry at eos.UUCP (Kenn Barry) Organization: QQQCLC Lines: 15 In article g3d8bu9r%gables.span at umigw.miami.edu (Alexander H. McIntire) writes: >Well, I have a copy of "Beyond Doubt," from _Astonishing Stories_, >Vol. 2, No. 4, April 1941, written by Lyle Monroe [RAH] and Elma Wentz. > >I think, as a public service, that this should be made available. It is available, though not easy to find. It has been anthologized twice, to my knowledge: 1) _Beyond the End of Time_, ed. by Frederik Pohl (Permabooks, paperback, 1952); 2) _Political Science Fiction_, ed. by Warrick Greenberg (Prentice-Hall, 1974). If you can't find it, you're really not missing much, fellow Heinlein fans. It's not a terribly good story. Kayembee Snip ============================================================== http://www.spaceref.com/calendar/calendar.nl.html?pid=4166 Robert A. Heinlein Centennial July 7, 2007 will be the birth centennial of American author, futurist, philosopher and spaceflight advocate Robert A. Heinlein. Commemoration and celebrations will fill the science fiction Grandmaster's Centennial year, with the grandest event to be held on the weekend of July 6, 7 and 8 in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri. Date: 6-8 Jul 2007 Location: Hyatt Regency Crown Center & Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, MO, US Web Site Address: http://www.heinleincentennial.com/ Snip ============================================================== http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/biographies.html Heinlein Society Biographies of Robert and Virginia Heinlein Robert A. Heinlein a biography by William H. Patterson, Jr Virginia Heinlein a biography by Robert James, Ph.D. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Mon Jul 9 17:42:30 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:42:30 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Up from the Ashes: The Genesis of the Phoenix Mission Message-ID: <4692ABC6.6070009@gmail.com> Up from the Ashes: The Genesis of the Phoenix Mission http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/ It takes a long time to develop a mission and sometimes even longer to get it launched. Some link about the upcoming Phoenix Mission. - LRK - --------------------------------------------------------- http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/ Up from the Ashes: The Genesis of the Phoenix Mission June 15, 2007 The origins and inspiration of the Phoenix Mars Mission go back a decade and more to the successful Mars Pathfinder, the failed Mars Polar Lander and the discovery of ice by the Mars Odyssey. Like the mythical bird of the same name, the upcoming exploration journey rises from ashes to fly again. In his own words, Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith tells the story of the science objectives of Phoenix and the implications of what may be discovered. Snip --------------------------------------------------------- A web site with space information including the Phoenix Status Report. - LRK - --------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.gs/mars/phoenix/27-jun-2007.html *06/27/07: Phoenix: Status Report. * *Mission: *Phoenix *Launch Pad: *17-A *Launch Vehicle:* Delta II 7925 *Launch Date: *August 3, 2007 *Launch Time: *5:35:18 a.m. EDT (09:35:18 UT) The solar array lighting test and installation of the spacecraft parachute are complete. Spacecraft fueling is scheduled for July 2-3. Spin balance testing is scheduled for July 11-12 At Pad 17-A, the attachment of the nine solid rocket boosters to the Delta II first stage is complete. Hoisting of the second stage atop the first stage is scheduled for June 28. - courtesy of George H. Diller, Kennedy Space Center, Fl. Snip --------------------------------------------------------- Launch information, follow links on the page. - LRK - --------------------------------------------------------- http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/phases02.php Launch Powered by a Boeing Delta II 7925 launch vehicle, Phoenix will begin its mission within a 22 day launch window in August of 2007. The launch will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Snip --------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html Welcome to the Phoenix Mission, going to the arctic plain of Mars. Media Resources + Launch Press Kit (6.5Mb-PDF) MISSION FEATURES 06.29.07 - Phoenix Set for a Mars Arctic Expedition Lander will dig for clues to more red planet mysteries. + Read More MISSION NEWS 07.09.07 - Mars Lander Ready for August Launch to Icy Site NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, the next mission to the surface of Mars, is beginning a new phase in preparation for a launch in August 2007. + Read More Snip ============================================================== http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/jul/HQ_07148_Phoenix_press_release.html NEWS RELEASE July 09, 2007 RELEASE: 07-148 NASA Readies Mars Lander for August Launch to Icy Site WASHINGTON - NASA's next Mars mission will look beneath a frigid arctic landscape for conditions favorable to past or present life. Instead of roving to hills or craters, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will claw down into the icy soil of the Red Planet's northern plains. The robot will investigate whether frozen water near the Martian surface might periodically melt enough to sustain a livable environment for microbes. To accomplish that and other key goals, Phoenix will carry a set of advanced research tools never before used on Mars. First, however, it must launch from Florida during a three-week period beginning Aug. 3, then survive a risky descent and landing on Mars next spring. "Our 'follow the water' strategy for exploring Mars has yielded a string of dramatic discoveries in recent years about the history of water on a planet where similarities with Earth were much greater in the past than they are today," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "Phoenix will complement our strategic exploration of Mars by being our first attempt to actually touch and analyze Martian water -- water in the form of buried ice." NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter found evidence in 2002 to support theories that large areas of Mars, including the arctic plains, have water ice within an arm's reach of the surface. "Phoenix has been designed to examine the history of the ice by measuring how liquid water has modified the chemistry and mineralogy of the soil," said Peter Smith, the Phoenix principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "In addition, our instruments can assess whether this polar environment is a habitable zone for primitive microbes. To complete the scientific characterization of the site, Phoenix will monitor polar weather and the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface." With its flanking solar panels unfurled, the lander is about 18 feet wide and 5 feet long. A robotic arm 7.7 feet long will dig to the icy layer, which is expected to lie within a few inches of the surface. A camera and conductivity probe on the arm will examine soil and any ice there. The arm will lift samples to two instruments on the lander's deck. One will use heating to check for volatile substances, such as water and carbon-based chemicals that are essential building blocks for life. The other will analyze the chemistry of the soil. A meteorology station, with a laser for assessing water and dust in the atmosphere, will monitor weather throughout the planned three-month mission during Martian spring and summer. The robot's toolkit also includes a mast-mounted stereo camera to survey the landing site, a descent camera to see the site in broader context and two microscopes. For the final stage of landing, Phoenix is equipped with a pulsed thruster method of deceleration. The system uses an ultra-lightweight landing system that allows the spacecraft to carry a heavier scientific payload. Like past Mars missions, Phoenix uses a heat shield to slow its high-speed entry, followed by a supersonic parachute that further reduces its speed to about 135 mph. The lander then separates from the parachute and fires pulsed descent rocket engines to slow to about 5.5 mph before landing on its three legs. "Landing safely on Mars is difficult no matter what method you use," said Barry Goldstein, the project manager for Phoenix at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Our team has been testing the system relentlessly since 2003 to identify and address whatever vulnerabilities may exist." Researchers evaluating possible landing sites have used observations from Mars orbiters to find the safest places where the mission's goals can be met. The leading candidate site is a broad valley with few boulders at a latitude equivalent to northern Alaska. Smith leads the Phoenix mission, with project management at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the development partnership located at Lockheed Martin, Denver. International contributions are provided by the Canadian Space Agency, the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Max Planck Institute, Germany, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Additional information on the Phoenix mission is available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix Additional information on NASA's Mars program is available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mars Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Thu Jul 12 20:02:58 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:02:58 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] TO TOUCH THE STARS Message-ID: <4696C132.7000403@gmail.com> TO TOUCH THE STARS http://www.totouchthestars.com/ Linden Sims posted this bit of information on the Project Apollo groups about some mp4 music-videos based on the music of "TO TOUCH THE STARS" which may be down loadable for a short time. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------ Sat Jul 7, 2007 7:13 am (PST) A few years ago Prometheus Music published a CD of space advocacy songs titled "To Touch the Stars". For the next two weeks Prometheus is making available high quality mp4 music videos of some of the tracks at http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/ If you're not familiar with this music then these videos would be a great introduction. They say Buzz Aldrin was brought to tears by "Fire in the Sky". I can see why. Lower quality versions are also available on YouTube at http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=thuvt&p=r If you like this you definitely owe it to yourself to buy the CD at http://www.totouchthestars.com Two of my favorites are Dog on the Moon and Queen Isabella. I have no connection with Prometheus Music beyond being a very satisfied customer. I think you folks will appreciate this stuff too. Linden ------------------------------------------------ I watched the mp4 files that I down loaded .(files can be large) The music is uplifting and Vu Trong Thu has done a nice job of adding visuals. If Prometheus removes the mp4 files before you get a chance to copy them you can look at some of the works on YouTube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=rX65bZ_D9vM - Now's the time to touch a star http://youtube.com/watch?v=J_GciXA-6Ag - Witnesses' Waltz - music clip http://youtube.com/watch?v=o-mZ9pKvCmk - Surprise! Having watched the mp4 music-videos I thought I would order the Audio CD. It came today. Listened to the music again. Would be nice if the mp4 videos were on it too but if you are quick you may still be able to down load or just watch some of the YouTube renditions. - LRK - Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://www.totouchthestars.com/ http://www.prometheus-music.com/space.html To Touch the Stars: A Musical Celebration of Space Exploration 65 minutes $15.97 Snip Newly Released Anthem Celebrates Spirit of Mars Exploration - on Mars! Prometheus Music , a U.S. based specialty label has just released a new CD, *To Touch the Stars*, featuring songs that celebrate the history and future of human space exploration. This album has received enthusiastic endorsements from astronaut Buzz Aldrin and influential space author and Mars expert Dr. Robert Zubrin, as well as coverage on SPACE.com, MSNBC, Popular Science, Air & Space/Smithsonian, The Space Show, Discovery Channel, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, and other prominent news sources. Included in this wonderful collection is *Pioneers of Mars*, a powerful work written by Toronto partners in life and song Karen Linsley and *Lloyd Landa*. The composition was awarded first place in the Mars Society's Rouget de Lisle songwriting competition, the purpose of which was to find an official anthem for Mars exploration. This song was recently honored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the wake-up music for the *Opportunity* rover on sol 20 of its mission. Snip ============================================================== http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/ [DIR] Parent Directory - [VID] Fire in the Sky.mp4 07-Jul-2007 00:48 20M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/Fire%20in%20the%20Sky.mp4 [VID] Hope Eyrie.mp4 07-Jul-2007 01:04 19M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/Hope%20Eyrie.mp4 [VID] If We Had No Moon.mp4 07-Jul-2007 00:56 36M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/If%20We%20Had%20No%20Moon.mp4 [VID] Now's the Time...mp4 07-Jul-2007 01:00 17M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/Now's%20the%20Time...mp4 [VID] Surprise.mp4 07-Jul-2007 00:44 15M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/Surprise.mp4 [VID] The Word of God.mp4 07-Jul-2007 00:41 30M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/The%20Word%20of%20God.mp4 [VID] Witnesses Waltz.mp4 07-Jul-2007 00:34 14M http://www.prometheus-music.com/eb/Witnesses%20Waltz.mp4 Snip ============================================================== http://www.christinelavin.com/totouchthestars.html Christine Lavin To Touch the Stars My fact-based song on what life would be like without our moon, If We Had No Moon, finally makes its studio debut on this just-released CD of all-space songs! I did a lot of research for this song, so it's based on real scientific research, though some of it is controversial. You'll also love Dog On The Moon -- my favorite track on this disc -- by brand new songwriter Garry Novikoff. Another album track, Pioneers of Mars was just played by the JPL flight team to wake up the Mars rover Opportunity on Saturday! Snip ============================================================== [ You may want to read all of this review before buying - appreciation for the music may vary - LRK -] http://www.thespacereview.com/article/124/1 Review: To Touch the Stars by Jeff Foust Monday, April 5, 2004 Several months back, while browsing through a dusty stack of old CDs at home, I ran across an album from a little-known Boston-based group called Tribe, a band that was performing alternative rock back before alternative rock became mainstream. In 1993 they released an album called ?Sleeper? that included a track titled ?Supercollider? that was about, believe it or not, the Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) then under development in Texas. The song got some airplay on some Boston radio stations, which is how I first heard the song; that led me to eventually buy the CD. (Who can resist lyrics like ?Goodbye Princeton/Goodbye CERN/He?s off to Texas/To watch the holy fire burn??) Sadly, Tribe broke up not long after Sleeper came out, around the time the SSC itself met its demise. ?Supercollider? was likely one of the first?and last?paeans written about the SSC. Space exploration hasn?t done much better. In recent decades a few popular artists have penned songs with at least vague space themes: ?Major Tom? by David Bowie and Elton John?s ?Rocket Man? come to mind. The 1982 Rush album ?Signals? included ?Countdown?, a song inspired by the band?s visit to Cape Canaveral to watch the first shuttle launch. In addition, in the last several years Elaine Walker, both solo and with her band, Zia, have recorded several albums devoted almost exclusively to space topics (including a CD of ?space elevator music?). However, in general spaceflight is a topic generally overlooked in nearly all music genres, from country to rap to pop. (Sorry, but Britney Spears prancing around in a spacesuit for the video of ?Oops, I Did It Again? doesn?t really count.) In an effort to fill this void comes ?To Touch the Stars? ($15.97), a compilation of 17 songs about space exploration released recently by Prometheus Music. The album had its roots in a songwriting competition organized in 1997 by the National Space Society. The top three songs from the one-time Apollo Award, announced at the International Space Development Conference in 1998, are included on the album. Those songs are joined by the winner of the Mars Society?s Rouget de Lisle competition (named after the composer of ?The Marseillaise?) in 2000. The common thread to both contests was Robert Zubrin, who explains his reasons for organizing those competitions in an essay included in a full-color booklet in the CD. Snip ============================================================== http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue353/sound.html SOUND SPACE To Touch the Stars More than just music, this ambitious recording hopes to help humanity take the next giant leap into outer space. Review by Jeff Berkwits Even the most casual music fan would likely agree that a well-written, professionally performed tune can be spiritually uplifting. However, crafting a work of such intensity is extremely difficult, which is in part why so few recordings contain truly exciting songs. Only a handful of albums have ever had the audacity to attempt to lift listeners up as high?or as far?as To Touch the Stars. Designed specifically to promote continued cosmic research, this admirable assemblage of compositions, presented in cooperation with the Mars Society (www.marssociety.org) and the National Space Society (NSS) (www.nss.org), offers, as the disc's caption elegantly exclaims, "a musical celebration of space exploration." Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Sat Jul 14 21:23:41 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:23:41 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Sun Power - The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis Message-ID: <4699771D.3040809@gmail.com> Sun Power - The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis David Brandt-Erichsen has been doing a lot of work in adding material of interest to the National Space Society web site in the Space Settlements sections. http://www.nss.org/settlement/ The on-line library material content has expanded considerably and if you have not checked it lately you may have missed something. http://www.nss.org/settlement/library.html In the news has been comments about Global Warming and what might be done to change the outcome of the gloomy predictions. Some of the discussions can get quite heated when you start telling folks to change their energy consumption ways and then tell them what it will cost to make those changes. One of the ways suggested of providing electrical power that would not add to Earth's CO2 load is getting energy from the Sun by way of Solar Powered Satellites. Here again, discussions come and go. At times interest and then quiet. Time marches on and the price of oil goes up. It may be worth spending some time to become more informed or re-reading material in light of what we know now. Boeing Aerospace Co. would have you launch with them the materials needed for Solar Powered Satellites and since we are not yet on the Moon or have grabbed an asteroid, those materials would be from Earth. It has been a few years since the 1970's-80's and the work that Boeing did on SPS, but reading material through the eyes of one that has been involved can be enlightening. http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/library/doe.htm David Brandt-Erichsen has gotten permission to put on-line Ralph Nansen's 1995 book. You can read the complete book here. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sun Power - The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/sunpower/index.html by Ralph Nansen Copyright 1995 by Ralph Nansen, reproduced with permission **Table of Contents* * Acknowledgements ----------------------------------------------------------------- When you read Ralph's book, read it with an eye towards what one person can contribute to solving our energy requirements and then look around and see what you, as another person, can do as well. One step at a time, one stone picked up, one mountain relocated. Just finished reading Ben Bova's "MOON RISE" and the last paragraph in the book reads, "Nodding inside his helmet, he strode toward the airlock. Time to get started, he told himself. If it is to be, it.s up to me." http://www.amazon.com/Moonrise-Ben-Bova/dp/0380786974 Hmmmmm. Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== Sun Power: The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis , by Ralph Nansen. "/Sun Power/ will help to show that energy from space is a realistic proposal and that it has great commercial potential" (Chris Kraft, former director, Johnson Space Center). "Nansen presents the rationale for solar power satellites in an understandable form devoid of the usual technical jargon to make the subject accessible to the public" (Dr. Peter E. Glaser, inventor of the solar power satellite concept). "The time is again right to bring this very important energy option to the attention of the American public" (Joseph P. Allen, former Space Shuttle astronaut).Snip ============================================================== Sun Power - *Ralph Nansen* In this startling new book, aerospace visionary *Ralph Nansen* reveals a grand but elegant solution to the problems plaguing our energy-hungry world. *...* www.tsgc.utexas.edu/tadp/1996/general/power/sun.html - 20k - Snip ============================================================== http://www.spaceislandgroup.com/bio-rhansen.html Ralph H. Nansen *President Solar Space Industries * Ralph Nansen is the founder and president of Solar Space Industries. He has been recognized as one of the key leaders in the world to develop, promote, and manage the Solar Power Satellite program since 1973. He is the author of an advocacy book for the public titled SUN POWER: The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis, published by Ocean Press. Snip ============================================================== http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_solar_000908.html* Solar Satellites Will Power Earth, Scientists Say* *By By Alex Canizares* Special to /SPACE/ .com posted: 02:29 pm ET 08 September 2000 WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (States News Service) ? Solar-powered satellites will become a major energy source by 2030, scientists testified at a congressional hearing Thursday, helping to reduce reliance on dwindling fuel supplies. With fuel supplies projected to fall and energy costs reaching historic highs, using satellites to transmit energy to provide electricity used to heat homes and run appliances is becoming technologically viable, scientists told the House Science subcommittee on space and aeronautics . Electric energy use is projected to grow 75 percent worldwide by 2020, and oil production will slow due to depleting reserves after 2015, said Ralph H. Nansen, president of Solar Space Industries. Snip ============================================================== http://www.permanent.com/p-sps-li.htm ? 5.12.10: Other SPS Resources and Weblinks Snip Books: * Solar Power Satellites: A Space Energy System for Earth, edited by Peter Glaser and published in the summer of 1997 by Wiley-Praxis, listed on Amazon.com * Sun Power, by Ralph Nansen, published by Ocean Press, PO Box 17386, Seattle WA 98107, Tel. (206) 706-9811, with information on the web. Ralph Nansen has been involved in space engineering for over 35 years, participating in the Saturn/Apollo program and Space Shuttle development, and leading the Boeing team that developed the concept of solar power satellites under the Dept. of Energy and NASA in the 1970s. This book eloquently discusses the issues of the world's energy and environmental futures, energy economics and alternative energy sources, features of SPS, private sector cost advantages over government contracted development (with graphic examples), and the history and politics of SPS. The glaring weakness of the book, though, is that only one paragraph addresses using lunar resources, and one addresses asteroidal resources, in the last pages of that 252 page book. Nansen sticks to the old Boeing vision of launching everything up from Earth, which is the main technical and economic challenge. Otherwise, it has excellently articulated materials that should be read by anyone seriously interested in SPS. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Sun Jul 15 20:34:56 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:34:56 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Prospector - Now eight years past - What next? Message-ID: <469ABD30.6030203@gmail.com> Lunar Prospector - Now eight years past - What next? http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/ Results - index http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/results/index.htm As you may remember, this list was started back in 1998 to report on the weekly status of the Lunar Prospector mission as the spacecraft orbited the Moon in a polar orbit. During the extended six month mission in 1999, I had taken over the job of sending the post out for Marcie Smith. After Lunar Prospector ended the mission with an adjustment to put the spacecraft into a crater at the lunar south pole to see if enough heat might be generated to make some steam, I had the job of reporting periodically that none was seen. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------- News Resource Archive http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/resources/news.htm "Lunar Prospector has given us ** **new eyes to look at the solar system" ----------------------------------------------- In answering questions about the Lunar Prospector mission and other topics that were space related, the list continued to get posted. When NASA said there was no more money to pay for me to have fun talking to you folks, Jeff Marraccini said he could put the list on one of their list servers at his place of employment, and now we are in the middle of July, 2007 and Lunar Prospector's signal has been quiet since July 31, 1999. Jeff mentioned that they installed some new spam software for the list server and I have had a question about a SPAM notice on my last post and whether I had generated it. I sometimes get carried away with information about books and publications and maybe that triggered a SPAM alert. My apologies if I did so. If you think you might have missed a lunar-update post because you have tightened up on your filters, you can always get a clean post at the lunar-update archive: http://news.altair.com/pipermail/lunar-update/ Of late I have been copying my posts to the blog site as well (when I remember to). http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ I must admit that my posts to the lunar-update list are rather sporadic and are mostly generated as a result of emails I get from you folks. Your inputs with things happening are much appreciated as well as questions about , "What was I thinking of when I posted......" In looking up information about these items, I learn a lot and have tried to share some of that with the rest of you. If you want to see more posts, feel free to e-mail me directly with your questions and inputs. (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) If you don't like what I am doing, tell me that too. (The list had about 3600 readers during the Lunar Prospector mission and is now down to 839 so may have stepped on some toes or was just boring. :-) The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is supposed to launch late next year, 2008. That should give us more to talk about. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------- http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/ April 24,2007 - The assembly of LRO instruments has begun. On its way to assembly, LRO has recently made an important pit stop to a place called FlatSat. Before any of the electrical components are assembled on the spacecraft bus, they must be checked and double-checked to assure that they can communicate with one another. http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/042407.html Snip ----------------------------------------------- A few links below in memory of Lunar Prospector. Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== Some pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/larry.kellogg/ Some Lunar Base pictures you have alerted me to. TNX - LRK - Snip ============================================================== http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/prospector/prospector.html Lunar Prospector Mission Lunar Prospector was one of the NASA Discovery Program missions. It was designed to perform a low polar orbit investigation of the Moon. This included mapping the surface composition and locating lunar resources, measuring magnetic and gravity fields, and studying outgassing events. The data from this mission, which carried only scientific instruments, complemented the image data from the Clementine mission, which carried mostly cameras. The information gathered will improve the understanding of the origin, evolution, and current state of the Moon. The mission was launched January 6, 1998, from Cape Canaveral using a Lockheed Martin LMLV2 rocket. Snip ============================================================== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Prospector Lunar Prospector - from Wikepedia The *Lunar Prospector* mission was the third selected by NASA for full development and construction as part of the Discovery Program . At a cost of $62.8 million, the 19-month mission was designed for a low polar orbit investigation of the Moon, including mapping of surface composition and possible polar ice deposits, measurements of magnetic and gravity fields, and study of lunar outgassing events. The mission ended July 31, 1999 when the orbiter was deliberately crashed into a crater near the lunar south pole in an unsuccessful attempt to detect the presence of water. Data from the mission allowed the construction of a detailed map of the surface composition of the Moon, and helped to improve understanding of the origin, evolution, current state, and resources of the Moon. A series of articles on the scientific results were published in the journal /Science/ (Science Volume 281 Issue 5382 ). The Principal Investigator for the mission was Dr. Alan Binder. His personal account of the mission "Against all Odds" (published in 2005 by KenPress, ISBN 1-928771-31-9 ) is highly critical of the bureaucracy of NASA and its contractors. Snip ============================================================== http://lunar.lanl.gov/ Lunar Prospector Spectrometers Welcome to the Lunar Prospector Web Page at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. At Los Alamos we have built the three spectrometers which are currently taking measurements around the Moon from the Lunar Prospector (LP) Spacecraft. Since LP launch on January 6, 1998, we are reducing and analyzing data from the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, from the Neutron Spectrometer and from the Alpha Particle Spectrometer. You will find here information about the Lunar Prospector Spectrometers and the latest available results. You will also be able to view and download data files. Snip ============================================================== http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/lunarp/ Lunar Prospector - PDS Geosciences Node January 31, 2006. A new spherical harmonic model has been added: JGL100K1.SHB. June 2, 2005. New GRS and NS reduced data sets have been posted. These data sets have not yet completed PDS peer review. February 10, 2005. New ancillary files have been added to the LOS Gravity volumes. February 2, 2005. More spherical harmonic models have been added: JGL100K1, JGL150Q1, and JGL165P1. Lunar Prospector (LP) was a spin-stabilized spacecraft, operating in a 100 km circular, polar orbit around the Moon during its Primary Mission in 1998. The orbit was lowered to 30 km for the Extended Mission that began in January 1999. The mission ended on July 31, 1999, when the spacecraft was targeted to impact a crater near the lunar south pole to try to vaporize part of the suspected water deposits. The science goals of LP were to map the Moon's surface composition and its magnetic and gravity fields, to determine the frequency and location of gas release events, and to search for polar ice deposits. To meet these objectives, LP had five science instruments located on three booms: a gamma ray spectrometer, a neutron spectrometer, an alpha particle spectrometer, a magnetometer, and an electron reflectometer. In addition, Doppler tracking data was used to derive gravity measurements. The preliminary science results from Lunar Prospector have been published in the September 4, 1998 issue of Science. Also, a detailed description of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft is available in the LP Mission Handbook document (Adobe Acrobat format file; 760 KB). Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Mon Jul 16 14:22:08 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:22:08 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight - Space Review - July 16, 2007 Message-ID: <469BB750.2080804@gmail.com> Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight - Space Review - July 16, 2007 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/1 Many of you have expressed the interest in going back to the Moon and possibly being there yourself. At present the only way we have done that for ourselves is through our imagination and with the help of the writers of Science Fiction. Since I have been talking about my recent interest in reading old Science Fiction books I found this weeks Space Review interesting. - LRK - ----------------------------------------------------- http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/1 Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight by Jeff Foust Monday, July 16, 2007 Snip Heinlein and Griffin?s interest in spaceflight I have a confession to make. I didn?t get interested in space because of Robert Heinlein. [Laughter] I got interested in Heinlein because I was interested in space. [Applause] I mean, I am an aerospace professional with very minor and fleeting periods aside. I?ve really never done anything but aerospace and most of that?s been space. And I have been studying to do this, or doing it, since I was five years old. I got interested and I was born in ?49 so that tells you about when I was starting in on this. I got interested when, I guess more or less coincidentally, my mother gave me a book called A Child?s Book of Stars? And so, unlike maybe many of you, I didn?t become interested in space because of science fiction. I became interested in science fiction because of space. And to be interested in a science fiction as a kid, and I read many, many other genres as well, but to be interested in science fiction was to be interested in the works of Robert Heinlein. But that order of things has given me a different perspective on Heinlein?s career and contributions than I think many others may have. Snip ..... So, in science fiction literature, Tom Swift, I think, led inevitably to Asimov, Clarke, and inevitably Heinlein. And if asked, I would say that I think that Asimov painted the broadest canvas and Clarke was the best technician. But Heinlein was the guy that put you there. Heinlein?s literary skills combined with his technical knowledge put you there, in a way that no one else did and, frankly, that not even the best in my opinion have done since. I enjoy reading science fiction to this day, and my own opinion would be that I?ve not seen Heinlein?s equal at putting you there? ----------------------------------------------------- Feel free to let me know what it is that you think you would like to do on the Moon if you could be there. Maybe you would like to write your own novel and help take us there. http://www.nanowrimo.org/ http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/xoopsfaq/index.php?cat_id=1#4 http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=2 NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM http://www.amazon.com/No-Plot-Problem-Low-Stress-High-Velocity/dp/0811845052 Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://www.thespacereview.com/index.html This week in The Space Review? Destinations for exploration: more than just rocks? While NASA?s current exploration plans are focused on a return to the Moon and later human missions to Mars, are those the only?or best?destinations for astronauts in the inner solar system? Dan Lester and Giulio Varsi argue that in-space destinations, like the Lagrange points, have benefits that may far exceed those of planetary surfaces. Monday, July 16, 2007 Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight One of the keynote speakers at the recent Heinlein Centennial symposium was NASA administrator Mike Griffin. The Space Review provides highlights of his talk as well as a complete transcript of his speech. Monday, July 16, 2007 Solar power satellites and space radar One of the key obstacles to the development of a space radar system is the large power requirements for such spacecraft. Taylor Dinerman suggests that one solution could be through the use of solar power satellites, in the process providing a near-term market for such systems. Monday, July 16, 2007 The ultimate solution to global warming: emigration Greenhouse gas policy is a mere warmup to the environmental policy challenge of the millennium: waste heat. Sam Dinkin looks ahead and up to tackle this challenge. Monday, July 16, 2007 Review: The Telescope Thanks to a variety of technological advancements, astronomical telescopes are getting bigger and more powerful with each passing year. Jeff Foust reviews a book that delves into the history and technology associated with telescopes and their prospects for the future. Monday, July 16, 2007 Snip ============================================================== NASA Science News for July 16, 2007 Accelerating from 0 to 60, then slowing down for a stop light is no problem for an ordinary automobile. But if you were piloting a rocketship, it wouldn't be so easy. Most rocket engines are designed to burn full-on (liftoff!) or full-off (coasting through space) with no in-between. And that can be a problem--namely, how do you land this thing? In today's story we learn how engineers are developing technology for throttling next-generation lunar landers. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/16jul_cece.htm?list965414 Snip ============================================================== http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642892,00.html The Slow-Motion Space Mission [This article consists of a complex diagram. Please see hardcopy of magazine.] The designers at NASA are preparing to fly what may be the feeblest spacecraft they've ever built--and they couldn't be prouder of it. Never mind the decades of unmanned probes that have gone roaring into the void at tens of thousands of miles per hour, fire streaming from their tails. The new ship will putt-putt into interplanetary space under the power--if that's even the word--of an engine that accelerates by barely 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h) per day, or zero to 60 in more than half a week. Yet the places the ship is going--and the remarkable way it will get there--could open an entire new era in space travel. Snip ============================================================== http://spacereport.blogspot.com/ FLORIDA SPACErePORT July 16, 2007 *Russia Proton-M Booster Puts U.S. Satellite Into Orbit* (Source: RIA Novosti) A Russian Proton-M carrier rocket has successfully delivered U.S. telecommunications satellite, DirecTV-10, into orbit. The rocket was launched from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The launch services were provided by International Launch Services, a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights for worldwide commercial sales and mission management of satellite launches on Russia's Proton carrier rockets. ILS has conducted a total of 47 commercial Proton launches since 1996, and has 14 scheduled launches through 2010. Snip *Throttling Back to the Moon* (Source: NASA) Accelerating from 0 to 60 then slowing down for a stop light is no problem for an ordinary automobile. But if you were piloting a rocketship, it wouldn't be so easy. Most rocket engines are designed to burn full-on (liftoff!) or full-off (coasting through space) with no in-between. And that can be a problem--namely, how do you land this thing? For a lunar landing, velocity drops from almost 4,000 mph to 0 in about one hour. The Apollo Lunar Module descent engine, the all-time throttling champ, did it perfectly on six landings in 1969-72. It could throttle from 10,125 lbs down to 1,250 lbs. It was also a simple engine, burning corrosive fuel and oxidizer that ignited on contact, and fed by pressurized tanks, eliminating the need for pumps. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Tue Jul 17 20:35:43 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:35:43 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Transcript: Mike Griffin at the Heinlein Centennial - read the whole transcriipt at - Message-ID: <469D605F.8060204@gmail.com> http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/2 Transcript: Mike Griffin at the Heinlein Centennial I read the full transcript at the URL above and if you haven't, I think you would find it informative. The subject of science fiction and books has been mentioned in several of my posts and we snipped some of the material about Heinlein's writings before and I have done so again below. Mike Griffin has some thoughts on what comes first - science fiction then science fact, or science fact that inspires new science fiction, or do they play along side each other, complementing and reinforcing each other. What do you think? - LRK - ----------------------------------------------------- http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/1 Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight by Jeff Foust Monday, July 16, 2007 Snip On the link between science fiction and the public?s interest in space - So, a question that has often been asked and that I?ve asked myself is, ?Was the growth of science fiction as a genre and hard science fiction in particular, a response to the cultural zeitgeist or was it a cause of it?? I think in all such questions, there is an inevitable chicken-and-egg effect, one sponsors the other in a reinforcing loop. But, I think that if asked that, when I have been asked that, I often said that I think the growth of science fiction helped to create the cultural matrix in which we saw the advancements that we saw in aerospace in the 50?s and 60?s, more so that than the other way around. I mean, American kids had for generations been raised on boyhood stories of people who accomplished themselves in difficult arenas. There was Jack Armstrong, all-American boy, and Tom Swift and then later Tom Swift Jr. and Rick Brant and other things that maybe many of you, like me, read as kids. We celebrated the accomplishments of great people and people were acknowledged to be great people. So, in science fiction literature, Tom Swift, I think, led inevitably to Asimov, Clarke, and inevitably Heinlein. And if asked, I would say that I think that Asimov painted the broadest canvas and Clarke was the best technician. But Heinlein was the guy that put you there. Heinlein?s literary skills combined with his technical knowledge put you there, in a way that no one else did and, frankly, that not even the best in my opinion have done since. I enjoy reading science fiction to this day, and my own opinion would be that I?ve not seen Heinlein?s equal at putting you there? Snip ----------------------------------------------------- I like the thought that science fiction might help create a cultural matrix in which we could see real science play out. You get people thinking that what if - as you begin to see what is. A lot of folks can read the books even if they can't take part in the actual experience. It makes it okay to say that we will go back to the Moon, and then contemplate what we will do there. I listened to the radio - and my mind filled in the pictures. You read a book - and your mind fills in the pictures. They are part of your own creation and you are participating in the adventure. So lets hear it for the great science fiction stories that you have read. Let me know what you like, past and present. Will see if we can put together a list that might be of interest to those that missed some, like I did. Never too late to dream the dream, then go out and make it happen. There is that twinkle in your eye and the corners of your mouth turn up in a smile. You know, this might just work, now if I just...... I don't recommend hanging your test rocket inside the garage to see if there is ANY thrust from you home made gunpowder. (didn't understand the need for a nozzle) Tends to burn holes in the sleeping bags that are airing out on the garage floor. Never mind, iron on patches will cover all those little burn spots. Mom thought it was quiet for too long and came to see what I was doing. Seem to have some blank spots in my memory. :-) Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== http://www.thespacereview.com/index.html This week in The Space Review? Snip ============================================================== http://www.spaceref.com/ Space News As It Happens Snip ============================================================== http://www.rvt.com/~lucas/heinlein/booklist.html A List of Heinlein's Published Works Here is a (hopefully) complete list of Robert A. Heinlein's works, in alphabetical order. For a chronological list with notes, see the FAQ . If the title of a book has a link, follow it to see the cover of the book. For the compilations, click on "contents" to see what stories can be found where. Snip http://www.rvt.com/~lucas/heinlein.html Well, I'm sorry to say that this site is now a little out of date. Although it has unfortunately been so for quite some time, the recent release of a new Heinlein novel, For Us, the Living, and the creation of a new Heinlein-related web site, The Heinlein Society , have underscored exactly how outdated and incomplete some of the information here has become. I have considered removing my page entirely, at least until I could fix some of the big issues, but I really don't want to to that, as some of the information here is still good. But be warned that for the newest information, you're far better off looking at some other sites. See my Links section to get to some of those sites. ============================================================== http://www.heinleinsociety.org/index.html The Heinlein Society exists to preserve the legacy renowned writer Robert Anson Heinlein left us in novels, essays, speeches, and short stories that remain as fresh as ever. We need your help to do it. Snip ============================================================== http://www.sfsite.com/scribe/scribe01.htm SF Site Welcome to the most comprehensive directory of science fiction, fantasy and horror writers on the Web. We are constantly updating this site as new authors appear, and as fans post informative sites devoted to their favorite writers. Authors are listed alphabetically by last name. If you know of any sites which should be included, be sure to let us know . Snip http://www.sfsite.com/home.htm SF Site Home ============================================================== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_authors List of science fiction authors Note that this partial list contains some authors whose works of fantastic fiction would today be called science fiction, even if they predate, or did not work in that genre. There is also a considerable overlap with the List of fantasy authors , since many authors are equally comfortable with both genres, and in any case some works deliberately combine the two or blur the distinction. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Thu Jul 19 16:03:26 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:03:26 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Commercial Communications Workshop - 27 July 2007 Message-ID: <469FC38E.8010502@gmail.com> Lunar Commercial Communications Workshop - 27 July 2007 http://www.spaceagepub.com/ilo/WorkshopIndex.html Larry Klaes sent me a heads up that there is going to be a workshop here in Silicon Valley on 27 July 2007. I think it is worth mentioning to show that folks are trying to find ways to do worthwhile things on the Moon as soon as possible. Steve Durst with Space Age Publishing has been promoting going back to the Moon from the private sector and you have seen the Lunar Conferences they have helped sponsor before. http://www.spaceagepub.com/ilc_2003.html Maybe you folks know of activities that are creating an interest in going to the Moon like, "Why Stanford On the Moon?" http://www.spaceagepub.com/SOM/ http://www.spaceagepub.com/SOM/SOMAdvisoryPanel.htm -------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spaceagepub.com/SOM/SOM_FAQ.htm Stanford Alumni Moon Project ?Stanford on the Moon? Statement of Explanation and Purpose Steve Durst, founder of Space Age Publishing Company in Palo Alto, introduced the idea of ?Stanford on the Moon? to the Stanford Class of 1965 during its 35th Class Reunion Panel in October 2000. A ?Stanford on the Moon exploratory committee?, drawn to thinking about the future and where humanity is going, developed in the following 18 months. Recognizing the creativity of human beings, the intrinsic need to explore new horizons and new possibilities, and the fact that we cannot know just where these explorations will lead and what horizons may suddenly appear, we see space exploration as a vital part of the future of humanity. Snip -------------------------------------------------------- I didn't make it to Hawaii and probably won't make it over the hill to Santa Clara, with Army daughter coming out before deployment to Iraq, but that shouldn't stop you if you are in the area. Nice to know folks are organizing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Feel free to let me know what is going on in your part of this Blue Marble that relates to Adventures In Space. http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2429 100 Stories about Docking and other Adventures in Space and on Earth http://www.space-frontier.org/PressReleases/2006/20060925Syromiatnikov.html http://www.univelt.com/univeltdist/100_Stories.pdf http://www.univelt.com/univeltdist/index.html http://www.univelt.com/home.html Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== Lunar Commercial Communications: Providers and End-Users Workshop http://www.spaceagepub.com/ilo/July2007WorkshopAnnouncement.html A forum to facilitate and advance pioneering ventures by public, private and enterprise sectors to create a lunar communications industry, enabling science, exploration and commercial utilization of the Moon. Featured Speakers Include: Hugh Arif, Cisco Systems Inc. Leveraging Commercial Solutions for Lunar Communications Alan Weston, NASA Ames Research Center NASA Relationships With Private Sector Communications Providers Jim Benson, Benson Space Company Steve Durst, Lunar Enterprise Corporation Human Service Mission to the ILO (International Lunar Observatory) Special Discussion Panel: The Next COTS ? Commercial Services for High Data Rate Communications to the Moon End-Users / Small Sat Builders / Equipment Providers / Satellite Operators with representatives from: Cisco Systems, Inc. Ball Aerospace Space Systems / Loral SpaceDev, Inc. Space Age Publishing Company NASA and other pioneering businesses Date: Friday, 27 July 2007 Time: 9:30 ? 4:00, lunch included Location: Santa Clara Hilton Snip ============================================================== SpaceDev to Attend Lunar Workshop SpaceDev (*and* Benson Space) continues to keep it?s face in the game. They will be officially attending the following upcoming industry gathering: Lunar Commercial Communications: Providers and End-Users Workshop . Snip ============================================================== International Lunar Observatory http://www.spaceagepub.com/ilo/ilo.home.html Taking Humanity's Future Off 'Hold' Snip ============================================================== Space Age Publishing Company http://www.spaceagepub.com/ NEW PUBLIC EDITIONS OF LUNAR ENTERPRISE DAILY & SPACE CALENDAR ! Click here for Press Release or on Banners Below for Publications. Snip ============================================================== Lunar Enterprise Daily http://www.spaceagepub.com/Daily.html Asia Astronauts Training For Spaceflight ? 2 Candidates To Become 1st Malaysia 'Angkasawan' (R) Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (R-L), Faiz Khaleed (R-R) To Travel To ISS Via Soyuz In October; Completed Spaceflight Training In Moscow Recently; Further Preparations At NASA JSC In Houston TX, ESA European Astronaut Center In Cologne, Germany Next Up; China 'Yuhangyuan' Training For Shenzhou 7 With Spacewalk In 2008; 3 Taikonauts To Be Selected From Pool Of 14; Shenzhou 6 Space Travelers Fei Junlong (L-L), Nie Haisheng (L-R) http://www.spaceagepub.com/calendar/currentcalendar.html Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Fri Jul 20 17:46:38 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:46:38 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] 38th Anniversary of the First Moon Walk --- Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 38 years ago on July 20, 1969 Message-ID: <46A12D3E.4020107@gmail.com> 38th Anniversary of the First Moon Walk Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 38 years ago on July 20, 1969 NSS Press Release below reminds me that landed on the Moon in July of 1969. Was just going about my daily business and the anniversary would have passed if George Whitesides hadn't reminded me with his post. If you read the post below you will see a link to a new web page that talks of making this day a national holiday to help us with short memories. - LRK - -------------------------------------------------------- Space Exploration Day Holiday Official Website http://www.spaceexplorationday.us/ Sign the official petition to declare JULY 20TH as a Space Exploration Day Holiday. -------------------------------------------------------- Soon after the Apollo missions got underway they just became sound bytes and JUST 38 years later I almost missed as well. Do you think the evening news will remember? - LRK - Wonder how soon going to the Moon will just be an everyday occurrence? Wouldn't that be nice. Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== 38th Anniversary of the First Moon Walk Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 38 years ago on July 20, 1969 National Space Society Press Release 38 years ago today, the human race took a "giant leap" forward as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings ever to set foot on another celestial body. On July 20, 1969, six hours after landing, the astronauts stepped off of the "Eagle" Lunar Module and onto the surface of the moon. The Apollo 11 mission, the first-ever manned mission to the moon, fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's hopes that "this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth." This extraordinary achievement represented the best of humankind and the best of America. It was a moment that we could all be proud of, no matter where we lived or what we did. The world stopped and watched as Buzz and Neil changed the way we thought about the future and brought the world together. The National Space Society joins together on this day to remember the achievements of our space efforts and to look forward to the achievements to come. To show your support for space and this milestone anniversary, we encourage you to sign a petition establishing July 20 as a national Space Exploration Day . Visit http://www.spaceexplorationday.us to join us in establishing this important holiday. As NASA turns its efforts back towards the Moon and Mars, it is very appropriate that the nation establishes an official day of celebration for space exploration. Also, be on the lookout this fall for a film entitled, 'In the Shadow of the Moon,' an amazing new documentary about the Apollo program. It includes interviews with Apollo astronauts Dave Scott, John Young, Charlie Duke, Al Bean, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Ed Mitchell, Gene Cernan, Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jack Schmitt. NSS will be supporting a series of promotional screenings in selected cities, and your local chapters will have more information when it becomes available. *Thank you for your support of the National Space Society. Ad Astra!* This initiative has been led by NSS member J. David Baxter, and his website includes a variety of information on this national effort. http://www.spaceexplorationday.us About the National Space Society The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space. NSS counts thousands of members and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society also publishes /Ad Astra/ magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. Website: http://www.nss.org National Space Society Katherine Brick Email: members at nss.org Phone: (202) 429-1600 Snip ============================================================== Apollo 11 Lunar Landing - audio on Live365 http://www.live365.com/stations/apollo_11_oda Snip ============================================================== Apillo 11 Image Library on ALSJ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/images11.html Figure Captions Copyright ? 1995 by Eric M. Jones . All rights reserved. HTML Design by Brian W. Lawrence. Last revised 18 June 2007.This Apollo 11 Image Library contains all of the pictures taken on the lunar surface by the astronauts together with pictures from pre-flight training and pictures of equipment and the flight hardware. High-resolution version of all the lunar surface images are included. A source for both thumbnail and low -resolution versions of the lunar surface images is a website compiled by Paul Spudis and colleagues at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Snip ============================================================== The Apollo Program Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/AS11/a11av.htm Snip ============================================================== Lulnar Archive http://lunararchive.blogspot.com/2005/08/apollo-11.html Pieces of History... and Memories... of a Great Era. Snip ============================================================== The Apollo Archive http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_archive.html *Apollo Image Gallery * *Apollo Multimedia * Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Sun Jul 22 21:22:25 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:22:25 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] TLP - Columbia Astronomer Offers New Theory Into 400-year-old Lunar Mystery - To Flash or Not To Flash - That is the question. Message-ID: <46A402D1.7080504@gmail.com> *TLP - Columbia Astronomer Offers New Theory Into 400-year-old Lunar Mystery - To Flash or Not To Flash - That is the question. *Folks have looked at the Moon and over the years some have said they saw flashes of light up there. Some have said it must be from the aliens living on the Moon. Some have said it is just the reflection of the Sun on shinny rocks. Some have said the Moon has volcanic activity and we are seeing signs of this. Some have said that it is just gas from the core of the Moon and wonder what kind of gas. Some have organized to watch with their telescopes. ---------------------------------------------------------- http://www.amlunsoc.org/tlp.htm *THE LUNAR TRANSIENT PHENOMENA PROGRAM* by David Darling (website: HTTP://www.ltpresearch.org) ---------------------------------------------------------- I had to go wash my eyes, I thought I might be seeing things. - LRK - ---------------------------------------------------------- *Columbia Astronomer Offers New Theory Into 400-year-old Lunar Mystery* http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/07/06/lunar.html Columbia astronomy professor Arlin Crotts thinks he has solved a 400-year-old mystery: the origin of strange optical flashes often reported as appearing on the moon?s surface. Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLPs), in which the lunar surface reportedly changes in brightness, blurriness or color, have been photographed and observed by thousands of astronomers over the centuries. Yet explanations of why they occur and even their reality as true lunar phenomena have been hotly debated. The TLPs typically cover a space of a few kilometers and last for several minutes. Crotts has uncovered a strong statistical relationship between TLPs and so-called outgassing events on the lunar surface. Outgassing occurs when gases trapped beneath a moon or planet are released and, if only briefly, become part of the object?s atmosphere. A key component of this gas is radon. ?People over the years have attributed TLPs to all sorts of effects: turbulence in Earth's atmosphere, visual physiological effects, atmospheric smearing of light like a prism, and even psychological effects like hysteria or planted suggestion? says Crotts, ?but TLPs correlate strongly with radon gas leaking from the moon. No earth-bound effect can fake that.? Snip --------------------------------------------------------- So what has been causing those flashes, if flashes they be? Is it some gas from the inside of the Moon? What kind of gas? Just some radio active decay product or will there also be something that might be worth drilling for? Everyone is going to the Moon, well not everyone, but if the missions that we have heard about take place the Moon will never be the same. The Apollo Astronauts landed on the Moon, and left behind some trash. Every lander left exhaust gases that bounced around on the surface of the Moon until the gases froze out or escaped into space. When we go back and start landing again, the Moon's environment will feel our presence. What was a pretty good vacuum, for awhile will not be the same. Now how do you get a base line of what is there or not there, before we put a lot of our stuff there? The next orbiters will get a look at what is below and then it will be different. The Japanese are going to the Moon shortly with a good set of instruments and it would be nice to look at the Moon while their spacecraft is in orbit so that if we should see some flashes of light we might also ask them what they saw up close and personal. http://www.isas.ac.jp/e/enterp/missions/selene/index.shtml The August 16 launch has been delayed which may help some of you get ready to look up. - LRK - --------------------------------------------------------- http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/selene/index_e.html July 20, 2007 Updated Launch Postponement of the KAGUYA (SELENE) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency would like to announce that we decided to postpone the launch of the Lunar Orbit Explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE) by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 13 (H-IIA F13.) The launch was originally scheduled on August 16, 2007 (Japan Standard Time, JST.) The new launch date will be announced as soon as it is determined. - Launch Postponement of the KAGUYA (SELENE) (Press Release) --------------------------------------------------------- Did you go look at the News Release from Columbia University in New York? http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/07/06/lunar.html The reason I ask is that I received an e-mail from Professor Arlin Crotts asking for ideas on how they might get better coverage around the World during the SELENE mission coming up. Take a look at his letter I copied below (with permission) and if you know of someone with deep pockets that could help, let him know. Let me see, wasn't GOOGLE going to start a research center on the Moon? http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html *Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering* (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) Maybe they would like to update their Google Moon Map with some TLP sites. http://moon.google.com/ Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== Dear Larry, I am coming to you via Paul Spudis and Steve Durst. Our group is conducting an observational experiment regarding the lunar atmosphere. Even though we have applied for funding from NASA, the NSF and other organizations, this experiment will be much more interesting if we can perform it over the duration of the JAXA SELENE mission, so are in urgent need of additional help. (We will not hear from NASA, NSF, etc. until mid-2008.) SELENE will carry the only experiment for many years to study the lunar atmosphere, the ARD (Alpha Ray Detector), which will detect when and where radon leaks from the lunar surface. I have a paper that should be coming out in Icarus showing that optical transients on the lunar surface (TLPs, with which I imagine you are familiar) are very strongly correlated with radon leaking from the lunar surface, as measured on Lunar Prospector and Apollo 15. In response to this we are putting together a series of robotic imaging monitors, so as to detect TLPs (and confirm their existence), but mainly to record as many of these as possible while SELENE is in orbit. Our website http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~arlin/TLP/ describes all of this. We have one monitor in Chile and commitments for other stations in Utah and Australia, and maybe Maui. To maximize coverage we would also like to find a site in Europe or western Asia. Also, we have enough support for the one monitor in Chile, and perhaps most of a second. Four or five are needed to give nearly 100% coverage. A single monitor costs about $20000 in hardware and $5000 in operations. If there is anyone out there who would like to talk to us about sponsoring a monitor or providing a site in Europe/west Asia, this could be crucial. We would also encourage anyone who might like to construct their own monitor consistent with ours and collaborate on the experiment. We are not ready to work with visual observers monitoring the Moon and will not be anytime soon, but will eventually be able to post or send out alerts in realtime when we detect a TLP. If anyone is interested in any of the current options they should contact us via email to arlin at astro.columbia.edu. We don't really know what the gas leaking out of the Moon consists of (except for trace radon). It probably contains a lot of radiogenic argon-40. The main site of outgassing is the Aristarchus Plateau, which was the location of the most massive and some of the more recent volcanic effusion on the Moon. It is compelling to speculate that some of this gas may be of magmatic origin, such as CO (or CO2), or H2O. The observational limits on these from these sites are not very constraining. If the gas includes these, it would be very interesting for several reasons. including resource exploitation. Anyway, I am looking for ideas of where to find help. Mainly we need funding support, and maybe we need collaborators in certain locations in the world. I wish we could accomplish this by more conventional means, but these methods are very slow, slower that the time it takes to get to the Moon! Thank you, - Prof. Arlin Crotts Snip ============================================================== http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/28/flashes-on-the-moon-caused-by-gas/ Flashes on the Moon Caused by Gas June 28th, 2007 There's a strange phenomenon on the Moon that has puzzled astronomers for hundreds of years. They're called transient lunar phenomena (TLPs), and they look like a brief flashes, changes in colour, or blurring on the surface of the Moon. Astronomers have argued about what's really going on for years. Some possible explanations include turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, physiological effects in the human eye, smearing of light, and even psychological causes. But according to new research by Columbia University astronomy professor Arlin Crotts, radon gas leaking out from the Moon is probably the best explanation. Snip ============================================================== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_lunar_phenomenon Transient lunar phenomenon A transient lunar phenomenon (TLP) refers to short-lived lights, colors, or changes in appearance of the lunar surface. Claims of short-lived phenomena go back at least 1000 years, with some having been observed independently by multiple witnesses or reputable scientists. Nevertheless, the majority of transient lunar phenomena reports are irreproducible and do not possess adequate control experiments that could be used to distinguish among alternative hypotheses. Few reports concerning these phenomena are ever published in peer reviewed scientific journals, and rightfully or wrongfully, the lunar scientific community rarely discusses these observations. Most lunar scientists will acknowledge that transient events such as outgassing and impact cratering do occur over geologic time: the controversy lies in the frequency of such events. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Tue Jul 24 21:58:43 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:58:43 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission Message-ID: <46A6AE53.5030201@gmail.com> *NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission* http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/index.html http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/182948main_jsc2006e40961.jpg Image above: NEEMO 11 crew member works near the undersea habitat "Aquarius" during a session of extravehicular activity for the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project. Image credit: NASA How do you practice for extended space flights where you will be cooped up in a sardine can for a number of weeks that could run into months? How about going under the ocean and live in close quarters and do work out in the dangerous environment of the ocean floor. If you are a member of the Navy and are a submariner that works on a nuclear submarine that can stay under the surface for months at a time you know what it feels like to eat your way into your home away from home. The closest I have come to that feeling is filling the car up with food and kids and taking a long trip. You may have had the experience of "ARE WE THERE YET?" When you go back to the Moon and then on to Mars, not only will you have to be versed in several skills but you will have to be able to put up with your fellow astronauts for the duration. A five week leadership course for me in the Navy, with three of us in a room, with the drill instructors finding ways for us to mess up, was all I could take. A feather on my bunk was "GEAR ADRIFT - 2 DEMERITS". Not anything like, the oxygen generator has a problem and we are a month away from touch down, but I did learn that I could resist punching out my room mate even if he wouldn't stop going back and checking, and rechecking, that the room was in perfect order. No feathers adrift, go fall in for muster! The more practice we can do now in situations that will be similar in stress value, the better we will be prepared for the real thing. - LRK - Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== NASA NEWS July 24, 2007 Melissa Mathews Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2087 melissa.mathews-1 at nasa.gov Kylie Clem Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kylie.s.clem at nasa.gov Fred Gorell National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Md. 301-734-1010 fred.gorell at noaa.gov RELEASE: 07-164 NASA ANNOUNCES NEXT UNDERSEA EXPLORATION MISSION DATES AND CREW WASHINGTON - NASA will send three astronauts and a Constellation Program aerospace engineer into the ocean depths off the Florida coast from Aug. 6 to 15. They will test lunar exploration concepts and a suite of medical objectives for long-duration spaceflight. NASA veteran space flyer and aquanaut Nicholas Patrick will lead the 10-day undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA astronaut Richard Arnold, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and systems integration engineer Christopher Gerty complete the crew. During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13), the crew will conduct a variety of undersea "moon walks." They will test concepts for future lunar exploration using advanced navigation and communication equipment. "This crew will work much more independently from the mission control team than on previous missions," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd of the United Space Alliance at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This autonomous mode of operation will encourage the crew to make real-time decisions about daily operations similar to what we think will be necessary for lunar and Mars missions. The idea is to show how procedures and training for future missions can be adapted, considering the reduced direct communication with mission control those crews will encounter," Todd said. During the extended undersea simulated moon walks, the crew will construct a communications tower, practice techniques for lunar sample collection and manipulation, and perform a series of tasks investigating future spacesuit design. The crew also will participate in research designed to answer questions on the physiology and human behavior aspects of living in extreme environments. Jim Buckley and Larry Ward of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will provide engineering support for the submerged habitat. The university operates Aquarius on behalf of NOAA as part of NOAA's Undersea Research Program. The NEEMO missions are a cooperative project among NASA, NOAA and the university. This will be the 13th NEEMO undersea mission. NASA Flight Surgeon Sean Roden will serve as a backup crew member. Similar in size to the International Space Station's living quarters, Aquarius is the world's only permanent underwater habitat and laboratory. The 45-foot-long, 13-foot diameter complex is three miles off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about 62 feet beneath the surface. A surface buoy provides connections for power, life support and communications. A shore-based control center monitors the habitat and crew. For more information about NEEMO and Aquarius, including a virtual dive to the underwater habitat, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/neemo -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: hqnews-subscribe at mediaservices.nasa.gov Snip ============================================================== http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/undersea_astronauts_030701.html *Age of Aquarius: Astronauts Sink to Ocean Depths for Space Training **By Tariq Malik * Staff Writer posted: 07:00 am ET 01 July 2003 Today's astronauts don't have to wait for a slot aboard the space shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS) to experience orbital living conditions. They can dive to the ocean floor and enter a metal container that, like a spacecraft, both protects them from an inhospitable environment and doubles as a laboratory for undersea science. "The living area here is actually smaller than that on the space station itself," said ISS astronaut Peggy Whitson of her aquatic habitat. "It's actually more equivalent to the space available on the space shuttle." Whitson and fellow astronauts Clayton Anderson, Garrett Reisman and Emma Hwang just wrapped up a 14-day mission on Aquarius, an undersea laboratory sitting off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Their mission was the latest in the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program to prepare astronauts for the physical and mental demands of working in space.able --> The recent mission, dubbed NEEMO 5, is the latest in a three-year partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) to conduct astronaut training on Aquarius. Snip ============================================================== http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jul/HQ_06276_NEEMO_10.html Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington (202) 358-3749 Kylie S. Clem Johnson Space Center, Houston (281) 483-5111 RELEASE: 06-276 NASA Uses Undersea Lab to Prep for Future Space Exploration NASA will test concepts for future space exploration next month by sending three astronauts and an oceanographer on a mission to an underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata will lead the crew on a seven-day undersea mission July 22 to 28 aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aquarius underwater laboratory. NASA astronauts Andrew J. Feustel and Karen L. Nyberg, and Karen Kohanowich, deputy director of NOAA's Undersea Research Program, Silver Spring, Md., round out the crew. Mark Hulsbeck and Dominic Landucci of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will provide engineering support. The NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 10 project will include undersea extravehicular activities imitating moonwalks to test concepts for mobility, using weighted backpacks to simulate lunar and Martian gravity. Techniques for communication, navigation and using remote-controlled robots on the moon's surface also will be tested. "Whether walking and working on the ocean floor or exploring the lunar surface, significant prior planning, training and dependence on sophisticated life support systems is necessary," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd, Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC), Houston. "Sure, you won't see any pretty fish on a moonwalk, but you will see the same types of crew, hardware and procedure challenges that are associated with this type of an ocean habitation and research mission." Snip ============================================================== http://www.nurc.net/blog/archives/date/2006/09/ Archive for September, 2006 NEEMO Topside Support: Splashup and Thanks Mission: September, 2006 Saturation The 11th NEEMO mission to date ended today with ?splashup? at about 8:45 am, concluding another safe and successful mission. All mission objectives were accomplished, the crew is healthy, and we are another step closer to successfully returning people to explore the lunar surface. This has been a busy time at NASA with human exploration extending from inner to outer space. Last week we had a record 4 separate vehicles in space at once (the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, a Progress resupply vehicle, and a Soyuz crew transfer vehicle). Yesterday the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed after a successful mission which resumed assembly on the International Space Station. And yesterday the NEEMO and ISS crews were able to conduct a ship-to-ship video linkup. Former NEEMO 1 crewmember Michael Lopez-Alegria and NEEMO 3 crew commander Jeff Williams are currently on the ISS doing a crew handover and were able to participate, along with some of their other crewmates. This marks the first time we?ve had 2 NEEMO alumni in orbit at once, and was a nice opportunity for them to swap stories with the current crew. We want to take this opportunity to thank our hosts here at the National Undersea Research Center. They have helped forge a solid partnership between NASA and NOAA to the benefit of both agencies. Their professionalism and commitment to safety is second to none. They take great care of the nation?s only undersea research facility, they keep a close eye on our crewmembers, and they take great care of our Topside team and visitors. So to the habitat technicians, Roger Garcia and Larry Ward - a hearty ?thank you? for teaching our crewmembers how to live as aquanauts. To Mark Hulsbeck, thanks for the training you contributed prior to the mission. To Craig Cooper and Jim Buckley, thanks for managing this (and all) NEEMO mission so professionally. This is the only undersea research facility in the world because you guys ensure that it can be safe and operational every day of the year. And for the rest of the Aquarius staff who potted daily, manned the watchdesk 24/7, and did it all with a smile, we can?t thank you enough. Finally, special and sincere thanks to NURC Associate Director Otto Rutten for being our host and boat captain for the last 2 weeks. It wouldn?t have been possible without you all. Snip ============================================================== http://www.nurc.net/blog/ A Message From Dr. Josef Schmid Mission: May, 2007 Saturation Earlier this week, we received some very kind words from NASA Flight Surgeon and NEEMO 12 Aquanaut Dr. Josef Schmid. He writes: Your NURC crew there is simply one of the most professional, well managed, and superior groups of people with whom I have ever had the chance to work. Safety is absolutely embedded and infused throughout the program. The operational and equipment training provided by Ross, Roger, Mark (Otter), Otto, Tim and Derrick is world class. The absolute professionalism of the habitat technicians James and Dom is simply second to none. The dedication and skill of the surface support divers reflects the quality of the entire organization. Finally, the leadership and execution of the mission by Craig ?Coop? Cooper and Jim is at the same level of the excellent general officers that I have known in my military career. Personally, it is priceless to me to have participated as crew. To be associated and to work with your NURC professionals is the highest honor. Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================== From larry.kellogg at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 19:31:07 2007 From: larry.kellogg at gmail.com (Larry Kellogg) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:31:07 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Astronomy Picture of the Day -20 Kilometer Drop - Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System Message-ID: <46A7DD3B.8000603@gmail.com> Astronomy Picture of the Day 20 Kilometer Drop Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System It has been suggested that this Astronomy Picture of the Day would be great for your viewing. Since most of you appreciate getting this list as text only, I will just submit the URL to you. If you are afraid of heights, then be forewarned, don't look down. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070723.html - Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System Credit: Voyager 2, NASA Explanation: Could you survive a jump off the tallest cliff in the Solar System? Quite possibly. Verona Rupes on Uranus' moon Miranda is estimated to be 20 kilometers deep -- ten times the depth of the Earth's Grand Canyon. Given Miranda's low gravity, it would take about 12 minutes for a thrill-seeking adventurer to fall from the top, reaching the bottom at the speed of a racecar -- about 200 kilometers per hour. Even so, the fall might be survivable given proper airbag protection. The above image of Verona Rupes was captured by the passing Voyager 2 robotic spacecraft in 1986. How the giant cliff was created remains unknown, but is possibly related to a large impact or tectonic surface motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part of the reason I think folks would like to go to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond is for the thrill of seeing new sights and living on the edge. Folks climb mountains, scale Half Doom at Yosemite, go down into caves, and generally go places that test their abilities. http://travel.webshots.com/album/13284027EEyAVMFdoL http://www.ocean.udel.edu/kiosk/bsmoker.html http://www.caves.org/ And then there are some that have taken a barrel over the Niagara Falls. http://www.niagarafallslive.com/daredevils_of_niagara_falls.htm Best you check with your fellow astronauts just why they want to go forth and explore. - LRK - Thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================== Astronomy Picture of the Day 20 Kilometer Drop Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070723.html - Snip ============================================================== http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html Astronomy Picture of the Day Index - Main Page Snip ============================================================== http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive Snip ============================================================== WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================== This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ==============================================================