Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System

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.

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
==============================================================

*NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission*

-------------------------------------------------------------------
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@nasa.gov

Kylie Clem
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kylie.s.clem@nasa.gov

Fred Gorell
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Md.
301-734-1010
fred.gorell@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@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 <http://www.space.com/php/contactus/feedback.php?r=tm>*
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
==============================================================

Columbia Astronomer Offers New Theory Into 400-year-old Lunar Mystery

*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@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
==============================================================

38th Anniversary of the First Moon Walk

Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 38 years ago on July 20, 1969

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Apollo 11: East Crater Panorama

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 <http://www.spaceexplorationday.us/sign/> 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
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6o4xqccab.0.jud6qccab.llgzy9n6.28701&ts=S0264&p=http%3A
%2F%2Fwww.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
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6o4xqccab.0.5465h8n6.llgzy9n6.28701&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%
2F%2Fwww.nss.org>


National Space Society
Katherine Brick
Email: members@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
<http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/emj.html>.
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
<http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11CrewTraining.html> 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
<http://www.lpi.usra.edu/research/apollo/index.html> 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*

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Lunar Commercial Communications Workshop - 27 July 2007

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
<http://www.spdv.info/index.php/benson-space/spacedev-to-attend-lunar-workshop/1
07/>

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 <http://www.spaceagepub.com/ilo/July2007WorkshopAnnouncement.html>.

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
<http://www.spaceagepub.com/pressrelease_030306.html>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

==============================================================

Full Transcript: Mike Griffin at the Heinlein Centennial

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/2

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 let us 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

==============================================================

Griffin, Heinlein, and spaceflight - Space Review - July 16, 2007

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?
     <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/912/1>

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
     <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/911/1>

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
     <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/910/1>

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
     <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/909/1>

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 <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/908/1>

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

==============================================================

Lunar Prospector - Now eight years past - What next?

Results - index
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/results/index.htm

The lunar-update 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 here to this 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
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_field> and gravity
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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
<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/281/5382/1476>).

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
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Booksources&isbn=1928771319>)
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

==============================================================

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*
<http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/sunpower/index.html>*

Acknowledgements
<http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/sunpower/acknowledgements.html>
-----------------------------------------------------------------

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
<http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/sunpower/index.html>, 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*
<http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/tadp/1996/general/power/sun.html>
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

==============================================================

TO TOUCH THE STARS

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
<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 <http://www.prometheus-music.com>, 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 <http://www.buzzaldrin.com> 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
<http://www.roadtoroswell.com> 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 <http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=11882> 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

==============================================================