Challenger STS 51-L Accident

Time marches on and one day blurs into the next.
Still, one may reflect on the past and then look forward into the future.
- LRK -

We lost the Apollo-1 crew on January 27, 1967 and we lost the Challenger
crew on January 28, 1986, one minute and 13 seconds into the flight.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-51L.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

The Apollo missions went on and took us to the Moon, and now an
International Space Station is almost complete.

Will watch and see what the future brings.
- LRK -

If you are in the USA then make your desires known by voting in the
Presidential Primaries.
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/election_2008/
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

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://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/


Apollo-1 (204)

 Pad 34-A (7)
 Saturn-1B AS-204
 <http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-1/apollo-1.html> (4)
 CSM-x ()
 Apollo Pad Fire


Crew
<http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/crew.html>

 Virgil "Gus" Ivan Grissom, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/grissom.html>
 Edward Higgins White, II, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/white.html>
 Roger Bruce Chaffee, Lieutenant Commander, USN
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/chaffee.html>

Backup Crew

 Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, Jr., Captain, USN
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/backup.html#schirra>
 Donn F. Eisele, Colonel, USAF
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/backup.html#eisele>
 Walter Cunningham, Colonel, USMC (Reserves)
 <http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/backup.html#cunningham>

On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck the Apollo program when a flash fire
occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the
Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight,
the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a
veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the
astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular
activity during the Gemini program; and Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut
preparing for his first space flight, died in this tragic accident.

Snip
==============================================================
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/
Snip
# Jan 28 - Express AM-33 Proton M-Briz M Launch
# Jan 28 -New[Jan 23] Comet P/2008 A2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth
(1.129 AU)
# Jan 28 - Asteroid 143 Adria Occults HIP 47779 (6.7 Magnitude Star)
# Jan 28 - Asteroid 17898 Scottsheppard Closest Approach To Earth (1.271 AU)
# Jan 28 - Asteroid 13926 Berners-Lee Closest Approach To Earth (1.781 AU)
# Jan 28 - Lecture: Beyond Our Solar System: In Search of Extrasolar
Planets, New York, New York
# Jan 28 - New[Jan 24] Cosmology Seminar: The Morphology of Clusters of
Galaxies - Prospects for Cosmological Constraints, Stanford, California
# Jan 28-29 - Meeting: Cosmology Meets Condensed Matter, London, United
Kingdom
# Jan 28-Feb 01 - Meeting: Magnetic Fields in the Universe II - from
Laboratory and Stars to the Primordial Universe, Cozumel, Mexico
# Jan 29 - Comet C/2007 S2 (Lemmon) Closest Approach To Earth (4.710 AU)
# Jan 29 - Updated[Jan 23] Asteroid 2007 TU24 Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU)
# Jan 29 - Asteroid 79896 Billhaley Closest Approach To Earth (1.383 AU)
# Jan 29-31 - Workshop: Science with the New Hubble Space Telescope
after Servicing Mission 4, Bologna, Italy
# Jan 30 - Theos Dnepr 1 Launch
# Jan 30 - Asteroid 2007 WD5 Near-Mars Flyby
# Jan 30 - Asteroid 2347 Vinata Occults HIP 14893 (5.8 Magnitude Star)
# Jan 30 - 140th Anniversary (1868), Pultusk Meteorite Shower in Poland
# Jan 30-Feb 01 - Annual NuSTAR Meeting, Darmstadt, Germany
# Jan 31 -Hot[Jan 23] 50th Anniversary (1958), Explorer 1 Launch (1st US
Satellite)
# Jan 31 - Asteroid 3329 Golay Occults HIP 45058 (6.0 Magnitude Star)
# Jan 31 - Asteroid 2710 Veverka Closest Approach To Earth (1.223 AU)
# Jan 31- Feb 02 - 14th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference,
Houston, Texas
Snip
==============================================================

Space Weather News for Jan. 28, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

ASTEROID FLYBY:  Asteroid 2007 TU24 is flying past Earth this week at a distance
of only 334,000 miles (1.4 lunar distances).  NASA radars tracking the asteroid
confirm that there is no danger of a collision, but it will be close enough for
amateur astronomers to photograph through mid-sized backyard telescopes. At
closest approach on Jan. 29th, the asteroid will glide through the constellations Andromeda and Cassiopeia glowing like a 10th magnitude star.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for celestial coordinates and a low-resolution
radar image of the approaching rock.

HALO BONUS:  A photographer in Finland has captured the long-sought "Kern arc",
a rare sun halo created by triangular ice crystals.   Experts are calling it the
"halo photo of the decade" and it is featured on today's edition of 
http://spaceweather.com.

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

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

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

Mercury fly-by a success.

Thanks to your eyes out there, I am reminded that we had a most news
worthy event taking place at planet Mercury.
MESSENGER made a successful fly-by.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html
As NASA�s MESSENGER neared Mercury on January 14, 2008, the spacecraft
took this image of the planet�s full crescent. The image shows portions
of Mercury previously seen by Mariner 10, but when Mariner 10 flew by
the planet at each of its encounters, the sun was nearly overhead. For
this MESSENGER flyby, in contrast, the sun is shining obliquely on
regions near the day/night boundary (called the terminator) on the
right-hand side of the crescent, revealing the surface topography. This
image illustrates how MESSENGER, during its future flybys and subsequent
orbital mission, will teach scientists much about the portion of Mercury
already imaged by Mariner 10. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
----------------------------------------------

MESSENGER images of Mercury
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/multimedia/index.html

Thanks for looking up with me.

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
==============================================================
Did you catch this about the Mercury fly-by?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=508772&in_page_id=1965


Bob MacBird
Conroe, Texas

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205801036
Merury fly-b a success
R. Colin Johnson
EE Times

(01/16/2008 11:49 AM EST)
PORTLAND, Ore. � The U.S. Messenger spacecraft has flown its first
successful fly-by of the planet Mercury.
Messenger, which stands for Mercury Surface Space-Environment
Geochemistry and Ranging, will perform the most detailed survey of the
closest planet to the Sun. Already having flown by Venus, which is
between Earth and Mercury, the spacecraft is now training its
instruments on the final destination--orbit around Mercury in 2011, just
in time to observing the effects of the peak sunspot season.

Snip
==============================================================
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/
MESSENGER
MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging

January 18, 2008
*MESSENGER�s Mercury Flyby Science Data Now Safely on Earth*

A day after its successful flyby of Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft
turned toward Earth on Tuesday and began downloading the 500 megabytes
of data that had been stored on the solid-state recorder during the
encounter. All of those data, including 1,213 images from the Mercury
Dual Imaging System (MDIS) cameras, have now been received by the
Science Operations Center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied
Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. [more]

Snip
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_10

Mariner 10 was a robotic space probe launched on November 3, 1973 to fly
by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was launched approximately 2 years
after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program
(Mariner 11 and 12 were redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2). The
mission objectives were to measure Mercury's environment, atmosphere,
surface, and body characteristics and to make similar investigations of
Venus. Secondary objectives were to perform experiments in the
interplanetary medium and to obtain experience with a dual-planet
gravity-assist mission.
Snip
==============================================================

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

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-013 MEDIA BRIEFING ON NASA'S EARTH SCIENCE PROGRAM: 21 MISSIONS WORTH

--------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - NASA will hold a media briefing on Thursday, Jan. 24, at
12:30 p.m. EST, to discuss the agency's Earth science program and
preview major activities planned for 2008, including the launch of two
new Earth-observing missions and a weather satellite. The briefing will
take place in the NASA Headquarters' James E. Webb Auditorium, 300 E
Street, S.W., Washington. The briefing will be carried live on NASA
Television.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, NASA continues to advance the
frontiers of scientific discovery about Earth, its climate and its
future. NASA's multidisciplinary Earth science program contains a
broad-based portfolio of cutting-edge science and technology, from new
remote-sensing instruments in orbit to basic research delving into the
intricate workings of our home planet.
Snip
--------------------------------------

NASA TV
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

You may be interested in seeing what the press have to ask and NASA
reply about the upcoming Earth science programs.
Tune in to the above.

You might also be interested in the Science@NASA site.
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/

And maybe some links from the Ames Earth Science Project Office.
http://www.espo.nasa.gov/

Or NASA's Earth Observing System.
http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/

And links at Goddard Space Flight Center for the Earth Science Project
Div code 420
http://eos.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Nice having a number of eyes checking out what is going on with our Blue
Marble.

Appreciate your eyes looking out and up as well.


Thanks for looking up with me.

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/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_M08013_earth_science.html
Jan. 18, 2008

Dwayne Brown/Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726/0918
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov, stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-013

MEDIA BRIEFING ON NASA'S EARTH SCIENCE PROGRAM: 21 MISSIONS WORTH

WASHINGTON - NASA will hold a media briefing on Thursday, Jan. 24, at
12:30 p.m. EST, to discuss the agency's Earth science program and
preview major activities planned for 2008, including the launch of
two new Earth-observing missions and a weather satellite. The
briefing will take place in the NASA Headquarters' James E. Webb
Auditorium, 300 E Street, S.W., Washington. The briefing will be
carried live on NASA Television.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, NASA continues to advance the
frontiers of scientific discovery about Earth, its climate and its
future. NASA's multidisciplinary Earth science program contains a
broad-based portfolio of cutting-edge science and technology, from
new remote-sensing instruments in orbit to basic research delving
into the intricate workings of our home planet.

Panelists are:
- Administrator Michael Griffin, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Alan Stern, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate,
Headquarters
- Michael Freilich, director, Earth Science Division, Headquarters
- Randy Friedl, deputy chief scientist, Earth Science Division,
Headquarters

Media may ask questions from participating NASA locations. Reporters
also may participate by phone. Reporters wanting to participate by
phone must call Grey Hautaluoma on 202-358-0668 by 10 a.m. Jan. 24.

The briefing will be streamed live on NASA's Web site at:

http://www.nasa.gov

 
-end-


To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

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

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

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

Sea Launch has successfully completed the Thuraya-3 mission

Sea Launch carried live coverage of the Thuraya-3 mission via satellite,
as well as streaming video on its website.
I missed letting you know about it but you can watch the archived video
here <http://www.sea-launch.com/video_archive.htm> and see other
available archived launch videos as well.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
Payload - Thuraya-3
http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm#schedule

Boeing built the Thuraya satellites - the first in the GEM series of
spacecraft - to provide a range of cellular-like voice and data services
over a large geographic region. The innovative contract, signed just
over 10 years ago, included the manufacture of three high-power
geosynchronous satellites as well as integration with a ground segment
and user handsets. The Thuraya ground segment includes terrestrial
gateways plus a collocated network operations center and satellite
control facility in the United Arab Emirates. The Primary Gateway in
Sharjah, UAE, serves the entire coverage area and Thuraya plans to
establish additional national gateways at other locations as necessary.

Snip
--------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Klaes posted a bit about Bussard's WB-7 prototype being activated,
which I copied.
http://advancednano.blogspot.com/2008/01/bussards-inertial-electrostatic.html

Also some clips from NASA News.

--------------------------------------------------------------
NASA UNVEILS COSMIC IMAGES BOOK IN BRAILLE FOR BLIND READERS

[If you know of someone that blind or has a vision problem you might
check it out for them. - LRK -
--- BALTIMORE - At a Tuesday ceremony at the National Federation of the
Blind,
NASA unveiled a new book that brings majestic images taken by its Great
Observatories to the fingertips of the blind. --- ]

and

NASA ANNOUNCES STUDY PROPOSAL ON DESIGN OF HUMAN LUNAR LANDER
--------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

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
==============================================================
Launch Update sent as a courtesy from AGI.  - LRK -
Their source is http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm#schedule
--------------------------------------------------------------

Launch: 2008 January 15, 1149 UTC
Site: Sea Launch PLatform (mobile)
Launcher: Zenit 3 SL
International Designator: 2008-001A
SSC - 3204
Name - THURAYA-3
Owner - UAE

"Sea Launch has successfully completed the Thuraya-3 mission. A Sea
Launch Zenit-3SL rocket lifted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform at
3:49 am PST. All phases of the flight profile performed as expected. The
mission ended with spacecraft separation from the Block DM upper stage,
placing the Thuraya-3 communications satellite into a Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit. A ground station at Fillmore, California, USA, acquired
the spacecraft signal shortly after spacecraft separation. All systems
are operating nominally.

Sea Launch's Zenit-3SL rocket resumes operations with this flight,
carrying the Boeing-built Thuraya-3 mobile communications satellite into
geosynchronous transfer orbit. Once operational, this satellite will
expand Thuraya's network coverage to include all key markets of the Asia
Pacific region."

*Source:* Sea Launch, "Current Launch"
<http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm#schedule>

AGI's Launch Notification e-mails will help you stay current with all
new spacecraft launches. E-mails are sent after every launch and include
key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site,
launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on
thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models,
animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at
/www.agi.com/resources/ <http://www.agi.com/resources/>.

Snip
==============================================================
Larry Klaes posted this memo. - LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------

Bussard's inertial electrostatic confinement fusion WB-7
prototype activated

EMC2 Fusion has built an upgraded model of Bussard's
last experimental plasma containment device, which was
known as WB-6.

"We got first plasma yesterday," Nebel said - but he and
his colleagues in Santa Fe, N.M., still have a long way to
get the WB-7 experiment up to the power levels Bussard
was working with.

This work is very important because we could have
commercial fusion in as little as 5 years if the work is
successful. Success would also transform space travel
(40 to 1000 times cheaper to get into space).

Full article here:

http://advancednano.blogspot.com/2008/01/bussards-inertial-electrostatic.html


See this attached article - The World's Simplest Fusion
Reactor and How to Make it Work

http://www.fusor.net/newbie/files/Ligon-QED-IE.pdf
==============================================================
NASA News e-mail has this information. - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_08007_Braille_Book.html
--------------------------------------------------------------

Jan. 15, 2008

Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore
410-338-4514
villard@stsci.edu

Chris Danielsen
National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore
410-659-9314 ext. 2330
cdanielsen@nfb.org

RELEASE: 08-007

NASA UNVEILS COSMIC IMAGES BOOK IN BRAILLE FOR BLIND READERS

BALTIMORE - At a Tuesday ceremony at the National Federation of the
Blind, NASA unveiled a new book that brings majestic images taken by
its Great Observatories to the fingertips of the blind.

"Touch the Invisible Sky" is a 60-page book with color images of
nebulae, stars, galaxies and some of the telescopes that captured the
original pictures. Each image is embossed with lines, bumps and other
textures. These raised patterns translate colors, shapes and other
intricate details of the cosmic objects, allowing visually impaired
people to experience them. Braille and large-print descriptions
accompany each of the book's 28 photographs, making the book's design
accessible to readers of all visual abilities.

The book contains spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope,
Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope and powerful
ground-based telescopes. The celestial objects are presented as they
appear through visible-light telescopes and different spectral
regions invisible to the naked eye, from radio to infrared, visible,
ultraviolet and X-ray light.

The book introduces the concept of light and the spectrum and explains
how the different observatories complement each others' findings.
Readers take a cosmic journey beginning with images of the sun, and
travel out into the galaxy to visit relics of exploding and dying
stars, as well as the Whirlpool galaxy and colliding Antennae
galaxies.

"Touch the Invisible Sky" was written by astronomy educator and
accessibility specialist Noreen Grice of You Can Do Astronomy LLC and
the Museum of Science, Boston, with authors Simon Steel, an
astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in
Cambridge, Mass., and Doris Daou, an astronomer at NASA Headquarters,
Washington.

"About 10 million visually impaired people live in the United States,"
Grice said. "I hope this book will be a unique resource for people
who are sighted or blind to better understand the part of the
universe that is invisible to all of us."

The book will be available to the public through a wide variety of
sources, including NASA libraries, the National Federation of the
Blind, Library of Congress repositories, schools for the blind,
libraries, museums, science centers and Ozone Publishing.

"We wanted to show that the beauty and complexity of the universe goes
far beyond what we can see with our eyes!" Daou said.

"The study of the universe is a detective story, a cosmic 'CSI,' where
clues to the inner workings of the universe are revealed by the
amazing technology of modern telescopes," Steel said. "This book
invites everyone to join in the quest to unlock the secrets of the
cosmos."

"One of the greatest challenges faced by blind students who are
interested in scientific study is that certain kinds of information
are not available to them in a non-visual form," said Marc Maurer,
president of the National Federation of the Blind. "Books like this
one are an invaluable resource because they allow the blind access to
information that is normally presented through visual observation and
media. Given access to this information, blind students can study and
compete in scientific fields as well as their sighted peers."

The prototype for this book was funded by an education grant from the
Chandra mission and production was a collaborative effort by the NASA
space science missions, which provide the images, and other agency
sources.

For more information on NASA's Great Observatories, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Snip
==============================================================
Also from NASA News. - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_08008_Altair.html
--------------------------------------------------------------

Jan. 15, 2008

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-008

NASA ANNOUNCES STUDY PROPOSAL ON DESIGN OF HUMAN LUNAR LANDER

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Constellation Program has released a broad agency
announcement for study proposals to evaluate human landing craft
concepts for exploring the moon.

The Altair spacecraft will deliver four astronauts to the lunar
surface late in the next decade. NASA plans to establish an outpost
on the moon through a sustainable and affordable series of lunar
missions beginning no later than 2020.

"By soliciting ideas and suggestions from industry and the science
community, NASA hopes to foster a collaborative environment during
this early design effort," said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation
Program manager. "Such collaboration will support the development of
a safe, reliable and technologically sound vehicle for our crews."

NASA is seeking responses in two primary areas before the release of a
prime contract for lunar lander design, development, test and
evaluation. Those areas include an evaluation of NASA's current
developmental concept and innovative safety improvements, and
recommendations for industry-government partnerships.

This broad agency announcement will be open to industry for 30 days
from the issue date of Jan. 11.

NASA expects to award study contracts in the first quarter of 2008. A
total of $1.5 million is available for awards. The maximum individual
award amount is $350,000. The contract performance period is six
months.

The Constellation Program, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center,
Houston, manages the Altair Project for NASA's Exploration Systems
Mission Directorate. Constellation is developing a new space
transportation system that is designed to travel beyond low Earth
orbit. The Constellation fleet includes the Orion crew exploration
vehicle, the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and Altair human lunar
lander.

For more information about NASA's Constellation Program on the
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


-end-

Snip

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

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

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

No big splash at Mars for 2007 WD5

Well it looks like no big splash at Mars for 2007 WD5.
Bob and Jim mentioned the latest update and here is the link.
---------
"2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out - Impact Odds now 1 in 10,000"
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html

---------

I was hoping for a hit to wake up the news media.
Maybe one of the rovers will see it pass by and give us a first hand report.
Keep your eyes open for around January 30 and let me know if something
happens.
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.

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://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html


2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out - Impact Odds now 1 in 10,000

Steve Chesley, Paul Chodas and Don Yeomans
NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
January 9, 2008

Since our last update, we have received numerous tracking measurements
of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four different observatories. These new data
have led to a significant reduction in the position uncertainties during
the asteroid's close approach to Mars on Jan. 30, 2008. As a result, the
impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1
in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision with Mars.

Our best estimate now is that 2007 WD5 will pass about 26,000 km from
the planet's center (about 7 Mars radii from the surface) at around
12:00 UTC (4:00 am PST) on Jan. 30th. With 99.7% confidence, the pass
should be no closer than 4000 km from the surface.

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.space-frontier.org/Projects/TheWatch/

Will Mankind Go the Way of the Dinosaurs?
Fact, Not Science Fiction: You have a greater chance of dying as the
result of an asteroid impact than in a jetliner crash. A
quarter-mile-wide asteroid slamming into our planet would cause more
destruction than a hundred hydrogen bombs. The latest research reveals
that, sooner or later, a catastrophic terrestrial impact is inevitable.
The Watch believes in the importance of finding these Near Earth Objects
(NEOs) before they find us.

Snip
==============================================================
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/pha.html

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on
parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening
close approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with an Earth
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 0.05 AU or less and an
absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs. In other
words, asteroids that can't get any closer to the Earth (i.e. MOID) than
0.05 AU (roughly 7,480,000 km or 4,650,000 mi) or are smaller than about
150 m (500 ft) in diameter (i.e. H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 13%)
are not considered PHAs.

There are currently 918 known PHAs.

This ``potential'' to make close Earth approaches does not mean a PHA
will impact the Earth. It only means there is a possibility for such a
threat. By monitoring these PHAs and updating their orbits as new
observations become available, we can better predict the close-approach
statistics and thus their Earth-impact threat.

To learn more about the Earth impact threat, visit the NASA Ames
Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards site.
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.arm.ac.uk/impact-hazard/

Impact Hazard NEO Armagh Observatory

Risks Comparable to NEOs
NEO Deflection Technology
NEO's: Origin, Collision Rate and Actuarial Risk
The Increasing Rate of Discovery of Asteroids
Objects Currently within 0.3AU of the Earth
Today's Map of the Inner Solar System
Comet and Asteroid Collision Probabilities
The Threat of Asteroidal and Cometary Impacts
Extreme albedo comets and the impact hazard (PDF Format)
Earth in the Cosmic Shooting Gallery (PDF Format)
The 1930 Brazilian Impact
Asteroid Impact Animations
Snip

and more - LRK -

http://star.arm.ac.uk/home.html

The Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical research institute with
a rich heritage. Founded in 1790 by Archbishop Richard Robinson, the
Observatory is one of the UK and Ireland's leading scientific research
establishments. Around 25 astronomers are actively studying Stellar
Astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the Earth's climate.

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

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

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

Fly by of Mercury - LRO undergoing critical tests - KAGUYA (SELENE)

Is looking good.

See more below.

Thanks for looking up with me.

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                      ***  JAXA MAIL SERVICE  ***
                  Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      KAGUYA (SELENE) Observations with Laser Altimeter (LALT)
             and Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) Sounder Mode


                                               January 10, 2008 (JST)
                            Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) carried out observations
using two onboard sensors of the lunar explorer KAGUYA -- the Laser
Altimeter (LALT) and sounder mode (*) of the Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS).

Through analysis of the LALT data taken from November 26 (Japan
Standard Time, all the following dates and times are JST), 2007, we
confirmed that the lunar topography can be deduced as planned. The
LALT is expected to obtain a global and precise topographic data set
of the Moon, including the polar regions with a latitude higher than
75 degrees that have never been explored by previous satellites. This
data set, in combination with the high-spatial-resolution stereoscopic
observation data to be taken with the Terrain Camera (TC), will
compose the first complete, precise, and high-spatial-resolution
topographic map of the Moon.

The LRS sounder mode was tested on November 20 and 21, 2007, over the
eastern Mare Imbrium, and the performance of this mode was verified.
The data obtained in this experiment visualized largely horizontal
subsurface stratification, which probably consists of alternating
beds of lava, volcanic ashe and ejecta blankets. The existence of such
a strata has been expected for decades based chiefly on surface geology.
By means of global scanning, the LRS will provide us with a massive
amount of information on the subsurface geology of the Moon down to a
few kilometers from the surface. Faults and folds, identified from the
discontinuity or disturbance of subsurface stratification, are
important clues to understand not only regional tectonics but also the
evolution of the Moon, including global thermal history.

* The LRS has two observation modes - a sounder mode for subsurface
sounding and a natural radio observation mode for observations of
natural plasma waves and natural radio waves.


Laser Altimeter (LALT)
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#lalt

Figure 1
The topography of the Mare Orientale (19.4S, 92.8W) deduced from LALT
data.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#pict01

Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) - Sounder Mode
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#lrs

Figure 2
Simulated radar echoes.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#pict02

Figure 3
Observed radar echoes taken with the LRS near the Poisson crater
(30.4S, 10.6E) on November 20, 2007, in a 20 second period from
18:22:50 to 18:23:10.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#pict03

Figure 4
The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image and strata identification of
the northeastern part of the Mare Imbrium near the Kirch crater (39.2N,
5.6W, 11 km dia.) retrieved from the LRS sounder mode observation data
on November 21, 2007, from 22:13 to 22:15.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html#pict04


This page URL:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/01/20080110_kaguya_e.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Publisher : Public Affairs Department
           Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
           Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building,
           1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260
           Japan
           TEL:+81-3-6266-6400

JAXA WEB SITE :
http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html

About This Mail Service :
To change registered e-mail address, or to cancel this service,

please access to
http://www.jaxa.jp/pr/mail/index_e.html


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

-------------------------------------------------------
** NEW SOCIAL NETWORKING MICROBLOGGING FROM SPACEREF **
-------------------------------------------------------

Using Twitter (twitter.com) a free social networking microblogging
service you can now follow your favourite SpaceRef site or topic.
Here's the addresses:

SpaceRef:
https://twitter.com/spaceref

On Orbit:
https://twitter.com/OnOrbit

NASA Watch:
https://twitter.com/NASAWatch

Space Shuttle and Space Station
https://twitter.com/shuttlestation

Space Commerce
https://twitter.com/spacecommerce

Astrobiology
https://twitter.com/astrobiology

Space Education:
https://twitter.com/spaceed

Mars Today:
https://twitter.com/marstoday

Moon Today:
https://twitter.com/moontoday

Earth Today:
https://twitter.com/earthtoday

SpaceRef/On Orbit and NASA Watch Editors:
Keith Cowing: https://twitter.com/KeithCowing
Marc Boucher: https://twitter.com/marckboucher


THE DAY IN SPACE
__________________
In today's space news from SpaceRef:


-- MESSENGER Team Receives First Optical Navigation Images of Mercury
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=24457
-- MESSENGER Set for Historic Mercury Flyby
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=24464

"On January 9, 2008, the MESSENGER spacecraft snapped one of its first images of
Mercury at a
distance of about 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from the planet.
The image was
acquired with the Narrow Angle Camera, one half of MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System
(MDIS) instrument."

Snip


==============================================================
Jan. 10, 2008

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Paulette Campbell
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
240-228-6792
paulette.campbell@jhuapl.edu

RELEASE: 08-003

NASA SPACECRAFT TO MAKE HISTORIC FLYBY OF MERCURY

LAUREL, Md. - On Monday, Jan. 14, a pioneering NASA spacecraft will be
the first to visit Mercury in almost 33 years when it soars over the
planet to explore and snap close-up images of never-before-seen
terrain. These findings could open new theories and answer old
questions in the study of the solar system.

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging
spacecraft, called MESSENGER, is the first mission sent to orbit the
planet closest to our sun. Before that orbit begins in 2011, the
probe will make three flights past the small planet, skimming as
close as 124 miles above Mercury's cratered, rocky surface.
MESSENGER's cameras and other sophisticated, high-technology
instruments will collect more than 1,200 images and make other
observations during this approach, encounter and departure. It will
make the first up-close measurements since Mariner 10 spacecraft's
third and final flyby on March 16, 1975. When Mariner 10 flew by
Mercury in the mid-1970s, it surveyed only one hemisphere.

"This is raw scientific exploration and the suspense is building by
the day," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science
Mission Directorate, Washington. "What will MESSENGER see? Monday
will tell the tale."

This encounter will provide a critical gravity assist needed to keep
the spacecraft on track for its March 2011 orbit insertion, beginning
an unprecedented yearlong study of Mercury. The flyby also will
gather essential data for mission planning.

"During this flyby we will begin to image the hemisphere that has
never been seen by a spacecraft and Mercury at resolutions better
than those acquired by Mariner 10," said Sean C. Solomon, MESSENGER
principal investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington. "Images
will be in a number of different color filters so that we can start
to get an idea of the composition of the surface."

One site of great interest is the Caloris basin, an impact crater
about 800 miles in diameter, which is one of the largest impact
basins in the solar system.

"Caloris is huge, about a quarter of the diameter of Mercury, with
rings of mountains within it that are up to two miles high," said
Louise Prockter, the instrument scientist for the Mercury Dual
Imaging System at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory in Laurel. "Mariner 10 saw a little less than half of the
basin. During this first flyby, we will image the other side."

MESSENGER's instruments will provide the first spacecraft measurements
of the mineralogical and chemical composition of Mercury's surface.
It also will study the global magnetic field and improve our
knowledge of the gravity field from the Mariner 10 flyby. The
long-wavelength components of the gravity field provide key
information about the planet's internal structure, particularly the
size of Mercury's core.

The flyby will provide an opportunity to examine Mercury's environment
in unique ways, not possible once the spacecraft begins orbiting the
planet. The flyby also will map Mercury's tenuous atmosphere with
ultraviolet observations and document the energetic particle and
plasma of Mercury's magnetosphere. In addition, the flyby trajectory
will enable unique particle and plasma measurements of the magnetic
tail that sweeps behind Mercury.

Launched Aug. 3, 2004, MESSENGER is slightly more than halfway through
its 4.9-billion mile journey. It already has flown past Earth once
and Venus twice. The spacecraft will use the pull of Mercury's
gravity during this month's pass and others in October 2008 and
September 2009 to guide it progressively closer to the planet's
orbit. Insertion will be accomplished with a fourth Mercury encounter
in 2011.

The MESSENGER project is the seventh in NASA's Discovery Program of
low-cost, scientifically focused space missions. The Applied Physics
Laboratory designed, built and operates the spacecraft and manages
the mission for NASA.

For more information about MESSENGER, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/messenger

Snip


==============================================================
 
Jan. 10, 2008

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Nancy Neal Jones
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0039
nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-004

NASA'S NEXT MOON MISSION SPACECRAFT UNDERGOING CRITICAL TESTS

GREENBELT, Md. - NASA's next mission to Earth's closest astronomical
body is in the midst of integration and testing at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter, known as LRO, will spend at least a year mapping the surface
of the moon. Data from the orbiter will help NASA select safe landing
sites for astronauts, identify lunar resources and study how the
moon's environment will affect humans.

Engineers at Goddard are building the orbiter and rigorously testing
spacecraft components to ready them for the harsh environment of
space. After a component or entire subsystem is qualified, it is
integrated into the LRO spacecraft. The core suite of avionics for
the orbiter is assembled and undergoing system tests.

"This is a major milestone for the mission," said Craig Tooley, LRO
project manager at Goddard. "Our team has been working nearly around
the clock to get us to this point. Reaching this milestone keeps us
on the path to sending LRO to the moon later this year."

Various components of the avionics and mechanical subsystem are in the
process of going through their qualification program. Six instruments
and one technology demonstration aboard the spacecraft will provide
important data to enable a safe and productive human return to the
moon. The six instruments are scheduled to arrive at Goddard in the
coming months for integration.

The spacecraft will ship to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in
August in preparation for launch. The orbiter and the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite will launch aboard an Atlas V
rocket in late 2008. The trip to the moon will take approximately
four days. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter initially will enter an
elliptical orbit, also called the commissioning orbit. Once moved
into its final orbit, a circular polar orbit approximately 31 miles
above the moon, the spacecraft's instruments will map the lunar
surface.

For more information about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit:

http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA's exploration program to the moon and
beyond, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

 
-end-


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

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

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

Odds of Mars, asteriod collision decrease to 2.5% or was that 4% or ---

When I was a lad, long, long ago, I would go to the movies on  Saturday.
Before my serial thriller of Buck Rogers, would be a Newsreel and two
cartoons.
Only a slight delay in what was happening and slanted towards what I
should know.
(or someone thought I should know)

--------------------------------------
1956 NEWS REEL ATOMIC SUBMARINE & FIRST AMERICAN SATELITE...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSFV0RYCnVo
--------------------------------------

Now I ask Google to watch out for items and get a daily update of what
is being posted.
One has to consider the source of the information and use some common
sense in believing what you read.
Still, an asteroid might hit Mars, or not.  It might miss by a little or
a lot.
Never mind, it missed us.

We know that because there are no new holes in the ground and we are
still here.

Maybe we need more grad students looking through the archives.
Maybe we need a way to look towards the Sun and feel the force being
disturbed by some large iron-nickel object.
Do you have room in your back 40 acres for an antenna farm?
Now would everyone just feed their data into the Internet Near Earth
Warning Collection node and
let the artificial neural net digest the signals and predict when it is
your time to be vaporized.

http://stormwise.com/vlfpre.htm
http://www.friendsofcrc.ca/Articles/EarlyRadioResearch.html
http://www.altair.org/natradio.html
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/space-science/papers.html
- LRK -

--------------------------------------
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/
NEAR EARTH OBJECT NEWS

 Mars Impact Probability Increases to 4 Percent
<http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news153.html> (Near Earth Object Program
Office - December 28, 2007)
 Astronomers Monitor Asteroid to Pass Near Mars
<http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-152> (NASA -
December 21, 2007)
 Recently Discovered Asteroid Could Hit Mars in January (2007 WD5)
<http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news151.html> (Near Earth Object Program
Office - December 21, 2007)
 Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Shows That Breaking Up Is Not So Hard
To Do <http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news150.html> (Near Earth Object
Program Office - April 24, 2006)
 Hayabusa's Contributions Toward Understanding the Earth's Neighborhood
<http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa.html> (Near Earth Object
Program - August 11, 2005)


Snip
--------------------------------------

Ummm, things change, the world around us is dynamic.
We bob along like a cork in a great sea.
Add a magnetized needle and watch how the magnetic fields around us change.
Add an antenna and tell someone where you are.
[maybe that was a cell phone]

Thanks for looking up with me.

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://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/09/content_7393150.htm
BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The up-and-down odds of an asteroid
striking Mars this month are down again as astronomers continue to
refine its course toward the Red Planet.
 The asteroid, named 2007 WD5, is now expected to miss Mars by about
18,641 miles (30,000 km), according a Tuesday report by NASA's Near
Earth-Object (NEO) program office.
Snip
==============================================================

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080108-mars-asteroid-update.html
Asteroid's Chances of Smacking Mars Dip
By Tariq Malik
Staff Writer
posted: 08 January 2008
6:44 pm ET

The chances of an asteroid smacking into Mars this month are slipping
away as astronomers continue to refine its course toward the red planet.

The space rock, an asteroid called 2007 WD5, is now expected to miss
Mars by about 18,641 miles (30,000 km), according a Tuesday report by
NASA's Near Earth-Object (NEO) program office.

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

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/171121.html
Alaska researcher changes asteroid orbit

Posted : Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:04:24 GMT
Author : Science News Editor
Category : Science (Technology)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 8 An astrophysicist at the University of Alaska
uncovered the information that narrowed the odds of an asteroid hitting
Mars.

Andrew Puckett, who is doing post-doctoral research in Anchorage, found
archival NASA data while using the Christmas break as a working
vacation, the Anchorage Daily News reported. After he supplied the
information to NASA, agency scientists increased the possibility of
"Asteroid 2007 WD5" striking Mars from one in 75 to one in 28.

Puckett said he knew the data would change the asteroid's projected orbit.
Snip
==============================================================

http://geology.com/articles/mars-impact-asteroid.shtml
Asteroid 2007 WD5 on a Collision Path with Mars
Astronomers estimate that it has about 1 chance in 25 of hitting Mars!

On November 20th, 2007, astronomers with the NASA-funded Catalina Sky
Survey discovered a new near-Earth asteroid. This object, designated
Asteroid 2007 WD5, is worthy of concern. Based upon its magnitude it was
estimated to be about 50 meters (164 feet) across. It is traveling at
about 28,000 miles per hour. At the time of its discovery, it had
already passed within 7.5 million kilometers (5 million miles) of earth.
That close approach occurred on November 1, 2007. It streaked past Earth
undetected.
snip

Refining the Asteroid's Orbit
As the asteroid zipped off towards Mars, astronomers on Earth were
carefully searching their space image archives. They were looking for
pre-discovery images of Asteroid 207 WD5.

They were in luck. Andy Puckett, a recent Ph.D. from the University of
Chicago (now at the University of Alaska at Anchorage), found an image
taken on November 8, 2007 - about two weeks prior to its discovery -
that showed Asteroid 2007 WD5 as a faint dot of light. This image
allowed astronomers to accurately determine the position of the asteroid
in space at a specific instant in time. This new data enabled them to
refine the path of the asteroid's orbit.

A 4% Chance of Hitting Mars!
This new data allowed astronomers to determine that Asteroid 2007 WD5
has about one chance in 25 of hitting Mars!

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

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/258025.html
UAA researcher gives Mars bad news
COLLISION: Astrophysicist raises odds of asteroid strike.
By GEORGE BRYSON
gbryson@adn.com | gbryson@adn.com
Published: January 8th, 2008 12:12 AM
Last Modified: January 8th, 2008 12:38 AM

The odds are it will miss. Still, there's a huge asteroid -- a massive
rock about 160 feet long -- hurtling toward Mars.

Two weeks ago, NASA scientists said the chances it would collide with
the Red Planet were 1 in 75. Now they say it's 1 in 28, and astronomers
and physicists are beginning to take notice.

As they do, the scientists can credit Andrew Puckett, a 30-year-old
astrophysicist conducting post-doctoral research at the University of
Alaska Anchorage.

Working on his own during Christmas break, Puckett discovered archival
data that allowed NASA to refine its forecast on what's now being called
"Asteroid 2007 WD5."

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22562747/
Good news for Mars! Asteroid risk fades
Experts reduce chances of Jan. 30 collision to 2.5 percent

By Tariq Malik
updated 5:24 p.m. PT, Tues., Jan. 8, 2008
The chances of an asteroid smacking into Mars this month are slipping
away as astronomers continue to refine its course toward the Red Planet.

The space rock, an asteroid called 2007 WD5, is now expected to miss
Mars by about 18,641 miles (30,000 kilometers), according a Tuesday
report by NASA's Near Earth Object (NEO) program office.

Scientists now estimate the space rock's odds of walloping Mars on Jan.
30 at 2.5 percent, about a 1-in-40 chance, after a series of
observations taken by astronomers using Spain's 11.5-foot (3.5-meter)
Calar Alto Observatory. The new analysis lowered the asteroid's odds of
a Martian impact from a 3.6 percent chance released last week.

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

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

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

Happy New Year, already a couple of days into 2008. :-)

Should be an interesting one.

Larry Klaes forwarded an e-mail with some discussions about
InterPlanetary Ventures planning on going to the moon in pursuit of the
Google Lunar X Prize and having room for CubeSats. Send money or pledges. :-)

Interplanetary Ventures.
------------------------------------------
http://www.interplanetaryventures.org/
InterPlanetary Ventures is developing the inner solar system for human
settlement, with infrastructure, exploration and development projects
that will take us from near earth space to the rings of Saturn in the
next ten years, paving the way for others to follow. Our goal is to
create the terrestrial and space based infrastructure required to
support humanity's permanent expansion into the bountiful reaches of our
solar system.

InterPlanetary Ventures Is Going To The Moon!
------------------------------------------

CubSat community web site.
http://cubesat.calpoly.edu/

If you would like to be on their CubSat e-mail list you can sign up at:
http://atl.calpoly.edu/mailman/listinfo/cubesat
[Note: you will then be able to view past posts to the CubeSat list and
view the subscriber list. - LRK -]


It looks like there will be a America In space Technical Symposium - 50
Years of United States Space Exploration coming up February 1st and 2nd,
2008.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------
http://usspace50.com/
America In Space
Technical Symposium
50 Years of United States Space Exploration

February 1st and 2nd, 2008
Davidson Center, US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

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.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/astronautEncounter/index.asp
ASTRONAUT ENCOUNTER

Fewer than 500 men and women of the Earth's six billion people have
ever flown in space.

But each day at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, guests get the
rare opportunity to meet a real-life member of NASA's Astronaut Corps.

Snip

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/upcomingEvents.asp
UPCOMING EVENTS

Get the latest on upcoming events at Kennedy Space Center. Sign up today
to receive launch and event information for the dates of your trip. Just
submit your information, and you'll receive free email updates for
what's going on during the time of your visit.
January 2008
1/11 - 2/13/2008 : Shuttle Atlantis ISS 1E
February 2008
2/14 : Shuttle Endeavour * ISS 1J/A

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.spaceref.com/

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=26519

*NASA EPOXI Mission Earth Flyby Imagery: Lunar Calibration: HRI VIS
Results*

*STATUS REPORT*
*Date Released:* Monday, December 31, 2007
Source: University of Maryland <http://www.umd.edu>

http://epoxi.umd.edu/4gallery/moon_cal.shtml
Caption: This white-light image of the Moon was taken by the NASA EPOXI
mission as part of the Earth-Moon Flyby calibration of the instruments.

The image was taken by the High Resolution Instrument (HRI) visual
imaging camera at 22:00 UT on 29 Dec 2007, when the spacecraft was at
about three times the Earth's distance from the Moon.

To compensate for the defocus of the HRI telescope, the calibrated image
was post-processed using 20 iterations of a modified Lucy-Richardson
deconvolution procedure that includes wavelet noise dampening.

The overly bright limb of the moon is the most noticeable artifact of
the deconvolution. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD/GSFC
Snip

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=26520

*NASA EPOXI Mission Earth Flyby Imagery: Lunar Calibration: HRI IR Results*

*STATUS REPORT*
*Date Released:* Monday, December 31, 2007
Source: University of Maryland <http://www.umd.edu>

Snip
For the first time, either on the ground or in space, we now have
uniform data at all wavelengths covering over 90% of the IR detector. We
also made measurements which will allow us to cross-calibrate our
instruments with telescopic data and, in the very near future, with a
wealth of lunar measurements from new orbiting spacecraft. These data
will significantly improve the science from EPOCh observations of Earth
and the DIXI flyby of comet Hartley 2, as well as from Deep Impact's
prime mission to comet Tempel 1. The EPOXI lunar calibration was very
successful and nearly three years after launch it sure is nice to get
new data from an old friend!

Snip
==============================================================
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

Happy New Year from the Cassini-Huygens Project Team

The members of the Cassini-Huygens Project Team wish you a very happy
and prosperous 2008. It will be our pleasure and privilege to share the
results of this most exciting mission with you throughout the coming year.

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

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

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