Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Perseids are Coming

While planets may be hit by asteroids or comets, we can also pass through the debris from them.
Time to get out the easy chair and look up at the night sky.
See the link for more information on best viewing.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------------------
The Perseids are Coming
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/31jul_perseids2009.htm?list965414

July 31, 2009: Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, the source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the shower won't peak until August 11th and 12th, the show is already getting underway.

Brian Emfinger of Ozark, Arkansas, photographed this early Perseid just after midnight on Sunday, July 26th:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/images/perseids2009/Brian-Emfinger2.jpg

"I used an off-the-shelf digital camera to capture this fireball and its smoky trail," says Emfinger. "It was a bright one!"

Don't get too excited, cautions Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "We're just in the outskirts of the debris stream now. If you go out at night and stare at the sky, you'll probably only see a few Perseids per hour."

This will change, however, as August unfolds.

"Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream sometime on August 12th. Then, you could see dozens of meteors per hour.
snip
------------------------------------------------------------------

John sent a link that might indicate that Venus can be hit by comets as Jupiter may have experienced of late.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.livescience.com/space/090730-venus-bright-spot.html
Bright Spot on Venus Stumps Scientists
By Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer
posted: 30 July 2009 05:14 pm ET

A sudden bright spot that appeared in the clouds of Venus just days after a comet left a bruise on Jupiter has scientists stumped as to its cause.

Venus' bright spot, first noticed by amateur astronomer Frank Melillo of Holtsville, NY on July 19, is not the first such brightening noticed on our cloudy neighbor, said planetary scientist Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"We have seen such events before," he told SPACE.com.
snip

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090730-venus-bright-spot.html
------------------------------------------------------------------

And while you are looking up from the comfort of your easy chair you might contemplate the constellation of Orion and the bright, bright star Betelgeuse.
What if it exploded while you were looking at it?
Would you catch it on your digital camera?
- LRK -

Link thanks to SpaceWarper.
------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2009/pr-27-09.html
ESO 27/09 - Science Release

29 July 2009
For immediate release
Sharpest views of Betelgeuse reveal how supergiant stars lose mass

Unveiling the true face of a behemoth

Using different state-of-the-art techniques on ESO's Very Large Telescope, two independent teams of astronomers have obtained the sharpest ever views of the supergiant star Betelgeuse. They show that the star has a vast plume of gas almost as large as our Solar System and a gigantic bubble boiling on its surface. These discoveries provide important clues to help explain how these mammoths shed material at such a tremendous rate.

Betelgeuse — the second brightest star in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter) — is a red supergiant, one of the biggest stars known, and almost 1000 times larger than our Sun [1]. It is also one of the most luminous stars known, emitting more light than 100 000 Suns. Such
extreme properties foretell the demise of a short-lived stellar king. With an age of only a few million years, Betelgeuse is already nearing the end of its life and is soon doomed to explode as a supernova. When it does, the supernova should be seen easily from Earth, even in broad
daylight.

snip
------------------------------------------------------------------

And if there are any life forms on planets in that area, will we receive a data dump of their life history in one last expression of their existence?
Will SETI pick up the death cry?
http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=1345

And if you were at Moon Base Alpha, would your radio telescope record the happening?
http://www.space1999.net/moonbase99/
http://www.space1999.net/

And if you would just like to go see the Moon using the new Google Earth information that NASA and JAXA have added information to, well check this out.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/features/2009/Google_Moon.html
NASA and Google Launch Virtual Exploration of the Moon
07.20.09

Forty years ago on July 20, 1969, the world watched as the crew of Apollo 11 took the first steps on the surface of the moon.

To celebrate this historic occasion, NASA and Google announced the launch of the Moon in Google Earth, an interactive, 3D atlas of the moon, viewable with Google Earth 5.0.

The announcement was made during a press conference at the Newseum in Washington, featuring remarks by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin; Alan Eustace, a Google senior vice president; Andrew Chaikin, author and space historian; and Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist.

With the Moon in Google Earth, users can explore a virtual moonscape, follow guided tours from astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jack Schmidt, view high-resolution "street view" style panoramic images and see previously unreleased footage captured from the lunar surface.

Whether rediscovering iconic moments from the history of lunar exploration, or learning about them for the first time, the Moon in Google Earth enables users to better understand the moon and mankind's relationship to it using an immersive, 3D experience.

snip
http://earth.google.com/moon/
------------------------------------------------------------------

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids
Perseids
-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Perseids (pronounced /ˈpɜrsiː.ɨdz/ us dict: pûr′·sē·ĭdz) are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are so called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. Meteor showers occur when Earth moves through a meteor stream. The stream in this case is called the Perseid cloud and it stretches along the orbit of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the
comet as it passed by the Sun. Most of the dust in the cloud today is approximately a thousand years old. However, there is also a relatively young filament of dust in the stream that boiled off the comet in 1862. The rate of meteors originating from this filament is much higher than for the older part of the stream.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/07/20/land-on-the-moon-in-google-earth/
Land on the Moon in Google Earth

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Google has launched a new feature: the Moon in Google Earth. You can now use Google Earth to explore, fly around and search the Moon. Google was able to get several astronauts to participate in this new
feature, and you can get tours of landing sites, narrated by Apollo astronauts, view 3D models of landed spacecraft, zoom into 360-degree photos to see astronauts' footprints and watch rare TV footage of the Apollo missions. The hi-resolution views of the Moon were developed in collaboration with NASA Ames Research and JAXA. It's loads of fun and provides an historic perspective as well as a look to the future of lunar exploration. If you already have Google Earth 5.0 on your computer, just click on the tab on the top toolbar that has a picture of Saturn, and click on Moon. If you click on the Apollo 11 flag, you can zoom in on that location and take a tour of the first landing site on the Moon! What a great way celebrate the 40th anniversary. Enjoy!

Link to the Moon in Google Earth.
http://earth.google.com/moon/index.html

snip
==============================================================
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32234721/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Space shuttle lands safely in Florida completed 16-day construction job at international space station

By Marcia Dunn

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the international space station.

Endeavour glided through a slightly hazy sky and touched down on Kennedy Space Center's landing strip. Its smooth and punctual late morning arrival set off a stream of praise.

"Congratulations on a superb mission from beginning to end. Very well done," Mission Control radioed.

snip
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09_179_Shuttle_landing_success.html
============================================================

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

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

Thursday, July 30, 2009

NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth

William alerted me to the following link.
- LRK -
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr Kellogg: Nasa released a new website today called asteroid watch.

Bill

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Asteroid Watch NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on near-Earth objects - those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth.

Read more (July 29, 2009)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/newsfeatures.cfm?release=2247

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

This is timely as we are reminded that asteroids and comets can hit planets.
Remember the Shoemaker - Levy 9 collisions with Jupiter?
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker-Levy_9
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9, formally designated D/1993 F2) was a comet that broke apart and collided with Jupiter in July of 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of solar system objects.[1] This generated a large amount of coverage in the popular media, and SL9 was closely observed by astronomers worldwide. The collision provided new information about Jupiter and highlighted its role in reducing space debris in the inner solar system.

The comet was discovered by astronomers Carolyn and Eugene M. Shoemaker and David Levy. Shoemaker-Levy 9 was located on the night of March 24, 1993, in a photograph taken with the 0.4 m (1.3 ft) Schmidt telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. It was the first
comet observed to be orbiting a planet.

snip
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And just recently it looks like something hit Jupiter again.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/weekinreview/26overbye.html
Jupiter: Our Cosmic Protector?
By DENNIS OVERBYE
Published: July 25, 2009

Jupiter took a bullet for us last weekend

An object, probably a comet that nobody saw coming, plowed into the giant planet’s colorful cloud tops sometime Sunday, splashing up debris and leaving a black eye the size of the Pacific Ocean. This was the second time in 15 years that this had happened. The whole world was watching when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 fell apart and its pieces crashed into Jupiter in 1994, leaving Earth-size marks that persisted up to a year.

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And some thoughts from JPL blog.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://blogs.jpl.nasa.gov/?p=49
All Eyes on Jupiter

What an incredible few hours it’s been for astronomers everywhere, as we witness a chance of a lifetime event: evidence of a space rock of some sort slamming into Jupiter. Images taken after the impact show the debris field and aftermath of a gigantic collision that occurred in the southern polar region of the enormous planet.

An extremely dedicated and meticulous team of amateur astronomers observe Jupiter’s changing cloud patterns on a regular basis, and it came as an amazing surprise when Anthony Wesley, near Canberra, Australia, reported his Sunday-morning (July 19, 2009) observations
(http://jupiter.samba.org/jupiter-impact.html) of a dark scar that bore all the hallmarks of the Shoemaker Levy 9 impacts at Jupiter in 1994. By an amazing coincidence, I was part of a team that had already been allocated time to observe Jupiter from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Based on Anthony’s discovery, we were crowded around our computers at 3 a.m. PDT (with Anthony observing with us remotely from Australia) as the first near- and mid-infrared images started to come in… it was such an exciting moment, seeing the high altitude particles that had been lofted by the impact (they appear bright in the infrared). Anthony celebrated with us, but then the real work began. We celebrated and then rolled up our sleeves and began an exciting night of observations.

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe you will be able to take advantage of the new web site.
More eyes looking up, good.
- 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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
============================================================
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28854
NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on near-Earth objects those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth. The "Asteroid Watch" site also contains links for the interested public to sign up for NASA's new asteroid widget and Twitter account.

"Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "And I have to agree with them. I have studied them for over three decades and I find them to be scientifically fascinating, and a few
are potentially hazardous to Earth. The goal of our Web site is to provide the public with the most up-to-date and accurate information on these intriguing objects."

The new Asteroid Watch site is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch .

snip
============================================================
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720225213.htm
Jupiter Pummeled, Leaving Bruise The Size Of Pacific Ocean

ScienceDaily (July 21, 2009) — Scientists have found evidence that another object has bombarded Jupiter, exactly 15 years after the first impacts by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark "scar" had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA's
Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.

New infrared images show the likely impact point was near the south polar region, with a visibly dark "scar" and bright upwelling particles in the upper atmosphere detected in near-infrared
wavelengths, and a warming of the upper troposphere with possible extra emission from ammonia gas detected at mid-infrared wavelengths.

"We were extremely lucky to be seeing Jupiter at exactly the right time, the right hour, the right side of Jupiter to witness the event. We couldn't have planned it better," said Glenn Orton, a scientist at JPL.

snip
============================================================

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

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

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Augustine Commission Public Hearings - On line

Augustine Commission Public Hearings - On line
http://www.nasa.gov/145590main_Digital_Media.asx

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Note: the media viewing link - LRK -

I have been watching the Augustine Commission Public Hearings and
finding it very interesting.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html
NASA - Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee

Right side bar navigation.
Committee Events.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/meetings/index.html
Next Event Dates:
July 29, 2009 - The Davidson Center for Space Exploration
Huntsville, AL
No Pre-Registration Required

July 30, 2009 - Hilton Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach, FL
No Pre-Registration Required

snip
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More info.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/07/24/augustine-commission-announces-agendas-upcoming-public-hearings/
Augustine Commission Announces Agendas for Upcoming Public Hearings
Posted by Doug Messier
on July 24, 2009, at 12:35 pm
in NASA and News
. Tags: Ares, Augustine panel, NASA, Orion, Review of U.S. Human Space
Flight Plans Committee.

NASA PRESS RELEASE

The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee will hold public
meetings July 28, 29, 30, Aug. 5 and 12. The meetings are open to news
media representatives. No registration is required, but seating is
limited to the location’s capacity. Agenda times are approximate and
subject to change.

The first meeting will be July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the
South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, 2500 South Shore
Blvd. in League City, Texas.

The agenda is::
snip
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nice to be included in the decision making process.
- 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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2009/06/augustine_commi_1.html
Augustine Commission Website Now Online
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28372

NASA Launches Human Space Flight Review Web Site for Public Use

"NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel of
experts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human space
flight activities. NASA has created a Web site
for the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to
facilitate a two-way conversation with the public about the future
direction of the agency's space flight programs. In addition to
providing documents and information, the site will allow the public to
track committee activities, receive regular updates and provide input
through Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted
questions, polls and RSS feeds. Additional features and content may be
added as the committee's activities continue."

snip
==============================================================
-- Statement by Michael Griffin to The Augustine Committee
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31932

"So I would say to the Commission: do not close off options. Do not
allow the parochial voices of
the small-minded, the self-interested, and the uninformed to prevail.
Choose the future."

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Monday, July 27, 2009

Animation Student Wins Moon Art And Design Contest

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

NASA has encouraged students to come up with ideas and to express them in the form of ART.
It is a beginning, and from ideas new adventures develop.

A spark, that can be nurtured until the glow turns into a fire.
It helps to have the right materials, the energy to rub the sticks
together, and the dry material to burst into flame.
{Sorry, was remembering watching a Samoan rub two sticks together and
light some coconut husk with some energetic rubbing.]
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/fireplow/fireplow1.html
http://www.ssrsi.org/ods/fire.htm

Are we providing the right environment to help our students create the new ideas we will need to get back to the Moon?
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------------
Animation Student Wins Moon Art And Design Contest
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/education/lwotm-contest.html

Zachary Madere could not believe his eyes when he read the e-mail announcing his first place win in NASA's Life and Work on the Moon Art & Design Contest.

Zachary, a student majoring in Illustration and Two Dimensional Animation at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, had come home late after a long night of work, with a plan to go straight to bed. Before getting his much needed sleep, though, he decided to give his e-mail a quick check. What he saw dashed away any need for rest.

He had been notified as the first place winner with "Best Overall Score" for his oil painting, "Crater Core Sample."

"I was not expecting it at all," the soft-spoken art student said, disbelief still in his voice. "I started jumping around and screaming, accidentally knocking down some furniture. Right away I shared the news with my roommate, an artist who's like a brother to me. It was really exciting!"
snip
------------------------------------------------------------

See some more of the winning pictures.
- LRK -
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www6.cet.edu/copper/2009_winners.php
NASA ART CONTEST WINNERS

2009 Contest Winners
College Winners | Honorable Mention
High School Winners | Honorable Mention
View All 2009 Entries

------------------------------------------------------------

Always interesting to see what might be put up on the Moon.
Hope it turns out to be more than just pictures.
- LRK -
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17509-what-nasas-return-to-the-moon-may-look-like.html
What NASA's return to the moon may look like
23:08 23 July 2009 by Rachel Courtland

[See 11 images with informative text. - LRK ]

http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/lunar-base-designs
What NASA's return to the moon may look like

Although an expert panel is now reviewing NASA's future plans, the agency has been developing concepts for lunar bases that could be built by 2030
snip
------------------------------------------------------------

Want to send something to the Moon, testing helps.
Maybe you will win the prize.
- LRK -
------------------------------------------------------------
http://astrobotictechnology.com/2009/07/19/new-design-overcomes-intense-lunar-heat/
New design overcomes intense lunar heat
July 19, 2009 by david.gump

The third prototype for Astrobotic Technology’s lunar robot has innovations that will enable it to survive the blistering heat at the Moon’s equator, which is the robot’s destination in May 2011 when it will visit the Apollo 11 site.

Noon at the equator is hotter than boiling water: 270 degrees F. The robot beats the heat by keeping a cool side aimed away from the Sun to radiate heat off to the black sky. It travels toward or away from the sun (generally east or west) without turning its radiator into the
light. Only the solar cells on the hot side ever face the sun. The robot can travel north and south by tacking like a sailboat.

The Apollo 11 crew landed shortly after local dawn and left by mid-morning, so Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin never encountered the noontime extreme. (Each day on the Moon is two weeks of sun followed by two weeks of darkness and extreme cold.)

snip
------------------------------------------------------------

If you like to look at video clips you might find some of the ones at Moon Base Omega blog of interest.
- LRK -
------------------------------------------------------------
http://moonbaseomega.blogspot.com/
MOON BASE OMEGA

Return to the Moon
snip
------------------------------------------------------------

Have you ever considered what might have been, IF.....?
David S. F. Portree posted an interesting speculation on his blog Robot Explorers.
:-) - LRK -
------------------------------------------------------------
I've posted something speculative to my Robot Explorers blog.
Call it a mid-summer edutainment.
Call it a profound waste of electrons.
In any case, here it is.

http://robotexplorers.blogspot.com/2009/07/project-icarus-alternate-history.html

David S. F. Portree

snip
http://robotexplorers.blogspot.com/
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------

Some blame NASA for our not going back to the Moon sooner.
Some blame the President.
Some blame Congress.
Others the lack of interest in the general population.

Were you ever a student when the Duncan YoYo expert came and showed how you could do all those tricks with a spinning wheel at the end of string?
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1928/who-invented-the-yo-yo-and-why
http://www.dixiesyoyos.com/duncanyoyos.html
http://www.begin2spin.com/index.php
http://www.howtoyoyo.com/

And later practically every kid had bought a YoYo.

How do you create that kind of excitement for going back to the Moon?

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
============================================================

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

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

Saturday, July 25, 2009

TIME JULY 18 1969 - TO THE MOON - SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

We have been talking about the Apollo 11 mission 40 years ago and so
it felt a bit strange, even weird, when I went to put some papers up
on a bookshelf and in trying to find room for them, pulled out a stack
of magazines.

What do you think I found on the top of the stack?

And this is why it felt strange, it was a faded red TIME magazine from
July 18, 1969.

Why this magazine, jumping to my hand?

Had to open it up and look through the old adds and see what the
articles about the Moon were all about.

Having done that thought you might like to get a feel for what was
being said back in 1969.

Would I be able to find a copy on the Internet that you could look at
if your bookshelf didn't hand you a hard copy?

Yes, yes, here it is. The articles are there.

Sorry I don't see the illustrations that went along the boarders of
the articles but you can use your imagination.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
TIME JULY 18 1969 - TO THE MOON - SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601690718,00.html

COVER STORY
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901042,00.html

snip
SPECIAL SECTION

A NEW WORLD (Moon Supplement)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901041,00.html

FLIGHT PLAN OF APOLLO 11 (Moon Supplement)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901042,00.html

SECRETS TO BE FOUND (Moon Supplement)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901043,00.html

CAN THE MOON BE OF ANY EARTHLY USE? (Moon Supplement)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901044,00.html

THE PIONEERS (Moon Supplement)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901045,00.html

THE CREW: MEN APART (Moon)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901046,00.html

HOW IT WAS MANAGED (Moon)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901047,00.html

WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE (Moon)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901048,00.html

BEYOND THE MOON: NO END (Moon)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901049,00.html

snip
-------------------------------------------

Maybe you know of some old articles that are now on line.
If so, and think others might be interested, drop me a line.
Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg AT gmail.com)

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================

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

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

Friday, July 24, 2009

Sea of Tranquility

Back from a nice visit with my mom on her 99th birthday. We went to her favorite pizza place, Izzy's, with brother and sister and families.

Several of you sent me links to interesting items which I only looked at briefly on the cell phone. Thanks much. - LRK -

We have been remembering the landing of Apollo 11, forty years ago and Fred sent this YouTube ditty that was put together by Luke Powers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8G-o5t8104&fmt=18
sea of tranquility 3:52
Luke Powers

This was in response to another YouTube posting, which spends more time with videos on the Moon and some comments at the end about the mission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcaNaq0uAyw&feature=related
1969: Sea of Tranquility 5:31
momo2007x

More interesting items.
- LRK -

----------------------------------

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-moon-videoblurb0715,0,7704544.story
Reaching Tranquility
July 15, 2009
On July 16, 1969 the crew of Apollo 11 blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the historic quest to put the first men on the moon. ...To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this achievement, Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron acquired archive footage from NASA
and the John F. Kennedy Library, and interspersed time-lapse images of the moon traveling across the Baltimore skyline during the past eight months. The resulting video is an entrancing convergence of history and art that pays tribute to the Apollo 11 mission.

----------------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvHNlgAs8wE
Reaching Tranquility: 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 mission 9:17
baltimoresun.com
----------------------------------

Thanks Fred.
- LRK -

Larry Klaes sent to one of his lists this item.

----------------------------------
The Big Picture from The Boston Globe has 40 slightly nice photos from the Apollo 11 mission here:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/07/remembering_apollo_11.html

While looking through them, I was reminded that one of the images, which is listed as Number 18 in the Big Picture showing a gibbous phase Earth, is on the two Voyager Interstellar Records representing our planet now well past Pluto and on their way into the wider Milky Way galaxy.
So it is nice to know that in addition to what is at Tranquility Base something else from Apollo 11 will be preserved in space for many millions of years, if not billions, for our descendants or others to see one day.

Larry
----------------------------------

And this one also from Larry Klaes. Not exactly the space suit the astronauts ended up using for the Apollo missions and I hope nothing like we should see for lunar outings in the future.
- LRK -

----------------------------------
A Suit For The First Man on the Moon (1961)

DateSunday, June 28, 2009 at 2:56PM

The August 6, 1961 Post-Standard Sunday magazine (Syracuse, NY) ran a short piece about an Experimental Engineering class at UCLA that was experimenting/playing with a "moon man's suit."

Designed by Allyn B. Hazard, the suit also appeared on the cover of Life magazine's April 27, 1962 issue. The entire two-page spread from the Post-Standard can be viewed below.

http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2009/6/28/a-suit-for-the-first-man-on-the-moon-1961.html

And the Major Matt Mason fans among us will also recognize this suit.

Larry

----------------------------------

And while I was away, David sent this bit about a July 20 Space Settlement Blog day.
Maybe you would like to chck out the list of blogs.
- LRK -

----------------------------------
http://blog.nss.org/?p=1142
Happy Space Settlement Blog Day!

We have 34 blogs participating. This is a great success. What a great way to honor the Apollo 11 landing.

Please let us know which of their blog posts you liked and found interesting.

Thanks to all the blogs which are participating. Thanks to David Brandt-Erichsen and Brice Russ for all their technical work which has made Space Settlement Blog Day so successful. Thanks to all the sponsors the National Space Society, the Space Frontier Foundation, the Space Movement, the Moon Society, and Space Renaissance Initiative.

snip
----------------------------------

Well, it looks like you have been busy while I was eating pizza.

Maybe some of you saw the Solar Eclipse.
- LRK -

----------------------------------
http://spaceweather.com

snip
JULY 22nd SOLAR ECLIPSE GALLERY: The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century is over and, despite a disappointing rainstorm over Shanghai, millions of people witnessed the event. Highlights may be found in our eclipse gallery. Start browsing here:
http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_22jul09_page3.htm
snip
----------------------------------

Will continue catching up on e-mails.

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================

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

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

Friday, July 17, 2009

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first imagery of Apollo landing sites

We have sent humans to the Moon. Really, we have, trust me, I no lie.
Maybe that isn't good enough and you want me to show you.
Well we are back to the Moon with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and it is taking pictures.
I know, if you didn't believe me before, you probably won't believe me now either, but will be your loss.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

NASA Science News for July 17, 2009
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first imagery of Apollo landing sites. The pictures show lunar module descent stages, scientific instruments and even 40-year-old foot trails made by astronauts walking across the dusty lunar surface.

FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17jul_lroc.htm?list965414
Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have shown the below image before a number of times, still, it is worth looking at again.
It would be nice to have a camp out on the Moon and be able to look back at Mother Earth.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17jul_discoveringearth.htm?list965414
Exploring the Moon, Discovering Earth

July 17, 2009: Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts set out on a daring adventure to explore the Moon. They ended up discovering their own planet.
How do you discover Earth . by leaving it? It all started with a single photograph:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/images/discoveringearth/earthrise.jpg

Apollo 8 was the first crewed Saturn V launch and the first time humans were placed in lunar orbit. Mission plans called for the astronauts to photograph possible landing sites for future missions. Before this, only robotic probes had taken images of the Moon's far side.

As the astronauts in their spacecraft emerged from behind the Moon, they were surprised and enchanted by an amazing view of Earth rising over the lunar horizon. Bill Anders quickly snapped a picture of the spectacular Earthrise - it was not in the mission script.

His timing could not have been better. It was Christmas Eve, 1968, the close of one of the most turbulent, fractured years in U.S. and world history. The picture offered a much needed new perspective on "home."

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If we ever put up stations at the Earth - Moon Lagrangian Points, we will have new views of Earth as well.

http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/edu/HerschelPlanck/EN_13e_L_Points_EarthMoonSystem.pdf
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/
http://www.permanent.com/t-theory.htm


And if at L3 or L4 you might even have neighbors nearby that you could borrow some material from.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09apr_theia.htm
STEREO Hunts for Remains of an Ancient Planet near Earth

Wouldn't that be interesting?
- LRK -

http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html

Geoff passed this reminder.
You are cleared for landing -

Dr. Buzz Aldrin - The Big Event
http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=SP_090715_apollo11
Apollo 11 pulls off the truly amazing Moon landing. But the crew can't allow themselves to completely feel the moment or experience the weight of history just yet. Dr. Buzz Aldrin explains why.
Credit: IMAGINOVA / Association of Space Explorers

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17jul_lroc.htm?list965414
Apollo Landing Sites Photographed

July 17, 2009: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions' lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon's surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules' locations evident.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, was able to image five of the six Apollo sites, with the remaining Apollo 12 site expected to be photographed in the coming weeks.

snip
==============================================================

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/15may_stirling.htm
Wake up and smell the coffee -- on the Moon!

May 15, 2009: Have you ever wondered how you'd make your morning cup of java if you lived on another planet, or perhaps the moon? That steaming beverage would be a must on a cold lunar morning.

But with rare sunlight, no coal or wood to burn, and no flowing water for hydro-electrical power, how would you make that cup of coffee, much less cook breakfast, heat your abode, and power the life support equipment and tools you needed to live and work up there?

NASA, planning for a future lunar outpost, has been asking those same questions lately.
There's more than one way to generate power on the moon. Fission Surface Power is one of the options NASA is considering. If this method is chosen, an engine invented in the early 1800s by Scottish brothers Robert and James Stirling could help make it work.

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Shuttle Endeavour launches - Bolden Confirmed as NASA Administer - Apollo 11 Conversations Earth Didn't Hear - listen

A busy day that took me away from my folding animals - Origami
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami.html

The Shuttle Endeavour finally launched after six tries, so the ISS should soon be complete and we can start planning to de-orbit it in 2016.
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/10/iss_retirement.html
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2007/09/russian_space_a.html
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/07/15/de-orbit-the-iss-in-2016-dont-bet-on-it/

Hmmm, Shuttles to be decommissioned in 2010 and no replacement until 2015-16.
Ooops - What did you say you were going to use the replacement for?
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-160_STS-127_Launches.html
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov

July 15, 2009

RELEASE : 09-160
NASA's Shuttle Endeavour Launches to Complete Japanese Module

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew launched at 6:03 p.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will deliver the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station.

Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside the Japanese module. One platform is permanent and will allow experiments to be directly exposed to space. The other is an experiment storage pallet that will be detached and returned with the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's robotic arm will transfer three experiments from the pallet to the exposed platform. Future experiments also can be moved to the platform from the inside of the station using the laboratory's airlock.

Shortly before liftoff, Commander Mark Polansky thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible.

"Endeavour has patiently waited for this," said Polansky. "We're ready to go, and we're going to take all of you with us on a great mission."

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well we now have a new NASA Administrator, Charles Frank Bolden, Jr.
Wonder where he will lead NASA and whether his marching orders include developing the resources on the Moon.
Would be nice to have an ISS in an equatorial orbit and assisting in building space tugs.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-165_Bolden_and_Garver.html
Michael Cabbage
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
mcabbage@nasa.gov

July 15, 2009

RELEASE : 09-165
Bolden and Garver Confirmed by U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON -- Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as the twelfth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lori Beth Garver was confirmed as NASA's deputy administrator.

As administrator, Bolden will lead the NASA team and manage its resources to advance the agency's missions and goals.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you remember those Apollo missions 40 years ago?
Did you listen to the mission conversations or were the news sound bites just too short?
http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_archive.html

Remember back in 2001 when Glen Swanson was at JSC and getting the Apollo air-to-ground transmission transcripts turned into PDF files and put on a CD collection? It was interesting checking the Apollo 13 transcript and trying not to spend time reading them. Did you get the CD set?
http://www.ehartwell.com/Apollo17/MissionTranscriptCollection.htm
http://www.ehartwell.com/Apollo17/AS17-CMP-Transcripts.htm
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/mission_transcripts.htm

Glen was working on getting the audio copied to mp3 files and then his contract wasn't renewed.
Time has passed and I have been out of the loop. Maybe the work continued.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_M09-131_Apollo_voice_tapes.html
John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0602
john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov

July 15, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY : M09-131
Apollo 11 Conversations Earth Didn't Hear Now Online at Nasa.Gov

HOUSTON -- You're in a spacecraft, on a mission to land on the moon for the first time in history, and the microphone to Earth is off. What do you say?

Now you can listen in on a NASA Web site and find out.

As Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins flew on Apollo 11 to a lunar landing in July 1969, the world heard communications between the crew and Mission Control live as they happened. But Earth did not hear the private conversations between Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, although they were recorded aboard the Command Module Columbia and Lunar Module Eagle.

Those conversations now are available on the Internet. All the Apollo spacecraft had onboard voice recorders, activated during much of each mission to record the crew's conversations. The transcripts of those recordings were publicly released in the mid-1970s. Only recently were the actual onboard audio recordings from Apollo 11 digitized and made available on the Web.

To listen to the recordings and view the transcript, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/apollo11_audio.html

For more information about the history of onboard recorders on the Apollo spacecraft and full transcripts of all mission recordings, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/apollo11.htm

For a detailed list of NASA events that celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/apollo40th

snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/index.html
Apollo 40th Anniversary

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/apollo11_audio.html
Apollo 11 Onboard Audio

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

FALCON 1 Clears The Tower - Malaysian satellite RazaSAT Launched to Orbit

http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/005/
Commercial launch of SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket a success
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: July 14, 2009

A Malaysian satellite rode a Falcon 1 rocket into orbit Monday night, marking the first time the privately-developed booster has successfully launched an operational spacecraft.

The 70-foot-tall rocket was making its fifth flight. Three of its four previous launches failed, dooming two small military satellites.

But SpaceX, the California-based company that developed the launcher, scored its second straight success Monday, almost nine months after the Falcon 1 first reached orbit last year.

"We nailed the orbit to well within target parameters, pretty much a bullseye," Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, told Spaceflight Now.

Musk confirmed Malaysia's RazakSAT satellite separated from the Falcon 1's upper stage and is communicating with ground controllers.

snip
------------------------------------------------------

http://www.onorbit.com/node/1218
Another Launch Success for SpaceX and Falcon 1
[YouTube Video here as well. - LRK -]
SpaceX achieved its second successful Falcon 1 launch in a row tonight when it placed the Razasat spacecraft into orbit.

I hope they have much more success.
The YouTube view of the launch is good.

Hope the Shuttle clears the weather restrictions and launches as well.
- 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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31768
NASA LRO LROC Image: The fractured floor of Compton
STATUS REPORT
Date Released: Monday, July 13, 2009
Source: LRO LROC
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/

Orbit 136 took LRO over the Imbrian-aged Compton Crater (162 km diameter) at an altitude of 172 kilometers. At this height, large boulders can be seen casting shadows, especially on the rims of the numerous secondary impacts that cover this ancient surface. But there is more to this image than craters and boulders.

In the upper part, the western edge of Compton's huge central peak is visible. The wide, sloping flat floored trough (or graben) records a period of uplift of the crater floor. The uplift caused the floor to break and pull apart, forming the graben. The cause of the uplift and fracture of crater floors is not yet fully understood. One possibility is the slow readjustment of the crust after the crater-forming impact. Asteroids and comets strike the Moon at speeds greater than 15 km/second. So much energy is released that rock behaves as a plastic for a brief instant - the crust is pushed down.

Over time the crust relaxes and uplifts towards its original position, fracturing lava flows that were erupted and hardened after the impact. Another idea concerns the intrusion of lava into the shallow subsurface. As this magma follows existing cracks, it exerts pressure on the surrounding rock causing uplift and more fracturing. Unraveling the origin of lunar tectonic features like this one is a primary focus of LROC science team.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1415/1
To boldly go. where others have gone before
by Edward Ellegood
Monday, July 13, 2009

With the Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee deep into its deliberations, there's little doubt that this august(ine) group's findings will carry much weight with those in Washington who will set NASA's future priorities. The committee's final report is due sometime next month, so they have little time to spare.

Maybe the committee can borrow from previous blue-ribbon space panels. There's no shortage of ideas in their reports, and there's more than a little overlap in their missions and membership.

Norm Augustine's current committee is his second high-profile effort to reshape NASA's exploration plans. Sally Ride has also been-there/done-that, and Lester Lyles and Wanda Austin just turned in their own committee report on NASA goals. Here's a list of some of the committees, commissions and task forces that have tread this ground before:

snip
==============================================================
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/50623927.html
NASA Releases Short List Of LROSS Target Craters. Sky & Telescope (7/13, Beatty) reported, "Late last week project officials released the 'short list' of candidate sites where, on October 9th at 11:30 Universal Time, LCROSS and the Centaur rocket that helped boost it will slam into the lunar landscape. These spots are lying in permanent shadow near the Moon's south pole." Brian Day, "who's coordinating amateur observations for the LCROSS project" at the Ames Research Center, stated that "ground-based observers probably" will not see the impact flash, but will likely see the plume of debris. "Although many professional telescopes will be turned Moonward that night, Day hopes amateurs will join the hunt."

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Friday, July 10, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY : M09-124 Media Invited to Attend NASA Advisory Meeting in Washington

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQM09-124_NASA_Advisory_Meeting.html

WASHINGTON -- The NASA Advisory Council will meet in the Columbia
Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Capitol on July 16, from 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. EDT. This daylong meeting is open to journalists and the public.

Following opening remarks from council chairman Kenneth Ford, NASA's
acting Administrator Christopher Scolese will speak with the council.
Gen. Lester Lyles will brief the council on a recently completed study
by the National Academies entitled, "Rationale and Goals of the U.S.
Civil Space Program." Chairman of the Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight
Plans Committee Norman Augustine will provide an update about his
committee's work.

The NASA Advisory Council also will discuss and deliberate on the NASA
activities being reviewed by the exploration, science, aeronautics,
space operations, human capital, and audit and finance committees.

For more information about NASA's Advisory Council and the meeting's
agenda, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/nac

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Press will be there. Keep an ear open as to what they are told.
It is up, up, and away we go, --- for just a few more gold coins, please.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Thursday, June 18, the NAC Chairman and its Audit & Finance
Committee Chairman testified at the hearing entitled, “External
Perspectives on the FY 2010 NASA Budget Request and Related Issues.”
To access the hearing charter and witness testimonies, please click on
the link below.
› View site - http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2493

NAC Testimony:
Dr. Kenneth M. Ford
› View PDF -
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/361390main_NAC%20Chairman-KenFord%27sTestimony,%206-18-09-1.pdf

Mr. Robert Hanisee
› View PDF -
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/361391main_NAC_A-f_%20Hanissee_Testimony_%206-18-09.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The NAC has already spoken to Congress and now the Press will get a
chance to ask questions.

You might like to read the PDF files above.
There is money that hasn't been obligated, that might be lost.

Reminds me of my tour with TACAMO in Guam where as this Aviation
Electronics Warrant Officer, acting as the supply officer for the
squadron, saved on a couple of $55K items by having a consumable
supply stock number changed to the correct repairable supply stock
number. The next quarter we lost an equivalent amount of funding
because we obviously didn't need as much money since the items were
now considered repairable.

So I saved you the tax payer, some money, but I really could have used
the money where we were short in other areas. It still cost money to
have the items repaired.

You have to watch those bean counters. :-)
- 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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/nac/home/index.html
NASA Advisory Counciel (NAC)

The NASA Advisory Council provides the NASA Administrator with
counsel and advice on programs and issues of importance to the Agency.
The Council consists of six committees, Aeronautics, Audit and
Finance, Exploration, Human Capital, Science, and Space Operations.
Each committee conducts fact-finding sessions throughout the year in
an effort to gain a broad understanding of current NASA issues and
future mission implementation plans. The committees then bring this
information to the full Council in order that specific recommendations
may be prepared.

The Council deliberates on topics raised by each committee in public
sessions and presents any findings and recommendations to the NASA
Administrator on a quarterly basis.

***NAC Testifies Before Congress***

NAC testifies before the House Science and Technology Committee’s
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
On Thursday, June 18, the NAC Chairman and its Audit & Finance
Committee Chairman testified at the hearing entitled, “External
Perspectives on the FY 2010 NASA Budget Request and Related Issues.”
To access the hearing charter and witness testimonies, please click on
the link below.
› View site - http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2493

snip
==============================================================
https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=155398&sessionid=1&key=3AA2BDA204286577B94043322552C7C3&partnerref=1ET1A1&sourcepage=register
TinyURL for above - http://tinyurl.com/lnb3my

Apollo: The Epic Journey that Launched a Generation of Engineers
Live Webinar Date: Monday, July 27, 2009

Time: 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET / 17:00 GMT

Overview:
In the early 60’s John F Kennedy mandated that the US would be the
first country to put a man on the moon.The Gemini and Apollo programs
accomplished just that. This webcast will provide an opportunity for
engineers around the world to ask these Space Pioneers about their
greatest challenges and accomplishments.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/0be5c681fc/buzz-aldrin-s-rocket-experience
Buzz Aldrin's - Rocket Experience

Full version of Buzz Aldrin's new song "Rocket Experience" A portion
of the proceeds from the song sales of Rocket Experience will go to
ShareSpace Foundation, to further benefit and support the work of the
National Space Society, the Planetary Society and the Astronaut
Scholarship Foundation.

To learn more about Buzz, go to http://buzzaldrin.com/
snip
==============================================================
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/earticle/7096/
Let’s go back to the moon — and beyond
James Woudhuysen
Monday 29 June 2009

As the 40th anniversary of the first manned moon landing approaches,
backward attitudes here on Earth have tainted our view of lunar
exploration.

America, Japan, China and India have all begun what the Wall Street
Journal calls ‘The new race for the moon’ (1). No doubt their motives
aren’t wholly pure; but it is those who attack the whole idea of lunar
missions who most deserve criticism right now, for they too are in the
ascendant. A popular, of-the-moment example is the new anti-capitalist
movie, Moon. Describing it as a warning ‘that couldn’t be more
timely’, a contributor to the influential online magazine Slate
insists, simply, ‘Stay off the moon!’ (2).

One thing unites the critics of lunar exploration. Forty years after
man first landed on the moon – on 20 July 1969 – they share a disdain
for the grandeur of extra-terrestrial endeavour; for the scale of
human ambition involved; for the very idea that human beings should
climb into space, as up a mountain, ‘because it is there’.

I have no special preference for size, thrust during lift-off, or the
traverse across vast distances. The development of the integrated
circuit in the late 1950s, so important to the Apollo programme, was a
tribute to miniaturisation rather than to high energy or physical
scale. No, my admiration for both Saturn boosters and tiny electronics
grows from a respect for open-ended curiosity, for human achievement,
and for taking risks. With space travel, a lot of bravery was also at
stake. And with both space and the development of semiconductors,
there is much teamwork to celebrate – teamwork that, in the case of
Apollo, involved not just three astronauts, but the efforts of
hundreds of thousands of people.

snip

(1) Michio Kaku, The New Race for the Moon, Wall Street Journal, 24
June 2009. See also Jay Barbree, President faces a Kennedy decision on
space, MSNBC, 23 June 2009, on; Shino Yuasa, Japan’s first lunar probe
ends mission, Business Week, 10 June 2009; Xinhua, China mulls manned
lunar landing in 2025-2030, China Daily, 24 May 2009, and Base station
on moon is the next dream: ISRO chief, the Hindu, 10 May 2009

(2) Daniel Engber, Go to “Moon”. Don’t Go to the Moon., Slate, 12 June 2009

snip
==============================================================
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09jul_lcross1.htm?list965414
Moonship Photographed by Backyard Astronomers

July 9, 2009: On June 29th, neighbors of Paul Mortfield in Ontario,
Canada, heard "cheers of excitement" coming from the astronomer's
house. What caused the commotion?

"I had just observed NASA's LCROSS spacecraft," explains Mortfield.
Using no more than a backyard telescope, he caught it zipping past
spiral galaxy IC3808:

LCROSS is the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. It left
Earth June 18th atop an Atlas V rocket on a mission to crash into the
Moon. On Oct. 9th, NASA plans to plunge LCROSS headfirst into a deep
crater near the Moon's south pole. Researchers hope the debris it
kicks up will reveal water and other minerals of use to future lunar
explorers.

Meanwhile, LCROSS is circling the Earth-moon system in a long looping
orbit, and NASA is inviting amateur astronomers to help track it.

"The more eyes the better," says Brian Day of NASA's Ames Research
Center. "We've got to crash this spacecraft into the bottom of a
pitch-black crater a quarter of a million miles away with pinpoint
accuracy. Amateur astronomers [can help us] precisely determine the
position of LCROSS in flight."

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

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

"Living On The Moon" a National Geographic Naked-Science series TV program

Minjae Ormes sent me some information on a National Geographic Naked-Science series TV program that she thought might be of interest. There is an 'EPISODES' pull down tab to view upcoming episodes.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/all/Overview

The one she thought we might be interested to us is, "Living On The Moon"
which is set to view on 19 July 2009, at 9 PM.
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http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Overview

The day before the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, NGC presents Living on the Moon. Man has always dreamed of living on the moon, and now a team of NASA scientists is proving that dream could be achieved in our lifetime. We take viewers inside Constellation, the space program's plan to establish a human outpost on the moon by 2020. Take a closer look at the plans under
way, from upgraded space suits to housing modules and moon vehicles, and examine the challenges ahead, such as finding water, making oxygen, growing food and protecting residents from deadly radiation. Then, using 3-D animation, we'll visualize how the remarkable outpost will take shape.
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Video clips can be seen here. - LRK -
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Videos/06893_00#tab-Videos/06893_00.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Videos/06892_00#tab-Videos/06892_00

and a series of photos can be viewed here.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Overview#tab-Photos/0

If you have a Twitter account you can follow what is happening at the National Geographic Channel here.
http://twitter.com/natgeochannel

Even if you can't watch the TV program, you may enjoy the links above.

I will probably miss the program as we will be driving up to Washington State to seem my mom whose 99th birthday is July 20. If you see the program, feel free to let me know what you think of it and I can pass that back to Minjae Ormes.

Just think, in 1910 you might not have had indoor plumbing. Halley's Comet went by the Sun, and again in 1986 but the view wasn't so good as the closest point was behind the Sun from Earth's viewpoint. Mom had hoped to see it then. We did have Pioneer Venus going around Venus and it too was on the other side of the Sun from us. It used its UV spectrometer to view Halley's Comet in UV.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2005/comets1.html

Next viewing will be in mid 2061 and I will miss it. (unless I can live to be 124, well mom is still doing well, so maybe) :-)

I have been reminded that Lunar Prospector ended its mission around the moon, 10 years ago, on July 31, 1999.

That was a lot of fun and now we have LRO going around again.
I hope we do more than just go around, and around.

Would like to see some hotels.
http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/Modules/Earth-to-Mars/6/7.cfm

Are your kids working on it?
http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/Modules/Earth-to-Mars/

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
Hardware for the Ares I-X Flight Test Rocket Preps for Stacking
Hardware for the Ares I-X flight test rocket is prepared for stacking in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Rocket pieces that were once at various manufacturing sites spread across the country in a 2,000 mile circle are now within a quarter mile of the NASA processing facilities. Next month, the pieces will be moved within an 18 foot circle as the I-X team prepares to stack the vehicle.


http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/CxEMM_SITE/index.html
In this interactive feature, NASA Astronaut Pam Melroy guides you through Constellation's missions to Low Earth Orbit, the moon and ultimately Mars.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/mlas.html
Mission Information
The NASA Constellation Program is developing an astronaut escape system for its Orion spacecraft, designed to carry humans to the International Space Station by 2015 and to the lunar surface by 2020. In a parallel effort, another NASA team, led by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), is preparing to demonstrate an alternate escape system to explore different technological approaches to the same task.
snip
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http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2009/07/what-are-the-real-costs-of-nasas-constellation-program.html
Tiny UL for above - LRK - http://tinyurl.com/no2yjs
What are the real costs of NASA's Constellation program?
At the end of the day, space travel now is all about money - or lack of it.

Getting astronauts back to the moon affordably is the key in these tight times. And making sure that a human exploration program fits within Obama White House budget constraints is a central guideline for the presidentially-appointed U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine.

Senior NASA officials told the committee during its public hearing in Washington on June 17, that the cost of the Constellation program by the first flight of the Ares I rocket and Orion crew capsule in 2015 would be $35 billion. But that is a new number and it clashes with other numbers that have been released by top NASA officials in recent
snip
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http://www.newscientist.com/special/apollo-11?DCMP=NLC
On 20 July 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed two men on the moon.

Just three years and five more crewed missions later, our visits came to an end. Yet the scientific legacy of the Apollo programm has been profound.

Here we report on how it gave us a new understanding of the universe and how Neil Armstrong's "small step" opened a new chapter in history that continues to unfold today.
snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Monday, July 06, 2009

VASIMR - Ad Astra Rocket Company - VX-200 Demonstrates Superconducting First Stage at Full Power

VASIMR - Ad Astra Rocket Company - VX-200 Demonstrates
Superconducting First Stage at Full Power
http://www.adastrarocket.com/home1.html

Vision
To revolutionize space transportation and exploration,
through the development and commercialization of the
VASIMR® engine and related technologies

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http://www.adastrarocket.com/VASIMR.html

The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) system encompasses three linked magnetic cells. The "Plasma Source" cell involves the main injection of neutral gas (typically hydrogen, or other light gases) to be turned into plasma and the ionization subsystem. The "RF Booster" cell acts as an amplifier to further energize the plasma to the desired temperature using electromagnetic waves. The "Magnetic Nozzle" cell converts the energy of the plasma into directed motion and ultimately useful thrust.
snip

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-537--RJb80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgSjm_vXg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5jrS9yp2kQ

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http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/07/06/vx200-demonstrates-superconducting-stage-full-power/
AD ASTRA ROCKET COMPANY PRESS RELEASE

Ad Astra Rocket Company has successfully demonstrated operation of its VX-200 plasma engine first stage at full power and under superconducting conditions in tests conducted today at the company’s Houston laboratory. This achievement is a key milestone in the engine’s development and the first time a superconducting plasma rocket has been operated at that power level.

Today’s tests build on the achievements of the VX-200i, the engine’s non-superconducting predecessor, which last fall underwent similar tests but under a greatly reduced set of requirements. A major difference between the two is the superconducting magnet, featured in the present system, which provides a ten-fold increase in the magnetic field and enables operation of the engine under conditions consistent with actual space flight.

The VX-200 superconducting magnet, the first of its kind, was delivered to Ad Astra’s Houston facility on February 10, 2009 by its manufacturer, Scientific Magnetics of Oxford, U.K. After successful acceptance tests, the superconductor was installed in the engine module, replacing the conventional magnet that had been used in the interim. This interim magnet, although incapable of reaching the strong magnetic fields required for full rocket performance, enabled the integrated testing of the remaining engine sub-systems while the company awaited delivery of the superconductor. First plasma in full superconducting mode was achieved on June 24, 2009.

snip
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http://www.adastrarocket.com/Release%20020709.pdf [the above press
release PDF from Ad Astra Rocket Company.]
and an earlier first stage accomplishment.
http://www.adastrarocket.com/Release241008.pdf

Also more news archive clips.
http://www.adastrarocket.com/News.html

Do you have someone coming up through the educational system that might learn and add to what has been started here?

See what having a vision can achieve.
- LRK -

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chang.html

http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/diaz.html
In August of 1968, Franklin Chang-Díaz arrived in the United States unable to speak English. By 1977 he had earned a Ph.D. in applied plasma physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_Astra_Rocket_Company
Ad Astra Rocket Company

The Ad Astra Rocket Company was incorporated on January 14, 2005. The company is presently located in Webster, TX, several miles from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The Chairman and CEO of Ad Astra Rocket Company is retired astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz. The company has been working on Chang-Diaz's concept of the VASIMR. The VASIMR is a rocket intended to achieve several advantages over current chemical rocket designs, including lunar cargo transport, in-space refueling, and ultra-high speeds for distant space missions.

Ad Astra Rocket Company is currently developing the VX-200, a full-scale prototype of the VASIMR engine intended for ground testing. The company intends to complete the prototype in 2009. Following the test, the company will begin preparations for the VF-200-1, the first
flight unit. Ad Astra Rocket Company hopes to send the VF-200-1 into space by late 2012. The VASIMR technology could be very useful in the near future for interplanetary space travel. The VASIMR design would be capable of reducing the trip to Mars to less than four months,
whereas current chemical rockets take around eight months.
snip
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http://www.adastrarocket.com/missions.html
VASIMIR Applications

VASIMR® is not suitable to launch payloads from the surface of the Earth due to its low thrust to weight ratio and its need of a vacuum to operate. Instead, it will function as an upper stage for cargo, drastically reducing the fuel requirements for in-space transportation. The engine is expected to perform the following functions at a fraction of the cost of chemical technologies:
1) drag compensation for space stations,
2) lunar cargo transport,
3) in-space refueling,
4) in space resource recovery,
5) ultra high speed transportation for deep space missions.

The Market

Market research supports the profitability of private spaceflight for tourism and other commercial applications. Over the last few years, private investment in non-government commercial spaceflight projects has grown dramatically. Major players, such as SpaceX, Bigelow
Aerospace, Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic, Rocketplane Kistler and Blue Origin are planning, over the next 8 – 10 years, to develop suborbital and orbital transport vehicles and modular space stations.

snip
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http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/library/lss_systems_concepts_workshop.html
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Programmatic Workshop on NASA Lunar Surface
Systems Concepts 02.13.09
February 25-27, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC

As part of an ongoing collaboration, NASA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) Space Enterprise Council (SEC) are conducting a workshop on NASA Lunar Surface Systems (LSS) Concepts. The objective is to provide a status of NASA's lunar surface exploration architecture, to share results of recent innovative lunar concept studies, and to seek feedback from U.S. industry and other interested parties. The workshop will include briefings on NASA, industry, and university analyses performed for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and Constellation Program (CxP), with particular emphasis on a recently completed suite of lunar surface study contracts administered by the Constellation Program's LSS Project Office.

Agenda - Wednesday, February 25 (8 am - 5 pm)
snip
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http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31712
NASA JSC Advanced Planning Office Blog: Is it time to start the Federation?

In the next few weeks we will get a new Administrator and Deputy Administrator. Shortly after that we will hear from the new Augustine Committee their recommendations concerning the future of human space exploration. So what can we expect about the future direction of NASA? To answer that let me go back four years to the early days of the Advanced Planning Office, when the Director for the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Mike Coats commissioned us to look at the 20 year strategy for JSC. When we started we conducted an environmental scan which included the changes in commercial space and international space.

The results of the scan and a series of scenario planning activities offered a future vision where Low Earth Orbit (LEO) would be crowded and that NASA could leverage to a greater extent the capabilities outside of the agency allowing us to focus our resources on exploration beyond LEO. Over the past few years we have been tracking their progress and it has been the source of many of my previous blogs. Then last fall during the presidential campaign, President Obama offered his view on the future direction of NASA. It included

* Using the Private Sector: Obama will stimulate efforts within the
private sector to develop and demonstrate spaceflight capabilities.
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a good model of
government/industry collaboration.

* Drawing in International Partners: Obama will encourage a
cooperative framework for the conduct of a long-term and sustainable
international exploration initiative. This will enable the United
States to leverage its resources and to use space exploration as a
tool of global diplomacy. Then earlier this year the Office of Science
& Technology Policy (OSTP) stated the following: The administration
and OSTP will develop policies that will:

* Help establish a robust and balanced civilian space program, and
engage international partners and the private sector to amplify NASA's
reach. Then it's probably no coincidence that a number of the
committee members of the Augustine Committee are from commercial
space.

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

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Moon and Mars - Videos

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