About A.U.S. - America's Uncommon Sense

Received an email from Ron Wells in regards to a website with essays by Harrison H. Schmitt who was an Apollo 17 Astronaut and former Senator (R-New Mexico).  It is a work in progress that already has a lot of material with an interesting video about Jack's career.

There will be more about the Apollo 17 later as well as Ron adds what he has.

Here is what Ron had to say.  Will pass for your consideration.
- LRK -

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Hi Larry:

You might be interested in posting this on your blog, although it is political in nature. We have finally gotten Jack's website up & running with all his essays on it. Later we will be adding material more relevant to the Apollo 17 mission and other space material, e.g., I have several hundred Apollo 17 3D analglyphs of the surface from their mission to put there:

As a few of you already know, my colleague Harrison H. Schmitt, former Senator (R-New Mexico) and Apollo 17 lunar astronaut, has been writing a series of essays during the past year about current affairs as they relate to the Constitution and America's future.  His background as a geologist, lunar astronaut, statesman, businessman and educator gives him a unique perspective on a wide range of topics and issues, as his essays clearly demonstrate, ranging from Climate Change to Health Care.  With the elections less than a week away, Dr. Schmitt's words are more relevant than ever.  I would encourage you to read them, and to forward his URL to others.  As Dr. Schmitt points out, the solutions to America's problems can be found in this Great Nation's past through the "uncommon" common sense of our Founders.  Which is why his website is called "America's Uncommon Sense" (AUS)  I might add that I've been pleased and honored to play a role in the creation of the website -- striking my own blow for Liberty and Freedom.  Go to:

http://www.americasuncommonsense.com

The essays will, of course, be pertinent after the election and will be added to in the months to come. They can either be read online, or downloaded as individual PDF files or *prc files for the Amazon Kindle reader. In addition, they are also available in those formats as combined book-length versions.

Sincerely,

Ron Wells

Ronald A. Wells, PI, POC
Tranquillity Enterprises, s.p.
Abingdon, VA

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Here is what Harrison H. Schmitt had to say at the beginning of the About page.
- LRK -

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America's Uncommon Sense

The Founders View Today

About A.U.S.

AmericasUncommonSense.com considers current national issues from the viewpoint of the Founders of the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers, and related correspondence of their times clearly enshrine the intent of these remarkable, knowledgeable, and courageous Americans. Through these interdependent statements, the Founders created the greatest form of republican government yet devised and provided straightforward guidance on how to preserve for our progeny their “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”– Harrison H. Schmitt

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Since Ron mentioned this was of a political nature, let me add for you in the USA, please go and vote if you have not already.
For the rest of you out there, I hope you have the opportunity to vote and make your voice heard.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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==============================================================

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schmitt-hh.html

---

NAME: Harrison H. Schmitt (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut (former)
PERSONAL DATA: Born July 3, 1935, in Santa Rita, New Mexico. Married to Teresa Fitzgibbon. Recreational interests writing, skiing, fishing, carpentry, hiking, handball, squash, and running.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Western High School, Silver City, New Mexico; received a bachelor of science degree in science from the California Institute of Technology in 1957; studied at the University of Oslo in Norway during 1957-1958; received doctorate in geology from Harvard University in 1964.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Schmitt
Harrison Schmitt

>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, a former NASA astronaut, University Professor and a U.S. Senator for one term.
He is the twelfth and last of the Apollo astronauts to arrive and set foot on the Moon, as crewmate Eugene Cernan exited the Apollo Lunar Module first. However, as Schmitt re-entered the module first, Cernan became the last astronaut to walk on and depart the moon. Schmitt is also the only geologist as well as the only person to have walked on the Moon who was never a member of the United States Armed Forces, although he is not the first civilian, since Neil Armstrong left military service prior to his landing in 1969.^[1]
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Dead Spacecraft Walking

Just when we had forgotten about the Moon.
Will it make the evening News?
- LRK -
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NASA Science News for Oct. 27, 2010
A pair of NASA spacecraft that were supposed to be dead a year ago are instead flying to the Moon for a breakthrough mission in lunar orbit.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/27oct_artemis/
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Oct. 27, 2010:  A pair of NASA spacecraft that were supposed to be dead last year are instead flying to the Moon for a breakthrough mission in lunar orbit.

"Their real names are THEMIS P1 and P2, but I call them 'dead spacecraft walking,'" says Vassilis Angelopoulos of UCLA, principal investigator of the THEMIS mission. "Not long ago they appeared to be doomed, but now they are beginning an incredible new adventure."

The story begins in 2007 when NASA launched a fleet of five spacecraft into Earth's magnetosphere to study the physics of geomagnetic storms. Collectively, they were called THEMIS, short for "Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms." P1 and P2 were the outermost members of the quintet.

Working together, the probes quickly discovered a cornucopia of previously unknown phenomena such as colliding auroras, magnetic spacequakes, and plasma bullets shooting up and down Earth’s magnetic tail. This has allowed researchers to solve several longstanding mysteries of the Northern Lights.


The mission was going splendidly, except for one thing: Occasionally, P1 and P2 would pass through the shadow of Earth. The solar powered spacecraft were designed to go without sunlight for as much as three hours at a time, so a small amount of shadowing was no problem. But as the mission wore on, their orbits evolved and by 2009 the pair was spending as much as 8 hours a day in the dark.

"The two spacecraft were running out of power and freezing to death," says Angelopoulos. "We had to do something to save them."

The team brainstormed a solution. Because the mission had gone so well, the spacecraft still had an ample supply of fuel--enough to go to the Moon. "We could do some great science from lunar orbit," he says. NASA approved the trip and in late 2009, P1 and P2 headed away from the shadows of Earth.

With a new destination, the mission needed a new name. The team selected ARTEMIS, the Greek goddess of the Moon. It also stands for "Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun."

The first big events of the ARTEMIS mission are underway now. On August 25, 2010, ARTEMIS-P1 reached the L2 Lagrange point on the far side of the Moon. Following close behind, ARTEMIS-P2 entered the opposite L1 Lagrange point on Oct. 22nd. Lagrange points are places where the gravity of Earth and Moon balance, creating a sort of gravitational parking spot for spacecraft.
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Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
[Check out the whole article and the graphics - LRK - ]
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This should be an interesting mission extension and give us a better idea of what we would be in for if we were to set up camp at Lunar L1 and L2.
Wouldn't want a refueling station to get zapped by solar storms or magnetic fields a snapping.
- LRK -

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. . .
"We are particularly hoping to catch some magnetic reconnection events," says Sibeck. "These are explosions in Earth's magnetotail that mimic solar flares--albeit on a much smaller scale." ARTEMIS might even see giant 'plasmoids' accelerated by the explosions hitting the Moon during magnetic storms.
. . .
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My oh my, maybe we wouldn't be in Kansas.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
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==============================================================

-- Moon Express Enters the $30 Million Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31944

"Moon Express Inc., a privately funded lunar transportation and data services company,
announced its official entry into the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a $30 million competition that
challenges space professionals and engineers from across the globe to build and launch to the
Moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and
transmission tasks. Team MoonEx, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is among 24 teams from
a dozen countries that are competing for their share of the $30 million prize purse."


-- Robonaut 2 Prepared for Shuttle Trip to International Space Station
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31943

"Robonaut 2, better known as R2, is packed and ready to blast into outer space next week aboard
the space shuttle Discovery for his first real work assignment at the International Space Station
(ISS). R2 is the product of an advanced robotics partnership between NASA and General Motors
that began in 2007."

-- Countdown to Comet Flyby Down to Nine Days
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31942

"NASA's EPOXI mission continues to close in on its target, comet Hartley 2, at a rate of 12.5
kilometers (7.8 miles) per second. On Nov. 4 at about 10:01 a.m. EDT (7:01 a.m. PDT) the
spacecraft will make its closest approach to the comet at a distance of about 700 kilometers (434
miles). It will be the fifth time that a comet has been imaged close-up and the first time in
history that two comets have been imaged with the same instruments and same spatial
resolution."

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

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NASA Missions Uncover The Moon's Buried Treasures

In the news for those that are still looking up.
What was it was said about missions to Mars, follow the water.
Hmmm, could we say the same for the Moon, follow the water.

Now will someone look for an ice cave or investigate some of those holes in the Moon.
http://www.universetoday.com/73659/lro-takes-closer-look-at-moon-caves/
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/oct/HQ_10-271_LCROSS_LRO.html
NASA Missions Uncover The Moon's Buried Treasures

RELEASE: 10-271
Oct. 21, 2010

Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists Thursday revealed new data
uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO.

The missions found evidence that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. Scientists also confirmed the water was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places. The results are featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of Science.

"NASA has convincingly confirmed the presence of water ice and characterized its patchy distribution in permanently shadowed regions of the moon," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This major undertaking is the one of many steps NASA has taken to better understand our solar system, its resources, and its origin, evolution, and future."

The twin impacts of LCROSS and a companion rocket stage in the moon's Cabeus crater on Oct. 9, 2009, lifted a plume of material that might not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years. As the plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the rim of Cabeus, instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO made observations of the crater and debris and vapor clouds. After the impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were lofted into the sunlight in the vacuum of space.

"Seeing mostly pure water ice grains in the plume means water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past, or chemical processes have been causing ice to accumulate in large quantities," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Also, the diversity and abundance of certain materials called volatiles in the plume, suggest a variety of sources, like comets and asteroids, and an active water cycle within the lunar shadows."

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As posted at. Science NASA.
- LRK -

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http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/21oct_lcross2/
Lunar Impact Uncovered More Than Just Moon Water
Oct. 21, 2010:  Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists have revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO—and it's more than just water.
The missions found evidence that lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials. Moreover, the moon appears to be chemically active and has a full-fledged water cycle. Scientists also confirmed that 'moon water' was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places.
These results are featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of Science.
The twin impacts of LCROSS and a companion rocket stage in the moon's Cabeus crater on Oct. 9, 2009, lifted a plume of material that might not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years. As the plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the crater’s rim, instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO made observations of the crater and debris and vapor clouds. After the impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were lofted into the sunlight in the vacuum of space.
"Seeing mostly pure water ice grains in the plume means water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past, or chemical processes have been causing ice to accumulate in large quantities," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center.
In addition to water, the plume contained "volatiles." These are compounds that freeze in the cold lunar craters and vaporize easily when warmed by the sun. The suite of LCROSS and LRO instruments determined as much as 20 percent of the material kicked up by the LCROSS impact was volatiles, including methane, ammonia, hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
[See image at link - LRK -]
Experiment . The map contains several intensely cold impact craters that could trap water ice and other icy compounds commonly observed in comets. The approximate maximum temperatures at which these compounds would be frozen in place for more than a billion years are noted at right.
 [larger image    http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/10/21/southpole.jpg ]

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For more information about LCROSS, a complete list of the papers and their authors, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lcross

For more information about the LRO mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lro

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/multimedia/index.html
LCROSS Multimedia

LCROSS Mission team - 27 images..

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LRO mission link.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html
LRO: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The LRO mission objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.
NASA Hosts Media Telecon Featuring Results of Moon Mission Impact

NASAl hosted a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 21, to discuss additional findings from NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, missions.

The results will be featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of the journal Science.
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LRO Mission at Goddard Space Flight Center
http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Lunar Impact May Impact Lunar Science For Years To Come
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-345

Moon Crater Map Reveals Early Solar System History
Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/moon-map/?pid=237&viewall=true#ixzz132TuQaqi

I shot an arrow into the air, it landed, I know not where.
I launched a rocket to the Moon, for profit, and soon.
http://www.asi.org/adb/02/07/lunacity-hotel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Project
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================

-- NASA Missions Uncover The Moon's Buried Treasures
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31904

"Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists Thursday revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. The missions found evidence that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. Scientists also confirmed the water was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places."
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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/index.html
LROSS
Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite

Latest News

Media Telecon: LCROSS and LRO Science Science Results of Lunar Impact Date: Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 Time: 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT A replay of the teleconference will be available until Nov. 4, 2010 by dialing 888-566-0674 from within the United States, or 203-369-3084 internationally. Passcode is 6267. Read more at -  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/oct_21_media_telecon.html

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http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html
NASA Current Missions

Links

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

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China Launches Second Moon Mission - Oct 1, 2010

I missed this on the evening news here in the USA.
Maybe you saw an announcement.
Watching for arrival at the Moon
- LRK -

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China Launches Second Moon Mission
http://www.universetoday.com/74740/china-launches-second-moon-mission/
[CCTV YouTube clip]

China successfully launched their second robotic mission, Chang’E-2, to the Moon. A Long March 3C rocket blasted off from Xichang launch center just before 1100 GMT on October 1. The satellite is scheduled to reach the Moon  in five days, and so far, all the telemetry shows everything to be working as planned. It will take some time for Chang’E-2 to settle into its 100-km (60-mile) orbit above the lunar surfaces, although the China space agency also said the spacecraft will come as close as 15km above the surface during its mission in order to take high-resolution imagery of potential landing sites for Chang’E-3, China’s next lunar mission that will send a rover to the Moon’s surface, scheduled for 2013.

Chang’E-2 will be used to test key technologies and collect data for future landings.

China hopes to send another robotic probe to the Moon later this decade to attempt to return lunar samples to Earth, with the ultimate goal of landing an astronaut on the Moon.

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Launching over land has its risk.
Over water you have to chase boats away.
Over land hope for debris in a field.
- LRK -

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China Lunar Rocket Launched Successfully, but Rained Debris on Villages
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/10/04/china-lunar-rocket-launched-successfully-but-rained-debris-on-villages/

China successfully launched its second lunar probe on Friday, taking another step towards its goal of becoming a full-fledged space power. The probe, named Chang’e-2, made several maneuvers over the weekend to correct its trajectory, and is expected to reach the moon’s orbit this week.

The first Chang’e probe (they’re named after a Chinese moon goddess)  orbited the moon for 16 months before self-destructing in a controlled impact with the lunar surface. This second craft is expected to return better data, because it will orbit closer to the surface than its predecessor and carries a higher resolution camera.

Chang’e-2 will orbit 100 kilometers above the moon’s surface and drop down to 15 kilometers on a mission to take detailed pictures of a candidate landing area for a follow-on craft, Chang’e-3, that is expected to be launched toward the end of 2014 or early 2015. [Science Insider]
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/10/chinas-second-lunar-probe-on-its.html

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While Chang’e-2 seems to be coasting serenely towards the moon, things have been a little more chaotic on the ground back in China. Last night, residents of two villages in Jiangxi, China heard rocket debris crashing back to Earth.

Villagers in the area awoke last night to quite a ruckus, thinking that an earthquake was underway. Upon exploration, they instead found what appears to be a sizeable chunk of the rocket used to launch Chang’e II toward the moon in a launch on Friday. Fortunately, the debris fell harmlessly onto rural land, injuring no one and causing no property damage. Had the space junk rained down on one of China’s many densely packed population centers who knows what might have happened?
[Popular Science]
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/after-successful-space-launch-space-debris-rains-down-chinese-villages
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Have hard hat, looking up.
For only $134 million, maybe someone else would like to orbit the Moon.
- LRK -

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China Launches Second Robotic Moon Probe
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 01 October 2010
09:28 am ET
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/change-2-china-second-moon-probe-launch-101001.html

An unmanned moon probe blasted off from China Friday (Oct. 1) to begin the country's next phase of lunar exploration and set the stage for even more ambitious spaceflights to come.

The Chinese moon probe, called Chang'e 2, launched at 6:59:57 a.m. EDT (1059:57 GMT) from the Xichang Space Center in southwestern China's Sichuan province, according to state media reports. It should take about five days for the spacecraft to enter orbit around the moon.

The Chang'e 2 spacecraft soared into space atop one of China's Long March 3C rockets. It launched on Oct. 1, National Day in China – a holiday that commemorates the 61st anniversary of Communist rule in the country.

Chang'e 2 is the second step in China's three-phase Chang'e moon exploration program, which is named after China's mythical moon goddess. Chang'e 2 will test out technology and collect data on possible landing sites for the Chang'e 3 spacecraft, which is scheduled to land on the moon in 2013, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency has reported.

According to media reports, the mission has a cost of about $134 million.

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Another slant.
- LRK -

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China Launches Second Lunar Exploration Probe, Chang’e-2
2 October, 2010
http://www.lanewsmonitor.com/news/China-Launches-Second-Lunar-Exploration-Probe--Change-2-1286044882/

In an apparent effort to establish the country as a major space power, China launched its second lunar exploration probe yesterday. The new programme will allow China to send a man on the moon in the future. State media reported that the Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter blasted off from southwestern province of Sichuan a few seconds before 7 p.m.

"Chang'e-2 lays foundation for the soft-landing on the moon and further exploration of outer space," head of the orbiter's design team Wu Weiren was quoted as saying by Xinhua."It (will) travel faster and closer to the moon, and it will capture clear pictures," Wu added. The live pictures of the launch were relayed on the state television.

Chinese exploration is expected to fly as close as 15 km above the moon. The mission will test skills and technology, which will ultimately to pave the way for an unmanned landing planned in about 2013. The official China Daily said that the Chang 2 will take high-resolution photos of the moon's Bay of Rainbows. Chinese space scientists are planning to land Chang 3 on Bay of Rainbows.

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Dusting off the Chinese dictionary.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
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==============================================================
Moon Landing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing

A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned (robotic) missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on September 13, 1959.[3] The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon on July 20, 1969.[4]

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Proposed future missions
Main article: List of future lunar missions

The most recently launched lunar orbiter is China's Chang'e 2, which was launched in early October 2010. China is also planning to land motorized rovers and collect samples in the Chang'e 3 and Chang'e 4 missions and return lunar soil samples by 2018.[26]

Russia's Luna-Glob 1 expected to be launched in 2012. In 2007 the head of the Russian Space Agency announced plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 2025 and establish a permanent manned base there in 2027-2032.[27]

ISRO, the Indian National Space agency, has announced the Chandrayaan program for Lunar exploration. The second mission Chandrayaan II plans to land a motorised rover by 2013.

The Google Lunar X Prize competition offers a $20 million award for the first privately funded team to land a robotic probe on the Moon. Like the Ansari X Prize before it, the competition aims to advance the state of the art in private space exploration.[28]

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The Planetary Society Blog
By Emily Lakdawalla
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002693/

Chang'E 2 launches to the Moon
Oct. 1, 2010 | 09:31 PDT | 16:31 UTC

Congratulations to China! Chang'E 2 successfully lifted off at 10:59:57 UTC today, October 1, 2010 aboard a Long March 3C rocket. Unlike its predecessor, Chang'E 2 rocketed directly to a lunar transfer orbit and will arrive at the Moon only 112 hours after launch (according  to the Xinhua news agency). That would put its lunar arrival at about 03:00 on Wednesday, October 6. Here is some really terrific video coverage of the launch from CCTV. I'm sorry that it autoplays; I can't figure out how to prevent it from doing that.

[Video runs when you open for 31:12 minutes:seconds - a lot of comments - more still images below as well. - LRK -]
[If you watch the video you will be amused at the lack of understanding of rocket technology by one of the reporters.]

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Villagers stunned after pieces of Chinese rocket from lunar probe rain
down from the sky
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1317641/Villagers-stunned-pieces-Chinese-rocket-rain-sky.html

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:47 PM on 4th October 2010

At first these Chinese villagers thought the two large explosions in the middle of the night were an earthquake.

But they awoke the next morning to see their village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi dotted with huge pieces of metal.

These images show the scene in their rural village after the rocket from China's second lunar mission crashed to Earth, narrowly missing crushing their homes.
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[Looks like the nose fairing after separation dropped to Earth - LRK -]
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS UPDATE SPACE STATION LAUNCH MANIFEST

Send in the International heavy lift.  May it provide an altitude boost when needed.
- LRK -

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INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS UPDATE SPACE STATION LAUNCH MANIFEST
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/oct/HQ_10-242_Updated_Station_Manifest.html

WASHINGTON -- NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) agreed on Friday to update the International Space Station launch schedule.

The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight, STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27, 2011, and the Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15. Roscosmos will continue to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the International Astronautical Conference in Prague. Arianespace, whose Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has confirmed its commitment to launch on Feb. 15.

The STS-134 flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter, and the origin and structure of the universe. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms.

ATV-2, dubbed Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to dock on Feb. 26 to the station. The cargo craft is designed to deliver more than seven tons of experiments, fuel, water, food and other supplies to the space station. While docked, ATV-2 will use its thrusters to periodically boost the station's orbit, which decays with time. It also can be used for emergency maneuvers, such as those required if a piece of space debris is predicted to hit the station. This capability saves critical attitude control propellant for the station.

After about 3.5 months, the ATV-2 will undock from the station and burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean. The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched in March 2008 and reentered the atmosphere in September 2008.

The space station launch manifest is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html

For details about upcoming shuttle missions and crews, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about ATV-2, visit ESA at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV

For more information about the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, visit:
http://www.arianespace.com/launch-services/launch-services-overview.asp

For more information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station

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Making an appointment to meet up with friends is not always easy, on Earth or in space.
Making allowances for participants schedules takes some fine tuning.
Can you really come?
- LRK -

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ESA Reassurances Clear Way for Station Cargo Launch Delay
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100930-esa-reassurances-clear-cargo-launch.html
Thu, 30 September, 2010
By Peter B. de Selding

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The European Space Agency (ESA) has secured approval from its international space station partners to delay the launch of the ATV-2 cargo carrier by two months, to mid-February, following ESA guarantees that there will be no more postponements caused by commercial concerns for Europe’s Arianespace launch consortium, government officials said Sept. 30.

A formal announcement of the agreement is expected Oct. 1.

Arianespace Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall in turn has promised ESA that even if a planned late-December launch of two telecommunications satellites is delayed for whatever reason, this commercial mission will be rescheduled for March, giving time for the ATV-2 launch to occur around Feb. 15.

The 20,000-kilogram Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) delivers water and other supplies to the station. It is also needed to reboost the station into its operating orbit, a maneuver that NASA has said it wants to occur in March or April.

Managing the arrival and departure of vehicles to the station — Europe’s ATV, Japan’s smaller H-TV cargo transporter, the U.S space shuttle and Russian Soyuz manned flights and Progress cargo deliveries — has been made more complicated by the ATV-2 delay.

NASA, as the station’s general contractor, had pushed for a December launch, government officials said. ESA officials, including ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain, have clearly been uncomfortable in explaining the two-month delay.

[Read more about the scheduling complications - LRK -]
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As noted at ESA News
- LRK -

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International partners update launch manifest
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMR88QOHEG_index_0.html

1 October 2010
ESA PR 22-2010 NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on Friday agreed to update the International Space Station launch schedule. The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight, STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27 and the Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15.

Roscosmos will continue to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the International Astronautical Conference in Prague. Arianespace, whose Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has confirmed its commitment to launch ATV-2 on February 15.

[See related articles for ATV on right hand navigation column. - LRK -]
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Many more adjustments to be made over the coming years.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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Space Shuttle News
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

APU Loading Begins
Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:35:26 AM PDT

Technicians will begin loading hydrazine fuel into space shuttle Discovery's three auxiliary power units today. The APUs are turned on five minutes before liftoff and provide power to the several systems during the climb into orbit, including the hydraulics that steer the main engines. Discovery, which stands at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is being readied for liftoff on the STS-133 mission, targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m.EDT. At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Discovery's six-person crew will continue their bench review.


http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/153212main_134etmove430x.jpg
Image above: The external fuel tank for space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 mission was carried from the the Pegasus barge into the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday. The tank was the last one due at the space center for the Space Shuttle Program. Processing also continues on pace for Discovery's STS-133 mission, targeted for launch on Nov. 1. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
› View larger image
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/180842main_KSC-310D-0824_0047.jpg

During space shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Discovery has been moved to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STS-133 is slated to launch Nov. 1.

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ATV - Automated Transfer Vehicle
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV/index.html

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ATV Johannes Kepler cargo section arrives in Bremen

10 September 2009   The Integrated Cargo Carrier for Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV Johannes Kepler, has been delivered to the premises of EADS Astrium in Bremen, Germany.
Full story at: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV/SEMDXTV0EZF_0.html

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

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