NASA Lunar Science Institute

The NASA Lunar Science Institute is a new organization that supplements and extends existing NASA lunar science programs. Competitively selected team investigations will focus on one or more aspects of lunar science -- investigations of the Moon (including lunar samples), from the Moon, and on the Moon.

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http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/index.php?fuseaction=home.about#mission
The Mission of the NLSI and its member investigators is to advance the field of lunar science by:

1) carrying out and supporting collaborative research in lunar science, investigating the Moon itself and using the Moon as a unique platform for other investigations;

2) providing scientific and technical perspectives to NASA on its lunar research programs, including developing investigations for current and future space missions;

3) supporting development of the lunar science community and training the next generation of lunar science researchers; and

4) supporting Education and Public Outreach by providing scientific content for K-14 education programs, and communicating directly with the public.

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

Well, well, I see that NASA Ames still has a role to play in our learning more about the Lunar Missions.
Will look forward to see what comes of this as we approach 2008 and the election of a new President of USA.

Hope we in the USA make sure we let the new administration know our interest in the development of space.
- 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
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http://www.spaceref.com/calendar/calendar.html?pid=4876
NASA Ames Lunar Science Institute Dedication Ceremony

News media are invited to interview key NASA officials and attend a dedication ceremony for the new NASA Lunar Science Institute at NASA Ames Research Center on Friday, April 11, 2008.

The NASA Lunar Science Institute is modeled after the successful NASA Astrobiology Institute, also managed by Ames, and features teams of scientists across the country collaborating in lunar science and future lunar exploration.

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/apr/HQ_08095_LADEE.html

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
203-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Deborah Robin Croft
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-6787
dcroft@mail.arc.nasa.gov

April 9, 2008

RELEASE : 08-095

NASA Sets Sights on Lunar Dust Exploration Mission

WASHINGTON -- NASA is preparing to send a small spacecraft to the moon in 2011 to assess the lunar atmosphere and the nature of dust lofted above the surface.

Called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the mission will launch before the agency's moon exploration activities accelerate during the next decade. LADEE will gather detailed information about conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these influences will help researchers understand how future exploration may shape the lunar environment and how the environment may affect future explorers.

"LADEE represents a low-cost approach to science missions, enabling faster science return and more frequent missions," said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. "These measurements will provide scientific insight into the lunar environment, and give our explorers a clearer understanding of what they'll be up against as they set up the first outpost and begin the process of settling the solar system."

LADEE is a cooperative effort with NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The total cost of the spacecraft is expected to be approximately $80 million.

Ames will manage the mission, build the spacecraft and perform mission operations. Goddard will perform environmental testing and launch vehicle integration. The mission will be established within Marshall's newly created Lunar Science Program Office. Marshall will draw upon experience gained from managing a larger suite of low-cost, small satellite missions through NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Program.
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April 10, 2008

JD Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241
j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-097

NASA LAUNCHES NEW SCIENCE WEB SITE

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Science Mission Directorate has launched a new
Web site that provides enhanced and engaging information about NASA's
vast scope of scientific endeavors and achievements.

The site will provide in-depth coverage of NASA's past, present and
future science missions with features that include:

- Interactive tables and searches for Earth, heliophysics, planetary
and astrophysics missions
- Insight into dark matter and dark energy, planets around other
stars, climate change, Mars and space weather
- Resources for researchers including links to upcoming science
solicitations and opportunities
- A mapping of science questions for NASA science missions and the
data they produce
- A citizen-scientist page with access to resources that equip the
public to engage in scientific investigation
- Expanded "For Educators" and "For Kids" pages to provide access to a
broader range of resources for learning the science behind NASA
missions
- Easy-to-navigate design and an improved search engine to help find
information

Visit the new NASA science Web site at:

http://nasascience.nasa.gov
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April 10, 2008

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

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

Sara Hammond
University of Arizona, Tucson
520-626-1974
shammond@lpl.arizona.edu

RELEASE: 08-100

NASA SPACECRAFT FINE TUNES COURSE FOR MARS LANDING

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of
the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May
25th landing on the Red Planet.

"This is our first trajectory maneuver targeting a specific location
in the northern polar region of Mars," said Brian Portock, chief of
the Phoenix navigation team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif. The mission's two prior trajectory maneuvers, made
last August and October, adjusted the flight path of Phoenix to
intersect with Mars.

NASA has conditionally approved a landing site in a broad, flat valley
informally called "Green Valley." A final decision will be made after
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes additional images of the
area this month.
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For more information about Phoenix, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix

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

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