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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space exploration activities and policy development from around the world. In the United States, NASA’s 2009 Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite mission creates a sensation as scientists reveal in depth findings from the spacecraft’s impact with a crater at the lunar south pole. Though the U.S. now plans to look beyond the moon in the future human exploration of space, the LCROSS mission confirmed the presence of recoverable water, ammonia, methane and other resources for space explorers. NASA’s interest in a 2011 shuttle mission to support the International Space Station grows. The White House underscores the global value of identifying asteroids that could impact the Earth with devastating consequences. The European Space Agency hopes to open the space station up to research from more nations.
1. From the Wall Street Journal: NASA’s Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite, a companion to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, found not only water but other potentially useful resourced on the moon. On Thursday, scientists preview the results that will appear in Friday’s editions of the Journal Science. The LCROSS mission achieved its results by slamming an impactor into the lunar south pole crater Cabeus. An up close analysis of the excavated debris found there was about 12 gallons of water in each ton of lunar soil.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566194097878552.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
A. From Bloomberg News: The moon has enough water to serve as a service station for hydrogen and oxygen rocket propellants, according to scientists.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-21/enough-water-on-the-moon-to-consider-space-station-u-s-scientists-say.html
B. From the New York Times: The moon’s Cabeus crater has more water than the Sahara Desert, scientists estimate. The water could be mined relatively easily to make oxygen for life support or oxygen and hydrogen rocket propellants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/science/space/22moon.html?_r=2&ref=science
C. From the Los Angeles Times: Cabeus crater holds a billion gallons of frozen water mixed with soil.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-moon-water-20101022,0,2453568.story
D. From the Washington Post: The moon is like an “oasis in the desert,” say scientists. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/21/AR2010102103666.html
E. From New Scientist: The moon’s resources include silver, say scientists.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19609-lcross-mission-may-have-struck-silver-on-the-moon.html
2. From Florida Today: NASA will need an extra shuttle mission in 2011 to help ensure the International Space Station is well stocked with supplies to keep it operating until commercial rocket companies can take over the cargo delivery task, according to NASA program manager John Shannon. The mission has been authorized by Congress and the White House, though the funds have not been appropriated. If flown, the mission by shuttle Atlantis is currently late June. Shannon suggests the mission would better serve the station if flown later in the year.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20101022/NEWS02/10220324/NASA+lobbies+for+later+launch
3. From Space.com: White House Science Adviser John Holdren tells leaders of the House Science and Technology Committee that the United States should strive to lead in the detection of asteroids that could cause devastation by striking the Earth. As part of its leadership, the U.S. should devise strategies for deflecting those asteroids that pose the greatest risk, Space.com reports.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/news/white-house-plans-asteroid-impact-101021.html
4. From Spacepolitics.com: George Sowers, of United Launch Alliance, offers suggestions for curing the nation’s space exploration ills at this week’s International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in Las Cruces, N.M. They include closing the human space flight gap quickly; choosing a strategy to leave Low Earth Orbit as soon as possible; turning to commercial providers for low Earth orbit transportation; and developing the technologies for on orbit refueling to make smaller rockets suitable for deep space missions. Finally, he suggests the space community live within NASA’s $19 billion budget as they plan. Spending could fall to help with deficit reductions, he cautions.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/10/21/four-goals-and-three-suggestions-for-nasas-human-spaceflight-program/
A. From Spaceflightnow.com: NASA selects the Atlas V for the launching of the MAVEN mission. Scheduled for a November 2013 lift off, MAVEN will study the Martian atmosphere for clues about the planet’s ancient climate.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/21maven/
5. From Space News: The European Space Agency announces it will open the use of the International Space Station to the 27 member nations of the European Union in a bid to share costs. http://www.spacenews.com/civil/101021-europe-broaden-access-iss.html
6. From Florida Today: One in four Central Florida schools could fall below 70 percent enrollment capacity as the shuttle program retires, and residents look for jobs elsewhere, according to a study by the Brevard Public Schools..
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20101021/NEWS01/10210311/1086/Shuttle+s+end+may+empty+Brevard+classrooms