Chang'E-1 has blazed a new trail in China's deep space exploration

Lunar global topographic map based on Chang'E-1 Digital Elevation model (DEM) CLTM-s01.

Science in China
(Series G, Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy)

A huge amount of scientific data have been accumulated by the Chang'E-1 lunar orbiter. Using laser altimeter data, Jinsong Ping and Qian Huang et al obtained improved 3D lunar topography, and based on this, they had made new discoveries (such as impact basins and volcanic deposit highlands) of some ancient topographic characteristics on the lunar surface. Chao Chen and Qing Liang et al., found the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin as the biggest mascon on the moon and put forward a fault structure hypothesis for the Apenninus Mountains, which is significant for the study of the origin and evolution of the moon.

The above special-issue papers reporting on the Chang'E selenodesy results were jointly accomplished by experts from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO), the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and other institutions. They will appear on Vol. 39 Issue 10 of the "Science in China Series G: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy" and Vol. 54 Issue 20 of the Chinese Science Bulletin.

Since the 1990s, there has been a new worldwide upsurge of lunar exploration missions. As did the other lunar spacecrafts launched about the same time frame, the Chang'E-1 lunar orbiter focused on selenodesy so that it could remedy the low resolution and poor coverage problems of past data and open the door to recovering lunar evolution by detecting new lunar topography, gravity fields or interior structures. Furthermore, it would prepare for future Chinese spacecraft landing on the surface of the moon.

Lunar topography, chemical composition and thickness all show obvious dichotomy. In-depth investigation into the lunar dichotomy and characteristics of basins, mascons, impact craters and volcanic highlands is the only way to throw light on the history of lunar evolution. Based on the Chang'E-1 lunar DEM model CLTM-s01 published in 2008, researchers from SHAO took a comparative planetary science approach and successfully found some impact basins (i.e. the quasi-impact basin Sternfeld-Lewis and impact basin Fitzgerald-Jackson) and one crater (i.e. the crater Wugang) on the Far Side, and one middle scale volcanic deposit highland (i.e. the 2.8 km highland Yutu) on the Near Side. Moreover, they analyzed and identified some middle scale impact basins and classified them according to their circular characteristics.

Based on the Bouguer gravity anomaly, researchers from the China University of Geosciences confirmed the SPA basin is the biggest mascon on the terrestrial planets in the solar system. Comparing the Apenninus Mountain of the moon with the Himalayas on Earth, they put forward a hypothesis about the possible existence of a big fault structure band, which would possibly change our previous knowledge that there is no motion in the interior of the moon.

Due to certain operational limitations, it is difficult to calibrate the data collected by the Chang'E-1 orbiter. The researchers tried to get around various problems with novel techniques (especially related to the interferometer spectrometer imager), and made the previously inapplicable data useful for estimating the distribution of lunar materials. Besides, Chinese astronomers creatively monitored the critical arcs of the Chang'E-1 trajectory with a VLBI measurement platform.

As forward-looking technologists, they also performed open-loop radiometric tracking of the spacecraft and other unprecedented test experiments, while further participating in same-beam observation of the Japanese SELENE spacecrafts. We believe these pioneering works would make a significant contribution to our country's future deep space exploration.

Law change needed for Scotland spaceport

BBC - A change in the law is needed before Scotland can be considered as a launch site for commercial space flights, the head of Virgin Galactic has said.

The firm's president Will Whitehorn said locations in Scotland and Sweden were being considered as bases for Virgin's European operations.

But he said UK laws would have to be amended to allow flights to take place.

Mr. Whitehorn said UK ministers and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was currently looking at the issue.

Follow the story, HERE.

An excellent lay summary of Shackleton situs

Christian Science Monitor via
KIVI-TV Boise

Moon base: Location, location, location

If, as planned, the United States eventually establishes a lunar base in 2020, one of the most tempting patches of moonscape is Shackleton Crater at the south pole.

There may be water ice for drinking or converting to rocket fuel, the nearly constant sunlight at the rim is ideal for solar power, and the temperature is relatively bearable.

But perhaps the most compelling reason is something far more primal: surviving the lunar night, which lasts 14 Earth days and can hit temperatures so cold that oxygen turns to liquid.

Amid the many challenges that face America's bid to send four astronauts to inhabit a moon base for 180 days at a stretch, the lunar night is among the hardest to unravel - and for now, scientists think the rim of Shackleton Crater might be the best place to find solutions.

"If you want to explore the moon, you have to start with the first requirement: surviving a lunar night," says James Head III, a planetary geologist at Brown University.

The goal to return humans to the moon by 2020, first established under President Bush, appears to have President Obama's approval. Between his fiscal 2010 budget proposal and the stimulus package passed by Congress, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is slated to get roughly $2.4 billion more than it received in 2008. The 2010 deadline for retiring the space shuttles remains intact. So does the lunar-exploration program, with its rockets to replace the shuttles.

But for all its attractiveness as a steppingstone from Earth to Mars, the moon is one nasty place, explains Narayanan Ramachandran, an aerospace engineer who heads the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Space Colonization Technical Committee.

The allure of Shackleton Crater is that it is relatively hospitable and practical. Explorers perched on its rim would experience a night of only 2 Earth days and 4 hours. The crater's proximity to the moon's day-night boundary - called the terminator - also makes it an ideal place to test technologies and find out what works and what doesn't in both environments.

The difficulties to overcome are many. Solar storms and cosmic rays bombard the daylight half of the moon with charged particles dangerous to humans. Cosmic rays continue the onslaught throughout the night. And the particles smack the lunar surface with enough energy to knock neutrons loose and send them speeding upward - another form of radiation.

Lunar dust is another serious problem. On Earth, dust gets tumbled around, rounding its edges, and moisture in the atmosphere makes it easier to clean off. On the moon, however, those processes do not exist, meaning the grains of the surface soil, or regolith, remain jagged. And with no moisture to prevent static electricity from building up on the grains, they provide the ultimate example of static cling - on everything from spacesuits to rover batteries.

Yet during a recent conference for firms interested in building the lunar outpost, a significant amount of attention turned to surviving the lunar night. Satellites in the right orbit could gather sunlight, convert it to microwaves, then beam the microwaves to a facility on the surface that would convert the beams into electricity. Other groups touted small nuclear reactors whose heat would be converted to electricity required for heating and other needs.

But the cost of getting such big-ticket items to the moon, as one expert puts it, is "one followed by too many zeros."

This has led some engineers to explore a live-off-the-regolith approach - taking advantage of the positive side of lunar dust: It stores heat.

Specifically, the top four inches of the regolith absorbs sunlight and heats up. Lunar explorers could harvest this material and fashion it into large bricks. Using special lenses, they could intensify the sunlight striking the bricks, heating them to temperatures far higher than they could reach with sunlight alone. Then the heated bricks could be kept insulated and used for heating habitats during the long night.

But habitats aren't the only pieces of hardware that must be warmed. Robotic rovers and their batteries also need to survive. "We have a hard time keeping ... trucks working in Siberia," Dr. Ramachandran says. "We have no experience working at minus 150 degrees."

The solution could be a "wadi" - a patch of lunar surface somewhat larger than a rover and covered with what is in effect a reflective tent. During the day, lenses would heat these strategically spaced wadis. As night nears, hardware would extend a reflective cover over the area - like tin foil over a turkey, shiny side down.

Engineers calculate that wadis would be warm enough to prevent lubricants from freezing and batteries from dying. The concept also could be applied to habitats on wheels, which would allow astronauts to explore.

NASA Selects Andrews Space for Lunar Lander Contract

Seattle - Andrews Space, Inc. has announced it sign a contract with NASA to conduct research and development related to Altair, NASA’s Constellation Lunar Module.

Andrews Space is one of five companies selected for the design study phase of the agency's Constellation Lunar Lander concept. Other's awarded include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Odyssey. Headquartered in Seattle, Andrews will perform their study at field offices in Huntsville and Houston.

Under NASA JSC’s Constellation Lunar Lander Development Study, Andrews will conduct a 210-day study to independently evaluate NASA's in-house design concept for a lunar Lander to deliver four crew members to the lunar surface before the end of the next decade. Andrews will evaluate the current design, propose safety improvements and recommend industry-government partnering arrangements.

“This is an exciting time for space exploration and development”, said Jason Andrews, President of Andrews Space. “Our dedicated team is driven to play an intricate part in pioneering space technology and advancement.”

Andrews Space, Inc. is a privately-held business founded in 1999 to be a catalyst in the commercialization and development of space. The company is a best value integrator of aerospace systems, developer of advanced aerospace products and technologies, and provider of innovative technical solutions.

Altair lunar lander design studies awarded

HOUSTON -- NASA's Constellation Program has selected five space-related companies to receive contract awards for a 210-day study to independently evaluate NASA's in-house design concept for "Altair," a lunar lander that will deliver four astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020.

The awards total approximately $1.5 million, with a maximum individual award of $350,000. The study recommendations will be used to increase the technical maturity of the existing design in preparation for the development of vehicle requirements.

The Constellation Program is building NASA's next generation fleet of spacecraft -- including the Ares I, Ares V, and possibly an Ares VI, rockets, the Orion crew capsule and the Altair lunar lander -- to send humans beyond low Earth orbit and back to the moon. NASA plans to establish a human outpost on the moon through a successive series of lunar missions.

"These studies will provide valuable input for developing a sound set of requirements for the Altair lunar lander," said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston."Industry collaboration will provide insight for our planning and early design efforts for the spacecraft."

The selected companies are Andrews Space of Seattle, Boeing, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Northrop Grumman and Odyssey Space Research of Houston.

The companies will evaluate the current in-house design, propose safety improvements and recommend industry-government partnering arrangements.