Lost in space......
While most debris from comets and meteorites that hit the moon is lost in space, if it finds its way into a "cold trap" on one of the poles of the moon, it remains there forever. In 1994, the Clementine polar-orbiting spacecraft used its radio transmitter to illuminate some of the moon's cold trap areas, which suggested the presence of lunar ice that may have resulted from a build up of water-bearing minerals from debris in those areas. However, there are still a number of unanswered questions. Now a spacecraft called the Mini-SAR is preparing for India's Chandrayaan-1 Mission to the moon with a goal of mapping the moon for two years. This mission will help to answer questions about the presence, extent and purity of polar ice. Paul D. Spudis, a scientist with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas will discuss the mission in "Mini-SAR: An imaging radar for the Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon" on Thursday, April 3 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Physics & Astronomy Building, Room 123.

One giant step......
The moon is a valuable resource for scientific inspiration and its exploration provides a training ground to help us explore other planetary surfaces. It can be seen as a stepping stone for journeys much farther into the universe. The moon's role in future space exploration is the focus of the 5th Annual Planetary Science Public Lecture, "The Moon: A New Destination for Humanity," by Paul D. Spudis, a scientist with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, April 3 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Physics & Astronomy Building, room 215. Since 1982, Spudis has been a principal investigator in the Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program of the NASA Office of Space Science, Solar System Exploration Division, specializing in research on the processes of impact and volcanism on the planets. He was also Deputy Leader of the science team for the U.S. Department of Defense's Clementine mission to the moon in 1994 and is the principal investigator of an imaging radar experiment on the Indian Chandrayaan-1 Mission, to be launched to the moon this year. Additionally, Spudis is co-author of more than 150 scientific papers and three books, including "The Once and Future Moon", a book for the general public in the Smithsonian Library of the Solar System series.

Race to the moon......
Between 1969 and 1972, 12 people walked on the moon. Fast forward more than 30 years later, and the moon is again a hot destination. The announcement of a $30-million Google Lunar X-Prize in September 2007 has catalyzed a new race to the moon. Robert (Bob) Richards, founder and CEO of Odyssey Moon Limited, a commercial lunar enterprise based in the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, British Isles, and the first official registrant in the Google competition with a plan for the first private robotic mission to the surface of the moon, will outline "The New Race to the Moon" on Friday, April 4 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Physics & Astronomy Building, room 123. Richards will discuss how a carefully planned private moon mission could set in motion the technological, political, legal and regulatory precedents that will allow for development of the moon as the world's eighth continent. The event is organized by the Space Society of London in cooperation with the Planetary Science Research Group.


Posted by: Sean    Source

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