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NASA making progress for moon landing

NASA is fleshing out details of launch vehicles, robotic and human exploration systems that can enable a sustained back-to-the-Moon effort, including possible establishment of an Antarctic-like lunar outpost.

 Progress is also being made on designing a Crew Launch Vehicle as well as a mega-cargo carrier that has the growth potential to toss over 300,000 pounds into low Earth orbit—more than the Saturn 5 booster utilized in the Apollo Moon program.

 Concept looks at a four-person lunar lander which is far more capable than the two-person Apollo lunar lander. The goal is four people at up to 7 days a shot.

 NASA needs maps. Any back to the Moon campaign by humans will be helped by output from robotic lunar orbiters and landers. For example, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is being readied for a late 2008 liftoff. It will chart the lunar landscape, not only to identify obstacles and safe-to-land spots, but also sensor sweep the terrain and gauge it for usable resources.

 LRO is being specially equipped to probe the poles of the Moon.

 NASA’s story for the Moon may well lead to a lunar outpost—infrastructure that can be utilized by international teams for scientific and exploration pursuits.

posted by: kyawoo at 23:25 | link | comments |
manned missions

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