Lunar Development

Moon first then Mars

There is a new interesting article on why we should go to the Moon before Mars. It points out that Earth and the Moon are at extremes and Mars is somewhere in between. If we can operate on both the Moon and on Earth we should be able to operate on Mars. The Moon is close enough that earth is easy to return to and help can easily be sent. 

Conference Proceedings

The proceedings of  International Lunar Conference 2003 / International Lunar Exploration Working Group 5   is now available.

Dad's Quark-Gluon Plasma Results

My father has a new paper in Physical Review letters on quark gluon plasma. Check it out.

Moon Industry Directory

Calling all interested Organizations the Moon Industry Directory is now taking registrations.

Moon Clock and Calculator Projects

Another Karen has posted project ideas for a Moon clock and a calculator.

Moon Eyed as Place for Astronomy

The Moon is vast and stable and so it is a good place for astronomy. Also telescopes on the Moon would be easier to acess for repair and ungrading if NASA pursues its plans for a human presence.

Lunar Ark

The Alliance for Civilization Rescue has proposed putting a depository of human genetic material on the Moon. This a a new and interesting idea.

Ukraine plans missions to Moon

NASA and Ukraine are planning launches to the Moon in 2006 and 2007. Welcome to the club Ukraine.

Griffin picked for NASA Administrator

Mike Griffin picked as next NASA Administrator. This is a good choice he seems to have the right positions on almost all the issues. He has a strong background in science which may be important with the new appropriations structure with space competing against science.

The Shuttle is an Albatross

Sam Dinkin wrote an article for the Space Review called Return the Albatross to Flight. He is right the shuttle is an albatross but in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, the albatross does not return to flight, it sinks in the ocean and the wind returns and the sailor goes on with his journey. If we rid ourselves of the shuttle/ albatross, we can resume development of the Moon, which was abandon in the pursuit of cheap access to space, i.e. the shuttle which turned into the nightmare costing us 14 lives, tens of billions of dollars and giving us nothing to show for it.