What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS BLOG OVER 3.1 MILLION VIEWS ! A little humor in the title but serious science - the Moon is shrinking due to heat loss as is explained in this article . The findings are based on the study of 12,000 photographs taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)  - the spacecraft that continues to rewrite what we know about the Moon - showing new wrinkle features in the northern part of the Moon known as Mare Frigoris. Scientists have discovered these wrinkle ridges in a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris. These ridges add to evidence that the Moon has an actively changing surface. This image was taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). NASA/GSFC The shrinking Moon also is thought to have created "moonquakes" that shaped the Moon's surface , especially in Taurus-Littrow Valley where Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmidt (the only geologist to to the Moon so far). An amazing view of...

Hey Space Placers! Here is an excellent Washington Post article on upcoming research that will be performed on pristine Apollo lunar samples that have been preserved for the past half century. This research will be epic because these samples were preserved by NASA nearly 50 years ago with the express intent of waiting for the development of new techniques and instruments to learn new things about the Moon. That time has come later this year. We know alot about the Moon from prior studies of the Apollo lunar samples  but we are learning more with new methods and instruments. But to study PRISTINE, sealed and frozen samples with these methods - well, it is like a whole new mission to the Moon. We are going to learn so much I do believe. I will have more on this exciting story as it develops. Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! Here is my story on the "Return to the Moon" Symposium. Enjoy  these pics I took at the Symposium. Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot Credit: Greg Redfern Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot/Moonwalker and I The Symposium left me with the belief that humanity, if we don't destroy ourselves, will indeed return to the Moon and STAY this time. I hope I live to see it happen........ Grumman did it right Lunar Excursion Module At the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Greg Redfern Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I have had some posts recently on the Moon so here is one more (with another to follow tomorrow ;-)) I hope NASA opens at least one of the sample boxes as we have come a LONG way in our ability to analyze lunar samples as the article describes. Wow, NEW lunar findings from pristine samples. It would be like a whole new lunar mission. I'll be on the look out for updates on this story and hope to visit the Astromaterials Curation Center myself later this year. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! You know the Moon is my favorite place in the whole Universe. I am always looking for news about our companion in space and came across a GREAT article that I want to share with you. Using Apollo era data from the Apollo Seismograph instruments left behind on the lunar surface and modern research techniques a a team of scientists has found the Moon has an Earth like core. Quoting NASA's Press Release, "The team’s findings suggest the Moon possesses a solid, iron-rich inner core with a radius of nearly 150 miles and a fluid, primarily liquid-iron outer core with a radius of roughly 205 miles. Where it differs from Earth is a partially molten boundary layer around the  core estimated to have a radius of nearly 300 miles. The research indicates the core contains a small percentage of light elements such as sulfur, echoing new seismology research on Earth that suggests the presence of light elements -- such as sulfur and oxygen -- in  a layer around our...