Chang'e-3 probe sets out on new missions

Beijing (XNA)
Jan 21, 2014

The Chang'e-3 lunar probe has started its long-term scientific missions and will have its durability tested when it continues lunar surface surveys, sources with the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said on Thursday.

The center transferred operations of the probe to a smaller management team on Wednesday night, said Cui Yan, who leads the team at the center.

"We have made all the hardware and software ready for the long-term control tasks and have developed new management methods," Cui said, noting this is the first time China would operate a lunar probe for as long as one year.

Liu Junqi, one of the chief engineers on Cui's team, said that during the yearlong task the team will coordinate deep-space control stations around the nation to closely monitor the Chang'e-3 lander and the Yutu rover, and to arrange scientific missions on the lunar surface.

One of the major responsibilities for the team is to put the lander and rover into sleep mode when the lunar night falls and "awaken them" once the night ends, he said.

One night on the moon lasts about 14 Earth days, during which the temperature falls below minus 180 C and there is no sunlight to provide power for the instruments' solar panels.

"The transfer of control marks the successful completion of the probe's first stage of exploration and scientific missions," said a publicity officer at Beijing Aerospace Control Center who refused to be named.

He said under the long-term management mode, the lander and rover do not need a lot of people to take care of them, therefore Cui's team, which has less than 20 people, is able to take over from the current large control group.

"Next, the team will control the probe to perform scientific operations that can last several months. Engineers will test whether the lander and rover can function well over a long period and whether they can live up to their designed life span," the officer added. "During the yearlong period, the team's controllers and engineers will work about 15 consecutive night shifts each month, so this is really a tough job."

The lunar rover Yutu has a designed life span of three months, and the lander is expected to work for one year.

After waking up following nearly two weeks of dormancy, Yutu completed its first sampling of lunar soil using its mechanical arm on Tuesday, the Beijing center said.

"Accuracy control of the mechanical arm at a distance of 380,000 kilometers has been realized in the probe, marking China's breakthrough in controlling a mechanical arm with high precision on the lunar surface," said Wu Fenglei from the center.

Yutu will continue to survey the moon's geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources, while the lander will explore the landing site until the end of its life span.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Change_3_probe_sets_out_on_new_missions_999.html.

NASA Seeks Partnership Opportunities For Commercial Lunar Landers

Washington DC (SPX)
Jan 21, 2014

Building on the progress of NASA's partnerships with the U.S. commercial space industry to develop new spacecraft and rockets capable of delivering cargo, and soon, astronauts to low Earth orbit, the agency is now looking for opportunities to spur commercial cargo transportation capabilities to the surface of the moon.

NASA has released an announcement seeking proposals to partner in the development of reliable and cost-effective commercial robotic lunar lander capabilities that will enable the delivery of payloads to the lunar surface.

Such capabilities could support commercial activities on the moon while enabling new science and exploration missions of interest to NASA and the larger scientific and academic communities.

NASA's new Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) initiative calls for proposals from the U.S. private sector that would lead to one or more no-funds exchanged Space Act Agreements (SAA). NASA's contribution to a partnership would be on an unfunded basis and could include the technical expertise of NASA staff, access to NASA center test facilities, equipment loans, or software for lander development and testing.

"As NASA pursues an ambitious plan for humans to explore an asteroid and Mars, U.S. industry will create opportunities for NASA to advance new technologies on the moon," said Greg Williams, NASA's deputy associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

"Our strategic investments in the innovations of our commercial partners have brought about successful commercial resupply of the International Space Station, to be followed in the coming years by commercial crew. Lunar CATALYST will help us advance our goals to reach farther destinations."

The moon has scientific value and the potential to yield resources, such as water and oxygen, in relatively close proximity to Earth to help sustain deep space exploration.

Commercial lunar transportation capabilities could support science and exploration objectives, such as sample returns, geophysical network deployment, resource prospecting, and technology demonstrations. These services would require the ability to land small (66 to 220 pound, or 30 to 100 kilogram) and medium (551 to 1,102 pound, or 250 to 500 kg) class payloads at various lunar sites.

"In recent years, lunar orbiting missions, such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, have revealed evidence of water and other volatiles, but to understand the extent and accessibility of these resources, we need to reach the surface and explore up close," said Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Commercial lunar landing capabilities could help prospect for and utilize these resources."

Lunar CATALYST supports the internationally shared space exploration goals of the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) NASA and 11 other space agencies around the world released in August. The GER acknowledges the value of public-private partnerships and commercial services to enable sustainable exploration of asteroids, the moon and Mars.

Commercial lunar cargo transportation systems developed through Lunar CATALYST could build on lessons learned throughout NASA's 50 years of spaceflight. New propulsion and autonomous landing technologies currently are being tested through NASA's Morpheus and Mighty Eagle projects.

NASA will host a pre-proposal teleconference on Monday, Jan. 27 during which proposers will have an opportunity to ask questions about the announcement. Proposals from industry are due by March 17. The announcement of selections is targeted for April with SAAs targeted to be in place by May.

The Advanced Exploration Systems Division in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate manages Lunar CATALYST. Advanced Exploration Systems pioneers new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit.

As NASA works with U.S. industry to develop the next generation of U.S. spaceflight services, the agency also is developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration.

Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system, including to a near-Earth asteroid and Mars.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/NASA_Announces_Partnership_Opportunities_for_US_Commercial_Lunar_Lander_Capabilities_999.html.

ESA to develop satellite reentry technology

Moscow (Voice of Russia)
Jan 22, 2014

The European Space Agency (ESA) intends to launch Vega launch vehicle with the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IEV) this year to develop the satellite reentry technology, ESA chief Jean-Jacques Dordain told a press conference in Paris on Friday. The press conference was broadcast live at the Moscow office of the ESA Permanent Mission to Russia.

The takeoff of Vega launch vehicle with IEV is scheduled for the second half of 2014, he specified.

In his opinion, the scientific highlight of the year will be the rapprochement of Rosetta spacecraft with the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet after a 10-year flight. The European space 'scout' is to approach the comet and send an 85-kilo module to it that should define the parameters of the comet's nucleus and study its chemical composition. That will happen in November 2014.

In the framework of the European Copernicus program of monitoring the Earth from space the first Sentinel-A spacecraft is prepared for launch in 2014.According to Dordain, three launches under the Galileo program will permit introducing the European global positioning system by the end of the year.

He said that two ESA astronauts will work on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014 - Alexander Gerst (Germany) and Samantha Cristoforetti (Italy).

In 2014 ESA also plans to launch the fifth and final ATV to ISS. Dordain said no more ATV vehicles would be made but the technical headway made in the process of their development would be used by European experts in developing the service module of the future U.S. spacecraft Orion.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/ESA_to_develop_satellite_reentry_technology_999.html.

China's moon rover performs first lunar probe

Beijing (XNA)
Jan 19, 2014

China's moon rover "Yutu", or Jade Rabbit, completed its first scientific exploration of lunar soil on Tuesday, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) said.

The rover used its mechanical arm to survey the lunar soil at 21:45 Beijing Time, following instructions from the control center, according to a BACC statement.

The exploration lasted about half an hour and every operation was precisely performed by the rover, it said.

"Accuracy control of the mechanical arm at a distance of 380,000 kilometers has been realized in the probe, making China's breakthrough in controlling a mechanical arm with high precision on the lunar surface," said Wu Fenglei of the BACC.

The rover completed an arm flexing assessment on Dec. 23, a key test before beginning the soil survey and other work on the surface, said the center.

Yutu will survey the moon's geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months, while the lander will conduct in-situ exploration at the landing site for one year.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Chinas_moon_rover_performs_first_lunar_probe_999.html.

Space fishing: Japan to test 'magnetic net' for space junk

Moscow (Voice of Russia)
Jan 19, 2014

Japan's space agency is subcontracting a fishing net company to develop a technology to clean up the space junk that poses a direct threat to Earth's communication networks. The mission is planned for 2019, with first tests scheduled for this February.

Tokyo's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nitto Seimo Co, a company with almost a century-long experience in fishing net manufacturing, have already developed a space net measuring 1 kilometer long and 30cm wide in a bid to clear Earth's orbit from some 100 million pieces of man-made junk.

Made of three strong and flexible lengths of metal fiber, the net is scheduled to be first tested in orbit in February. During the first phase a satellite will unreal a wire net of some 300 meters long that will use a specially generated magnetic field to reel-in the debris just above our atmosphere.

"We started work on this project about five years ago and we are all excited to see the outcome of this first test," Koji Ozaki, the engineer who heads the development team at Hiroshima-based Nitto Seimo, told the South China Morning Post.

The test is planned to last for about a year after which the net be pulled down by Earth's gravity, incinerating the junk once the net enters the atmosphere.

The company hopes that their know-how will be able to complete the first part of the clean-up mission. The aim is to tackle the hazardous problem of debris damaging space satellites and spacecraft.

"Fishing nets need to be extremely strong because they need to be able to hold a large number of fish, but our tether does not have to be that strong," Ozaki said. "It is more important that it is flexible."

If the mission is successful, Jaxa is planning further trials next year with a complete system deployment as early as 2019.

The majority of the 100 million pieces of human-made debris are orbiting some 700 to 1,000 kilometers above the planet's surface. Most of them are comprised of small particles but around 22,000 measuring 10 cm or more are believed to be hazardous and pose a direct threat to satellites and spacecraft.

The debris is made up of space exploration leftovers including spanners, nuts, bolts, gloves and shards of space craft. Experts believe that global positioning systems, international phone connections, television signals and weather forecasts could be affected by ever increasing levels of space junk.

In order to protect the International Space Station from the fields of space debris, over 100 special anti-impact shields, the Whipple Bumpers, have been installed to tackle threat from objects whose velocities range between 3 and 18 kilometers per second. In addition, the orbital paths of spacecraft going to and returning from the ISS are constantly monitored for debris.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Space_fishing_Japan_to_test_magnetic_net_for_space_junk_999.html.

Iran says 20% uranium enrichment suspended

Tehran (AFP)
Jan 20, 2014

Iran on Monday suspended the production of 20 percent uranium enrichment in the presence of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors, a senior official announced.

"In line with the implementation of the Geneva joint plan of action, Iran suspended the production of 20 percent enriched uranium in the presence of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors at Natanz and Fordo sites," Mohammad Amiri, director general for safeguards at Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told the official IRNA news agency.

"The connections between the twin cascades at Natanz and Fordo for 20 percent production have been disconnected," Amiri said.

"The process of diluting and turning the 196-kilogram (430-pound) stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium into oxide has also started," he added.

Amiri warned the P5+1 powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany -- that Iran would reverse these steps if the other parties do not keep their end of the bargain.

The UN atomic watchdog has confirmed that Iran's partial nuclear freeze began on Monday as planned, diplomats told AFP.

"It's all fine, all their requirements have been fulfilled," one envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said in Vienna, in comments echoed by other diplomats.

The diplomats said that an IAEA report had been sent to member states confirming the start of the freeze.

The IAEA declined to comment.

Under the terms of the November 24 deal, Iran has pledged to limit uranium enrichment to low purities for a period of six months, convert its medium-enriched uranium and not make further advances at its nuclear facilities.

In exchange Western powers will slightly loosen crippling sanctions in a package worth between $6-7, according to the White House, including $4.2 billion in frozen overseas foreign exchange assets in eight installments starting February 1.

During the six months, Iran and the P5+1 powers -- the US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany -- are due to hammer out a long-term "comprehensive accord" aimed at ending once and for all the standoff over Iran's nuclear work.

This six-month period can however be extended by mutual agreement. According to the November 24 interim deal, the parties aim to conclude negotiating and begin implementing it within a year.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_says_20_uranium_enrichment_suspended_999.html.

Iran prepares for start of landmark nuclear deal

January 20, 2014

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Ahead of the start of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, an official in the Islamic Republic called limiting uranium enrichment and diluting its stockpile the country's "most important commitments," state radio reported Sunday.

The comments by Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman of Iran's atomic department, show how the government of moderate President Hassan Rouhani welcomes the deal, which begins Monday. International inspectors also already have arrived in Tehran, preparing for the government opening its facilities to them.

"Implementation of mutual commitments in the framework of the Geneva deal will begin from tomorrow," Kamalvandi said. "Under the agreement, suspension of 20-percent enrichment of uranium — and the diluting of the current stockpile of enriched uranium — are the most important commitments of our country."

Iran struck the deal in November with the so-called P5+1 countries — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Negotiators agreed to final terms of the deal Jan. 13. Under the agreement, Iran will limit its uranium enrichment to 5 percent — the grade commonly used to power reactors. The deal also commits Iran to stop producing 20 percent enriched uranium — which is only a technical step away from weapons-grade material — and to neutralize its 20 percent stockpile over the six months.

In exchange, economic sanctions Iran faces would be eased for six months. Senior officials in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration have put the total relief figure at some $7 billion. During the six months, negotiations between Iran and the world powers would continue in hopes of reaching a permanent deal.

The West fears Iran's nuclear program could allow it to build an atomic weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, like power generation and medical research. On Saturday a team of international inspectors arrived in Tehran in preparation of beginning their inspections. They will visit Fordo, where Iran enriches its 20 percent uranium, as well as its Natanz facility, which produces 5 percent enriched uranium, to ensure the country complies with the deal.

Kamalvandi said Sunday that Iran will use centrifuges now producing 20 percent enriched uranium to instead produce 5 percent enriched uranium to comply with the agreement. But suspicions remain high in both Tehran and Washington after decades of hostility dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran that ousted the U.S.-backed shah dynasty. Rouhani, Iran's new reformist president, has reached out to the West, but must depend on support from Iran's top decision-maker, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his initiatives amid criticism from hard-line factions.

Hard-liners in Iran have already called the deal a "poison chalice" and are threatening legislation to increase uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have threatened to pass new sanctions legislation against Iran that would take effect if Tehran violates the interim nuclear deal or lets it expire without a follow-up accord.

Writing a post on his Facebook page Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reassured the world that the deal will begin on time. "I am hopeful that implementation of the first phase will have positive results for the country and peace and stability in the region and the world while preparing the ground for essential talks on a final solution," Zarif wrote.

Keeping whales safe in sound

Gland, Switzerland (SPX)
Jan 21, 2014

A step-by-step guide to reducing impacts on whales and other marine species during seismic sea floor surveys has been developed by experts with IUCN's Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP) and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd.

In a study published in the journal Aquatic Mammals the authors present the most thorough, robust and practical approach to minimizing and monitoring the risk of harm to vulnerable marine species when intense sounds are used to survey the sea floor primarily in the search for oil and gas.

"This is a valuable tool for oil and gas companies, regulators and others on all aspects of developing and implementing successful environmental monitoring and mitigation programs that are precautionary, responsible and effective," says lead author Dr Doug Nowacek, WGWAP Member from Duke University, USA.

In seismic surveys, air guns towed behind ships repeat powerful bursts of sound. Sensors measure the return echo to reveal details of the sea floor and underlying geologic structure to a depth of several kilometers.

Sound is a powerful tool for imaging and investigating the sea floor that is deployed mostly by the energy industry to pinpoint the location of oil or gas. Such surveys are also used for mapping the continental shelf and for finding the best sites for new offshore wind energy projects.

Whales rely on sound for communication, navigation and foraging. Exposure to loud noise from seismic surveys can result in stress and behavior changes, affect foraging and nursing, or cause direct physical damage.

The study describes the most comprehensive whale protection program ever developed for a seismic survey, used by Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd - an oil and gas company with Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi as shareholders - in a survey close to the main Western Gray Whale feeding area near Sakhalin Island, on the Russian coast, just north of Japan.

"The survey was completed on schedule and all monitoring and mitigation components were successfully implemented. The company obtained the necessary data, while, at the same time, minimizing the risk of disturbance to whales.

"The approach was so successful that the results of ongoing analysis have not revealed significant direct impact on the whales," says Mr Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of Global Marine and Polar Program at IUCN, which convenes WGWAP.

The feeding areas near Sakhalin - a region with huge offshore oil and gas deposits - are vital for the survival of Western Gray Whales, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciestm.

They fast during the breeding season and most of their long migration from feeding to breeding and calving areas. Obtaining enough food, body mass and energy is crucial for their travels, which can cover tens of thousands of kilometers and are known as one of the longest migrations by any mammal..

Based on the experience in developing and conducting Sakhalin Energy's survey and associated mitigation and monitoring program, the authors propose a broader approach that can be adapted to seismic surveys in any environmentally sensitive area.

Each such survey, however, must take into account their specific circumstances - for example, local species, environmental features, the history and nature of other operations in the area.

"Key to minimizing impacts during seismic surveys is advance knowledge of marine life distribution and migrations and timing a survey accordingly, "says co-author Dr Greg Donovan,

Chairman of the WGWAP Seismic Survey and Noise Task Forces and Head of Science at the International Whaling Commission.

"In the Sakhalin case that means conducting the survey as early as possible in spring when the ice has melted but most of the whales have not yet arrived."...

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Keeping_whales_safe_in_sound_999.html.

South Africa says over 1,000 rhinos poached in 2013

Johannesburg (AFP)
Jan 17, 2014

More than 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa last year, the government said Friday, as strong demand from Asia fueled a 50 percent jump in the illegal slaughter from 2012.

"The total number of rhino poached in South Africa during 2013 increased to 1,004," the environment ministry said in a statement.

Rhino horns are prized as a status symbol in Asia and mistakenly thought to possess medicinal properties, even though they are composed of the same material as fingernails.

In 2007 only 13 rhinos were reported poached in South Africa, but since then the numbers have increased exponentially every year.

Despite drone and foot patrols, poachers appear to stay ahead of the security forces.

Some 37 rhinos have already been illegally killed so far this year in South Africa, which is home to around 80 percent of the world's rhino population, estimated at more than 25,000.

The famous Kruger National Park bordering Mozambique has borne the brunt of the poaching scourge.

Sophisticated transnational criminal organizations illegally hunt the animals and hack off their horns which are then smuggled out of the country to Asia.

A total of 343 arrests were made in the past year for poaching.

Wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic warned that at the rate the killing is going, "South Africa's White Rhino population (is) ever closer to the tipping point when deaths will outnumber births and the population will go into serious decline".

Julian Rademeyer, author of a book "Killing for Profit - Exposing the illegal rhino horn trade" sees no respite for rhinos because their horns have become a lucrative product.

"We're certain to see another record. We're certain to see more than 1,000 rhinos being poached in 2014," Rademeyer told AFP. "It will probably take a miracle to ensure that that doesn't happen."

"This is about a product, rhino horn is a product. These syndicates don't stop at one product, they want other products.

"They want lion bones, they want reptiles, they want ivory. So once they've gained a foothold, it is getting very difficult to get rid of them."

Organized crime elements who have previously been involved in cash heists or bank robberies, are now "moving into rhino horn because the risks are far lower."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/South_Africa_says_over_1000_rhinos_poached_in_2013_999.html.