Private firms gear up for Moon flights

October 9th, 2009 Huntington (West Virginia, US), - A NASA spacecraft bombed the South Pole of the Moon on Friday in the hope of discovering water on the lunar surface. NASA's "L-CROSS" mission involved the successful use of an unmanned rocket and a satellite.

October 4th, 2009 3 more investment firms approved for asset programWASHINGTON — Three more large investment firms have raised sufficient capital to participate in the joint partnership with the government to purchase toxic assets from banks. The Treasury Department said Alliance Bernstein LP and BlackRock Inc., both headquartered in New York City, and Wellington Management Co., based in Boston, had all raised the $500 million minimum to begin operations.

September 26th, 2009 DHAKA - Applauding India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission and the discovery of water on the moon, a Dhaka daily has said the find has significantly widened the scope for space research. But The Daily Star newspaper, in an editorial Saturday, cautioned against rivalry among those engaged in research and exploration on the moon.

September 24th, 2009 LONDON - The discovery of water on the moon by Indian maiden lunar craft Chandrayaan-1 is just the breakthrough international space scientists were waiting for in order to kick start the moon exploration programme again, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) said Thursday. This is a massively impressive accomplishment, RAS Secretary Martin Barstow, a leading British astronomer, told IANS after American scientists made the stunning announcement that the Indian mooncraft had sent evidence of water on the lunar surface.

September 8th, 2009 Obama space panel says moon return plan is a no goWASHINGTON — A White House panel of independent space experts says NASA's return-to-the-moon plan just won't fly. The problem is money.

September 2nd, 2009 PANAJI - Chandrayaan's moon mineralogy mapper has confirmed the magma ocean hypothesis, meaning that the moon was once completely molten, a senior scientist said Wednesday. "It proves beyond doubt the magma ocean hypothesis.

August 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After circling the Moon for nearly 18 months, China's Chang'e 1 spacecraft has successfully achieved four scientific targets that include detection of helium-3, a crucial element for nuclear fusion, which may provide humans with millions of tons of nuclear energy in the future. The identification of helium-3 came about by the exploration of the soil layer on the Moon, a pioneering work that has not been done by any other country.

July 27th, 2009 LONDON - Always wanted to walk on the moon as an astronaut? Well, now a new coffee-table book gives you the chance to bring the moon to your home, but at a sky-high price. Titled 'Moonfire', the book is being touted as one of the most expensive publications in the world.t details the Apollo 11 lunar mission, and allows its owners not only to read about the Moon but also to touch it, as 12 copies of the tome will include a slice of a meteorite that hurtled from the Moon to Earth.

July 20th, 2009 Let's remember and celebrate the great day, yes July 20  is the moon-day. Forty years back in this day Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had a little moon walking on the surface of moon.

July 20th, 2009 CANBERRA - Edwin "buzz" Aldrin, the second man on the moon, has said that it doesn't matter who was the first on the Moon, as the landing was more important than walking on the lunar surface. According to a report in The News, Aldrin made the statement at a book-signing recently, arguing that being second man on the moon behind Neil Armstrong was "just as significant".

July 20th, 2009 Google offers 'guided tour' of the moonNEW YORK — Google Inc. is offering a more wide-ranging view of the Moon, 40 years after humans first landed there.

July 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - It's been decades since they set foot on the moon, but the pioneers of the Apollo programme remain committed to exploring space with the goal of sending a human to Mars. Seven astronauts from the Apollo programme talked with journalists Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

July 20th, 2009 PARIS - The Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) has said he's sure that mankind will go back to the Moon as soon as 2020 or 2025. ESA's Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain made this statement while discussing the significance of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon and of continuing lunar exploration.

June 24th, 2009 NASA's new moon probe sends back moon shotsCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's new lunar probe launched less than a week ago has already sent back some shots of the moon.

June 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA launched its dual moon mission Thursday that will pave the way for humans to return to the moon. The Atlas V rocket launch lifted off at 05:32 p.m., just 20 minutes after planned, from NASA's Cape Canaveral in Florida.