The press release is reproduced below:

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-3937
michael.s.mewhinney@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-140

NASA Seeks Proposals for Lunar Science Research

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA is looking for the right stuff to further scientific knowledge about the moon.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in cooperation with the agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, recently issued a Cooperative Agreement Notice seeking research projects for the NASA Lunar Science Institute. The institute is located at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement Notice, proposals must include an innovative, interdisciplinary lunar research program that aligns with the institutes goals and objectives.

Proposals may address science of the moon, on the moon and from the moon, including objectives that meet NASA's future lunar exploration needs. NASA expects to make $8 million to $10 million available for the research, and anticipates making five to seven awards, including one focused on exploration objectives.

Participation is open to all categories of organizations, both domestic and foreign, including industry, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and federally funded research and development centers. NASA field centers and other government agencies also are eligible to submit proposals.

"The institute will support team science, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to lunar research," said David Morrison, interim director of the institute. "Our goals are to strengthen the community of lunar scientists and encourage students to enter this field."

The NASA Lunar Science Institute is modeled after the NASA Astrobiology Institute, with teams across the nation working together to help lead the agency's lunar research activities. Selected teams also will include programs in education and public outreach to strengthen public understanding of science.

Notices of intent are due June 27, 2008. Proposals are due Aug. 29, 2008. The Cooperative Agreement Notice is available on the Web. To read the notice, visit:



Select "Open Solicitations," then select "NNHo8ZDA008C," to read the full text of the notice.

For more information about the NASA Lunar Science Institute, visit:


Source: NASA Press Release 08-140

The JAXA press release is reproduced below:



The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported on the "halo" generated by the Apollo 15* lunar module engine exhaust plume that was detected in the data from Terrain Camera (TC) image.

This was an image processed by the SELENE mission instrument team from the observation data of the Apollo 15 landing site on the moon (the foot of the Apennine Mountains encircling the Mare Imbrium close to Hadley Rille). This is the world's first report on the detection of the "halo" through observations after the end of the Apollo program.

Through the produced three-dimensional image of the same landscape as that of the picture taken by the Apollo 15 crew, the spatial accuracy of the TC observation was verified. The three dimensional view of the TC clearly shows the layers of lava flows that erupted approximately about 3.2 billion years ago in the upper part of the Hadley Rille.

* The Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission, and fourth lunar landing mission of the Apollo program. The Apollo 15 was launched on July 26, 1971 (JST), landed on the Moon on July 31, 1971, and then landed back on Earth on August 8, 1971. This mission was the first "J mission" and was primarily concerned with scientific research, and stayed longer on the Moon than previous Apollo missions.
The "Falcon" Lunar Module of the Apollo 15 landed on the moon on July 31, 1971 (JST) near the Hadley Rille, at the foot of the Apennine Mountains encircling the Mare Imbrium. The Hadley Rille is a sinuous Rille with a length of 80km and depth of 300m. One of the missions of the Apollo 15 was to study the origin of this Rille. The Rille and the towering mountains near the Rille make this a place of scenic beauty.
This three-dimensional (3D) image was produced from stereo pair image data of the Terrain Camera (TC). The view point was set to show the Rille from the west at a height of 15km.





Figure 4 shows the reflectivity change of the surface before and after the landing of the Apollo 15. The left image was taken obliquely from the descending lunar module. The right image was taken from the command service module from an altitude of 110 km on the second orbit of the Moon after the landing. The circle area includes the landing site, and the "halo" can be seen in the right image.

(Fig 5) TC 3D image and the picture taken by Apollo 15 astronaut. (left image : TC, right image : Apollo)
The viewpoint of the 3D image produced from TC stereo-pair data can be freely changed. The 3D image from TC data shows quite a similar landscape (left image) to the picture taken by the Apollo 15 crew (right image; provided from NASA: AS15-82-11122HR). Although the small objects (e.g. rocks) cannot be shown in this TC image because their respective sizes are less than the spatial resolution of the TC of 10 meters, the shape of the mountains and hills is almost the same, indicating the spatial observation accuracy of the TC is very high.

(Fig.6) This still image is a cutout from the movie taken by the SELENE (KAGUYA) HDTV (telephoto camera) on January 29, 2008 (JST.). The Apollo 15 landing site, as well as the Montes Apenninus, Hadley Rille (in the left) and Archimedes crater (in the center) are seen in this image.


During the Apollo 15 mission, astronauts also collected samples of mare basalt near the Hadley Rille. They confirmed that the Mare Imbrium was composed of many layers of lava flows, from several to ten meters in depth. The 3D view of the TC looking at the southeast direction from the northwest clearly shows the layers of lava flows on the upper parts of the Rille's wall. These layers were probably formed approximately about 3.2 billion years ago.



Mission website:
SELenological and ENgineering Explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE)
SELENE project


Source: JAXA press release

Has there been anymore research into the negitive gravity area`s on the moon?

Do you mean MASCONS, areas of high density which means there is a stranger local gravitational field? There is no known phenomenon which causes negative gravity.

Is this a term for a negitive gravity anomaly this on the forth or fith paragraph up,The far side of the moon shows a large uncertainties in their gravity feild models.

OK, I'm with you now. Firstly, remember this is from a JAXA news release and so is translated from Japanese into English before JAXA publish it. The result is that not all of there releases are clear as those of NASA or ESA.

The article is refering to negative anomalies NOT negative gravity. A negative anomaly is one where the local area is less dense than the surrounding regions and has a lower local gravity field. In other words the exact opposite of a mascon.

This is just the result of the subsurface of the moon having areas where there are high or low densities compared to the average. It will be of interest to the planetary scientists but will ot need any re-writting of the Laws of Physics.

Now I understand Those tricky Japanese,Thanks Waspie,Great things to come.