News Summaries for January 15

Independent Space colonization: Questions and Implications (Source: Space Review)
The term "colonization" might have fallen out of favor in most audiences, but the concept is essential to the long-term future of humans in space. Taylor Dinerman discusses some of the legal issues of independent human settlements beyond Earth. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/784/1 to view the article.

Pay Attention: Get a Free Trip Around the Moon (Source: Space Review)
FreeSpaceShot.com opens today offering advertiser-supported free trips around the Moon. Owner Sam Dinkin introduces the concept and its implications. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/783/1 to view the article.

The "Base First" Decision: Crew Survival and Reusability (Source: Space Review)
NASA's announcement last month that it plans to develop a lunar base will shape the development of the vehicles that will take crews and supplies there. John Strickland examines the issues of crew survivability and the importance of reusable spacecraft. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/782/1 to view the article.

Japan Recommends Scrapping Moon Mission (Source: DetNews.com)
Japan's space agency has recommended scrapping its first moon mission after more than a decade of delays, in the latest blow to the country's beleaguered space program. The Lunar-A probe was envisioned as planting two seismic sensors on the lunar surface to gather information about the moon's core and learn more about the origins of the Earth's only natural satellite. But development of the so-called penetrator probes has taken so long that the mission's mother ship, which was built 10 years ago, has fallen into disrepair and would require too much money to fix, said a spokeswoman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. JAXA's space development committee recommended canceling the Lunar-A project on Monday, and a final decision will be made later in the month.

Want to Discover a Planet? All You Need is an Internet Connection (Source: AP)
Amateur astronomer William Bianco doesn't huddle over a backyard telescope to hunt for undiscovered planets. He logs onto his computer. He is part of a growing online community that sifts through mountains of data collected by professional scientists in search of other worlds. Never before have amateur astronomers had so much unfettered access to celestial data once available only to scientists with huge telescopes. In the latest frontier of astronomy, professionals are increasingly enlisting the aid of novices with personal computers to help pore through images and data -- all in pursuit of the next great breakthrough.

Searching for Peace? Try a Piece of the Moon (Israelis Buy Moon Plots) (Source: The Globe and Mail)
In a country mired in conflict over some of the most contested land on Earth, it's no wonder Israelis sometimes long for escape. Israelis are buying up lunar land faster than anyone else on the planet. One thousand Israelis have bought land in the past month alone. Although nothing exists in law to give them title -- nothing has deterred 12,000 Israelis from purchasing more than 4,000 square kilometres of lunar surface, or roughly 10 per cent of the moon. The going rate for a 500-square-metre plot of lunar land amounts to $70 (Canadian), roughly the price of a tank of gas.

The buyer receives a framed land certificate, honorary moon citizenship and mining rights to whatever minerals might eventually be found below the surface. More than 40,500 square kilometres of moon have been bought worldwide since 1980, when U.S. entrepreneur Dennis Hope claimed the right to sell off pieces, exploiting a loophole in the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty. In other countries, lunar landowners describe their purchase as a lark, or a long-term investment. Or like the harmless purchase of a lottery ticket. In Israel, some see it differently. "They don't have the troubles or worries we have in Israel. They don't need this dream like we do," said Tsiki Nasftaly, a 29-year-old computer programmer and proud proprietor of one square kilometre of lunar land that sits on the bright side, perched on the edge of a crater.