NASA's Patented Moon Route

New Robotic Spacecraft

Source:  NASA 

Big Scientific Missions

NASA has just patented a cheaper and faster new trajectory for sending smaller, robotic spacecraft to the Moon.  And, NASA has a new spacecraft that it's developing called the "Dark Ages Polarimeter Pathfinder" or Dapper that's the size of a microwave.  Using the new patented route, Dapper will make the journey to the Moon, go into orbit and repeatedly fly through the "cone of silence", a lunar spot that is totally radio-silent on the far side of the moon.  Dapper is designed to detect the faintest signals from the first stars, galaxies and black holes.  Experts say discoveries from the new NASA technology, particularly in the "Cone of Silence" could be Nobel Prize winning.

Patented Moon Trajectory

NASA has specifically patented the trajectory and route to the Moon that it invented.  Going to the Moon has been tremendously expensive.  NASA's new route will save time, money, fuel and enhance the potential scientific value of the missions.  The NASA patent also covers a series of orbital maneuvers around the Moon.  The routes are designed for small, robotic satellites with no astronauts onboard. The satellites would be on important scientific missions.  Of particular interest is the journey to the "Cone of Silence" where secrets of the Universe are expected to be discovered.  New satellite Dapper is expected to deploy in  the mid 2020's.