International Malapert Mountain Landing Site Data Set to Pioneer 21st Century Permanent Human Moon Development

12 June, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) is now preparing a composite data set of the Malapert Mountain region of the South Pole of the Moon.

The data includes exclusive, customized contributions from the lunar orbiters of China (Chang-e) and India (Chandrayaan), as well as USA (Prospector and Clementine), Japan (Kaguya / SELENE) and Europe (SMART-1) and other ground-based data, including Arecibo.

Presently, the data is being verified and reconciled on Hawaii Island, USA by a Science Team consisting of ILOA, Canada France Hawaii Telescope and the University of Hawaii at Hilo Physics and Astronomy Department.

The purpose of the data set is to identify promising areas for an ideal landing site for the polar mission of the International Lunar Observatory (ILO), a multi-function instrument providing observation and communication services. The ILO will be the one of the first instruments performing astrophysical observations from another world, and will feature a Galaxy First Light Imaging Program and the Earth-based Galaxy Forum "Galaxy Education in the 21st Century" initiative.

ILOA affiliate organization Space Age Publishing Company plans to utilize the ILO for commercial broadcast communications of Space Calendar, Lunar Enterprise Daily and other sponsors. The advancement of the Malapert Mountain data set represents a new frontier in international cooperation. In return for their contribution, each major spacefaring country will have special access to the observation data and communications functions of the ILO.

The mission of the ILO is “to expand human understanding our Cosmos through observation from our Moon.”