August 27 – September 2, 2018 / Vol 37, No 35 / Hawai`i Island, USA

China Space Station UNOOSA-CMSA Initiative Promotes International Cooperation for 2020 Missions

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) intends to loft China Space Station (CSS) in an ambitious research and exploration program. The 2,000-kg core module, named Tianhe-1, is scheduled to launch 2020 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center and orbit ~450 km above Earth. CSS completion is scheduled in 2022. In addition to its core, CSS will have 2 experimental cabins, named Wentian “quest for the heavens” and Mengtian “dreaming of the heavens”, in a T-configuration. China anticipates CSS to accommodate up to 6 Astronauts at a time. An official announcement came from United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to notify and invite UN countries, particularly developing countries, and public and private organizations to submit applications by August 31 to participate in CSS. Applicants will submit proposals to create and develop their own external and internal payloads, or utilize China developed experiments. After the submission window, UN and China will conduct joint evaluations of projects received. This UNOOSA-CMSA initiative aims to promote international cooperation in human space flight, exploration, application, science, technology and awareness. UNOOSA Director (L) Simonetta Di Pippo states, “It is important to foster collaboration and cooperation in space activities. This is space diplomacy in action.” China representative to the UN Ambassador Shi Zhongjun mentions CSS belongs to the world and space should be inclusive, a common province for humankind, and mutually beneficial for all. (Image Credits: CCTV, CASC, UNOOSA, ESA, EPRC, CNSA)

MONDAY

India Declares 2022 Indigenous Human Spaceflight Mission, Advances GSLV Mk. 3, CARE and Gaganyaan Capsules

The 14th and current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (L-R), formally announces national plans to independently send people into space by 2022 – India 75th Independence Year, and attempt to become the 4th nation to achieve human spaceflight status. The Human Spaceflight Programme, which will be headed by V.R. Lalithambika, will also include validation of GSLV Mk. 3, further testing of Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) capsule toward development of the fully-autonomous, orbital Gaganyaan “Sky Vehicle”, and construction of a 40-50 acre Astronaut Training and Biomedical Engineering Centre on the outskirts of Bengaluru. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan states the tight time schedule will require Astronauts to train in Russia or USA for the 2022 flight, and the ambitious mission will require a lot of work – likely creating 15,000 jobs over the next several years and involving multiple scientific institutions, academia, industry and start-ups. The total planned cost is 10,000 crore rupees (US$1.43 billion). GSLV Mk. 3 is set for its next uncrewed test flight 2020, followed by at least one additional launch. The crewed flight is planned to carry 3 Astronauts on a 1-week mission at ~400 km in the 3,735-kg Gaganyaan with splashdown in Bay of Bengal. While India will be developing many new technologies for reliable life-support and safety systems for the crew including spacesuits, the CARE capsule continues being tested to verify orbital injection, separation, re-entry procedures, parachutes, sensors and launch abort systems. (Also Pictured: India Astronaut Rakesh Sharma; Image Credits: ISRO, YouTube / TEDx, SJCET Palai, CADD Centre, VSSC)

Aug 27-31 — Rencontres du Vietnam, Quy Nhon, Vietnam: Vietnam School of Earth Observation.

Aug 27 – Sep 1 — European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC), University of Graz, HYPO Steiermark, Graz, Austria: SEAC 26th: Harmony and symmetry: Celestial regularities shaping human cultures.

Aug 27 — Moon: 2.3° SSE of Neptune, 02:00.

Aug 27 — Amor Asteroid 2018 LQ2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)

Aug 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 PQ10: Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)

Continued from…

Jul 8 – Oct 9 — NAOC, National Aquatic Center “Water Cube”, Beijing, China: Lunar Exploration Technology Exhibition featuring 10-meter diameter Moon, lunar imagery, ‘moonlight’ and surround sound composition.

Aug 20-31 — International Astronomical Union (IAU), Vienna, Austria: 30th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union; meets every 3 years to advance professional research and education in astronomy.

Aug 20-31 — International Astronomical Union, Vienna, Austria: Coordinated Symposiums: Why Galaxies Care About AGB Stars – A Continuing Challenge through Cosmic Time; Dwarf Galaxies – From the Deep Universe to the Present; Origins – From the Protosun to the First Steps of Life; High-mass X-ray Binaries – Illuminating the Passage from Massive Binaries to Merging Compact Objects; 21st Century Astrometry – Crossing the Dark and Habitable Frontiers; Under One Sky – The IAU Centenary Symposium.

Aug 20-31 — Rencontres du Vietnam, International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education, Institute For Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Education, Quy Nhon, Vietnam: 14th Rencontres du Vietnam: The 24th Vietnam School of Physics (VSOP-24).

Aug 24, 27 — IAU Division F (Planetary Systems & Astrobiology), IfA, ESO, NASA, JPL, IPAC, Caltech, et al, Vienna, Austria: Planet Days 2018; discussing major developments in planetary astronomy and missions including Cassini, Kepler/K2, Dawn and New Horizons.

Aug 26-30 — U. S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville AL: 2018 Space Camp; for ages 9-11.