October 21-27, 2019 / Vol 38, No 42 / Hawai’i Island, USA

70th IAC Convenes in USA with Apollo@50 Theme ‘The Power of the Past, the Promise of the Future’

International Astronautical Federation, in conjunction with American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, holds 2019 International Astronautical Congress at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC, October 21-25. Realizing IAF motto “Connecting @ll space people”, IAC co-organizers are International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), International Institute of Space Law and Space Generation Advisory Council. This year 10,000 participants may possibly attend. IAA events ‘Moon Farside Negotiations’ and ‘Academy Day Washington’ precede the Congress opening, October 19th and 20th. Plenary sessions will feature leaders of many of the world’s leading space agencies: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, CSA President Sylvain Laporte, President of JAXA Hiroshi Yamakawa and ESA Director General Johann-Dietrich Woerner, as well as high level officials representing CNSA, Roscosmos and ISRO. Emerging agency heads will speak from Thailand (GISTDA), Brazil (AEB), South Africa (SANSA), and United Arab Emirates (UAESA). Breakout groups include 181 technical sessions, 2,000+ presentations, 19 special sessions and 33 keynote lectures. International Platform for Diversity and Equality in Astronautics (IDEA) 3G Diversity Day will be held on October 23, with other 3G (Geography, Generation, and Gender) events held on the 24th and 25th. Attendees have the option of touring NASA Goddard Spaceflight, NOAA Satellite Operations, and NOAA Weather & Climate Prediction Centers. The conference will wrap up with a ‘black-tie optional’ Gala at the Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the National Air and Space Museum annex Washington Dulles International Airport. (Pictured: Current IAF President Jean-Yves Le Gal (L), Future IAF President Pascale Ehrenfreund (R); Image Credits: IAF, IAC, AIAA, SGAC, IAA, IISL)

MONDAY

Oct 21 — International Space Station, U.S. EVA #59, 405-km LEO: Expedition 61 crewmembers Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conduct first all-female EVA to install new lithium-ion batteries in P6 Truss; live coverage available.

Realizing Artemis / First Women on the Moon 2024 Requires Increased Support, Funding

USA continues with Artemis goal of landing first women and next man on the Moon. First flight Artemis-1 planned for 2020 or 2021, followed closely by crewed Artemis-2 in 2022, and Artemis-3 human lunar landing in 2024. Senate proposes increased US$1.2B for NASA and Artemis, subject to negotiations with Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. House Speaker Pelosi says her hopes are with first woman on the Moon. Artemis needs approval from Full Legislature (Senate and House), ideally 1% of Federal Budget, and advocacy from American Space Movement groups including NSS / ISDC, AAS, AIAA and SFF. NASA orders additional Orion spacecraft to be reused for up to 12 Artemis missions; final testing will be at NASA Plum Brook Station. SLS will undergo crucial Green Run test at MSFC. Latest commercial lunar lander proposals are due Nov 1. Johnson Space Center is developing next-generation lunar spacesuits for testing on ISS in 2023. IAF holds its 3G Diversity Day Oct 23 at 70th Congress, beginning several days of 3G events and continuing its 2016-2019 program of which held the ‘First Woman on the Moon 3G IDEA Diversity Breakfast’ on 27 Sep 2017 in Australia. Christina Koch (L) and Jessica Meir (R), scheduled for first all-female EVA Oct 17-18, are among the 17 potential candidates for first women on the Moon, expected to be a world-changing event and start of a multi-world civilization. (Image Credits: NASA)

Oct 21-22 — Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt MD: XMM-NEWTON 20th Anniversary GSFC Symposium.

Oct 21-23 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Irvine CA: Astro2020 Meeting: Panel on Exoplanets, Astrobiology, and the Solar System.

Oct 21-25 — International Astronautical Federation, AIAA, IAA, IISL, Lockheed Martin Corp., Washington DC: 70th International Astronautical Congress 2019: Space – The Power of the Past, the Promise of the Future.

Oct 21-25 — International Astronomical Union, Hilo HI: IAU Symposium 357: White Dwarfs as Probes of Fundamental Physics and Tracers of Planetary, Stellar and Galactic Evolution.

Oct 21-25 — International Astronomical Union, Yokohama, Japan: Conference: New Horizons in Galactic Center Astronomy and Beyond.

Oct 21 — Moon: At last quarter, 02:40.

Continued from…

Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.

NET Aug – Nov — Hayabusa2, Asteroid 162173 Ryugu: JAXA Hayabusa2 with 2 sample returns planned to remain at Asteroid for observations during this time period, then return to Earth.

Oct 18-23 — New Man’s Business Accelerator, Goldilocks State Foundation, Macedonian Association for Rocketry, Science and Space (MARSS), Skopje, North Macedonia: Space Tech Convention 2019.

Oct 20-23 — International Dark-Sky Association, Tekapo, New Zealand: New Zealand Starlight Conference.