June 14-20, 2021 / Vol 40, No 24 / Hawai`i Island, USA

IAF 2021 GLEX in Russia Hears Malapert Mountain / Interglobal Lunar Proposal

Russia, Saint Petersburg now is hosting IAF-Roscosmos Global Space Exploration Conference June 14-18. Cosmonauts and Astronauts, high-level space leaders, scientists, commerce and academia will convene to advance space access technologies, data sharing and international collaborations. Heavy focus will be on lunar developments as China explores Moon surface and observes the sky robotically with Chang’e, USA champions human return to Moon 2024, India prepares Chandrayaan-3 NET 2022, Canada invests millions in LEAP, Japan readies rover for 2022, South Korea continues KPLO program, 11 nations sign Artemis Accords, commercial ventures prepare for landings, and Thailand, Turkey and others announce lunar ambitions. While GLEX is ongoing, Presidents Putin and Biden will meet at Geneva Summit June 16, likely with Space-Moon-Future considerations. 2021 being a propitious year for Russia as it celebrates Yuri Gagarin 60th observation of spaceflight and reactivates 1958 Luna program for Luna-25 landing at Boguslawsky Crater, near Moon South Pole (MSP) early October. MSP base / Moon Village / lunar research station construction and habitation is most likely around permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) containing water / resources with high grounds for sunlight / power, observations and communications. 5,000-meter Malapert Mountain in particular has PSRs, small cold traps, Peaks of Eternal Light, continuous line-of-sight to Earth, resources to support fuel / life systems / manufacturing, and can act as a shield for radio silent observations of the Milky Way Galaxy. (Image Credits: IAF, Roscosmos, NASA, GSFC, ASU, Tom Glenn)

MONDAY

Highlights…
Jun 14 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 seven-member crew to facilitate 2 EVAs this week for solar array installations, monitoring 12 plant growth chambers, transferring cargo from 4 resupply ships; Russia Pirs (Pier) module is prepared for July 15 de-orbit to make room for Nauka (Science) laboratory launch.

Jun 14 — NewSpace: Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos scheduled for suborbital spaceflight July 4 and 20, respectively; Sierra Space may land Dreamchaser at Spaceport Cornwall under MoU; Relatively Space building 3D-printed, 20,000 kg to LEO Terran R with US$650M funding.

Jun 14 — Solar System: DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions to study Venus geology and atmosphere to be funded US$500M/ea; Perseverance investigating “Crater Floor Fractured Rough” and “Séítah” geologic features; Ryugu samples 70% porous, suggestive of common planetesimal origin.

Jun 14 — Galaxy: Caltech survey indicates solar system distribution of Gas Giants relative to Sun relatively common; Twinkle commercial space telescope, designed for exoplanet discovery, to launch 2024; UC-Riverside study proposes tidal-stripping mechanism to explain dwarf galaxies lacking dark matter.

Jun 14 — Global: First uncrewed Gaganyaan launch (with accompanying data relay) on track for Q4 2021; New Zealand to participate in Artemis coalition; UAE Hope Probe begins data collection in 55-hour orbit at Mars.

Jun 14 — USA: NASA funding bill under House consideration includes $10B funding for additional Artemis HLS; Astra to purchase thruster company Apollo Fusion, powering deep space missions; Virgin Orbit preparing 7 international payloads for launch from Mojave Air and Space Port this month.

Jun 14 — Hawai’i: Pan-STARRS prepares for NEO search during November 18 lunar eclipse; Keck Planet Finder spectrometer, capable of resolving Earth-sized exoplanets, on track for 2022 installation; ILOA Hawai’i preparing for Astronomy from the Moon observations NET Jan 2022.

Jun 14 — University of Washington, Online / Seattle WA: Panel Discussion: What Is Life and How Did It Begin? with UW astrobiologists Zoe Todd, Nick Wogan, Zack Cohen, Rika Anderson, Michael L. Wong; starts 18:00 PDT, free.

= All times

for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.

= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.

= All times for space events, and…

= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Venus (WNW), Mars (WNW), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE), Neptune (E); Morning: Uranus (E).

Shenzhou 12 Crew Launching as 3 Nations Celebrate First Women in Space Observations

China National Space Administration (CSNA) sending 3-member crew to the third iteration of Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) Space Station under construction at ~370 km LEO, the first designed for long term habitation and modular upgrades over time. Currently consisting of Tianhe (Harmony of the Heavens) core module and docked cargo craft Tianzhou (Heavenly Ship), Experiment Modules Wentian and Mengtian are to be launched and integrated in mid-2022, and space telescope Xuntian is planned for 2024 pairing. In final form the station is anticipated to be Mir-sized, ~1/5 of ISS mass, but future-proofed with Hall-effect ion propulsion and other advanced technologies. Shenzhou 12 is the 7th crewed mission for CSNA, and will be Commander Nie Haisheng’s 3rd time in space, whereas Operators Deng Qingming and Ye Guangfu will be crossing into space for the first time. Set for June 17, the mission falls between the 58th observance of the first woman to travel to space (Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, June 16 1963), the 38th observance of the first woman from USA to reach space (Astronaut Sally Ride, June 18 1983) and the 9th observance of first Chinese woman to do the same (Taikonaut Liu Yang, June 16 2012). 8 remaining Tiangong construction / assembly missions include 3 additional crewed missions through 2022, Shenzhou 13-15, which may see the first woman mission commander. (Image Credits: CNSA, RSC Energia, NASA)

 Jun 14 — National Science Foundation, Online / Alexandria VA: Arecibo Observatory Options Workshop ‘Stewardship’.

Jun 14-16 — Canadian Space Agency, Online / Longueuil, Quebec, Canada: 2021 Canadian Lunar Workshop; featuring representatives from CSA-ASC, NASA, ESA.

Jun 14-18 — International Astronautical Federation, Roscosmos, Saint Petersburg, Russia / Online: Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) 2021.

Jun 14-25 — NASA, Online: PI Launchpad – Developing Your First Flight Mission Proposal.

Jun 14-25 — National Science Foundation, Rising Stargirls, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Online: Workshop: The Universe: More than Meets the Eye.

Jun 14 – Jul 1 — Keck Institute for Space Science, Caltech, Online / Pasadena CA: Workshop: Venus In-Situ Sample Capture Mission.

Jun 14 — Asteroid 2019 VH5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.059 AU)

Continued From…

May 24 – Aug 6 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, NASA, Pasadena CA and Online: JPL Planetary Science Mission Design School Session 1.

May 24 – Aug 20 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, NASA, Pasadena CA and Online: JPL Planetary Science Mission Design School Session 2.

May 31 – Jun 11 — UNOOSA, Vienna, Austria: 60th Session of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs; at Vienna International Centre.

Jun 1 – Aug 6 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Online / Houston TX: 2021 LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science.

Jun 7-18 — NASA, University of Alabama at Huntsville, University of Auburn, et al, Online: ASTROCAMP 2021; free summer boot camp on multibody astrodynamics developed through a NASA Artemis Student Challenge Grant.

Jun 7 – Aug 13 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Online and Houston TX: LPI Summer Internship for 2021.

TUESDAY

Jun 15 — Northrop Grumman, Launch Minotaur 1 / NROL-111, Pad 0B, Wallops Island VA: USAF and NG Minotaur 1 rocket to launch classified spy satellite cargo for the US NRO.

Jun 15 — Cosmos Club Science and Technology Committee, Online / Washington DC: Secure World Foundation speakers talk on space sustainability; featuring Brian Weeden and Victoria Samson.

Jun 15 — International Astronautical Federation, Space University Administrative Committee, Chinese Society of Astronautics, Dalian University of Technology, Online: Applications Due: IAF-CSA Space Universities CubeSat Challenge.

Jun 15-17— MACH Center, NExSS, NASA Heliophysics DRIVE program, Online: Workshop: Influence of a Global Magnetic Field on Ion and Atmospheric Loss and Planetary Habitability.

Jun 15-30 — AIAA, National Association of Rocketry, The Plains VA: The American Rocketry Challenge; high school students compete in the nation’s largest student rocket competition.

Jun 15 — Moon: 4.7° NNE of Regulus, 18:00.

Jun 15 — Asteroid 450263 (2003 WD158): Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)

Jun 15 — Asteroid 2003 YP3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.077 AU)

Jun 15 — Asteroid 2013 BO27: Near-Earth Flyby (0.097 AU)

WEDNESDAY

Jun 16 — ISS, U.S. EVA #74, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 Astronauts Pesquet and Kimbrough to begin ~6.5-hour spacewalk beginning 06:30 EDT for installation of 1st IROSA Solar Array on the P6 truss for the 2B Channel Power System, live coverage available.

Jun 16 — 58th Observation of the 1st Woman in Space, Global: Public events and commemorations occur to celebrate the first female to fly in Space, Valentina Tereshkova of the former Soviet Union; in 1963 she orbited Earth 49 times in Vostok 6.

Jun 16 — 9th Observation of the 1st Woman from China in Space, Zhongguo / Global: First Woman from China, Liu Yang, celebrated today for reaching Space in 2012 aboard Shenzhou 9, while nation plans for China Space Station crewed mission and future crews to the Moon.

Jun 16 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032: Panel on Venus Meeting #19 and Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions Meeting #6.

Jun 16 — National Science Foundation, Online / Alexandria VA: Arecibo Observatory Options Workshop ‘Team Formation’.

Jun 16-18 — USGS Astrogeology Science Center, LPI, USRA, Online / Flagstaff AZ: Workshop on Terrestrial Analogs for Planetary Exploration.

THURSDAY

Jun 17 — CNSA, Launch Long March 2F / Shenzhou 12, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: China to launch Long March 2F and Shenzhou 12 spacecraft with 3-member crew: Nie Haisheng, Deng Qingming and Ye Guangfu to China Space Station; 7th crewed space mission overall for China, and 1st to Tianhe.

Jun 17 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / GPS 3 SV05, SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch USSF 5th third-generation navigation satellite for Global Positioning System.

Jun 17 — Long Beach Economic Partnership, Online / Long Beach CA: Forum: Accelerate Long Beach / Space and Technology; 10:00-12:00 PDT.

Jun 17 — Caltech Astronomy Department, Online / Pasadena CA: Theodore von Kármán Lecture: Oh, Jupiter! We Thought We Knew You; by Cynthia Phillips, Europa Project Staff Scientist and Steve Levin, Juno Project Scientist; 19:00 PDT.

Jun 17 — W. M. Keck Observatory, Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation, Online / Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talks: Decoding the Contents of Distant Galaxies; by Alice Shapley, Professor and Vice Chair for Astronomy and Astrophysics at UCLA; 17:00 HST.

Jun 17 — AIAA Los Angeles / Las Vegas Section, Online: e-Happy Hour in AIAA LA-LV Virtual Mars Base, Jezero Crater, Mars; 18:30 PDT.

Jun 17 — Moon: At first quarter, 17:54.

FRIDAY

NET Jun 18 — CNSA, Launch Long March 2C / Yaogan-30 09, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China: China to launch Long March 2C rocket with Yaogan-30 09 reconnaissance satellites.

Jun 18 — 38th Observation of the 1st American Woman in Space, Nationwide USA / Global: Celebrating the first American woman to fly in Space, Sally Ride on Space Shuttle Challenger STS-7 mission in 1983, while USA plans First Woman to the Moon South Pole 2024 via developing Artemis program.

Jun 18 — National Science Foundation, Online / Alexandria VA: Arecibo Observatory Options Workshop ‘Collecting Feedback’.

Jun 18 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Foundation for Assessing the Health and Vitality of the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Research Communities Meeting #2.

Jun 18-25 — Spaceport America, Online / Las Cruces NM: 2021 Virtual Spaceport America Cup.

SATURDAY

Jun 19 — AIAA Los Angeles / Las Vegas Section, Online: The Tuskegee Airmen, Juneteenth Celebration, and African American Aerospace Professionals Panel Discussion.

Jun 19 — Moon: 5.9° NNE of Spica, 18:00.

Jun 19 — Venus: 8.7° S of Castor, 03:00.

SUNDAY

Jun 20 — ISS, U.S. EVA #75, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 Astronauts Pesquet and Kimbrough to begin ~6.5-hour spacewalk beginning 06:30 EDT for installation of 2nd IROSA Solar Array on the P6 truss for the 4B Channel Power System, live coverage available.

Jun 20-27— French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), Paris Le Bourget, France: International Paris Air Show 2021.

Jun 20 — June Solstice: Longest day of the year (opposite in Southern Hemisphere) as Sun reaches a point farthest north of celestial equator, 17:32 HST.

Jun 20 — Asteroid 2021 HQ3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.098 AU)