July 17–23, 2023 / Vol 42, No 29 / Hawai`i Island, USA

International Moon Day Recognizes Moon Landings, Looks Towards Multi World Civilization

Now in its second year under a United Nations proclamation submitted by Moon Village Association, International Moon Day on July 20 ‘Beginning the New Lunar Journey for Humanity’ commemorates first human landing on Moon in 1969. More than 50 registered IMD events being held on six continents, in Hawai’i and in space will recognize the lunar landmark with conferences on future Moon exploration, sciences, technology and more. USA prepares for Artemis 2 launch ~November 2024. China plans to land Astronauts on Moon in late 2020s, its Chang’E-6 lunar lander is expected to launch in 2024. India, developing its crewed Gaganyaan program, now has Chandrayaan-3 Moon lander and rover heading toward Moon South Pole region. Korea celebrates Moon Day July 17-21 at National Science Museum. Dr. Walter Kiefer of NASA’s GRAIL mission to speak at Space Center Houston July 20 on geophysical evolution of Moon, Mars, Venus, and differentiated meteorite parent bodies. Moon Society, Moonbase Lappträsk Foundation, Lunar Homestead to host online event July 20 discussing how Lunar settlement might play out in the next 50 years. NASA Astronaut Christina Koch is preparing to become first woman on a Moon mission via Artemis 2 and yet unnamed Artemis 3 crewmember will become first woman to land on surface of the Moon furthering momentum towards gender equality in space exploration. (Image Credits: NASA, Indian Express, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, ISRO, International Moon Day)

MONDAY 

☆ Jul 17 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 69 seven-member crew preparing to receive 4 Astronauts from Crew 7 next month, working with Internal Ball Camera in JEM, stowage in Destiny and wastewater hardware in Tranquility modules.

☆ Jul 17 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 16 three-member crew to soon surpass 2 months in space, working with new experiment hardware while zebra fish study being prepared to launch to station.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Lunar / Mars Innovation, Tech and Science are Focus of Glenn Symposium, NASA Exploration Science Forum & LunGradCon

American Astronautical Society with NASA Glenn Research Center holding 2023 John Glenn Memorial Symposium July 17-19 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Under theme Powering Innovation from Earth to Mars, leading space professionals will present on and discuss topics ranging from space law, workforce development, and NASA aviation to lunar surface power, exploration, and lunar / cislunar infrastructure. Opening remarks to be given by AAS Executive Director Jim Way, CWRU Provost Joy Ward, and NASA Glenn Research Center Director James Kenyon. Keynote addresses will be from NASA Chief Technologist A.C. Charania and STS-120 Discovery Mission Specialist / ISS Expedition 24-25 Flight Engineer Douglas Wheelock. Astrobotic VP Dan Hendrickson, Aerojet Rocketdyne Chief Engineer Gabriella Blackner, and Quantum Space CEO Kerry Wisnosky are to participate in panel discussions. NASA Exploration Science Forum 2023, organized by SSERVI, is being held at University of Maryland in College Park Maryland July 18-20. NASA Chief Exploration Scientist Jacob Bleacher and Program Scientist Sarah Noble to provide broad update on Artemis Era progress, while Brent Garry of NASA Sciences and Exploration Directorate will summarize the state of NASA payloads contracted for Moon delivery via Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). Lunar analogs, dust, plasma, lava tubes, volatiles and geology will be subjects of dedicated sessions. Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Forum 2023 (LunGradCon) will be held in conjunction, preceding Exploration Science Forum on July 17. (Image Credits: AAS, NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Astrobotic, Quantum Space)

☾ Jul 17 — Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) P2, Moon Orbit: Craft reaches 12 full years / enters 13th year in Moon orbit today; originally launched with constellation of 5 satellites in 2007 to study Earth magnetosphere, NASA craft collecting data on Moon interaction with Sun; reached Moon 2011.

● Jul 17 — NASA Ames Research Center, College Park MD: LunGradCon 2023; in conjunction with NASA Exploration Science Forum 2023.

● Jul 17-19 — American Astronautical Society, Cleveland OH: The John Glenn Memorial Symposium, Powering Innovation from Earth to Mars; at Case Western Reserve University.

● Jul 17-21 — UC Santa Cruz Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE), University of California – Berkeley, W. M. Keck Observatory, Berkeley CA: 2023 AstroTech Summer School; school on astronomical instrumentation for undergraduates and graduate students.

● Jul 17-21 — NASA, UH Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi: TESS/Kepler Asteroseismic Science Consortium Workshop.

o Jul 17-21 — Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of Porto, University of Lisbon, Porto, Portugal: Towards Other Earths III: The Planet-Star Connection.

o Jul 17-23 — Korea National Science Museum, Daejeon, S Korea: Week of Lunar Exploration Highlights; with participation from experts from Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter and Korea Space Launch Vehicle missions, Korean Aerospace Research Institute & Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

o Jul 17-23 — Kuwait Moon Village Association Team, Hybrid / Kuwait City, Kuwait and Online: Analogue Missions and Arts; aims to investigate the effect of isolation using artwork and involve Kuwait in Moon activities.

☆ Jul 17 — Moon: 5.2° S of Castor, 01:00; 1.76° S of Pollux, 07:00; New Moon, 08:32.

Continued From…

● Jun 12 – Aug 12 — Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at University of California Observatories, University of Hawai’i, Hilo HI: Akamai Internship Program 2023.

o Jun 26 – Aug 25 — International Space University, ESA, Netherlands Space Office, Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, São José dos Campos, Brazil: 35th ISU Space Studies Program (SSP 2023).

o Jul 8-17 — National Space Foundation, NOIRLab, International Dark-Sky Association, AURA, Online / Global: Globe at Night July Campaign; to raise awareness of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit night sky brightness observations.

● Jul 8-28 — UCSC Other Worlds Laboratory (OWL), Santa Cruz CA: Exoplanet Summer Program (ESP).