Articles by: SPC

February 1-7, 2021 / Vol 40, No 5 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Space Foundation Explores Moon Build-out Technology, Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Addresses Dust Challenges

Mark McDonald, Chief Architect of NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will moderate Space Symposium 365 Webinar Panel: Construction on the Moon on February 1. The webinar features presentations by space industrialist Alex Ignatiev of Lunar Resources, a Houston-based enterprise aiming to convert regolith into construction material / oxygen via electrolysis and utilize vacuum present on the lunar surface for manufacture of advanced electronics; Jason Ballard, CEO of Austin-based habitat building company ICON, which aims to 3D print terrestrial homes and off-world settlements starting with Earth’s Moon; and Lockheed Martin Deputy Exploration Architect Christine Edwards. Planetary scientist Jorge Núñez of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and STMD Technical Integration Manager Michael Johansen are orchestrating Dust Mitigation Workshop Feb 4. Keynote speaker Niki Werkheiser, also of STMD, will update on Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative, which she leads along with her role as Game Changing Development Program Executive. Adrienne Dove of University of Central Florida and Ryan Watkins of Planetary Science Institute are to present dust findings from Lunar Surface Science Workshop, Mary Hakam will speak on xEMU space suit, astronaut Michael L. Gernhardt will speak on lessons learned from Lunar Roving Vehicle. Breakout sessions will be held on Plume / Surface Interaction, Surface Operations and Sustainable Presence and workshop participants will have an opportunity to give lightning talks. (Image Credits: NASA, UCF, LPI, Space Foundation, JHUAPL)

MONDAY

Highlights…
Feb 1 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 64 crew of 7 working with BioNutrients study, checking BEAM module periodically; Hopkins, Glover to perform U.S. EVA #71 today, a ~6.5-hour spacewalk for installation of final lithium-ion battery adapter plate on port 4 (P4) truss, starts 07:05 EST, live coverage available.

Feb 1 NewSpace: Private ISS mission, Axiom Space Ax-1, includes astronaut Michael López-Alegría + 3 investors paying US$55M/ea; Starlink argues for lower altitude clearance from FCC, aiming for ambitious 10Gbps d/l speed; Momentus CEO Mikhail Kokorich resigns, allowing space transport company to clear federal hurdles.

Feb 1 — Solar System: 50% more light present from New Horizon Kuiper Belt vantage than anticipated; Pete Worden of Breakthrough Initiative indicates SETI mission to Venus via Rocket Lab possible; academics urge USA/China space diplomacy on Artemis and beyond.

Feb 1 — Galaxy: 5/6 exoplanets in TOI-178 system display ‘harmonic’ orbital resonances; TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets have uniform density (8% less than Earth), researchers posit composition scenarios; signal from Proxima Centauri likely interference.

Feb 1 — Global: Russia / China Moon base collaboration increasingly likely; CASC planning 3-4 sea launches for Long March 11 rockets this year; 5.2m diameter launch system H3 begins core stage testing at JAXA Tanegashima Space Center.

Feb 1 — USA: RFI seeks launch provider capable of delivering 6,065-kg NASA Europa Clipper; Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee now chaired by Matt Cartwright – Artemis supporter, friend of Jim Bridenstine; MSP crater officially designated ‘Tooley Crater’ henceforth in honor of LRO leader.

Feb 1 — Hawai’i: ILOA Hawaii accepting applications for Astrophysicist associate to conduct astronomy from Moon surface; NSF considers additional $850M towards $2.4B cost of proposed Big Hawaii Telescope; Office of Maunakea Management plans 5.5m dome to house 0.7m teaching telescope in vicinity of Halepohaku.

Feb 1 — Columbia STS-107 18th Observation, Nationwide USA: Annual international conferences and events take place to further space exploration efforts in remembrance of Columbia 7 loss in 2003: Commander Richard D. Husband, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (‘1st Israeli astronaut’) and Astronauts: William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown and Kalpana Chawla (‘1st Indian American astronaut’ and ‘1st Indian woman in space’).

= 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: Mercury (SSW), Mars (SW), Uranus (S), Neptune (WSW).

ISU Asia-Pacific Conference Highlights Regional Well-Established and Emerging Space Developments, Collaborations

ISU Adelaide Conference 2021 themed International Collaboration in Asia-Pacific Space Activities is taking place online February 5-6. Day 1, 3-hour agenda will feature Welcome Keynotes by Conference Chair Scott Schneider and Australia Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo; Space Agency Panel with Andrew Johnson (New Zealand Space Agency), Joel Marciano Jr. (Philippine Space Agency), Norimitsu Kamimori (JAXA), and Durairaj Radhakrishnan (ISRO); and Space Startups presentations by NewSpace India Ltd, Arlula, Zenno Astronautics, Astrogate Labs and Space Machines Company. Day 2, 6-hour agenda will have a discussion on The Future of Launch with Equatorial Space Systems CEO Simon Gwozdz, Dawn Aerospace CTO Stefan Powell, Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp, i-Space China VP Jingqi Cai; Closing Keynotes by Space Base Co-Founder Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom and ISU President Juan de Dalmau; and thematic break-out rooms on topics: Orbital Debris hosted by Astroscale, Outreach & Space Education by Andy Thomas Space Foundation, Space Law by Space Law Council, Deep Space Missions by space scientist Hajime Yano, Post-Covid Recovery Through Space and Current ISU Team Project. Asia-Pacific space sector rapid developments include China Lunar Exploration Program, India Mars and Gaganyaan Human missions, Japan Multi-GNSS and its asteroid / inner Solar System missions, with advancing efforts by NZSA founding 2016, ASA founding 2018, Rocket Lab, and other NewSpace and related industries. (Image Credits: ISU, NZSA, ASA, PSA, JAXA, ISRO, NASA)

Feb 1 — Space Foundation, Online / Colorado Springs CO: Space Symposium 365 Webinar Panel: Construction on the Moon; with Mark McDonald, Jason Ballard, Christine Edwards, Alex Ignatiev; 13:00-14:00 EST.

Feb 1 — Conrad Foundation, AIAA, Online: Conrad Challenge – 2021 Virtual Innovation Summit.

Feb 1 — USA-UAE Business Council, Planetary Society, Online: Update on UAE Hope Mission to Mars; with Sarah Al Amiri, U.A.E. Minister of State for Advanced Technologies and Chairwoman of UAE Space Agency; 09:00 EDT

Feb 1-3 — American Astronautical Society, AIAA, Online / Charlotte NC: 31st AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting; at Sheraton Charlotte Hotel.

Feb 1 — Aten Asteroid 2016 CL136: Near Earth Flyby (0.035 AU)

Continued From…

Nov 4, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021 — International Astronautical Federation, Online: Abstracts Submission Open: 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2021); being held Oct 25-29.

Jan 20 – Feb 28 — CNSA Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, Online / Beijing, China: Global Campaign soliciting nominations for the name of Tianwen-1 Mars rover.

Jan 28 – Feb 4 — Committee on Space Research, Australian Academy of Science, Sydney, Australia and Online: 43rd Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research and Associated Events “COSPAR 2021”; with approximately 125 meetings covering COSPAR Scientific Commissions.

TUESDAY

Feb 2 — University of Arizona Press, Online: 600-page technical compendium titled ‘The Pluto System after New Horizons’ to be published / distributed today, created by S. Alan Stern.

Feb 2 — Space Foundation, Online / Colorado Springs CO: Space Symposium 365 Webinar Panel: State of Space; with Tidiane Ouattara, Chris Quilty, Kathryn Sullivan; 10:00-11:30 EST.

Feb 2 — Moon: 6.2° NNE of Spica, 20:00.

WEDNESDAY

Feb 3 — British Interplanetary Society, Online: Live Evening Lecture & Q&A: Apollo 14 – A Walk in the Highlands; by Jerry Stone, 19:00 UT.

Feb 3 — Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Online / Greenbelt MD: Lecture: What We’ve Learned about the Habitability of Mars from NASA’s Curiosity Rover Mission; by Ashwin Vasavada of JPL, 15:00 EST.

Feb 3-5 — NASA Mercury Exploration Assessment Group, Online / Washington DC: Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG).

Feb 3 — Moon: At perigee (distance 370,124 km), 08:48.

Feb 3 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 SO: Near Earth Flyby (0.001 AU)

THURSDAY

Feb 4 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink V1.0-L18, LC-39A, KSC FL: Falcon 9 to launch 19th batch of ~60 satellites for SpaceX Starlink broadband network.

Feb 4 — Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium of JHU/APL, Online: Dust Mitigation Workshop; featuring invited presentations from NASA representatives and the community, contributed lightning talks, and breakout discussion sessions; 11:00-17:00 EST.

Feb 4 — Space Court Foundation, Online / Sharon PA: Webinar: The Fate of the Outer Space Treaty: Finding its Place in a New Era of Space Security; with Paul Meyer, Andrei Belousov, Patricia Lewis; 11:00 EST.

Feb 4 — Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Online / Washington DC: Lecture: Perseverance – What it Takes to Explore the Red Planet! 13:00 EST.

Feb 4 — NewSpace New Mexico, Online: Webinar: Innovation is a Critical Capability in Great Power Competition; 13:30-15:00 EST.

Feb 4 — JPL, Caltech, NASA, Online / Pasadena CA: von Kármán Lecture Series 2021: Planetary Protection; with Brian White, Nikki Wyrick and Dr. Moogega Cooper from NASA/JPL; 19:00 PST.

Feb 4-10 — American Astronautical Society Rocky Mountain Section, Breckenridge CO: 44th Annual AAS Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference; reset to TBD Feb 2022.

Feb 4 — Moon: At last quarter, 07:38.

FRIDAY

Feb 5 — STEAMSPACE, Online / Austin TX: 6th Annual Cities in Space Student Conference & Competition; 09:00-13:00 CST.

Feb 5-6 — International Space University, New Zealand Space Agency, Australian Space Agency, Philippine Space Agency, JAXA, ISRO, et al, Online / Adelaide, Australia: ISU Adelaide Conference 2021: International Collaboration in Asia-Pacific Space Activities.

Feb 5 — Venus: 0.38° SE of Saturn, 22:00; with Jupiter and Saturn within circle of diameter 5.43°, 23:00.

Feb 5 — Aten Asteroid 2018 PN22: Near Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)

Feb 5 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 CH2: Near Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)

SATURDAY

Feb 6 — Caltech, JPL, NASA, Online / Pasadena CA: Online Workshop: STEAM Resources for Your Mission to Mars; by education specialist Brandon Rodriguez, 10:00-11:30 PST.

Feb 6 — Moon: 5.3° NNE of Antares, 02:00.

SUNDAY

Feb 7 — Alpha Centaurids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from Alpha Centauri (α Cen), meteors are far south and below horizon for most in North, can produce ~6 meteors per hour, peak 08:00.

Feb 7 — Mars: Spring Equinox, 01:00.

Feb 7 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 BT: Near Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)