Articles by: SPC

December 28, 2020 – January 10, 2021 / Vol 39, No 52 – Vol 40, No 1 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Hubble Space Telescope Continues Legacy with Solar System Complete and Beyond Observations

One of the largest and most versatile space telescopes, Hubble, a vital research tool for astrophysics and public education, is nearing 31 years in LEO and could possibly remain operational into the 2040s. A co-effort of NASA, ESA and STScI, Hubble has 4 active instruments: Advanced Camera for Surveys, Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Wide Field Camera 3; with Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer kept in hibernation. In an almost circular orbit at 550 km, it is best seen between latitudes of 28.5° N to 28.5° S. Some New Year flybys can be seen over Hawai’i island on December 31, January 1 and beyond. Hubble is an aerospace engineering success and its impacts on astronomy have so far resulted in 15,000+ papers based on Hubble data published in peer-reviewed journals, important discoveries for the age and expansion of the universe, black holes, and the mass and size of the Milky Way Galaxy. As ESA, Canadian Space Agency and NASA prepare for the long-awaited James Webb launching NET October 2021, some international space observatories already working in Space include India Astrosat, ESA Gaia, USA Chandra, Swift and NuSTAR. Future lunar surface and cislunar observatories / instruments are also being planned to launch on NASA CLPS missions second half 2021 which will join China Chang’e-3, -4 and -5 already on lunafirma. (Image Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI)

MONDAY

Highlights…
Dec 28 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Seven-member Expedition 64 crew planning for in-flight education events, Holiday / New Year celebrations with family, finalizing Cygnus CRS-14 for its release this week, donning radiation-vest, working with yeast and plant habitat studies.

Dec 28 — NewSpace: Axiom to create 14-acre HQ at Houston Spaceport to train Astronauts, build space station; SpaceX Starship prototype SN9 ready for flight before 2021; Made In Space 3D prints first ceramic turbine blade on ISS.

Dec 28 — Solar System: China CE-5 orbiter to fly to a Sun-Earth Lagrange Point for extended mission, 1.731 kg of lunar samples being analyzed; study of Almahata Sitta sample indicates origins within Ceres-sized object; using pulsar radiation observation technique, location of SS barycenter narrowed to 100-m area.

Dec 28 — Galaxy: Astronomers monitoring Proxima Centauri as 982 MHz radio signal detected by Parkes; multi-messenger approach to SETI, consideration of alien probes championed by Avi Loeb; researchers to utilize LOFAR for exoplanet search, Tau Boötes exoplanet observed via radio astronomy for first time.

Dec 28 — Global: Event Horizon Telescope seeks Postdoctoral applicant for next-generation EHT (ngEHT) project to advance capability of array; Channel One and Roscosmos intend to send actress to ISS to produce 2021 feature film; Dawn Aerospace of New Zealand developing suborbital spaceplanes 2021 to fly from conventional airports.

Dec 28 — USA: Incoming Administration may consider full support of Space Policy Directive-1 to land first woman on the Moon asap; NASA to receive US$23.271B for fiscal year 2021, $2B less than requested; US Space Force service member nomenclature to be designated ‘Guardians’.

Dec 28 — Hawai’i: JAXA analyzing Subaru images of asteroid 1998 KY26, next target for Hayabusa-2; Keck Observatory continues Astronomy Talks schedule through the New Year; ISS captures Kilauea from LEO, International Disaster Charter eruption monitoring possible.

= 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: Mars (S), Jupiter (SW), Saturn (SW), Uranus (SE), Neptune (SW); Morning Planets: Venus (SE).

2020s Multi World Civilization: The Moon, Global Revolutions, and Egalitarian Considerations

Commercial spacecraft in 2021 — Peregrine from Astrobotic and Nova-C from Intuitive Machines — are expected to attempt landings on the Moon for the first such American efforts in almost half a century, joining more-recent landers Chang’e-3, -4, -5, and ahead of India Chandrayaan-3, Russia Luna 25, and ispace of Japan. The 2020s landing of first women on the Moon should be as influential for the 21st century as the landing of first men on the Moon was for the 20th, and will expand the sphere of women’s freedom and activity by almost 1,000,000,000 times. Rapidly rising considerations for lunar resources and operations are manifest in the advocacies from LEAG, Moon Village Association, Artemis Accords, China Lunar Research Station, Open Lunar Foundation, and many more American and international Luna-interested enterprises and organizations. Perennial questions “Whose Moon Is It” and “Who Owns the Moon” now demand clear, principled, logical and operational understanding. As the Moon clearly belongs to Earth, and Earth’s people, it’s utilization may best be realized through a social-political-economic-international entity representing all humans and enabling both cooperative enterprise for the common wealth and egalitarian consideration for individual property. (Image Credits: NASA, ILOA Hawai’i, ESO, MVA, LEAG, OLF)

 Dec 28 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / CSO 2, Sinnamary, French Guiana: Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS25, to launch second Composante Spatiale Optique military reconnaissance satellite for CNES and DGA.

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.

TUESDAY

Dec 29 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston hosts the annual end-of-year traditional review with Tom Olson, a business systems engineer and analyst in communications, aerospace and publishing sectors.

Dec 29 — Moon: 0.42° NE of M35 cluster, 06:00; Full Cold Moon, 17:29.

Dec 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 XZ4: Near Earth Flyby (0.014 AU)

Dec 29 — Apollo Asteroid 162173 Ryugu: Near Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)

WEDNESDAY

Dec 30 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: In-flight interviews with Expedition 64 Astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover starting 10:20 EST; and Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi staring 12:40, live coverage available.

Dec 30 — Juno, Perijove 31 / 30th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft in 53-day orbit to come within ~3,500 km of Jupiter cloud tops during Perijove 31, its 31st close flyby of Jupiter and 30th science flyby with instruments turned on, 21:45:12 UTC.

Dec 30 — Moon: 7.4° S of Castor, 17:00; 3.8° S of Pollux, 21:00.

Dec 30 — Aten Asteroid 2012 UK171: Near Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)

THURSDAY

Dec 31 — Hubble Space Telescope, LEO: Spacecraft makes visible pass over Hawai’i starting 05:45:12 from NNW to 05:49:30 in NE, magnitude 2.1.

FRIDAY

NET 2021 — ISRO, Launch PSLV / Chandrayaan-3, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to attempt next lander and rover mission to Moon South Pole region possibly late this year; Chandrayaan-2 in lunar orbit to act as relay.

NET 2021 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Canadensys Aerospace Corp., Launch ILO-1, TBD: Launch of independent ILOA multifunctional observatory to Moon South Pole; will conduct radio astronomy, scientific & commercial communications, serve as catalyst for lunar base build-out.

NET 2021 — ISRO, Launch GSLV / Mars Orbiter Mission-2, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: India 2nd Mars mission to be launched this year with advanced science instruments to Mars orbit of 200 km x 2,000 km.

NET 2021 — Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Cerro Pachón, Chile: Previously dubbed Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, VCR Observatory team expects first light this year with full science operations starting Oct 2022.

NET 2021 — Mars World Enterprises Inc., Las Vegas NV: Hoping to open Mars World theme park by this year, created by John Spencer.

Jan 1 — Hubble Space Telescope, LEO: Spacecraft makes visible pass over Hawai’i starting 05:35:04 from N to 05:35:25 in N, magnitude 2.2.

Jan 1 — Deep Space, Kuiper Belt: New Horizons, collecting data from the edge of the Solar System, nearly 50 AU from Earth, will have 600-page technical compendium titled ‘The Pluto System after New Horizons’ published in 2021.

SATURDAY

Jan 2 — Earth: At perihelion, 0.9833 AU from Sun, 03:00.

Jan 2 — Moon: 4.5° NNE of Regulus, 16:00.

Jan 2, 3 — Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Quadrans Muralis; can produce up to 110 meteors per hour.

SUNDAY

Jan 3 — Chang’e-4 Lander and Yutu-2 Rover, Statio Tianhe (Milky Way Base), Von Kármán crater, Moon South Pole–Aitken Basin, 177.6°E, 45.5°S: Spacecraft enter 3rd year / reach 2 full years on Moon far side, landed 2019.

Jan 3 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Robert Wilson from the Aerospace Corp.

Jan 3 — Aten Asteroid 2020 YA1: Near Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)

Jan 3 — Aten Asteroid 2019 QW2: Near Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)

Jan 3 — Aten Asteroid 2003 AF23: Near Earth Flyby (0.047 AU)

MONDAY

Jan 4 — United Launch Alliance, Launch Atlas V / CST-100 Starliner Second Demo Flight, SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Boeing planning 2nd and final uncrewed demo test mission to ISS, before Astronaut flights.

Jan 4 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Turksat 5A, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Falcon 9 rocket to launch Turksat 5A communications satellite for Ku-band television broadcast services over Turkey, Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Jan 4 — Aten Asteroid 2012 BT1: Near Earth Flyby (0.016 AU)

TUESDAY

Jan 5 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 – Panel on Mars Meeting #6.

Jan 5 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Trent Tresch about SAM (Space Analog for the Moon and Mars) project.

Jan 5 — Moon: At last quarter, 23:37.

WEDNESDAY

Jan 6 — ISS, NG Cygnus CRS-14 Release, LEO: Northrop Grumman Cygnus freighter dubbed S.S. Kalpana Chawla to be released from ISS 09:45 EST with waste for re-entry disintegration in Earth atmosphere, live coverage available; NASA Glenn SAFFIRE V experiment to be conducted to examine fire growth in the range of pressures and oxygen concentrations.

Jan 6 — Hubble Space Telescope, LEO: Spacecraft makes visible pass over Hawai’i starting 06:19:29 from WNW to 06:23:09 in SSW, magnitude 0.8.

Jan 6 — Moon: 6.4° NNE of Spica, 20:00.

Jan 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 KP1: Near Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)

Jan 6 — Apollo Asteroid 332446 (2008 AF4): Near Earth Flyby (0.025 AU)

Jan 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 CO247: Near Earth Flyby (0.049 AU)

THURSDAY

Jan 7 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: In-flight education event with Million Girls Moonshot Education Group in San Diego CA and NASA Astronauts Kate Rubins and Shannon Walker, live coverage available.

Jan 7, 8 — American Astronomical Society, Online / Phoenix AZ: 22 Workshops and Meetings, in conjunction with American Astronomical Society meeting 237.

FRIDAY

Jan 8 — Royal Astronomical Society, Online / London, United Kingdom: Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Ordinary Meeting; and Meeting: Exoplanet Modelling in the James Webb Era.

SATURDAY

Jan 9 — NARIT, Chiang Mai, Thailand: NARIT AstroFest 2021; hosting stargazing tours and various Astrophysics activities for domestic tourists.

Jan 9 — Moon: At perigee (distance 367,382 km), 05:47; 5.4° NNE of Antares, 20:00.

Jan 9 — Mercury: 1.61° SE of Saturn, 19:00.

Jan 9 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 NU13: Near Earth Flyby (0.038 AU)

SUNDAY

Jan 10 — American Astronomical Society, Online / Phoenix AZ: Grad School Fair & Exhibit Hall Preview Day; on the eve of American Astronomical Society meeting 237.

Jan 10-12 — AIAA, Online / Reston VA: International Student Conference.

Jan 10-15 — European Microwave Association, Institute of Engineering and Technology, IEEE, AESS, et al, Online / Utrecht, The Netherlands: 50th European Microwave Week; in conjunction with 17th European Radar Conference and 15th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference.

Jan 10-15 — American Meteorological Society, Online / New Orleans LA: 101st Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society.

Jan 10 — Mercury: With Jupiter and Saturn within circle of diameter of 2.39°, 09:00.