Articles by: SPC

February 4-10, 2019 / Vol 38, No 5 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Small Satellites Meeting with Big Opportunities in Silicon Valley

The 4th Annual SmallSat Symposium opens February 5-7 at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, California. Small satellite launches have grown over 150% in five years. SpaceWorks Enterprises, which specializes in engineering and hardware, predicts that in the next 5 years 2,800 nano- and microsatellites will require launching. More than 75 constellations are planned along with independent satellites. In the innovation hotbed of Silicon Valley, SmallSats are seen as an opening for ambitious startups. Bryce Space headed by Carissa Christensen (L) and Stellar Solutions represented by Melissa Farrell (R) are woman-owned companies offering expertise in space systems. Astranis is one of multiple companies trying to create worldwide broadband networks. Thales, Leonardo, and SSL are cooperating to build the Telesat LEO constellation. SpaceX intends to build its business with 12,000 broadband satellites. On a budget of US$160M Sky and Space Global plans a constellation of 200 communication satellites weighing less than 10 kg each. In the field of Earth observations, Planet Labs of San Francisco, which operates 140 satellites, and Digital Globe both provide updated high-resolution imagery of Earth. Capella Space is the first American commercial company to launch an advanced radar-imaging satellite. Analytical Space of Boston is building a relay network to transmit data from these many satellites. Orbion Space Technology offers plasma propulsion systems built by robots. (Image Credits: SatNews, SmallSat Symposium, NASA)

MONDAY

Highlights…
 Feb 4 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 58 three-member crew preparing Cygnus NG-10 for planned departure on Friday, performing Moon Imagery experiment to help calibrate navigation software for future Orion missions, working with Refabricator 3D printer, logging information for time perception, circadian rhythms and lighting effects experiments.

Feb 4 — NewSpace: Blue Origin New Shepard in Texas vertical processing facility being prepared for first crewed test flight; SpaceX applies for FCC license for Falcon Heavy 2nd launch, intends to recover core on ship 1,000 km from KSC; Explore Mars publishes reports on proposed lunar activities that are of greatest value for human Mars missions within 2 decades.

Feb 4 — Solar System: Curiosity Rover leaves Vera Rubin Ridge & heads for Mount Sharp; Earth magnetic pole mysteriously moving at accelerated rate of 55 km per year; Parker Solar Probe begins second orbit of Sun, will reach perihelion on Apr 4.

Feb 4 — Galaxy: Italy astronomers claim that new physics are needed to explain early expansion of universe; several globular clusters with ages between 12.0 and 13.5 B years found near core of Milky Way.

Feb 4 — Global: CASC plans over 30 launches in 2019 including return to flight of Long March 5; first sea launch of Long March 11 scheduled for mid-2019; SpaceIL Beresheet lunar lander to be integrated for Falcon 9 launch in Feb; Roscosmos leader states Soyuz-5 rocket to be tested 2022, stresses importance of international space cooperation.

Feb 4 — USA: First core stage of Space Launch System begins final assembly as elements are vertically stacked at Michoud Assembly Facility; JPL sending commands toward Mars in last-ditch attempt to revive Opportunity Rover; NASA advances Lucy Jupiter Trojan asteroid mission launching ~Oct 2021.

Feb 4 — Hawai’i: Pan-STARRS second data release is largest ever; Astronomers will seek federal funding for Thirty Meter Telescope to allow access to observing time; UH plans to decommission 5 existing telescopes by 2033; Astronomers meet with language students to choose Hawaiian names for objects discovered from Mauna Kea.

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

Women in Space 2019 Conference Focuses on Science, Engineering, Education and Social Impact

The Women in Space 2019 conference is being held at SkySong Innovation Center in Scottsdale AZ February 7-8, expanding on Women in Planetary Science and Exploration 2018 conference. Geologists, geophysicists, engineers, geographers, astrobiologists, chemists, physicists, astronomers and social scientists will discuss topics including space ethics, professional culture, NewSpace, STEM, Mars, Io, Titan, Europa, Saturn, asteroids, planetary atmospheres, rovers and satellites. There are 8 sessions covering 28 talks, and 5 panel discussions, a grant writing workshop, networking and poster sessions. The 6 Keynote Speakers are (BL-BR) Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty and Lindy Elkins-Tanton of ASU, NASA Ames Researcher Darlene Lim, Michaelyn Thomas of Virgin Orbit, Scientist Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, and Stephanie Wan of Space Generation Advisory Council. Jennifer Grier of Planetary Science Institute is talking on inclusivity of all genders, abilities, nationalities and generations advancing the vision of universal space access. Stefanie Ruel of Concordia University will discuss a study of Canada Women in gendered “histories” and their roles in space exploration from Canada 1st satellite (Alouette) launch in 1962 to facilitate opportunities for present and future generations. Hopefully this Conference will also focus on international women Astronauts launching to space and landing on the Moon, and look forward to the 63rd woman in space, Christina Hammock Koch, set to fly to ISS March 14. (Image Credits: NASA, UN, Arizona State University, et al)

 Feb 4-7 — SatNews, SSL, Virgin Orbit, Ariane Group, Ball Aerospace Boeing, Surrey, et al, Silicon Valley CA: 4th Annual SmallSat Symposium; at Silicon Valley Computer History Museum.

Feb 4-8 — Netherlands Institute for Space Research, ESO, Flatiron Institute, University of Sussex, Leiden, The Netherlands: Workshop: Monsters of the Universe – The Most Extreme Star Factories.

Feb 4 — Moon: New Moon, 11:04; 0.23° SE of Mercury, 22:00; at apogee (distance 406,543 km), 23:00.

Feb 4 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 BH3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)

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.

TUESDAY

Feb 5 — Arianespace, Launch Ariane 5 / Hellas-Sat 4 / SaudiGeoSat 1 & GSAT 31, Kourou, French Guiana: Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA247, to launch HellasSat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 and GSAT 11 communications satellite.

Feb 5 — Lunar New Year, Zhongguo / Worldwide: Lunar New Year 2019 Spring Festival marks the Year of the Pig.

Feb 5 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Colloquium: The Missing Dynamo Mystery: Constraining the Decline of the Moon’s Magnetic Field after 3.56 Ga; by Beck Strauss, NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate, 15:45.

Feb 5 — PBS, Broadcast: Premiere of ‘Sealab: America’s Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor‘.

Feb 5-6 — Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG), NASA, Washington DC: OPAG Meeting; Postponed.

WEDNESDAY

Feb 6 — Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt MD: Colloquium: When Stars Attack! Near-Earth Supernova Explosions Revealed by Deep-Ocean and Lunar Radioactivity; by Prof. Brian Fields from University of Illinois.

Feb 6 — Moon: 2.98° SSE of Neptune, 23:00.

Feb 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 BK4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)

Feb 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2013 RV9: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)

THURSDAY

Feb 7 — NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Online: SMD Town Hall to discuss updates on activities related to the recent government shutdown and return to normal operations, 14:00 ET.

Feb 7 — NASA, Arlington VA: NASA Day of Remembrance for Columbia 7, Challenger 7 and Apollo 1 crew to be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Feb 7 — Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco CA: 130th Anniversary of the Founding of Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1889).

Feb 7 — Cornell University, Ithaca NY: Lecture: Galaxy Evolution using Lots of Resolved Galaxies; by Karen Masters from Haverford College.

Feb 7-8 — Sinclair Interplanetary, Virgin Orbit, Honeywell, Paragon, Arizona State University, Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, et al, Scottsdale AZ: Women in Space 2019; promoting the status of woman and non-binary scientists and engineers in academia and industry.

Feb 7, 8 — JPL, Caltech, NASA, Pasadena CA: von Kármán Lecture Series: 2019: The World of Scientific Ballooning; by Jose Siles, Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory LO Subsystem Lead and Antarctic Flight Campaign Team Member; and Laura Jones-Wilson, Systems Engineer for Europa Clipper, former Project Systems Engineer for Subarcsecond Telescope And Balloon Experiment.

FRIDAY

Feb 8 — ISS, Cygnus NG-10 Departure, LEO: Cygnus resupply ship to enter Earth atmosphere and disintegrate with ISS waste; undocking 10:45 EST, live coverage available.

Feb 8 — Royal Astronomical Society, London, United Kingdom: RAS Ordinary Meeting; The Global Response of the Terrestrial Magnetosphere during Storms and Substorms Meeting; Meeting: The Future Of High-Resolution Imaging in the Visible and IR.

Feb 8 — 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 ~3 meteors per hour.

SATURDAY

Feb 9 — NASA, JPL, Pasadena CA: Educator Workshop: Astrobiology and the Search for Life; for educators of grades 4-12, 10:00-13:00.

Feb 9-15 — California State University – Fullerton, Caltech, University of Amsterdam, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, Stockholm University, Aspen CO: Aspen Winter Conference 2019: Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Populations.

SUNDAY

Feb 10-16 — Comenius University Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia: Workshop: Quantum Structure of Spacetime.

Feb 10 — Moon: with Mars and Uranus within circle of diameter 5.68°, 10:00; 5.7° SSE of Mars, 12:00; 4.7° SSE of Uranus, 15:00.