ISS Upcoming EVA, Resupply Mission, and the Possibility of Future Privatization
There are currently 6 people from 3 countries on the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth in LEO once every 92 minutes at 7.6 km per second. Expedition 55 crew members Ricky Arnold (L) and Drew Feustel are scheduled for a 6.5-hour USA EVA #50 on May 16 to install an HD camera and swap out the pump flow control subassemblies, the thermal control gear responsible for keeping the station systems cool by circulating ammonia. This will be the 210th EVA for ISS overall, and televised live beginning at 08:10 EDT. Four days later on May 20, Orbital ATK is scheduled to launch the 10th Cygnus cargo freighter (dubbed S.S. J.R. Thompson) from Pad OA at Wallops Island, Virginia. This mission, designated OA-9, will be the 9th contracted mission on Antares. It will launch with 2 RD-181 first stage engines and a Castor 30XL second stage to resupply ISS with ~3,350 kg of cargo and hardware, some of which will be installed during USA EVA #51 on June 14. The current USA Administration plans to end ISS funding at the end of 2024 and is considering expanding into privatizing the ISS by fostering commercial capabilities with support from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Privatization could be used as an alternative to support ISS endeavors outside of a government funded budget. (Image Credit: NASA) |
MONDAY Ongoing…
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May 14 — 
May 14 — NewSpace: 
May 14 — USA: If approved 
= 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), Jupiter (SE); Morning Planets: Mercury (E), Mars (S), Saturn (S).
6th European Lunar Symposium with 5 Main Themes Being Held Under SSERVI in Toulouse, France
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May 14-15 — Mechanisms Education Association, Cleveland OH: Course: Space Vehicle Mechanisms; preceding the 44th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium on May 16-18.
Continued from…
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TUESDAY
May 15 — Foothill College, Los Altos Hills CA: Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series: Rubble Piles in the Sky: New Horizons and Pluto; New Horizons mission PI Alan Stern and astronomy author David Grinspoon.
May 15 — Elting Memorial Library, New Paltz NY: Discussion on LRO / LCROSS missions for exploring the Moon; with Kenneth Bailey from NASA Solar System Ambassador Program.
May 15-16 — Committee on Space Research, NASA, ESA, Houston TX: 2nd COSPAR Workshop on Refining the Planetary Protection Requirements for Human Missions; interdisciplinary workshop to consider next steps in the review and formulation of international planetary protection policy for future human missions beyond Earth orbit.
May 15-16 — Farvest Group, Luxembourg: Space Forum Conference; industry representatives from over 70 countries gather to discuss the impacts of space exploration.
May 15-17 — International Academy of Astronautics, American Astronautical Society, Academy of Engineering of Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russia: IAA SciTech Forum on Space Flight Mechanics and Space Structures and Materials.
May 15-17 — Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, MDA, University of Toronto, Altair, ABB, et al, Quebec City, Canada: Astro 2018 Biennial Conference.
May 15-17 — Geological Society of America (GSA), Flagstaff AZ: GSA Joint Section Meeting.
May 15-17 — Applied Technology Institute, Columbia MD: ATI Course: Satellite Communications Design; instructor Chris DeBoy of JHU/APL.
May 15 — Moon: New Moon, 01:49; 8.7° SSE of Pleiades, 12:00.
May 15 — Venus: At perihelion (0.7184 AU from Sun), 13:00.
May 15 — Apollo Asteroid 2010 WC9: Near-Earth Flyby (0.001 AU)
May 15 — Aten Asteroid 1999 LK1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)
May 15 — Apollo Asteroid 101955 Bennu: Near-Earth Flyby (0.352 AU)
WEDNESDAY
May 16 — ISS, U.S. EVA #50, 405-km LEO: Expedition 55 members Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel to perform 6.5-hour spacewalk to swap out thermal control gear that circulates ammonia (Pump Flow Control Subassemblies), and install HD camera – it will mark the 210th EVA at ISS overall; live coverage available, starts 08:10 EDT.
May 16 — Centre for Quantum Technologies at National University of Singapore, Humboldt University of Berlin, Singapore: Quantum Technologies in Space Workshop.
May 16 — Keck Institute of Space Studies, Pasadena CA: Lecture: Magnifying Light by 100 Billion Times with the Solar Gravity Lens to Image an Exoplanet; with Slava Turyshev (Physicist, JPL) and Louis Friedman (Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus, The Planetary Society).
May 16 — The National Academies, Online / Washington DC: Teleconference: Exoplanet Science Strategy Meeting 10.
May 16 — Moon: 1.2° N of Aldebaran, 03:00.
May 16 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 JX: Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)
May 16 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 KJ19: Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)
May 16 — Apollo Asteroid 2012 WS3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.095 AU)
THURSDAY
May 17 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Lecture: Exoplanets – The Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System; Peter Behroozi from Steward Observatory, and Lauren Schatz from UA College of Optical Sciences.
May 17 — Stanford Student Space Initiative (SSI), Stanford CA: SSI’s Annual Spring Showcase; held first floor of Durand, the Aero / Astro building, starts 15:00.
May 17 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: Lecture: Orbital Access to Space from the UK? Project Leader Robin Brand will present the results of the two-year BIS Technical Project “The BIS NLV feasibility study”.
May 17 — University Space Engineering Consortium, Online: Abstracts Due: 5th Mission Idea Contest; on innovative exploitation of micro/nano-satellites that satisfy any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
May 17, 18 — Caltech, JPL, NASA, Pasadena CA: von Kármán Lecture Series 2018: Juno and The New Jupiter – What Have We Learned So Far? by Steve Levin – Juno Project Scientist and lead co-investigator for Juno MicroWave Radiometer instrument.
May 17 — Moon: 4.8° S of Venus, 09:00; at perigee (distance 363,401 km), 11:05; 3.9° S of M35 cluster, 16:00.
May 17 — Amor Asteroid 2018 GL1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)
May 17 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 JC: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
FRIDAY
May 18 — Warner Brothers Pictures, Multiple Locations: 2001: A Space Odyssey re-release in select theaters.
May 18 — `Imiloa Astronomy Center, University of Hawai’i at Hilo, Hilo HI: Maunakea Skies Talk; astronomers from Subaru Telescope discuss research, recent discoveries, and science; 19:00.
May 18 — Moon: 11.6° S of Castor, 23:00.
May 18 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 HV2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)
SATURDAY
May 19 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Iridium Next 51-55 & GRACE Follow-On, Vandenberg AFB CA: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch 5 satellites for Iridium next mobile communications fleet and 2 Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On satellites for NASA and German Research Centre for Geosciences.
May 19 — San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego CA: Space Day 2018; featuring Astronaut Woody Spring, demonstrations, giveaways, hands-on activities with local and national space experts.
May 19 — Long Hunter State Park, Hermitage TN: Great Red Spot & Solar Eclipse on Jupiter with The Astronomy Channel Mobile Observatory; with Lonnie Puterbaugh from NASA Solar System Ambassador Program.
May 19 — West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation Inc., Plainsboro NJ: WW-P Second Annual Innovation Fair with exhibits and activities in science, technology, engineering, the arts, math, robotics, makers and programming, solar system exploration.
May 19 — Moon: 8.0° S of Pollux, 03:00.
May 19 — Amor Asteroid 2018 HQ1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)
SUNDAY
May 20 — Akatsuki, Venus Orbit: JAXA first successful planetary orbiter imaging Venus atmosphere, monitoring weather changes reaches 8 full years in space today, launched 2010.
May 20 — Orbital ATK, Launch Antares / Cygnus OA-9, Wallops Island VA: Upgraded Antares rocket to launch 10th Cygnus cargo freighter, dubbed S.S. J.R. Thompson, with up to 3,200-kg of cargo on 9th operational flight to the ISS; also lofting multiple secondary satellites; 05:04 EDT.
May 20-24 — American Geophysical Union Space Physics and Aeronomy Section, American Astronomical Society Solar Physics Division, Leesburg VA: Triennial Earth-Sun Summit; second summit to host over 400 presentations.
May 20-24 — Japan Geoscience Union, Chiba, Japan: Japan Geoscience Union Meeting.
May 20 — Moon: 1.4° S of Beehive Cluster, 02:00.
May 20 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 JG1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.014 AU)