ISU 2021 Space Studies program Features 3 Geographically-Distributed Student Groups
The 9-week International Space University Space Studies Program 2021 running June 28 – August 27 is ongoing in Granada, Spain and Strasbourg, France for in-person participants. 150 experts from ISU Global Faculty are helping to deliver curriculum featuring core lectures, workshops, department activities and team projects for the 3 student groups (one of which participated virtually Jun 28 – Aug 6). Some of the SSP21 faculty include (L-R) Angie Bukley, Chris Welch, Ana Diaz Artiles, Tricia Larose, Su-Yin Tan, Antonio Yukio Ueta, Walter Peeters and Pete Worden. Working in international, interdisciplinary and intercultural teams the 2021 projects fall into categories: advanced agriculture and nutrition for permanent space settlements, on-orbit mobility and manipulations, solutions for construction of a lunar base, the golden human record MK II, international cooperation on the scientific use of the China space station, and intercontinental suborbital commercial liner. The academic performance of every participant is evaluated on critical elements in order to obtain a Certificate of Completion for the program. SSP22 is set to take place in Lisbon, Portugal next year between June-September. ISU also hosts its Master of Space Studies Program, Commercial Space Program, Southern Hemisphere Program, Short Space Courses, and Interactive Space Program. Since its founding 1987, ISU has graduated >5,000 students from 110 countries, and now has 300 faculty experts. (Image Credits: ISU, University of Granada) |
|
MONDAY
Highlights…
 Aug 23 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 seven-member crew to support U.S. EVA #77 this week using Canadarm2 robotic arm, preparing for Dragon CRS-23 arrival, working with cargo from NG-16 Cygnus S.S. Ellison Onizuka; 2 Russia EVAs for Nauka outfitting being planned for early Sep.
Aug 23 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 12 three-member crew surpass 60 days at TSS and China national record for human spaceflight duration; Long March 7 and Tianzhou-3 cargo craft being integrated / readied for launch ~1 month from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center, Hainan Island.
 Aug 23 — NewSpace: Spaceflight Industries to offer cislunar rideshare on IM-2 via Sherpa Orbital Transfer Vehicle; Redwire Space and CO School of Mines win 1st / 2nd in NASA Break the Ice Lunar Challenge; TransAstronautica raising funds for space tug Worker Bee / Omnivore engine.
Aug 23 — Solar System: Zhurong rover continues adding to 10 GB Mars surface data past nominal 3-month mission; comet-like behavior of asteroid Phaethon may be attributable to venting sodium; Astrobotic working to optimize AstroNav hazard avoidance for icy worlds e.g. Enceladus.
Aug 23 — Galaxy: Gap in Sagittarius Arm of MWG observing with Gaia and Spitzer Space Telescope; ALMA observations of Galaxy NGC 4921 show ram pressure mitigation, possibly via magnetic fields.
Aug 23 — Global: ISRO working to fix GSLV upper cryogenic stage, partnering with BRICS nations to share satellite data; Lenghu, Tibetan Plateau may offer world-class astronomical seeing.
 Aug 23 — USA: Artemis 2 Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage being processed at CCSFS for transfer to KSC; Ligado Networks adds former NASA administrator Charles Bolden to BoD; Blue Origin enters into litigation against NASA over HLS contract dispute.
Aug 23 — Hawai’i: Upcoming Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey may determine fate of Hawaii Large Telescope; Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) may be visible unaided from Hawaii Island May 2022.
 Aug 23 — 55th Observation 1st Photo of Earth from Moon, Worldwide: As China continues astronomy on the Moon, public & private ventures plan observations from the Moon – the Lunar Orbiter 1 photo of Earth taken on this day in 1966 is celebrated for its impact on global perspectives.
|
= 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 (W), Venus (WSW), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE); Morning Planets: Uranus (SE), Neptune (SE).
Global Space Policy and Thought Leaders Converge on Vienna
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), 64th session meets Wednesday 25 August through Friday 3 September, the first since 2019 due to pandemic. Now representing 95 member states including Dominican Republic, Rwanda, Singapore added by resolution during 75th General Assembly, COPUOS is responsible for the 5 space conventions / treaties regulating outer space activity. Meeting proceedings and floor plenary sessions are to be available in all 6 official languages of the United Nations: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Major agenda items include 58th session Report of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, 60th session Report of the Legal Subcommittee, Space and sustainable development, Spin-off benefits of space technology, Space and water, Space and climate change, Use of space technology in the United Nations system, Future role and method of work of the Committee, and Space exploration and innovation. Working Groups will also report on Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, “Space2030” Agenda and Space Resources. COPUOS ultimately reports to the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) of the UN General Assembly, at which General Assembly Resolution: International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (A/RES/74/82) is to be offered. Also convening virtually from Vienna, Moon Village Association Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) to meet 27 August for COPUOS side meeting in furtherance of international cooperation on the Moon. (Image Credits: UN, MVA, NASA) |
Aug 23 — Celestis, Online / Houston TX: Live with Celestis – Sending DNA, and even pet memorials, to the stars! featuring Celestis CEO Charles Chafer, starts 18:00 CDT.
Aug 23-26 — Space Foundation, Colorado Springs CO and Online: 36th Space Symposium.
Aug 23-26 — Gemini Observatory, NOIR Lab, AURA, National Science Foundation, Online: Gemini Observatory 2021 Virtual Science Meeting.
Aug 23 — Moon: 3.7° SE of Neptune, 20:00.
Aug 23 — Aten Asteroid 2021 PW2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.042 AU)
Continued From…
Jun 28 – Aug 27 — International Space University (ISU), Granada, Spain / Strasbourg, France and Online: ISU Space Studies Program 2021.
Aug 2 – Oct 31 — SpaceBase, Planet, Christchurch, New Zealand and Online: Space for Planet Earth Challenge; seeking innovative ideas from New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Island residents at High School and University / Start-up level to address climate change through space technologies.
Aug 16-27 — International Astronomical Union, Busan, S Korea: XXXI (31st) IAU General Assembly; reset to Aug 2-9, 2022; General Assembly Business Sessions to take place online Aug 23 and Aug 26, 2021 – also featuring ‘The IAU Today’ program.
Aug 21-27— National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), India Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Online / Hyderabad, India: Virtual Conference: Joint Scientific Assembly 2021 (IAGA-IASPEI 2021).
Aug 22-26 — NASA Astrobiology Program, Carnegie Institution for Science, Online: The Evolution of Macromolecular Carbon through Space and Time; in conjunction with 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
TUESDAY
Aug 24 — ISS, U.S. EVA #77, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 Astronauts Akihiko Hoshide and Mark Vande Hei to perform ~7-hour spacewalk to install a bracket on Port 4 truss for next IROSA Solar Array starting 08:00 EDT; live coverage available. |
Aug 24 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 Human Exploration Writing Group Meeting.
Aug 24-26 — Chandra X-ray Center, Online / Cambridge MA: Chandra Data Science – Novel Methods in Computing and Statistics for X-ray Astronomy.
Aug 24 — Mars: Summer solstice on Mars, 14:00.
Aug 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2011 UC292: Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU)
Aug 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 BC16: Near-Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Aug 25 — Blue Origin, Launch New Shepard NS-17, Launch Site One, Van Horn TX: 17th New Shepard Flight to carry 18 commercial payloads, DDL Sensor and Suborbital Tryptych artwork on exterior of vehicle, 08:35 local time.
Aug 25 — Voyager 1, Interstellar Space: NASA spacecraft begins 10th year in interstellar space, data indicates it became first human-made object to enter interstellar space Aug 25, 2012; launched Sep 5, 1977.
Aug 25 — University of Washington, Online / Seattle WA: Panel Discussion: Is There Life on Mars? featuring UW Astrobiologists Andrew Shumway, Yuk Chun Chan, Elena Amador-French, Kenneth Williford; 18:00 PDT.
Aug 25 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 – Panel on Small Solar System Bodies Meeting #16; and Panel on Venus Meeting #23.
Aug 25-28 — Chinese Academy of Astronautics, International Academy of Astronautics, Shanghai, China: 9th Conference on Advanced Space Technology: Explore the Vast Universe and Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind in Space.
Aug 25 – Sep 3 — U.N. Office of Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, Austria: 64th Session Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Aug 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 NS8: Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU)
THURSDAY
NET Aug 26 — Roscosmos, Launch Soyuz / OneWeb 10, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Russia Soyuz rocket to launch 34 satellites to orbit for OneWeb.
Aug 26 — Amor Asteroid 2013+TM4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)
FRIDAY
Aug 27 — Astra, Launch Rocket 3.3 / STP-27AD1, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak AK: Launch window open until Sep 11 for commercial launch vehicle to carry USSF test payload.
Aug 27 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 – Panel on Giant Planet Systems – Meeting #12 and Panel on Mercury and the Moon Meeting #22.
SATURDAY
Aug 28 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / SpaceX Dragon CRS 23, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Dragon 2 on its 3rd cargo resupply mission to ISS.
Aug 28 — Moon: 1.44° SE of Uranus, 01:00.
Aug 28 — Aten Asteroid 2021 PB17: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
SUNDAY
Aug 29 — ISS, SpaceX Dragon CRS-23 Rendezvous and Docking , ~405-km LEO: Dragon CRS-23 Cargo Craft rendezvous and docking to ISS, starts 11:00 EDT, live coverage available.
Aug 29-31 — NASS, Warner, Avon Machining, et al, Traverse City MI and Online: North American Space Summit: LEO – The New Gold Rush.
Aug 29 — Moon: 4.6° SE of Pleiades, 09:00; at apogee (distance 403,737 km), 16:00; at last quarter, 21:17.
Aug 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 PM5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)
Aug 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 PT: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)
Aug 29 — Aten Asteroid 2017 RK15: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)