Articles by: SpaceAge

July 25-31, 2022 / Vol 41, No 30 / Hawai`i Island, USA

ISS Astronauts to Call Researchers at DC Conference, Crew Rideshare Exchanges Set for Next 4 Missions

The 11th International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC), an ISS National Lab / Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)-led meeting of space scientists and professionals, is being held July 25-28, 2022. Prominent speakers include NASA Associate Administrator for the Space Operations Kathy Lueders, ISS Director Robyn Gatens, US Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, and CASIS CEO Ray Lugo. Astronaut speakers include (R-L) Victor Glover (NASA), Michael López-Alegría (NASA, Axiom), Luca Parmitano (ESA), Hoshide Akihiko (JAXA). NASA / SpaceX Crew-4 / Expedition 67 members Jessica Watkins and Kjell Lindgren also to call in from LEO July 26. Artemis Generation Watkins is a possible 2025 First Woman on Moon candidate. In testament to the enduring nature of ISS space diplomacy, access to the station by ‘integrated crews’ will continue to be a shared effort between USA (Crew Dragon) and Russia (Soyuz): NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio will join Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin on the Soyuz MS-22 September 21, while Cosmonaut Anna Kikina will ride with Nicole Mann (NASA), Koichi Wakata (JAXA) and Josh Cassada (NASA) on SpaceX Dragon / Crew-5, also launching in September. In early 2023, NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara will fly with Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on Soyuz MS-23, while Cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev is assigned to Crew-6 with NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg. (Image Credits: NASA, ISS partners, SpaceX)

MONDAY

☆ Jul 25 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 67 crew working with cargo from Dragon CRS-25, Progress 80 and 81 including osmosis membrane experiment, optical fibers production, Rodent Research-22 tissue regeneration, and Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment.

Jul 25 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Three Shenzhou 14 Taikonauts will soon reach 2 months in space, preparing for potential Wentian module docking and EVAs for station integration.

Highlights…

o NewSpace: ispace updates / Hakuto-R lander on track for Nov 2022; Rocket Lab projected to add 110+ technology jobs in support of Electron, Neutron rockets and satellite manufacturing; Relativity Space partnering with Impulse Space to launch commercial Mars Cruise Vehicle / Lander with Terran R rocket NET 2024.

☆ Solar System: ESA aiming for Europe Astronaut on Moon by 2030, Astronauts to Mars by 2040 under Terrae Novae plan; JWST NIRCam images of Jupiter, and moons Europa, Thebe, Metis opens new frontiers for science and human inspiration.

☆ Galaxy: Dormant stellar-mass black hole in Large Magellanic Cloud being studied with ESO VLT is first of kind identified outside of MWG; Galaxy GLASS-z13 spotted by Harvard astronomers utilizing JWST is oldest yet observed at 300M years after Big Bang.

o Global: Roscosmos, now led by Yury Borisov, may delay Luna-25 to NET 2023; Saudi Arabia is the 21st signatory to ‘principles, guidelines, and best practices’ of Artemis Accords; UK and S. Korea sign agreement on space defense cooperation.

USA: NASA pushing CLPS VIPER lunar rover mission to Nov 2024, viability of Masten XL-1 mission to MSP in question amid staffing furlough; SpaceX to launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to Sun-Earth L2 with Falcon Heavy in Oct 2026 under US$255M NASA contract; YouGov Poll finds 70% approval for NASA, 60% deem JWST ‘good investment’.

● Hawai’i: NSF to hold community meetings in Hilo, Nāʻālehu, Kona, Waimea and conduct 2-year environmental impact study of Large Hawaii Telescope to determine $800M+ funding status; NEO planetary defense MIT-Hawaii Near-Earth Object Spectroscopic Survey (MITHNEOS) to be funded $848,013 by NASA over next 3 years.

= Terrestrial events, and…

o = International terrestrial events in local time.

= Space events, and… = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).


Weekly Planet Watch Morning Planets: Venus (ENE), Mars (ESE), Jupiter (E), Saturn (ESE), Uranus (E), Neptune (S).


ILOA Galaxy Forum Bolsters Astronomy, Astronautics, Enterprise in SEA for Regional, Global, Inter-Global Framework

ILOA Galaxy Forum Southeast Asia 2022 Singapore is convening at ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands on July 27 for a half-day, high-level focused discussion on themes: Southeast Asia Space Agency (SEASA), Asia Astronomy Organization (AAO), and Lunar Commercial Communications (LCC). This will be the 106th overall Galaxy Forum, and the 11th in SEA. The forum will feature interactive panel sessions and presentations, and opening remarks from SEA’s only 21st Century Astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor of Malaysia and Prof Lui Pao Chuen of Singapore. The SEASA session will focus on current projects of each nation (GISTDA of Thailand, Philippines Space Agency, Vietnam Space Center) with an overarching question of regional cooperation similar to ESA, moderated by a Kacific Broadband Satellites representative. AAO Session featuring NARIT of Thailand, VAST of Vietnam, ITB of Indonesia and East Asian Observatory will continue discussion introduced at HRH Maha Chakri Sirindhorn AstroPark during GFSEA 2020 on the proposal for a 21st Century Asia Astronomy Treaty Organization. LCC Session is building on 4 previous LCC workshops held 2020-2021 in SEA, and will feature ILOA Hawai’i, Transcelestial Technologies and Qosmosys, moderated by Jonathan Hung of Singapore Space and Technology Limited. Following the sessions will be a 2022 ILOA SEA Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding document signing with 9 dignitaries to advance SEA entities for an Earth-Moon inter-global science mission of eEducation, exploration and enterprise. (Image Credits: ILOA, SPC, NASA, Singapore Tourism Board)

Jul 25-28 — ISS National Laboratory, NASA, American Astronautical Society, Washington DC: 2022 ISS Research & Development Conference Technical Sessions; at Omni Shoreham Hotel.

● Jul 25-29 — Caltech, Pasadena CA: 2022 Sagan Summer Workshop: Exoplanet Science in the Gaia Era.

☆ Jul 25 — Moon: 2.52° N of M35 cluster, 13:00.

Continued From…

★ Jun 28 – Nov 13 — CAPSTONE, Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit Trajectory: Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment heading to operating position at NRHO / cislunar space.

o Jul 5 – Aug 2 — KARI, Incheon International Airport, S Korea: South Korea lunar orbiter ‘Danuri’ on its way to Cape Canaveral SFS for integration and testing prior to scheduled August 5 launch on Falcon 9.

Jul 11-29 — National Space Society, Blue Origin Club for the Future, Brownsville TX: Expanding Frontiers’ Space Entrepreneur Summer Academy (SESA); education program for where students interact with scientists and astropreneurs.

TUESDAY

☆ Jul 26 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 67 in-flight event for ISS Research and Development Conference in Washington DC with NASA Astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins, live coverage available, 09:05 EDT.

☆ Jul 26 — Moon: At apogee, distance 406,288 km, 00:00; 4.2° N of Venus, 05:00.

☆ Jul 26 — Aten Asteroid 2022 ML3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.019 AU)

WEDNESDAY

☆ Jul 27 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 67 in-flight interview with NBC “Meet the Press” podcast and NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins, live coverage available, 12:00 EDT.

o Jul 27 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Singapore Space and Technology Limited, Singapore: Galaxy Forum Southeast Asia 2022 Singapore; at ArtScience Museum.

o Jul 27 — Moon Village Association, Online: Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) 18th Meeting; 15:00 CEST.

Jul 27 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), The Mitre Corp., Online: Webinar: Space Debris Mitigation and Management; 14:00-15:00 EDT.

Jul 27 — Boeing Co., Online: Boeing to hold Q2 2022 financial results telecon; 10:30 EDT.

☆ Jul 27 — Moon: 5.7° S of Castor, 03:00; 2.21° S of Pollux, 09:00.

☆ Jul 27 — Amor Asteroid 2022 ML3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)

☆ Jul 27 — Amor Asteroid 2004 PS42: Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU)

THURSDAY

Jul 28 — Northrop Grumman, Online: NG to hold Q2 2022 financial results telecon; 09:00 EDT.

☆ Jul 28 — Moon: New Moon, 07:54; 3.6° NNE of Beehive Cluster 13:00.

FRIDAY

☆ Jul 29 — Moon: 3.4° NNE of Mercury, 15:00.

☆ Jul 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 CZ31: Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)

☆ Jul 29 — Aten Asteroid 2022 NU1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.031 AU)

☆ Jul 29 — Aten Asteroid 2021 GS12: Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)

☆ Jul 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 MS3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.075 AU)

☆ Jul 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 LF: Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)

SATURDAY

☆ Jul 30 — Southern Delta-Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak: Shower mostly visible in Southern Hemisphere, meteors appear to radiate from Aquarius constellation; may produce up to 25 meteors per hour with speed of ~41 km/sec.

☆ Jul 30 — Moon: 4.4° NNE of Regulus, 09:00.

☆ Jul 30 — Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS): At perihelion, 1.081 AU.

☆ Jul 30 — Amor Asteroid 531944 (2013 CU83): Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)

SUNDAY

☆ Jul 31 — Mars: 1.31° S of Uranus, 15:00.

☆ Jul 31 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 MU2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)