Two Most Powerful Earth Nations Now Exploring Mars with Robots… As Equals?

China National Space Administration joins NASA on the Red Planet with Tianwen-1 landing platform / Zhurong rover after a 10-month journey capped with 17 minutes of uncertainty as communications stretched across 320,000,000 km back to Earth. The 240-kg Zhurong rover, at 25.1°N 109.9°E, within 3,300-km long Utopia Planitia, is to share the planet over its nominal 90 Earth day (93 Mars sols) mission with a number of operational craft: 358-kg Insight Lander (4.5°N, 135.6°E), 899-kg Curiosity rover (4.6°S 137.4°E) and 1,025-kg Perseverance (18.4°N, 77.5°E). Zhurong’s fiery moniker (God of fire) is meant to “ignite the fire of interstellar exploration” per state media outlet CCTV. Mission objectives include investigation of Mars’ magnetosphere with MoMAG sensors; wind, sound, temperature and pressure with MCS climate station, and possible water deposits trapped underground with RoPeR subsurface radar – MRO data suggests a Lake Superior-sized (12,100 km³) volume of subterranean ice exists at higher latitudes (39-49°N) of Utopia Planitia. CNSA public relations took to Twitter to declare with levity “There is certainly life on #Mars! We’re the life of the party!”, as NASA Science Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen congratulated CNSA Mars team, indicating “important contributions” will be valued by the global science community. China ambitious space plans continue with Wu Weiren announcing a 100-AU interstellar mission and Jupiter / Solar System Complete awareness. (Image Credits: CNSA, NASA, Google Earth)

MONDAY

NET May 24 — Tianwen-1 Zhurong Rover Deployment, Mars Surface: China Tianwen-1 Lander to at Utopia Planitia 25.1° N 109.9° E to deploy Zhurong rover possibly this week.

ILOA Update: Aiming for HQ on Earth and Observatories on the Moon

International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai’i) of Kamuela is launching its new website this week and initiating a Headquarters Campaign to find a new home – on Earth, while preparing for the ILO-X precursor lunar landing mission NET January 2022. Along with goals to advance 21st Century Galaxy education, science and exploration, ILOA has a vested interest in ensuring Hawaii’s position as a global leader in astronomy and space science for the next 100 years throughout the Solar System. Working on its 5 Moon missions as a non-profit founded 2007, an ILOA Global Headquarters and Research Center would allow for modern science and education activities expanding the potential of our Hawaii Island communities, and providing valuable resources for local students and educators. Complementing the world class suite of observatories and science coming from Mauna Kea, ILOA has contracted for ILO-X instruments to launch and land on the Moon near side early 2022 aboard an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander via SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, while developing more advanced ILO-1 and ILO-2 payloads for long-term astronomy, Earth observation, local lunar landscape and communications for 2022-24 time frame. ILOA hopes to establish its Global Headquarters on Hawaii Island and is currently seeking contributions to develop the HQ on ~1 acre site in Kamuela, host to CFHT and Keck Observatory facilities. (Image Credits: SPC, ILOA)

May 24-28 — European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Online / Madrid, Spain: XMM-Newton 2021 Science Workshop – A High-Energy View of Exoplanets and their Environments.

May 24-27 — International Astronomical Union – Commission C2, Macquarie University, Online / Sydney, Australia: IAU Symposium: Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2021 (CAP2021).

May 24-26 — Princeton University, Cornell University, Penn State, Yale University, Online: 6th Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science Symposium (ERES).

May 24 – Aug 6 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, NASA, Pasadena CA and Online: JPL Planetary Science Summer School Session 1.

May 24 – Aug 20 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, NASA, Pasadena CA and Online: JPL Planetary Science Summer School Session 2.

May 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 KL: Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU)

May 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 FN4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)

May 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 JJ7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)

Continued From…
NET Early 2021 — ISRO, Launch SSLV / Demonstration Launch, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: New Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to launch on first orbital test flight.

NLT May 15 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk.2 / GISAT 1, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2, designated GSLV-F10, to launch India first GEO Imaging Satellite.