Climate in Focus, Landsat Set to Continue 50-Year Earth Observation Mission

As NASA / USGS global monitoring collaboration nears half century, latest version Landsat 9 is to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on September 27 – controlled remotely by Launch Services Program at KSC, riding on ULA Atlas V 401. The 2.6 metric ton spacecraft, built by Northrup Grumman, is to provide observational continuity from 705km SSO as Landsat 8 reaches the end of fuel supply, having surpassed 5-year nominal mission duration. Operational Land Imager (OLI-2) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS-2) instruments are capable of recording in a total of eleven spectral bands: OLI-2, developed by Ball Aerospace, registers 9 visible and infrared wavelengths from 0.435–2.294μm with 30m resolution (with the exception of a panchromatic band with 15m resolution); TIRS-2, built at Goddard Space Flight Center, will detect infrared thermals from 10.60–12.51μm with 100m resolution (30m with post processing). The mission comes as UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determines global warming ‘unequivocally’ anthropogenic in cause and world and national leaders grow increasingly adamant that data-driven solutions to address global warming be implemented. National Space Council Executive Secretary Chirag Parikh has indicated USA VP Kamala Harris considers continuity of Earth observation to be a top priority which should influence upcoming selection of candidates for National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group (Image Credits: NASA, USGS)

MONDAY

Sep 20 — CNSA, Launch Long March 7 / Tianzhou-3, Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center, Hainan Island, China: Tianzhou-3 cargo craft to launch to Tiangong Space Station, dock automatically.

Visionary Long-Range Concepts Presented at NIAC 2021 and 7th Interstellar Symposium

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2021 is being held September 21-23 updating progress on Phase 1-3 diverse research studies. Originally set as an in-person event in Tucson AZ prior to Interstellar Research Group 7th Interstellar Symposium on Sep 24-27, NIAC will now be online and livestreamed for the >45 speakers. Some of the Phase 1 studies speakers are (TL-BR) Sigrid Close on Exploring Uranus through SCATTER: Sustained ChipSat / CubeSat Activity Through Transmitted Electromagnetic Radiation; Steven Oleson – A Titan Sample Return Using In-Situ Propellants; Jane Shevtsov – Making Soil for Space Habitats by Seeding Asteroids with Fungi; Phase 2: Kerry Nock – Pluto Hop, Skip, and Jump; Jeffrey Balcerski – Lofted Environmental Venus Sensors; Phase 3: William Whittaker – Robotic Technologies Enabling the Exploration of Lunar Pits; Nick Solomey – Cube-Sat Space Flight Test of a Neutrino Detector. IRG 7th Interstellar Symposium at Tucson Marriott University Park plans for ~60 speakers, 100 participants, 4 seminars, 18 posters, 2 working tracks and 5 tour locations. Keynote speakers are Esther Dyson, Mark Shelhamer, Avi Loeb, David Brin and Homer Hickam. Topics covered include propulsion studies, communications challenges, moving faster than light, cryopreservation, pulsed plasma rocket, gravitational wave transmitter, extrasolar object intercept, an interstellar university, wormholes & warpdrives, and icy moon geothermal energy generation. The Art of Planetary Science: Space Travel also opens at Univ of Arizona LPL Sep 24. (Image Credits: NASA, IRG, K. Miller, University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory)

Sep 20-22 — AIAA, Laurel MA: 2021 AIAA Defense and Security Forum (AIAA DEFENSE Forum).

Sep 20 — Moon: 3.7° SE of Neptune, 03:00; Full / Harvest Moon, 13:54.

Sep 20 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 RZ7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.016 AU)

Sep 20 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 RL3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)

Sep 20 — Aten Asteroid 2017 SL16: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)

Continued From…

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.

Sep 13-24 — University of Oxford Department of Physics, UKRI Science and Technologies Facility Council, Online / Oxford, United Kingdom: Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy with Extremely Large Telescopes.

Sep 13 – Oct 4 — Confederation of Indian Industry, Indian Space Research Organisation, NewSpace India Limited, Antrix Corporation Ltd, Online / India: International Space Conference: Building New Space in India.

Sep 18-25 — Insights El Paso, et al, El Paso TX: Third Annual 2021 El Paso Space Festival: Space Extravaganza!

Sep 19 — Chinese Society of Astronautics, Wenchang, Hainan Island, China: 2021 Wenchang Aerospace & Astronautics Forum.

Sep 19-24 — Europlanet Society, Online / Helsinki, Finland: Europlanet Science Congress 2021.

TUESDAY

Sep 21 — MAVEN, Mars Orbit: NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft reaches 7 full years / enters 8th year of operations in Mars orbit after insertion on this day 2014; continuing to study upper atmosphere.