July 30 – August 5, 2018 / Vol 37, No 31 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Commercial Crew Program Update, USA Public-Private Business Opportunities

National Space Council leader and USA V. P. Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Kennedy Space Center August 3, while NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at Johnson Space Center is planning to announce new launch dates and the first Astronauts to fly to ISS under the CCP with Boeing and SpaceX. Each crew will be trained to ride in and operate CST-100 Starliner and Dragon V2, both of which can carry 7 people and have contracts to supply 6 flights between 2019-2024. Bob Behnken, Sunita Williams, Eric Boe and Douglas Hurley (L-R) were selected in 2015. SpaceX may be on track for a September 16 uncrewed test flight from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, followed by crew demonstration flight January 17, 2019. Boeing is likely delayed, due to a fuel leak from an abort system engine test, from an October uncrewed flight, with a December 31 crew demo flight. Upcoming NASA-industry opportunities include pre-solicitation for Flexible Lunar Explorer (FLEx) Landers addressing development of medium- to large-scale lunar landers with demo flight 2022, draft request for proposal of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) for 10-kg payload services by end of 2021, Request for Information (RFI) on Availability of Potential Lunar Payloads as early as 2019, solicitation for Instrument Concepts for Europa Exploration (ICEE) 2 with technology readiness level 6 by 2021-22, and an RFI on ideas and concepts for Lunar Orbiting Platform-Gateway technology demonstrations to evolve elements needed to support future human exploration, scientific, and commercial activities. (Image Credits: NASA, A. Gemignani)

MONDAY

Thailand, Vietnam Science Events Pioneer Southeast Asia Astronomy and Physics

The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) is set to host Institut d’Optique Graduate School Optical Design Summer School August 5-10 in Chiang Mai Province, home to NARIT headquarters and Thai National Observatory 2.4-meter telescope, the largest in Southeast Asia, which sits atop the highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanon. The program will accommodate 24 students and focus on theoretical and practical activities in optics designs. There are 2 lecturers and 5 organizers, including (T-B) Boonrucksar Soonthornthum and Christophe Buisset of NARIT. Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, known as Princess of Astronomy due to her role as avid benefactor, is anticipating near completion of Astro Park in Mae Rim District of Chiang Mai. The park is poised to become a hub of cutting-edge technology with 7 main structures, including an optics lab and observatory. The 25th Anniversary of the Rencontres du Vietnam Conference themed “Windows on the Universe” is set for August 5-11 in Quy Nhon, Vietnam. The event will consist of 2 conferences emphasizing active participation from ~150 attendees. Topics for the particle physics portion include heavy ion collision results, neutrino physics, and future accelerators. Topics for astrophysics portion will incorporate gamma-ray and cosmic-ray astronomy experiments, early universe theory, and future satellite and telescopes. Nobel Laureates in Physics Chen-Ning Yang and Jerome Friedman are among 19 speakers. (Image Credits: NARIT, Chinese University of Hong Kong, MIT, NASA, Bureau of the Royal Household)

Jul 30 – Aug 3 — Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea: 8th East-Asia School and Workshop on Laboratory, Space, and Astrophysical Plasmas.

Jul 30 — Moon: 2.4° SSE of Neptune, 21:00.

Jul 30 — Mars: Nearest to Earth (distance 57,595,180 km), 22:00.

Jul 30 — Southern Delta-Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak: 2018 shower visibility unfavorable, meteors appear to radiate from Aquarius constellation; shower may produce up to 20 meteors per hour with speed of ~41 km/sec

Continued from…

Jul 8 – Oct 9 — NAOC, National Aquatic Center “Water Cube”, Beijing, China: Lunar Exploration Technology Exhibition featuring 10-meter diameter Moon, lunar imagery, ‘moonlight’ and surround sound composition.

Jul 15 – Aug 23 — Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, NASA, Dubai, UAE: NASA Space and Rocketry Summer Camp; at Lapita Hotel Ballroom, Dubai Parks and Resorts.

Jun 25 – Aug 17 — Frontier Development Lab (FDL), NASA, Online: FDL 2018 Challenges; an AI R&D accelerator that tackles knowledge gaps useful to NASA space program; 2018 topics are space resources, orbital debris, NEOs, Earth observation, space weather, astrobiology.

Jun 25 – Aug 24 — International Space University, ESA, Netherlands Space Office, Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: ISU 31st Space Studies Program (SSP 2018).

Jul 23 – Aug 3 — University of Hawai’i at Hilo, Hilo HI: 4th annual Software Systems for Astronomy; two-week intensive class offered by Professor Albert Conrad.

Jul 29 – Aug 4 — Vietnam School of Astrophysics, Rencontres du Vietnam, Quy Nhon, Vietnam: 6th Vietnam School of Astrophysics (VSOA6): Cosmology.