October 11-17, 2021 / Vol 40, No 41 / Hawai`i Island, USA

17 Could Be in Space This Week with ISS / TSS New Crews, Blue Origin Suborbital Launch

International Space Station, nearing 21 full years of continuous human occupation in November, is active with 10 people aboard including 8 members of the Expedition 65 crew and 2 spaceflight participants. Currently filming ‘The Challenge’ Actress Yulia Peresild and Director Klim Shipenko are scheduled to return to Earth in Soyuz MS-18 on October 16 with Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky – marking the start of Expedition 66 commanded by Thomas Pesquet with 1 JAXA, 2 Roscosmos, 3 NASA Astronauts. The Shenzhou-13 crew heading to Tiangong Space Station for a record-breaking 6-month stay is planned to launch from Jiuquan, China on October 16 local time. The crew has not officially been announced, but it is speculated to be Ye Guangfu, Wang Yaping and Zhai Zhigang. The Taikonauts will continue to configure Tianhe core module, set up and conduct experiments, and work with 6,000+ kg of cargo from Tianzhou-3. Tianzhou 4 cargo ship is planned to launch March 2022, followed by Experiment Module 1, Wentian (Quest for the Heavens) May 6, and Shenzhou 14 crew later in May. Blue Origin New Shepard NS-18 suborbital launch window opens Oct 12, with an 08:30 CDT planned flight from Corn Ranch TX above the 100-km line. The newly dubbed Astronauts will be – Actor William Shatner, Audrey Powers of Blue Origin, Chris Boshuizen of Planet Labs and Glen de Vries of Medidata. (Image Credits: NASA, CNSA, Blue Origin, CMS, CNSA, Xinhua)

MONDAY

Launch Window Opens for Lucy, 1st Mission to Jupiter Trojans, Visiting 8 Asteroids

NASA Lucy is set launch October 16 from Cape Canaveral in Florida on ULA Atlas 5 401 at cost of US$148.3 million. The 12-year mission (13th of NASA Discovery Program) is to investigate various mid-solar system C, P and D type asteroids – 7 in Jupiter Trojan / Greek camps (located 60° ahead of / behind Jupiter in same orbital path at L4, L5 respectively) and 1 main belt asteroid. Jupiter Trojans are numerically similar to main asteroid belt population (~1M objects >1km), but less data exists on Trojan composition – low albedo and density is suggestive of similar structure to comets or KBOs, with thin carbon dust layer masking ice. Scientists at Goddard Space Flight Center, Southwest Research Institute, Kennedy Space Center led by Principal investigator Harold Levison (SwRI) are attempting to glean insight into Solar System formation as origin of material that may predate the Jovian system and reflect early stages of planetary accretion. After 2 gravity assist maneuvers around Earth, Lucy is to flyby main belt asteroid – Donaldjohanson (April 2025) before heading to Trojans clustered around Jupiter L4: Eurybates (August 2027), Polymele (September 2027), Leucus (April 2028) and Orus (November 2028); after returning for yet another Earth gravity assist, Lucy will venture out to binary asteroids Patroclus / Menoetius in March 2033 – for a total of 8 distinct targets, a record for all space missions. (Image Credits: NASA, Lockheed Martin, SwRI)

Oct 11-15 — Kavli Foundation, ESO, ALMA, Vitacura, Chile: Joint Observatories Kavli Science Forum in Chile: A Gathering Under Chile’s Outstanding Skies; at European Southern Observatory.

Oct 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 TY2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)

Oct 11 — Amor Asteroid 2021 QF5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)

Oct 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 SE5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.042 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.

Oct 10-13 — Geological Society of America, Portland OR: Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects 2021.

Oct 4 – Nov 10 — AIAA, Online / Reston VA: AIAA Short Course: Spacecraft Design, Development and Operations.

TUESDAY

Oct 12 — Blue Origin, Launch New Shepard NS-18, Corn Ranch TX: Second New Shepard suborbital flight with 4-member crew, including Actor William Shatner, Audrey Powers of Blue Origin, Chris Boshuizen of Planet Labs and Glen de Vries of Medidata, 08:30 CDT.

Oct 12 — AIAA Los Angeles / Las Vegas Section, Online: Space Agencies and Global Collaboration for Planetary Defense; with representatives from ESA, JAXA, IAF, NASA, Paraguayan Space Agency (PSA), 19:00 PDT.

Oct 12 — NASA, Moffett Field CA: Media Invited to Meet NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and tour Ames Research Center.