Women in Aerospace Highlights NASA Women Directors as 16 Artemis Astronauts Eligible to Be 1st Woman on the Moon

USA first woman VP Kamala Harris looks forward to next steps after hosting her 2nd National Space Council meeting with 27 members of the Users’ Advisory Group September 9 at Johnson Space Center (JSC), focusing on commercial space and STEM. Director of JSC, Vanessa Wyche, will welcome Harris for the NASA center tour, and be a featured speaker with 3 other prominent NASA Women Center Directors during the Women in Aerospace webinar Sep 14. Jody Singer (Marshall Space Flight Center Director since Sep 2018), Janet Petro (Kennedy Space Center Director, June 2021), and Laurie Leshin (JPL Director, May 2022) will speak alongside Wyche (JSC Director, June 2021) discussing their careers at NASA. While highly-anticipated Artemis 1 launch of SLS / Orion to the Moon is awaiting fuel-system checks / tests with next launch window on the horizon, 16 active women Astronauts remain eligible for flight assignments: Kayla Barron, Zena Cardman, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Jeanette Epps, Christina Koch, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Megan McArthur, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O’Hara, Kathleen Rubins, Shannon Walker, Jessica Watkins, Stephanie Wilson and Sunita Williams. The program named for twin sister of Apollo, Artemis, is expanding the sphere of women’s domain & influence beyond LEO, and leading the 1st woman to plant the 1st footsteps near the unexplored Moon South Pole – optimistically NLT July 4, 2026. (Image Credits: NASA, WIA)

MONDAY

☆ Sep 12 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: ­­­Expedition 67 Commanded by Artemyev planning for arrival of Soyuz MS-22 with 3 additional members next week, bringing crew to 10 and docked ships to 6; working with experiments on nutrients, botany, fluid behaviors.

☆ Sep 12 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 14 Liu Yang, Chen Dong, and Cai Xuzhe integrating science racks and 22 payload adaptors on Wentian experiment module, checking external pump integration after first 6-hour EVA, continue education outreach from space including Nigeria student event.

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’).

SGAC, UN and IAA Meetings Precede 73rd IAC Initiating Opening Ceremony and Reception

Comprised of 433 member organizations in 72 countries, the IAF will hold the IAC, the world’s premier space conference in Paris, France a fourth time, having hosted the first in 1950. Preceding the IAC, SGAC leads an annual meeting of up to 150 delegates on Sep 14-15. SGAC event theme: “Diversity, Access and Inclusion… to create a future in space that benefits all of humanity”. Among awards ceremony keynote speakers are Voyager Space Chairman Dylan Taylor and Loft Orbital Chief of Staff Gautier Brunet. UN Office for Outer Space Affairs presents 29th Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits: “Access to Space for All: Bridging the Space Divide” – Sep 16-17 with 3 sessions: 1. Head of Governmental Space Actions on Innovation, International Cooperation and Socioeconomic Benefits of Space, 2. Access to Space enablers, 3. Science, Tech and Innovation from Hypergravity & Microgravity Experimentation, Satellite Development, and Space Exploration. Break out sessions follow. IAA Academy day occurs Sep 17 inclusive of scientific lectures and an Award Gala Dinner. In the City of Lights, these space meetings illuminate a path up to the IAC 73rd Opening Ceremony Sep 18 with exhibitions 09:00-12:00 CEST and Welcoming Reception 19:30-22:00, represented by 6,500 delegates, 250 exhibitors and plenary dignitary CNES President Philippe Baptiste. (Image Credits: UNOOSA, SGAC, IAA, IAF, CNES)

★ Sep 12 — Blue Origin, Launch New Shepard 23 / Multi-payloads, Launch Site One, West TX: Next suborbital flight of New Shepard carrying 36 payloads from academia, research institutions, and students, including thousands of postcards for Club for the Future participants; 10:30 CDT.

★ Sep 12 — Tripoli Rocketry (SEDS Program), Launch ARLISS / Land Rover & Atmospheric Detectors, Black Rock Desert NV: Arliss Rocket to be launched on suborbital flight under “ComeBack” SEDS student competition with University of Hawai’i rocket program.

● Sep 12 — 60th Observation John F. Kennedy Moon Speech & 30th Observation 1st Black American Woman in Space, USA / Worldwide: As the World looks forward to the First Woman on the Moon and a Human Return to Moon, observations made today for 60th anniversary of Kennedy Moon speech “We choose to go to the Moon” (1962) and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Astronaut Mae Jemison becoming first Black American Woman in Space (1992).

● Sep 12 — Rice University, NASA, Online: Rice University commemoration of President John F. Kennedy’s speech to commit the USA to go to the Moon; 12:00 EDT, live coverage available.

● Sep 12 — Explorer’s Club, Online / New York NY: Webinar: James Webb Space Telescope: A New Era of Astronomy for All; by Eric Smith, JWST Program Scientist, 19:00.

o Sep 12-16 — International Astronomical Union Division C, Sydney, Australia: Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP) Conference 2022: Communicating Astronomy for a Better World.

o Sep 12-16 — United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), Geneva, Switzerland: 2nd Meeting on Reducing Space Threats Through Norms, Rules, and Principles of Responsible Behaviours.

☆ Sep 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 RJ2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU)

☆ Sep 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2008 RW: Near-Earth Flyby (0.044 AU)

☆ Sep 12 — Apollo Asteroid 365014 (2008 OX2): Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)

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.

☆ Aug 4 – Dec 16 — Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), Lunar Trajectory: South Korea ‘Danuri’ to search for lunar resources, test technologies using Ballistic Lunar Transfer, 3 highly elliptical Earth orbits to initiate a trans-lunar injection and arrive at 100-km lunar orbit.

★ NET Sep 11 — Firefly Aerospace, Launch Alpha / Multi-payload, SLC-2W, Vandenberg SFB CA: Firefly Alpha rocket to attempt second test flight with a rideshare payload / multiple small satellites; 15:00-19:00 PDT.