NEEMO 23 Hosts All Women Crew, ILOA & MVA Open 1st Women on the Moon Essay Contest 2019

The first all women NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) campaign #23 is set to occur June 10-19 in Aquarius Underwater Laboratory, 19 meters below the ocean surface off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. It will be commanded by ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA 2017 Astronaut Candidate Jessica Watkins, and Research Assistants Shirley Pomponi (Florida Atlantic University), and Csilla D’Agostino (University of South Florida). The women will test scenarios for using science instruments and tools on the lunar surface, using augmented reality to guide an untrained operator, perform studies of body composition and sleep, and restore some damaged coral reefs. Results will support NASA Artemis program to launch women to Moon South Pole in 2024. Valentina Tereshkova, will be honored June 16 for becoming the first woman in space 56 years ago. First woman from USA, Sally Ride, and first woman from China, Liu Yang, will also be celebrated June 18 and June 16 for their flights 36 and 7 years ago, respectively. International Lunar Observatory Association, and Moon Village Association, are launching ‘2019 First Women On The Moon Essay Contest’ on June 19. Highlighting the significance of landing the first women on the Moon surface, the grand prize contest winner will be flown by ILOA to Galaxy Forum Hainan 2020: China set for 25-28 February at Hilton Wenchang. It will feature a special luncheon panel with international women Astronauts. (Image Credits: NASA, NOAA, Roscosmos, CNSA, ILOA, MVA)

MONDAY

Jun 10 — Cornell University, Ithaca NY: Europa Clipper Team Meeting.

Canada Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) Set to launch on SpaceX Rocket

Canadian Space Agency (CSA-ASC) is scheduled to launch and deploy the Radarsat Constellation on June 12. The third mission of the program series, RCM is the first to utilize a fleet (3) of identical 1,430-kg Earth-imaging radar satellites, rather than single units as in previous missions – allowing 50x more data collection than the first generation. Surveilling vast maritime resources of Canada, disaster management, and ecosystem monitoring are the main objectives of the program. Over 90% of the surface of Earth will be within the constellation’s view, including the high reaches of the Arctic and the Northwest Passage (whereas the Antarctic will be unviewable). MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), now a Canada-based division of Maxar (recently selected by NASA for the Lunar Gateway power and propulsion contract) designed and built the trio of satellites in the Montreal area. Radarsat Constellation is to be launched into a Geocentric, Sun-synchronous orbit aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 B1051 from Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4, located on the central coast of California. The individual satellites are to orbit in the same spatial plane, approximately 14,600 km apart, at an altitude of 600 km. Total mission cost – including future servicing – is estimated to be >US$1B, which the Canadian government hopes to recoup via increased domestic crop yields, efficiencies in shipping, and international private and public collaboration. (Image Credits: CSA-ASC)

Jun 10-13 — DDA of American Astronomical Society, Boulder CO: 50th Annual Meeting of the Division on Dynamical Astronomy (DDA) of the AAS.

Jun 10-19 — NASA, NOAA, Aquarius Underwater Laboratory, Key Largo FL: NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 23; space analogue mission focusing on EVAs and objectives related to ISS, Moon, Mars; ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to command mission, joined by NASA astronaut candidate Jessica Watkins, research professor Shirley Pomponi, and research assistant professor Csilla D’Agostino.

Continued from…

Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.

Mar 19 – Jul 19 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 to participate in 4-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).

May 20 – Aug 9 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA: 31st Annual Planetary Science Summer Seminar.

Jun 9-11 — Secure World Foundation, Prague Security Studies Institute, Prague, Czech Republic: 5th PSSI Space Security Conference: Evolution of the Counterspace Threat and Strengthening of International Space Partnerships.

Jun 9-13 — American Astronomical Society, St. Louis MO: 234th AAS Meeting with Laboratory Astrophysics Division & Solar Physics Division.

TUESDAY

Jun 11 — Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope, LEO: Spacecraft with Large Area Telescope & Gamma-ray Burst Monitor instruments reaches 11 full years / enters 12th year in Space; launched 2008.