Zhongguo / China Holds 2019 National Day of Space Flight and 5 Interrelated Meetings in Changsha to Promote International Cooperation

National Day of Space Flight on April 24 will celebrate the 49th observation of the launch of China 1st satellite Dongfanghong-1. In Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA) and China Space Foundation are hosting 2019 China Space Conference April 23-25 themed ‘Pursue Space Dreams for Win-Win Cooperation’. Keynote speakers include China Lunar Exploration Project Chief Designer Wu Weiren, CNES COO Lionel Suchet and former Deputy Gen. of China Manned Space Program Zhang Yulin. International Institute of Space Law, CSA and China Institute of Space Law are hosting ‘Symposium on International Governance of Emerging Space Issues under the Rule of Law’ April 24-25 with more than 100 delegates from government, institutes and universities. The ‘United Nations/China Forum on Space Solutions’ April 24-27 will forge new partnerships and enhance international space cooperation toward sustainable space development goals. Opening addresses will be given by CNSA Administrator Kejian Zhang, Hunan Province Governor Dazhe Xu and UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo. Caelus Foundation, Secure World Foundation and CSA are organizing ‘Workshop on Sino-U.S. Space Commercialization’ April 25 focused on potential information exchange between USA and China through space commerce. The ‘International Forum on Human Living and Working in Long-term Lunar Habitation’ April 25 includes Bernard Foing, Amanda Kruijver, and many scientists from China presenting on topics: Moon dust and radiation environment, ISRU, solving conflicts and settling differences on the Moon, and legal rules of human landings. (Image Credits: CSA, CSF, CNSA, SCIO, CNES, CMSE, NASA, UNOOSA, ESA/EST)

MONDAY

Apr 22 — Earth Day Network, Worldwide: Earth Day 2019; to broaden, diversify & activate the environmental movement worldwide; originally proposed to occur March 21 (first day of Spring) by creator John McConnell.

Apr 22-28 — Hayabusa2, Asteroid 1999 JU3: JAXA craft planning to study crater 2 (CRA2) after explosive Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) first week of April.

LunarCubes and CubeSat Workshops at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

The 8th Annual LunarCubes Workshop, hosted by the CubeSat Developers Workshop, opens at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo April 26. Cal Poly and Stanford University are pioneers in developing cubesats as student projects. Bob Twiggs (L), presently CEO of Conquest Technologies, is a builder of small satellites from his days as a Stanford professor. The ‘Lucky 13’ deep space cubesats are being built to fly with Orion on Exploration Mission-1 in 2020. CubeSat Astronomy Workshop also occurs April 26. Small satellites could lead to a revolution in space astronomy formerly dominated by big projects like the James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomy missions currently in orbit include ASTERIA, a miniaturized space telescope and technology demonstrator launched from ISS with principal investigator Sara Seager, HaloSat a cubesat also launched from ISS to study X-rays from the Milky Way galactic halo, and PicSat a nanosatellite built by Paris Observatory to observe transits of exoplanet Beta Pictoris b in front of its star. Following the weekend, the Inter-Planetary Small Satellite Conference opens at Cal Poly April 29-30. Speakers include Christopher Baker of NASA Small Spacecraft Technology Program and Dr. Anthony Colaprete (R) of NASA Ames Research Center, principal investigator of the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper selected to fly on EM-1. NASA as part of its Lunar Initiative announces opportunities for small payloads on lunar landers and orbiters. (Image Credits: Cubesat Developers Workshop, MIT, NASA, Conquest)

Apr 22 —

Apr 22 — Moon: 7.9° NNE of Antares, 01:00.

Apr 22 — Amor Asteroid 2019 FV2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)

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).

Apr 13 – Sep 2 — The Museum of Flight, Seattle WA: Exhibit: Destination Moon – The Apollo 11 Mission.

TUESDAY

Apr 23 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: LPL Colloquium: From Microbes to Exoplanets: Ecological Remote Sensing of the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica and Beyond; by Mark Salvatore, Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University.

Apr 23-24 — NASA, OPAG, Washington DC: Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) Steering Committee Meeting.

Apr 23-25 — Cubesat Developers Workshop, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo CA: Cubesat Developers Workshop 2019.

Apr 23-25 — Chinese Society of Astronautics, China Space Foundation, Changsha, China: 2019 China Space Conference.

Apr 23 — Pi Puppids Shower Peak: Occurs within the boundaries constellation of Puppis, particles can travel 15 km/s and appear at about 10 per hour.