Astronomy from the Moon May Advance with NASA 2024 Lunar Program and ILOA-NAOC MoU in China

The national program, directed to return USA to the Moon with urgency, may have its FY2020 budget request submitted by April 15 – outlining details for its lunar landing missions – and allowing for the public to note the estimated financial commitment and feasibility of achieving a Human landing at Moon South Pole within 5 years. After landing, “observation” will be a key aspect which NASA has recently collaborated on internationally by providing a laser retroreflector to SpaceIL lander and India Chandrayaan-2. Twelve science and technology demonstration payloads selected by NASA to fly on first commercial lunar landers include ‘Low-frequency Radio Observations from the Near Side Lunar Surface’ instrument. Canada, China, India, Japan, Russia, S Korea, and Europe have dedicated lunar interests and would make strong partners to achieve an accelerated and sustainable Return to the Moon. Working with Zhongguo since its founding, International Lunar Observatory Association of Hawai’i will be signing its next Memorandum of Understanding with National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 15 to co-sponsor a 2-year post-doc research fellow to analyze Chang’e-3 Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) data since 2013. NAOC / ILOA LUT data reduction, processing, and utilization project will aim to maximize science output from LUT for the science community worldwide. The MoU signing ceremony will also include previews of Lunar Far Side Astronomy, and Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE) on Chang’e-4. (Image Credits: NASA, NAOC-CAS, CNSA, CLEP, CCTV, ILOA)

MONDAY

Space Access Society Hosts 2019 Conference In Silicon Valley, California

Space Access 2019 Conference opens April 18-21 at Marriott Silicon Valley in Fremont, California. The conference is hosted by Space Access Society and Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society chaired by Gerald Nordley, which designs and tests liquid fuel rockets. The three major focus areas are the Entrepreneurial Revolution in Smallsat Launch, Reusable Rocket Transport Networks in Cislunar Space, and Advanced High-Energy Space Propulsion. The entrepreneurial revolution includes Rich Pournelle of Nanoracks, Eric Salwan (L) of Firefly Aerospace, Bill Bruner of New Frontier Aerospace, Amanda Stiles of Rocket Lab, John Quinn of EXOS aerospace, Adrian Tymes of CubeCab, Gregory Orndorff of Vector Aerospace, Bachar Elzein of Reaction Dynamics, and Max Haot of Launcher. The Base 11 Space Challenge will offer a US$1M prize for the first student-led organization to launch a rocket into space. Reusable Rocket Transport includes Melissa Sampson of Ball Aerospace, John Hoyt of Tethers Unlimited, Lars Osborne of Agile Space Propulsion, John Goff of Altius Space Machines, Joel Sercel of Momentus Space, and Andrew Redd of the Princeton Orbital Initiative. Advanced High-energy Space Propulsion includes John Bucknell of Parkin Research and Peter Klupar of Breakthrough Starshot. Physicist Ryan Weed (R) of Positron Dynamics works on antimatter propulsion. Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society sees experiments turned into orbital launches by private industry and students. (Image Credits: Space Access Society, Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab, Private Space Science, Positron Dynamics, ERPS)

Apr 15 — NASA, Washington DC: National Lunar Program costs / FY2020 Budget could be discussed / announced by this date.

Apr 15 — Rose City Astronomers, Portland OR: Lecture: Another Pale Blue Dot – Inside the SETI Institute’s Search for Exoplanets; by Franck Marchis of SETI Institute, and co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer at Unistellar.

Apr 15 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Lecture: Planets Big and Small; by Eve Lee of Caltech.

Apr 15-17 — Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group, Leiden, the Netherlands: Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group meeting.

Apr 15-17 — University College London, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom: UK Exoplanet Community Meeting.

Apr 15 — Moon: 2.63° NNE of Regulus, 00:00.

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.

Apr 14-19 — International Astronautical Union, Cambridge, United Kingdom: IAU Symposium 350 on Laboratory Astrophysics.