Astronaut Memorial Observations on Eve of USA Return to Human SpaceFlight and Apollo@50

Excitement rises this year as SpaceX plans its demo launch of the Dragon V2 crew vehicle in February, Boeing prepares CST-100 Starliner flight for ~March, and both could launch Americans from USA soil in 2019. The 9 pioneering Commercial Crew Astronauts will help to end the 8-year hiatus of USA Human Spaceflight capabilities since the Space Shuttles, while NASA works to complete SLS / Orion to launch humans farther into space since Apollo Moon program. Among pioneering explorers which are celebrated and honored, specifically this week: the 52nd observation of Apollo 1 crew members Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee lost during a launch pad test on Jan 27; the 33rd observation of Challenger STS-51L loss of Francis “Dick” Scobee, Michael Smith, Christa McAuliffe (1st ‘Teacher in Space’), Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnick, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis on Jan 28; and the 16th observation of Columbia STS-107 loss of Richard Husband, Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon (‘1st Israeli Astronaut’), William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown and Kalpana Chawla (‘1st Indian American astronaut’ and ‘1st Indian woman in space’) on Feb 1. Numerous education centers, schools, programs, scholarship funds, planetariums, lunar craters, asteroids, parks, highways, bridges and airports are named for these Astronauts. Future initiatives, structures and landmarks on other Worlds are also likely to honor these heroes while humans fulfill their Multi World Species status and expand into the Solar System. (Image Credits: NASA)

MONDAY

Extant Life on Mars Is Subject of Conference Near Carlsbad Caverns

As the InSight lander and other international spacecraft return data, humans on Earth continue to wonder about life on Mars. Originally planned for January 29 – February 1, NASA Mars Exploration Office and JPL are now planning to host a Mars Extant Life Conference later this year. It will be held at the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with a field trip to the famous Carlsbad Caverns, where 190 kilometers of passages have been mapped to a depth of 490 meters. Since NASA scientists in 1996 found signs of fossil life on a Martian meteorite, evidence from other meteorites and spacecraft has indicated conditions favorable for life on early Mars. Conference participants will descend into Carlsbad Caverns to observe the activity of sulfate reducing bacteria. Astrobiologists find such extremophiles in caves, saline lakes, glacial ice, hot vents and even the deep Earth. Conference subjects include environmental niches on Mars that could today harbor life. Participants will discuss the types of measurements needed and future missions that could search for evidence of life. Researchers are interested in both life as we know it and unknown new forms. Lewis Dartnell of the ExoMars science team thinks there is a ‘very good chance’ of life on Mars. China CNSA plans to launch a Mars lander and rover in 2020. With enterprises like SpaceX talking of settling Mars with human life, whether the planet has extant life is a critical issue. (Image Credits: JPL, University of Westminster, National Park Service)

Jan 28 – Feb 1 — University of California, Los Angeles CA: Extremely Big Eyes on the Early Universe.

Jan 28 – Feb 1 — Sexten Center for Astrophysics, ASI, National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), INFN, Sexten, Italy: Workshop: Galactic Archaeology in the Gaia Era.

Jan 28 — Aten Asteroid 2019 AP11: Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 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.

TUESDAY

Jan 29-30 — National Science Foundation, Alexandria VA: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) Meeting.

Jan 29-31 — Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), NASA, Houston TX: SBAG 20 Meeting; at Lunar and Planetary Institute; Postponed.

Jan 29 – Feb 1 — NASA, JPL, USRA, LPI, Carlsbad NM: Conference: Mars Extant Life – What’s Next? at National Cave and Karst Research Institute; Postponed.

Jan 29 — Aten Asteroid 2019 AN11: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)

Jan 29 — Aten Asteroid 2013 CW32: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)