SLS Mobile Launcher Rollout Test Scheduled Aug 16, Next Crucial Step for Exploration Missions

The NASA Crawler Transporter-2 (CT-2), carrying a modified Mobile Launcher (ML) which includes rocket stand and umbilical tower, is being prepared for a rollout test at launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida August 16. Success of this test could confirm or set back CT and ML capability standards to support the entire Space Launch System (SLS), including launch of Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) maiden flight, projected for June 2020s. EM-1 will debut with an uncrewed Orion spacecraft in Block 1 configuration containing an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Upper Stage, two 5-segment Solid Rocket Boosters, and 4-engine liquid propellant Core Stage. Boosters and Core Stage could send Orion and Upper Stage into elliptical Earth orbit in ~8 minutes from liftoff. The rollout will test hardware, sensors, connections and leaks, structural responses, structural clearance, HVAC pressurization, Tower Fire Suppression, Flame Defector, and power ignition from launchpad 39B power supply. NASA plans for SLS to launch crews of up to 4 Astronauts on Orion spacecraft to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Block 1 configuration will stand ~98 meters tall, be able to carry a minimum of 70 metric tons of cargo to LEO, and produce liftoff thrust of 39,000 kN. With US$350 million included in the 2018 fiscal year Appropriations Act budget, NASA mentions intent to build flexibility and expandability into a second ML to accommodate future modifications in vehicle design. (Image Credits: NASA)

MONDAY

Canada Advances Robotics and Research Toward Human Moon Missions

Canadian Space Agency (CSA/ASC) headquartered in Saint-Hubert, Quebec is collecting proposals for the Lunar Surface Mobility Precursor to Human and Science Rover phase 0 project until August 15. It will choose up to 2 proposals, for a 12-month study at US$800,000 each, to assess feasibility, options, costs, schedule and risks for Canada to contribute a rover to International Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOPG) as a precursor to a larger human-rated rover dubbed Lunar Pressurized Rover. Working under International Space Exploration Coordination Group and the ‘Human Enhanced Robotic Architecture and Capability for Lunar Exploration and Science’ (HERACLES) mission, Canada continues its international collaborations to define concepts beyond LEO as outlined by Global Exploration Roadmap 2018 (GER18). HERACLES is a 2020s ESA-led mission with a ~1,800-kg lander, ascent module and rover planned to reach Moon and return samples to Astronauts at LOPG. The 14 Space Agencies which developed GER18 published their consensus about the importance of the Moon on the pathway into the Solar System, and international cooperation for individual and collective progress. CSA/ASC currently has 11 lunar / extraterrestrial rovers in its fleet ranging from the 30-kg Micro-Rover Platform with Tooling Arm (MRPTA) to the 967-kg Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR) which could be could be upgraded to carry Astronauts. (Pictured CSA/ASC Astronauts; Image Credits: CSA/ASC, NASA, ISECG)

Aug 13-17 — National Science Foundation, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), U.S. Department of Energy, Tucson AZ: LSST 2018 Project and Community Workshop; at Hilton El Conquistador.

Aug 13-17 — Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Japan: The 11th Meeting on Cosmic Dust.

Aug 13 — Perseid Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Perseus, shower may produce up to 60-70 meteors per hour this year – can be fast, bright and frequently leave persistent trains.

Aug 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2008 AG4N: Near-Earth Flyby (0.094 AU)

Continued from…

Jul 15 – Aug 23 — Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, NASA, Dubai, UAE: NASA Space and Rocketry Summer Camp; at Lapita Hotel Ballroom, Dubai Parks and Resorts.

Jun 25 – Aug 24 — International Space University, ESA, Netherlands Space Office, Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: ISU 31st Space Studies Program (SSP 2018).

Aug 12-17 — NASA, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado – Boulder, Boulder CO: The Final Cassini Science Symposium; invited and contributed talks will include latest Cassini findings on Saturn system, including interpretation and synthesis of results.

Aug 12-17 — Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, Boston MA: Goldschmidt 2018; annual, international conference on geochemistry and related subjects.

TUESDAY

Aug 14 — SETI Institute, Menlo Park CA: Inspiring the Next Generation of Explorers – Education Programs; by Pamela Harman, Acting Director of Center for Education at SETI, 19:00-20:00.

Aug 14 — Moon: 5.9° NNE of Venus, 08:00.