56th AAS Goddard Memorial Symposium and Related Events to Highlight U.S. National Space Program

The American Astronautical Society 56th Goddard Memorial Symposium is set to take place March 13-15 in Greenbelt, Maryland in conjunction with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The theme “Exploration, Science, and Technology: Partnerships for the Next Decade” will focus on short-term initiatives and long-term projects planned for the U.S. National Space Program including SLS / Orion, James Webb Telescope, and the potential Lunar Deep Space Gateway. Speakers include Deputy Director of GSFC Solar System Exploration Division Lori Glaze, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Krista Paquin, AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher, in addition to 12 other speakers, 19 panelists, and opening remarks from AAS president Carol Lane. Topics range from space strategy to robotics. The symposium expects nearly 2,000 attendees. The following evening on March 16, National Space Club will feature award winners at the 61st Goddard Memorial Dinner held at the Washington Hilton. AAS brings volunteers to Washington, DC for Congressional Visits Day on March 12-14 to advocate for federal support of space exploration and science. NSS, SFF and Alliance for Space Development are sponsoring March Storm 2018 March 11-15 to advance policy developments for space settlement. (Image Credit: NASA, AIAA, AAS, NSC, NSS, SFF, CNN)

MONDAY

Hawai’i Mayor Kim Focus Luncheon, And Hawaii’s Intrinsic Place in Space

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim, well-known for his transcending vision of Mauna Kea World Peace Park, will be speaking at a Focus Luncheon to the local community on March 15 at the Kailua-Kona Marriott King Kamehameha Hotel in conjunction with the Business Expo. Hosted by Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and Hawaii Office of the Mayor, topics will include opportunities and challenges in West Hawaii. As the self-declared April deadline for TMT development on Mauna Kea fast approaches, and brief answers / appellant responses to Hawaii Supreme Court continue in the lengthy contested case, Mayor Kim has been finalizing a Mauna Kea Committee with a mission to resolve conflict, emphasize international cooperation, exploration, the pursuit of knowledge, and bring world recognition to the cosmopolitan people of Hawaii. Home to Observatories such as CFHT, W. M. Keck, Gemini North, and Subaru – Mauna Kea supports world class astronomy and galaxy education, as well as environments suitable for Moon and Mars mission tests and simulations. Mapping the stars and celestial navigation is key to exploring Space beyond the cradle of Earth, as it was for Polynesia voyagers exploring and settling lands beyond their points of origin. Local groups and efforts on Hawaii Island working to further connect Hawaii to the Moon and Stars include PISCES, HI-SEAS, EnVision MaunaKea, International Lunar Observatory Association and the newly formed International MoonBase Alliance. (Image Credit: Institute for Astronomy, ILOA, NASA, Christiane Heinicke, County of Hawaii, Polynesian Voyaging Society)

Mar 12 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Colloquium: A Global Map of Titans Tropospheric Methane Abundance Near Northern Solstice; Professor James Stone of Princeton University.

Mar 12-14 — American Astronautical Society, Washington DC: American Astronautical Society Congressional Visits Day 2018.

Mar 12-15 — Eutelsat, Access Intelligence, Lockheed Martin Corp., Echostar / Hughes, et al, Washington DC: Satellite 2018 Conference; at Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Mar 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2013 RZ73: Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU).

Mar 12 — Amor Asteroid 2018 EF: Near-Earth Flyby (0.075 AU).

Continued from…

Feb 3 – Mar 19 — Johnson Space Center, NASA, Houston TX: Campaign 4: Mission 4 – Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA 2017); 45 day analog spaceflight / Moon / Mars mission.

Feb 15 – Oct 15 / TBD — Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS), 2,500-meter Elevation, Mauna Loa HI: HI-SEAS 6 four-member ‘Lavanaut’ crew from Australia, Korea, Scotland and Slovakia 8-month space mission simulation postponed.

NET Mar 5-31 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / VCLS ELaNa, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: First full commercial launch of Electron rocket with various CubeSats for NASA Venture Class Launch Service (VCLS) Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) XIX mission.

Mar 11-14 — Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Tegernsee, Germany: Workshop: Science with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX2018).