2020 NIAC Symposium Features 23 Visionary Concepts for Solar System + Beyond Exploration
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MONDAY Highlights… Sep 21 — NewSpace: Southern Launch testing suborbital rockets from Australia west coast; SpaceX Starship SN8 may be launched to 18.2 km as early as Oct; Nanoracks Bishop airlock launching to ISS Oct 29 will increase current transfer volume by 5x. Sep 21 — Solar System: researchers uncovering fluid motion principles by studying Jupiter cyclones; studies show Pluto is similar to Uranus moons which are similar to Kuiper Belt dwarf planets; Solar System “Ethical Exploration and Anti-Colonial Practices in Planetary Protection” white paper open for co-signers. Sep 21 — Galaxy: Neutron star GRO J1008-57 being investigating after strongest magnetic field observed; dark matter discrepancies keeping astrophysicists engaged; scientists characterizing exoplanets determine carbon-rich planets could be made of diamond; first exoplanet found around white dwarf star under study. Sep 21 — Global: Chandrayaan-3 undergoes design change to have 4, not 5, engines for Moon landing; China / Zhongguo second successful sea launch marks 27 launches so far in 2020; Japan converting Oita Airport into spaceport, announces new logo; reconstruction of Russia Sea Launch to start in 2 months. Sep 21 — USA: NASA Administrator Bridenstine discusses advantages of Artemis landing at Apollo sites, some speculate 2024 Moon South Pole landing doubts; Blue Origin advancing human lunar lander, passes baseline requirements, while Dynetics team reveals full-scale model design. Sep 21 — Hawai’i: International team using JCMT / EAO detect phosphine with possible microbial origin in Venus upper clouds, phenomenon named ‘Makaola’; 3 Mauna Kea Observatories produce model of Wolf-Rayet 112 spiral dust stream using 2-decades of data; Women in Space Exploration talks series being organized by PISCES. Sep 21 — MAVEN, Mars Orbit: NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft reaches 6 full years / enters 7th year of operations in Mars orbit after insertion on this day 2014; continuing to study upper atmosphere. |
= All times
for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Mercury (WNW), Mars (E), Jupiter (S), Saturn (S), Uranus (E), Neptune (SE); Morning Planets: Venus (ENE).
SG[France] 2020: Our Giant Leap Strives to Advance Space Diversity
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Sep 21 — Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), Secure World Foundation, Online / Kihei HI: 2020 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Virtual Dialogue.
Sep 21 — Cornell University, Online / Ithaca NY: Lecture: Simulating Planetesimal Formation in the Kuiper Belt and Beyond; by Dr. Rixin Li from Cornell. Sep 21-25 — German Astronomical Society, Online / Germany: Virtual Annual Meeting of the German Astronomical Society. Sep 21-25 — International Astronomical Union – Commission C2, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia: IAU Symposium: Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2020 (CAP2020); reset to February 8-12, 2021. Sep 21 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RQ6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU) Continued From… Nov 2019 – Nov 2020 — Hayabusa2, Earth Trajectory: JAXA Hayabusa2 with two samples collected from C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu on trajectory for Earth return. Jul 29 – Oct 31 — CNSA, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Online / Beijing, China: Students to submit ideas for payloads for Chang’e-7 lunar south pole craft, and ZhengHe mission that will return samples from Asteroid 2016HO3 and visit Comet 133P. Sep 11-21 — ESA, Online / Paris, France: First virtual Space App Camp 2020; bringing programmers together to develop creative and innovative apps that make Earth observation data accessible to a wide range of citizens. Sep 18-21 — Chinese Society of Astronautics, China Space Foundation, Fuzhou, Fujian, China: 2020 China Space Conference; 16 events with 10 specific space engineering and science challenges to be addressed, international participation and cooperation invited. TUESDAYSep 22 — CNSA, Launch Long March 4B / Haiyang 2, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center: Launch of Haiyang “Ocean” Earth observation satellite focused on dynamic marine environment. |
Sep 22-24 — NASA, Online / Washington DC: Virtual: 2020 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium.
Sep 22-24 — ISS National Lab, Center for the Advancement for Science in Space, NASA, Online: ISS R&D Technical Sessions; free.
Sep 22 — September Equinox: The Sun rises exactly in east traveling through sky for 12 hours, sets exactly in west; day and night are approximately equal duration every place on Earth; 03:32.
Sep 22 — Moon: 5.8° NNE of Antares, 04:00.
Sep 22 — Mercury: 0.27° NE of Spica, 02:00.
Sep 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RB6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)
Sep 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RD5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU)
Sep 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RU7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Sep 23 — Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) India, Online / India: Webinar on Emerging trends in Outer Space: India’s Experience; 11:00-12:00 IST.
Sep 23 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Committee on Planetary Protection – Meeting 3.
Sep 23 — ApiTech, Online: Webinar Series: Picking the Right Quality in Space Components; 11:00 EDT.
Sep 23 — SpaceFund, Online / Houston TX: Discussion: Tow Trucks and Tankers On Orbit Servicing and the NewSpace Economy; featuring Daniel Faber (Orbit Fab), Jonathan Goff (Altius), Rick Tumlinson and Meagan Crawford (SpaceFund); 16:00 EDT.
Sep 23 — Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Online: Colloquium: Speeding up around the Galactic Center; by Michal Zajaček from Center for Theoretical Physics, Warsaw.
Sep 23 — Moon: At first quarter, 15:55.
Sep 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RE8: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
Sep 23 — Amor Asteroid 2020 RA2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU)
THURSDAY
Sep 24 — Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Mars Orbit: India ISRO orbiter reaches 6 full years / enters 7th year of operations in Mars orbit; launched Nov 5, 2013.
Sep 24 — Cornell University, Online / Ithaca NY: Lecture: A First Sign from the Neutron Star in SN 1987A; by Dany Page – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 16:00-17:00 EDT.
Sep 24-25 — Asia Video Industry Association, Online: Virtual Conference: Satellite Industry Forum.
Sep 24-25 — World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, Online / San Francisco CA: International Conference on Astronomical Sciences (ICAS 2020).
Sep 24 — Moon: 1.62° SE of Jupiter, 22:00.
FRIDAY
Sep 25 — McGill University, Institute of Air and Space Law, Online / Quebec, Canada: Space Law Webinar Series #3: Proposal for an Operational and Regulatory Framework to Ensure Space Debris Removal; 10:00-12:30 EDT.
Sep 25 — National Space Club, Washington DC: 2020 Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner; with keynote speaker Helen Buchanan, 18:30; in-person meeting TBC.
Sep 25-27 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Online / Tucson AZ: Art of Planetary Science 2020: A Virtual Odyssey; featuring space and planetary themed art.
Sep 25 — Moon: 2.32° S of Saturn, 12:00.
Sep 25 — Asteroid 2 Pallas: At opposition, magnitude 8.3, 11:00.
Sep 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 R: Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU)
SATURDAY
Sep 26 — International Observe the Moon Night Organization, Global: International Observe the Moon Night 2020; encouraging observation, appreciation, understanding of the Moon and its connection to planetary science & exploration; 1st quarter Moon is considered the best time to observe the Moon due to shallow angle of sunlight hitting surface and illuminating details.
Sep 26 — The Astronomical League, Global / Online: Fall Astronomy Day 2020; astronomical societies, planetariums, museums, observatories sponsoring public viewing sessions, presentations, workshops.
Sep 26 — Space Generation Advisory Council, Toulouse, France: France Space Generation Advisory Council Event: Our Giant Leap – Women of the Aerospace Sector; 08:30-20:00 CEST.
Sep 26 — British Interplanetary Society, Online / London, United Kingdom: Interstellar Precursor Missions; by Rob Swinney of the Institute for Interstellar Studies, 14:00 BST.
Sep 26 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Daejeon National Science Museum (DNSM), KASI, Daejeon, S Korea: Galaxy Forum Korea 2020 Daejeon; reset to 2021.
Sep 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RF4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
SUNDAY
Sep 27 — Parker Solar Probe, Heliocentric Orbit: Spacecraft reaches 6th perihelion today.
Sep 27-28 — Europlanet Society, Online: Europlanet Science Congress 2020; covering a broad area of science topics related to planetary science and planetary missions.
Sep 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 RF5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)