UNOOSA Hosts Upcoming Space Symposiums In South Africa, Austria, China
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs symposium in Cape Town, South Africa is being held September 1-4 at the University of Cape Town to discuss small satellite (<150 kg) missions and basic space technology benefits. Africa relies on satellites to provide maps and GPS for agriculture, environmental conservation and protection, disaster management, and healthcare in remote areas. This 4th Symposium attended by engineers, scientists and educators will focus on space law, space debris mitigation, measures for long-term sustainability of outer space activities, and regional / international cooperation. University of Cape Town Professor Peter Martinez (T) is mission administrator of the Foundation for Space Development ‘Africa2Moon’ project working to send a smallsat to the Moon in order to take video imagery, and inspire education, opportunity and economic empowerment in Africa. The UNOOSA Symposium on Integrated Space Technology Applications for Climate Change is planned for Sep 7-10 in Graz, Austria, at the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Keynote addresses, plenary presentations and discussions will cover space technology applications for the water cycle, agriculture, ecosystems, disaster-risk management, response and recovery. On Sep 14-16 the UN is also holding the International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management in Beijing, China. (Pictured: UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo; Image Credit: UNOOSA, NASA, University of Cape Town. Latest news to Space Calendar indicates South Africa and Austria meetings have been canceled.)
MONDAY
Aug 31 — ISS, LEO: JAXA 5th Kounotori HTV cargo including 14 Planet Labs CubeSats & Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) dark matter study being transferred to ISS; Exp 44 six-member crew preparing for Exp 45 / visiting crew 3 person arrival.
Aug 31 — Chang’e-3 Lander & Yutu Rover,Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface: China mission in Lunar Day 22 collecting data from surface of Moon including ultra-violet and optical observations; science team preparing for total lunar eclipse on Sep 28.
Aug 31 — Cassini, Saturn Orbit: Measuring gravitational field of moons during flybys, acquiring images of planet & rings, observing storms & magnetosphere, searching for unknown satellites.
Aug 31 — ULA, Launch Atlas 5 / MUOS 4, Cape Canaveral AFS FL: United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket to launch 4th Mobile User Objective System satellite for U.S. Navy.
Aug 31 — Thoth Technology Inc.,Pembroke, Ontario, Canada: NewSpace company providing mini rovers, spectrometers, cameras, mission plans, simulation services for space missions; recently granted U. S. patent for space elevator concept.
Aug 31 — PlanetiQ,Bethesda MD: Opening new science and engineering facility in Boulder CO to develop 12 Pyxis-RO micro-satellite fleet to monitor space weather, Earth weather & climate; to launch 2016-17.
Aug 31 — NanoRacks LLC,Houston TX: External Payload Platform to be mounted on outside of ISS & be fully operational by spring 2016, will provide customer experiments with exposure to extreme environment of space.
for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
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AIAA SPACE 2015 Advancing Space Transportation, Settlement and Commercial Enterprise
AIAA is holding Space and Astronautics Forum and Exposition (SPACE 2015) August 31 – September 2 at Pasadena Convention Center in California with ~1,000 participants. Leading professionals within the space industry will discuss vital topics, challenges and future opportunities with over 350 technical papers from ~100 government, academic, and private institutions across 21 countries. Along with the Technical portion, the Plenary Program is offering a panel “The Business of Space – How is the space business evolving to meet future needs?” moderated by Carissa Christensen the Managing Partner of Tauri Group, to discuss how NewSpace enterprises are moving the industry forward. Along with many other studies, a technical paper “Construction Technologies for Application to Development of Lunar/Martian Surface Structures Using In-Situ Materials” by M.J. Werkheiser, M. Fiske, J. Edmunson, B. Khoshnevis will discuss the necessity of using in-situ materials allowing for self sufficiency in space. Forum 360° panelists will review missions: ESA Rosetta, NASA Dawn and New Horizons. This year’s featured speakers are (L-R) Gwynne Shotwell, George Nield, Robert Lightfoot Jr., Maj. Gen. Robert McMurry, and Wanda Sigur. AIAA is committed to the global aerospace profession by gathering and delivering the latest technology / industry information, and is the world’s largest technical society. (Image Credit: NASA, AIAA, Space 2015)
Aug 30 – Sep 1 —Space Angels Network, Seattle WA: 2015 Space Angels Network Expedition; unique expedition for members to view commercial space start ups in Seattle area.
TUESDAY
NET Sep — CNSA, Launch Long March 6 / Multi-Payload, TaiyuanSatellite Launch Center, China: Long March 6 rocket to deploy cluster of small China amateur & university research satellites.
Sep 2-9 — Cantabria Institute of Physics, Mediterranean Sea:CosmoCruise 2015; talks and posters centered on Cosmology during cruise on Royal Caribbean ship ‘Allure of the Seas.’
Sep 2 — Moon: 8.7° SSW of Mars, 08:00.
THURSDAY
Sep 3 — ISS, Change of Command Ceremony, LEO: Expedition 44 ISS Commander Gennady Padalka of RSA hands over ISS Command to one-year crew member Scott Kelly of NASA, 17:30 UT live coverage available.
Sep 3-4 — Japan National Committee of International Union for Radio Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology,Tokyo, Japan:2015 URSI-Japan Radio Science Meeting.
Sep 4-5 — Icarus Interstellar, Philadelphia PA: Starship Congress 2015: Interstellar Hackathon; to focus on Technical Advances toward Interstellar Space Exploration, and Our World in the Interstellar Era: Civilization and Culture; at Drexel University.
Sep 4-7 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA, Titusville FL: Fly With An Astronaut; tours and activities guided by space shuttle Astronaut Jon McBride.
Sep 4 — Moon: 8.6° S of Pleiades, 01:00; 1.1° WNW of Aldebaran, 20:00.
Sep 5 — Voyager 1, Interstellar Space: NASA spacecraft enters 39th year in space today, launched Sep 5, 1977; farthest spacecraft from Earth, first to reach interstellar space; expected to send data to Earth until ~2025 when power may run out.
Sep 5-6 — European Space Foundation, Regional Science-Technology Centre, ESA,Podzamcze, Poland:Europe Rover Challenge; 40 teams from 12 countries to compete in Mars rover challenge at Regional Science-Technology Centre.
Sep 5 — Moon: At last quarter, 23:54.
Sep 5 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 PK57: Near-Earth flyby (0.044 AU).
SUNDAY
Sep 6 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Mark Whittington about his book, “Why Is It So Hard To Go Back To The Moon?”
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= All times
= 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;’ Greenwich, England).
