SpaceX Set to Launch Dragon CRS-5, Attempt Landing of Falcon 9 on Floating Platform
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MONDAYDec 15 — ISS, LEO: Six-member Expedition 42 crew preparing for Dragon CRS-5 arrival, will grapple & berth craft to Harmony mode, maintaining spacesuits, setting up micrometeoroid detection experiment, participating in studies of ocular health, body shape & body temperature. Dec 15 — Chang’e-3 Lander & Yutu Rover, Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface: Now more than 1 year on Moon surface, China lander expected to continue making Lunar-based Ultraviolet & Extreme UV camera observations, rover instruments still functioning nominally. Dec 15 — MAVEN, Mars Orbit: NASA orbiter relaying information from Curiosity Mars rover on surface; will finish commissioning phase including calibration of science instruments & fine tuning orbit before science phase begins. NET Dec 15 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk 3 / Atmospheric Test Flight, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk 3 to launch on suborbital test flight, will carry mock-up human crew module. Dec 15 — Canadensys Aerospace Corp., Toronto, Ontario, Canada: NewSpace company advancing ILOA flagship mission ILO-1 intended for Moon South Pole; conducting study on potential Canada contribution to NASA Mars 2020 rover mission. Dec 15 — Bigelow Aerospace LLC, Las Vegas NV: Working on Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) to launch to ISS in 2015 for 2-year technology demonstration; wants to follow with launch of BA330 to LEO. Dec 15 — NovaWurks Inc., Los Alamos CA: Planning to launch 7-kg modular eXCITe satellite during the third quarter of 2015 aboard SpaceFlight Inc’s SHERPA in-space transportation platform. Dec 15-19 — American Geophysical Union, San Francisco CA: 2014 AGU Fall Meeting; at the Moscone Center. Dec 15-19 — Paris Institute of Astrophysics, Paris, France: Colloquium: The Primordial Universe After Planck; at IAP amphitheater. Dec 15 — Asteroid 2014 WD497: Near-Earth flyby (0.041 AU). |
= 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;’ Greenwich, England).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Venus (SW), Mars (SW), Jupiter (ENE); Morning Planets: Saturn (SE).
AGU 2014 in San Francisco
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Continued from… Feb 1 – Dec 31 — Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Multiple Locations: Cycle 2 of science flights to observe universe consists of 47 science flights grouped into multi-week observing campaigns totaling about 350 research flight hours. TUESDAYDec 16 — NASA, Online / Kennedy Space Center FL: NASA to make decision on Asteroid Redirect Mission between Option A: shift orbit of 10-meter diameter NEA into lunar orbit, or Option B: move small ( ≤ 3 meter) boulder from asteroid into lunar orbit. Dec 16 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Bob Zimmerman, space historian and author. Dec 16-17 — The National Academies, Potsdam, Germany: Meeting: Review of MEPAG Report on Planetary Protection for Mars Special Regions; at German Research Center for Geosciences. Dec 16-18 — Satellite Industry Association, Arlington VA: SIA’s 10th Annual DoD Commercial SATCOM Users Workshop. Dec 16 — Moon: 2.7° NNE of Spica, 17:00. Dec 16 — Asteroid 2014 WM365: Near-Earth flyby (0.054 AU). WEDNESDAYDec 17 — Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy: Seminar: Space-Time Symmetries of the Quantum Hall Effect. THURSDAYDec 18 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / O3b, Kourou, French Guiana: Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS10, to launch four satellites for O3b Networks. |
Dec 18 — NASA, Online / Paris, France: Space Station partners hold Paris news conference to discuss upcoming yearlong mission; featuring one-year mission astronaut Scott Kelly & cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, as well as astronauts Andreas Mogensen (ESA), Soichi Noguchi (JAXA), Jeremy Hansen (CSA); 15:00 UT, live coverage available.
Dec 18 — SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: SETI Weekly Colloquium: Exploring the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone in the Early Solar System; presented by Michael Way.
Dec 18-19 — Aveiro University, Portugal Foundation for Science and Technology, Aveiro, Portugal: VII Black Holes Workshop.
FRIDAY
Dec 19 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / CRS 5, Cape Canaveral AFS FL: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to launch 7th Dragon spacecraft on 5th operational cargo delivery mission to ISS, 13:20 EST; will also carry Cloud-Aerosol Transport System, AggieSat4 / Bevo-2, SERPENS; rocket will attempt soft landing on ocean platform.
Dec 19 — W. M. Keck Observatory, Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talks: The Art and Science of the Weather on the Island of Hawaii; presented by University of Hawai`i Meteorology Professor Steven Businger, 19:00 HST.
Dec 19 — University of Athens, University of Porto, Athens, Greece: Xmas Theoretical Physics Workshop.
Dec 19 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lunch with an Astronaut, John-David Bartoe; US$49.95 adult.
Dec 19 — Moon: 1.5° N of Saturn, 11:00.
SATURDAY
Dec 20 — Cassini OTM-399, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #399 today.
Dec 20 – Mar 15 — Cantor Arts Center, Stanford CA: Exhibition: Loose in Some Real Tropics: Robert Rauschenberg’s “Stoned Moon” Projects, 1969–70; 34 large-format lithographs with scenes of Apollo 11 astronauts, machinery, facilities.
Dec 20 — Moon: 8.6° N of Antares, 05:00.
SUNDAY
Dec 21 — ISS, Dragon CRS 5 Rendezvous & Grapple, LEO: Dragon set to arrive at ISS 11:00 UT, live coverage available.
Dec 21 — Winter Solstice: The Sun, appearing to travel along the ecliptic, reaches the point where it is farthest South of the celestial equator; 13:03.
Dec 21 — Moon: New Moon, 15:35.