Galaxy Forum Architecture 2011 to Advance 21st Century Education, ILO Missions in New Decade
The Galaxy Forum program is initiated through the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and promotes 21st Century education, science and astronomy, exploration and enterprise through understanding of humanity’s place in the Galaxy and Universe. Each event throughout the world features participation and events (lectures, presentations, arts and entertainment) from educators, teachers, students and astronomers of all kinds in the local community. Galaxy Forum has been active and thriving in USA (California, Hawaii and Kansas), Canada (Vancouver), Asia (Beijing, China; Bangalore, India and Tokyo, Japan) and Europe (Prague, Czech Republic) since its inaugural event in Silicon Valley on July 4, 2008. The Program in 2011 may include the addition of Shanghai, Paris, New York and Capetown, and other considered locales with possibly more substantial, National events. The ILOA’s mission is to “expand human understanding of the Cosmos through observation from our Moon” via its ILO-X Precursor, ILO-1 Polar and ILO Human Service Mission. In addition to advancing Galaxy 21st Century Education into all levels of all classrooms, Galaxy Forum events are also designed to solicit philanthropic supporters to help fund the development, launch and operations of these missions. A dominant idea and reality of our times, ‘galacticity’ or ‘galactivity’ has increased magnitudinally since Hubble’s conclusive Galaxy confirmations a mere 80-90 years ago, and may become as characterizing an influence for the 21st Century as was ‘relativity’ or ‘relativism’ for the 20th. (Credit: ILOA)
New Space Ports Advancing Importance of Pacific Rim Space Access in New Decade
As the 21st Century moves into its 2nd decade, several commercial entities are primed to join the 9 government agencies currently capable of launching satellites into space. As many of these countries and companies have a presence in the Pacific Rim, the region looks to become abundant in spaceports. With pioneering activities of commercial space companies such as Scaled Composites, XCOR Aerospace and Masten Space, the Mojave spaceport in California (A)(1) is becoming a center for the emerging NewSpace industry. A University of British Columbia scientist has recently proposed constructing a US$100M launch site on the west coast of BC (B). The Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska (C)(3) successfully launched a Minotaur 4 rocket on a US$170M mission with 7 government and university satellites. As with other Pacific-based launch sites, the Kodiak complex does not necessitate overflights of population centers or private property, a key concern for rocket launchers. China recently announced that the 3rd phase of its Chang’e Moon program, including a human Moon mission, will be launched from its new Wenchang Launching Base in the south China province of Hainan (D)(2). Australia’s Woomera Launch Site (E) saw successful launches in the 1990s and holds promise as a potential site for future activities. The 9,700,000 square meter Tanegashima Launch Center (F)(4) located in southern Japan is the launch site for the H-IIA and H-IIB Launch Vehicles. Japan, together with Russia, Korea and USA could gain equatorial, Pacific space access by forming some kind of sea-launching consortium. The company’s launch platform could possibly be based in Hawaii, an ideal central-Pacific location. (Credit: pacificrimllc.com, mychina.com, spacetoday.net, look-on.info, virginmedia.com)
= All times for terrestrial events in local time unless noted
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= 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 – Morning Planets: Mercury (ESE), Venus (ESE), Saturn (SSE) / Evening Planets: Jupiter (SW).
MONDAY
Dec 27 — International Space Station, LEO: E-26 crew members continue with science and maintenance activities as the newest crew members Flight Engineers Dmitry Kondratyev, Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli continue to familiarize themselves with their new home, taking part in orientation activities and participating in emergency drills.
Dec 27 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: All systems nominal in scientific phase of mission as LRO continues to make digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.
Dec 27 — Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Red Planet: NASA MRO to end primary mission on Dec 31, nearly 5 1/2 years after launch, however, orbiter may continue to provide relay services for another 5 years.
NET Dec 27 — ILS, Launch Proton / KA-SAT, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An ILS Proton rocket with Breeze M upper stage set to deploy the KA-SAT communications satellite for Eutelsat to provide broadband internet services to Europe.
Dec 27 — International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), Hawai`i Island HI / Global: 2011 Proposed Initiative By ILOA / Space Age Publishing to form independent, international Consortium for Human Lunar Service Mission (HSM) with ILOA possibly accounting for 10% of US$5 – 10 Billion HSM enterprise; Outreach to Spacefaring Nations, AeroSpace Companies, NewSpace, philanthropic supporters of Galaxy / 21st Century Education.
Dec 27 — Moon: 1.6° S of Asteroid 3 Juno, 05:00; At Last Quarter, 18:19.
Dec 27 — Asteroid 2010 XN: Near Earth Flyby (0.060 AU).
Continued from . . .
Sep 8 — American Museum of Natural History, New York NY: ‘Journey to the Stars,’ in this all-new Space Show narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, travel 13 billion years into the past, when the 1st stars were born; through Dec 31.
Dec 20 — Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills MI: ‘The Mystery of the Christmas Star,’ journey back 2000 years to Bethlehem as we seek to discover a scientific explanation for the Star sighted by the Wise Men; through Dec 23, 27-30.
TUESDAY
NET Dec 28 — Arianespace, Launch Hispasat 1E & Koreasat 6, Kourou, French Guiana: Arianespace Flight 199 set to use Ariane 5 rocket with cryogenic upper stage to launch Spanish Hispasat 1E communications satellite to serve Europe, North America and South America. Koreasat 6 satellite for South Korea.
Dec 28 — Glenn Research Center, Great Lakes Science Center, LEO / Cleveland OH: Cleveland students to have phone conversation with ISS astronauts Cmdr Scott Kellyand flight engineers Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli at 11:30 – 11:50 EST.
Dec 28 — Asteroid 3192 A’Hearn: Closest Approach to Earth (1.172 AU).
WEDNESDAY
Dec 29 — Moon: 7.5° SSW of Saturn; 12:00.
Dec 29 — Coma Berenicid Meteors: Radiating from Constellation Coma Berenices, this meteor shower emits a few bright fireballs every hour.
THURSDAY
Dec 30 — Mercury: 12.3° ENE of Antares; 06:00.
Dec 30 — Asteroid 2007 YH1: Near Earth Flyby (0.052 AU).
FRIDAY
Dec 31 — X Prize Foundation, Santa Monica CA: Deadline for registration to compete for Google Lunar X Prize.
Dec 31 — Virginia Living Museum, Newport News VA: ‘Star of Wonder: The Mystery of the Christmas Star.’
Dec 31 — Moon: 6.9° S of Venus; 05:00.
SATURDAY
Jan 1 — NASA Voyager 1, Deep Space: After 33 years and over 17.3 billion km traveled, Voyager 1 spacecraft passes through the heliosheath (the turbulent outer shell of the Sun’s sphere of influence) as it departs from our solar system and becomes humankind’s 1st interstellar probe.
Jan 1 — Cassini OTM-273, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #273 today.
SUNDAY
Jan 2 — Virginia Living Museum Abbitt Planetarium, Newport News VA: ‘Virginia Skies,’ event will give children and adults a chance to explore the evening skies above Virginia in this classic planetarium presentation.
MONDAY
Jan 3-7 — Indian Space Research Organization, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chennai, India: ‘98th Indian Science Congress,’ one of the largest national science events, with thousands of delegates participating, exploring, understanding, analyzing and interacting on matters of science.
Jan 3-7 — University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa: ‘Workshop on Convection in Stars.’
Jan 3 — Earth: At Perihelion (0.983 AU).
Jan 3 — Quantarids Meteor Shower Peak: Radiating from the constellation Bootes, the Quadrantids are an above average shower with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak.
TUESDAY
Jan 4-7 — American Astronautical Society, Online: Deadline for AAS Lady Mamie Ngan ISU Scholarship Applications.
Jan 4-7 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Orlando FL: ‘49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting,’ including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition.
Jan 4 — Moon: New Moon; 09:03.
Jan 4 — Asteroid 6318: Closest Approach to Earth (0.910 AU).
WEDNESDAY
Jan 5 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Near Earth Asteroids as Targets for Human and Robotic Exploration,’ David Morrison.
Jan 5-7 — The National Academies, Houston TX: ‘Meeting: Human Spaceflight Crew Operations.’
Jan 5-9 — The International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture, International Astronomical Union, Lima, Peru: ‘9th Oxford International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy,’ event for researchers in fields such as astronomy, anthropology, archaeology, history, museum studies, surveying, statistics and the history of religions as well as the history of science and astronomy.
Jan 5-Feb 4 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program,’ an intensive, interdisciplinary, live-in program for professionals, graduates and senior graduates with 40 core lectures, workshops and a group research project.
THURSDAY
Jan 6 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – San Francisco, San Francisco CA: ‘AIAA – SF Council Meeting.’
FRIDAY
Jan 7 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: ‘Flights of Fancy – Stories for Children: Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars Space Poems and Paintings,’ Douglas Florian.
SATURDAY
Jan 8-14 — Geological Society of Africa, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa: ‘CAG23 South Africa 2011: Together in Africa for a Leading Role in Geoscience.’
Jan 8 — Cassini OTM-274, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #274 today.
SUNDAY
Jan 9-13 — American Astronomical Society, Seattle WA: ‘217th Meeting of the AAS.’
Jan 9 — Asteroid (Closest Approach to Earth): 84225 Verish (1.044 AU); 6470 Aldrin (1.205 AU)
Jan 9 — Asteroid 6318: Near-Earth Flyby (0.070 AU).