ISS Expedition 42/43 Ready to Launch, Continue Human Presence in Space
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MONDAYNov 24 — ISS, LEO: Expedition 42 installing & calibrating Made in Space 3D printer, working with Seedling Growth experiment, transferring cargo from ATV-5 & Progress 57P; new crew undergoing ISS orientation. Nov 24 — Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Moon Orbit: Traveling in elliptical 30 x 180-km altitude orbit passing over lunar South Pole, collecting data on radiation, permanently shadowed regions, landing sites. Nov 24 — Juno, Jupiter Trajectory: In excellent health, operating nominally, ~626M km from Earth & 588 days from Jupiter Orbit Insertion; traveling at 47,043 kph with 35-minute one-way radio signal. Nov 24 — RSA, Launch Soyuz TMA-15M / ISS 41S, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An RSA Soyuz rocket set to launch members of Expedition 42/43 to ISS: Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA, Terry Virts of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of RSA; 03:01 local time, live coverage available. Nov 24 — Ad Astra Rocket Co., Webster TX: NewSpace company working to develop Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine with NASA collaboration; could be used for future ISS reboost, lunar cargo delivery, satellite repositioning / refueling, deep-space robotic missions. Nov 24 — Blue Origin LLC, Kent WA: New unfunded Space Act Agreement milestones for NASA Commercial Crew Development to be met including testing of propellant tank, BE-3 engine, and pusher escape system. Nov 24 — BoldlyGo Institute, New York NY: Planning to build, launch scientific space missions including Mars sample return mission & ASTRO-1 space telescope; BoD includes Jon Morse, Laurie Leshin, Scott Parazynski. Nov 24 — NASA, Online / Washington DC: Discovery 2014 AO Pre-Proposal Conference; 11:00 – 14:30 EST. |
= 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: Mars (SW); Morning Planets: Jupiter (ENE).
Japan Launch Hayabusa 2 Asteroid Explorer
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Nov 24 – Dec 12 — National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand: International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA 2014). Nov 24 — Venus: 4.5° N of Antares, 10:00. Continued from…Oct 20 – Dec 12 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Space Frontier Foundation, Online: Commercial Space Executive Leadership Training Course; with instructors Dan Rasky and Bruce Pittman. Nov 11-25 — Christie’s Inc., Online: Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites sale. NET Nov 18 — ESA, Launch Vega / Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, Kourou, French Guiana: Vega rocket, designated flight VV04, to launch IXV project to test critical technologies for future reentry vehicles; will reach 420-km altitude, splashdown in Pacific Ocean. TUESDAYNov 25 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with MIT authors regarding their paper on Mars One. Nov 25-27 — Applied Geoscience and Technology Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Suva, Fiji: Pacific GIS/RS User Conference: Empowering Pacific Communities through Improved Geospatial Data; at Japan Pacific ICT Centre. Nov 25 — Mercury: 1.6° SSW of Saturn, 14:00. Nov 25 — Moon: 6.5° N of Mars, 22:00. WEDNESDAYNov 26-27 — Satellite Interference Reduction Group, Birmingham, United Kingdom: 1st IET Secure and Efficient Satellite Communications Conference. |
Nov 26-27 — Centre for Particle Physics of Marseilles, Marseille, France: NEUTRINO Research Group (GDR) Meeting.
Nov 26-28 — Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan: 3rd Observational Cosmology Workshop.
Nov 26 — Asteroid 2014 VG10: Near-Earth flyby (0.040 AU).
THURSDAY
Nov 27-28 — ESO, Heidelberg University, Santiago, Chile: International Symposium: Life as a Planetary Phenomenon; at ESO Vitacura Auditorium.
Nov 27 — Moon: At perigee (distance 369,454 km), 12:54.
Nov 27 — Asteroid 2014 WR6: Near-Earth flyby (0.045 AU).
Nov 27 — Asteroid 2014 WA5: Near-Earth flyby (0.057 AU).
Nov 27 — Asteroid 2014 TX57: Near-Earth flyby (0.072 AU).
FRIDAY
Nov 28 — International Launch Services, Launch Proton / Astra 2G, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: International Launch Services Proton rocket with Breeze M upper stage to launch ASTRA 2G communications satellite for SES of Luxembourg.
Nov 28 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lunch with an Astronaut, Leroy Chiao; US$49.95 adult.
SATURDAY
Nov 29 – Dec 4 — Northwestern University Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, Waikoloa HI: Extreme Solar Systems III.
Nov 29 — Moon: At first quarter, 00:06.
SUNDAY
Nov 30 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / Hayabusa 2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: JAXA Hayabusa 2 Asteroid Explorer mission to launch today; expected to arrive at C-type asteroid “1999 JU3” in 2018, study for about 1.5 years and return to Earth 2020.
Nov 30 — ISC Kosmotras, Launch Dnepr / ASNARO 1, Dombarovsky, Russia: Dnepr rocket to launch the ASNARO 1 Earth observation satellite for Japan Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer, and 4 microsatellites.
Nov 30 – Dec 5 — International Astronomical Union, Punta Leona, Costa Rica: The Sun to Stars and Stellar Environments.