Galaxy Forum Hawai`i 2015: Astronomy From The Moon

Calendar Feature - GF Hawaii 2015

The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) is initiating, supporting and collaborating with projects around the world to advance human civilization to the Moon. As part of this effort, ILOA is hosting Galaxy Forum Hawaii 2015 on November 12 in Waimea town on Hawaii Island with the theme Astronomy from the Moon. Kimo Keli`i Ka`aha`aina Pihana, Hawai`i Kapuna and Cultural Practitioner; Author of “Celebrating the Hawaiian Culture,” is making the Keynote presentation. The program also features: Steve Durst, ILOA Director and Space Age Publishing Company Editor, on ILO-1 Mission – Making Moon South Pole Astronomy and Communications a Reality; R. Pierre Martin, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at University of Hawaii at Hilo and Director of the Hoku Ke’a Observatory, on Astronomy from the Moon with LUT and ILO-1 Applying Hawaii Astrophysics Leadership to 21st Century Frontiers; Pua Case, Hawaiian Cultural Resource, Kumu, Educator, on Mauna Kea, Ancestral Connections; and Doug Simons, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Director on how The Future of Mauna Kea Rests in the Hands of Hawaii’s People. There will be a Panel Discussion, including audience participation, moderated by Sherry Bracken of LAVA 105.3 and KKOA 107.7. Galaxy Forums are organized worldwide by the ILOA to advance 21st Century Education, providing greater global awareness, capabilities and action in Galaxy science, exploration and enterprise. (Image Credit: ILOA, Michael Connelley (U. Hawaii), CFHT)

MONDAY

Nov 9 — ISS, LEO: Expedition 45 six-member crew loading waste into Progress 61P & readying for undocking Nov 19, completing spacesuit check outs after last EVA, continuing work on SPHERES free-flying satellites to test autonomous rendezvous & docking maneuvers, Kelly & Kornienko now more than 227 days into 342-day mission.

Nov 9 — Spitzer Space Telescope, LEO: Working in ‘warm mission’ phase to detect distant galaxies in Universe in infrared wavelengths; studying newly found Massive Overdense Object (MOO) J1142+1527 at 8.5B light years away.

Nov 9 — Opportunity, Western Rim of Endeavour Crater, Mars Surface: Rover with off-world record for driving greatest distance will be performing observations on South side of Marathon Valley through Mars winter to study clay / silica minerals; signs of current & past water on Mars being analyzed.

Nov 9 — Cassini, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #430 today.

Nov 9 — Spacecraft under Development, Multiple Locations: ESA finalizing LISA gravitational wave detector for Dec 2015 launch; ESA / JAXA Mercury BepiColombo mission to launch Jul 2016; GLXP ventures planning to send rovers / landers to Moon 2017; South Korea KARI focusing on Moon orbiter mission 2020 & indigenous rockets.

Nov 9 — Bigelow Aerospace, Las Vegas NV: NewSpace company inflatable BEAM BA-330 habitat to be carried on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early 2016 for testing / attachment to ISS Tranquility node; long-term vision is for free floating BA-330s & larger modules, deep-space & lunar habitats.

Nov 9 — Altius Space Machines, Broomfield CO: Seed-stage startup developing rendezvous & capture technology for uncooperative satellites including Gecko Gripper and Magnetoshell Aerocapture, aerobraking technology for human and deep space missions.

Nov 9 — Virgin Galactic, Las Cruces NM: In its 12th year of operations, company hopes to unveil SpaceShipTwo in February 2016.

NOV - JAN 2016 = 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: Saturn (SW), Uranus (SE), Neptune (S); Morning Planets: Mercury (ESE), Venus (E), Mars (E), Jupiter (E).

CSA-IAA 6th Space Technology Conference to Focus on Satellites, Innovation and International Cooperation

6th CSA-IAA

The 6th Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA) and International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Conference on Space Technology Innovation is being held Nov 9-12 at the Shanghai Hua Ting Hotel with support from CNSA, CAST, Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and others. Technical and plenary sessions will concentrate on satellites, CubeSats, microsats, remote sensing, navigation and commercial application. IAA President is Dr. Madhavan G. Nair, former chairman of ISRO. The CSA President of Executive Council is Prof. Xu Dazhe and its membership includes 179 institutional / 23,346 individual members and 34 professional committees. China is developing the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission, Chang’e-4 far-side / South Pole mission, a new crewed space station for LEO, a spaceport at Hainan Island and heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket. Human Moon missions, and missions to Mars, Jupiter and asteroids are being considered. Senior official of CSA and Chang’e chief designer, Wu Weiren states China will be working on improving trajectory design, load-bearing capabilities, autonomous technologies, new forms of energy and propulsion and space monitoring technology. (Image Credit: CSA, IAA, ESA, NASA)

Nov 9 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Scott Sacknoff, engineer, analyst, financier, entrepreneur, author specializing in the commercialization and business of space.

Nov 9 — Silicon Valley Space Center, Mountain View CA: SVSC TechTalk: ISEE-3 Reboot; presented by Dennis Wingo and Marco Colleuori, at Hacker Dojo.

Nov 9-12 — International Academy of Astronautics, Chinese Society of Astronautics, Shanghai, China: 6th CSA-IAA Conference on Space Technology Innovation.

Nov 9-13 — Committee on Space Research, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil: 2nd Symposium of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR): Water and Life in the Universe.

Nov 9-13 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, International Academy of Astronautics, San Jose, Costa Rica: United Nations/Costa Rica Workshop on Human Space Technology. Canceled.

Nov 9-13 — British Interplanetary Society, Oxford, United Kingdom: 13th Reinventing Space Conference; focusing on low cost access & utilization of space; at Randolph Hotel.

Nov 9-13 — Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Washington DC: 6th International Fermi Symposium.

Nov 9 — Moon: 4.1° NNE of Spica, 05:00.

Nov 9 — Aten Asteroid 2008 WQ2: Near-Earth flyby (0.068 AU).

Continued from…

Nov 2-13 — International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Bangkok, Thailand: International Reference Ionosphere Workshop 2015; at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).

Nov 2-27 — International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland: World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15).

Nov 7-21 — British Interplanetary Society, Somerset, United Kingdom: Exhibition: Visions of Space; at Wells and Mendip Museum.

Nov 8-12 — Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Engineering Aviation Projects (DEAP), et al, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai Air Show.

Nov 8-13 — American Astronomical Society, National Harbor MD: 47th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society; at Gaylord National Harbor Hotel.

TUESDAY

Nov 10 — Arianespace, Launch Ariane 5 / Badr 7 & GSAT 15, Kourou, French Guiana: Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA227, to launch Badr 7 and GSAT 15 communication & broadband satellites.

Nov 10 — Astronauts4Hire, SES Summit Organizing Committee, League City TX: NewSpace Researchers Workshop (NSRW 2015); at South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center.

Nov 10 — Royal Astronomical Society, London, United Kingdom: Lecture: Colliding Galaxies; presented by Dr Megan Argo from Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics.

Nov 10 — Division for Planetary Sciences, NASA, National Harbour MD: 2015 Division for Planetary Sciences, Women in Planetary Science event; at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Nov 10 — NanoRacks LLC, Alexandria VA: Workshop: NanoRacks Microgravity Platforms – From Suborbital or LEO; at Westin Alexandria.

Nov 10 — SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Lecture: Planets Everywhere – The 7th Kepler Planet Catalog; presented by Fergal Mullally.

Nov 10-13 — University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy, Liverpool, United Kingdom: 6th Gaia Science Alerts Workshop.

Nov 10 — Moon: 3.2° NNE of Mercury, 23:00.

WEDNESDAY

Nov 11 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: 1st TEDxESA Event; with the theme Science Beyond Fiction.

Nov 11 — The Geological Society, London, United Kingdom: Lecture: Puzzle of Earth’s Uninterrupted Habitability; featuring Professor Tim Lenton (University of Exeter), Professor Toby Tyrrell (University of Southampton).

Nov 11-13 — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University College of Aviation, Daytona Beach FL: 2nd Annual Space Traffic Management Conference: An Evolving Landscape.

Nov 11-13 — Group on Earth Observations, Mexico City, Mexico: 12th Group on Earth Observations (GEO-XII) Plenary and Ministerial Summit; at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores).

Nov 11-13 — German Research Foundation (DFE), The Meteoritical Society, Nordlingen, Germany: The first 10 million years of the solar system.

Nov 11-14 — American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, Alexandria VA: 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research; to discuss science research & technology in space & gravitational sciences; at Westin Alexandria.

Nov 11 — Moon: New Moon, 07:47.

Nov 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 VD1: Near-Earth flyby (0.051 AU).

THURSDAY

Nov 12 – Philae Lander, Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko Surface: ESA probe enters 2nd year on Comet surface, mission was the first successful landing on a comet; launched Sep 27, 2007.

Nov 12 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: An Evening with Al Worden; talk and Q&A session featuring Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Al Worden.

Nov 12 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Space Age Publishing Company, Kamuela HI: Galaxy Forum Hawaii 2015 – Waimea: Astronomy from the Moon and Hawai`i; at Kahilu Town Hall, Punawaiola Room, 16:00-18:00, free and open to public.

Nov 12 — The National Academies, Washington DC: NASA Technology Roadmaps Committee Meeting #2.

Nov 12 — Cornell University, Ithaca NY: Meetings: New Frontiers in Exoplanetary Science; presented by Jean-Michel Desert from University of Amsterdam.

Nov 12-15 — Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), Boston MA: SEDS SpaceVision 2015 Conference; at Boston University.

Nov 12 — Moon: 3.0° N of Saturn, 16:00.

Nov 12 — Taurids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Taurus, Taurids offer about 7 meteors per hour and travel at ~28 km/s.

FRIDAY

Nov 13 — Space Debris WT1190F: Debris thought to be a discarded rocket body to enter Earth atmosphere above the Indian Ocean today (predicted by ESA).

Nov 13 — Royal Astronomical Society, London, United Kingdom: Royal Astronomical Society Ordinary Meeting.

Nov 13 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: Lecture: Brine Flows on Mars; presented by Lujendra Ojha from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Nov 13 — Space Foundation, Online / Colorado Springs CO: Last Day to Enter: Space Foundation sixth annual International Student Art Contest.

Nov 13 — Moon: 9.4° N of Antares, 00:00.

SATURDAY

Nov 14 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA/Caltech, Downey CA: Workshop: Art and the Cosmic Connection; at Columbia Memorial Space Center.

Nov 14 — Cotswold Astronomical Society, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom: Presentation: A Fire in the Sky.

SUNDAY

Nov 15 — Cassini, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #431 today.

Nov 15-17 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Arab Emirates Space Agency, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: United Nations/United Arab Emirates High Level Forum: Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development; Canceled.

Nov 15 — Moon: 3.3° N of Pluto, 16:00.