Apollo11@50 Space Exploration Day
|
MONDAYHighlights…
|
Jul 15 — 
Jul 15 — NewSpace: Next CLPS providers could be chosen in next couple months while 
Jul 15 — USA: National Agency Centers and global entities celebrate 
= 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’).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Jupiter (S), Saturn (SE); Morning Planets: Uranus (E), Neptune (S).
Russia SIRIUS Crew Emerges As Chandrayaan-2 Prepares For Launch And Chang’e-4 Operates on Lunar Farside
|
Jul 15 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk. 2 / Chandrayaan-2, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (nicknamed Bahubali), flying on GSLV-F10 mission, to launch India 2nd Moon mission with orbiter, Vikram lander & Pragyan rover weighing 3,290 kg at 02:51 local time; will attempt to land at 70° S latitude ~600 km from lunar South Pole between craters Manzinus C and Simpelius N perhaps by Sep 6; plans for Chandrayaan-3 and -4 are underway.
Continued from…
|
Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Station completes 120-day SIRIUS-19 simulation of a space Gateway mission at Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow. 6-person international crew is commanded by cosmonaut Evgeny Tarelkin, with three additional Russian crewmembers and two Americans. At midpoint of mission, 4 crewmembers conduct simulated lunar landing and spacesuited EVAs to prepare for a settlement. Chang’e-4 lander and rover are in dormant mode after seventh lunar day at Statio Tianhe in South Pole Aitken Basin. Yutu-2 rover overcomes electrical issue blamed on cosmic ray particle, has traveled over 213 meters. Rover has design lifetime of 3 months, but Liu Dianfu of Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering hopes that it can operate for one year. Chang’e-3 reported to be still functioning at Mare Imbrium with Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope payload. India Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled for launch July 15 atop Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III. Landing is planned September 6 between Manzinus C and Simpelius craters at 70° south latitude, first mission to valuable south polar region. 2,380-kg orbiter expected to operate for one year. Chandrayaan-2 carries 8 science payloads in orbiter, 4 in lander, and 2 in rover. Vikram 1,470-kg lander and Pragyan 27-kg rover have design lifetime of 15 days and are not expected to survive lunar night. (Image Credits: ISRO, IBMP, CNSA, NASA) Jul 13-20 — University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson AZ: Moon Week; starting with Hello Moon Night and ending with One Giant Leap Day!
Jul 14-18 — Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel MD: Conference: The Pluto System After New Horizons.
TUESDAY
NET Jul 16 — Hayabusa2, Asteroid 1999 JU3: JAXA Hayabusa2 to deploy final Minerva-2 rover to Ryugu surface.
Jul 16 — National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: Opening of Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 spacesuit display shown for first time in 13 years, Saturn V rocket projected on Washington Monument.
Jul 16 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Titusville FL: Apollo 11 Launch Flashback Event; reenacting launch of Apollo 11 at KSC using archival video footage, tour of Apollo / Saturn V Center, viewing of historic cars including Neil Armstrong’s Chevrolet Corvette.
Jul 16-18 — Space Frontier Foundation, Kent WA: NewSpace 2019: The NewSpace Evolution.
Jul 16 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lunch with Apollo Flight Controllers; starting 12:00 followed by presentation from NASA historian Jennifer Ross-Nazzal and special screening of documentary Chasing the Moon.
Jul 16-18 — Heritage Auctions, Houston TX / Online: Heritage Auctions’ Neil Armstrong Auction of Personal Archives.
Jul 16 — Moon: Full (Buck Moon) and partial eclipse, 11:38.
Jul 16 — Partial Lunar Eclipse: Visible over most of Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and South America; Moon should be about half-covered by Earth umbral shadow at maximum eclipse 21:30:44 UTC.
WEDNESDAY
Jul 17 — Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) P2, Moon Orbit: NASA craft reaches 8 full years / enters 9th year in Moon orbit today; originally launched with constellation of 5 satellites in 2007, now collecting data on Moon interaction with Sun.
Jul 17 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: Lecture: Apollo 11 – The First Men on the Moon; by Jerry Stone, 19:00.
Jul 17 — Aten Asteroid 2019 NF1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU)
THURSDAY
Jul 18 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lunch with the Children of Apollo; featuring Jeff and Barbara Lovell, Amy Bean, Tracy Cernan Woolie and Gwen Griffin, starting 12:00.
Jul 18 — SETI Institute, Menlo Park CA: Lecture: Back to the Moon – For Science and Exploration; featuring Bruce Pittman, Pascal Lee, Doug Caldwell, 19:00-20:00.
Jul 18-20 — National Air and Space Museum, Boeing Co., Raytheon, Washington DC: Apollo 50th Celebration on the National Mall; with Astronauts, scientists, exhibits and activities.
Jul 18-21 — Jodrell Bank Observatory, From the Fields, BBC Media, Bruntwood, New Scientist, et al, Cheshire, United Kingdom: Bluedot Event; featuring Helen Sharman, music, science, cosmic culture and more beneath the Lovell Telescope.
Jul 18 — Apollo Asteroid 2014 MJ6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)
FRIDAY
Jul 19 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia: End of 4-month mission for mixed gender crew of 6 participating in space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
Jul 19 — National Air and Space Museum, Boeing Co., Raytheon, Washington DC: Discover the Moon Day; featuring lunar exploration, research, missions, LRO imagery, 3D Moon.
Jul 19 — USPS, Nationwide / KSC FL: Apollo 11 First Moon Landing Forever Stamps to be issued today starting 11:00 EDT at event being held at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.
Jul 19, 20 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lunch with an Astronaut, Brian Duffy, adult US$69.95, child $35.95.
Jul 19 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Lessons from Mission Control; dinner and presentation with legendary NASA flight director Gene Kranz.
Jul 19 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 NJ2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)
SATURDAY
Jul 20 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Soyuz MS-13 / ISS 59S, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An RSA Soyuz rocket set to launch Skvortsov, Parmitano, Morgan of Expedition 60/61 to ISS.
Jul 20 — Apollo 11 50th Observation, Nationwide USA / Global: First Human mission to land on Moon in 1969; 1st steps by humans on another World taken by Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin.
Jul 20 — Aldrin Family Foundation, Peoples Moon Project, New York NY: Times Square to transform into Tranquility Base for free family celebration with Giant Moon Map, Mars Map, astronaut meet and greet, plus other activities.
Jul 20 — Viking 1 Mars Lander 43rd Observation, Nationwide USA / Global: First USA spacecraft to successfully land on another planet; originally scheduled for July 4, landing was delayed until this day in 1976 due to rough landing site.
Jul 20 — Space Exploration Day, Global: Widely observed as one the greatest achievements in Human History, proposed International Holiday to celebrate the first people walking on the Moon / another celestial body.
Jul 20 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Titusville FL: One Giant Leap Celebration; viewing of historic video footage and cars including Neil Armstrong’s Chevrolet Corvette.
Jul 20 — Maryland Space Business Roundtable, NARHAMS model rocket club, NASA Goddard Visitor Center, Greenbelt MD: Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Moon Landing Contest; celebrating historic Moon landing, participants attempt to land rockets nearest the center of a Moon drawn on the ground.
Jul 20 — National Air and Space Museum, Boeing Co., Raytheon, Washington DC: “The Eagle Has Landed” Late-Night Celebration; featuring science demonstrations, Apollo presentations, activities, stargazing; from 20:00-02:00 with special countdown at 22:56 ET to celebrate exact time Neil Armstrong first set foot on Moon.
Jul 20 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Apollo Anniversary Celebration; all-day event featuring special presentations by Apollo-era flight controllers, book signings and evening outdoor concert.
Jul 20 — Frontiers of Flight Museum, The Moon Society, National Space Society of North Texas, Dallas TX: Moon Day 2019.
Jul 20 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: Event: Apollo 11 50th Celebration; 15:00-22:00 at BIS HQ.
Jul 20 — Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America NM: Planned first passenger launch of SpaceShipTwo from WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.
Jul 20 — Moon: At apogee (distance 405,523 km), 14:00.
SUNDAY
Jul 21 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / CRS 18, Cape Canaveral AFS FL: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to launch 20th Dragon spacecraft on 18th operational cargo delivery mission to ISS.
Jul 21 — Macarthur Astronomical Society (MAS), One Giant Leap Australia, Sydney, Australia: Apollo 11 to STEM and The Next Giant Leap; featuring scientists Tom Nolan, Shannon McConnell, Debra Brice, Rachel Zimmerman Brachman, Christine Fuller, Dr. Mike Malaska.
Jul 21 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: Event: Apollo 11 50th Anniversary: Open Day.
Jul 21 — Moon: 3.6° SSE of Neptune, 01:00.
Jul 21 — Aten Asteroid 2016 KO: Near-Earth Flyby (0.095 AU)