Vega Inaugural Launch Set for Feb 13 from Kourou, French Guiana

The maiden voyage of Europe’s Vega rocket (TR), VV01, is set to launch NET February 13 from Kourou, French Guiana (BR). Developed by ESA, the Italian Space Agency and CNES, the 4-stage, 30-Meter rocket weighs approximately 137,000kg and is designed to carry payloads weighing 300-1,500kg into orbit. Unlike other small launchers, Vega is able to place multiple payloads into various Low-Earth and Sun-Synchronous orbits. The main payloads for the inaugural flight include the Italian Space Agency Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES) (CL), which will study the Lense-Thirring effect caused by Earth’s gravity, the 12.5-kg ALMASat-1 (BL), and 7 CubeSats from various universities in Europe. In its qualification flight, Vega will insert the 400-kg LARES satellite into a 1,450km orbit. Europe has spent nearly €700M (US$924M) on the Vega launch system in hopes that it will provide a safe and reliable way to carry science and Earth observation satellites into orbit while complimenting the heavy Ariane 5 and Soyuz rockets. If the launch is successful, ESA will plan 5 further missions using the Vega rocket before 2016. Pictured: ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain. (Image Credit: ESA, Arianespace, space.skyrocket.de, en.rian.ru)

Commercial Crew Development – Round 3 NASA Tender Announcement On February 7

Efforts to establish new USA human spaceflight capability continue with the NASA CCDev program despite budgetary constraints imposed by Congress. The Commercial Crew Integrated Capability or CCiCap solicitation is intended to advance the design and development of an integrated crew transportation system that includes spacecraft, launch vehicle, ground and missions systems. Companies will have 45 days from February 7th to submit proposals. Decisions are expected this July or August and the base period is through May 2014. With the USA currently dependent on Russia for rides to the International Space Station, NASA and the American space community are looking to private companies for access to low-Earth orbit. Eager to fill this demand, 4 companies entered Space Act Agreements under CCDev Round 2: SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corp, Boeing and Blue Origin. Program Manager Ed Mango says a majority of the US$406M 2012 CCDev budget will be spent on Round 2 agreements, though NASA anticipates awarding at least 2 new funded SAAs for Round 3. The goal is to have an operational Commercial Crew program by the middle of this decade, but current funding reductions and technical delays could push that back as far as 2018. (Image Credit: NASA, SpaceX, SNC, Boeing)

= 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).

MONDAY

Feb 6 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members continue maintenance and science activities after flight engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Oleg Kononenko recently completed the 162nd, 5.5-hr spacewalk aboard the ISS.

Feb 6 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and surface maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Feb 6 — Mars Rover Opportunity, Red Planet: Decreasing energy levels with the approach of the winter solstice continue to inhibit rover abilities; Total odometry: 34,361.37 meters.

Feb 6 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: LPI Seminar Series: ‘Lava Erosion on Terrestrial Planets – Using Analytical Models to Distinguish Between Mechanical and Thermal Erosion,’ Debra Hurwitz.

Feb 6-7 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: ‘Scientific Preparations for Lunar Exploration.’

Feb 6-7 — Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, Australia: ‘Australian ALMA Community Workshop.’

Feb 6-10 — WE Heraeus Foundation, Bad Honnef, Germany: ‘Astrophysics with Modern Small-scale Accelerators Seminar.’

Feb 6-10 — Center for Theoretical Astrophysics (NAT), Sao Paulo, Brazil: ‘NAT Lectures on Astrophysics: Collapsing or Colliding Systems – Solving the Galactic Puzzle.’

Feb 6-17 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, Austria: ‘49th Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – Scientific and Technical Subcommittee.’

Feb 6 — Moon: 5.5° SSW of Beehive Cluster; 15:00.

Continued from…

Jan 9 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Program;’ Feb 11.

Jan 23 — International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland: ‘World Radio Communication Conference 2012;’ through Feb 17.

Feb 3 — American Astronautical Society – Rocky Mountain Section, Breckenridge CO: ‘35th AAS Guidance and Control Conference;’ through Feb 8.

Feb 5 — The Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, International Astronomical Union, ESA, NASA, et al, Muscat, Oman: ‘The 10th Arab Conference on Astronomy and Space Sciences;’ through Feb 8.

TUESDAY

Feb 7 — NASA, Nationwide: NASA to solicit proposals for the 3rd round of its commercial crew program and award at least 2 funded Space Act Agreements this Summer which will run through 2014.

Feb 7-9 — Applied Technology Institute, Columbia MD: ‘Satellite Laser Communications,’ Hamid Hemmati.

Feb 7 — Moon: Full Moon (Wolf Moon); 11:55.

WEDNESDAY

Feb 8 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Past Climate Change from the Tropics to the Poles: New Information from Corals and Sediment Cores,’ Rob Dunbar.

Feb 8 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – San Francisco, Silicon Valley Space Center, Moffett Field CA: ‘Lunar Mining,’ John Chapman.

Feb 8 — Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville AL: Registration deadline for ‘19th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race,’ on Apr 13-14.

Feb 8 — Intech Science Center, Winchester, United Kingdom: Space Lecture Series: ‘Living in the Sun’s Atmosphere,’ Lucie Green.

Feb 8-11 — The Australasian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation, Queenstown, New Zealand: ‘The 6th Australasian Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation.’

Feb 8 — Moon: 5.5° SSW of Regulus; 09:00.

Feb 8 — Asteroid 2012 BC77: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU).

THURSDAY

Feb 9 — WM Keck Observatory, Kamuela HI: 2011 Astronomy Lecture Series: ‘Keck: Seeing the Invisible Universe,’ Tom Soifer.

Feb 9 — Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD: ‘Gerald Soffen Lecture Series: The Dark Universe,’ Michelle Thaller.

Feb 9 — Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: ‘Time’s Up: 2012 and the Maya Calendar,’ Ed Krupp.

Feb 9 — Moon: 9.0° SSW of Mars; 18:00.

Feb 9 — Venus: 0.31° NNW of Uranus; 15:00.

FRIDAY

Feb 10 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: LPI Seminar Series: ‘Uncovering Icy Ocean Worlds – A Geologic History of the South Polar Terrain on Enceladus,’ Alex Patthoff.

Feb 10 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ Ken Cameron.

Feb 10 — Cassini OTM-309, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #309 today.

SATURDAY

Feb 11 — Zero Gravity Corporation, San Francisco CA: ‘Zero-G Flight Experience,’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience weightlessness onboard a specially modified Boeing 727.

Feb 11 — Moon: At Perigee (Distance: 367,919 km); 08:00.

Feb 11 — Asteroid 2009 DT10s: Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU).

Feb 11 — Asteroid 5649 Donnashirley: Closest Approach to Earth (1.004 AU).

SUNDAY

Feb 12-21 — Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy, Tegernsee, Germany: ‘Science with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment.’

Feb 12-21 — The GLOBE Program, The National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Global: ‘GLOBE at Night: Less of Our Light, More Star Light,’ event to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone.

10th Arab Conference on Astronomy & Space Science

Over 500 international space scientists, astronomers, researchers and entrepreneurs are expected to attend the 10th Arab Conference on Astronomy and Space Science on February 5-8 in Muscat, Oman. The annual event will be hosted by the Oman Astronomical Society and sponsored in part by the International Astronomical Union, NASA, ESA and the Inter-Islamic Network for Space Science and Technology. Participants at the event will discuss this year’s theme, ‘The Role of Astronomy and Space Sciences in Developing Contemporary Societies,’ as well as find ways to strengthen scientific cooperation in order to serve the region, its institutions and its members. Topics will cover peaceful usage of outer space technologies, space-based tourism, galactic research studies, space-based Earth observations as well as education and outreach. Attending will be Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences President Hamid M.K Al-Naimy (CL) and George Mason University professor and NASA Goddard Researcher Aous Abdo (BL). Participants will represent countries across the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa as well as Nigeria, China, Iran, Russia, Malaysia, Canada, Europe, USA and New Zealand. (Image Credit: XCOR Aerospace, GMU, AUASS, Africasti.com, Google.com, Geographic.org)

Europe Focuses on Sun at Max Planck Institute Seminar this week and ESA Solar Orbiter Mission Approved for 2017

Max Planck Institute seminar focused on solar wind and the corona coincides with recent approval of the ESA Solar Orbiter mission for launch in 2017. The meeting, titled From the Heliosphere into the Sun – Sailing Against the Wind, held January 31 – February 3 at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef near Bonn, Germany, is funded by the WE-Heraeus Foundation. Intended as a forum to discuss advances in solar science over the last 3 decades, including the first high-resolution X-ray and EUV observations of the corona and the first detailed measurements of the ion and electron velocity distribution functions in the inner heliosphere, the meeting will also look towards future research. The Solar Orbiter mission recently selected by ESA will carry its telescopes closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history, within 0.28AU, providing unprecedented resolution of solar features. Moreover, the spacecraft’s orbit will reach speeds almost matching the axial rotation of the Sun, 7.189x103km/h at the equator, thereby allowing for several days of contiguous data on evolving storms in the heliosphere. (Image Credit: MPS, ESA, SXT, Hinode X-Ray Telescope)

= 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).

MONDAY

Jan 30 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members continue to unload 2.9 tons of food, fuel and equipment from Progress 46 as well as continue ongoing science and maintenance activities.

Jan 30 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and surface maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Jan 30 — Mars Rover Opportunity, Red Planet: NASA rover recently discovers mineral vein, ‘Homestake,’ one of many newly discovered Martian gypsum veins which indicates the existence of water.

Jan 30 – Feb 1 — European Commission, Brussels, Belgium: ‘European CubeSat Symposium.’

Jan 30 — Moon: 4.4° NNW of Jupiter, 02:00; At Apogee (Distance: 404,324 km),08:00; At First Quarter, 18:00.

Jan 30 — Asteroid 2010 WU8: Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU).

Continued from…

Jan 9 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Program;’ Feb 11.

Jan 23 — The University of Tokyo, Institute for Physics & Mathematics of the Universe, Kashiwa, Japan: ‘Workshop: Testing Gravity with Astrophysical and Cosmological Observations;’ through Feb 3.

Jan 23 — International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland: ‘World Radio Communication Conference 2012;’ through Feb 17.

Jan 29 — American Astronautical Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Charleston SC: ‘22nd AAS / AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Winter Meeting;’ through Feb 2.

Jan 29 — International Astronomical Union, Stellenbosch, South Africa: ‘IAU Symposium 287: Cosmic Masers – From OH to HO;’ through Feb 3.

TUESDAY

Jan 31 — Firenze University Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Florence, Italy: ‘Exoplanet Characterization Observatory (ECho) Workshop.’

Jan 31 — Johnson Space Center, Houston TX: ‘Small Business Industry Day.’

Jan 31 — NASA, Mansfield TX: 5th-8th grade students at Asa Low Intermediate School to speak with NASA Expedition 30 Cmdr Dan Burbank and Flight Engineer Don Pettit aboard the ISS at 11:50 EST.

Jan 31 — The Space Foundation, Colorado Springs CO: ‘2012 Space Foundation Student Art Contest: Space is Infinite – Explore!,’ submission deadline.

Jan 31 — NASA Headquarters, Washington DC: NASA to host science update to discuss new analysis from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft at 13:00 EST.

Jan 31 – Feb 2 — NASA, Huntsville AL: Test version of NASA Orion spacecraft at the US Space & Rocket Center will give residents a chance to see a full scale test version of the vehicle that will take humans into deep space.

Jan 31 – Feb 3 — Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, Bonn Honnef, Germany: ‘From the Heliosphere in the Sun: Sailing Against the Wind.’

Jan 31 — Asteroid 433 Eros: Closest Approach to Earth (0.177 AU).

WEDNESDAY

Feb 1 — NASA New Horizons Spacecraft, Deep Space: New Horizons probe entering home-stretch of its 9-year trip to dwarf planet, Pluto, recently completing 6 years of space flight; Pluto encounter to begin Jan 2015.

Feb 1-3 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: ‘Workshop on the Early Solar System Bombardment.’

Feb 1 — Moon: 3.0° SSE of Pleiades; 11:00.

Feb 1 — Asteroid (Near-Earth Flyby): 2006 CJ (0.045 AU); 2008 EP6 (0.061 AU); 2006 SU217 (0.072 AU); 278381 (0.073 AU).

THURSDAY

Feb 2 — US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville AL: ‘Lecture: Pass the Torch,’ featuring a presentation by NASA Orion Deputy Project Manager Mark Kirasich and Space Launch System Program Manager Todd May at 18:00 CST.

Feb 2-3 — Canadian Space Agency, St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada: ‘The Canadian Workshop on Micro-Penetrator for Planetary Exploration.’

Feb 2 — Cassini OTM-306, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #306 today.

Feb 2 — Moon: 5.7° N of Aldebaran; 07:00.

FRIDAY

Feb 3 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ Leroy Chiao.

Feb 3-8 — American Astronautical Society – Rocky Mountain Section, Breckenridge CO: ‘35th AAS Guidance and Control Conference.’

SATURDAY

Feb 4-5 — Space Up San Diego, San Diego CA: ‘Space Up San Diego: A Space Unconference,’ participants decide the topics, schedule, and structure of the event.

SUNDAY

Feb 5-8 — The Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, International Astronomical Union, ESA, NASA, et al, Muscat, Oman: ‘The 10th Arab Conference on Astronomy and Space Sciences.’

Feb 5 — Moon: 10.0° SSW of Pollux; 14:00.

Feb 5 — Comet 49P / Arend-Rigaux: Closest Approach to Earth (1.025 AU).

Orion Spacecraft Full-Scale Test Version to be Featured in 3 Cities

Residents in 3 states will have the chance to see a full-scale test version of the NASA Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle spacecraft (TR), which will one day serve as the vehicle to transport astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. One of the planned stops includes the Science Museum Oklahoma (BL) in Oklahoma City on January 23-25. The 23-ton spacecraft built by Lockheed-Martin has a diameter of 5m and is designed to carry 4 astronauts (C). In 2014, NASA plans to conduct the 1st Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) of Orion aboard a Delta 4 Heavy rocket (BR) from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL. The spacecraft will fly 2 high-apogee orbits and conclude with a high-energy re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. NASA Officials plan to launch Orion aboard the US$10B giant rocket, Space Launch System (TL), a heavy lifter capable of lifting up to 70 tons of payload, NET 2017 and possible human missions by 2021. To date NASA has spent nearly US$5B on Orion. Orion will continue to make its cross-country journey on Jan 27-29 in Dallas TX and Jan 31-Feb 2 in Huntsville AL. (Image Credit: NASA, launchphotography.com, wired.com, Science Museum OK)

ILOA Galaxy Forum 2012 and Galaxy Poster Advancing 21st Century Education Worldwide

International Lunar Observatory Association’s Galaxy Forums are advancing 21st Century Education worldwide with the launch of a Galaxy Poster and exciting initiatives in Africa, Europe and South America. The ILOA 2012 Galaxy Poster is a powerful resource representing the next dimension beyond maps of the World and Solar System. Distributed free by the non-profit ILOA to Galaxy Forum participants and associated institutions around the world, the Poster includes a Milky Way schematic based on the latest research and insets outlining dimensional / compositional features. Since taking flight on July 4, 2008 to support ILOA’s mission to expand human understanding of the Galaxy and Cosmos through observations from the Moon, the Galaxy Forum initiative has resulted in 33 events spanning 16 unique centers of science, education, exploration and enterprise from Vancouver to Cape Town, from New York and Kansas to Bangalore and Beijing. This year a pan-Africa forum will build on joint efforts with SAAO and the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development. In Europe, the program is being boosted by collaboration with the International Space University at Strasbourg. Program development in South America is focused on cutting edge astronomy in Chile and Brazil. (Image Credit: ILOA)

= 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).

MONDAY

Jan 23 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew make last minute preparations for undocking of Progress 45 cargo ship today from the Pirs docking compartment at 17:10 EST for a destructive re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Jan 23 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Jan 23 — Mars, Tempe AZ: Arizona State University Center for Meteorite Studies recently acquires new sample of rare Martian meteorite that fell in Southern Morocco, July 2011; 1st Martian fall in nearly 50 years, with less than 0.5% of meteorite falls originating from Mars.

Jan 23 — China Lunar New Year, Worldwide: China Lunar New Year 2012 Spring Festival marks the Year of the Dragon.

Jan 23 — Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NASA, Cambridge MA: ‘3rd Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge,’ for high school students teams across the World.

Jan 23 — The NSTA Learning Center, Webinar: ‘Weather and Climate: Satellite Meteorology,’ Rudo Kashiri & Kristy Hill.

Jan 23-24 — Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi: ‘Conference: Milsatcom Middle East.’

Jan 23-25 — NASA, Oklahoma City OK: Test version of NASA Orion spacecraft at the Science Museum Oklahoma will give residents a chance to see a full scale test version of the vehicle that will take humans into deep space.

Jan 23-25 — The Purple Mountain Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China: ‘2nd Symposium: Cutting Edge of Astrophysics and Related Physics.’

Jan 23-27 — Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico: ‘Planets Around Stellar Remnants.’

Jan 23 – Feb 3 — The University of Tokyo, Institute for Physics & Mathematics of the Universe, Kashiwa, Japan: ‘Workshop: Testing Gravity with Astrophysical and Cosmological Observations.’

Jan 23 – Feb 17 — International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland: ‘World Radio Communication Conference 2012.’

Jan 23 — Asteroid 2012 AC3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.073 AU).

Continued from…

Jan 9 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Program;’ Feb 11.

Jan 14 — The GLOBE Program, The National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Global: ‘GLOBE at Night: Less of Our Light, More Star Light,’ event to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone; Jan 23.

Jan 22 — American Meteorological Society (AMS), New Orleans LA: ‘92nd AMS Annual Meeting,’ through Jan 26.

Jan 22 — The National Academies – Transportation Research Board, Washington DC: ‘91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board;’ through Jan 26.

TUESDAY

Jan 24 — 2012 USA State of the Union Address, Washington DC: President Obama to give annual speech to Congress at 21:00 EST.

Jan 24 — Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island VA: ‘Wallops Media Roundtable,’ with NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck at 11:00 EST.

WEDNESDAY

NET Jan 25 — RSA, Launch Soyuz / Progress 46P, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: A Russian government Soyuz rocket set to launch the 46th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.

Jan 25 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘A Guide to Lakefront Vacationing on Titan: Hydrocarbon Lakes and their Role in the Methane Cycle,’ Alex Hayes.

Jan 25 — Stennis Space Center, Mountain View CA: Media invited to observe facilities used for testing the J-2X engines which will be used aboard new deep space rocket, Space Launch System (SLS).

Jan 25 — Colorado State University, Pueblo CO: ‘Space Exploration Seminar.’

Jan 25-26 — Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH: ‘Exploring the Planetary Science Achievable from a Balloon-Based Observatory.’

Jan 25 — Asteroid 7341 (1991 VK): Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU).

THURSDAY

Jan 26 — Moon: 6.3° NNW of Venus; 04:00.

Jan 26 — Comet 255P / Levy: Closest Approach to Earth (0.236 AU).

Jan 26 — Asteroid 5641 McCleese: Closest Approach to Earth (0.876 AU).

FRIDAY

Jan 27 — NASA, Washington DC: Application deadline for NASA Astronaut Candidate Class 2012.

Jan 27 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ David Hilmers.

Jan 27-29 — NASA, Houston TX: Test version of NASA Orion spacecraft at the American Airlines Center will give residents a chance to see a full scale test version of the vehicle that will take humans into deep space.

Jan 27 — Moon: 5.5° NNW of Uranus; 13:00.

SATURDAY

Jan 28 — 26th Challenger 51-L Observation, Nationwide USA: Shuttle accident took place 28 January 1986 killing seven crew members including Commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, its pilot, Michael J. Smith, and its crew, Christa McAuliffe (the 1st ‘Teacher in Space’), Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnick and Ronald E. McNair, along with Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis.

NET Jan 28 — ILS, Launch Proton / SES 4, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An ILS Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage set to deploy the SES 4 satellite to provide telecommunications services over the Americas, Africa, Europe and Middle East.

Jan 28 — US Dept. of Energy, Space Coast Science Education Alliance, BCC Planetarium & Observatory, Cocoa FL: ‘US Dept of Energy Middle School Science Bowl.’

SUNDAY

Jan 29 – Feb 2 — American Astronautical Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Charleston SC: ‘22nd AAS / AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Winter Meeting.’

Jan 29 – Feb 3 — International Astronomical Union, Stellenbosch, South Africa: ‘IAU Symposium 287: Cosmic Masers – From OH to HO.’

Jan 29 — Asteroid 3414 Champollion: Closest Approach to Earth (1.047 AU).

America, China and the Moon’s South Pole
Re: USA Pres. Obama 2012 Space Opportunities

The 21st Century Rush to the rich, resource-drenched Lunar South Pole is dawning through global attention, consensus and activity from scientists, scholars, independent enterprises and national governments. Since the USA 1994 Clementine and 1998 Lunar Prospector orbiters first surveyed the vast Aitken Basin and detected significant ice-water at the poles, the Moon’s South Pole consistently has become the destination of choice — ie, India-Russia Chandrayaan-2 South Pole lander-rover, Canada-Europe SP lander research, Japan SELENE-1 / 2 and USA LRO / L-Cross orbiters / landers / impactors, ILOA Malapert Mt ILO-1, Shackleton Energy Company, Google Lunar X Prize Team Phoenicia, Odyssey Moon, etc.. And while China has yet to declare for the Moon’s South Pole, a successful 2013 Chang’e-3 touchdown at the earlier-visited lunar equator would restore Earth operations on the Moon for the first time in 37 years and position China’s Chang’e-4 for a South Pole landing in 2014.

Where then is the USA? For the Moon and American 21st Century Success, will a US government Mid-Course Correction, as Neil Armstrong and top space leaders urge, advance American leadership on the Moon again? Within 12-24 months, at very low cost for perhaps a power station prototype, the brilliant and competent pioneers at NASA — at Ames and JPL, Johnson, Marshall, Kennedy, Goddard and Glenn, can open a new world at the 8th Continent’s South Pole — possibly the most strategic, valuable real estate in the Solar System. (Image Credit: NASA, CNSA, JAXA)

Clarke Odyssey Lecture at British Interplanetary Society

The British Interplanetary Society (BIS) will hold a lecture on ‘Arthur’s Vision for Homo Sapiens in Space’ on January 18 at their Headquarters in London, England. Speaker Kelvin Long will review some of Arthur Clarke’s original ideas and how they relate to the modern world. Made up of over 900 Corporate Fellows and over 1300 individual Members, the BIS is the world’s longest established international organization devoted to supporting and promoting space exploration and astronautics. Clarke, once a chairman for the BIS, is one of the most well known space visionaries and science writers of our time, having written over 70 books of science and science-fiction. His famous prediction of geostationary satellite communications published in 1945 materialized 20 years later with the launch of the Intelsat 1, the 1st commercial geostationary satellite on April 6, 1965. Geostationary Orbit, a circular orbit 35,786 km above the Earth’s equator and following the direction of the Earth’s rotation, is sometimes referred to as the Clarke Orbit. Clarke can also be credited with introducing the concept of a space elevator in his 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise. The BIS lecture will provide participants with a positive and optimistic vision that Clarke saw for our species, and describe a possible future for humans in space, to the Moon, planets and beyond. (Image Credit:BIS, Hardy, Clarke)

= 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).

MONDAY

Jan 16 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members continue with a variety of scientific research and maintenance duties after conducting a debris avoidance maneuver for the station last Friday due to a piece of Iridium satellite debris.

Jan 16 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Jan 16 — Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Red Planet: NASA spacecraft operating nominally; HiRISE camera onboard MRO close to capturing nearly 22,000 images of Mars’ surface at unprecedented resolution, averaging about 25 centimeters per pixel.

Jan 16 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – San Francisco Section, Mountain View CA: ‘Humans, Machines and Interplanetary Flight,’ Robert McCann

Jan 16-17 — Nagoya University – Solar Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya, Japan: ‘2nd Nagoya Workshop on the Relationship Between Solar Activity and Climate Changes.’

Jan 16-20 — NASA Astrobiology Institute, Aspen Center for Physics, et al, Aspen CO: ‘Exoclimes 2012: The Diversity of Planetary Atmospheres.’

Jan 16-20 — International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland: ‘Radiocommunication Assembly 2012.’

Jan 16 — Cassini OTM-306, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #306 today.

Jan 16 — Asteroid 2011 YH40: Near-Earth Flyby (0.014 AU).

Continued from…

Jan 9 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Program;’ Feb 11.

Jan 14 — The GLOBE Program, The National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Global: ‘GLOBE at Night: Less of Our Light, More Star Light,’ event to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone; Jan 23.

TUESDAY

Jan 17 — NASA Headquarters, Washington DC: News conference to announce names selected from a nationwide student contest for GRAIL twin spacecraft that will study the Moon at 13:00 EST.

Jan 17-18 — Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), Washington DC: ‘6th Meeting of the NASA SBAG.’

WEDNESDAY

Jan 18 — Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA: ‘ARCTec 2012: Keeping Ames at the Cutting Edge of Technology.’

Jan 18 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Scott, Amundsen and Science: A 100th Anniversary Retrospective on Antarctic Science,’ Ed Larson.

Jan 18 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: ‘Arthur’s Vision for Homo Sapiens in Space,’ Kelvin Long.

Jan 18-19 — Ohio Aerospace Institute, Teaching Science and Technology Inc, Cleveland OH: ‘Understanding Space: An Introduction to Astronautics and Space Systems Engineering.’

Jan 18-20 — Special Aerospace Services, Boulder CO: ‘2nd Commercial Human Spaceflight Technical Forum.’

Jan 18 — Moon: 6.1° S of Saturn, 07:00; At Perigee (Distance: 369,882 km), 12:00.

THURSDAY

NET Jan 19 — ULA, Launch Delta 4 / WGS 4, Cape Canaveral FL: A ULA Delta 4 rocket set to launch the 4th Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, formerly known as the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite.

Jan 19-20 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA: ‘The von Karman Lecture Series: The Art of Image Processing.’

Jan 19 — Moon: 4.2° N of Antares; 02:00.

FRIDAY

Jan 20 — USA President Barack Obama Starts 4th Year in Office With New Space Enterprise?, Washington DC: Major space initiative in next week’s State-of-the-Union address would boost 21st Century technologies and economies.

Jan 20 — Happy 82nd Birthday Buzz Aldrin!

Jan 20 — Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ‘9th Annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers Symposium: Space 2.0 – What’s Next?’

Jan 20 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ John-David Bartoe.

Jan 20 — National Space Society (NSS), Washington DC: Deadline to vote for the 14th 2012 Heinlein Award to be presented at the NSS 31st International Space Development Conference on May 24-28.

Jan 20 — Asteroid 2012 AX: Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU).

SATURDAY

NET Jan 21 — ILS, Launch Proton / SES 4, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An ILS Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage set to deploy the SES 4 satellite to provide telecommunications services over the Americas, Africa, Europe and Middle East.

Jan 21 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Space Age Publishing Company, Kailua-Kona HI: ‘Galaxy Forum Hawai`i 2012 Kona: Galaxy 21st Century Education.’

Jan 21 — Asteroid 4341 Poseidon: Closest Approach to Earth (0.397 AU).

SUNDAY

Jan 22-26 — American Meteorological Society (AMS), New Orleans LA: ‘92nd AMS Annual Meeting.’

Jan 22-26 — The National Academies – Transportation Research Board, Washington DC: ‘91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board.’

Jan 22 — Moon: 4.7° NNW of Mercury, 01:00; New Moon, 21:41.

Jan 22 — Asteroid 2012 AY: Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU).

International Space University to Hold Summer Program in Australia

The International Space University (ISU), in partnership with the University of South Australia, will hold the 2nd Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program in Adelaide on January 9 – February 11. Participants in the 5-week, international program will focus on space applications, policy, and services, with emphasis on advancing space in the Southern Hemisphere. Program graduates will become part of the international network comprising more than 3000 ISU alumni, faculty members and visiting lecturers. This year’s program will feature over 40 lectures and over 60 hours of workshops, professional visits, public events and field studies. The ISU will host 4 free public events known as ‘Distinguished Space Panels’ (DSP). On Jan 11, Peter Martinez (TL) of the South African Astronomical Observatory and Professor Harvey Butcher (BL), Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University will be on hand for DSP-1 to discuss different perspectives and ideas on the goals of astronomy, including the massive €1.5 billion Square Kilometer Array (TR) radio astronomy project to be awarded either to South Africa or Australia later this year. (Image Credit: ISU, IAF, SKA)

American Astronomical Society, Gordon Research Conferences and NASA Host Variety of Meetings in Texas

American Astronomical Society (AAS) opens the new year with its 219th meeting on January 8-12 at the Austin Convention Center, Texas, USA. In addition to a talk by Nobel winner Steven Weinberg (R) the society will discuss the latest results and images from Chandra, Fermi, Herschel, Hubble, Kepler, RXTE, SOFIA, Spitzer and WISE. The Herschel session, chaired by William B. Latter (L), will focus on Milky Way galaxy science. Other sessions feature topics from gamma-ray bursts and supernovae to exoplanets and the high-energy sky. There will also be development sessions for professional astronomers, science education workshops for teachers and public outreach events like a screening of the documentary “Saving Hubble.” Also in Texas this month, Gordon Research Conferences’ Origin of Life series in Galveston on January 8-13 and the 5th NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group meeting in Austin on January 7-8. The conference in Galveston is chaired by Henderson J. Cleaves with discussions focused on Organics in Meteorites and Life As We Don’t Know It to name a few. The next AAS Meeting will be held on June 10-14, 2012 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Image Credit: AAS, NASA)

= 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).

MONDAY

Jan 9 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew’s recent completion of the Command and Control Software Revision 10 will support more than 25 simultaneous experiments and support operations for upcoming commercial visiting vehicles.

Jan 9 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: Scientists continue to study unprecedented imagery of the 40km wide Aristarchus lunar crater during which the LRO flew 26km above the surface- about 2x lower than normal.

Jan 9 — Mars Rover Opportunity, Red Planet: Mars rover Opportunity to spend its 5th Martian winter at ‘Greeley Haven’ to inspect mineral compositions and textures on the outcrop and record a full-circle, color panorama of the area.

Jan 9-12 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nashville TN: ‘50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition.’

Jan 9 – Feb 11 — International Space University, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia: ‘Southern Hemisphere Summer Program.’

Jan 9 — Moon: 10.0° SSW of Pollux, 10:00.

Jan 9 — Asteroid 2011 AC3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU).

Continued from…

Jan 8 — American Astronomical Society, Austin TX: ‘219th Meeting of the AAS;’ through Jan 12.

Jan 8 — Gordon Research Conferences, Galveston TX: ‘Origin of Life Conference;’ through Jan 13.

TUESDAY

Jan 10 — CNSA Long March 4B / Ziyuan 3, Xichang, China: A Chinese Long March 4B rocket set to launch the Ziyuan 3 high-resolution remote sensing satellite.

Jan 10 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, The Woodlands TX: Abstract Submission Deadline for the ‘43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.’

Jan 10 — Moon: 5.5° S of Beehive Cluster; 09:00.

WEDNESDAY

Jan 11 — Johnson Space Center, Houston TX: News conference with NASA astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin at 13:00 CST to discuss upcoming Expedition 31 – 32 missions NET Mar 29.

Jan 11 — Intech Science Center and Planetarium, Winchester, United Kingdom: ‘Gravitational Lensing,’ Jerry LaSala.

Jan 11 — Moon: 5.5° SSW of Regulus; 23:00.

Jan 11 — Asteroid 2002 BF25: Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU).

THURSDAY

Jan 12 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly VA: ‘What Time is it? Astronaut Chronographs,’ Jennifer Levasseur.

Jan 12 — Asteroid 99942 Aphophis: Closest Approach to Earth (0.613 AU).

FRIDAY

Jan 13 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ David Hilmers.

Jan 13 — Moon: 8.4° SSW of Mars; 15:00.

SATURDAY

Jan 14 — Russia Phobos-Grunt Mission, LEO: Scientists expect 20-30 pieces, weighing nearly 200kg of the Russia Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, give or take 5 days.

Jan 14 — Zero Gravity Corporation, Miami FL: ‘Zero-G Flight Experience,’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience weightlessness onboard a specially modified Boeing 727.

Jan 14-23 — The GLOBE Program, The National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Global: ‘GLOBE at Night: Less of Our Light, More Star Light,’ event to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone.

Jan 14 — Asteroid (Near-Earth Flyby): 2005 BU (0.052 AU); 2011 YA (0.071 AU).

SUNDAY

Jan 15 — American Astronautical Society, NASA Space Station Program Office, et al, Denver CO: Abstract Deadline for the ‘1st Annual ISS Research and Development Conference.’

Jan 15 — Moon: 2.2° S of Spica, 19:00; At Last Quarter, 23:08.

Jupiter Looms Large as Important Destination for 21st Century Exploration

2012, year of the Dragon and beginning of a new cycle of the Mayan Calendar, promises to be an auspicious year to advance an appropriately ambitious vision for human exploration of the cosmos. With over 70% of the Solar System’s planetary mass and 4 planet-sized Moons (3 of which could host extraterrestrial life in liquid oceans beneath icy crusts), Jupiter deserves attention as an inspirational destination for 21st Century exploration. After a successful launch in August 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is now on the way to becoming the 8th probe to visit the Jovian system and only the 2nd to orbit the giant planet. The solar-powered spacecraft is set to peer beneath the planet’s clouds, map its gravity field and atmospheric structure once it arrives in July 2016. ESA and Roscosmos are collaborating on the early stages of a mission that would land a probe on the Jovian moon Ganymede in the next decade. A group known as the International Europa Task Force is currently working to convince government and space agency leaders worldwide that a mission to the moon Europa could be one of humanity’s most glorious achievements. The logic of Solar System geography makes the Jupiter System a strategic center for 21st Century exploration and development. (Image Credit: NASA, Disney)

India Begins 2012 With Conference & Launch

India is on trajectory for a successful 2012 start with a major national conference and launch of its all-weather, Earth observation satellite. On January 3-7, the Indian Science Congress Association and the National Institute for Science Education and Research (NISER) will host the ‘99th Indian Science Congress’ (ISC) at KIIT University in Bhubaneshwar, India. Over 18,000 participants from India and abroad will converge to discuss climate change, clean energy from renewable sources, space technology, human welfare, nano-science and nano-technology. NISER Director T K Chandrasekhar (TL) notes that science and technology are powerful tools to help bridge the divide in India. New to the conference this year will be the ‘Children Science Congress’ which will be attended by over 10,000 children and the ‘Women in Science Congress.’ The ‘Frontier and Science Technologies Mega Expo,’ held concurrently with the ISC will feature India products, technologies, research and services. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will begin preparations for the projected 1st quarter 2012 launch of Risat-1 aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The 1780-kg radar imaging satellite will be the 1st satellite imaging mission of ISRO that uses an active C-band SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imager for agriculture, forestry, soil moisture, geology, sea ice, coastal monitoring, object identification, and flood monitoring. (Image Credit: ISCA, ISRO)

= 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).

MONDAY

Dec 26 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members continue to perform a variety of experiments and maintenance duties aboard the ISS.

Dec 26 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Dec 26 — Mars Rover Opportunity, Red Planet: Opportunity positioned at one of 2 winter spots at Endeavour Crater; Total odometry: 34.36km.

Dec 26 — Jupiter Juno Mission, Mars Orbit: Juno spacecraft operating nominally in Inner Cruise 2 Phase after completing 1st of 3 Mars orbit crossings; spacecraft has now traveled 356 million km since launch, currently traveling at a velocity of 89,800 kph.

NET Dec 26 — ILS, Launch Proton / SES 4, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An ILS Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage set to deploy the SES 4 satellite to provide telecommunications services over the Americas, Africa, Europe and Middle East.

Dec 26 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly VA: ‘Planetology, Sky Walking, and Hell Hawks,’ book signing with author Tom Jones.

Dec 26-31 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Rick Searfoss,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Dec 26 — Moon: 6.1° NNW of Venus; 20:00.

Dec 26 — Asteroid (Near-Earth Flyby): 2000 YA (0.007 AU); 2001 YE4 (0.067 AU).

TUESDAY

Dec 27 — San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego CA: ‘Space: A Journey to Our Future.’

Dec 27 — Adler Planetarium, Chicago IL: ‘Holiday Adventures at the Adler: Mars Madness!.’

WEDNESDAY

NET Dec 28 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / Globalstar, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket set to launch 6 second-generation Globalstar mobile communications satellites.

Dec 28 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA: Media teleconference to preview twin spacecraft GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B being placed in orbit around the Moon at 14:00 EST.

Dec 28 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: ‘Dreams of Spaceflight: The Rocket Pioneers,’ Michael Neufeld.

Dec 28 — Asteroid (Near-Earth Flyby): 2011 WS95 (0.018 AU); 2011 WV95 (0.052 AU); 2003 AK18 (0.057 AU).

THURSDAY

Dec 29 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: ‘Flights of Fancy: Stories for Children – Comets, Stars the Moon & Mars Space Poems & Paintings,’ Douglas Florian.

Dec 29 — Asteroid 2011 XD1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU).

FRIDAY

Dec 30 — Asteroid 1620 Geographos: Closest Approach to Earth (0.697 AU).

SATURDAY

Dec 31 — NASA GRAIL-A, Lunar Orbit: Spacecraft to approach Moon near South Pole beginning at 13:21 PST where it will execute a 60-minute Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver to achieve elliptical orbit with a period of just over 8 hours.

Dec 31 — NASA, Washington DC: Proposal deadlines for educational partnership initiatives with NASA.

Dec 31 — Orbital Sciences Corp, Wallops VA: Projected reports indicate Orbital Sciences has created 125 jobs at Wallops that pay $100,000+, maintaining low capital investment at the spaceport.

SUNDAY

Jan 1 — NASA Kepler Spacecraft, Deep Space: Scientists continue to investigate recent discovery of Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, 2 exoplanets that are about the size of Earth and are part of a five-planet system located about 1,000 light years away.

Jan 1 — NASA GRAIL-B, Lunar Orbit: Spacecraft to approach Moon near South Pole beginning at 14:05 PST where it will execute a 60-minute Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver to achieve elliptical orbit with a period of just over 8 hours.

MONDAY

Jan 2 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members Cmdr Dan Burbank, Oleg Kononenko, Don Pettit, Andre Kuipers, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin continue science experiments and maintenance duties aboard the ISS.

Jan 2 — 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.

Jan 2 — Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Red Planet: Scientists continue to study data from HiRISE camera which shows an average about 20 new impact craters formed between 1-50m wide on the surface of Mars every year.

Jan 2 — Moon: At Apogee (Distance: 404,578km); 10:20.

Jan 2 — Asteroid 2007 BD: Near-Earth Flyby (0.093 AU).

TUESDAY

Jan 3-7 — Indian Space Research Organization, KIIT University, Bhubaneshwar, India: ‘99th Indian Science Congress,’ and ‘Pride of India Frontier Science & Technologies Mega Expo.’

Jan 2 — Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Quadrans Muralis, this meteor shower is one of the strongest showers in the year, producing up to 120 meteors per hour under favorable conditions.

WEDNESDAY

Jan 4 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Rotation of a Moonless Earth: Who Needs a Moon?,’ Jack Lissauer.

Jan 4-7 — The National Academies, International Union of Radio Science, Boulder CO: ‘National Radio Science Meeting.’

Jan 4 — Asteroid 2003 AF23: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU).

THURSDAY

Jan 5 — Schenectady Museum, Schenectady NY: ‘The Mars Show Planetarium Show Opening.’

FRIDAY

Jan 6 — Asteroid 2008 SA: Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU).

SATURDAY

Jan 7-8 — Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG), Austin TX: ‘ExoPAG 5 Meeting.’

Jan 7 — Moon: 6.5° NNE of Antares, 04:00; New Moon, 08:07.

SUNDAY

Jan 8-12 — American Astronomical Society, Austin TX: ‘219th Meeting of the AAS.’

Jan 8-13 — Gordon Research Conferences, Galveston TX: ‘Origin of Life Conference.’

Jan 8 — Moon: Full Moon (Wolf Moon); 21:30.

Jan 8 — Comet C / 2011 W3: Closest Approach to Earth (0.502 AU).

Jan 8 — Asteroid 2008 AF3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU).

ILOA Demonstrates ILO-X Lunar-Based Observation / Communication Device from Summit of Mauna Kea, HI

During its annual Board of Directors Meeting on Hawai`i Island, the International Lunar Observatory Association plans to conduct a Global Technology Demonstration of its ILO-X precursor instrument near the summit of Mauna Kea on the evening of December 18 or 19, weather permitting. The Google Lunar X Prize team Moon Express is developing a 2-kg observation instrument for ILOA to be delivered to the Moon on its NET Dec 2013 mission. Science and astronomy teams from Canada, China, India, Japan, Europe and Africa will remotely control the flight design prototype camera and mount, capturing Galaxy images from the world’s premier astronomy site. Space Age Publishing Company intends to pioneer Lunar Commercial Communications by broadcasting Space Calendar with value-added data from the South Pole of the Moon via the ILO-X, and soon thereafter, from the multi-functional ILO-1 spacecraft. As an initial demonstration of Space Calendar Lunar Broadcasting, one of the images captured by the ILO-X instrument during the Global Demo will be updated to this edition of Space Calendar. (Image Credit: ILOA, Moon Express)

E-30 Crew Members to Join Comrades Aboard ISS

Three remaining members of Expedition-30 will launch aboard a Soyuz TMA-03 rocket to the International Station from Baikonur, Kazakhstan NET Dec 21. Russia Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers will join Cmdr Dan Burbank and flight engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin who have been onboard the orbiting outpost since Nov 16. On Dec 19-20, NASA TV will air several pre-launch activities including the rocket roll-out and a final pre-launch conference with the E-30 crew. During his 5-month PromISSe mission, ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers will conduct more than 20 ESA experiments and around 15 from other Station partners. One experiment called ‘Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut,’ will include participation from thousands of students around the world who will perform physical exercises and classroom lessons to compete to become as fit as astronauts. Kononenko, Pettit and Kuipers will remain onboard as Expedition-31. Their mission will include greeting the SpaceX Dragon C2 spacecraft NET Feb 7 which will demonstrate rendezvous and berthing with the ISS for cargo-delivery. (Image Credit: NASA)

= 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).

MONDAY

Dec 19 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members continue science and maintenance activities as they prepare for the Dec 23 arrival of Oleg Kononenko, Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers.

Dec 19 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Dec 19 — ESA Mars Express, Red Planet: Scientists continue to analyze data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board the Mars Express which recently completed a subsurface sounding campaign over the planet’s North Pole.

NET Dec 19 — CNSA, Launch Long March 3B / Nigcomsat 1R, Xichang, China: A Chinese Long March 3B rocket set to launch the Nigcomsat 1R satellite for Nigeria which will fly in the Long March 3B/E configuration with an enlarged 1st stage and liquid-fueled strap-on boosters.

Dec 19-23 — University of North Alabama (UNA), Florence AL: ‘Star of Bethlehem,’ 18:00-19:00 CST.

Dec 19-24 — Willard Smith Planetarium, Seattle WA: ‘Star of Bethlehem.’

Dec 19 — Moon: 2.0° SSW of Spica, 14:00; 6.3° SSW of Saturn, 20:00.

Continued from…

Dec 11 — University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil: ‘Sao Paulo Advanced School of Astrobiology: Making Connections;’ Dec 20.

TUESDAY

Dec 20 — NASA, RSA, NASA TV; Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: ‘Expedition-30 Prelaunch News Conference,’ with remaining E-30 crew members Don Pettit, Oleg Kononenko and Andre Kuipers.

Dec 20 — San Diego Space Society, San Diego CA: ‘Space Night In.’

Dec 20-22 — Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton OH: ‘Star of Bethlehem,’ planetarium show.

Dec 20 — December Leo Minorids: This minor meteor shower is best observed in the Northern Hemisphere and appears to radiate from the constellation Leo.

Dec 20 — Coma Berenicid Meteors: Appearing to radiate from constellation Coma Berenices, this minor meteor shower emitting a handful of bright meteors per hour.

Dec 20 — Asteroid (Near-Earth Flyby): 2011 OV18 (0.050 AU); 2008 YQ27 (0.099 AU).

WEDNESDAY

NET Dec 21 — RSA, Launch Soyuz / ISS 29S, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: A Russian government Soyuz rocket set to launch next Expedition crew members to the International Space Station.

Dec 21 — Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: ‘The Military Origins of NASA’s Launch Vehicles,’ Tom Lassman.

Dec 21 — Fiske Planetarium and Science Center, Boulder CO: ‘Season of Light,’ A holiday show which examines solstice celebrations and astronomical signs such as the Christmas star.

Dec 21 — Winter Solstice: The Sun, appearing to travel along the ecliptic, reaches the point where it is farthest South of the celestial equator; 19:30.

Dec 21 — Moon: At Perigee (Distance: 364800km); 17:00.

THURSDAY

Dec 22 — Marshall Allworth Planetarium, Duluth MN: ‘Winter Solstice Celebration,’ featuring free planetarium shows every half-hour from 18:00-21:00 CST.

Dec 22 — Cassini OTM-304, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #304 today.

Dec 22 — Ursids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Ursa Minor, this shower can produce short-lived outbursts of up to 100 meteors per hour.

Dec 22 — Moon: 2.7° SSW of Mercury, 16:00; 4.2° N of Antares, 17:00.

FRIDAY

Dec 23 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ Brian Duffy.

Dec 23 — Taylor Observatory – Norton Planetarium, Kelseyville CA: ‘Mystery of the Christmas Star.’

Dec 23 — ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo HI: ‘Mystery of the Christmas Star,’ planetarium show to trace the footsteps of ancient Babylonian astronomers.

SATURDAY

Dec 24 — Moon: 6.5° NNE of Antares, 04:00; New Moon, 08:07.

Dec 24 — Asteroid 2008 AF3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU).

SUNDAY

Dec 25 — Sokendai Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Toki, Japan: Registration deadline for ‘Sokendai Asian Winter School 2012,’ to be held February 14-17, 2012.

Arianespace to Launch Pleiades 1 Earth Observation Satellite in 2nd Soyuz Mission from French Guiana

On December 16, Arianespace will launch its 2nd mission from Kourou, French Guiana with the legendary, medium-lift Soyuz vehicle. The primary payload for the mission is the Pleiades 1 Earth observation satellite, which was built by EADS Astrium for the French CNES space agency. Pleiades 1 will provide military and civilian users with 50-cm resolution optical satellite imagery at a coverage swath width of 20km. The compact, hexagonally-shaped spacecraft will operate from a 700-km orbit. Four French DGA defense ministry ELISA electronic intelligence demonstrators, and a Chile SSOT Earth observation platform will also be launched on the mission. Both SSOT and the ELISA spacecraft use the Myriade microsatellite platform developed under French CNES leadership, which weighs less than 200 kg and offers low-cost access to space. Soyuz joined the heavy-lift Ariane 5 at the French Guiana spaceport with its successful October 21 launch. The lightweight Vega will complete the Arianespace’s launcher family in 2012. (Image Credit: Arianespace, EADS Astrium)

New Cosmodome Advancing Canada Space Education, Exploration with Virtual Exhibits

A newly revamped Cosmodome will launch its brand new virtual space exploration experience on December 15 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The US$10.5M project paid for by the Quebec Government and the Ville de Laval, took nearly 2 years to complete and will feature 3 60-minute interactive space missions geared to be educational and stimulating. Visitors can participate in any of 3 missions of their choice which include reliving the Apollo 11 voyage to the Moon, a perilous journey to Mars and a conquest of our Solar System and beyond. The Cosmodome also includes 17 new engaging modules for visitors and new updates to its existing exhibits. The Cosmodome is recognized as 1 of 5 metropolitan tourism facilities in Greater Montreal and the only museum dedicated to advancing space exploration in Canada. Executive Director Sylvain Belair (TL) hopes to double the attendance in 2012 with a goal of more than 150,000 visitors. Other programs held by the Cosmodome including Space Camp, workshops and various educational and public events. (Image Credit: Cosmodome, spacemart.com)

= 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).

MONDAY

Dec 12 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members focus on science experiments, hardware tests and maintenance duties while making preparations for the arrival of 3 more crew members next week.

Dec 12 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Dec 12 — Mars Rover Opportunity, Red Planet: NASA scientists continue to study imagery from Martian rover Opportunity after it discovered a mineral vein that was almost certainly deposited by water billions of years ago.

Dec 12-14 — The National Academies, Irvine CA: ‘Meeting: Assessment of the US Air Force’s Astrodynamic Standards.’

Dec 12-15 — Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative, United Nations Environment Program, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: ‘1st Eye on Earth Summit.’

Dec 12 — Asteroid 6735 Madhatter: Closest Approach To Earth (1.001 AU).

Continued from…

Dec 10 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Don Thomas,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence; through Dec 16.

Dec 11 — University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil: ‘Sao Paulo Advanced School of Astrobiology: Making Connections;’ Dec 20.

TUESDAY

Dec 13 — Langley Research Center, Hampton VA: Reporters invited to view test version of the Orion crew capsule taking its final splash of the year at the Hydro Impact Basin of NASA’s Langley Research Center between 15:00-16:00 EST.

Dec 13-14 — Intech Science Center and Planetarium, Winchester, United Kingdom: ‘Space Lecture Series: The Star of Bethlehem,’ Robin Catchpole.

Dec 13 — Moon: 5.0° N Jupiter; 09:00.

Dec 13 — Geminids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Gemini, this final major meteor shower of the year usually produces over 50 meteors per hour. Unfortunately it will be obscured by a waning gibbous Moon.

WEDNESDAY

Dec 14 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Resonances and the Angular Momentum of the Earth-Moon System,’ Matija Cuk.

Dec 14 — The British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: ‘Lecture: Planetary Science,’ Sheila Kanani.

Dec 14-16 — Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang, Singapore: ‘5th Asian Space Conference.’

Dec 14-16 — Indian Association for General Relativity and Gravitation, Goa, India: ‘7th International Conference on Gravitation and Cosmology.’

THURSDAY

Dec 15 — Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville AL: ‘NASA MSFC Industry Day,’ event to share latest information on an upcoming research announcement for the Space Launch System’s advanced booster at 09:00 CST.

Dec 15 — The Cosmodome, Laval, Quebec, Canada: ‘Cosmodome Reopening,’ space-themed facility to reopen following a $US10.5M facelift.

Dec 15 — Moon: 2.8° S of Pleiades; 16:00.

FRIDAY

NET Dec 16 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / Pleiades 1, Kourou, French Guiana: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket set to launch 2nd mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America.

Dec 16 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ Leroy Chiao.

Dec 16 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: ‘Lecture: Exploring Earth Fossil Aquifers Using Martian Sounding Radars – Implication for Understanding Deserts Paleoclimate and Hydrological Cycle,’ Essam Heggy.

Dec 16-17 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UC Berkeley Center for Science Education, Pasadena CA: ‘Calendar in the Sky.’

Dec 16 — Moon: 5.8° N of Aldebaran; 14:00.

Dec 16 — Asteroid 2011 WU4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU).

SATURDAY

Dec 17-18 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Sam Durrance,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Dec 17 — Cassini OTM-303, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #303 today.

SUNDAY

Dec 18 — Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland CA: ‘Ask Jeeves Planetarium Shows,’ featuring ‘Astronaut,’ ‘Secret of the Rocket,’ ‘Tales of the Mayan Sky,’ and ’2 Small Pieces of Glass.’

2011 Galaxy Forum Program to Galactivate Asia 21st Century Education, Lunar Science Initiatives

Galaxy Forum returns to Asia this week for the 10th and 11th events of its ambitious 2011 program. On December 8, Galaxy Forum China-Beijing will feature presentations by China Lunar Exploration Program chief lunar scientist Ziyuan Ouyang, former SHAO Director Shuhua Ye, academicians Xiangqun Cui and Jiansheng Chen, astronomers Ming Zhu and Maohai Huang, and NAOC outreach educator Guo Hongfeng. Over 100 high school teachers from the Beijing area are expected to attend the all-day event at the National Astronomical Observatories of China. Then on Saturday, Dec 10, the Galaxy Forum program returns to Japan. NewSpace entrepreneur Misuzu Onuki will moderate the forum at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, known as the Miraikan, in Tokyo. Featured speakers include Hidehiko Agata of NAOJ and Junya Terazono of the University of Aizu, and Toshiaki Takemae of JAXA and the Young Astronauts Club. International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) Founding Director Steve Durst and renowned artist and Galaxy Garden Hawaii creator Jon Lomberg will also be presenting at both events. Sponsored by ILOA, Galaxy Forum has emerged as a world-class program helping to advance 21st Century Education by providing educators around the world with cutting-edge Galaxy Education resources, and opportunities to learn from, and interact with, leading astronomers, space exploration experts, artists and cultural practitioners. (Image Credit: ILOA, JAXA, NAOC)

Planetary Science, Extrasolar Planet Discovery Advancing at San Francisco Bay Area Events

The Kepler Space Observatory, designed to search for Earth-sized planets residing in habitable zones within the Milky Way Galaxy, will be the focus of several events happening in Northern California. On December 5-9, NASA Ames Research Center will hold the ‘1st Kepler Science Conference’ in Moffett Field. Scientists will present the full range of scientific results that have emerged from more than 2 years of observations. Presently, the 1040-kg space observatory, a project under NASA’s Discovery Program, has discovered 1235 planet candidates with 26 confirmed planets and 2165 eclipsing binary stars. Speakers include Ames Center Director Pete Worden, Kepler PI William Borucki (TL) and NASA Astrobiology Institute Director Carl Pilcher. On December 7, The SETI Institute in Mountain View will host a talk by MIT Scientist Sara Seager (CR) on ‘The Search for Habitable Exoplanets in the Kepler Era and Beyond.’ On Dec 5-9, The American Geophysical Union (AGU) will host its 44th AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Over 20,000 participants are expected to attend the event which includes thousands of talks and poster presentations as well as 21,000 submitted abstracts. Data from the Kepler spacecraft will be featured in sessions on ‘The Geophysical and Atmospheric Science of Extrasolar Planets.’ (Image Credit: NASA, SETI, AGU)

= 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).

MONDAY

Dec 5 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 crew members Cmdr Dan Burbank and flight engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin continue to focus on science experiments and maintenance activities aboard the ISS.

Dec 5 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: Scientists continue to study imagery of lunar surface taken from an altitude of 22-24km which reveals more possessions left behind from Apollo astronauts who visited the Moon from 1969-1972. Arizona State University LRO chief scientist Mark Robinson, predicted it would take 10M-100M years for dust to cover signs of Apollo landings.

Dec 5 — Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Red Planet: NASA orbiter continues to return imagery of the Red Planet that show subtly shifting motion of large sand dunes which indicate high-speed winds are more common than once thought.

Dec 5 — MESSENGER OCM-5, Mercury Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbit Correction Maneuver #5 today.

Dec 5 — Space Transportation Association, Washington DC: ‘STA Lunch with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.’

Dec 5-6 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Bob Springer,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Dec 5-8 — Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Czech Technical University – Prague, Prague, Czech Republic: ‘International Workshop on Astronomical X-Ray Optics 2011.’

Dec 5-9 — American Geophysical Union, San Francisco CA: ‘AGU Fall Meeting.’

Dec 5-9 — Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA: ‘The 1st Kepler Science Conference,’ also featuring ‘NASA Kepler’s Quest for New Worlds Public Talk,’ with speakers Natalie Batalha and Don Kurtz on Dec 6.

Dec 5 — Asteroid 6735 Madhatter: Closest Approach To Earth (1.001 AU).

Continued from…

Sep 22 — Space Adventures, NASA, ESA, JAXA, Online: Closing date submissions for ‘YouTube Space Lab Competition;’ through Dec 7.

TUESDAY

Dec 6 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – San Francisco, Mountain View CA: ‘Space Exploration, Advocacy, and the Space Show,’ David Livingston.

Dec 6-9 — Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), Singapore: ‘APRSAF-18 Meeting.’

Dec 6 — Moon: 5.0° N Jupiter; 09:00.

WEDNESDAY

Dec 7 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘The Search for Habitable Exoplanets in the Kepler Era and Beyond,’ Sara Seager.

Dec 7 — The British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: ‘From Daedalus to Dan Dare to Daedalus: How Seriously Can We Take the Prospect of Interstellar Travel,’ Alan Aylward.

Dec 7-9 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Apollo Astronaut Al Worden,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Dec 7-9 — ESA, Geological Remote Sensing Group, Frascati, Italy: ‘Geological Remote Sensing Group Workshop: Advances in Geological Remote Sensing.’

Dec 7 — Puppid – Velid Meteors: The Puppid-Velids meteors are weak, but can produce very bright fireballs appearing to originate from a series of radiants located at the southern constellations of Carina, Puppis, Pyxis and Vela.

THURSDAY

Dec 8 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Space Age Publishing Company, Beijing, China: ‘Galaxy Forum China 2011 – NAOC Beijing: Galaxy Education in the 21st Century.’

Dec 8-9 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA: The von Karman Lecture Series: ‘2012 and the End of Days Phenomena,’ Don Yeomans.

Dec 8 — Moon: 2.8° S of Pleiades; 16:00.

FRIDAY

Dec 9 — NASA, Seattle WA: ‘2nd NASA Future Forum 2011,’ featuring panelists from NASA, Aerojet, Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, the University of Washington, Virgin Galactic and the Washington Technology Industry Association.

Dec 9 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ John Blaha.

Dec 9 — Cassini OTM-301, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #301 today.

Dec 9 — Monocerotid Meteors: Appearing to radiate from constellation Monoceros, the Monocertotids produce 1-2 meteors every hour.

Dec 9 — Moon: 5.8° N of Aldebaran; 14:00.

Dec 9 — Asteroid 2011 WU4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU).

SATURDAY

Dec 10 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Space Age Publishing Company, Tokyo, Japan: ‘Galaxy Forum Japan 2011: Galaxy 21st Century Education and Renewal.’

Dec 10-16 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Don Thomas,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Dec 10 — Moon: Full Moon (Hunter’s Moon), 04:37; Total Lunar Eclipse,

Dec 10 — Asteroid 2011 WK5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.082 AU).

Dec 10 — Asteroid 5143 Heracles: Closest Approach to Earth (0.197 AU).

SUNDAY

NET Dec 11 — RSA, Launch Proton / Amos 5 & Luch 5A, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: A Russian government Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage set to launch the Israeli Amos 5 communications satellite and the RSA Luch 5a data relay satellite.

NET Dec 11 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / IGS, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: A Japan H2-A rocket set to launch an Information Gathering Satellite for the Japan Government.

Dec 11-20 — University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil: ‘Sao Paulo Advanced School of Astrobiology: Making Connections.’

Dec 11 — Asteroid 2952 Lilliputia: Closest Approach to Earth (1.007 AU).

Blue Origin, NewSpace Companies Advancing Future USA / Commercial Space Access Capabilities

Several NewSpace companies have important events and milestones this December that promise to provide them with significant momentum heading into 2012. Blue Origin will receive an additional US$2M from NASA in December if it is able to meet its Milestone 2.2 of the Commercial Crew Development Program. In order to receive the funds, the company must provide NASA with a letter certifying that the 1st Pusher Escape Flight Test Vehicle has departed Kent, WA for the flight test range. The work will be a significant step in the development of their 7-passenger, biconic orbital vehicle and reusable 1st stage booster. Sierra Nevada Corporation is seeking to pass Milestone 7 in their US$80M CCDev2 contract. The company currently plans to conduct the 1st test launches of its Dream Chaser spacecraft next summer. Richard Godwin, a private consultant to SpaceX will give an overview of the DragonLab spacecraft during a lecture in London, UK on Dec 1. The 2nd NASA Future Forum of 2011 will be held on Dec 9 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. During the event, panelists from Aerojet, Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic will discuss the benefits of commercial space investments. (Image Credit: Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corp, SpaceX, NASA)

ESA to Host 2 International Events on Earth Observation

Space Weather and Earth Observation will be the focus of 2 events taking place in Europe. On November 28 – December 1, ESA and the Solar-Terrestrial Center of Excellence will hold ‘European Space Weather Week’ in Namur, Belgium. Now in its 8th year, the event will include 5 sessions and nearly 140 poster presentations from leading space weather scientists. Discussions will center on key innovations in space weather research and applications as well as current challenges and actions necessary in moving towards a sustainable Europe Space Weather Infrastructure. The event will also include a keynote lecture by solar astrophysicist Pal Brekke (TL) on ‘The Northern Lights – a Message from the Sun,’ and a panel debate on space weather risk to navigation. ESA will also hold a conference on ‘Earth Observation for Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions Science’ in Rome, Italy, on Nov 29-Dec 2. Co-organized by the European Geosciences Union and The International Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) Project, the event aims to bring together the Earth Observation and SOLAS communities, as well as scientific institutions and space agencies involved in observation of ocean-atmosphere interactions and its impacts. The conference will feature the latest data from the current ESA missions including SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) and the Envisat earth observation satellites. (Image Credit: ESA, wikipedia.com)

= 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).

MONDAY

Nov 28 — International Space Station, LEO: E-30 trio, Cmdr Dan Burbank and Flight Engineers Anatoly Ivanishin and Anton Shkaplerov continue with onboard maintenance and science activities.

Nov 28 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Orbit: LRO continues to function nominally in its 50±15 km near-circular orbit as it makes digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future human exploration.

Nov 28 — Mars Rover Curiosity, Earth Orbit: Upon successful launch, NASA Rover to begin 8.5-month voyage aboard Atlas 5 rocket to the Red Planet and should arrive at mineral-rich Gale Crater next August.

NET Nov 28 — RSA, Launch Soyuz / Glonass, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia: A Russian Soyuz rocket set to launch Glonass M satellite for the Russian Government.

Nov 28 – Dec 1 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nara, Japan: ‘29th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference.’

Nov 28 – Dec 2 — ESA, Solar-Terrestrial Center of Excellence, et al, Namur, Belgium: ‘8th European Space Weather Week,’ event to feature key innovations in space weather research, applications and services.

Nov 28 – Dec 2 — University of Sergio Arboleda, Arboleda, Colombia: ‘Conference: Celestial Mechanics and Computing Orbits,’ participants to focus on the importance of mathematics in the study of low energy space routes.

Nov 28 — Asteroid 5261 Eureka: Closest Approach To Earth (0.514 AU).

Continued from…

Sep 22 — Space Adventures, NASA, ESA, JAXA, Online: Closing date submissions for ‘YouTube Space Lab Competition;’ through Dec 7.

Nov 26 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Apollo Astronaut Al Worden,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence; through Nov 28.

TUESDAY

Nov 29 – 30 — New Mexico Spaceport Authority, Las Cruces NM: ‘Meeting: Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.’

Nov 29 – Dec 1 — Opticon FP7, Utrecht University, et al, Utrecht, The Netherlands: ‘Workshop: Polarimetry with Extremely Large Telescopes.’

Nov 29 – Dec 1 — SMi Group, London, United Kingdom: ‘13th Annual Global MilSatCom Conference.’

Nov 29 – Dec 2 — NASA Offices of Education, Chantilly VA: ‘2nd NASA Education Stakeholder’s Summit: NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative – For Internship, Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities.’

Nov 29 – Dec 2 — ESA, European Geosciences Union, The International SOLAS (Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study) Project, Rome, Italy: ‘Earth Observation for Ocean – Atmosphere Interactions Science.’

Nov 29 – Dec 4 — Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral FL: ‘Astronaut Encounter: Space Shuttle Astronaut Charlie Walker,’ half-hour, interactive Q&A-oriented program aims to inspire children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Nov 29 — Asteroid 289315: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU).

WEDNESDAY

Nov 30 — The SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Colloquium Series Lecture: ‘Inefficient Collisions, Hit-and-Runs, and Splats,’ Erik Asphaug.

Nov 30 — The Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: LPI Seminar Series: ‘Melt Inclusion – From Crystal Growth Kinetics to Planetary Bodies Formation,’ Yann Sonzogni.

Nov 30 — Heritage Auctions, Online: ‘Space Signature Auction,’ featuring Apollo 13 Flown LM Systems Activation Checklist Book Directly from the Personal Collection of Mission Commander James Lovell.

Nov 30 – Dec 2 — Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon, South Korea: ‘Workshop on East – Asian Collaboration for Square Kilometer Array.’

Nov 30 — Asteroid 2011 UV158: Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU).

THURSDAY

Dec 1 — Deep Space: NASA Juno Spacecraft in excellent health and operating nominally; Approximately 65 million km from Earth and traveling at 97,600 km / per hour relative to the sun with 4 instruments currently turned on: MWR, JADE, Waves and the Magnetometer experiment.

Dec 1 — Blue Origin, Kent WA: ‘Blue Origin Spacecraft Development Schedule: ‘CCDev2 Baseline Milestone 2.2 – Pusher Escape Risk Reduction Project: Pusher Escape Test Vehicle #1 Shipment.

Dec 1 — University of Mississippi – National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law, International Institute of Space Law, The Journal of Space Law, Washington DC: ‘The 6th Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law: A Comparative Look at National Space Laws and Their International Implications.’

Dec 1 — The British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: ‘SpaceX DragonLab,’ Richard Godwin.

Dec 1 — Cassini OTM-300A, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #300A today.

Dec 1 — Moon: At First Quarter; 23:52.

Dec 1 — Asteroid 2011 WD: Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU).

FRIDAY

Dec 2 — Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH: ‘NASA GRC Technology Showcase 2011,’ featuring technical categories in materials and structure, biomedical, sensors and electronics, advanced / alternative energy, and advanced propulsion.

Dec 2 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: ‘Lunch With an Astronaut,’ John-David Bartoe.

Dec 2 — Comet P / 2011 UA 134: Closest Approach to Earth (1.072 AU).

SATURDAY

Dec 3 — Asteroid 2011 KG4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU).

SUNDAY

Dec 4 — Moon: 6.1° NNE of Antares; 09:00.

Dec 4 — Asteroid 2003 XV: Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU).