First Independent Moon Landing By SpaceIL, IAI Could Open NewSpace Enterprise Frontier
SpaceIL Beresheet “Genesis” lander will attempt soft-landing at Mare Serenitatis, on the Moon near side ~28.0°N, 17.5°E April 11, after successfully entering lunar orbit April 4. Former Google Lunar X Prize contestant SpaceIL and Israeli Aerospace Industries may become first private-sector partners to touchdown on the Moon, and could receive US$1M ‘Moonshot Award’ from X Prize Foundation chaired by Peter Diamandis. The mission, with an estimated cost of $100M, will aim to land the 2-meter diameter, 1.5-meter tall, 150-kg dry mass, 4-legged lander. Beresheet will make powered descent to within 5 meters of surface, then cut engines to make a gentle free-fall landing. The lander carries scientific experiments including a magnetometer developed by Israel Weizmann Institute of Science to measure local magnetic field, and a laser retroreflector array contributed by NASA GSFC to aid navigation and enable precise measurements of Earth–Moon distance. Beresheet is expected to operate for 2-3 days on the surface before overheating, but the laser retroreflector can be used indefinitely. Promising NewSpace / lunar enterprises, many formerly GLXP contestants, planning Moon missions are PTScientists launching perhaps in Q1 2020; Moon Express lander 2020-21; Astrobotic Peregrine lander 2021; Team Hakuto / ispace Japan rovers 2020-21 followed by landers; Team Indus lander technology to be used by Orbit Beyond as early as next year; and Synergy Moon / Interorbital Systems are advancing Neptune, and other rocket technology. (Image Credits: SpaceIL, IAI, NASA, GSFC, Isreal Weizman, PTScientists, ME, Astrobotic, ispace) |
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MONDAY
Highlights…
 Apr 8 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 59 six-member crew with 62nd and 63rd woman in space performing experiments with tissue chips, regolith simulants, atmosphere carbon cycle, and Astrobee SPHERES robots; planning for next USA EVA which will be the 216th EVA overall – depicted here in 3D animation.
 Apr 8 — NewSpace: Zhongguo LinkSpace aims for 1,000-meter altitude, after a successful vertical landing of reusable RLV-T5 prototype; Rocket Lab planning another launch as soon as this month for 3 satellites with total mass 180 kg; SpaceX after tethered “Hopper” flight plans more tests at Boca Chica, Texas leading to full-scale Starship.
Apr 8 — Solar System: Mars InSight scientists determining whether stuck HP3 heat flow probe can be recovered; Curiosity rover data indicates methane on Mars with source east of Gale Crater; Cassini spacecraft data shows that Saturn rings deposit particles on moons
Apr 8 — Galaxy: Keck Telescope observations show that galaxies GC 1052-DF2 and NGC 1052-DF4 have little or no dark matter; Subaru Telescope Hyper Suprime-Cam observations disfavor the dark mass being black holes smaller than 0.1 mm; AI software detects 2 unknown exoplanets K2-293b and K2-294b in Aquarius.
Apr 8 — Global: Successful launch of China Tianlin II-01 satellite will allow video calls between future space stations and Earth; Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin praises ‘great’ relations with NASA, will visit India late April to discuss space cooperation; JAXA signs MoU with Northrop Grumman for space education outreach in USA and Japan.
 Apr 8 — USA: Falcon Heavy will be studied by NASA as alternative for carrying Orion to Moon; Boeing considering skipping 4-engine “green run” test of Space Launch System to meet 2020 launch date; Starliner uncrewed orbital test could occur in August.
Apr 8 — Hawai’i: Mayor Harry Kim moving forward with vision of Mauna Kea World Peace Park, including Thirty Meter Telescope; ATLAS telescopes on Mauna Loa and Haleakala observe asteroid Gault shedding material; West Hawaii Explorations Academy robotics team participate in ‘Destination: Deep Space’ challenge, sending them to championship in TX end of month.
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= 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: Mars (W); Morning Planets: Mercury (E), Venus (E), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE).
World Celebrates First Human in Space as International Entities Plan Human Lunar Landings Within a Decade
The first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, will be remembered April 12. In 1961, Gagarin orbited 327 km above the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 for 108 minutes at a speed of 28,164 kph, marking the dawn of new era in human exploration. Many speculate this momentous event prompted the USA to respond with the Apollo human lunar landings, the continuation of which could occur 2024. Celebrated as Cosmonautics Day in Russia now and in the former Soviet Union, internationally this date has more recently been known as Yuri’s Night aka “World Space Party”. Space enthusiasts will gather in a variety of settings, from academic to festive – terrestrially and extra-terrestrially. So far, 98 events in 36 countries on 6 continents are planned – 4 in South America, 5 in Oceania, 4 in Africa, 14 in Asia, 35 in Europe and 36 in North America – as well as 3 online events both online and in space. April 12 is also significant in that it is the 38th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch – 20 years exactly to the day of Gagarin’s flight. John Young and Robert Crippen piloted the STS-1 Columbia around the Earth on a 54.4-hour mission in 1981. Another Space Party will coincide with Yuri’s night for the second year – Las Cruces Space Festival, which runs from April 7-13. Las Cruces is 72 km south of Spaceport America, built for commercial space operations. (Image Credits: NASA, Las Cruces Space Festival)
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Apr 8 — ISS, USA EVA #54, 405-km LEO: Expedition 59 Astronauts Nick Hague and David Saint-Jacques to perform 6.5 – 7 hour spacewalk; live coverage available.
Apr 8-11 — Space Foundation, Colorado Springs CO: 35th Space Symposium; space leaders to discuss critical issues affecting all space sectors.
Apr 8-12 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: 53rd ESLAB Symposium: Gaia DR2.
Apr 8 — Moon: 8.0° SSE of Pleiades, 13:00.
Apr 8 — Aten Asteroid 2019 FS2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU)
Apr 8 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 GC: Near-Earth Flyby (0.016 AU)
Continued from…
Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.
Mar 19 – Jul 19 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 to participate in 4-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
Apr 7-12 — European Geosciences Union (EGU), Vienna, Austria: EGU General Assembly 2019.
Apr 7-13 — Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America, SSTI, ISPCS, New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, et al, Las Cruces NM: 2019 Las Cruces Space Festival: Making Space for Everyone; free.
TUESDAY
Apr 9 — West Hawaii Astronomy Club, Kamuela HI: Monthly meeting, 19:00.
Apr 9-12 — European Commission, Galileo Navigation, Spirent, Polish Navigation Forum, et al, Warsaw, Poland: European Navigation Conference 2019 (ENC 2019).
Apr 9 — Moon: 4.6° SSE of Mars, 00:00; 2.09° N of Aldebaran, 06:00. |
Apr 9 — Venus: with Mercury, and Neptune within circle of diameter of 5.15°, 19:00; 0.29° SSE of Neptune, 21:00.
Apr 9 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 FU: Near-Earth Flyby (0.014 AU)
Apr 9 — Aten Asteroid 2016 GW221: Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)
Apr 9 — Aten Asteroid 2014 UR: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Apr 10 — Event Horizon Telescope, National Science Foundation, Washington DC: Back Hole ‘Ground-Breaking Announcement’ to be made today at joint press conference, 09:00.
Apr 10 — Foothill College, Los Altos Hills CA: Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series: Ocean Worlds of the Outer Solar System; by Kevin Hand from Jet Propulsion Lab, 19:00.
Apr 10 — Kona Astronomy Club, HCC Pālamanui, Kailua-Kona HI: Kona Astronomy Club Stargazing event, 18:30.
THURSDAY
Apr 11 — Genesis Lander, Lunar Surface: SpaceIL, Israel Aerospace Industries planning to soft land Beresheet “Genesis” on Moon around this date at Mare Serenitatis, Moon near side northern hemisphere ~28.0°N, 17.5°E; 2-meter diameter, 1.5-meter tall, 585-kg wet mass (dry <200 kg) lander with 4 legs contains science experiments, digital time capsule, magnetometer, and Laser Retroreflector Array contributed by NASA.
Apr 11 — Cornell University, Ithaca NY: Lecture: Solving the Puzzles of Planet Formation in the Modern Era of Planet-Hunting; by Elisa Quintana of NASA, 15:30.
Apr 11 — Secure World Foundation, Colorado Springs CO: British Innovation and Sustainability in Space.
Apr 11-12 — International Astronomical Union, Brussels, Belgium: IAU 1919-2019: 100 Years Under One Sky Flagship event.
Apr 11-14 — Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, Huntsville AL: 2019 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge; at U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
FRIDAY
Apr 12 — 38th Observation of STS-1 Columbia Flight, Nationwide USA: As NASA working on next gen Space Launch System to send Humans to Moon, Mars and Beyond, commemorations occur today in honor of 1st ever NASA Space Shuttle Columbia carrying John Young and pilot Robert Crippen around Earth on 54.5-hour mission in 1981.
Apr 12 — 58th Commemoration of Human Spaceflight / Cosmonautics Day, Worldwide: Celebrating Yuri Gagarin of Russia, the 1st human to orbit Earth on Vostok 1 spacecraft in 1961; the flight lasted 108 minutes at 27,400 kph and 327 km above Earth.
Apr 12 — Yuri’s Night Celebrations, Global: Yuri’s Night 2019; annual worldwide party to celebrate Yuri Gagarin’s 1st flight into space and promote space exploration.
Apr 12 — Moon Village Association, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Kuwait City, Kuwait: Realizing the Moon Village: Participation of Emerging Space Countries (MV-PESC); workshop mentored by John Mankins.
Apr 12 — Western University, Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, London, Ontario, Canada: Space Day 2019; Physics and Astronomy Building, 09:45-19:30.
Apr 12 — Peninsula Astronomical Society, Los Altos Hills CA: PAS Monthly Meeting and Astronomy Talk: Can Red Dwarf Stars Host Habitable Planets? by Gibor Basri, Prof. at UC Berkeley, 19:30.
Apr 12 — Star Gaze Hawaii, Kamuela HI: Free Stargazing; at Mauna Lani Fairmont Orchid, poolside on the croquet lawn, 19:30.
Apr 12 — Roboterra, World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE,) Silicon Valley CA: Curiosity Conference: 2019 A.I. + Education.
Apr 12 — Royal Astronomical Society, London, United Kingdom: RAS Ordinary Meeting.
Apr 12 — Moon: at first quarter, 09:05; 6.6° S of Pollux, 12:00.
Apr 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 FB3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
SATURDAY
Apr 13 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Busan National Science Museum, Federation of Busan Science and Technology, Busan, S Korea: Galaxy Forum Korea 2019: Busan – Astronomy from the Moon, and Astronomy from Korea.; featuring Korea 1st Astronaut Soyeon Yi, and Byeong-Gon Park, Steve Durst, Hong-Jin Yang, Sungsoo Kim, Young-Jun Choi, Eunhyeuk Kim.
Apr 13 – Sep 2 — The Museum of Flight, Seattle WA: Exhibit: Destination Moon – The Apollo 11 Mission.
Apr 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 FO1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)
Apr 13 — Amor Asteroid 2019 FH1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
SUNDAY
Apr 14-19 — International Astronautical Union, Cambridge, United Kingdom: IAU Symposium 350 on Laboratory Astrophysics.
Apr 14 — Mars: 6.5° N of Aldebaran, 15:00.
Apr 14 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 FW13: Near-Earth Flyby (0.073 AU)