USA Renewed Human Spaceflight Capability Is Next Step Toward Return to Moon, Multi World Species Status
May 27, 2020 may be an auspicious day for USA with its first launch of Astronauts from American soil since July 8, 2011. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley (in custom-fit spacesuits and 3D printed helmets) will fly on Demo-2 Mission at 16:32 EDT from Kennedy Space Center, Florida LC 39A via Falcon 9 in Crew Dragon V2 “C206” to ISS, docking 11:29 the next day. The TBD duration of their mission could be ≤ 4 months, joining Expedition 63 crew Chris Cassidy, Ivan Vagner and Anatoli Ivanishin. Boeing Starliner may attempt its second uncrewed demo flight for the Commercial Crew Program in September, and if successful, it will launch Michael Fincke, Nicole Mann and Chris Ferguson to ISS early 2021. Partially-reusable SpaceX Crew Dragon is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers and 3,307 kg of cargo. It has 8 SuperDraco engines for launch aborts, 4 Draco thrusters for orbital maneuvering, solar arrays and four main parachutes. SpaceX super-heavy, fully reusable Starship is planned to carry spaceflight participants on a 2023 mission to circumnavigate the Moon, and its Starship Human Landing System (SHLS) variant has been selected by NASA to be used for Artemis. SHLS would launch to lunar orbit, await crew arrival via Orion docking, transport crew to lunar surface in SHLS and ascend to return the crew to Orion for Earth departure. (Image Credits: SpaceX, NASA) |
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MONDAY
Highlights…
 May 25 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 63 three-member crew set to welcome 2 Astronauts from Demo-2 mission, participate in public outreach; preparing for capture of JAXA HTV-9 (Kounotori or White Stork) 08:15 EDT today, live coverage available, and cargo transfer operations; will plan for upcoming EVAs, set up Kibo live-streaming experiment.
 May 25 — NewSpace: Blue Origin working on Blue Moon human lander descent element utilizing BE-7 engines; Skyrora of Scotland latest engine test brings Skylark L rocket closer toward suborbital flights with orbital planned for 2023; Astroscale, founded in Singapore, opens Series E funding round.
May 25 — Solar System: 10-month ESA PHILIP study investigates powering craft via lasers in Moon permanently shadowed craters; UAE Hope, USA Perseverance & PR China Tianwen-1 prepare for launch to Mars in July – studies indicate Mars mud volcanoes could exist; Caltech researcher proposes Jupiter Galileo moons formed from hail.
May 25 — Galaxy: Supernova may be ejecting Stars in MWG outer halo; galaxies similar to ours theorized to be more likely habitable than others; simulation predicts MWG may have 100 more satellite galaxies not yet found, could aid ‘dark matter’ models.
May 25 — Global: Roscosmos invites NASA to discuss space cooperation, future projects; “30 Voices on 2030 – The Future of Space” reports global predictions / opportunities in space; ISRO patents lunar soil simulant comparable to Moon highland region / Apollo 16 samples.
 May 25 — USA: Highly anticipated launch of Astronauts to space from USA occurs this week; Jessica Watkins may be a leading candidate for Moon, Mars missions; SLS first launch delay to late 2021; Doug Loverro moves on from NASA; WFIRST to be named Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope after NASA first Chief Astronomer.
May 25 — Hawai’i: HI-SEAS habitat on Mauna Loa being featured in documentary ‘Spacedrop’, may see new crew later in year; new Keck Observatory infrared sensor improves exoplanet detection abilities; Mauna Kea observatories operations continue to accelerate since partial re-opening.
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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: Mercury (WNW), Venus (WNW); Morning Planets: Mars (SE), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE), Neptune (ESE).
NASA Puts Forth Artemis Accords, Statement of Principles Regarding Space Activity
USA National Space Program announces a framework of norms in space and on celestial bodies, proposed as a 10-point set of values to be observed by partners in the USA-led Artemis mission series and the international community at large, although the mechanism for such adoption is unclear. The International Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement, with 20+ years of collaboration between nations such as Russia, USA, Europe, Canada and Japan, may offer a model. With an emphasis on peaceful purposes and cooperation, the Artemis Accords is positioned by the space administration as an adjunct to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty – while providing specific interpretation allowing commercial resource utilization and extraction, consistent with domestic legislation Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015 and executive order Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources in April. Other tenets of the Accords include Transparency, Interoperability, Emergency Aid, Space Object Registration, Data Sharing, Conservation, Conflict Reduction, and Debris Mitigation. Perhaps influenced by the Antarctic Treaty System, ‘safety zones’ would ensure territorial integrity with buffer space while preserving scientific access. Any claims of sovereignty would put China in a possibly advantageous position, being the only spacefaring power currently in operation on the Moon, and the first to explore the far side surface with Chinese Lunar Exploration Program / Chang’e. A formalized agreement in the future would necessarily involve all stakeholders to bring about orderly exploration in cis-lunar space and beyond. (Image Credits: NASA) |
Continued from…
Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data collected from 7 instruments during KBO Arrokoth flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.
Nov 2019 – Nov 2020 — Hayabusa2, Earth Trajectory: JAXA Hayabusa2 with two samples collected from C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu on trajectory for Earth return.
Mar 16 – Sep 16 — SpaceX, Boca Chica Beach TX: SpaceX to attempt Starship prototype flight potentially to 20-km altitude during this timeframe.
May 9 – Jul 11 — AIAA Los Angeles – Las Vegas Section, Online: Virtual Aerospace Art Gallery Exhibition.
TUESDAY
May 26 — Polish Space Industry Association, Warsaw, Poland: Space Sector Forum 2020; conference TBD.
May 26-27 — NASA, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Online: 2020 Planetary Mission Concept Studies Workshop (virtual).
May 26-28 — Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI), Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ASTRO 2020 – 20th Astronautics Conference of CASI: Space for Business; focusing on Canada capabilities especially with regard to the growing number of small- and medium-sized enterprises; postponed.
May 26 — Moon: 8.2° S of Castor, 05:00; 4.5° S of Pollux, 10:00. |
WEDNESDAY
May 27 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Dragon V2 (Crew Dragon), LC-39A, KSC FL: SpaceX Crew Dragon to launch Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on Demo Mission-2 to ISS; would be first to launch from American soil since 2011; launch at 16:32 EDT, live coverage available.
May 27 — Moon: 1.98° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 11:00.
May 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 JN3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)
May 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 JP2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
THURSDAY
May 28 — International Space Station, 405-km Altitude: Dragon V2 with Demo Mission-2 Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to arrive at ISS and dock 11:29 EDT; live coverage available.
May 28-29 — NASA, Online: Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020.
May 28-31 — National Space Society, Frisco TX: International Space Development Conference (ISDC 2020); postponed.
May 28 — Aten Asteroid 2020 KV: Near-Earth Flyby (0.018 AU)
May 28 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 JM1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)
FRIDAY
May 29 — Cygnus NG-13 Reenters Earth Atmosphere: Northrop Grumman NG-13 cargo resupply craft released from ISS on May 11 to burn up in Earth atmosphere today.
May 29 — International Space Elevator Consortium, Online: Webinar: Graphene: the Last Piece of the Space Elevator Puzzle? by Adrian Nixon, Board Member of ISEC, 13:00 UTC.
May 29 — Moon: 4.1° NNE of Regulus, 02:00; at first quarter, 17:29.
May 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 KB: Near-Earth Flyby (0.019 AU)
May 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 JV2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)
May 29 — Amor Asteroid 2020 KV1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU)
May 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 KU1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU)
SATURDAY
May 30-31 – NASA, JAXA, ESA, Online: Space Agency ‘Hackathon’ with goal of addressing Covid-19 virus.
May 30 — Mercury: 1.18° N of M35 cluster, 04:00.
SUNDAY
May 31 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston hosts open lines for callers.