Lunar New Year Sees China Moon Stations Developing with Chang’e 3-8 Landers
On Lunar New Year Chang’e-4 waking from its first lunar night reports temperatures of -190°C, colder than ever recorded on the near side. CNSA scientists theorize the extreme temperature is due to composition of lunar regolith on the hidden side. Yutu-2 rover has so far traveled 43 meters. The Queqiao relay satellite contains a radio astronomy experiment built in cooperation with the Netherlands. Sweden, Germany and Saudi Arabia also contribute to science payloads. Chang’e-3, which carries a Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope, is still operational. NASA scientists are exchanging data with CNSA, including Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery of the Chang’e-4 landing site. Lunar data will be shared at the Scientific and Technology Subcommittee of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meeting in Vienna Feb 11-22. Chang’e-5 launch is scheduled by end of 2019 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island, subject to successful flight of the Long March 5 booster in July. Chang’e-5 lander will collect lunar sample, then ascend for rendezvous with orbiter and sample return to Earth. Autonomous rendezvous in lunar orbit would be a first-ever accomplishment. In Feb 2020 a world-class Galaxy Forum with theme ‘International Human Moon Missions’ will be held on Hainan Island in sight of the Wenchang Launch Center. With plans for Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7, and Chang’e-8 China is assembling a village of lunar landers. (Image Credits: CNSA)
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MONDAY
Highlights…
 Feb 11 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 58 Commander Oleg Kononenko, Astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques working with systems to improve fuel / liquid measurements in space; recently released Cygnus in LEO deploying several sets of CubeSats, then will reenter Earth atmosphere in late February over Pacific Ocean.
 Feb 11 — NewSpace: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Crew awarded astronaut wings for reaching 83-km altitude; Astrobotic ‘MoonBox‘ voting closes this week; Blue Origin to launch broadband satellites for Canada Telesat; Hypergiant Galactic Systems hopes to develop AI-driven aerospace and astronautic software and hardware.
Feb 11 — Solar System: InSight Lander places Sun shield atop seismometer; contact may be permanently lost with twin MarCO cubesats; Queqiao orbiter images full Moon and Earth; Hayabusa2 prepares for first landing attempt on Ryugu Feb 22.
Feb 11 — Galaxy: Astronomers from Australia and Chinese Academy of Sciences release 3D map of the Milky Way revealing a warped shape; ESO VLT images object Herbig-Haro 1177, a star in the process of formation, within Large Magellanic Cloud; ALMA radio telescope finds organic molecules surrounding star V883 Ori located 1,300 LY away.
Feb 11 — Global: India Space Research Organization opens Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru, aims to send humans to space in 2021; ESA contracts with ArianeGroup and PTScientists to study feasibility of mining the Moon; Russia announces plans for reusable uncrewed spaceplane to launch from M-55 research aircraft.
 Feb 11 — USA: State of the Union address applauds 50th observation of Apollo 11 with Buzz Aldrin in attendance, misses opportunity to speak on future of space, Moon, international partnerships; Commercial Crew test launches delayed by one month; booster for Orion Ascent Abort Test prepares for full-stress test at KSC.
Feb 11 — Hawai’i: India, a partner in Thirty Meter Telescope, building Segment Support Assemblies; Initiative for Interstellar Studies believes mission to interstellar object ‘Oumuamua could be launched in 2021; Pacific Spaceport Complex–Hawaii collecting written public opinions until March 6.
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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 (WSW), Uranus (SW); Morning Planets: Venus (SE), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (S).
GSTC 2019 Brings Advanced Space Tech Opportunities to Singapore / Southeast Asia 
The Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) 2019 expects 600 delegates, 60 speakers and 200 companies from more than 30 nations on February 14-15 at the St. Regis Singapore. With theme ‘Pushing the Innovation Frontier’ topics range from satellite constellations, cost, remote sensing, Earth Observation, NewSpace, global space developments, spaceports, launchers and lunar missions. Some of the guest speakers are (TL-R) SSTA President Jonathan Hung, CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall, CASC VP Yang Baohua, LAPAN Head Thomas Djamaluddin, Israel Space Agency Chairman Yitzchak Ben Yisrael, Sir Martin Sweeting, and representatives from Spaceflight Inc, Exolaunch, Virgin Orbit, Firefly Aerospace, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, Arianespace and Thales. On the eve of GSTC, International Lunar Observatory Association is hosting SEA Benefactors’ Reception to discuss SEA potential role in the ILO-1 mission. It will feature ILOA Director Steve Durst and board members Malaysia Astronaut Sheikh Shukor, Jonathan Hung, Arry Buchori, Chatief Kunjaya, and mission developers Canadensys (Chris Sallaberger) and Moon Express (Bob Richards). Major initiatives accelerating SEA space development include LAPAN of Indonesia, ANGKASA of Malaysia, CRISP and Association of Aerospace Industries of Singapore, Vietnam Space Technology Institute, GISTDA of Thailand, Philippine Space Agency; 2 regional space cooperation organizations APRSAF promoted by Japan and APSCO headquartered in China; and tech accelerators and NewSpace including Astropreneurs HUB, SGInnovate, Gilmour Space, Astroscale, Spire and Bhattacharya Space Enterprises. (Image Credits: SSTA, ILOA, CNES, et al)
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Feb 11 — California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco CA: Lecture: New Approaches to Looking for E.T.; by SETI Scientist Seth Shostak, 17:30.
Feb 11 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Lecture: Space Law and Commercialization of Outer Space.
Feb 11-12 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: Space Cost Engineering Conference.
Feb 11-14 — Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD: ATI Course: TESS Data Workshop.
Feb 11-14 — Applied Technical Institute, Columbia MD: ATI Course: Rockets & Launch Vehicles – Selection & Design; led by Edward Keith and Daniel Moser.
Feb 11-22 — UNOOSA, Vienna, Austria: 56th Session of UN COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee.
Feb 11 — Apollo Asteroid 511684 (2015 BN509): Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 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.
Feb 9-15 — California State University – Fullerton, Caltech, University of Amsterdam, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, Stockholm University, Aspen CO: Aspen Winter Conference 2019: Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Populations.
TUESDAY
Feb 12 — Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation, W. M. Keck Observatory, Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talk: Universe in Reverse, the Keck Time Machines: What’s New in the Young Universe? by Prof. Matthew Malkan – UCLA Astronomy, 19:00 at HPA Gates Performing Arts Center.
Feb 12 — Maryland Space Business Roundtable, Greenbelt MD: Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR) luncheon featuring Hal Weaver of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, speaking on New Horizons, 11:30-13:30 EST. |
Feb 12-13 — Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Washington DC: Commercial Space Transportation Conference.
Feb 12-13 — JAXA, Tokyo, Japan: International Space Station Kibo Utilization Workshop; featuring NanoRacks CEO Jeffrey Manber.
Feb 12-13 — Square Kilometre Array Telescope Project, Auckland, New Zealand: Science for SKA Colloquium/Computing for SKA Colloquium.
Feb 12 — Moon: At first quarter, 12:25.
Feb 12 — Mars: 0.98° NNW of Uranus, 20:00.
Feb 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 PV25: Near-Earth Flyby (0.018 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Feb 13 — Juno, Perijove 18 / 17th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft in 53-day orbit to come within ~3,500 km of Jupiter cloud tops during Perijove 18, its 18th close flyby of Jupiter and 17th science flyby with instruments turned on.
Feb 13 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Singapore Space and Technology Association, Singapore: ILOA Southeast Asia Benefactors’ Reception.
Feb 13 — SETI Insititute, Menlo Park CA: Lecture: The Future of NASA Space Telescopes – What to Look for in the Next Generation; by Courtney Dressing, Kimberly Ennico Smith, Scott Gaudi, 19:00-20:00.
Feb 13 — USA, Washington DC: US Mint releases $1 coin honoring Native Americans in the space program.
Feb 13 — International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Online / Paris, France: Due: Nominations / Applications for IAF Excellence in “3G” Diversity Award (Geography, Generation, Gender).
Feb 13-14 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: Workshop: Space Mechanisms Legacy From New ESA Players.
Feb 13 — Moon: 8.4° SSE of Pleiades, 01:00; 1.68° N of Aldebaran, 18:00.
THURSDAY
Feb 14 — NASA, Washington DC: NASA Media, Industry Forum on Lunar Plans; featuring NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Bill Gerstenmaier and Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen, 12:30 EST.
Feb 14 — Cornell University, Ithaca NY: Colloquium: Intensity Mapping to Probe the Interstellar Medium; by Anthony Pullen from NYU.
Feb 14-15 — Singapore Space and Technology Association, Singapore: Global Space and Technology Convention 2019; featuring Jonathan Hung (SSTA), Jean-Yves Le Gall (CNES), Yang Baohua (CASC), Yitzchak Ben Yisrael (Israel Space Agency).
Feb 14-17 — American Association for the Advancement of Science, European Commission, Johnson & Johnson, et al, Washington DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting.
FRIDAY
Feb 15-16 — University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University, Utah State University, Tempe AZ: Southwest Strings Meeting 2019: Holography and Strings in the Southwest.
SATURDAY
Feb 16 — Oregon L5 Society Chapter of National Space Society, Vancouver WA: Monthly meeting of Oregon L5 Society; at DuckTales Kitchen, 14:00.
Feb 16 — Moon: 7.0° S of Pollux, 20:00.
SUNDAY
Feb 17 — Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), LEO: Three satellites in magnetosphere (two in Moon orbit – now called ARTEMIS) begin 13th year in space today; launched 2007.
Feb 17-19 — Iranian National Observatory (IPM), Tehran, Iran: Conference: Baryons in Galaxies and Beyond.