July 6-12, 2020 / Vol 39, No 27 / Hawai`i Island, USA

SpaceMonth 2020 Celebrates Exploration Achievements with Eye Towards Moon, Mars and Beyond

July is SpaceMonth, marking major advancements of human activity beyond Earth and focusing enthusiasm for innovative new endeavors in space – from LEO to Kuiper belt. Humankind becoming a multi-world civilization with the Apollo 11 Moon landing is commemorated July 20, as is the first successful robotic mission landing on Mars, Viking 1 as Space Exploration Day. Official federal holiday status works its way into law through House Resolution 59, sponsored by Representative Kendra Horn, currently in committee. Appropriately, SpaceMonth 2020 is to see 4 space agency efforts towards robotic missions on and around the Red Planet: Al Amal (Hope), a UAESA / JAXA collaboration, aims for July 14 launch via H-2A to Mars orbit; NASA plans to launch the US$2.1B Mars 2020 July 30 on Atlas V, carrying Cruise stage, EDLS, and Perseverance rover with deployable helicopter drone Ingenuity; CNSA is to launch its Orbiter / Lander / Rover mission Tianwen-1 (Questions to Heaven) on the 23rd using Long March 5 heavy lift rocket. Other notable spaceflight observances in July include third Venus Flyby of Parker Solar Probe on the 11th; Chandra X-Ray Observatory – launched by Space Shuttle Columbia STS-93, led by Eileen Collins, first female Space Shuttle commander – reaching 21 years in orbit on 23rd; Juno will make 27th Science Flyby of Jupiter on Perijove 28 on July 25. (Image Credits: NASA, KSC, Lockheed Martin)

MONDAY

Jul 6-10 — University of Leiden, Dutch Research Council (NWO), Lorentz Center for Scientific Workshops, Online / Leiden, The Netherlands: Workshop: Modelling the Galactic Magnetic Field.

Human Off-World Living Discussed During NASA 7th Exploration Science Forum, Moon Dialogs and Beyond Earth Webinars

The 7th Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum is being held virtually this year July 8-10, hosted by Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute headquartered at ARC in Moffett Field CA. Major focus will be on mission results, science and exploration studies aiding Artemis Human Moon Program, as well as NEAs and Mars moons. The 2020 NESF program has 66 talks, 100 ePosters and related events including LunGradCon 2020. Speakers are NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Noah Petro on LRO @ 11, Elliot Sefton-Nash on ESA Prospect payload for Luna 27, Chairs Parvathy Prem and Ashley Clendenen for session ISRU & VIPER Missions, Chairs Joseph Lazio & Neil Bassett for session Radioastronomy on the Moon, and Carle Pieters on The Importance of our Moon Beyond the Current Environment. On July 8, Beyond Earth is hosting a Webinar discussing the Artemis Accords with Mike Gold, Pete Worden, Laura Montgomery and others. The 4th Moon Dialogs ‘Planetary Protection and Lunar Activities‘ will feature Jim Bridenstine, Mike Gold, Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Lindy Elkins-Tanton and Alan Stern on July 9. Moon Dialogs is a collaboration between Open Lunar Foundation, Secure World Foundation, MIT Space Exploration Initiative, Arizona State University and For All Moonkind – to coordinate mechanisms to accelerate peaceful and sustained presence on the Moon. The Space Frontier Foundation is also hosting another virtual Advocate Happy Hour July 10. (Image Credits: SSERVI, NASA, B. Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Beyond Earth, Moon Dialogs, et al)

Jul 6-10 — International Astronomical Union, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, University of Rome, Romanian National Astronomy Committee (CNRA), Iași, Romania: IAU Symposium 364: Multi-scale (time and mass) dynamics of space objects; cancelled.

Jul 6-11 — Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), Hawaii Island: 2020 STEM Aerospace Research Scholars (STAR) Program; space and science vocation camp for Hawaii high school girls; postponed to Oct 5-10.

Jul 6 — Moon: 2.47° S of Saturn, 00:00.

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.

May 9 – Jul 11 — AIAA Los Angeles – Las Vegas Section, Online: Virtual Aerospace Art Gallery Exhibition.

Jun 29 – Jul 3 — European Astronomical Society, Online / Leiden, The Netherlands: Virtual Meeting: European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting 2020.

NET Jul 3 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen”, LC1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Launch window opens for Rocket Lab Electron rocket to launch its 13th flight for Canon Electronics CE-SAT-IB Earth-imaging satellite, Planet five SuperDove CubeSats, and Faraday 1 CubeSat for In-Space Missions.

TUESDAY

Jul 7 — JPL, NASA, Online / Pasadena CA: Education Workshop: Teaching Space with NASA – Exploring Mars Science With the Perseverance Rover; 13:00-14:00 PDT.