India PSLV Launch To Demonstrate Growing Space Access Leadership

Continuing to establish itself as a leading satellite launch provider, India is preparing for another ambitious mission this week. On September 23, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C14) is set to lift off from the spaceport of Sriharikota and put 7 satellites into orbit. The primary payload is the Oceansat-2, which will continue the work of done by Oceansat-1 and investigate the interaction between the oceans and the atmosphere to facilitate climate studies. With 3 main instruments (Ocean Color Monitor, Scanning Scatterometer, Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmospheric Studies) the India-built, 960-kg satellite will study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observe chlorophyll concentrations, monitor phytoplankton blooms, study atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in water. The remaining satellites, all from abroad, include 4 1-kg Cubesats and 2 8-kg Rubinsats. Oceansat-2 and the Cubesats will be ejected sequentially by the 4th stage of the PSLV, while the Rubinsats will remain permanently attached to the vehicle. The microsatellites were developed by institutes of Switzerland, Germany, Turkey and Luxembourg to test advanced satellite technologies and help in the training of engineering students. Along with its commendable work as a satellite launch provider, India is set to establish its leadership in human space access. ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair recently confirmed ISRO's goal of a human Earth orbit mission in 2015 and a human Moon mission around 2020. (Credit:)

Lunar Crater Consortium Meeting / Flagstaff Festival of Sciences

The 1st meeting of the Lunar Crater Consortium (LCC) will be held on September 28 at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, AZ. The 1-day meeting will serve as a venue for researchers to share knowledge about lunar impact craters and to discuss the general objectives of the organization. Impact crater studies serve a useful purpose in our understanding of Luna history and to identify future landing sites as we forge ahead to put humans back on the Moon. Scientists will discuss GIS tools for crater analysis, nomenclature and control net issues and future LLC meetings and workshops. Following the meeting of the LCC, Lisa Gaddis (R), geologist and program chief of the USGS will give a public presentation, ‘Return to the Moon,’ at the Museum of Northern Arizona. On Sep 27, Nadine Barlow (L) of Northern Arizona University will lead a field trip around the rim of Barringer Crater, located approximately 69 km east of Flagstaff at an elevation of 1704 m above sea level. The LCC will occur during the Flagstaff Festival of Sciences starting Sep 25-Oct 4, a 10-day family event which includes open houses at observatories, interactive talks, hikes and exhibits. The event will commence with a keynote presentation by Apollo 12 Moonwalker, Skylab commander and artist, Alan Bean (BR) who will share his stories of space exploration and adventures on the Moon. (Credit: LCC, NASA, USGS, Flagstaff Festival of Sciences)