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Vol 28, No 27
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Hawaii Sea Launch Human, Moon Capabilities May Be 21st Century Reality Through Asia Partnerships

Access to Space for the 50th, Aloha State is becoming a much more real, near-term and exciting prospect with the emerging strategic reconfiguration of Boeing-affiliate Sea Launch Co LLC resulting from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. With the international space community increasing focus on 21st Century human space and Moon exploration, a Honolulu homeport of “Hawaii Sea Launch” would offer much closer proximity to the company’s off-shore Equatorial launch site, while continuing to provide private and commercial launch services aboard the proven technologies of human-rateable Zenit rockets. Having operations moved from its present location in Long Beach to Hawaii would also greatly advance Hawaii’s economy and status as a high-tech, world-class travel, tourism and business hub by offering reliable access to space. Hawaii's mid-Pacific positioning could also meet a growing need for commercial launch alternatives in Asia, including China, Korea, India and most immediately—Japan. A partnership investment from any of the Asia countries could help stabilize the company’s current financial status while promoting cooperation between the two continents. (Credit: Space Age Publishing Co, Flickr, NASA, Sea Launch)

India-Russia Moon Lander 2012, India International Space-Age Leadership Advanced By Current, Former ISRO Chairs G M Nair, U R Rao

India is setting an exemplary tone for 21st Century space and lunar exploration and dynamism with a groundswell of advances towards global leadership and international cooperation. India Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chair Madhavan Nair (R) recently announced plans to develop a reusable spacecraft with Russia as early as 2011. The joint Chandrayaan-2 project would feature a lunar landing craft and rover for research of the Moon’s South Pole area to seek helium 3 for energy, among other resources. India is also pursuing its first human spaceflight mission with the help of Russia set for NET 2015. Former ISRO Chair and India space pioneer UR Rao (L) commented at a recent Physical Research Laboratory meeting that the Rs crore funding allocated for India space research is “ridiculous.” Given the amount of possibilities and the pace at which space research has evolved in India, “we must provide enough support and allow scientists to work at their pace,” said Rao. He added that by leveraging its plans to explore and possibly help settle the Moon, India will look to Mars as the next destination in the solar system. (Credit: ISRO, Hindu News, BBC)

 
THIS WEEK
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
LEGEND
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;' Greenwich, England).
Weekly Planet Watch – Morning Planets: Venus (E), Mars (E), Jupiter (S) / Evening Planets: Saturn (W), Jupiter (E).
 

MONDAY
Jul 6 — International Space Station, LEO: Expedition 20 crew recently relocated Soyuz TMA-14 Spacecraft in preparation for final rendezvous with Progress 33 supply ship on July 12; http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html.
Jul 6 — NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO, Lunar Orbit: Instruments expected to be activated this week include Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment and the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF); http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-152_LROC_images.html.
Jul 6 — Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, Pasadena CA: Engineers at NASA JPL prepare for test rover simulation in soil mixture to evaluate possible extraction moves for Spirit; http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/spotlight/.
Jul 6-8 — NASA Science Mission Directorate Planetary Science Division, Washington DC: 'Steering Committee Meetings of the Decadal Survey for the Planetary Science Division;' http://www.lpi.usra.edu/leag/.
Jul 10 — Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson KS: 'Investigate Space: Operation Lunar Base Session and Operation Solar System Session;' http://www.cosmo.org/calendar/.
Jul 6-8 — Science and Technology Facilities Council, Oxford, United Kingdom: 'European / Japanese Workshop on the SPICA Space Mission;' http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/spica/index.html.
Jul 6-9 — International Academy of Astronautics, Aosta, Italy: 'IAA Symposium on Realistic Near Term Advanced Space Missions;' http://iaaweb.org/content/view/171/287/.
Jul 6-9 — European Space Agency, Paris, France: '3rd European Conference for Aero-Space Sciences (EUCASS 2009);' http://www.eucass2009.com/.
Jul 6-10 — Office of Science and Technology Policy, NASA, Hawthorne; Canoga Park; Sacramento CA: Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee site visits to SpaceX, Boeing Rocketdyne and Aerojet Corp Facility; http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/meetings/index.html.

Jul 6-10 — The Astrophysics Institute of Paris, Paris, France: '25th IAP Annual Colloquium: The Lyman Alpha Universe;' http://www.iap.fr/col2009/.

Jul 6-10 — United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), The Paris Observatory, et al, Paris, France: 'The Invisible Universe: Dark Energy and Dark Matter;' http://www.universe2009.obspm.fr/pages/public/index.php.
Jul 6 — Moon: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, 22:37; Full or Buck Moon; Hoku I Hinaiaeleele; 23:21.
Continued from . . .
Jun 21 — Phillips Exeter Academy, Grainger Observatory, Exeter NH: '2nd Exeter Astronomy Conference;' through July 26; http://www.exeter.edu/Astronomy/4380_4634.aspx.
Jun 29 — NASA Astrobiology Institute, Nordic Astrobiology Network, Reykjavik, Iceland: 'Nordic-NASA Summer School: Water, Ice and the Origin of Life in the Universe;' through July 13; http://www.nordicastrobiology.net/iceland2009/.
Jun 29 — International Space University / NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA: '21st ISU Summer Session Program;' through August 28; http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=59&Itemid=185.
Jul 1 — The Mars Society, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada: 'Mars Simulation on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic;' through July 31; http://www.marssociety.org/portal/groups/AnalogsTF/FMARS2009Announcement/.
Jul 1 — NASA, X PRIZE Foundation, Open location USA: 'Lunar Lander Challenge Competition;' through October 31; http://space.xprize.org/.
Jul 5 — JAXA, Tsukuba, Japan: '27th International Symposium on Space Technology and Science;' through July 12; http://www.ists.or.jp/.
TUESDAY
Jul 7 — NASA, Cape Canaveral FL: News conference to discuss preparations for upcoming launch of Endeavour STS-127 at 14:00 EDT; http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_M09-122_STS-127_Prelaunch_Events.html.
Jul 7 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: 'Teacher Workshop: Voyage to the Moon and Beyond;' http://www.spacecenter.org/TeachersWorkshop.html.
Jul 7-9 — NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD: 'Teacher Workshop: Using NASA Observations to Study Changes in Chesapeake Bay;' http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/bay/.
Jul 7-10 — NASA Education Program, Online: 'International Space Station (ISS) EarthKAM Summer 2009 Mission,' Grades 5-8; http://www.spaceref.com/calendar/calendar.html?pid=5433.
Jul 7-12 — Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group, Melbourne, Australia: '7th International Conference on Geomorphology;' http://www.geomorphology2009.com/.
Jul 7-12 — Foundational Questions Institute, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal: '2009 FQXi International Conference: Exploring the Foundations of Boundaries of Physics and Cosmology;' http://www.fqxi.org/.
Jul 7-15 — International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, Israel Physical Society, et al, Lodz, Poland: '31st International Cosmic Ray Conference;' http://icrc2009.uni.lodz.pl/.
Jul 7 — Moon: At Apogee; 12:00.
Jul 7 — Asteroid 2009 MA: Near-Earth Flyby; (0.066 AU).
WEDNESDAY
Jul 8 — United States Senate Committee, Washington DC: US Senate Committee scheduled to review NASA administrator nominees Charles Bolden and Lori Garver; http://www.space.com/news/090630-bolden-nasa-chief-hearing.html.
Jul 8-9 — National Institute of Space Research (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil: 'Seminar of Scientific Initiation of INPE (SICINPE 2009);' http://www.inpe.br/pibic/sicinpe/.
Jul 8-10 — The Chandra X-Ray Center, Boston MA: 'Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae in the Chandra Era;' http://cxc.harvard.edu/cdo/snr09/.
Jul 8-12 — University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN: '9th Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop;' http://www.nd.edu/~histast/.
Jul 8 — Cassini Titan Flyby, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts close flyby of Saturn moon Titan (altitude = 965 km); http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/saturntourdates/.
Jul 8 — Asteroid (Closest Approach to Earth): 6560 Prado (1.074 AU); 6470 Aldrin (1.330 AU).
THURSDAY
Jul 9 — NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA: 'One Giant Leap: How the Apollo Moon Missions Changed Humanity' by Andrew Chaikin; http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28569.
Jul 9 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: 'Community Night Voyage;' http://www.spacecenter.org/.
Jul 9-10 — NASA Advisory Council, Washington DC: Meeting of the Planetary Science Subcommittee; http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31491.
Jul 9 — Jupiter: 0.56° SSE of Neptune; 07:00.
FRIDAY
Jul 10 — Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson KS: Former NASA Astronaut Charles 'Charlie' Duke will speak on his memories as CAPCOM of Apollo 11 and Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 16; http://www.cosmo.org/calendar/.
Jul 10-12 — Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville AL: '6th Annual Saturn / Apollo Reunion and Alumni Adult Weekend;' http://www.spacecamp.com/reunionweekend/.
Jul 10 — Moon: 3.3° NNW of Jupiter, 09:00; 2.7° NNW of Neptune, 09:00.
Jul 10 — Asteroid 2001 HY7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU).
SATURDAY
NET Jul 11 — Launch Endeavour STS-127 / 2JA, Cape Canaveral FL: 127th Space Shuttle flight, 29th U.S. mission to the International Space Station scheduled to launch at 19:39 EDT; http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html.

Jul 11 — Zero Gravity Corporation, San Jose CA: 'ZERO-G Weightless Experience;' https://www.gozerog.com/.

Jul 11 — Lunar Legacies, Cape Canaveral FL: 'Lunar Legacies Space Auction;' http://lunarlegacies.com/.
Jul 11 — ATK Launch Systems, US Space and Rocket Center, et al, Huntsville AL: 'Space Camp Hall of Fame;' http://www.spacecamp.com/reunionweekend/.
Jul 11 — Asteroid 1221 Amor: Closest Approach to Earth (1.084 AU).
SUNDAY
Jul 12-16 — The Society of Automotive Engineers International, Performance Review Institute, et al, Savannah GE: '39th Conference on Environmental Systems: Towards Lunar Habitation - The Journey Continues;' http://www.sae.org/events/ice/.
Jul 12-18 — National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico: '5th NAIC/NRAO Single-Dish Summer School;' http://www.naic.edu/~astro/sdss5/.
Jul 12-18 — International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, National Science Foundation, et al, Paris, France: '12th Marcel Grossman Meeting on General Relativity;' http://www.icra.it/MG/mg12/en/.
Jul 12 — Cassini OTM-206, Saturn Orbit: Spacecraft conducts Orbital Trim Maneuver #206 today; http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/.
Jul 12 — Mars: 4.6° SSE of Center of the Pleiades; 00:00.
Jul 12 — Moon: 5.2° NNW of Uranus; 21:00.
 
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Space Calendar Published Weekly, Mondays. ISSN 0741-1731. All Rights Reserved. Copyright July 6, 2009, Space Age Publishing Company, 65-1230 Mamalahoa Highway - Suite D-20, Kamuela, Hawaii 96743; 480 California Avenue - Suite 303, Palo Alto, California 94306, USA. Editor & Publisher, ILOA Director / Steve Durst. Associate Editor, ILOA Executive Director / Charles Bohannan. Assistant Editor / Joseph Sulla. Marketing Editor / Michelle Gonella. Editor Assistant / Asia Becerra. Special Contributors: Hawaii Aloha. Australia / Kirby Ikin. Canada / Robert Richards. China, Asia / Chen Kan Arth. Europe-Russia / Theo Pirard. India, South Asia / Radhakrishna Rao, USA, Bill Carswell. www.spaceagepub.com, news@spaceagepub.com.