Discussion Topic of the Evening.
Remains of Moon-Forming Impact May Lie Deep in Earth
Waz Up
“How Do We Calculate Easter Sunday?”
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
NASA’s Europa Clipper Builds Hardware, Moves Toward Assembly
Ingenuity to fly soon!
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qWnuRXKUtBg4WDtvrvBNhJ-970-80.png
Space-Related Birthdays
William Oefelein Mar 29, 1965
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/William_Oefelein.jpg
Patrick G. Forrester Mar 31, 1957
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Patrick_Forrester.jpg
Michael Foreman Mar 29, 1957
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Michael_Foreman.jpg
Joseph M. Prahl Mar 30, 1943
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Joseph_Prahl.jpg
Gus Grissom, April 3, 1926
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Virgil_I._%28Gus%29_Grissom_portrait.jpg
William Frederick Fisher, April 1, 1946
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/William_Frederick_Fisher_%28Astronaut%29.jpg
This Week in Space History
X-15 Flight March 25, 1960
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/342376main_E-6682_full.jpg
March 28, 1963 SA-4 Launches
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Saturn_SA4_on_launch_pad.jpg
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Leo, the lion and Leo minor, the small lion.
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
April 7
Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L23
Launch time: 1634 GMT (12:34 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 24th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink V1.0-L23. [March 26]
April 9
Soyuz • ISS 64S
Launch time: 0742 GMT (3:42 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. [March 9]
April 18
GSLV Mk.2 • GISAT 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (GSLV Mk.2), designated GSLV-F10, will launch India’s first GEO Imaging Satellite, or GISAT 1. The GISAT 1 spacecraft will provide continuous remote sensing observations over the Indian subcontinent from geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth. Delayed from Jan. 15, February and March 5, 2020. Delayed from March 28. [March 26]
April 22
Falcon 9 • Crew 2
Launch time: 1011 GMT (6:11 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its second operational flight with astronauts on-board to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. Delayed from March 30 and April 20. [March 5]
Late April
Vega • Pléiades Neo 3
Launch time: 0150 GMT (9:50 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: ZLV, Kourou, French Guiana
An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV18, will launch the Pléiades Neo 3 Earth observation satellite for Airbus. Pléiades Neo 3 is the first of four Pléiades Neo high-resolution Earth observation satellites built, owned, and operated by Airbus. The Vega rocket will also launch multiple rideshare payloads. Delayed from February after VV17 launch failure. Delayed from late March and April 20. [March 31]
April 25
Soyuz • OneWeb 6
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia
A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch 36 satellites into orbit for OneWeb, which is developing a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit for low-latency broadband communications. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. [March 26]
April 26Delta 4-Heavy • NROL-82
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-6, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from September. [March 26]
April 29
Long March 5B • Tianhe 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Wenchang, China
A Chinese Long March 5B will launch Tianhe 1, the core module for a Chinese space station low Earth orbit. [March 26]
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Ocean Currents Predicted on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210325190249.htm
Charted Surface
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
ISS
Apr. 5
Apr. 6
X-37B
Apr. 11
Hubble Space Telescope
Apr. 6
Apr. 7
Apr. 8