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Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

Discussion Topic of the Evening.

Article: Astronomers Chart Invisible Ocean of Dark Matter Swirling Outside the  Milky Way

Bright Patch of Stars Beneath Milky Way Halo

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AeXRuF8477unMGTDFoWXGC-1024-80.jpeg

Waz Up

Bright Star Vega on May Evenings

Northeast, May Evenings

https://earthsky.org/upl/2013/05/lyra_vega.jpg

Constellation Lyra and Epsilon Lyrae (E is a Double Star)

https://earthsky.org/upl/2019/05/vega-lyra-dr-ski-valencia-philippines-5-10-2019-e1557483122264.jpg

Space Exploration and Space History 

Astronaut Birthdays 

• May 2, 1957: Dominic Pudwill Gorie (STS-91, STS-99, STS-108, STS-123)

• May 2, 1975: Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (STS-131)
• May 3, 1949: lbert Sacco (STS-73)
• May 4, 1956: Michael Gernhardt (STS-69, STS-83, STS-94, STS-104)
• May 5, 1930: Michael J. Adams (X-15 Flight 191)
• May 5, 1960: Douglas Wheelock (STS-120, Soyuz TMA-19 (Expedition 24/25))
• May 6, 1949: David Leestma (STS-41-G, STS-28, STS-45)
• May 6, 1955: Donald Thomas (STS-65, STS-70, STS-83, STS-94)
• May 7, 1959: Tamara Jernigan (STS-40, STS-52, STS-67, STS-80, STS-96)
• May 8, 1952: Charles Camarda (STS-114)

Space Launches For This Week

Space Coast Launches

Upcoming Rocket Launch List

Space Flight Now Launch Schedule

Launch Schedule

May 9

Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L27

Launch time: 0642 GMT (2:42 a.m. EDT)

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 27th batch of 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink V1.0-L27. [May 4]

May

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 and April 18. [April 26]

May

Long March 7 • Tianzhou 2

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Wenchang, China

A Chinese Long March 7 will launch the Tianzhou 2 resupply ship to dock with the Chinese space station. The automated cargo craft will be the first resupply freighter for the Chinese space station. [April 15]

May 17

Atlas 5 • SBIRS GEO Flight 5

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. Space Force’s fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 5, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 421 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, two solid rocket boosters, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [March 26]

May 27

Soyuz • OneWeb 7

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. [April 26]

TBD

Electron • STP-27RM

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Launch Complex 2, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, Virginia

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch on its first mission from a new launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch customer is the U.S. Air Force, and the mission will launch an experimental mission for the Space Test Program called Monolith with a space weather instrument. The Monolith mission will demonstrate the ability of a small satellite to support large aperture payloads. Delayed from 2nd Quarter of 2019. Delayed from August 2020 and September 2020. Delayed from 4th Quarter of 2020. [Nov. 27]  

Recent Astronomical Discoveries 

Physicists Describe New Type of Aurora

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506125815.htm

Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days. 

All times are “local” (Dallas) time.

ISS

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

May 14

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59349.125760201&type=V

May 15

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59350.0928225068&type=V

Tianhe-1

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=48274&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

May 9

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=48274&mjd=59343.4595472391&type=V

May 10

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=48274&mjd=59344.4144189324&type=V

May 14

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=48274&mjd=59349.1205949894&type=V

May 15

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=48274&mjd=59350.0754113723&type=V