Discussion Topic of the Evening

Record-Breaking Supernova is Part of New Class of Objects

Waz Up

Space Exploration and Space History 

Space Exploration News

Wally Funk delivers remarks after accepting the 2022 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement, Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/51959521353_17667db8e7_o.jpeg

Artemis 1

Don’t be left behind. You can send your name to the Moon on a flash drive on the Artemis 1 mission. There’s a link on the NASA website. 1.7 M people have already signed up (including me).

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/ubernode_alt_horiz/public/thumbnails/image/artemis_logo_0.png

Hubble finds farthest star

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_1JQ8BqP5aVvD7mqUheTvQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTU1MztjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/NwWZpl2iA_S.gDOgHLg5Cg–~B/aD02Mjg7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/acfe3d24c4a907dc0d6139102dc75d02

Ice volcanoes on Pluto may still be erupting

https://external-hou1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?w=500&h=261&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FMAuV7Cx4ceZfMTHqigF3ed-1200-80.jpg&cfs=1&ext=jpg&_nc_oe=6fd73&_nc_sid=06c271&ccb=3-5&_nc_hash=AQFuEsMANAZuwHbU

Space-Related Birthdays

William Oefelein  Mar 29, 1965 STS-116

William Frederick Fisher Apr 01, 1946 STS-51-I

Patrick G. Forrester Mar 31, 1957 STS-105, STS-117, STS-128

Michael Foreman Mar 29, 1957 STS-123, STS-129

Joseph M. Prahl Mar 30, 1943 STS-50

This Week in Space History

Smuggled food

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drewexmachina.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F03%2FGemini_3_launch.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

More food

In March of 1982, Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton flew in the third Shuttle mission, STS-3.

http://www.collectspace.com/images/news-032922a.jpg

April 2, 1958

Eisenhower proposed the establishment of NASA

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.o9ROXJoAD7IZPab3_XUUYAHaEE%26pid%3DApi&f=1

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F0192%2F1088%2Fproducts%2F41424-Nasa-Vecotor-8in-BackPatch_8a63a5a1-9def-42bd-8a4e-1342a7bda6ec_1024x1024.png%3Fv%3D1526097490&f=1&nofb=1

Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week

Leo, the Lion and Leo Minor, the Small Lion.

Space Launches For This Week

April 6

Falcon 9 • Axiom Mission 1

Launch time: 1605 GMT (12:05 p.m. EDT)

Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its sixth flight with astronauts. The commercial mission, managed by Axiom Space, will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría. Paying passengers Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe will also be on-board for the 10-day mission to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. Delayed from Feb. 21 and March 30. [March 25]

April 15

Falcon 9 • NROL-85

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency. The mission is designated NROL-85. The first stage will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg. [March 25]

April 20

Falcon 9 • Crew 4

Launch time: 1037 GMT (6:37 a.m. EDT)

Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its seventh flight with astronauts. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. [March 25]

Late April

Falcon 9 • Starlink 4-14

Launch time: TBD

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch with another batch of Starlink internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. [March 28]

April

Ariane 5 • MEASAT 3d & GSAT 24

Launch window: TBD

Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA257, to launch the MEASAT 3d and GSAT 24 communications satellites. Built by Airbus Defense and Space for MEASAT, a Malaysian operator, MEASAT 3d is a multi-mission communications satellite outfitted with C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band payloads for direct-to-home TV broadcasting and internet services over Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. GSAT 24 is a direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization. [Dec. 14]

April

Astra Rocket 3.3 • TROPICS 1 & 2

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-46, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A commercial small satellite launch vehicle developed by Astra will launch the first pair of small CubeSats for NASA’s TROPICS mission. The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats, or TROPICS, mission will measure environmental and inner-core conditions for tropical cyclones. [March 25]

April 30

Falcon 9 • Nilesat 301

Launch time: TBD

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Nilesat 301 geostationary communications satellite. Nilesat 301, built by Thales Alenia Space, will provide digital broadband and internet connectivity services for the Egyptian operator Nilesat. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. [March 25]

Check-ins or comments

At this point we should be reaching our 90 minute cut-off point, so NCS can decide whether to cut any of these topics due to lack of time.

Recent Astronomical Discoveries 

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

Apr 4

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59674.0886116626&type=V

Apr 5

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59675.0550657459&type=V

Apr 7

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59677.0550454746&type=V

Envisat

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=27386&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

Apr 3

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=59672.4683626425&type=V

Apr 5

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=59674.4858240845&type=V

Apr 6

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=59675.4602648498&type=V

Apr 8

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=59677.4777561826&type=V

Apr 11

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=59680.4696685635&type=V