IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
“Keeping Up With VLA”
1 – “2010: The Year We Make Contact”
2 – Water/Ice on Mercury
https://static2.stuff.co.nz/1354227678/211/8019211.jpg?format=pjpg&optimize=medium
3 – Radio vs. Visual Resolution
https://www.nrao.edu/pr/2001/bigysodisk/bigysodisk.artist.withcap.jpg
4 – Aricebo Observatory
5 – VLA Array
https://www.skatelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/VLA_AerialWye1_print_ready.screen.jpg
6 – VLA Configurations
7 – VLA Einstein Ring
https://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/ering/einstein.ring.jpg
8 – Black Hole/Milky Way
https://public.nrao.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sgra-1280×1280.jpg
9 – Expanded VLA
https://live.staticflickr.com/4138/4750606873_5d66013288_b.jpg
10 – Signal Integration
https://science.nrao.edu/facilities/vla/docs/manuals/oss/performance/sefd_lowfreq_copy.jpg
11 – VLA Remote Access (1983)
https://public.nrao.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/gallery-images-largeVLA1983computing2_large.jpg
12 – Karl G. Jansky
https://public.nrao.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Jansky-Pose.jpg
13 – ngVLA Artist’s Conception
https://ngvla.nrao.edu/download/MediaFile/291/original
14 – Future Radio Telescopes
15 – The Author
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sJBq7khwvPBrhWccNrxKWAH0NwA-d_wTQzs0_TodMnI/edit
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Brenda WB5OZL/Kelley K5KTX (Alternates Each Week)
Space Exploration News
Chicxulub-Like Asteroid Caused Megatsunami on Early Mars
SOFIA
Joe Kittinger Died
Space-Related Birthdays
Ronald M. Sega Dec 04, 1952 STS-60, STS-76
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Ronald_Sega.jpg/220px-Ronald_Sega.jpg
Bruce E. Melnick Dec 05, 1949 STS-41, STS-49
Robb Kulin Dec 07, 1983 No missions
Matthew Dominick Dec 07, 1981 No missions. Selected for NASA Group 22
This Week in Space History
Pioneer Venus Orbiter
Apollo 17 launch
The Blue Marble photograph taken 5 hrs and 6 minutes after launch when Apollo 17 was 18,000 miles from Earth on December 7, 1972.
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Andromeda, the Princess
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
Dec. 11
Falcon 9 • ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1
Launch time: 0738 GMT (2:38 a.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first commercial Hakuto-R lunar lander for ispace, a Japan-based company that competed for the Google Lunar XPRIZE and is now developing a series of robotic lunar landers. The first lunar lander, called ispace Mission 1, was assembled in partnership with ArianeGroup and carries a package of international and commercial payloads, including two small lunar rovers from the United Arab Emirates and Japan. The mission will target a landing in the Lacus Somniorum region of the moon. NASA’s Lunar Flashlight CubeSat will be a rideshare payload on this launch. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Delayed from mid-November, Nov. 22, Nov. 29, Nov. 30, and Dec. 7. [Dec. 7]
Dec. 13
Ariane 5 • Galaxy 35, Galaxy 36, and MTG-I1
Launch time: 2030 GMT (3:30 p.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA259, to launch the Galaxy 35 and 36 communications satellites for Intelsat, and the MTG-I1 weather satellite for Eumetsat. Galaxy 35 and 36, built by Maxar, will provide C-band television and video broadcast services over the United States. The first Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite, MTG-I1, will provide weather imagery over Europe for the European weather satellite agency, Eumetsat. [Nov. 30]
Dec. 13/14
Electron • “Virginia is for Launch Lovers”
Launch window: 2300-0100 GMT on 13th/14th (6:00-8:00 p.m. EST on 13th)
Launch site: LC-2, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, Virginia
A Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle will lift off with three satellites for HawkEye 360, radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. This will be the first Rocket Lab mission from a new launch pad in Virginia. Delayed from Dec. 7 and Dec. 9. [Dec. 7]
Mid-December
Falcon 9 • O3b mPOWER 1 & 2
Launch time: Approx. 2120 GMT (4:20 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first two O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites into Medium Earth Orbit for SES of Luxembourg. The satellites, built by Boeing, will provide internet services over most of the populated world, building on SES’s O3b network. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from May, June, and August, and November, and Dec. 13. [Dec. 7]
Dec. 15
Falcon 9 • SWOT
Launch time: 1146:40 GMT (6:46:40 a.m. EST; 3:46:40 a.m. PST)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission for NASA. SWOT is a science mission jointly developed by NASA and CNES, the French space agency, to measure how much water is in Earth’s oceans, lakes, and rivers. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Delayed from Dec. 12. [Nov. 30]
December
Falcon 9 • Starlink 2-2
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This mission will deployed the Starlink satellites into a high-inclination orbit inclined 70 degrees to the equator after flying southeast from Cape Canaveral. Delayed from Nov. 16 and Nov. 18. [Nov. 22]
Dec. 20
Vega-C • Pléiades Neo 5 & 6
Launch time: 0147 GMT (9:47 p.m. EST)
Launch site: ZLV, Kourou, French Guiana
An Arianespace Vega-C rocket will launch the Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 Earth observation satellites for Airbus. Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 are the third and fourth members of the four-satellite Pléiades Neo constellation built, owned, and operated by Airbus. Delayed from Nov. 21, Nov. 23, and Nov. 24. [Nov. 29]
December
Falcon 9 • Transporter 6
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter 6 mission, a rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with numerous small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers. Delayed from October and November. [Sept. 9]
TBD
Falcon 9 • Starlink 4-37
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. Delayed from October, November, Dec. 5, and Dec. 6. [Dec. 5]
TBD
SSLV • BlackSky Global
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India
India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first commercial mission with four Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company. The rideshare mission for BlackSky is being arranged by Spaceflight. Delayed from November, late 2019 and early 2020. Delayed from early 2021 and July. [March 31]
TBD
Starship • Orbital Test Flight
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its first orbital test flight. The mission will attempt to travel around the world for nearly one full orbit, resulting in a re-entry and splashdown of the Starship near Hawaii. Delayed from early 2022. [March 9]
January
Falcon Heavy • USSF 67
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF 67 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The mission will launch the Space Force’s second Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM, or CBAS 2, military communications satellite and the Long Duration Propulsive ESPA 3A, or LDPE 3A, rideshare satellite hosting multiple experimental payloads. Delayed from 4th Quarter 2022. [Oct. 26]
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
Hubble Detects Ghostly Galaxy
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221209135557.htm
10. Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
You can use the http://www.heavens-above.com website to find out what’s in orbit and
where to look during fly-overs
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
ISS
Dec. 18
Dec. 19
Tiangong
Dec. 11
Dec. 12
Hubble Space Telescope
Dec. 11
Dec. 12
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