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Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
Skylab at 50!
Skylab Space Station
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Skylab_%28SL-4%29.jpg
Skylab in Launch Configuration
https://history.nasa.gov/EP-107/p18a.jpg
Skylab Configuration
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Skylab_illustration.jpg
Skylab Mission Patch
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/s73-23952.jpg
Skylab Crews
https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Skylab.jpg
Skylab Reentry
Dinner on Skylab
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/53075main_skylab_food.jpg
Life on Skylab
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/53075main_skylab_food.jpg
Owen Garriott on EVA, Deploying Solar Shield
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/53076main_skylab_eva.jpg
Demonstrating Weight Training in Zero-Gravity
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/53077main_skylab_weight.jpg
Astronauts Carr and Pogue demonstrate weight training in zero-gravity.
Skylab in Orbit
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/53078main_skylab_away.jpg
The ISS still has a long future, and NASA and its international partners are working to make sure that ISS does realize its full potential. And, when it does, it will owe much of that success to another space station, which orbited the Earth 50 years ago – Skylab.
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Astronaut Birthdays:
- May 14, 1952: Donald McMonagle (STS-39, STS-54, STS-66)
- May 14, 1957: William Gregory (STS-67)
- May 14, 1964: James Kelly (STS-102, STS-114)
- May 14, 1988: Jessica Watkins (SpaceX Crew-4 (Expedition 67/68))
- May 15, 1942: Tony England (STS-51-F)
- May 15, 1949: Frank Culbertson, Jr. (STS-38, STS-51, STS-105, Expedition 3 (9/11), STS-108)
- May 16, 1945: Brewster H. Shaw (STS-9, STS-61-B, STS-28)
- May 17, 1967: Joseph M. Acaba (STS-119, Exp. 31/32, Exp. 53/54)
- May 18, 1930: Don Lind (STS-51-B)
- May 19, 1939: Dick Scobee (STS-41-C, STS-51-L)
- May 19, 1955: Pierre J. Thuot (STS-36, STS-49, STS-62)
- May 20, 1944: David M. Walker (STS-51-A, STS-30, STS-53, STS-69)
- May 20, 1951: Thomas Akers (STS-41, STS-49, STS-61, STS-79)
- May 20, 1964: Paul W. Richards (STS-102)
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Coma Berenices, Bernice’s Hair, and Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs.
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
May 19 Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-3
Launch time: 0531 GMT (1:31 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of 22 second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from April and May 18.
Updated: May 19
May 19 Falcon 9 • OneWeb & Iridium Next
Launch time: 1319 GMT (9:19 a.m. EDT; 6:19 a.m. PDT)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 15 spare satellites for OneWeb’s first-generation global internet network and one prototype for OneWeb’s Gen2 second-generation network. Five spare satellites for Iridium’s voice and data relay fleet will also launch on this mission. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
Updated: May 18
May 21 Falcon 9 • Axiom Mission 2
Launch time: 2137 GMT (5:37 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 10th flight with astronauts. The commercial mission, managed by Axiom Space, is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Paying passenger John Shoffner will serve as pilot of the mission. Two commercial space fliers from Saudi Arabia, Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, will also be on the approximately 12-day mission to the space station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea off the coast of Florida. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral. Delayed from May 8 as result of delays in previous Falcon Heavy launch.
Updated: May 18
May 22 Electron • TROPICS 5 & 6
Launch time: 0530 GMT (1:30 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch the third 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. These two satellites were originally contracted to launch on Astra’s Rocket 3 vehicle. This mission is nicknamed “Coming To A Storm Near You” by Rocket Lab. Delayed from May 15.
Updated: May 15
May 23/24 Falcon 9 • Badr 8
Launch time: 0325 GMT on 24th (11:25 p.m. EDT on 23rd)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Badr 8 communications satellite for Arabsat based in Saudi Arabia. From geostationary orbit, Badr 8 will provide communications coverage for Arabsat customers over Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Badr 8 also hosts an optical communications payload developed by Airbus. The spacecraft was built by Airbus, and is based on the Eurostar Neo platform. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from May 21.
Updated: May 18
May 24 Soyuz • Progress 84P
Launch time: 1256 GMT (8:56 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 84th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration.
Updated: May 05
May Long March 2F • Shenzhou 16
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Jiuquan, China
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft with three Chinese astronauts to rendezvous and dock with the Chinese space station in low Earth orbit. This is China’s 11th crewed space mission, and the fifth to the Chinese space station. The crew members have not been announced by China.
Updated: May 05
May Falcon 9 • Starlink 2-10
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites. This mission will deploy the Starlink satellites into a high-inclination orbit inclined 70 degrees to the equator. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
Updated: May 11
May 29 GSLV Mk. 2 • NVS 01
Launch time: Approx. 0400 GMT (12:00 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India.
An Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 rocket, designated GSLV-F12, will launch the NVS 01 navigation satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, also called Navigation with Indian Constellation, or NavIC. The spacecraft is also known as IRNSS 1J.
Updated: May 15
June 3 Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-4
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of 21 second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: May 11
June 3 Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 28
Launch time: 1634 GMT (12:34 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight is the 28th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
Updated: May 11
June 8 Falcon 9 • Transporter 8
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter 8 mission, a rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with numerous small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers. Launch site changed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Updated: May 11
June Falcon 9 • SDA Tranche 0B
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 18 Tranche 0 demonstration satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency. The launch is the second of two Falcon 9 missions to carry SDA demonstration spacecraft for a future constellation of military missile tracking and data relay satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg.
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
New Study Puts Definitive Age on Saturn’s Rings – They’re Really Young!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230512144752.htm
Saturn
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.
Hubble Space Telescope
May 21
Envisat
May 21
May 22
May 25
May 27