IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topicsFacebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

Discussion Topic of the Evening.

How accurate was/is “2001: A Space Odyssey”?
Movie Posterhttps://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcROkiOjl02SLvyOq3US6WW6bMuisF7HVc_-UuTrBIPHvb54Rr1NuXvjwf6al6Ysrs91lGSEjyqwxEigKAlGUR8-cvK1WkuCPunS6H4
Discovery Onehttps://static.wikia.nocookie.net/spaceships/images/0/0b/Discoveryone.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20160219193645
Weightless EVAhttps://media2.spaceref.com/news/2011/ae3511.jpg
Space Clipperhttps://www.panam.org/images/InTheMedia/2001/Pan-Am-space-clipper.jpg
Cockpit Discovery Onehttps://p.turbosquid.com/ts-thumb/io/mLm14A/qVpG22EM/thumb/jpg/1536692401/1200×1200/fit_q99/2ed62a0af5728211be6984dcd55db075bbc94487/thumb.jpg
Rear Discovery Onehttp://s13.postimg.cc/bgltsxbzb/IMG_1839.jpg
Decompressionhttps://filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0sqT-4rzYfkVtjlSB.jpg
Walking on the Moonhttps://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976x549_b/p02cpx0p.jpg
Space Station Under Constructionhttps://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/226363main_2001_station_t_full.jpg
Imagining the futurehttps://content.wolfram.com/uploads/sites/43/2018/04/6-controlsDocking1.png
HAL 9000https://www.popphoto.com/uploads/2019/01/17/IFMS3OYEKZHLJBPTZGPFDAU7CY.jpg
Tablets in Space!https://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/21221049/kubrick-tablet.jpg
Kubrick Directing https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/02b62ee98bd1c99be311f7cf34530e5c1329e2a4/0_148_3232_1939/master/3232.jpg?width=620&dpr=2&s=none
Phone Homehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/Df7_395W0AABtKq?format=jpg&name=medium
Pan Am https://static.wixstatic.com/media/85a468_f1d3f4a13bfc4759a8496068a8eb30d1.jpg/v1/fill/w_546,h_872,al_c,lg_1,q_85,enc_auto/85a468_f1d3f4a13bfc4759a8496068a8eb30d1.jpg
Corporate Logos in 2001https://i0.wp.com/georgehahn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2001-space-station-large.jpg?resize=640%2C494&ssl=1

Waz Up

Constellation “Aquila the Eagle”

Space Exploration and Space History 

Astronaut Birthdays

• August 22, 1932: Gerald Carr (Skylab 4)
• August 23, 1956: David Wolf (STS-58, STS-86/STS-89 – Mir 24, STS-112, STS-127)
• August 23, 1967: Dominic Antonelli (STS-119, STS-132)
• August 24, 1944: Gregory Jarvis (STS-51-L Challenger)
• August 24, 1946: Richard Richards (STS-28, STS-41, STS-50, STS-64)
• August 24, 1949: Anna Lee Fisher (STS-51-A) – first mother in space
• August 24, 1960: Steve Lindsey (STS-87, STS-95, STS-104, STS-121, STS-133)
• August 24, 1962: Mary Ellen Weber (STS-70, STS-101)
• August 25, 1960: Lee Archambault (STS-117, STS-119)
• August 25, 1965: Andrew Feustel (STS-125, STS-134, Exp 55/56)
• August 26, 1932: Joe Engle (3 X-15 flights, STS-2, STS-51-I)
• August 26, 1942: John Blaha (STS-29, STS-33, STS-43, STS-58, STS-79/STS-81 – Mir 22)
• August 26, 1959: Kathryn Hire (STS-90, STS-130)

Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week

Aquila the Eagle

Space Launches For This Week

Space Coast Launcheshttps://www.spacecoastlaunches.com/blog/launch-list/
Space Flight Now Launch Schedulehttps://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
August 26/27 Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-11Launch time: 9:05 p.m. EDT (0105 UTC)Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster is to land on the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from Aug. 22.
Updated: August 25
August 26/27 H-2A • XRISM & SLIMLaunch time: 0030:15 UTC (9:30:15 a.m. JST on Aug. 27 / 8:30 p.m. EDT on Aug. 26)Launch site: Launch Pad 1, Tanegashima Space Center, JapanA Japanese H-2A rocket, designated H-2A F47, will launch the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, or XRISM, a joint project between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA. XRISM is a replacement for the Hitomi X-ray astrophysics observatory, which failed about one month after launch in 2016. XRISM will perform high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of the hot gas plasma wind that blows through the galaxies in the universe. These observations will enable us to determine flows of mass and energy, revealing the composition and evolution of celestial objects. JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission will fly as a rideshare on this launch, heading to the moon to test precision landing technology. The H-2A rocket will fly in the 202 configuration with two strap-on solid rocket boosters. Delayed from 2nd Quarter after H3 launch failure.
Updated: August 24
August 29 Atlas 5 • NROL-107Launch time: 8:34 a.m. EDT (1234 UTC)Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaA United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the NROL-107 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The NROL-107 mission will launch a classified payload known as Silentbarker. The mission is a partnership between the NRO and the U.S. Space Force, which have disclosed little information about the payload other than it will focus on satellite threat intelligence and space situational awareness.
Updated: August 25
August 30 Falcon 9 • SDA Tranche 0BLaunch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CaliforniaA 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. Delayed from June.
Updated: August 20
September 15 Soyuz • Soyuz MS-24Launch time: 1544 UTCLaunch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, KazakhstanA Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft to the International Space Station. The mission will carry Russian commander Oleg Kononenko, Russian flight engineer Nikolai Chub, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara into orbit for a long-duration flight on the space station. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration.
Updated: August 20
NET September 26 Atlas 5 • Project KuiperLaunch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaThe first two demonstration satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband constellation will launch on an Atlas 501 rocket. These satellites were originally scheduled to fly on the first Vulcan rocket.
Updated: August 20
NET September 29 Falcon 9 • USSF-124Launch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaA SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch a mission for the U.S. Space Force and Missile Defense Agency.
Updated: August 20
TBD Falcon 9 • WorldView Legion 1 & 2Launch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CaliforniaA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first pair of WorldView Legion Earth observation satellites for Maxar Technologies. Maxar plans to deploy six commercial WorldView Legion high-resolution remote sensing satellites into a mix of sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits on three SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. The first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base for landing. Delayed from April and June.
Updated: August 20
4th Quarter Vulcan Centaur • PeregrineLaunch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaA United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with the Peregrine commercial lunar lander for Astrobotic. The Peregrine robotic lander will carry multiple experiments, scientific instruments, and tech demo payloads for NASA and other customers. The mission will also launch two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband constellation. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC2S configuration with two GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a short-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from mid-2022 and late 2022. Delayed from 1st Quarter 2023 and May 4.
Updated: June 20
October 5 Falcon Heavy • PsycheLaunch time: 1438:37 GMT (10:38:37 a.m. EDT)Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, FloridaA SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission. The Maxar-built spacecraft will travel to the metallic asteroid Psyche, where it will enter orbit in 2029. This is the first spacecraft to explore a metal-rich asteroid, which may be the leftover core of a protoplanet that began forming in the early solar system more than 4 billion years ago. The Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will return to Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for recovery. The center core will be expended. Delayed from 2022 due to payload software issues. Moved forward from Oct. 10, 2023.
Updated: April 01
October Falcon 9 • O3b mPOWER 5 & 6Launch time: TBDLaunch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FloridaA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third pair of 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 March, June 9 and Aug. 27.
Updated: August 22
November 1 Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 29Launch time: TBDLaunch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, FloridaA 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 29th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

Recent Astronomical Discoveries 

Mysterious Neptune dark spot detected from Earth for the first timehttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230824111928.htm
Neptune Dark Spothttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Neptune%27s_Great_Dark_Spot.jpg

Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.

 All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
Envisat https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=27386&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST
Aug. 28https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=60184.4372282215&type=V
Aug. 29https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=60185.411431402&type=V
Aug. 31https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=60187.4285202631&type=V
Sep. 2https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=60189.4455604432&type=V
Sep. 3https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=27386&mjd=60190.4198039257&type=V