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Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Astronomers take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy | ScienceDaily
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1uyPt2.img?w=768&h=466&m=6
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
NASA’s “Blue Ghost” Mission
“Ghost Riders in the Sea” Infographic
Mission Details
https://fireflyspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BGM1-Trajectory-Graphic-with-patch.png
Landing Profile
https://fireflyspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BGM1-Descent-Graphic-with-patch.png
Artist’s Concept – Landing
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Firefly_Blue-Ghost.jpg?resize=1536,864
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
11-17 through 11-23
Space Exploration NewsSpaceX’s 6th Starship megarocket launch looked amazing from space in astronaut and camera views
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5zc8pUdsSHy9wRiHjHCDxX-970-80.jpg
Blue Origin launches ninth crewed New Shepard suborbital mission
Space-Related Birthdays
Alan Shepard Nov 18, 1923: Alan Shepard Mercury-Redstone 3, Apollo 14
William J. Knight Nov 18, 1929: X-15; earned astronaut wings
https://nmspacemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Pete_Knight_by_X15_19671003-e1552511362323.jpg
Mark Brown Nov 18, 1951: STS-28, STS-48
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Mark_Brown.jpg
Eileen Collins Nov 19, 1956 STS-63, STS-84, STS-93, STS-114
Nicole Stott Nov 19, 1962 STS-128, Expedition20, Expedition 21, STS-129, STS-133
Nicholas Patrick Nov 19, 1964 STS-116, STS-130
James Dutton Nov 20, 1968 STS-131
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/James_Dutton.jpg/220px-James_Dutton.jpg
Henry Hartsfield Nov 21, 1933 STS-4, STS-41-D, STS-61-A
Guion Bluford Nov 22, 1942 STS-8, STS-61-A, STS-39, STS-53
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Guion_Bluford.jpg/220px-Guion_Bluford.jpg
Owen Garriott Nov 22, 1930 Skylab 3, STS-9
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Owen_Garriott.jpg/220px-Owen_Garriott.jpg
This Week in Space History
Apollo 12 – November 14-24, 1969
Apollo 12’s LM Intrepid – crewed by Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan L. Bean – landed in the lunar Ocean of Storms region, marking the first pinpoint lunar landing.
Nov. 23, 2015: Blue Origin Sticks 1st Rocket Landing
On Nov. 23, 2015, a Blue Origin rocket made a historic landing.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bzoqRYrQb7GuUT5V8H464j-970-80.jpg
November 20, 1988
On this day in space history: the Zarya (“Sunrise”) Russian module, one of the first two International Space Station (ISS) modules, was launched from Kazakhstan in 1998.
November 18:
2013: The Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission launched to study the Martian atmosphere and climate.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/maven-and-mars-limb.jpg
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Cassiopeia, the queen.
Space Launches For This Week
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
November 24/25 Electron • ‘Ice AIS Baby’
Launch time: 4:55 p.m. NZDT (10:55 p.m. EST on the 24th, 0255 UTC on the 25th)
Launch site: Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will carry the third batch of five nano-satellites for Kinéis’ Internet of Things (IoT) constellation, which will ultimately consist of 25 satellites. According to Kinéis, “The AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a maritime system for the automatic identification of ships using VHF (Very High Frequency) radio frequencies.” Delayed from Nov. 23 & 24.
Updated: November 23
November 25 Falcon 9 • Starlink 12-1
Launch time: Window opens 4:32 a.m. EST (0932 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster is scheduled to land on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: November 23
November 25/26 Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-76
Launch time: Window opens at 10:31 p.m. EST (0331 UTC)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster, flying in a south-easterly trajectory, will touchdown on a droneship positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: November 23
December 2 Falcon 9 • SiriusXM-9
Launch time: Approx. 11 a.m. EST (1600 UTC)
Launch site: TBD – LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center or SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the SiriusXM-9 satellite, which will deliver radio services for the SiriusXM service. The satellite, which will eventually be positioned in a geostationary orbit, is based on Maxar’s 1300-class platform. The first-stage booster of the Falcon 9 is scheduled to land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: November 20
TBD New Glenn • NG-1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will launch the company’s Blue Ring spacecraft, which is capable of both hosting and deploying multiple payloads. Blue Origin will attempt to land the first stage booster on its sea-based landing platform, ‘Jacklyn.’
Updated: November 20
NET Spring 2025 New Glenn • EscaPADE
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will launch a pair of identical spacecraft on NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission. The two satellites, named Blue and Gold, will make a roughly 11-month journey to Mars where they will then perform about an 11-month science mission while orbiting the Red Planet. Blue and Gold were manufactured by Rocket Lab over about 3.5 years and carry science experiments from the University of California, Berkeley. This launch of the New Glenn rocket will also feature a landing attempt on its landing barge in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from October 13.
Updated: September 11
TBD 2025 Vulcan Centaur • Dream Chaser 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its second demonstration flight with Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser cargo vehicle for the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser is a lifting body resupply spacecraft that will launch on top of a rocket and land on a runway. This will be the Dream Chaser’s first flight to space. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC4L configuration with four GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a long-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from August 2022, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024 and September 2024.
Updated: October 17
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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.
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 1
Tiangong
Nov 25
Dec 2