IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Webb reveals the Universe’s first galaxies were a chaotic mess
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251029100150.htm
“Messy Galaxies”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/messy-galaxies-in-early-universe.webp
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
UFOs Are Just One Explanation for Mysterious Patterns in Old Telescope Data
The 48-inch Oschin Schmidt telescope at Mount Palomar Observatory
https://skyserver.sdss.org/dr5/en/proj/advanced/skysurveys/images/palomar48.jpg
“Vanishing Stars: Before and After”
https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2023/10/vanishing_stars.jpg
Transients Comparisons
https://www.metabunk.org/attachments/2025-08-05_12-23-59-jpg.82851
“UFO” Transients
Villarroel Momentary Light Bursts
Triple Transient – “Nuclear and Solar Overlap?
https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2025/mysterious-transient-o.jpg
Habitable Worlds Observatory
https://astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Setting-The-Stage-For-The-Search.jpg
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
China Launches Shenzhou 21 Mission
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U4mKgXkFdfGkcwWcFyy26g-1200-80.jpg.webp
Japan’s HTV-X1 Cargo Craft Arrives at ISS
International Space Station’s 25th Anniversary
Space-Related Birthdays
| Date | Astronaut Name | Missions | Notes |
| Oct 29 | Valery Tokarev (Russian) | STS-96, Soyuz TMA-7 (ISS Expedition 12) | First Russian cosmonaut on a U.S. Space Shuttle mission (STS-96); performed two spacewalks during Expedition 12. |
| Oct 30 | Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson (US) | STS-41B, STS-61C, STS-27, STS-47, STS-71 | Flew on five space flights, commanding four different Shuttles. Commanded STS-71, the first mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. |
| Oct 30 | Ronald Garan (US) | STS-124, Soyuz TMA-21 (ISS Expedition 27/28) | Logged over 178 days in space and performed four spacewalks. Known for sharing the “Orbital Perspective” after returning to Earth. |
| Oct 30 | Sandra Magnus (US) | STS-112, STS-126/119 (ISS Expedition 18), STS-135 | An engineer who spent over 157 days in space across three missions, including a long-duration stay on the ISS as flight engineer for Expedition 18. |
| Oct 31 | Michael Collins (US) | Gemini 10, Apollo 11 | Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11, the first Moon-landing mission. Orbited the Moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the surface. |
| Oct 31 | Terrence “Terry” Wilcutt (US) | STS-68, STS-79, STS-89, STS-106 | Flew four Shuttle missions, two as pilot and two as commander. STS-79 and STS-89 were Shuttle-Mir docking missions. |
| Nov 1 | Nancy Jan Davis (US) | STS-47, STS-60, STS-85 | Aerospace engineer who was part of the first married couple to fly in space together (with Mark Lee on STS-47). She was also the Payload Commander on STS-85. |
This Week in Space History
October 26, 1959: First Photographs of the Moon’s Far Side Released
October 27, 1961: First Test Flight of the Saturn I Rocket
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/SA-1_LO.jpg
October 30, 1967: First Automated Docking in Space
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/kosmos_186_and_188_docking_from_rkk_energiya.jpg
November 1, 1923: Robert Goddard’s First Liquid-Fueled Rocket Motor Test
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/goddard_3_and_rocket_mar_16_1926.jpg
November 1, 1932: Wernher von Braun Leads German Rocket Program
https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Von-Braun-and-Nazis.jpg
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Space Launches For This Week
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
| Date (CDT) | Time (Approx.) | Mission | Vehicle | Launch Site | Mission Description |
| Oct 31 | 3:41 PM | Starlink Group 11-23 | Falcon 9 | Vandenberg SFB, California | This mission will deploy a batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit to expand SpaceX’s broadband internet constellation. [1] |
| Nov 1 | 10:09 PM | Bandwagon-4 (Rideshare) | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida | This is a dedicated rideshare flight carrying various satellites for commercial and government customers to a specific medium-inclination orbit. [1] |
| Nov 2 | 5:56 AM | CMS-03 (GSAT-7R) | LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III) | Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India | This launch will deploy an advanced communications satellite for the Indian Navy. [1] |
| Nov 2 | 9:45 PM | Unknown Payload | Long March 7A | Wenchang Space Launch Site, China | The Chinese government has not disclosed the specific payload for this launch, but it is expected to be a classified government satellite. [1] |
| Nov 4 | 3:03 PM | Sentinel-1D | Ariane 62 | Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana | This mission will deploy a Copernicus program radar-imaging satellite for the European Space Agency to monitor Earth’s environment. [1] |
| Nov 5 | 11:45 AM | The Nation God Navigates (iQPS Launch 5) | Electron/Curie | Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, New Zealand | This launch will place a synthetic-aperture radar satellite into orbit for iQPS to gather high-resolution Earth images. [1] |
| Nov 5 | 6:08 PM (Window opens) | Starlink Group 6-81 | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida | This mission will add more satellites to SpaceX’s extensive global internet service constellation. [1] |
| Nov 5/6 | 9:24 PM | ViaSat-3 F2 | Atlas V 551 | Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida | This launch will deploy a high-capacity geostationary communications satellite to provide broadband services across the Americas. [1] |
| Nov 6 | 2:56 PM (Window opens) | Starlink Group 10-51 | Falcon 9 | Vandenberg SFB, California | Another mission to deploy additional satellites for the Starlink broadband internet network. [1] |
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.
Date Time (CDT) Max Height Appears Disappears Duration
Oct 31 (Fri) 6:49 PM 81° (Overhead) NW SE ~6 mins
Nov 1 (Sat) 6:01 PM 39° NW NE ~4 mins
Nov 1 (Sat) 7:37 PM 14° WNW SE ~5 mins
Nov 2 (Sun) 6:50 PM 67° NW SE ~6 mins
Nov 3 (Mon) 6:02 PM 41° NW NE ~4 mins
Nov 3 (Mon) 7:38 PM 17° WNW SE ~5 mins
Nov 4 (Tue) 6:51 PM 61° NW SE ~6 mins
Nov 5 (Wed) 6:04 PM 45° NW NE ~4 mins
Nov 6 (Thu) 6:52 PM 63° NW SE ~6 mins