Mars: Insight news conferences + Mars 2020 landing target + Soft landslides

NASA TV will webcast two programs today about the upcoming touch down of the Insight lander on Mars: NASA Live: InSight Mars Landing | NASA 

NASA’s InSight lander is scheduled to touch down on Mars at approximately 3 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 26. NASA TV live coverage of the InSight Mars landing will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. UTC). Upcoming briefings:

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 1 p.m. EST: InSight Mars Lander news conference: Mission engineering overview.
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m. EST: InSight Mars Lander news conference: Mission science overview

It will take about 8 minutes for signals from Insight to reach earth during its descent through the atmosphere and the touch down on the surface. Here’s an item about the communications systems that allow for ground controllers to know what happened : How NASA Will Know When InSight Touches Down – NASA JPL

 

Insight landing sequence: Credits: Emily Lakdawalla for The Planetary Society

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The Mars 2020 Rover, which is similar in design and capabilities to the Curiosity rover, now knows where it will land: NASA Announces Landing Site for Mars 2020 Rover – NASA JPL

This Mars map depicts the final four locations under consideration for the landing site of Mars 2020. The topographic map of Mars was created by the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on board the robot Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. MOLA measured heights on Mars by precisely determining the time it took for a low power laser beam to bounce off the surface. Image Credit: NASA/MGS/MOLA Science Team. Larger view

Speaking of Curiosity, here is a recent update on its activities: Curiosity on the Move Again | NASA.

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Bob Zimmerman examines an image taken of the Martian surface and highlights what is similar and different between geologic processes on Mars versus on the Earth: The soft landslides of Mars | Behind The Black

The light gravity of Mars, combined with different materials, a lot of dust, and a geological history different from Earth, produces events that — though reminiscent of similar geological events on Earth — are definitely not the same.

Landslide in Southern Mid-Latitude Crater – HiRISE

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Telescopes and Binoculars at Amazon

Student CubeSat projects roundup – Nov.20.2018

A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. about student and amateur CubeSat / smallsat projects and programs:

** Yahsat, Khalifa University deliver MYSAT-1 CubeSat to ISS – Telecompaper

UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat, Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Northrop Grumman have announced the successful launch of the MYSAT-1 CubeSat to the International Space Station (ISS) on board the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft. CubeSat will be used for educational and research purposes once it is deployed to its final orbit in the beginning of 2019.

The nanosatellite carries two payloads, including a camera to take images of the UAE from space, demonstrating the process of remote sensing, as well as an innovative lithium-ion battery developed at Khalifa University to be tested in the extreme temperatures and radiation in space. MYSAT-1 is the first Cubesat (or nanosatellite) built at the Yahsat Space Lab at Khalifa University. 

See also MYSAT-1 CubeSat successfully launched – gulftoday.ae.

** Small satellites tackle big scientific questions – CU Boulder Today/University of Colorado Boulder

CU Boulder will soon have new eyes on the sun. Two miniature satellites designed by researchers at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics(LASP) are scheduled to launch later this month on Spaceflight’s SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 

The new missions—called the Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer-2 (MinXSS-2) and the Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor (CSIM)—will collect data on the physics of the sun and its impact on life on Earth. 

These “CubeSats,” which are smaller than a microwave oven, are set to blast into a near-Earth orbit alongside more than 60 other spacecraft. According to Spaceflight, the SSO-A: SmallSat Express is the largest dedicated rideshare mission from a U.S.-based launch vehicle to date.

** KNACKSAT to launch November 19 | Southgate Amateur Radio News

Tanan Rangseeprom HS1JAN reports KNACKSAT, the first CubeSat made in Thailand, will be launched into orbit at 18:32 GMT on Monday, November 19, 2018 by SpaceX as part of the SSO-A mission

KNACKSAT is a small satellite carrying the great pride of Thailand.

** SpaceX launch from KSC to achieve ‘dream’ of ham radio enthusiasts – Florida Today

Ham radio communication through the space station and other satellites has always been limited to low orbits offering short windows for communication within a spacecraft’s coverage area as it passes by.

That is set to change with SpaceX’s planned Thursday afternoon launch from Kennedy Space Center of a Qatari communications satellite, Es’hail-2, to an orbit high over the equator.

“We’ve never gotten a transponder up in geostationary orbit,” said Joe Spier, president of the nonprofit Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT, in North America. “It’s this repeater station in the sky that stays overhead all the time, and that has long been a dream of radio amateurs.”

** South Korea Has Five Satellites On Upcoming SpaceX Falcon-9 Launch – SpaceWatch.Global

South Korean government agencies and universities have five payloads on board the upcoming SpaceX Falcon-9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. The launch is currently scheduled for 19 November 2018, and will loft approximately 60 satellites from numerous countries and companies.

** AMSAT news on student and amateur CubeSat/smallsat projects: ANS-322 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin

  • Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express Launch Delayed
  • Fox-1Cliff…The Essentials
  • After the Fox-1Cliff Launch – Your Help is Needed!
  • Score a FREE book with the Fox-1Cliff Membership Drive!
  • SatPC32 Data for Fox-1Cliff and Co-Passenger Launch
  • Spaceflight’s SSO-A…An Amateur Radio Satellite Bonanza
  • JY1SAT launch information & Dashboard Software
  • Congratulations to AMSAT-DL for Successful Es’Hail-2 Launch
  • Es’hail-2 / P4-A Positioning and IOT Phase Started
  • Open Source Cubesat Workshop 2018 Videos Posted
  • Updates to AMSAT 2-Line Keplerian Elements Distribution
  • IARU Coordinates DIWATA 2B Frequencies
  • Japanese Ten-Koh Satellite Launched
  • Upcoming Satellite Operations
  • ARISS News
  • Satellite Shorts from All Over

General CubeSat info:

Space policy roundup – Nov.19.2018

A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government related space news and resource items that I found of interest:

Webcasts:

** Space Policy Edition: After the Midterms—Looking Ahead with Marcia SmithThe Planetary Society

http://dcs.megaphone.fm/PPY3112576613.mp3?key=bd5b3b9afd456246ad33a065cfeec235&listener=a4d8e73f-1b9d-488b-952a-9cffadbd3176

** Why The US Took So Long To Replace Space Shuttle’s Crew CapabilityScott Manley

The Space Show this week – Nov.19.2018

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Monday, Nov. 19, 2018; 2-3:30 pm PST (4-5:30 pm CST, 5-6:30 pm EST): No show today for medical recovery.

2. Tuesday, Nov. 20 2018: 7-8:30 pm PST; 9-10:30 pm CST; 10-11:30 pm EST: No show today for medical recovery.

3. Wednesday, Nov. 21 2018: Hotel Mars. See Upcoming Show Menu and the website newsletter for details. Hotel Mars is pre-recorded by John Batchelor. It is archived on The Space Show site after John posts it on his website.

4. Friday, Nov.23, 2018; 9:30 am -11 am PST, (12:30 -2 pm EST; 11:30 am -1 pm CDT. No show today as part of U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday.

5. The Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 program from 12-1:30 pm PST, (3-4:30 pm EST, 2-3:30 pm CDT): Sarah Cruddas returns for the first half hour to discuss Space for Humanity followed by a special Open Lines program.

A couple of recent programs:

** Mon, 11/12/2018 – Space historian Dr. Roger Launius talked about his new Smithsonian History book, Space Exploration From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future.

** Sun, 11/11/2018Dennis Bushnell, , Chief Scientist for NASA Langley Research Center, talked about “potential commercial deep space development and business opportunities”.

See also:
* The Space Show on Vimeo – webinar videos
* The Space Show’s Blog – summaries of interviews.
* The Space Show Classroom Blog – tutorial programs

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
David Livingston

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Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes

 

Everyone can participate in space