Weekly Links
Down to Earth
The United Arab Emirates has begun looking for astronaut candidates for their space program.
In Orbit
It’s been a quiet week: no orbital launches since my last post, although several were planned. Here’s the packed schedule coming up*:
- Dec 10 – Chinese launch of a communications satellite for Algeria (this occurred successfully this morning)
- Dec 11 – Rocket Lab test launch in New Zealand
- Dec 12 – SpaceX launch to ISS
- Dec 12 – ESA nav sat launch from French Guiana
- Dec 17 – Three astronauts launch to ISS from Kazakhstan
The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft departed the ISS last week.
Godspeed S.S. Gene Cernan #Cygnus #OA8, thank you everyone @OrbitalATK for a stellar mission. pic.twitter.com/eZu3Sgsf9j
— Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade) December 6, 2017
Cygnus will remain in orbit until December 18th, giving it enough time to deploy a payload of cubesats.
Speaking of cubesats, a JPL-built cubesat was deployed from the ISS to prove that valuable astronomy can be done in a small orbital package.
The astronauts on the ISS have been taking some incredible pictures of the fires in Southern California:
#Fires in Southern #California…The smoke plume from the California wildfires as seen from the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/sP40CO3tIl
— Сергей Рязанский (@SergeyISS) December 7, 2017
Today’s pass over SoCal unfortunately doesn’t look any better. The fires east of Camp Pendleton and in Baja are visible as well. #CaliforniaWildfires pic.twitter.com/khM9TK1u0F
— Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade) December 7, 2017
Some new photos of forest #fires in Southern #California… pic.twitter.com/fb8qKZE2Sj
— Сергей Рязанский (@SergeyISS) December 8, 2017
From @Space_Station it looks like the winds have shifted and hopefully dying down, nice to see Point Mugu and Oxnard again, hopefully Ventura soon. #CaliforniaWildfires pic.twitter.com/7qN8u1M0Q6
— Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade) December 8, 2017
Around the Solar System
Spring is coming to the northern hemisphere on Mars and Opportunity has survived another winter – nearly 14 years after landing.
The New Horizons spacecraft completed a course correction burn as it continues on its way to Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.
Out There
Astronomers have confirmed an exoplanet system containing K2-18b and K2-18c, both large potentailly habitable rocky worlds orbiting a red dwarf star. Phil Plait has an interesting observation about what this news means for our perspective about our own solar system.
*Best references for upcoming launches are LaunchLibrary.net or 2017 in Spaceflight on Wikipedia