August 3, 2019 was one of our most well-attended meetings yet. Nathan gave an overview of the NSS and a recap of some of the space events since the last meeting. Then our featured speaker Anima Sabale journey of exploring her dream of becoming an astronaut. (Read a summary of Anima’s presentation here.) We closed the meeting with a drawing for Lego Apollo Lunar lander.

Now is an amazing time to be involved in space. Launches that used to happen months apart are now happening multiple times a week. There were 10 launches since the last meeting.

•July 10, 2019 – Soyuz 2-1v – Kosmos 2535-2538 – 4 Russian Military Satellites
•July 10, 2019 – Arianespace Vega rocket – UAE Surveillance Satellite (failed) •July 13, 2019 – Proton – Spektr-RG – X-ray telescope
•July 20, 2019 –  Soyuz – ISS 59S – 3 astronauts to the ISS
(Andrew “Drew” Morgan (NASA), Luca Parmitano (ESA), Alexander Skvortsov (Roscosmos))
•July 22, 2019 – GSLV Mk.3 – Chandrayaan 2 – India’s second mission to the moon.
•July 25, 2019 – Hyperbola 1 • Multi-payload – i-Space, a commercial space company in China – launches several small payloads including CAS-7B amateur radio satellite
•July 25, 2019 – Falcon 9 – SpaceX CRS 18 – supplies to the ISS
•July 25, 2019 – Long March 2C – Yaogan 30-05 – surveillance satellites for the Chinese military •July 30, 2019 – Soyuz – Meridian – communications satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
•July 31, 2019 – Soyuz – Progress 73P – Supplies to the ISS
(See SpaceFlight Now’s launch log for details about these and other launches: https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-log/ )

The Planetary Society Announces LightSail 2 is a Success (
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-successful-flight-by-light.html )

The Planetary Society’s ligthsail was launched on a Falcon Heavy as part of the STP-2 Mission.
“The STP-2 multi-manifest (rideshare) launch will demonstrate the capabilities of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle and provide critical data supporting certification for future National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. In addition, SMC will use this mission as a pathfinder for the development of mission assurance policies and procedures related to the reuse of launch vehicle boosters. The STP-2 payloads are assembled from a host of mission partners including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), DoD research laboratories, and university research projects. STP-2 provides a unique space access opportunity for DoD and inter-agency science and technology missions that directly enhance the space capabilities of the U.S. and its allies and partners.”
https://www.spacex.com/stp-2

SpaceX performs a free-flying hopper test of StarHopper. This is a key test of the SpaceX Starship which will be able to carry more than 100 people into space at a time. There will be more tests later this year with orbital test flights as early as next year.

The StarShip will revolutionize space travel. It may be hard to truly understand how transformational this will be. But there is something in our past that can help.

Imagine being in the age when airplanes looked like this:

Only carried a single person, didn’t fly so far, maybe wasn’t too safe. Imagine now that I try to convince you that you will be able to get on a plane in Houston, pay only $1,000 and be in Tokyo in less than 14 hours. Imagine how you might dismiss this idea.

But then I show you this:

You will be like “of course the air transportation system will develop into what we have today.”. Well, the starship, 100% reusable, most power rocket built, and cheapest to launch rocket ever will change space transportation (and earth transportation) in a similar way.

SpaceX will be flying a group around the moon in 2023.

https://dearmoon.earth/

She talked about her experience with HERA (Human Exploration and Research Analog).
HERA is a unique three-story habitat designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement, and remote conditions in exploration scenarios. Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/hera/
You can also volunteer for a mission: https://herastudy.jsc.nasa.gov/

Anima had also participated in Project Possum (https://projectpossum.org/ ) https://youtu.be/JMYXHYC59D0

Project PoSSUM operates several programs including:

• Advanced Possum Space Academy –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/possum-space-academy/
• PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Program –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/scientist-astronaut-program/
• PoSSUM Graduate Courses –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/graduate-programs/
• Applied Astronautics Program –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/applied-astronautics-program/

Anima also participated in a simulation at the Mars Desert Research Station operated by the MarsSociety
http://mdrs.marssociety.org/

The audience was amazed by her experiences.

Connect with Anima on social media to learn more as she continues her journey.

Website: https://animapatilsabale.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/animasabale/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animpatilsabale/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnimaOnTwit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astroanima/?hl=en

Thank you Anima for speaking to our group.

And we had a drawing for a Lego Apollo Lunar Lander.

August 3, 2019 was one of our most well-attended meetings yet. Nathan gave an overview of the NSS and a recap of some of the space events since the last meeting (read more here).
Then our featured speaker Anima Sabale shared her journey of exploring her dream of becoming an astronaut.
We closed the meeting with a drawing for Lego Apollo Lunar lander.

She talked about her experience with HERA (Human Exploration and Research Analog).
HERA is a unique three-story habitat designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement, and remote conditions in exploration scenarios. Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/hera/
You can also volunteer for a mission: https://herastudy.jsc.nasa.gov/

Anima had also participated in Project Possum (https://projectpossum.org/ )

https://youtu.be/JMYXHYC59D0

Project PoSSUM operates several programs including:

• Advanced Possum Space Academy –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/possum-space-academy/
• PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Program –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/scientist-astronaut-program/
• PoSSUM Graduate Courses –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/graduate-programs/
• Applied Astronautics Program –
  https://projectpossum.org/science-programs/applied-astronautics-program/

Anima also participated in a simulation at the Mars Desert Research Station operated by the MarsSociety
http://mdrs.marssociety.org/

The audience was amazed by her experiences.

Connect with Anima on social media to learn more as she continues her journey.

Website: https://animapatilsabale.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/animasabale/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animpatilsabale/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnimaOnTwit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astroanima/?hl=en

Thank you Anima for speaking to our group.

And we had a drawing for a Lego Apollo Lunar Lander.

(Launch information is from https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/)

LAUNCH: August 5, 2019 – Proton • Blagovest No. 14L- A Russian government Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage will launch the Blagovest No. 14L communications satellite to cover Russian territory and provide high-speed Internet, television and radio broadcast, and voice and video conferencing services for Russian domestic and military users.

LAUNCH: August 5, 2019 – 4:52 PM Central – SpaceX Falcon 9 launch – Amos-17 – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Amos 17 communications satellite. Built by Boeing and owned by Spacecom Ltd. of Israel, Amos 17 will provide high-throughput broadband connectivity and other communications services over Africa, the Middle East and Europe.  (SpaceX Reddit Group: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/cjaawx/amos17_launch_campaign_thread/   will be live streamed on SpaceX’s website: https://www.spacex.com/webcast)

LAUNCH: August 6, 2019 – Ariane 5 • Intelsat 39 & EDRS-C – Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA249, to launch the Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C communications satellites. Built by SSL, the Intelsat 39 satellite will replace Intelsat 902 and provide broadband networking and video distribution services in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, plus broadband connectivity for mobile users in the Indian Ocean region. The EDRS-C satellite, built by OHB System AG, will be the second node in the European Data Relay System, a network developed by the European Space Agency and Airbus Defense and Space providing high-speed laser communications links between low-orbiting satellites and ground stations. EDRS-C also carries a hosted steerable Ka-band communications payload named Hylas 3 for Avanti Communications.

LAUNCH: August 8, 2019 – Atlas 5 • AEHF 5 – A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. Built by Lockheed Martin, this U.S. military spacecraft will provide highly-secure communications. The rocket will fly in the 551 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.

EVENT: August 9, 2019 (Friday) – 7:00 PM – Space Center Houston – Free Event – “The Future of Spaceflight” Panel discussion featuring NASA Orion Program manager Mark Kirasich, Lockheed Martin VP & Orion program manager Mike Hawes and NASA Gateway Program deputy manager Lara Kearney (https://spacecenter.org/event/thought-leader-series/) 

EVENT: August 9, 2019 – 7:30 PM Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society presents “Apollo 11 at 50” (Auditorium of the USRA bldg. (3600 Bay Area Blvd. at Middlebrook Dr.) (http://jscas.net)

EVENT: August 10, 2019 – 8PM – Discovery Green – The Houston Astronomical Society will host a star party in the heart of Space City. Volunteers from HAS will be on-hand with telescopes to show off the moon, other planets in the solar system, various deep-sky objects, and maybe even the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. (https://www.discoverygreen.com/1619289)

TEST: August 12, 2019 – Boca Chica, TX – StarHopper 200 meter hop.  (keep an eye on SpaceX reddit group: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/cjzhw0/starhopper_200m_hop_is_net_august_12/)

EVENT: August 13, 2019 – 7PM-9PM – Houston Museum of Natural Science – Space City Weather, What Makes Houston Forecasting Unique by Eric Berger & Matt Lanza (http://store.hmns.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=4419)  Eric Berger is also a space reporter and has some wonderful articles published at https://arstechnica.com/author/ericberger/)

EVENT: August 13-14, 2019 – NASA Cost and Schedule Symposium (registration is Closed, but looks like an interesting professional event around cost/schedule estimation and planning that happens annually that might be good to attend next year).  More information on their website.  https://www.nasa.gov/offices/ocfo/cost_symposium

EVENT: August 16, 2019 – 6PM-9PM – Kaboom Books 3116 Houston Ave) Space Poetry and Wine (http://shenge.us/)

LAUNCH: August – Rockot • Geo-IK 2 – A Russian government Rockot vehicle with a Breeze KM upper stage will launch a GEO-IK 2 spacecraft. The satellite is designed to survey Earth to measure variations in the gravitational field and study other geodetic features of the planet.

LAUNCH: August – Long March 3B • Apstar 6D – A Chinese Long March 3B rocket will launch with the Apstar 6D communications spacecraft for APT Mobile Satcom Ltd., a communications satellite operator based in Hong Kong. Built by the China Academy of Space Technology, Apstar 6D will provide broadband Internet services across the Asia-Pacific region for aviation, maritime and land-based users.

LAUNCH: August 21 – Soyuz – ISS 60S – Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft to the International Space Station on a test flight without a crew on-board. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration, and will demonstrate the compatibility of the Soyuz spacecraft with the newer Soyuz-2 rocket variant before approving the launcher for future crewed missions.

EVENT: August 22, 2019 – 11AM-1PM – Ballroom at Bayou Place (500 Texas St.) – Downtown Rotary Club of Houston will host Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director Mark S. Geyer, astronaut Randolph “Komrade” Bresnik, and Apollo Astronaut, and fellow Downtown Rotary Club of Houston member, Walter Cunningham will also be honored. (https://bit.ly/2GIPfhS)

LAUNCH: August 22 – Delta 4 • GPS 3 SV02 – A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s second third-generation navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The satellite is built by Lockheed Martin. The Air Force previously planned to launch the third GPS 3-series satellite on this mission. The rocket will fly in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters.

EVENT: August 24 – Boca Chica, TX – Elon Musk Presents an update on the Starship Project (keep an eye on the SpaceX Reddit group for update: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/  (https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/08/elon-musk-will-update-the-status-of-starship-development-on-august-24/)

APPLICATION OPENS: August 28, 2019 – NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars – Applications Open for Spring-Summer 2020 – (https://nas.okstate.edu/ncas/)

EVENT: August 31, 2019 – 4:30PM – Space Center Houston – Family Campout – https://www.facebook.com/events/1213869752100113/

EVENT: September 1, 2019 – 7PM – Cafe Express (3800 SW Freeway, Houston, TX) – Fantasy/Sci Fi Book Club – Tau Zero (Poul Anderson) – https://www.meetup.com/houston-fantasy-scifi-bookclub/events/263231622/

EVENT: September 6, 2019 – 6:30 PM – Houston Astronomical Society Monthly Meeting (https://www.astronomyhouston.org/events)

LANDING: September 7, 2019 – Chandrayaan 2 Lands on the moon

EVENT: September 7, 2019 – 3PM – Barbara Bush Library – NSS North Houston Space Society monthly meeting (http://NorthHoustonSpace.org)

EVENTs: October 4-10, 2019 – World Space Week (http://WorldSpaceWeek.org)

DEADLINE: November 12, 2019 – Deadline for Brooke Owens Fellowship (http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org)

EVENT: November 15-16 – Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin, TX – New Worlds Conference – (http://earthlightfoundation.org/newworlds/)

EVENT: December 9-12, 2019 – First International Orbital Debris Conference – Sugar Land Marriott Town Square (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/orbitaldebris2019/)

EVENT: January 19-24, 2020 – Hotel Galvez, 2024 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, TX – Origins of Life – Challenging the Perceptions of the Requirements for Life on Earth and Other Worlds – Applications for this meeting must be submitted by December 22, 2019. – (https://www.grc.org/origins-of-life-conference/2020/)

EVENT: February 11-13, 2020 – Houston, TX – The Impact of Lunar Dust on Human Exploration (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lunardust2020/)

EVENT: February 18-21, 2020 – 3rd International Planetary Caves Conference – Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/3rdcaves2020/)

EVENT: March 16-20, 2020 (The Woodlands, TX) – 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference – https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2020/

EVENT: May 28-31, 2020 – Hilton Dallas-Frisco Hotel & Convention Center – International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2020 – https://isdc2020.nss.org/

Join us on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 3PM at the Barbara Bush Library for our next NSS North Houston Space Society meeting. Our featured speaker will be Anima Sabale.

Anima Patil-Sabale is based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center where she manages the Orion Spacecraft Simulations Lab. She has worked on NASA’s Kepler Mission and in NASA’s Intelligent Systems Division prior to this and has 14 years of experience in the software industry prior. Anima has been a Commander for the HERA VII mission, a 14 day Human Exploration and Research Analog at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2015. She has also been a Commander for a Mars Analog Mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah in 2018, leading a crew of 5 in a study on how astronauts will live, work and survive on Mars. She has been a First Tier Support Engineer for Hi-SEAS for about 4 years. She is a Scientist-Astronaut candidate for Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) and Project PHEnOM, both commercial suborbital spaceflight research programs. She has been contributing as a research subject to important astronautics research studies flying parabolas to test the performance of a commercial spacesuit in microgravity, laying in a head-down tilt position for NASA’s Simulated Microgravity Fluid Loading study, spinning in a centrifuge and pulling upto 6G’s to contribute to an important FAA commercial spaceflight study, providing inputs to NASA’s astronaut food study et. al.

First off, I want to thank Greg Stanley and Dough Hall for putting together such a good June meeting.

Their presentations and more information about the meeting are available on our website: SpaceX StarLink, Skylon/SABRE, and more at the June 1, 2019 – NSS North Houston Space Society Meeting

We covered some recent space events:

SpaceX was successfully able to capture one of the payload fairings. The video from the onboard camera is stunning:

Watch the replay of the entire launch.

Partially reusable rockets are here, and they are changing the economics of getting payloads and people into space. 100% reusable rockets are right around the corner and they will change EVERYTHING!

Elon tweeted July 7” Exciting progress in Boca! Hopper almost ready to hover. Based on tonight’s test, looks like 600 Hz Raptor vibration problem is fixed.”
SpaceX targets 2021 commercial Starship launch
And don’t forget about DearMoon, the plans to use Starship to send people around the moon in 2023.

Then Nathan gave an overview of his experiences at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC).

The main focus of the presentation was about our efforts to return to the moon as part of the Artemis program.

And we have not been back since Apollo 17 lifted off from the moon on December 14, 1972.

At ISDC 2019 the NSS North Houston Space Society chapter received a “Special Merit” award for our efforts to fund and select a ZERO-G experience for a Houston area high school student.

(see Summary of February 2019 NSS North Houston Space Society Meeting – Space Infrastructure & High School Astronaut Contest for more details)

ISDC 2019 was an amazing event. And I recommend everyone plan on attending next year when ISDC is in Dallas. May 28-31, 2020
https://isdc2020.nss.org/

We also had a drawing for a Lego Lunar Module. Banu’s son won the drawing. Congratulations!

We had a great group for this meeting:

Be sure and come to our August 3, 2019 meeting. It will be at Barbara Bush Library at 3PM. Anima Sabale will be the guest speaker.

Every year the National Space Society (NSS) hosts the International Space Development Conference (ISDC). This conference brings together
scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, students, artists and space enthusiasts for several days of engaging discussions, presentations, tours and social events that all focus on the events that are leading rapidly to permanent settlements in space. 

This year, it included many well known speakers including Jim Bridenstine (NASA Administrator), Eileen Collins (former NASA Astronaut), Tory Bruno (CEO of ULA), Jeffry Manber (CEO NanoRacks). It included student presentations from approximately 500 students from around the world. And sessions covering the Moon, NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), Bio-Requirements for Space Settlement, Mankind’s Future on Mars, Space Settlement, Achieving Earth Independence, Interstellar, Space Elevators, Space Business, Space Solar Power, Living in Space, Space Transportation, LaunchPad Talks, and the Many Roads to Space.

This year three members of the NSS North Houston Space Society chapter was able to attend. Nathan Price will be giving an overview of what he learned. And encouraging all to attend next year which will be much closer…

Join us on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at 3PM at the Barbara Bush Library at 6817 CypressWood Dr.

Website:  http://NorthHoustonSpace.org
MeetUp: https://www.meetup.com/Future-North-Houston-National-Space-Society-Chapter/
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/NssNorthHoustonSpaceSociety/

All of humanity’s futures can be categorized into two buckets:
1) We stay on Earth Forever. Everything we know or will ever know happens here on this one small mote in the universe.
2) We learn to expand life, civilization and everything beyond Earth. We learn to live everywhere. And while there are no signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, we know that won’t be the case forever. Because people from Earth will spread out into the cosmos.

The National Space Society (NSS) firmly votes for the second future. While it may seem impossible now, we know that if we make steady progress, it will be inevitable. Each month we explore that journey, and we invite everyone, both advocate and skeptic, both novice and expert, to come and explore it with us.

Here is what we covered in the June 1, 2019 meeting.
(Thank you Greg Stanley & Doug Hall for putting on a great meeting. Also, thank you C. Stuart Hardwick for taking pictures.)

Greg’s full presentation is available for download.

Below are some of the highlights.

Doug Hall gave an update on the Skylon / SABRE developments. His presentation is available for download:

Here are some highlights:

Upcoming Events

The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) will be held June 6-9, 2019 at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA.
https://isdc2019.nss.org/ Nathan, Sonia, and Christopher Price will be attending and will share the experience at our next monthly meeting on July 6, 2019.

Other Space Events at the Barbara Bush Library

Moon Men & Rock Stars:  True Tales of Apollo Astronauts and Planetary Scientists.
Judy Allton:  storyteller, also curator of solar wind collectors for JSC at NASA, and previously worked with Apollo lunar soil cores •Includes updates on Apollo samples soon to be opened and analyzed for the first time since collection 50 years ago.
6/14/2019, 4:30 PM, Barbara Bush Library, Earl Elliott Room (Foyer)

Saturday Shorts with CineSpace (http://CineSpace.org)
6/22/2019, 2:00 PM,  Barbara Bush Library, Earl Elliott Room (Foyer)

So much happening in Space, come talk about it!

Come learn about space exploration and its impact on our lives here on earth. Join us as we share the latest happenings and discuss our exciting future among the stars. All ages and knowledge levels welcome.

Barbara Bush Library – Saturday, June 1, 2019 – 3PM

Website:  http://NorthHoustonSpace.org
MeetUp: https://www.meetup.com/Future-North-Houston-National-Space-Society-Chapter/
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/NssNorthHoustonSpaceSociety/

We had a great May 4th meeting at the Barbara Bush Library. Herb Baker came and shared highlights of his 40+ year career at NASA. It was fascinating to hear first hand about how the events of the post-Apollo and Shuttle era unfolded. And before he started at NASA, he worked for the TV networks helping with logistics coverage of the Apollo program.

As a token of Thanks, the NSS North Houston Space Society presented Herb Baker with a EcoSphere. Unlike the shrimp who are trapped in their self-contained world, we have people like Herb Baker to help us break free into the universe.

Nathan Price also hosted a conversation on “Why Space?” focusing on how space improves our vision of the earth, the earth within the universe and of our place in the universe. “We go to the moon not because of what we will do to the moon. We go to the moon because of what the moon will do to us.”

We had 14 people present at the meeting. (Which is great considering that this meeting was at a different place and a different time than the ones in the past.)

Our next meeting will be a Barbara Bush Library, Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 3PM.

Join NSS North Houston Space Society on May 4, 2019 from 3:00-5:00 PM at the Barbara Bush Library (6817 Cypresswood Drive Spring, TX 77379). Learn about the latest happenings in space exploration and about what is just around the corner. Talk to fellow members. (Our members include people of all walks of life. Some have experience in space exploration, some are engineers in other fields, some are business people, programmers, sci-fi writers, students, and people that are interested.) Discussing space exploration with others that are interested in it too is one of the benefits of coming to a NSS meeting.

The May 4th meeting will also feature Herb Baker, Former Manager at NASA/Johnson Space Center. His office provided contract management support to the Flight Operations Directorate, the Safety & Mission Assurance Office, the Human Resources (HR) office, and the Office of the CFO at the Johnson Space Center and included support to operations at NASA’s aircraft operations at Ellington Field. This support covered activities within Mission Control, the Astronaut Office, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility among others.