December 2018
115th Anniversary of Wright Brothers’ First Airplane Flight (1903)
More information: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wright.htm
Find out more »GSAT 7A GSLV Mk.2 Launch
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (GSLV Mk.2), designated GSLV-F11, will launch the GSAT 7A communications satellite for the Indian Air Force. Launch time: TBD
Find out more »ISS Expedition 57 Farewells & Hatch Closure
Coverage of the ISS Expedition 57 Farewells and Hatch Closure (Hatch closure scheduled at 5:30 p.m. EST) Webcast
Find out more »ISS Expedition 57 Undocking
Coverage of the undocking of the Space Station Expedition 57 crew; undocking scheduled at 8:40 p.m. EST. Webcast
Find out more »ISS Expedition 57 Deorbit Burn & Landing
Coverage of the Deorbit Burn and Landing of the ISS Expedition 57 Crew on Soyuz MS-09 in Kazakhstan (Prokopyev, Gerst, Aunon-Chancellor; deorbit burn scheduled at 11:10p.m. EST; landing scheduled at 12:03 a.m. EST on Dec. 20) Webcast
Find out more »Ursid Meteor Shower Peak (Ursids)
The Ursid (URS) meteor shower is named for its radiant point which is located near the star Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) in the constellation Ursa Minor. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, also sometimes known as Mechain-Tuttle's Comet. Peak meteor shower activity: December 21-22
Find out more »Full Moon Hike – Palo Duro
Palo Duro Canyon has a very different beauty under the light of a full moon. Here’s your chance to experience it! Prepare: Dress warmly, wear hiking shoes, bring water to drink, and bring a flashlight or headlamp. No sign up is required for this hike. Meet: At the Wolfberry Day Use Area, located on alternate Park Road 5 next to Juniper Camping Loop. Look for signs that will tell you where to turn. Plan to arrive at no later than…
Find out more »Silent Night Hike
Join us for a hike under the light of the Full Moon. This hike will take us up the Summit Trail to the top of Enchanted Rock. Along our journey we’ll look and listen for signs of the creatures that inhabit the park at night (which now will include us!). Who knows what we’ll see or hear. Meet at the gazebo. Time: Approximately 2.0 hours. Distance: 1.5 mile there and back again. Elevation gain: 425 feet. Bring: Flashlight (preferably with…
Find out more »Our Moon and the Apollo 8 Mission
Join us as we look at the nature and exploration history of our moon. Raymond Benge of Tarrant County College will lead as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon on Christmas Eve of 1968. We will have a time of telescope observation of the moon and other night sky objects, weather permitting.
Find out more »Deep Space Network’s 55th Birthday (1963)
More information: https://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/
Find out more »Blagovest No. 13L Proton Launch
A Russian government Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage will launch the Blagovest No. 13L 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 time: 5:12 p.m. EST (2212 GMT)
Find out more »Kanopus-V 5 & 6 Soyuz Launch
The two spacecraft will assist the Russian government in disaster response, mapping and forest fire detection. Multiple secondary payloads from international companies and institutions will also launch on the Soyuz rocket. The Soyuz 2-1a rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Launch time: 9:07 p.m. EST on 26th (0207 GMT on 27th)
Find out more »Phases of the Moon
Learn about the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears to disappear and reappear each month in this interactive activity. We will also demonstrate the mechanisms of how lunar and solar eclipses occur. We will meet at the park store, Sunset Marina for this half hour indoor program. We recommend bringing a bottle of water and wearing comfortable, flat shoes when participating in any activity. Restrooms are available at the Headquarters, Activity Center, Marina, and in each…
Find out more »SaudiSat 5A & 5B Long March 2D Launch
A Chinese Long March 2D rocket will launch the SaudiSat 5A and 5B Earth observation satellites for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. Launch date: Late 2018 Launch time: TBD
Find out more »January 2019
NROL-71 Delta 4-Heavy Launch
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Launch date: TBD Launch time: TBD
Find out more »NASA’s New Horizons Reaches Ultima Thule
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015, will reach its next target: Ultima Thule
Find out more »ICON Pegasus XL Launch
Lofted to approximately 40,000 feet via an Orbital ATK L-1011 aircraft, an air-launched Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket will deploy NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite into orbit. ICON will study the ionosphere, a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere where terrestrial weather meets space weather. Disturbances in the ionosphere triggered by solar storms or weather activity in the lower atmosphere can cause disturbances in GPS navigation and radio transmissions. Launch date: TBD Launch window: 3:00-4:30 a.m. EST (0800-0930 GMT)
Find out more »Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak (Quadrantids)
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best, often producing more than 100 meteors per hour from a radiant near the North Star.
Find out more »Iridium Next 66-75 Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 10 satellites for the Iridium next mobile communications fleet. Launch time: 10:53 a.m. EST; 7:53 a.m. PST (1553 GMT)
Find out more »Crew Dragon Demo 1 Falcon 9 Launch
A Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) "full thrust" Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crewed variant of the Hawthorne, California-based aerospace firm's Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on an uncrewed test flight. The flight is slated to get underway from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Launch window: Approx. 8 p.m. EST on 17th (0100 GMT on 18th)
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