Ah, 2020. When we see it, there will be a word we will use to describe its endless barrage of grim news: unprecedented.
Unprecedented forest fires. An unprecedented pandemic. Unprecedented levels of misinformation. Unprecedented locks. Unprecedented warming in the Arctic. Unprecedented economic devastation. It can be difficult to find positives in a year when each month feels like a decade.
But in space, there have been many admirable achievements. Unprecedented, one might say.
SpaceX and NASA Manned Demonstration Mission It took astronauts to the International Space Station, the first time that a commercial company has done so. Astronomers solved the problem of missing matter in the universe with strange signals from the other side of the cosmos. NASA Parker Solar Probe broke two other records as it flies around the sun. The second interstellar comet that visits our solar system. began to separate. A rare ring of fire eclipse hypnotized observers around the world. And we may have even seen the invisible for the first time: A collision of a black hole in deep space.
It can be difficult to keep up to date and we know it, and we want to help.
Today, CNET is launching a space calendar that covers all major rocket launches, fascinating meteor showers, epic eclipses, and even a variety of scientific milestones. You can synchronize our always updated calendar with your own Google calendar (or another provider with this link) so you never miss a thing. Each event on the calendar will link you directly to a story or broadcast and all you have to do is add it to your call now.
And there really is no better time to launch. July heralds the beginning of an incredibly busy time for space science and exploration of the universe. A series of new missions will take advantage of the orbits of Earth and Mars to send probes and explorers to the red planet. In addition, there are still significant meteor showers and a total eclipse in December.
We want to hear from you too. If there is anything you think deserves a mention, let us know. You can email or tweet me with any obvious omissions!
Here’s what to expect for the next six months. Follow for more updates!
July 14: Launch of the Hope Mars orbiter
Hope is the first interplanetary mission led by a Muslim-majority Arab country. When the UAE satellite reaches Mars in 2021, it will be the first probe to offer a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere, providing a holistic view of how Mars’ climate varies throughout the year. But here on Earth, you can accomplish something even more important: Bring hope to a younger generation, attract more women to STEM, and promote collaboration between nations.
In all honesty, the Hope Mars Mission could change everything we know about the red planet.
July 23: China Tianwen-1 launch
Tianwen-1 means “questions to heaven” in Chinese and is a three-vehicle mission to Mars by the country: its first attempt to land a rover on the red planet. The orbiter, lander, and scout vehicle are designed to probe the atmosphere of Mars and look for signs of life on the surface.
China recently had huge success landing and exploring the moon in 2019.
July 27: Aquariids Delta Peak
This meteor shower begins in mid-July and peaks at the end of the month as Earth breaks through the debris left behind by a pair of sun-grazing comets. The southern hemisphere has the best view, but those in the northern latitudes should be able to see the Delta Aquariids until mid-August. The peak occurs around July 27-28: be sure to review how to catch a meteor shower before that.
July 30: NASA’s Perseverance rover launches
NASA Perseverance Rover it’s a science lab on wheels and it’s headed to Mars to assess whether the red planet ever supported life. That it will also take wit, a helicopter, in your belly, and if everything goes according to plan, the helicopter will be the first vehicle to fly to another planet.
August 2: Crew Dragon returns to Earth
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is shown here minutes before docking with the International Space Station.
NASA Screenshot by Stephen Shankland / CNETDemo-2 mission sent astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station In May. After spending about two months at the station, it is time to return to Earth. The pair will undock in the Crew Dragon capsule and return home, and eventually land in the ocean, the first time a spacecraft does so in the US since 1975. The earliest date for the return is scheduled for August 2 and will set the stage for the first official manned mission to the ISS six to eight weeks later.
October 20: NASA’s Osiris-Rex tries to test Bennu asteroid
This artist’s performance shows what Osiris-Rex would look like when he arrives in Bennu.
POTAfter Hayabusa-2, a fearless asteroid hunter operated by the Japan space agency, broke and grabbed rock from asteroid Ryugu in 2019NASA is going to have a chance. Osiris-rex (for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) has been chasing his own asteroid, Bennu, and Found a place to steal some asteroid land. The smash-grab-and-run date set for October 20, when we could learn more about an asteroid than can hit Earth in the next century.
October 22: Peak of the Orionids
The Orionid meteor shower occurs until October and November, but should peak around October 22. The shooting “stars” are actually remains of Halley’s Comet and cross the sky as Earth passes through its trail of dust. Debris burns in Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a brief trail of gas. (Again, make sure you have the skills to see these meteor showers.)
November 2: 20 years of ISS occupation
The International Space Station turns 20!
On November 2, 2000, the station’s first long-term residents docked: William Shepherd of NASA and two Russian cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. The space station has been instrumental in studying the effects of microgravity and how long-duration space flights can affect the human body. Too has a big bathroom!
The Low Earth Orbit Laboratory is expected to continue operating for another 10 years, but space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency are preparing for a new space laboratory – the gateway, which is designed to help transport astronauts from Earth to the moon’s surface. Because it all starts with the moon.
December: Hayabusa2 returns to Earth with a sample of asteroids
After cosmic pickpocket in 2019 from Japan Hayabusa2 spaceship it will slide past Earth and drop a pot containing a soil sample that launched from asteroid Ryugu. Like a newspaper delivery man, the sample will be dumped and hopefully land in Australia’s backyard, somewhere in the desert, in December.
December 14: a total solar eclipse blocks the Sun in South America
Total solar eclipses are one of the most fascinating and epic cosmic phenomena that we can experience on Earth. The moon passes in front of the sun, hides it from view and instantly changes from day to night. There is only one total solar eclipse in 2020 and it will be visible mainly in parts of Chile and Argentina. However, we will make sure you see the best picture of the day. And, if you somehow allow yourself to travel again in 2020 and want to head to South America to see it for yourself, look at our guide.
December 21: Jupiter and Saturn meet in the sky
Not literally, of course. The two planets will be in conjunction in late 2020, an event that only happens once every 20 years. When the two most massive planets in our solar system meet like this, it’s known as a “great conjunction” and the last one occurred in 2000. If you look at the sky between June and August, you should be able to see the planets shine quite easily. If you need help, we’ve got you covered with these great stargazing apps to detect constellations.
