Live Web-cast Sun. Night: Historic SpaceX, 1st Operational Astronaut Launch

Photograph of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, which will be launched Sunday. The Crew-1 mission will launch three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday evening.

By Glenn A. Walsh

Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Web-casts and cable-casts are set for coverage of the historic launch, rescheduled to Sunday evening, of three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut bound for the International Space Station (ISS), using the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. This first regular operational, Crew-1 mission was originally scheduled for Saturday evening.

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, plans to launch the astronauts toward the International Space Station on Sunday Evening, 2020 November 15 at 7:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / November 16, 0:27 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The launch had been originally scheduled for Saturday Evening, 2020 November 14 at 7:49 p.m. EST / November 15, 0:49 UTC. However, the launch was delayed due to concerns regarding on-shore winds and to enable recovery of the first stage booster, which is planned to be reused to launch the Crew-2 mission next year. The booster is expected to land on the recovery ship about nine minutes after launch.

The launch will occur from Launch Complex 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, at Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island, Florida. This is the same launch pad which saw the launch of the Apollo missions to the Moon, 1968 to 1972, and the Space Shuttle missions beginning on 1981 April 12; Space Shuttle missions concluded on 2011 July 21.

NASA-TV, available through the NASA Internet web-site, will provide live coverage of the launch, beginning on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. EST / 20:15 UTC (Internet link to the NASA-TV web-page near the end of this blog-post). NASA will provide continuous coverage - more than 30 hours - of the pre-launch, launch, docking and arrival activities for the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket following certification by NASA for regular flights to the Space Station. The Crew Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS at approximately 11:00 p.m. EST on Monday, 2020 November 16 / November 17, 4:00 UTC.

Coverage of the launch will also be available on two cable television channels: Discovery and Science. Chances are good that the three major cable news channels, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel may also provide coverage at the actual time of launch.

As of Saturday evening, the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron determined that weather conditions provided a 50 per-cent favorable chance of a launch of Crew-1 on Sunday evening.

The very first SpaceX astronaut mission to the ISS was a demonstration mission, launching two astronauts, on May 30. While the demonstration mission in May was short, this first operational mission will have the four astronauts stay on the ISS for about a half-year.

This Crew-1 flight will include Mission Commander Michael Hopkins (NASA), Pilot Victor Glover (NASA), Mission Specialist Shannon Walker (NASA), and Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – JAXA). Victor Glover, a Navy test pilot who is launching on his first space mission, will be the first African-American to have an extended stay on the International Space Station.

Crew-1 is the first crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the Space Station following the spacecraft system’s official human rating certification.

 NASA-TV Web-Page for SpaceX Launch: Link >>> https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

 SpaceX Crew-1 Mission -

Link 1 >>> https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/ 

Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Crew-1 

Crew Dragon Capsule: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon_2#Crew_Dragon

Falcon 9 Rocket: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9 

SpaceX: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX 

NASA: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA

Related Blog-Posts ---

"UPDATE: Web & Cablecasts: Historic SpaceX Astronaut Launch Sat. Afternoon."

Wed., 2020 May 27.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/web-cablecasts-historic-spacex.html 

 

"SpaceX Public, On-Line Simulator: Docking w/ Space Station." Tue., 2020 May 19.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/spacex-public-on-line-simulator-docking.html 

 

"Astro-Calendar: Jan. / SpaceX Crew Dragon Test Launch Jan. 11." Thur., 2020 Jan. 2. 

 Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/01/astro-calendar-jan-spacex-crew-dragon.html 

 

"Web-Cast: 1st Test Launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Tue. Afternoon."

Tue., 2018 Feb. 6.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/02/web-cast-1st-test-launch-of-spacex.html

 

NASA Orion Spacecraft: Near-Perfect Test Mission After Day-Delay." Fri., 2014 Dec. 5.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/12/nasa-orion-spacecraft-near-perfect-test.html

 

 Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

                 Sunday, 2020 November 15.

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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlNo Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: < http://www.planetarium.cc >                                                               Buhl Observatory: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

Friday the 13th: Only 2 in Leap Year

 This photograph shows the late children's television host, Fred Rogers, with the
hand-puppet King Friday the 13th, used to prevent children's superstitions. Today
(and every Friday the 13th) is the birthday of King Friday the 13th, the monarch
of the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" since 1966 on the popular, national children's
television program, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," produced by WQED-TV channel 13 
in Pittsburgh. Originally, when WQED-TV premiered in 1954 as the nation's first
community-sponsored, educational television station, King Friday the 13th had been
the king of time on the "Children's Corner" television program's "Calendarland" (hence,
why all royal family names are days-of-the-week !).
(Image Source: Fred Rogers Productions)

By Glenn A. Walsh

Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Despite the superstition that revolves around the date of Friday the 13^th, it is true that the 13^th day of the month occurs slightly more often on a Friday, than any other day of the week in the Gregorian Calendar.

Today, 2020 November 13, is the second of two occurrences of Friday the 13^th in 2020. The other occurrence this year was in March. There were only two occurrences of Friday the 13^th this year, because 2020 is a leap year.

The last time Friday the 13^th occurred in November, in 2015, it was the third of three occurrences of Friday the 13^th—the most number of such occurrences possible in one calendar year. Of course, the reason there were three such occurrences in 2015 is because the first occurred in February. And, during a non-leap year, the February calendar of days-of-the-week is always repeated in March (then adding days 29, 30, and 31), and then again in November (which also added days 29 and 30), due to the fact that February has precisely four weeks in non-leaps years.

On average, Friday the 13^th occurs once every 212.35 days. Any month that begins on a Sunday includes a Friday the 13^th. Every calendar year includes at least one Friday the 13^th. And, the longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13^th is fourteen months: from July to September of the following year which is a non-leap year or from August to October of the following year which is a leap year.

Over the 400-year recurring cycle of the Gregorian Calendar (which contains 146,000 normal days, 97 leap days, 20,871 weeks, and 4,800 months), the number of occurrences of the 13^th day of the month on each of the seven days of the week is the following:

Friday – 688

Sunday – 687

Wednesday – 687

Monday – 685

Tuesday – 685

Thursday – 684

Saturday – 684

The superstition surrounding Friday the 13^th may have originated in the Middle Ages, with the Biblical story of Jesus' Last Supper where 13 individuals were present, and his Crucifixion the next day, a Friday. One individual present at the Last Supper, Judas (perhaps considered the 13th), would betray Jesus.

Friday, 1307 October 13, the date King Philip IV of France supposedly arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, may have also contributed to the superstition, but not until the 20^th century (although the documentation of this story is quite limited).

The publication of a novel in 1907, Friday the Thirteenth by Thomas W. Lawson, may have popularized the superstition. The novel depicts a Wall Street broker using the superstition to create a financial panic on a Friday the 13^th.

Friday the 13^th is not the unlucky day in other cultures. In Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13^th is unlucky, partly due to the fall of Constantinople occurring on Tuesday, 1204 April 13. In Italy, Friday the 17^th is the unlucky day, with Italians actually considering the number 13 as lucky; more recently, with American and European influences, some Italians now also consider Friday the 13^th as unlucky.

However, confirmation bias is considered by psychologists as the reason the Friday the 13^th superstition has lasted so long. People remember bad things that happen on a Friday the 13^th, while forgetting the other occurrences of Friday the 13^th when nothing spectacular happens.

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

 
More on Friday the 13th ---
Mathematics: Link >>> http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/FridaytheThirteenth.html
General: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th
History -
   Link 1 >>> http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/09/the-origin-of-friday-the-13th-as-an-unlucky-day/
   Link 2 >>> http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp

How Mister Rogers Made Friday the 13th Less Scary:
Link >>> http://nowiknow.com/how-mr-rogers-made-friday-the-13th-less-scary/

More on King Friday XIII:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhood_of_Make-Believe#Regular_puppets

More on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" & the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe":
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Rogers'_Neighborhood

"The Sky Above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," a planetarium show produced by Family Communications, Inc. (now The Fred Rogers Company) and the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center:
Link >>> https://carnegiemuseums.org/magazine-archive/2003/mayjun/feat5.htm

More about WQED-TV channel 13, the nation's 1st community-sponsored TV station:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQED_%28TV%29

More on November 13: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_13

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.                Originally published Friday, 2015 November 13. Updated & re-published Friday, 2020 November 13.

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           More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: < http://www.planetarium.cc >

Buhl Observatory: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html >

* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com > 

* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com > 

* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

Astro-Calendar: 2020 Nov. / Centennial: Commercial Radio Broadcasting

One of the earliest photographs (circa 1921) of the broadcasting studio of KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh (original studio located at the Westinghouse plant in East Pittsburgh). KDKA was the world's first commercial broadcasting station, beginning with its first broadcast: the Harding-Cox U.S. Presidential Election Returns, which commenced at 6:00 p.m. EST / 23:00 UTC on Tuesday, 1920 November 2. Today, KDKA, which now broadcasts 50,000 watts of transmission power on AM 1020, can be heard on the radio at night in 38 states and half of Canada, as well as everywhere, anytime at http://kdkaradio.com. (Image Sources: KDKA, Wikipedia.org, By Austin C. Lescarboura - Radio for Everybody, page 62, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50907768) More Information: Link >>> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dt20ra.html

 

Astronomical Calendar for 2020 November ---
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2020.html#nov

 Related Blog Post ---

"Astro-Calendar: 2020 Oct. / SpaceX Launch & Halloween 'Blue' Moon!"

Thursday, 2020 October 1.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/10/astro-calendar-2020-oct-spacex-launch.html

Source: Friends of the Zeiss.
            Sunday, 2020 November 1.

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            More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
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                Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your in-box ?
                Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: < http://www.planetarium.cc                                                                  Buhl Observatory: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >