NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will hold a teleconference today (Sept. 15) to discuss the sun's current solar cycle and its impact on space weather.

The briefing will begin at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) and will be visible here at start time. You can also follow along live with NASA here: http://www.nasa.gov/live. At 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), NASA will also broadcast a NASA Science Live on the announcement.

The sun is approaching a new phase of its space weather cycle. In today's talk, NASA and NOAA scientists with the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel will discuss the upcoming solar cycle: Solar Cycle 25.

The sun has an 11-year activity cycle. At its peak, called solar maximum, the sun experiences intense solar storms, eruptions and flares. Such space weather can endager astronauts, satellites and affect power grids on Earth when they hit our planet.

From NASA:

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will discuss predictions for the upcoming solar cycle during a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 15. Tracking the solar cycle is a key part of better understanding the Sun and mitigating its impacts on human technology and infrastructure.

During the teleconference, experts on the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel will discuss recent updates in solar cycle progress, and the forecast for the upcoming cycle, Solar Cycle 25.

The Sun goes through regular cycles of activity lasting approximately 11 years. During the most active part of the cycle, known as solar maximum, the Sun can unleash immense explosions of light, energy, and solar radiation – all of which create conditions known as space weather. Space weather can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications systems – such as radio and GPS – and power grids on Earth. When the Sun is most active, space weather events become more frequent.

The teleconference audio will stream live at:

http://www.nasa.gov/live

Participants in the call will be:

Doug Biesecker, solar physicist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and co-chair, Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel

Jake Bleacher, chief exploration scientist in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

Lika Guhathakurta, program scientist in NASA’s Heliophysics Division

Elsayed Talaat, director of the Office of Projects, Planning, and Analysis for NOAA Satellites

Lisa Upton, solar scientist with the Space Systems Research Corporation and co-chair of the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel

To participate in the media teleconference, media must provide their name and affiliation to Lina Tran at lina.tran@nasa.gov by noon Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The media event will be followed at 3 p.m. by a special episode of NASA Science Live about the announcement and the science of the solar cycle. The program will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website, Facebook Live, YouTube, and Periscope. The public can send questions during the event using #AskNASA on Twitter or by leaving a comment in the chat section on Facebook.

NASA also will host a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, featuring several experts discussing the announcement and science of the solar cycle. Questions can be submitted to the event when it begins.

NASA and NOAA, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies, are working together on the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan to enhance space weather preparedness and protect the nation from space weather hazards. Improving our understanding of solar variability, and thereby space weather prediction techniques and models, will also protect spacecraft and astronauts in the Artemis program and are core aspects of this collaboration.

For more information on NASA programs and activities, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

Postponed: The Explorers Club SpaceX Talk

Update for 7 pm ET: The Explorers Club's virtual lecture "SpaceX - Makig Life Multiplanetary" has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. It will be rescheduled for a later date.

Original post:

The Explorers Club will hold a virtual lecture on SpaceX and the future of multiplanetary exploration today (Sept. 14) at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT).

Hear from Paul Wooster, SpaceX's principal moon & mars development engineer, and astronaut-turned-entrepreneur Richard Garriot de Cayeux.

You can watch the free lecture live on Explorers.org and Facebook Live.

Related: Elon Musk is still thinking big with SpaceX's Starship Mars-colonizing rocket. Really big.

From The Explorers Club:

The Explorers Club today announced the next installment of its virtual public lecture series will focus on the study and leading research by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other governments across the world look to support space exploration with an ever-growing private space industry.

Featuring leading scholars and researchers, the online discussion scheduled for Monday, September 14, titled “SpaceX -- Making Life Multiplanetary,” will include Paul Wooster, Principal Moon and Mars Development Engineer at SpaceX, where he is a lead in the technical development of deep space architecture and vehicles, including precursor activities and human-scale systems. The discussion will be hosted by Richard Garriott de Cayeux - an inventor, adventurer and entrepreneur who has served as a leading pioneer in the private space industry. Garriot de Cayeux, son of legendary scientist-astronaut Owen Garriott, became the first 2nd generation American astronaut in 2008, when he embarked on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station.

The lecture - streamed live on Explorers.org and Facebook Live - will touch on the development of space travel and the push to making it more accessible for all through leading private institutions like SpaceX and other commercial space companies.

WHEN:

7:00 pm, Monday, September 14

WHERE:

Viewable at Explorers.org and Facebook Live

WHO:

Paul Wooster, Principal Moon & Mars Development Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), where he is a lead in the technical development of deep space architecture and vehicles, including precursor activities and human-scale systems. He previously served as SpaceX’s Manager of Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control, overseeing the integrated system design, fault tolerance, and vehicle performance associated with Dragon missions to the International Space Station.

Richard Garriot de Cayeux, famed explorer, astronaut and entrepreneur who invented the massively multi-player online game (MMORPG) genre and term and coined the term “Avatar," has also been integral in the private space industry. In 2008, he participated in flight to the International Space Station (ISS) via Russian rocket and spent 10 days via the International Space Station.

About The Explorers Club:

Since its inception in 1904, members of the Club have traversed the earth, the seas, the skies, and even the moon, on expeditions of exploration. First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean and first to the surface of the moon - all accomplished by Explorers Club Members. Notable members include Teddy Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Edmund Hillary, John Glenn, Sally Ride and Bob Ballard.

NET Sept 18: ULA Delta IV Heavy launch of NROL-44

From ULA:

Rocket: Delta IV Heavy

Mission: NROL-44

Launch Date: Aug. 27, with a launch time of 2:12 a.m. EDT

Launch Period: The launch period on Aug. 27 is from 1:50 to 6:25 a.m. EDT

Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Information: A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Launch Notes: This will be 141st mission for United Launch Alliance and our 29th for the NRO. It is the 385th Delta launch since 1960, the 12th Delta IV Heavy and the 8th Heavy for the NRO.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #DeltaIVHeavy #NROL44

'ISS Live!' Tune in to the space station

Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the "ISS Live" broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.

"Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During 'loss of signal' periods, viewers will see a blue screen.

"Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below."

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