October 2028: the Mars corridor opens
Dispatch, Wednesday 11 October 2028. The moon reached last quarter today, and Brazil has voted once and will vote again. Florida has a rover on the manifest. October carries 31 days, Sunday 1 to Tuesday 31 October. The count includes five Sundays, five Mondays and five Tuesdays. The year's only Friday the 13th arrives this week. Further out, Earth and Mars have aligned, and the corridor is open. The grid runs 22 business days against 9 weekend days, across weeks 39 to 44.
One alignment, two spacecraft
The Rosalind Franklin rover, Europe's ExoMars half, is held for a launch no earlier than this month. NASA provides the Falcon Heavy ride out of Kennedy in Florida, and the landing on Mars is planned for 2030. The window is narrow by geometry rather than by paperwork.
Behind it, China's Tianwen-3 sample-return mission holds its place for the December-January window. Two heavy flights from Wenchang carry samples meant for Earth by 2031. Two governments, one planet, one corridor. The queue is millions of kilometres long and perfectly civilised.
Election Sundays in Brazil
Brazil anchors both ends of the month by law. The municipal first round ran on Sunday 1 October across about 5,500 municipalities, choosing mayors and councils. Runoffs follow on Sunday 29 October in the cities with more than 200,000 voters. Both election Sundays are followed by a Monday that lands inside the month.
Europe's clocks go back that same Sunday 29 October, the last of the month. The American change waits a week, until Sunday 5 November. For seven days the Atlantic is an hour wider than usual. Meetings and flight times shift with it for anyone crossing.
A month of dark evenings
The full moon rose on Tuesday 3 October, the closest full moon to the September equinox. The almanacs call that one the Harvest Moon. A Harvest Moon in October is not the norm; the last one was in 2020.
Last quarter fell on Wednesday 11 October. The new moon on Wednesday 18 October gives the late month its darkest evenings. First quarter is not back before Wednesday 25 October.
Friday 13 October, the year's only Friday the 13th, arrives this week, two days after the last quarter. The ledger: 22 business days, 9 weekend days, weeks 39 to 44. Five Sundays leave the month roomy at both ends.
October 2028 keeps five Sundays, one superstition and a rover on standby. Mars is not waiting for anyone; the grid, at least, waits for you.