Space News Update- July 11, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: Astronauts get started on massive orbital moving job

Story 2:Search Is On for Moon Around Asteroid Vesta

Story 3: Was the big bang born rotating?

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Astronauts get started on massive orbital moving job

Search Is On for Moon Around Asteroid Vesta

Was the big bang born rotating?

The Night Sky

Monday, July 11  · Look 2° or 3° below the Moon for Antares early this evening, as shown below.

Tuesday, July 12 · Happy birthday Neptune! Today it's exactly one Neptune year since the planet's discovery in 1846. Never again will a major planet of the solar system have failed to complete a full orbit since it was found. See the July Sky & Telescope, page 28. To locate Neptune with your binoculars or telescope (at magnitude 7.9), you can use our printable finder chart.

Wednesday, July 13 · Look below the bright Moon for the Teapot pattern of Sagittarius, as shown above.

 Thursday, July 14 · Full Moon tonight (exact at 2:40 a.m. Friday morning Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon is left of the Sagittarius Teapot after dark. · The eclipsing binary star Beta Lyrae is coming out of its minimum light at the time of nightfall for the Americas. See the June Sky & Telescope, page 60.

Friday, July 15 · After the just-past-full Moon rises well up late this evening, use binoculars to look a little above it for Beta Capricorni and, higher, the wide double star Alpha Capricorni. With good distance vision, you can normally split Alpha Cap naked-eye. Can you still do this with the bright Moon so close?

ISS Sighting Opportunities

Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

For Denver:

No Sightings until July 23rd.

NASA-TV Highlights

July 8, Friday - July 20, WednesdayFull-Time Coverage of STS-135 - The Final Space Shuttle Mission - KSC/JSC (All Channels)

July 11, Monday

9:30 a.m. - MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC (All Channels)11:24 a.m. - MPLM ACTIVATION BEGINS JSC (All Channels)1:39 p.m. - MPLM INGRESS JSC (All Channels)2:59 p.m. - EVA # 1 PROCEDURE REVIEW JSC (All Channels)4 p.m. - MMT BRIEFING JSC (All Channels)5 p.m. - VIDEO FILE JSC (All Channels)6:29 p.m. - ISS CREW SLEEP BEGINS JSC (All Channels)6:59 p.m. - ATLANTIS CREW SLEEP BEGINS JSC (All Channels)9 p.m. - FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS (replayed on the hour during crew sleep) JSC (All Channels)11 p.m. - "LAUNCHING OUR DREAMS" VIDEO FEATURE PLAYBACK JSC (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.

Space Calendar

· Jul 11 - Globalstar 2 (7-12) Soyuz 2-1a-Fregat Launch · Jul 11 - Tian Lian 1B CZ-3C Launch · Jul 11 - Asteroid 2008 LV16 Near-Earth Flyby (0.080 AU) · Jul 11 - Asteroid 204852 Frankfurt Closest Approach To Earth (1.802 AU) · Jul 13 - Asteroid 21 Lutetia Occults TYC 6863-00833-1 (12.1 Magnitude Star) · Jul 13 - Asteroid 1991 Darwin Closest Approach To Earth (0.811 AU) · Jul 13 - Asteroid 24101 Cassini Closest Approach To Earth (2.278 AU) · Jul 13 - Asteroid 76272 De Jong Closest Approach To Earth (2.296 AU) · Jul 14 - GPS 2F-2 Delta 4 Launch · Jul 14 - Asteroid 2343 Siding Spring Closest Approach To Earth (1.182 AU) · Jul 14 - Asteroid 9941 Iguanodo Closest Approach To Earth (1.560 AU) · Jul 15 - G-Sat 12 PSLV-C17 Launch (India) · Jul 15 - SES-3/ KazSat 2 Proton M-Briz M Launch · Jul 15 - Asteroid 88705 Potato Closest Approach To Earth (2.038 AU) · Jul 15 - Kuiper Belt Object 20000 Varuna At Opposition (44.587 AU)

 

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtThe Greatest Mysteries of the Asteroid Belt

 

Space Image of the Week