Space News Update- July 4 - 8, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: First Orion Assembled at Denver, Another Orion Displayed at Kennedy Space Center

Story 2:On Fourth of July, Earth Is Farthest from the Sun

Story 3: Rare Four-Member Crew to Fly Final Shuttle

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

First Orion Assembled at Denver, Another Orion Displayed at

Kennedy Space

On Fourth of July, Earth Is Farthest from the Sun

Rare Four-Member Crew to Fly Final Shuttle

The Night Sky· Monday, July 4 · Regulus is upper right of the Moon in twilight, as shown above. · Watching fireworks this evening? While you're waiting for them to start, point out some sky sights to family and friends. In addition to the Moon and Regulus (see previous item), Saturn and Spica shine higher in the southwest, far to the Moon's upper left; Saturn is the one on the right. Very high above them is brighter Arcturus. Bright Vega is very high in the east. And the fire-colored supergiant Antares is the brightest star lower in the south. · Earth is at aphelion, its farthest from the Sun for the year just one part in 30 farther than at perihelion in January.  Tuesday, July 5 · Now's the time of year to work through the rich but low tail of Scorpius with your telescope. Explore a whole nest of star clusters near M6 there with Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article and chart in the July Sky & Telescope, page 66.

 Wednesday, July 6 · Have you learned, really learned, the star pattern of little Lyra around bright Vega? Look very high in the east after dusk. The main part of Lyra dangles to Vega's lower right. Get out your sky atlas: Epsilon (å), Zeta (æ), and Delta (ä) Lyrae are fine binocular or telescopic double stars, Beta (â) Lyrae is an eclipsing variable, the Ring Nebula is located between Beta and Gamma (ã), and faint T Lyrae, a carbon star near Vega, is one of the reddest stars in the sky

· Thursday, July 7 · The first-quarter Moon forms a nice triangle with Spica and Saturn above it this evening, as shown above.

Friday, July 8 · Spica shines to the Moon's upper right during and after dusk, as shown above.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

No Sightings

NASA-TV HighlightsJuly 4, Monday1 p.m. - Space Shuttle and ISS Program Overview Briefing - HQ (All Channels)2:45 p.m. - STS-135 Crew Arrival - HQ (All Channels)

10 p.m. NASA Television Special Presentation - The Shuttle - A Documentary - HQ (All Channels)

July 5, Tuesday10 a.m. - STS-135 Countdown Preview Briefing - KSC (All Channels)11 a.m. - Expedition 28 ISS Update - JSC (All Channels)12:30 p.m. - Forward Osmosis Experiment Demonstration - KSC (All Channels)

July 6, Wednesday7 - 7:50 a.m. - Live Interviews with STS-135 Lead Space Shuttle Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho 8 – 8:50 a.m. - Live Interviews with STS-135/ULF-7 Lead Space Station Flight Director Chris Edelen 8:15 a.m. - NASA Aeronautics Research Update Briefing - KSC (Public Channel only)9:30 a.m. - Future Science Missions and Launches Briefing - KSC (All Channels)10:30 a.m. - Expedition 28 ISS Update - JSC (All Channels)11:30 a.m. - STS-135 Prelaunch News Conference - KSC (All Channels)2:30 p.m. - Robotic Refueling Mission Demonstration - KSC (All Channels)

July 7, Thursday9 a.m. - Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Demonstration - KSC (All Channels)10 a.m. - STS-135 Countdown Status Briefing - KSC (All Channels)11:30 a.m. - What’s Next for NASA Spaceflight Briefing - KSC (All Channels)1 p.m. - Future of ISS Briefing - KSC (All Channels)2 p.m. - Launch Pad 39-A Rotating Service Structure Retraction - KSC (All Channels)

July 8, Friday1:50 a.m. - STS-135 Atlantis Fueling Coverage - KSC (All Channels) 6:30 a.m. - STS-135 Atlantis Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 11:26 a.m.) - KSC (All Channels) 12:30 p.m. - STS-135 Atlantis Post-Launch News Conference - KSC (All Channels)

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

Space Calendar· Jul 04 - Earth At Aphelion (1.017 AU From Sun) · Jul 04 - Comet 123P/West-Hartley Perihelion (2.129 AU) · Jul 04 - Asteroid 21 Lutetia At Opposition (9.4 Magnitude) · Jul 05 - Asteroid 8575 Hawaii Closest Approach To Earth (2.391 AU) · Jul 05 - Asteroid 51827 Laurelclark Closest Approach To Earth (2.479 AU) · Jul 06 - Comet P/2004 R3 (LINEAR-NEAT) Closest Approach To Earth (1.422 AU) · Jul 06 - Asteroid 128523 Johnmuir Closest Approach To Earth (1.344 AU) · Jul 06 - Asteroid 11246 Orvillewright Closest Approach To Earth (1.400 AU) · Jul 06 - Asteroid 11247 Wilburwright Closest Approach To Earth (1.937 AU) · Jul 06 - Asteroid 1125 China Closest Approach To Earth (2.788 AU) · Jul 07 - Sich 2/ Nigeriasat 2/ NX/ Rasat/ Edusat/ AprizeSat 5 & 6/ PQ-Gemini 1-4/ BPA-2 Dnepr 1 Launch · Jul 07 - Asteroid 160512 Franck-Hertz Closest Approach To Earth (1.236 AU) · Jul 07 - Asteroid 71000 Hughdowns Closest Approach To Earth (1.954 AU) · Jul 07 - Asteroid 17062 Bardot Closest Approach To Earth (2.030 AU) · Jul 08 - STS-135 Launch, Space Shuttle Atlantis, International Space Station (Last Space Shuttle Launch) · Jul 08 - Asteroid 16857 Goodall Closest Approach To Earth (1.789 AU) 

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtWhat's Next For NASA?

 

Space Image of the Week