Space News Update- October 24, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: Chinese probe launched on round-trip flight to the moon

Story 2: Organic Molecules in Titan's Atmosphere Are Intriguingly Skewed

Story 3: Assembly Complete for NASA’s Maiden Orion Spacecraft Launching in December

2014

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Chinese probe launched on round-trip flight to the moon

Organic Molecules in Titan's Atmosphere Are Intriguingly Skewed

Assembly Complete for NASA’s Maiden Orion Spacecraft Launching in

December 2014

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, October 24As the stars come out, Deneb is nearly straight overhead for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes. Brighter Vega is west of the zenith. Altair is farther from the zenith toward the south. Saturday, October 25A half hour after sunset, spot the thin waxing crescent Moon very low in the west-southwest. Look to its lower right to see whether you can still detect Saturn, which has been sinking lower every day. Binoculars help. Sunday, October 26As autumn proceeds, the Great Square of Pegasus shines ever higher in the east at nightfall. It's still balancing on one corner. Later in the night and the season, it turns to rest upright very high when you face south. Monday, October 27Spot Mars to the left of the waxing crescent Moon at nightfall, as shown here. Tuesday, October 28This evening Mars is below the Moon at nightfall, as shown above. 

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears

Fri Oct 24, 7:12 PM 4 min 46° 10 above NW 31 above E

Sat Oct 25, 6:27

PM

1 min 21° 21 above ENE 11 above E

Sat Oct 25, 8:01

PM

1 min 33° 22 above W 33 above SW

Sun Oct 26, 7:11

PM

5 min 63° 15 above WNW 13 above SE

Mon Oct 27, 6:25

PM

2 min 48° 48 above ESE 11 above ESE

Mon Oct 27, 8:00

PM

2 min 12° 11 above WSW 10 above SSW

Tue Oct 28, 7:11

PM

3 min 21° 21 above SW 10 above S

NASA-TV Highlights

9:30 a.m., Saturday, October 25 - Release of the SpaceX/Dragon CRS-4 Cargo Craft from the ISS (all channels)

1 p.m., Sunday, October 26 - Orbital CRS-3 Prelaunch News Conference (all channels)

2 p.m., Sunday, October 26 - Orbital CRS-3 Mission Science Cargo Overview Briefing (all channels)

1:30 a.m., Monday, October 27 - Coverage of the ISS Progress 56 Cargo Ship Undocking from the ISS (all channels)

10 a.m., Monday, October 27 - Live coverage of Destination Station: ISS Technology Forum (all channels)

5:15 p.m., Monday, October 27 - Video B-Roll of Orbital Sciences/Cygnus CRS-3 Processing (all channels)

5:45 p.m., Monday, October 27 - Coverage of the Launch of Orbital Sciences’ Antares Rocket and the Cygnus Cargo Ship to the ISS (all channels)

8:15 p.m., Monday, October 27 - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus CRS-3 Post-Launch News Conference – WFF (all channels)

12:25 p.m., Tuesday, October 28 - ISS Expedition 41 In-Flight interviews for NASA Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore with Nashville, TN Public Radio and WCYB-TV, Tri-Cities TV (all channels) 

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Oct 24 - [Oct 17] Chang'e 5 CZ-3Z Launch (China Moon Orbiter)Oct 24 - [Oct 22] Cassini, Titan FlybyOct 24 - Meridian 7 Soyuz 2-1A-Fregat LaunchOct 24 - MESSENGER, Orbital Change ManeuverOct 24 - Comet C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (1.235 AU)Oct 24 - Comet 81P/Wild At Opposition (3.480 AU)Oct 24 - Asteroid 12410 Donald Duck Closest Approach To Earth (1.448 AU)Oct 24 - [Oct 18] Wilhelm Weber's 210th Birthday (1804)Oct 25 - [Oct 23] Dragon CRS-4 Return To Earth (International Space Station)Oct 25 - Moon Occults SaturnOct 25 - Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) Perihelion (1.399 AU)Oct 25 - Comet 125P/Spacewatch At Opposition (3.210 AU)Oct 25 - Comet P/2005 JN (Spacewatch) At Opposition (3.660 AU)Oct 25 - Comet C/2013 U2 (Holvorcem) Perihelion (5.118 AU)Oct 25 - [Oct 24] Asteroid 2014 UF8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)Oct 25 - Asteroid 7042 Carver Closest Approach To Earth (1.799 AU)Oct 25 - Plutino 47171 (1999 TC36) At Opposition (29.572 AU)Oct 25 - Kuiper Belt Object 15760 (1992 QB1) At Opposition (40.220 AU)Oct 25 - Jasper Dark Sky Festival 2014, Jasper, CanadaOct 25 - Lost Dutchman State Park Star Party, Apache Junction, ArizonaOct 25 - [Oct 19] Heinrich Schwabe's 225th Birthday (1789)Oct 25-26 - Solar Eclipse Conference 2014, Cloudcroft, New MexicoOct 26 - European Summer Time Ends - Set Clock Back 1 Hour (European Union)Oct 26 - Comet 234P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.513 AU)Oct 26 - Asteroid 634 Ute Occults HIP 98399 (6.8 Magnitude Star)Oct 26 - Asteroid 1221 Amor Closest Approach To Earth (2.064 AU)Oct 26 - 10th Anniversary (2004), Cassini, 1st Targeted Titan FlybyOct 27 - [Oct 23] Cygnus CRS Orb-3/ Flock-1d 1-26/ Arkyd-3/ RACE Antares-130 Launch (International Space Station)Oct 27 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #395 (OTM-395)Oct 27 - Asteroid 2009 TD8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU)Oct 27 - Kuiper Belt Object 42301 (2001 UR163) At Opposition (51.036 AU)Oct 28 - Comet P/2014 M4 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.422 AU)Oct 28 - Comet P/2009 WX51 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (2.021 AU)Oct 28 - Asteroid 2355 Nei Monggol Occults HIP 109375 (6.4 Magnitude Star)Oct 28 - [Oct 21] Asteroid 2014 UG5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)Oct 28 - Asteroid 20469 Dudleymoore Closest Approach To Earth (1.553 AU)Oct 28 - 40th Anniversary (1974), Luna 23 Launch (USSR Moon Lander)

Food for Thought

Lockheed Martin's fusion goals meet skepticism

Space Image of the Week

This Is the Very First Photo of Earth From Space