Space News Update - September 11, In the News Story 1: Halfway There Story 2: Curiosity Investigates Petrified Martian Sand Dunes, Contemplates Next Drill Campaign Story 3: Story 3: Fire in the Hole: Studying How Flames Grow in Space Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week Halfway There Curiosity Investigates Petrified Martian Sand Dunes, Contemplates Next Drill Campaign Fire in the Hole: Studying How Flames Grow in Space The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, September 15 As dusk turns to night, Arcturus twinkles due west. It's getting lower every week. Off to its right in the northwest, the Big Dipper is turning more and more level. Wednesday, September 16 Got light pollution? Cygnus overhead offers many sights for small telescopes regardless if you can star-hop to them with a good finderscope. See Ken Hewitt-White's "Cygnus in the City" in the September Sky & Telescope, page 58, with chart and photos.Sky & Telescope Thursday, September 17 As twilight fades, look low in the southwest for the thin waxing crescent Moon off to the right of Saturn and Antares. The waxing Moon passes over Saturn and Scorpius this weekend. The blue 10 scale is about the size of your fist held out at arm's length. Friday, September 18 As twilight fades, look low in the southwest for Saturn close to the waxing crescent Moon, as shown here. To their left are Antares and other stars of upper Scorpius. ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASAs Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Tue Sep 15, 4:20 AM< 1 min1919 above NNE13 above NE Tue Sep 15, 5:54 AM3 min1210 above NW10 above NNE Wed Sep 16, 5:03 AM2 min1616 above NNW10 above NNE Thu Sep 17, 4:13 AM< 1 min1212 above NNE10 above NNE Thu Sep 17, 5:47 AM1 min1010 above NNW10 above N Fri Sep 18, 4:55 AM1 min1211 above NNW10 above N NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA 2 p.m., Tuesday, September 15 - Replay of Earth Right Now Roundtable: NASA Science from the Greenland Ice Sheet (all channels) 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 15 - In-Flight Q and A with Cast Members from The Martian (all channels) 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, September 16 - ISS Expedition 45 In-Flight Interview with WBFF- TV, Baltimore and NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren (Starts at 8:45 a.m.) (all channels) 8:30 a.m., Thursday, September 17 - ISS Expedition 45 In-Flight Interviews with ABCs Good Morning, America and TIME Magazine with NASA ISS Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Starts at 8:40 a.m.) (all channels) 3 p.m., Thursday, September 17 - The Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum and NASA Presents -- Whats New in Aerospace? with NASA Astronaut Terry Virts and ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti (all channels) (all times Eastern Time Zone) Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 15 - Comet 151/Helin At Opposition (1.477 AU)Comet 151/HelinAt Opposition Sep 15 - Comet C/2013 P3 (Palomar) Closest Approach To Earth (7.845 AU)Comet C/2013 P3 (Palomar)Closest Approach To Earth Sep 15 - Asteroid 7672 Hawking Closest Approach To Earth (1.160 AU)Asteroid 7672 Hawking Sep 15 - Asteroid 9941 Iguanodo Closest Approach To Earth (1.472 AU)Asteroid 9941 Iguanodo Sep 15 - Apollo Asteroid 5143 Heracles Closest Approach To Earth (2.245 AU)Apollo Asteroid 5143 HeraclesClosest Approach To Earth Sep th Anniversary (1965), "Lost in Space" Debuts on TV"Lost in Space" Sep 15 - Michiel Overbeek's 95th Birthday (1920)Michiel Overbeek's Sep th Anniversary (1910), Theodor Wulf Proposes Cosmic Radiation Comes From Outer SpaceTheodor Wulf Sep 16 - International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone LayerInternational Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer Sep 16 - Comet 33P/Daniel At Opposition (2.358 AU)Comet 33P/DanielAt Opposition Sep 16 - Comet 80P/Peters-Hartley At Opposition (2.390 AU)Comet 80P/Peters-HartleyAt Opposition Sep 16 - Comet P/2014 MG4 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.953 AU)Comet P/2014 MG4 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS)At Opposition Sep 16 - Aten Asteroid 2013 RO5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)Aten Asteroid 2013 RO5Near-Earth Flyby Sep 16 - Asteroid 2362 Mark Twain Closest Approach To Earth (0.768 AU)Asteroid 2362 Mark Twain Sep 16 - Asteroid Yarkovsky Closest Approach To Earth (2.001 AU)Asteroid Yarkovsky Sep 16 - Lecture: Icy Volcanism in the Outer Solar System, Washington DCLecture: Icy Volcanism in the Outer Solar System Sep 17 - Comet 151/Helin Closest Approach To Earth (1.476 AU)Comet 151/HelinClosest Approach To Earth Sep 17 - Comet C/2014 Q6 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.876 AU)Comet C/2014 Q6 (PANSTARRS)At Opposition Sep 17 - Asteroid 325 Heidelberga Closest Approach To Earth (1.913 AU)Asteroid 325 Heidelberga Sep 17 - Asteroid CCD Closest Approach To Earth (1.951 AU)Asteroid CCD Sep 17 - Asteroid 426 Hippo Closest Approach To Earth (2.226 AU)Asteroid 426 Hippo Sep 17 - Asteroid 4151 Alanhale Closest Approach To Earth (2.507 AU)Asteroid 4151 Alanhale Sep 17 - Ed Mitchell's 85th Birthday (1930)Ed Mitchell's Sep 17 - Tom Stafford's 85th Birthday (1930)Tom Stafford's Sep 18 - Comet P/1999 XN120 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (3.112 AU)Comet P/1999 XN120 (Catalina)Closest Approach To Earth Sep 18 - Comet 282P/2003 BM80 At Opposition (3.638 AU)Comet 282P/2003 BM80At Opposition Sep 18 - Comet C/2015 B1 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (5.976 AU)Comet C/2015 B1 (PANSTARRS)Perihelion Sep 18 - Asteroid 742 Edisona Closest Approach To Earth (1.678 AU)Asteroid 742 Edisona Sep th Anniversary (1965), Kaoru Ikeya & Tsutomu Seki's Discovery of Comet Ikeya-SekiKaoru IkeyaTsutomu Seki'sComet Ikeya-Seki Sep th Anniversary (1965), 1st Episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" Airs on TVI Dream of Jeannie Food for Thought Supervising Two Rovers from Space Space Image of the Week NASA's SDO Catches a Double Photobomb