Space News Update- September 16, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: Martian Ctl-Alt-Del: NASA Resets Opportunity Rover’s Memory, Stopping The Science

Hiatus

Story 2:SpaceX ditches landing legs on next Falcon 9 flight

Story 3: New Horizons Sights Tiny Pluto Moon As Spacecraft Races Toward Dwarf Planet

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Martian Ctl-Alt-Del: NASA Resets Opportunity Rover’s Memory, Stopping The Science Hiatus

SpaceX ditches landing legs on next Falcon 9 flight

New Horizons Sights Tiny Pluto Moon As Spacecraft Races Toward

Dwarf Planet

The Night SkyTuesday, September 16Arcturus is the bright star fairly high due west at nightfall. It's an orange giant 37 light-years away. Off to its right in the northwest is the Big Dipper, most of whose stars are about 80 light-years away. Wednesday, September 17Mars is just ½° above fainter Delta Scorpii after dusk.Algol in Perseus, the prototype eclipsing variable star, should be at its minimum light, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 11:06 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. It takes several additional hours to fade and to rebrighten. Thursday, September 18Got sharp eyes? Or glasses that turn your eyes sharp? Try Steve Gottlieb's "20 Fun Naked-Eye Double Stars" in the September Sky & Telescope, page 64.Mars has now left Saturn far behind and is approaching its rendezvous with Antares. Friday, September 19At dawn Saturday morning, Jupiter shines upper left of the waning Moon in the east. How long has it been since you turned your scope on either Jupiter or the waning crescent? Saturday, September 20Algol should be at its minimum light again for a couple of hours centered on 10:55 p.m. EDT.In early dawn on Sunday the 21st, the waning crescent Moon shines far below Jupiter and closer to the right of Regulus.

Sky & Telescope

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 Tue Sep 16, 4:29 AM < 1 min 30° 30 above NE 20 above NE Tue Sep 16, 6:02 AM 5 min 18° 10 above WNW 10 above NNE Wed Sep 17, 5:15 AM 3 min 24° 24 above NW 10 above NNE Thu Sep 18, 4:29 AM 1 min 19° 19 above NNE 11 above NE Thu Sep 18, 6:03 AM 3 min 12° 10 above NW 10 above NNE Fri Sep 19, 5:15 AM 2 min 15° 14 above NNW 10 above NNE Sat Sep 20, 4:28 AM < 1 min 14° 14 above NNE 11 above NNE Sat Sep 20, 6:03 AM 1 min 10° 10 above NNW 10 above N

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Wednesday, September 1710:15 a.m. - ISS Expedition 41 In-Flight Event for ESA from Berlin (all channels)1 p.m. - MAVEN Pre Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) News Briefing (all channels)2 p.m.- Video File of ISS Expedition 41/42 Crew Activities in Baikonur (all channels)9 a.m. - Live Interviews for European Media (NTV-3 (Media))Thursday, September 18 9 a.m. - NASA ISS Earth Science Briefing (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education))10 a.m. - NASA ISS Research and Technology Briefing (all channels)11 a.m. - NASA ISS Model Organisms Briefing (all channels)12 p.m.- NASA ISS/SpaceX CRS-4 Panel Discussion-1 (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education))12:20 p.m. - ISS Expedition 41 In-Flight Event (NTV-3 (Media)) (all channels)1 p.m. - NASA ISS/SpaceX CRS-4 Panel Discussion-2– KSC (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education))1:30 p.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of ISS Expedition 42-43 Crew Training (all channels)2 p.m.- ISS Expedition 42-43 Crew News Conference (all channels)3 p.m.- NASA ISS/SpaceX CRS-4 Panel Discussion-3 (Science and Research) (all channels)Friday, September 19 1 a.m. - Processing of the SpaceX-4 Falcon 9 Rocket and the Dragon Cargo Craft (all channels)1:30 a.m. - Coverage of the SpaceX-4/Dragon Launch (all channels)6 a.m.- Live Media Interview on Maven Spacecraft Mars Orbit Insertion (NTV-3 (Media))9 a.m.- SpaceX CRS-4 Prelaunch News Conference (all channels)10 a.m. - NASA ISS Program Briefing (all channels)Saturday, September 20 12:30 &12:45 a.m.- Processing of the Falcon 9 Rocket and Dragon Craft (all channels)1:15 a.m. - SpaceX-CRS 4/Dragon Launch (Launch time is 2:16 a.m. ET) (all channels)3:45 a.m.- SpaceX-CRS-4/Dragon Post-Launch News Conference (all channels)5:30 a.m.- Coverage of the Grapple of the SpaceX-4/Dragon at the ISS (all channels)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Sep 16 - [Sep 15] CLIO Atlas 5 Launch Sep 16 - Comet C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) Closest Approach To Earth (0.481 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 1061 Paeonia Occults HIP 29655 (3.3 Magnitude Star) Sep 16 - Asteroid 2009 RR Near-Earth Flyby (0.005 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 5899 Jedicke Closest Approach To Earth (0.846 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 5961 Watt Closest Approach To Earth (1.742 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 7610 Sudbury Closest Approach To Earth (1.935 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 439 Ohio Closest Approach To Earth (2.149 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 6371 Heinlein Closest Approach To Earth (2.485 AU) Sep 16 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Suchy Dul Meteorite Fall (Hit House in Czechoslovakia) Sep 17 - Comet 113P/Spitaler At Opposition (1.649 AU) Sep 17 - Comet 170P/Christensen Perihelion (2.921 AU) Sep 17 - Comet 91P/Russell At Opposition (2.958 AU) Sep 17 - Comet P/2012 F2 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.593 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 11500 Tomalyowit Closest Approach To Earth (1.455 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 3651 Friedman Closest Approach To Earth (1.582 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 784 Pickeringia Closest Approach To Earth (2.159 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 2069 Hubble Closest Approach To Earth (2.436 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 308933 (2006 SQ372) At Opposition (25.205 AU) Sep 17 - Lecture: Terraforming of Mars, London, United Kingdom Sep 17 - 225th Anniversary (1789), William Herschel's Discovery of Saturn Moon Mimas Sep 18 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #391 (OTM-391) Sep 18 - Asteroid 10389 Robmanning Closest Approach To Earth (0.804 AU) Sep 18 - Asteroid 580 Selene Closest Approach To Earth (2.159 AU) Sep 18 - 25th Anniversary (1989), Rich Terrile's Discovery of Neptune Moons Thalassa &Naiad Sep 18 - 55th Anniversary (1959), Vanguard 3 Launch Sep 19 - [Sep 13] Comet 309P/LINEAR At Opposition (1.276 AU) Sep 19 - Comet 95P/Chiron Occults UCAC4-444-130878 (14.5 Magnitude Star) Sep 19 - [Sep 09] Asteroid 2014 RH12 Near-Earth Flyby (0.058 AU) Sep 19 - Asteroid 3672 Stevedberg Closest Approach To Earth (0.978 AU) Sep 19 - Asteroid 1996 Adams Closest Approach To Earth (1.199 AU) Sep 19 - Asteroid 2097 Galle Closest Approach To Earth (1.328 AU) Sep 19 - Asteroid 1865 Cerberus Closest Approach To Earth (1.458 AU) Sep 20 - Comet P/2014 L2 (NEOWISE) At Opposition (1.314 AU) Sep 20 - Comet P/2011 A2 (Scotti) At Opposition (3.190 AU) Sep 20 - Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (9.373 AU) Sep 20 - Asteroid 12249 (1988 SH2) Occults HIP 1821 (6.4 Magnitude Star) Sep 20 - Asteroid 2014 QJ33 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)

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Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team; MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA Additional

Processing & Copyright: Elisabetta Bonora & Marco Faccin (Alive Universe Images)

62 Kilometers above Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko