Space News Update- August 19, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: Space Storm Tracked from Sun to Earth

Story 2: NASA Tests Deep Space Capsule for Launch & Landing

Story 3: Cosmic Collisions Could Eject Habitable Planets

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Space Storm Tracked from Sun to Earth

NASA Tests Deep Space Capsule for Launch & Landing

Cosmic Collisions Could Eject Habitable Planets

The Night Sky

Friday, August 19· Watch bright Jupiter rise below the waning gibbous Moon late tonight, as shown here. They're up in the east by about 11 or midnight daylight saving time, depending on where you live in your time zone.Saturday, August 20· Vesta, the brightest asteroid — and now host to NASA's Dawn spacecraft — is up in fine view by mid- to late evening, shining in Capricornus at magnitude 5.9. It's an easy find in binoculars. Use the finder chart in the August Sky & Telescope, page 53, or our Vesta and Ceres finder charts online.

Ceres, a future destination for Dawn (it'll get there in February 2015), lurks two constellations farther to the east in Cetus. It's currently magnitude 8.0.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)

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

For Denver:

For Denver: No ISS Sighting OpportunitiesFor Denver: No ISS Sighting Opportunities

ISS Fri Aug 19/09:16 PM 1 12 12 above NNW 10 above NISS Sat Aug 20/08:17 PM 2 16 16 above NNW 11 above NNEISS Sun Aug 21/08:56 PM < 1 10 10 above NNW 10 above NISS Sun Aug 21/10:32 PM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above NISS Fri Aug 19/09:16 PM 1 12 12 above NNW 10 above NISS Sun Jun 26/09:30 PM 3 15 13 above N 10 above ENEISS Sun Jun 26/11:06 PM 1 46 23 above NW 46 above NWISS Mon Jun 27/10:07 PM 3 33 24 above NNW 22 above EISS Fri Jun 24/00:28 AM < 1 12 10 above NW 12 above NWISS Fri Jun 24/09:54 PM 2 12 11 above N 10 above NEISS Fri Jun 24/11:30 PM 1 36 22 above NNW 36 above N

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

August 19, Friday7 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (8/12/11) - HQ (Media Channel)8 a.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Media Channel)8 a.m. - Replay of Session Two - University of Maryland NASA Future Forum - (8/11/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Education Channels)11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (All Channels)12 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)1 p.m. - Replay of Session Three - University of Maryland NASA Future Forum - (8/11/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Education Channels)5 p.m. - Replay of Session Four - University of Maryland NASA Future Forum - (8/11/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Education Channels)

Space Calendar

Aug 19 - Asteroid 2011 BL45 Near-Earth FLyby (0.099 AU)Aug 19 - Asteroid 2688 Halley Closest Approach To Earth (1.836 AU)Aug 19 - Orville Wright's 140th Birthday (1871)Aug 19 - John Flamsteed's 365th Birthday (1646)Aug 21 - Comet 97P/Metcalf-Brewington Perihelion (2.597 AU)Aug 21 - Asteroid 6336 Dodo Closest Approach To Earth (1.341 AU)Aug 21 - Asteroid 1225 Ariane Closest Approach To Earth (1.359 AU)Aug 21 - Asteroid 172996 Stooke Closest Approach To Earth (1.414 AU)Aug 21 - Asteroid 3174 Alcock Closest Approach To Earth (2.271 AU)Aug 22 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #288 (OTM-288)Aug 22 - Neptune At OppositionAug 22 - Comet 251P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.771 AU)Aug 22 - Comet 95P/Chiron Closest Approach To Earth (15.859)Aug 22 - Asteroid 17744 Jodiefoster Closest Approach To Earth (0.657 AU)Aug 22 - Asteroid 3355 Onizuka Closest Approach To Earth (1.225 AU)Aug 22 - Asteroid 671 Carnegia Closest Approach To Earth (2.202 AU)

Food for Thought

Chinese rocket fails to orbit experimental satellite

Space Image of the Week

Herschel's Cocoon 

Credit: ESA, SPIRE & PACS Consortia, Doris Arzoumanian (CEA Saclay), et al.