Space News Update- December 3, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: NASA Mars Rover Fully Analyzes First Soil Samples

Story 2: Are Venus’ Volcanoes Still Active?

Story 3: NASA Voyager 1 Encounters New Region in Deep Space

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

NASA Mars Rover Fully Analyzes First Soil Samples

Are Venus’ Volcanoes Still Active? >

The rise and fall of sulphur dioxide in the upper atmosphere of Venus over the last 40 years, expressed in units of parts per billion by volume. Credits: Data: E. Marcq et al. (Venus Express); L. Esposito et al. (earlier data); background image: ESA/AOES

NASA Voyager 1 Encounters New Region in Deep Space

The Night Sky

Monday, December 3 · By 8 or 9 p.m., wintry Orion is well up in the east-southeast. Orion's Belt in his middle points up more or less toward Aldebaran and bright Jupiter. And it points down toward where Sirius, the brightest star of the night, is about to rise. Watch for it.

Tuesday, December 4 · Sometime between 6 and 8 each evening now (depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone), bright Vega sinking in the northwest, and equally bright Capella climbing in the northeast, will be at exactly the same height. How accurately can you time their balance moment for your location?

Wednesday, December 5 · Ganymede, the largest satellite of Jupiter, crosses Jupiter's face tonight from 9:25 to 11:17 p.m. EST, closely followed by its black shadow from 9:37 to 11:44 p.m. EST. In amateur telescopes, Ganymede's shadow will be much more obvious against Jupiter's bright surface than Ganymede itself is.

Thursday, December 6 · Last-quarter Moon (exact at 10:31 a.m). The Moon rises around the middle of the night tonight. In the small hours of Friday morning it climbs the eastern sky beneath Leo. · Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses Jupiter's central meridian around 11:45 p.m. EST. (For all of Jupiter's satellite events and Great Red Spot transit times this month, good worldwide, see the December Sky & Telescope, pages 51–52.)

Friday, December 7 · This is the time of year when the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, passes the zenith in early evening for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes. It goes exactly through your zenith if you're at 41° north latitude (New York, Denver). When this happens depends on your location.

Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

No Sighting Opportunities this week

NASA-TV Highlights

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

December 4, Tuesday5:30 a.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of ISS Expedition 34/35 Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn of NASA - JSC (Public and Media Channels)6 - 7 a.m. - Live Interviews with ISS Expedition 34/35 Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn of NASA from Star City, Russia - JSC via Star City, Russia (Public and Media Channels)10 - 11:30 a.m. - NASA Social with Astronaut Joe Acaba - HQ (Public and Education Channels)11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (Media Channel)1 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update - JSC (All Channels)

December 5, Wednesday9 a.m. - NASA/Roscosmos ISS Program Briefing on the One-Year Expedition - JSC (Public and Media Channels)10 a.m. - NASA/Roscosmos ISS One-Year Expedition Crew News Conference (Will be followed by Video B-roll of Yearlong Crewmembers Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos and an interview with William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration Operations) - JSC (All Channels)

December 6, Thursday9:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 34 In-Flight Interviews with CBS Radio/Newspath Syndication and CNN - JSC (Public and Media Channels)12:05 - 12:25 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)12:30 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 34/35 Crew Departure for Baikonur Activities from Star City, Russia - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar

· Dec 03 - [Dec 03] Eutelsat 70B (W5A) Zenit 3SL Launch · Dec 03 - Jupiter At Opposition · Dec 03 - Comet 121P/Shoemaker-Holt Closest Approach To Earth (2.939 AU) · Dec 03 - Asteroid 19367 Pink Floyd Closest Approach To Earth (1.121 AU) · Dec 03 - Asteroid 3714 Kenrussell Closest Approach To Earth (1.179 AU) · Dec 03 - Asteroid 9770 Discovery Closest Approach To Earth (1.515 AU) · Dec 04 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (21 Degrees) · Dec 04 - Comet 262P/McNaught-Russell Perihelion (1.280 AU) · Dec 05 - Asteroid 2010 TK7 (Earth Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (0.197 AU) · Dec 05 - Asteroid 3130 Hillary Closest Approach To Earth (1.349 AU) · Dec 05 - Kuiper Belt Object 174567 (2003 MW12) At Opposition (48.323 AU) · Dec 06 - Comet C/2012 A2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (3.018 AU) · Dec 06 - Asteroid 10168 Stony Ridge Closest Approach To Earth (1.568 AU) · Dec 06 - Asteroid 4442 Garcia Closest Approach To Earth (2.320 AU) · Dec 07 - Cosmos 2482-2484 (Rodnik-S N1, N2 & N3) Rokot KM Launch · Dec 07 - Comet C/2012 J1 (Catalina) Perihelion (3.159 AU) · Dec 07 - Asteroid 3720 Hokkaido Closest Approach To Earth (1.525 AU) · Dec 07 - Kuiper Belt Object 19521 Chaos At Opposition (40.592 AU) · Dec 07 - Kuiper Belt Object 2004 XR190 At Opposition (56.754 AU) · Dec 07 - Lecture: GRAIL Unwraps the Moon, Pasadena, California · Dec 07 - 40th Anniversary (1972), Apollo 17 Launch (Last Manned Mission to the Moon)

JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought

Search for life suggests solar systems more habitable than ours

Space Image of the Week

Titan Shines in Latest Cassini ShotsCredit: NASA/JPL/SSI/Jason Major