Space News Update- July 8, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: NASA Launches Space Shuttle on Historic Final Mission

Story 2: House Panel Proposes Killing Hubble Telescope Successor

Story 3: Exploding Stars Can Make Good Dust Factories

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

NASA Launches Space Shuttle on Historic Final Mission

House Panel Proposes Killing Hubble Telescope Successor

Exploding Stars Can Make Good Dust Factories

The Night Sky

Friday, July 8· Spica shines to the right of the Moon after dusk, with Saturn and Porrima farther right as shown here. Get your telescope on all these objects early; they move lower later in the evening.Saturday, July 9· Titan, the brightest satellite of Saturn, can be found in a telescope about four ring-lengths west of Saturn this evening and tomorrow evening. With an aperture of 6 inches or more, you may be able to make out Titan's orange tint due to its hydrocarbon-smogged atmosphere.Sunday, July 10· Arcturus is the brightest star very high in the west-southwest after dark. Vega is the brightest even higher in the east. A third of the way from Arcturus to Vega, look for the mostly dim semicircle of Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. Two-thirds of the way, look for the dim Keystone of Hercules.Monday, July 11· Look 2° or 3° below the Moon for Antares early this evening, as shown below.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATION MAX 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 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 NISS Sat Jun 25/10:30 PM 2 23 19 above N 17 above ENEISS Sun Jun 26/00:05 AM < 1 12 10 above WNW 12 above WNWISS 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

NO SIGHTINGS AVAILABLE from Wednesday, July 6 to Thursday, July 21.

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

STS-135 Shuttle Atlantis mission coverage July 8 through July 20.

Space Calendar

Jul 08 - [Jul 08] STS-135 Launch, Space Shuttle Atlantis, International Space Station (Last Space Shuttle Launch), SuccessfulJul 08 - Asteroid 16857 Goodall Closest Approach To Earth (1.789 AU)Jul 08 - [Jul 01] Teleconference: NASA Technology Roadmap -: Materials PanelJul 09 - Cassini, Distant Titan FlybyJul 09 - Asteroid 951 Gaspra Closest Approach To Earth (1.213 AU)Jul 09 - Asteroid 17024 Costello Closest Approach To Earth (1.259 AU)Jul 09 - Asteroid 7818 Muirhead Closest Approach To Earth (1.888 AU)Jul 10 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Helene, Janus, Pan & PrometheusJul 10 - Comet P/2010 T2 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (3.753 AU)Jul 10 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults UCAC2 33935848 (11.5 Magnitude Star)Jul 10 - Asteroid 951 Gaspra Occults TYC 6274-00940-1 (10.3 Magnitude Star)Jul 10 - Asteroid 4573 Piestany Occults HIP 100713 (6.8 Magnitude Star)Jul 10 - Asteroid 2011 EZ78 Near-Earth Flyby (0.096 AU)Jul 10 - Asteroid 2034 Bernoulli Closest Approach To Earth (1.610 AU)Jul 10 - Asteroid 6676 Monet Closest Approach To Earth (2.525 AU)Jul 11 - Globalstar 2 (7-12) Soyuz 2-1a-Fregat LaunchJul 11 - Asteroid 2008 LV16 Near-Earth Flyby (0.080 AU)Jul 11 - Asteroid 204852 Frankfurt Closest Approach To Earth (1.802 AU)

Food for ThoughtNASA's Hubble Makes One Millionth Science

Observation

Space Image of the WeekSaturn Storm Panoramas 

Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA