Space News Update- March 25, 2013 -
In the News
Story 1: Ever-Changing Venus Superstorm Sparks Interest
Story 2: Ongoing Science as Crew Counts Down to Dragon Departure, New Trio
Story 3: Powerful Private Rocket Crucial to ISS Set for Maiden April Blast Off from
Virginia
Departments
The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities
NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought
Space Image of the Week
Ever-Changing Venus Superstorm Sparks Interest
>
Ongoing Science as Crew Counts Down to Dragon Departure, New
Trio
Powerful Private Rocket Crucial to ISS Set for Maiden April Blast Off
from Virginia
The Night SkyMonday, March 25· Look northwest right after dark for W-shaped Cassiopeia standing on end. The brightest part of the W is on the bottom.
Tuesday, March 26· Full Moon tonight (exact at 5:27 a.m. Wednesday morning EDT). The Moon this evening is far below Leo and above Spica and Corvus.
Wednesday, March 27· With spring under way, Algol in Perseus is heading down in the northwest after dusk. Your last chance to catch Algol in one of its eclipses this season may be the one this evening or the one Saturday evening. Tonight Algol should be at minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 9:43 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Easterners will have a better shot on Saturday. Algol takes several additional hours to fade and to rebrighten.
Thursday, March 28· Once the Moon rises this evening, look upper right of it for Spica and lower left of it for Saturn, as shown at right. You'll find more details here.
Friday, March 29· The waning Moon rises in the east quite late this evening. Look above it for the planet Saturn.· This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper juts to the right from Polaris (the Little Dipper's handle-end) during evening hours. The much brighter Big Dipper curls over high above it, "dumping water" into it. Sky & Telescope
ISS Sighting Opportunities
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information
For Denver:
SATELLITE LOCALDURATIO
NMAX ELEV
APPROACH DEPARTURE
DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)
ISS Mon Mar 25/04:49 AM < 1 12 11 above N 10 above N
ISS Mon Mar 25/06:26 AM 2 11 10 above N 10 above NNE
ISS Tue Mar 26/05:35 AM 1 10 10 above N 10 above NNE
ISS Wed Mar 27/04:45 AM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above N
ISS Wed Mar 27/06:21 AM 3 15 10 above NNW 14 above NE
ISS Thu Mar 28/05:31 AM 3 12 10 above NNW 11 above NE
ISS Fri Mar 29/04:41 AM 2 11 10 above N 10 above NNE
ISS Fri Mar 29/06:16 AM 3 25 10 above NNW 24 above NE
NASA-TV Highlights
Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.
March 26, Tuesday4 a.m. - SpaceX/Dragon Unberthing from the ISS and Release Coverage (Release scheduled at 7:06 a.m. EDT; coverage concludes at approximately 7:30 a.m. EDT) - JSC (All Channels)11:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency with Societe Radio-Canada (in native language) - JSC (Public and Media Channels)12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Rocket Mating and Rollout to the Launch Pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan Plus Launch Pad Interviews - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)2 p.m. - CNN Espanol Interview with Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa - JSC (Media Channel)3 p.m. - Interpreted Replay of the ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event with Societe Radio-Canada - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
March 27, Wednesday3 p.m. - Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 35/36 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)
March 28, Thursday12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)3:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 4:43 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 3:45 p.m. ET) - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)7 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Pre-Launch, Launch Video B-Roll and Post-Launch Interviews - JSC (All Channels)9:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 10:32 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)11:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (Hatch Opening scheduled at 12:10 a.m. ET March 29) - JSC and Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)
March 29, Friday12:45 a.m. - Replay of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Post-Docking News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Subject to cancellation) – JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)2 a.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Docking, Hatch Opening and Other Activities - JSC (All Channels)
Space CalendarMar 25 - Comet P/2011 UA134 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.345 AU)Mar 25 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults 2UCAC 41851891 (11.7 Magnitude Star)Mar 25 - Asteroid 1000 Piazzia Closest Approach To Earth (1.714 AU)Mar 26 - [Mar 23] Dragon CRS-2 Returns To EarthMar 26 - SatMex 8 Proton M-Briz M LaunchMar 26 - Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught) At Opposition (6.861 AU)Mar 26 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FX7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU)Mar 26 - Asteroid 7032 Hitchcock Closest Approach To Earth (1.292 AU)Mar 26 - Asteroid 7853 Confucius Closest Approach To Earth (1.337 AU)Mar 26 - Asteroid 6268 Versailles Closest Approach To Earth (1.454 AU)Mar 26 - Asteroid 6827 Wombat Closest Approach To Earth (1.687 AU)Mar 26 - Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff Closest Approach To Earth (1.718 AU)Mar 26 - Teleconference: Committee on Radio FrequenciesMar 26-27 - nuSTORM Meeting, Geneva, SwitzerlandMar 26-29 - 1st Solar Probe Plus Workshop, Pasadena, CaliforniaMar 27 - [Mar 23] Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (6.861 AU)Mar 27 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FD8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)Mar 27 - Asteroid 8249 Gershwin Closest Approach To Earth (0.971 AU)Mar 27 - Asteroid 51828 Ilanramon Closest Approach To Earth (1.836 AU)Mar 27 - Asteroid 114703 North Dakota Closest Approach To Earth (1.854 AU)Mar 27 - Asteroid 8722 Schirra Closest Approach To Earth (2.100 AU)Mar 28 - [Mar 21] Soyuz TMA-08M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 34S)Mar 28 - Venus Passes 0.7 Degrees From UranusMar 28 - Asteroid 9674 Slovenija Closest Approach To Earth (1.279 AU)Mar 28 - Asteroid 8146 Jimbell Closest Approach To Earth (1.676 AU)Mar 28-29 - 34th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (ICNPA 2013), Madrid, SpainMar 29 - Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini) At Opposition (2.908 AU)Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EL89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.012 AU)Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EM89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.044 AU)Mar 29 - Asteroid 9258 Johnpauljones Closest Approach To Earth (1.351 AU)Mar 29 - 15th Anniversary (1998), Galileo, Europa 14 Flyby
JPL Space Calendar
Food for Thought
Database Is Shut Down by NASA for a Review
Space Image of the Week
Image Credit: NASA
