Space News Update- May 28, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Station Astronauts Enter the Dragon – First Private Capsule at ISS

Story 2:NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars

Story 3: World's Largest Radio Telescope to Be Shared by South Africa, Australia

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace Calendar

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Station Astronauts Enter the Dragon – First Private Capsule at

ISS

NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on

Mars

World's Largest Radio Telescope to Be Shared by South Africa,

Australia

The Night Sky Monday, May 28  · Mars shines above the first-quarter Moon this evening.  Tuesday, May 29  · Bright Arcturus shines southeast of the zenith after dark. Vega, equally bright, shines less high in the east-northeast. A third of the way from Arcturus to Vega, look for dim Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with its one modestly bright star, Alphecca. Two thirds of the way from Arcturus to Vega is the dim Keystone of Hercules.   Wednesday, May 30  · Saturn and Spica are well to the left of the Moon this evening. Less far below the Moon, look for the four-star pattern of Corvus, the Crow, as shown here.

Thursday, May 31 · The gibbous Moon, Spica, and Saturn form an upward line this evening. How straight the line is will depend on when and where you're viewing from.

Friday, June 1 · By 10 or 11 p.m. (depending on your location) the Summer Triangle is up in the east. Its top corner is Vega: the brightest star in the eastern sky. Deneb is the brightest star to Vega's lower left. Look for Altair substantially farther to Venus's lower right.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

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

ISS Tue May 29/01:43 AM < 1 12 12 above NE 12 above NE

ISS Tue May 29/03:16 AM 2 17 14 above NW 14 above N

ISS Tue May 29/04:54 AM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above NISS Wed May 30/02:24 AM < 1 23 23 above N 19 above N

ISS Wed May 30/04:00 AM 1 10 10 above NNW 10 above N

ISS Thu May 31/01:31 AM < 1 15 15 above NE 10 above NE

ISS Thu May 31/03:05 AM 2 12 10 above NW 12 above N

ISS Thu May 31/04:43 AM < 1 11 10 above N 11 above N

ISS Fri Jun 01/02:11 AM 1 16 15 above NNW 15 above N

ISS Fri Jun 01/03:49 AM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above N

NASA-TV Highlights

May 28, Monday11 a.m. - Replay of SpaceX/Dragon Mission Status Briefing - HQ (All Channels)12 p.m. - Replay of ISS Expedition 31 Post-SpaceX/Dragon Hatch Opening Crew News Conference – 3 p.m. - Replay of SpaceX/Dragon Mission Status Briefing - HQ (All Channels)4 p.m. - Replay of ISS Expedition 31 Post-SpaceX/Dragon Hatch Opening Crew News Conference 7 p.m. - Replay of SpaceX/Dragon Mission Status Briefing - HQ (All Channels)8 p.m. - Replay of ISS Expedition 31 Post-SpaceX/Dragon Hatch Opening Crew News Conference 11 p.m. - Replay of SpaceX/Dragon Mission Status Briefing - HQ (All Channels)

May 29, Tuesday11:55 a.m. - ISS Expedition 31 In-Flight Event for an ESA “Social” - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

May 30, Wednesday1 p.m. - NuSTAR L-14 Pre-Launch Briefing - HQ (All Channels)

May 31, Thursday3:30 a.m. - Coverage of the SpaceX/Dragon Unberthing from the ISS - JSC (All Channels)9 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (Public and Media Channels)10:15 a.m. - Coverage of the SpaceX/Dragon Deorbit Burn and Pacific Ocean Splashdown 1 p.m. - NASA Science Update: Hubble M-31 Milky Way - HQ (All Channels)2 p.m. - SpaceX Dragon Post-Splashdown Briefing - JSC (All Channels)

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

Space Calendar

May 28 - Comet P/2004 H3 (Larsen) Closest Approach To Earth (1.802 AU) May 28 - Asteorid 2012 KP24 Near-Earth Flyby (0.0004 AU) May 29 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #324 (OTM-324) May 29 - Asteroid 2322 Kitt Peak Closest Approach To Earth (1.348 AU) May 29 - Asteroid 12426 Racquetball Closest Approach To Earth (1.492 AU) May 29 - Asteroid 10001 Palermo Closest Approach To Earth (1.636 AU) May 29 - Asteroid 3768 Monroe Closest Approach To Earth (2.427 AU) May 30 - Comet 128P/Shoemaker-Holt 1-B Closest Approach To Earth (4.939 AU) May 30 - Asteroid 2001 CQ36 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU) May 30 - Asteroid 9012 Benner Closest Approach To Earth (2.326 AU) May 31 - Dragon Capsule Returns To Earth (International Space Station) May 31 - Comet 152P/Helin-Lawrence Closest Approach To Earth (2.114 AU) May 31 - Comet P/2011 N1 (ASH) Perihelion (2.858 AU) May 31 - Comet P/2010 H5 (Scotti) Closest Approach To Earth (5.382 AU) May 31 - Asteroid 2012 KZ41 Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU) May 31 - Asteroid 6790 Pingouin Closest Approach To Earth (1.001 AU) May 31 - Asteroid 40227 Tahiti Closest Approach To Earth (2.634 AU) May 31 - Martin Schwarzschild's 100th Birthday (1912) Jun 01 - Soyuz TMA-03M Return To Earth (International Space Station) Jun 01 - Intelsat 19 Zenit 3SL Launch Jun 01 - Mercury Passes 0.2 Degrees From Venus Jun 01 - Comet P/2012 G1 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (2.584 AU) Jun 01 - Comet C/2006 S3 (LONEOS) Closest Approach To Earth (4.141 AU)

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtSpaceX's No. 1 Rule for Naming Private Spaceship

Parts: Be Cool 

Space Image of the Week