Space News Update- August 26, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: Dream Chaser takes captive-carry test flight in California

Story 2: Major Volcanic Eruption Seen on Jupiter’s Moon Io

Story 3: America's largest rocket set for launch Wednesday

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Dream Chaser takes captive-carry test flight in California

Major Volcanic Eruption Seen on Jupiter’s Moon Io

Voyager 1 acquired this image of Io on March 4, 1979.

America's largest rocket set for launch Wednesday

Wednesday, August 28· By about 9 p.m. now (depending on where you live), W-shaped Cassiopeia has risen as high in the northeast as the Big Dipper is in the northwest. Midway between them, and a bit higher, is Polaris. Cassiopeia will grow more ascendant over the Dipper in the coming weeks and months as the seasons turn.

Thursday, August 29· Off the eastern shoulder of Ophiuchus are several interesting binocular sights, including the loose open cluster IC 4665 and the evocative asterism of Taurus Poniatovii. See Gary Seronik's Binocular Highlight in the August Sky & Telescope, page 45.

Friday, August 30· Before dawn tomorrow morning, Jupiter shines to the left of the waning crescent Moon. They're in Gemini in the east, as shown here. Look for Orion way off to their right.

The Night SkyMonday, August 26· The Moon rises around 11 p.m. now, about a fist-width at arm's length to the right of the Pleiades.· Perseus is up in good view in the northeast by late evening. By then you can catch Algol, Beta Persei, near the bottom of one of its eclipses: shining at only magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1. Mid-eclipse is around 11:54 p.m. EDT (8:54 p.m. PDT). Algol stays this dim for about two hours, and it takes several additional hours to fade and to rebrighten.

Tuesday, August 27· Last-quarter Moon tonight (exact at 5:35 a.m. Wednesday morning). The Moon rises around 11 or midnight. Once it's well up in the east, look above it for the Pleiades and below it for orange Aldebaran. Well off to their left shines bright Capella.

Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears

Mon Aug 26, 8:32 PM

4 min 26° 22 above WSW 11 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

August 28, Wednesday12:25 p.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Interview with the CW Network’s “Arsenio Hall Show” - JSC (All Channels)1:30 p.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of ISS Expedition 38/39 (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) Crew Training and Past Missions - JSC(All Channels)2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) - JSC (All Channels)

August 29, Thursday12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Aug 26 - Comet C/2013 E2 (Iwamoto) Closest Approach To Earth (1.899 AU)Aug 26 - Comet P/1997 T3 (Lagerkvist-Carsenty) Closest Approach To Earth (4.164 AU)Aug 26 - Asteroid 8992 Magnanimity Closest Approach To Earth (0.892 AU)Aug 27 - SPRINT-A Epsilon Launch (Japan)Aug 27 - Neptune At OppositionAug 27 - Comet P/2013 P1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (2.626 AU)Aug 27 - Comet 264P/Larsen At Opposition (3.331 AU)Aug 27 - Asteroid 7273 Garyhuss Closest Approach To Earth (1.328 AU)Aug 27 - Asteroid 9499 Excalibur Closest Approach To Earth (1.943 AU)Aug 27 - Asteroid 8373 Stephengould Closest Approach To Earth (4.208 AU)Aug 27 - [Aug 21] Teleconference: Human SpaceflightAug 28 - [Aug 26] KH-11 (NROL-65) Delta 4-Heavy LaunchAug 28 - Asteroid 2007 CN26 Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)Aug 28 - Asteroid 9950 ESA Closest Approach To Earth (0.423 AU)Aug 28 - Asteroid 3352 McAuliffe Closest Approach To Earth (1.423 AU)Aug 28 - Asteroid 6592 Goya Closest Approach To Earth (1.662 AU)Aug 28 - Asteroid 231307 Peterfalk Closest Approach To Earth (1.685 AU)Aug 28 - Lecture: Mercury - Global Tectonics on a Contracting Planet, Houston, TexasAug 28 - 20th Anniversary (1993), Galileo Flyby of Asteroids Ida & DactylAug 29 - Eutelsat 25B/ G-Sat 7 (Insat 4-F) Ariane 5 LaunchAug 29 - Comet P/2005 RV25 (LONEOS-Christensen) Closest Approach To Earth (3.404 AU)Aug 29 - Asteroid 3768 Monroe Closest Approach To Earth (1.517 AU)Aug 29 - Asteroid 3866 Langley Closest Approach To Earth (1.548 AU)Aug 29 - Asteroid 63163 Jerusalem Closest Approach To Earth (1.765 AU)Aug 29 - Asteroid 945 Barcelona Closest Approach To Earth (1.965 AU)Aug 29 - Asteroid 7495 Feynman Closest Approach To Earth (2.232 AU)Aug 30 - Comet 154P/Brewington At Opposition (0.956 AU)Aug 30 - Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro Closest Approach To Earth (1.772 AU)Aug 30 - Comet 79P/du Toit-Hartley Closest Approach To Earth (1.914 AU)Aug 30 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 4828-00264-1 (10.8 Magnitude Star)Aug 30 - Asteroid 2008 PW4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)Aug 30 - Asteroid 15332 CERN Closest Approach To Earth (1.586 AU)Aug 30 - 30th Anniversary (1983), STS-8 Launch (Guy Bluford, 1st African-American in Space)

Food for Thought

‘Sail Rover’ Could Explore Hellish Venus

Space Image of the Week

Cassini Releases Image of Earth Waving at Saturn Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech