Space News Update- August 22, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: European Probe Survives Daring Dive Through Venus Atmosphere

Story 2: Super-Black Nano-Coating to Be Tested for the First Time in Space

Story 3: Engineers and Technicians Install Protective Shell on NASA’s Orion Spacecraft

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

European Probe Survives Daring Dive Through Venus Atmosphere

Super-Black Nano-Coating to Be Tested for the First Time in Space

Engineers and Technicians Install Protective Shell on NASA’s Orion

Spacecraft

Monday, August 25Before moonlight comes back into the evening sky, take the opportunity to explore the dim nebulae, and the somewhat brighter star clusters, around Deneb and the North America Nebula in Cygnus nearly overhead. They're not easy; use Sue French's maps, drawing, photo, and article in the September Sky & Telescope, page 56, to pinpoint what you're looking for.New Moon (exact at 10:13 a.m. EDT). Tuesday, August 26If you're in the Earth's mid-northern latitudes, bright Vega shines near your zenith just as night becomes fully dark. Whenever you see Vega most nearly straight up, you know that Sagittarius, with its deep-sky riches, is highest in the south. 

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, August 22Altair is the brightest star shining halfway up the southeastern sky after nightfall. Look to its left, by a little more than a fist at arm's length, for the dim but distinctive constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. He's leaping leftward, just below the Milky Way. Saturday, August 23August is prime Milky Way time. After dark, the Milky Way runs from Sagittarius and Scorpius in the south-southwest, up and left across Aquila and through the big Summer Triangle very high in the southeast and east, and on down through Cassiopeia to Perseus rising low in the north-northeast. Sunday, August 24Mars and Saturn are closest together this evening and Monday evening, separated by 3.4°. They're the same brightness but not the same color. And, compare Mars's color to that of its rival Antares, not quite as bright, in Scorpius about 20° to the left. (See the last illustration below.) Mars will pass Antares by just 3° in late September. 

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

Fri Aug 22, 9:30 PM

2 min 26° 15 above W 25 above SSW

Sat Aug 23, 8:43 PM

4 min 48° 31 above W 15 above SSE

Mon Aug 25, 8:42 PM

3 min 16° 14 above WSW 10 above S

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

1 p.m., Monday, August 25 - NASA Science Briefing, New Horizons Pluto Mission: Mirroring the Voyager Spacecraft Legacy (all channels)

2 p.m., Monday, August 25 - NASA Science Briefing, The Voyager Mission Experience: Memories from the Team (all channels) 

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Aug 22 - [Aug 21] Galileo FM1 & FM2 Soyuz 2-1B-Fregat LaunchAug 22 - Comet 19P/Borrelly Closest Approach To Earth (2.220 AU)Aug 22 - Asteroid 5143 Heracles Closest Approach To Earth (0.843 AU)Aug 22 - 30th Anniversary (1984), Tomiya Meteorite Fall (Hit Houses in Japan)Aug 23 - Comet 303P/NEAT At Opposition (1.510 AU)Aug 23 - Asteroid 2559 Svoboda Occults HIP 23583 (6.2 Magnitude Star)Aug 23 - Asteroid 2100 Ra-Shalom Closest Approach To Earth (1.337 AU)Aug 23 - Asteroid 3769 Arthurmiller Closest Approach To Earth (1.388 AU)Aug 23 - Asteroid 293934 MPIA Closest Approach To Earth (1.459 AU)Aug 23 - Asteroid 3061 Cook Closest Approach To Earth (1.490 AU)Aug 23 - Asteroid 17656 Hayabusa Closest Approach To Earth (1.586 AU)Aug 23 - Centaur Object 7066 Nessus At Opposition (24.966 AU)Aug 23 - Kuiper Belt Object 307982 (2004 PG115) At Opposition (36.536 AU)Aug 24 - Asteroid 2001 Einstein Closest Approach To Earth (1.019 AU)Aug 24 - Greg Jarvis' 70th Birthday (1944)Aug 24-Sep 14 - Workshop: The Galaxy-Halo Connection Across Cosmic Time, Aspen, ColoradoAug 25 - AsiaSat 6 (Thaicom 7) Falcon 9 LaunchAug 25 - New Horizons Crosses Neptune's OrbitAug 25 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #389 (OTM-389)Aug 25 - Northern Iota Aquarids Meteor Shower PeakAug 25 - Comet 304P/Ory Perihelion (1.382 AU)Aug 25 - Comet 227P/Catalina-LINEAR At Opposition (4.270 AU)Aug 25 - Asteroid 63 Ausonia At Opposition (9.7 Magnitude)Aug 25 - Asteroid 2008 RG1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU)Aug 25 - Asteroid 4535 Adamcarolla Closest Approach To Earth (1.791 AU)Aug 25 - Asteroid 2925 Beatty Closest Approach To Earth (1.806 AU)Aug 25 - Asteroid 30928 Jefferson Closest Approach To Earth (1.956 AU)Aug 25 - 25th Anniversary (1989), Voyager 2, Neptune FlybyAug 26 - Kuiper Belt Object 225088 (2007 OR10) At Opposition (86.117 AU)

Food for ThoughtOzone-Depleting Compound Persists, NASA Research

Shows

Space Image of the Week

Blue Marble, Eastern Hemisphere