Space News Update- March 14, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: SpaceX delays weekend Falcon 9 rocket launch

Story 2: CU-Boulder-led study on lunar crater counting shows crowdsourcing is accurate

tool

Story 3: How Giant Galaxies Bind The Milky Way’s Neighborhood With Gravity

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

SpaceX delays weekend Falcon 9 rocket launch

CU-Boulder-led study on lunar crater counting shows crowdsourcing is

accurate tool

How Giant Galaxies Bind The Milky Way’s Neighborhood With Gravity

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, March 14 This evening, look for Regulus and the Sickle of Leo above the almost-full Moon, as shown here.

Saturday, March 15 The Big Dipper glitters high in the northeast these evenings, standing on its handle. You probably know that the two stars forming the front of the Dipper's bowl (currently on top) are the Pointers; they point to Polaris, currently to their left.And, you may know that if you follow the curve of the Dipper's handle out and around by a little more than a Dipper length, you'll arc toArcturus, now rising in the east.But did you know that if you follow the Pointers backward, you'll land inLeo?Draw a line diagonally across the Dipper's bowl from where the handle is attached, continue far on, and you'llgo to Gemini.And look at the two stars forming the open top of the Dipper's bowl. Follow this line past the bowl's lip far across the sky, and you crash into Capella.

Sunday, March 16 Full Moon (exact at 1:08 p.m. EDT). The Moon rises around sunset and shines far below Leo in the evening, as shown above. Later in the night, look far to the Moon's lower left for Mars and fainter Spica.

Monday, March 17 Once the Moon is well up in the southeast late this evening, look below it to spot bright Mars and fainter Spica. By dawn on the 18th they're off in the west-southwest.

Tuesday, March 18 The Moon, Mars, and Spica form a striking triangle after they rise in the east late tonight and on into dawn on the morning of the 19th.

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

Sat Mar 15, 4:38

AM

< 1 min 13° 13 above E 10 above E

Sat Mar 15, 6:11

AM

5 min 50° 21 above WSW 11 above NE

Sun Mar 16, 5:24

AM

2 min 64° 64 above NE 20 above NE

Mon Mar 17, 4:37

AM

< 1 min 17° 17 above ENE 17 above ENE

Mon Mar 17, 6:10

AM

4 min 23° 17 above WNW 10 above NNE

Tue Mar 18, 5:23

AM

2 min 32° 32 above N 11 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

March 17, Monday7:45 a.m. - News Conference for Media in Europe with Expedition 40/41 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (in native language) - JSC (NTV-3 only) March 18,  Tuesday12 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On-Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)1:30 p.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of ISS Expedition 40/41 Crew Training (precedes the Crew News Conference) - JSC (All Channels)2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 40/41 Crew News Conference (Suraev, Wiseman, Gerst) - JSC (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Mar 14 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (28 Degrees)Mar 14 - Comet 124P/Mrkos At Opposition (0.686 AU)Mar 14 - Comet 219P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.875 AU)Mar 14 - Comet 243P/NEAT At Opposition (4.086 AU)Mar 14 - [Mar 13] Asteroid 2014 EB25 Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU)Mar 14 - [Mar 11] Asteroid 2014 EP12 Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU)Mar 14 - Asteroid 2014 DU22 Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)Mar 14 - [Mar 12] Asteroid 2014 EJ24 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)Mar 14 - Asteroid 4442 Garcia Closest Approach To Earth (1.366 AU)Mar 14 - Asteroid Grand Challenge Virtual SeminarMar 14 - Gene Cernan's 80th Birthday (1934)Mar 14 - Albert Einstein's 135th Birthday (1879)Mar 15 - Express-AT1/ Express-AT2 Proton-M Briz-M LaunchMar 15 - Comet 294P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (0.630 AU)Mar 15 - Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner At Opposition (4.455 AU)Mar 15 - Comet C/2013 C2 (Tenagra) At Opposition (8.418 AU)Mar 15 - [Mar 07] Asteroid 2014 EM Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)Mar 15 - [Mar 11] Asteroid 2014 EN12 Near-Earth Flyby (0.066 AU)Mar 15 - Asteroid 46977 Krakow Closest Approach To Earth (1.738 AU)Mar 16 - Comet 131P/Mueller At Opposition (3.454 AU)Mar 16 - Comet P/2009 SK280 (Spacewatch-Hill) At Opposition (4.358 AU)Mar 16 - [Mar 11] Asteroid 2014 DM23 Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)Mar 16 - Asteroid 17024 Costello Closest Approach To Earth (1.484 AU)Mar 16 - Asteroid 71000 Hughdowns Closest Approach To Earth (1.917 AU)Mar 16 - Asteroid 3130 Hillary Closest Approach To Earth (1.968 AU)Mar 17 - [Mar 11] NASA's Asteroid Data Hunter Contest BeginsMar 17 - Asteroid 2014 AY28 Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)Mar 18 - Comet 169P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.121 AU)Mar 18 - Comet 244P/Scotti Closest Approach To Earth (3.782 AU)Mar 18 - Comet P/2008 O2 (McNaught) At Opposition (4.176 AU)Mar 18 - Comet C/2013 G7 (McNaught) Perihelion (4.677 AU)Mar 18 - [Mar 13] Asteroid 2014 EY24 Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)Mar 18 - Asteroid 2013 WT44 Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)Mar 18 - [Mar 11] Asteroid 2014 EO12 Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU)Mar 18 - Asteroid 2005 FN Near-Earth Flyby (0.081 AU)Mar 18 - Asteroid 172996 Stooke Closest Approach To Earth (1.883 AU)Mar 18 - Asteroid 10168 Stony Ridge Closest Approach To Earth (1.929 AU)Mar 18 - Asteroid 54522 Menaechmus Closest Approach To Earth (2.100 AU)

Food for Thought

How Did Life Arise? Fuel Cells May Have Answers

Space Image of the Week

Cassini Spacecraft Uses "Pi Transfer" to Navigate Path Around Saturn