Space News Update- December 2, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: Ground team ready to rouse Pluto probe for historic flyby

Story 2:Isolated showers, gusty winds expected for Thursday’s Delta 4 launch

Story 3: Want a Telescope for Christmas? Here's What You Need to Know

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Ground team ready to rouse Pluto probe for historic flyby

Isolated showers, gusty winds expected for Thursday’s Delta 4

launch

Want a Telescope for Christmas? Here's What You Need to Know

The Night SkyTuesday, December 2The Moon shines in the southeast soon after dark. Look below it, by a bit less than a fist at arm's length, for Alpha Piscium, the 3.8-magnitude star in Pisces that traditionally marks where the cords from the two fishes' tails are tied in a knot. Its name, Alrescha, is from the Arabic for "the rope," based on the ancient Greek description of the constellation. Also this evening: Telescope users can watch the Moon's thin, invisible dark limb occult (black out) the 4.3-magnitude star Omicron Piscium as seen from the eastern half of North America except the southeast. Map and timetables.

Wednesday, December 3Look about a fist and a half above the Moon this evening for the brightest stars of little Aries. Farther left of the Moon are the Pleiades, and much farther left sparkles bright Capella. Watch night to night as the bright Moon passes Aldebaran, then Orion. (The Moon here is always drawn three times its actual apparent size.)

Thursday, December 4Today brings the year's earliest end of evening twilight (if you're near 40° north latitude): at 6:11 p.m. if you live right on your time zone's standard meridian at that latitude. But the difference from day to day right now is very slight.

Friday, December 5The Moon is essentially full both this evening and Saturday evening (exactly full at 7:27 a.m. Saturday morning EST.) On Friday evening in the Americas, the Moon shines less than about 2° from Aldebaran.

Saturday, December 6By mid-evening the Moon shines high in the east. It's in a starry part of the sky. Aldebaran is now to its upper right. To the Moon's lower right is Aldebaran-colored Betelgeuse. Much farther lower left of the Moon are Castor and Pollux. High to the Moon's upper left shines brighter 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

Sat Dec 6, 6:44 PM 1 min 19° 10 above SW 19 above SSW

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Tuesday, December 2

12 p.m. Journey to Mars Briefing (all channels)

1 p.m. Orion Flight Test Status and Overview Briefing (all channels)

Wednesday, December 3

5 a.m. Live Media Interviews with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (all channels)

10 a.m. Space Station Live (all channels)

11 a.m. NASA News - Orion Flight Test Prelaunch Briefing (all channels)

1 p.m. Special Event -- Orion Flight Test NASA Social (all channels)

6 p.m. Live View of the Orion Flight Test Launch Pad (all channels)

Thursday, December 4

4:30 a.m., Live Coverage of the Orion Flight Test (Launch Window Opens at 7:05 a.m.) (all channels)

1:30 p.m. NASA News - Orion Post-Flight Test Briefing (all channels)

10 p.m. The Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series: Mary Rayman, Dawn Project Mission Director on the Next Phase of Dawn Mission and its Arrival at Ceres, the Largest Asteroid in the Asteroid Belt (all channels)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

•Dec 02 - Moon Occults Uranus •Dec 02 - Comet P/2010 B2 (WISE) At Opposition (1.355 AU) •Dec 02 - Comet P/2014 W1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (1.696 AU) •Dec 02 - Comet C/2014 R1 (Borisov) Closest Approach To Earth (1.825 AU) •Dec 02 - Comet P/2010 J5 (McNaught) At Opposition (3.398 AU) •Dec 02 - Comet P/2014 W2 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.224 AU) •Dec 02 - [Nov 25] Asteroid 2014 WC201 Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU) •Dec 02 - [Nov 30] Asteroid 2014 WL365 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU) •Dec 02 - Asteroid 2014 SF145 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU) •Dec 02 - Asteroid 4416 Ramses Closest Approach To Earth (0.961 AU) •Dec 02 - Asteroid 115561 Frankherbert Closest Approach To Earth (1.986 AU) •Dec 02 - 25th Anniversary (1989), Solar Maximum Mission Reenters Earth's Atmosphere •Dec 02 - 40th Anniversary (1974), Pioneer 11, Jupiter Flyby •Dec 03 - [Dec 01] Hayabusa 2/ Sinen 2/ Despatch (Artsat 2)/ Procyon H-2A Launch (Japan Asteroid Sample Return Mission) •Dec 03 - Comet 214P/LINEAR At Opposition (2.269 AU) •Dec 03 - Comet P/2010 J5 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (3.398 AU) •Dec 03 - Comet C/2012 A1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (7.105 AU) •Dec 03 - Asteroid 23 Thalia At Opposition (9.2 Magnitude)

Solar Maximum Mission Satellite or Solar Max, George Nelson photo as he approached the damaged satellite in a capture attempt.

Pioneer 11 spacecraft sent its last signal in November 1995. NASA maintained contact with Pioneer 10 until January 2003

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

•Dec 03 - [Nov 24] Asteroid 2014 WZ120 Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU) •Dec 03 - Asteroid 17427 Poe Closest Approach To Earth (2.260 AU) •Dec 03 - Asteroid 2404 Antarctica Closest Approach To Earth (2.559 AU) •Dec 03 - 110th Anniversary (1904), Charles Perrine's Discovery of Himalia (Jupiter Moon) •Dec 03 - Robert G Harrington's 110th Birthday (1904) •Dec 04 - [Nov 27] Orion Delta 4H Launch (Exploration Flight Test-1) •Dec 04 - [Nov 27] DirecTV 14/ GSat 16 Ariane 5 Launch •Dec 04 - [Nov 27] Asteroid 2014 WY201 Near-Earth Flyby (0.059 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 2014 JV54 Near-Earth Flyby (0.097 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 1094 Siberia Closest Approach To Earth (1.307 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 3156 Ellington Closest Approach To Earth (1.546 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 7507 Israel Closest Approach To Earth (1.561 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 35978 Arlington Closest Approach To Earth (1.629 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 6377 Cagney Closest Approach To Earth (2.083 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 78756 Sloan Closest Approach To Earth (2.124 AU) •Dec 04 - Asteroid 1877 Marsden Closest Approach To Earth (3.512 AU) •Dec 04 - 55th Anniversary (1959), Little Joe 2 Launch (Monkey "Sam") •Dec 05 - Comet C/2014 A4 (SONEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (4.052 AU) •Dec 05 - Asteroid 2014 VP35 Near-Earth Flyby (0.058 AU) •Dec 06 - [Dec 01] New Horizons Wakes Up From Hibernation •Dec 06 - Asteroid 2733 Urata Occults HIP 17058 (6.2 Magnitude Star) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 2010 TK7 (Earth Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (0.197 AU) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 6239 Minos Closest Approach To Earth (0.570 AU) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 36800 Katarinawitt Closest Approach To Earth (1.365 AU) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 19383 Rolling Stones Closest Approach To Earth (1.391 AU) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 6487 Tonyspear Closest Approach To Earth (2.100 AU) •Dec 06 - Asteroid 7231 Porco Closest Approach To Earth (2.209 AU)

Food for ThoughtJohn Dalton’s Atomic Model

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Kennedy Space Center - NASA’s New Horizons