Space News Update- June 3, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: Rare Stellar Alignment Offers Opportunity To Hunt For Planets

Story 2: Boeing's crew capsule tested for launch environment

Story 3: Earth's Milky Way Neighborhood Gets More Respect

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Rare Stellar Alignment Offers Opportunity To Hunt For Planets

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Boeing's crew capsule tested for launch environment

Earth's Milky Way Neighborhood Gets More Respect

Old Picture New Picture

The Night SkyMonday, June 3· "Cassiopeia" usually means "Cold!". Late fall and winter are when this landmark constellation is high overhead (seen from mid-northern latitudes), but even on hot June evenings it's lurking low. After dark, look for it down near the north horizon. It's a wide, upright W. The farther north you are the higher it'll appear. But even as far south as San Diego and Atlanta it's completely above the horizon.

Tuesday, June 4· Above the Big Dipper's high handle is north-central Bootes, home to double stars, three spindle galaxies, and the Kangaroo asterism. Find them using Sue French's "Deep-Sky Wonders" article, map, and photos in the June Sky & Telescope, page 56.

Wednesday, June 5· Vega is the brightest star in the east these evenings. The main part of its little constellation, Lyra, dangles from it to its lower right.

Thursday, June 6· With June well under way, the Big Dipper has swung around to hang down by its handle high in the northwest after dark. The middle star of its handle is Mizar, with tiny little Alcor right next to it. On which side of Mizar should you look for Alcor? As always, on the side exactly toward Vega! Which is now shining in the east.

Friday, June 7· Mercury has reached its farthest distance above Venus, 5°. See the twilight scene at right. This is the same separation as between fainter Pollux and Castor above them, which come into view as twilight fades further. 5° is about three finger-widths at arm's length (depending, of course, on the width of your fingers relative to the length of your arm!).

Sky & Telescope

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 Mon Jun 03/09:54 PM 6 47 11 above SSW 11 above ENE

ISS Mon Jun 03/11:32 PM 5 23 11 above W 11 above NNE

ISS Tue Jun 04/02:48 AM 1 14 10 above NNW 13 above N

ISS Tue Jun 04/04:24 AM 6 53 10 above NW 10 above ESE

ISS Tue Jun 04/09:06 PM 5 25 11 above S 11 above ENE

ISS Tue Jun 04/10:42 PM 6 34 12 above W 10 above NE

ISS Wed Jun 05/01:59 AM < 1 12 10 above NNW 10 above NNW

ISS Wed Jun 05/03:35 AM 6 33 10 above NW 10 above E

ISS Wed Jun 05/09:53 PM 6 57 10 above WSW 10 above NE

ISS Wed Jun 05/11:34 PM < 1 14 12 above N 10 above NNE

ISS Thu Jun 06/02:46 AM 5 22 11 above NNW 10 above ENE

ISS Thu Jun 06/04:22 AM 6 51 10 above WNW 10 above SE

ISS Thu Jun 06/09:04 PM 6 78 10 above SW 10 above NE

ISS Thu Jun 06/10:42 PM 5 18 10 above WNW 10 above NNE

ISS Fri Jun 07/01:57 AM 4 17 10 above NNW 10 above ENE

ISS Fri Jun 07/03:33 AM 6 84 10 above NW 11 above SE

ISS Fri Jun 07/09:52 PM 5 25 11 above W 10 above NNE

ISS Fri Jun 07/11:33 PM < 1 11 10 above N 10 above N

NASA-TV Highlights

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

June 4, Tuesday11:05 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Interviews with WCCO-TV, Minneapolis and KMSP-TV, Minneapolis - JSC (Public and Media Channels)1 p.m. - NASA Prelaunch News Briefing on the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) Mission - HQ (All Channels)

June 5, Wednesday5:15 p.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the European Space Agency’s “Albert Einstein” Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 Cargo Ship to the International Space Station (Launch is scheduled at 5:52 p.m. EDT) - JSC via Kourou, French Guiana (All Channels)

June 6, Thursday12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On-Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)

June 7, Friday8:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Event with Italian Networks for the European Space Agency with Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Space Calendar

Jun 03 - SES-6 Proton M-Briz M LaunchJun 03 - Comet C/2013 J6 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (1.771 AU)Jun 03 - Comet C/2012 OP (Siding Spring) At Opposition (3.050 AU)Jun 03 - Comet 196P/Tichy At Opposition (3.651 AU)Jun 03 - [May 27] Comet C/2013 H2 (Boattini) Closest Approach To Earth (6.670 AU)Jun 03 - [Jun 03] Asteroid 2013 LA Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU)Jun 03 - Asteroid 2004 KH17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.098 AU)Jun 03 - Asteroid 8003 Kelvin Closest Approach To Earth (1.203 AU)Jun 04 - Comet 257P/Catalina Perihelion (2.129 AU)Jun 04 - Comet 16P/Brooks At Opposition (2.390 AU)Jun 04 - Asteroid 2013 JE29 Near-Earth Flyby (0.051 AU)Jun 04 - Asteroid 2013 JB36 Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU)Jun 04 - Asteroid 17640 Mount Stromlo Closest Approach To Earth (1.887 AU)Jun 04 - Kuiper Belt Object 174567 (2003 MW12) At Opposition (46.386 AU)Jun 05 - [May 29] ATV-4 (Albert Einstein) Ariane 5ES Launch (International Space Station)Jun 05 - Comet 277P/LINEAR Perihelion (1.913 AU)Jun 05 - Comet 255P/Levy At Opposition (3.216 AU)Jun 05 - Asteroid 12760 Maxwell Closest Approach To Earth (2.001 AU)Jun 05 - Sydney's Observatory's 155th Birthday (1858)Jun 05-07 - Conference: Big Data From Space, Rome, ItalyJun 05-09 - Rocky Mountain Star Stare, Gardner, ColoradoJun 06 - Comet C/2013 F3 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (1.424 AU)Jun 06 - Comet 230P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.131 AU)Jun 06 - Asteroid 19383 Rolling Stones Closest Approach To Earth (1.209 AU)Jun 06 - Asteroid 5145 Pholus Closest Approach To Earth (24.276 AU)Jun 06 - 30th Anniversary (1983), Venera 16 Launch (USSR Venus Orbiter)Jun 07 - [May 31] Shenzhou 10 CZ-2F/H Launch (Chinese Manned Launch to Tian Gong1 1 Space Station)Jun 07 - [Jun 02] Cosmos 2486 (Persona N2) Soyuz 2-1B LaunchJun 07 - Comet P/2005 L1 (McNaught) At Opposition (2.241 AU)Jun 07 - Asteroid 2013 HO11 Near-Earth Flyby (0.063 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought

Ten Years at Mars: New Global Views Plot the Red Planet’s History

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: NASA

Stunning View of Earth and Orbital Sunset from the Space Station