Space News Update - April 1, 2013 - In the News Story 1: Story 1: ‘Alien Spaceship’ looking Dragon set for Unveiling by SpaceX this Year! Story 2: Story.

Space News Update- April 1, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: ‘Alien Spaceship’ looking Dragon set for Unveiling by SpaceX this Year!

Story 2: InSight mission to find what lies beneath Martian surface

Story 3: Yvonne Brill, a Pioneering Rocket Scientist, Dies at 88

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

‘Alien Spaceship’ looking Dragon set for Unveiling by SpaceX this

Year!

>

InSight mission to find what lies beneath Martian surface

Yvonne Brill, a Pioneering Rocket Scientist, Dies at 88

The Night Sky

Monday, April 1· The red carbon stars U and V Hydrae, and the Ghost of Jupiter planetary nebula (magnitude 7.7), all reside within a few degrees of each other in central Hydra. See Gary Seronik's Binocular Highlight column and chart in the AprilSky & Telescope, page 45 (and for more on the Ghost of Jupiter, page 56).

Tuesday, April 2· As spring advances, wintry Orion tilts farther over as it declines in the west-southwest after dark. Orion's Belt in its middle is almost horizontal. Orion is brightly framed between Jupiter on its right and Sirius on its left.· Last-quarter Moon tonight (exact at 12:37 a.m. Wednesday morning EDT).

Wednesday, April 3· Jupiter's moon Io crosses Jupiter's face from 7:56 to 10:08 p.m. EDT, followed by its tiny black shadow (much more visible) from 9:03 to 11:15 p.m. EDT.

Thursday, April 4· This evening Comet PanSTARRS, fading every day, is passing 2° west (lower right) of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31. They may appear about equally dim low in the northwest just as twilight is ending, for observers at fairly high northern latitudes. Think photo opportunity.

Friday, April 5· The huge, bright Winter Hexagon is still in view after dark, filling the sky to the southwest and west. Start at bright Sirius in the southwest. It marks the Hexagon's lower left corner. High above Sirius is Procyon. From there, look upper right to Pollux and Castor, lower right from Castor to Menkalinen and Capella, lower left to Aldebaran (with brighter Jupiter hogging the limelight near it!), lower left to Rigel at the bottom of Orion, and back to Sirius.

Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

SATELLITE LOCALDURATIO

NMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)

ISS Mon Apr 01/05:21 AM 4 32 10 above NW 28 above ENE

ISS Tue Apr 02/04:33 AM 1 22 20 above N 20 above NE

ISS Tue Apr 02/06:07 AM 6 51 10 above WNW 12 above SE

ISS Wed Apr 03/05:18 AM 5 80 19 above NW 10 above SE

ISS Thu Apr 04/04:30 AM 2 43 38 above ENE 11 above ESE

ISS Thu Apr 04/06:04 AM 5 18 10 above W 10 above S

ISS Fri Apr 05/05:16 AM 3 34 33 above SSW 10 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

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

April 1, Monday12:20 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event with WGME-TV, Portland, ME and NASA Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy – JSC (Public and Media Channels)

April 4, Thursday12:50 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency for a Student Science Challenge in Fall River, Nova Scotia - JSC (All Channels)12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar

Apr 01 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #346 (OTM-346)Apr 01 - Asteroid 2032 Ethel Occults HIP 103224 (6.7 Magnitude Star)Apr 01 - Asteroid 2013 EN89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 2013 EQ4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.071 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 20103 de Vico Closest Approach To Earth (1.488 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 3665 Fitzgerald Closest Approach To Earth (1.667 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 11926 Orinoco Closest Approach To Earth (1.704 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 203 Pompeja Closest Approach To Earth (1.873 AU)Apr 01 - Asteroid 35334 Yarkovsky Closest Approach To Earth (2.069 AU)Apr 02 - Asteroid 91007 Ianfleming Closest Approach To Earth (1.779 AU)Apr 02 - Asteroid 9533 Aleksejleonov Closest Approach To Earth (1.974 AU)Apr 02 - Asteroid 1157 Arabia Closest Approach To Earth (2.217 AU)Apr 02 - 50th Anniversary (1963), Luna 4 Launch (Soviet Moon Flyby Mission)Apr 03 - Moon Occults PlutoApr 03 - Comet P/2011 U1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.127 AU)Apr 03 - 40th Anniversary (1973), Salyut 2 Launch (USSR's 2nd Space Station)Apr 04 - Comet P/1999 D1 (Hermann) Closest Approach To Earth (1.230 AU)Apr 04 - Asteroid 10189 Normanrockwell Closest Approach To Earth (1.923 AU)Apr 04 - Asteroid 60186 Las Cruces Closest Approach To Earth (2.139 AU)Apr 04 - Asteroid 2848 ASP Closest Approach To Earth (2.795 AU)Apr 04 - 45th Anniversary (1968), Apollo 6 Launch (Last Test Flight of Saturn V)Apr 05 - Cassini, Titan FlybyApr 05 - Comet 222P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.091 AU)Apr 05 - Comet C/2010 R1 (LINEAR) At Opposition (5.109 AU)Apr 05 - Asteroid 4 Vesta Occults TYC 1848-02042-1 (11.6 Magnitude Star)Apr 05 - Asteroid 5738 Billpickering Closest Approach To Earth (1.041 AU)Apr 05 - Asteroid 49272 Bryce Canyon Closest Approach To Earth (2.020 AU)Apr 05 - Asteroid 2801 Huygens Closest Approach To Earth (2.235 AU)Apr 05 - 40th Anniversary (1973), Pioneer 11 Launch (Jupiter & Saturn Flyby Mission)JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought

Astronomical Pranks of April Fools’ Past

Space Image of the Week

NASA