Space News Update - July 15, 2011 - In the News Story 1: Story 1: NASA Spacecraft to Enter Asteroid's Orbit on July 15 Story 2: Story 2: New Ways to Measure.

Space News Update- July 15, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: NASA Spacecraft to Enter Asteroid's Orbit on July 15

Story 2: New Ways to Measure Magnetism Around the Sun

Story 3: NASA Begins Testing of Next-Generation J-2X Rocket Engine

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

NASA Spacecraft to Enter Asteroid's Orbit on July 15

New Ways to Measure Magnetism Around the Sun

NASA Begins Testing of Next-Generation J-2X Rocket Engine

The Night Sky

Friday, July 15 · After the just-past-full Moon rises into good view late this evening, use binoculars to look a little above it for Beta Capricorni and, higher, the wide double star Alpha Capricorni. With good distance vision you can normally split Alpha Cap naked-eye. Can you still do this with the bright Moon so close? Saturday, July 16 · With summer almost a third of the way through, the Big Dipper is descending in the northwest after dark and starting to scoop to the right, dipper-wise, as if picking up water to dump over the world in the evening next spring. See the picture below. Sunday, July 17 · Titan, the brightest satellite of Saturn, can be found in a telescope about four ring-lengths east of Saturn this evening and tomorrow evening. With a 6-inch scope you can make out the orange tint of Titan's hydrocarbon-smogged atmosphere.

The Night Sky

Monday, July 18 · Arcturus is the bright star shining high in the southwest these evenings, far above Saturn and Spica. Arcturus is a yellow-orange giant 37 light-years away and about 150 times as luminous as the Sun. Its pale ginger-ale color is plain to the unaided eye. Compare this to the icy blue-white of Vega overhead, equally bright. Look far to the right of Arcturus, at roughly the same height, for the Big Dipper, oriented about as shown here.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

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

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

For Denver:

For Denver: No ISS Sighting OpportunitiesFor Denver: No ISS Sighting Opportunities

ISS Fri Jun 24/00:28 AM < 1 12 10 above NW 12 above NWISS Fri Jun 24/09:54 PM 2 12 11 above N 10 above NEISS Fri Jun 24/11:30 PM 1 36 22 above NNW 36 above NISS Sat Jun 25/10:30 PM 2 23 19 above N 17 above ENE

ISS Sun Jun 26/00:05 AM < 1 12 10 above WNW 12 above WNW

ISS Sun Jun 26/09:30 PM 3 15 13 above N 10 above ENEISS Sun Jun 26/11:06 PM 1 46 23 above NW 46 above NWISS Mon Jun 27/10:07 PM 3 33 24 above NNW 22 above EISS Fri Jun 24/00:28 AM < 1 12 10 above NW 12 above NWISS Fri Jun 24/09:54 PM 2 12 11 above N 10 above NEISS Fri Jun 24/11:30 PM 1 36 22 above NNW 36 above N

NO SIGHTINGS AVAILABLE from Wednesday, July 6 to Thursday, July 21.

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

July 15, Friday2 p.m. - VIP Call from President Barack Obama to Atlantis / ISS Replay - JSC (All Channels)2:59 p.m. - ISS Crew Sleep Begins - JSC (All Channels)3:29 p.m. - Atlantis Crew Sleep Begins - JSC (All Channels)3:30 p.m. - VIP Call from President Barack Obama to Atlantis / ISS Replay - JSC (All Channels)4 p.m. - Video File - HQ (All Channels)5 p.m. - Flight Day 8 Highlights (replayed on the hour during crew sleep) - JSC (All Channels)8 p.m. - “The Space Shuttle” Narrated by William Shatner - JSC (All Channels)10 p.m. - “Launching Our Dreams” Video Feature Playback - JSC (All Channels)11:29 p.m. - Atlantis/ISS Crew Crew Wake Up (begins FD 9) - JSC (All Channels)11:45 p.m. - ISS Flight Director Update - JSC (All Channels)

Space CalendarJul 15 - [Jul 14] Dawn, Vesta Arrival Jul 15 - G-Sat 12 PSLV-C17 Launch (India) Jul 15 - SES-3/ KazSat 2 Proton M-Briz M Launch Jul 15 - Asteroid 88705 Potato Closest Approach To Earth (2.038 AU) Jul 16 - [Jul 15] GPS 2F-2 Delta 4 Launch Jul 16 - Asteroid 4370 Dickens Closest Approach To Earth (1.062 AU) Jul 16 - Asteroid 2000 Herschel Closest Approach To Earth (1.763 AU) Jul 16 - Asteroid 5035 Swift Closest Approach To Earth (2.027 AU) Jul 16 - Giuseppe Piazzi's 265th Birthday (1746) Jul 17 - [Jul 15] THEMIS (P2), Lunar Orbit Insertion Jul 17 - Comet 69P/Taylor Perihelion (2.271 AU) Jul 17 - Asteroid 656 Beagle Closest Approach To Earth (2.434 AU) Jul 18 - Radio-Astron (Spektr R) Zenit 3F Launch Jul 18 - Comet C/2009 P2 (Boattini) Closest Approach To Earth (6.440 AU) Jul 18 - Asteroid 4255 Spacewatch Closest Approach To Earth (2.435 AU) Jul 18 - 45th Anniversary (1966), Gemini 10 Launch (John Young & Michael Collins) Jul 18 - John Glenn's 90th Birthday (1921)

Gemini 10 Crew John Young (L), Michael Collins (R)

Food for Thought

Lens idea might yet prove to have weight

Space Image of the WeekAtlantis' Last Approach 

Image Credit: ISS Expedition 28 Crew, NASA