Space News Update - May 20, 2013 - In the News Story 1: Story 1: First quilter in space: NASA astronaut plans to turn orbital rags to stitches Story 2:

Space News Update- May 20, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: First quilter in space: NASA astronaut plans to turn orbital rags to stitches

Story 2: ‘Major Tim’ Peake to Make first British Long-duration Spaceflight

Story 3:

Bright Explosion on the Moon Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

First quilter in space: NASA astronaut plans to turn orbital rags to stitches

‘Major Tim’ Peake to Make first British Long-duration

Spaceflight

Bright Explosion on the Moon

The Night SkyMonday, May 20• Low in the afterglow of sunset, Jupiter has drawn to within 8° of Venus, which shines to its lower right. Can you see Mercury yet, 3° to the lower right of Venus? These three planets about to swing through a "trio" together. They'll appear closest together in a tight little triangle, 2° on a side, next Sunday the 26th. Tuesday, May 21 • The star near the waxing gibbous Moon this evening is Spica in Virgo. Wednesday, May 22 • Tonight the Moon shines with Saturn. Although they look close together, the Moon is only 1.3 light-seconds from Earth while Saturn is 74 light-minutes in the background. Thursday, May 23 • Starting from Saturn in the south-southeast as evening grows late, follow a diagonal line of five objects toward the lower left: Saturn, fainter Alpha Librae, the glaring Moon, Delta Scorpii, and Antares. Friday, May 24 • Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury, low in the afterglow of sunset, are now officially a "trio": they fit within a 5° circle. The means you could just about cover them with a golf ball at arm's length. They'll fit together in the view of most binoculars. This evening Venus and Mercury appear their closest together. But all three will fit in a circle just 2½° wide when they're grouped their tightest on Sunday. Full Moon (exact at 12:25 p.m. EDT tonight). The dazzling Moon occults (covers) the 2nd-magnitude star Beta Scorpii this evening for much of the eastern U.S. except the Northeast.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATION MAX ELEV APPROACH DEPARTURE

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

ISS Mon May 20/03:43 AM 2 42 41 above SSE 18 above ENE ISS Tue May 21/02:57 AM 1 23 16 above E 10 above E ISS Tue May 21/04:29 AM 3 37 17 above W 27 above NNE ISS Wed May 22/03:42 AM 2 63 51 above W 29 above NE ISS Thu May 23/02:55 AM 1 69 36 above ENE 16 above ENE ISS Thu May 23/04:29 AM 4 19 10 above WNW 14 above NNE ISS Fri May 24/02:08 AM < 1 37 12 above ENE 10 above ENE ISS Fri May 24/03:41 AM 2 27 23 above WNW 20 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

May 22, Wednesday8 a.m. - 12 p.m. - NASA Edge Live coverage of the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition - KSC (Education Channel)10:50 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Event with Florida Today/USA Today and the Florida Institute of Technology - JSC (Public and Media Channels)2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 36/37 Mission Overview Briefing - JSC (All Channels)3 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 36/37 Crew Activities and Soyuz TMA-09M Spacecraft Encapsulation in Baikonur, Kazakhstan – JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)

May 23, Thursday8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. - NASA Edge Live coverage of the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition - KSC (Education Channel)10:05 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Educational Event with the Talbot Innovation Middle School in Fall River, MA - JSC (Public and Media Channels)12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On-Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)1 - 6 p.m. - NASA Edge Live coverage of the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition - KSC (Education Channel)

May 24 Friday8:30 a.m. - NASA Edge Live coverage of the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition - KSC (Education Channel)12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 36/37 Crew Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)1 - 4 p.m. - NASA Edge Live coverage of the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition - KSC (Education Channel)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

May 20 - Comet 228P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.080 AU) May 20 - Comet C/2010 S1 (LINEAR) Perihelion (5.900 AU) May 20 - [May 15] Sally Ride Tribute, Washington DC May 20 - 35th Anniversary (1978), Pioneer Venus 1 Launch May 21 - Comet C/2012 K6 (McNaught) Perihelion (3.353 AU) May 21 - Comet 224P/LINEAR-NEAT At Opposition (3.820 AU) May 21 - Asteroid 2012 FC71 Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU) May 21 - Asteroid 5731 Zeus Closest Approach To Earth (1.106 AU) May 21 - Asteroid 19398 Creedence Closest Approach To Earth (1.641 AU) May 22 - [May 19] WGS F-5 Delta 4M Launch May 22 - Comet P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) Perihelion (2.004 AU) May 22 - Comet C/2013 G1 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (2.609 AU) May 22 - Comet P/2003 U3 (NEAT) At Opposition (3.264 AU) May 22 - [May 19] Asteroid 2013 KB Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU) May 22 - [May 12] Asteroid 2013 JK14 Near-Earth Flyby (0.059 AU) May 22 - Asteroid 6735 Madhatter Closest Approach To Earth (1.313 AU) May 22 - Asteroid 6349 Acapulco Closest Approach To Earth (1.376 AU) May 22 - Asteroid 1022 Olympiada Closest Approach To Earth (1.384 AU) May 22 - Asteroid 3654 AAS Closest Approach To Earth (1.598 AU) May 22 - Asteroid 16529 Dangoldin Closest Approach To Earth (2.087 AU) May 23 - [May 18] Cassini, Titan Flyby May 23 - Comet 175P/Hergenrother Perihelion (1.946 AU) May 23 - [May 12] Comet C/2013 J3 (McNaught) Perihelion (4.038 AU) May 23 - Asteroid 163364 (2002 OD20) Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU) May 23 - Asteroid 5811 Keck Closest Approach To Earth (1.386 AU) May 24 - Comet C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.915 AU) May 24 - Asteroid 784 Pickeringia Closest Approach To Earth (1.367 AU) May 24 - Asteroid 78905 Seanokeefe Closest Approach To Earth (1.528 AU) May 24 - Asteroid 21564 Widmanstatten Closest Approach To Earth (2.515 AU)

35 year Anniversary of launch of Pioneer Venus 1, nearly 14 yrs at

Venus

Widmanstätten patterns in iron meteorites, discovered by Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten,

Food for ThoughtOpportunity Mars Rover Blazes Past 40 Year Old Space Driving Record

Space Image of the WeekHumanity Explores the Solar

System

Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSLIllustration Credit & License: Olaf Frohn (The Planetary Society)