Space News Update - September 17, 2013 - In the News Story 1: Story 1: China says aims to train astronauts from other countries Story 2: Story 2: Virginia's.

Space News Update- September 17, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: China says aims to train astronauts from other countries

Story 2:Virginia's bet brings big launches to the mid-Atlantic

Story 3:

A “Mini Jet” Juts from Saturn’s F Ring Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

China says aims to train astronauts from other

countries

Virginia's bet brings big launches to the mid-Atlantic

A “Mini Jet” Juts from Saturn’s F Ring

The Night SkyMonday, September 16 • Low in the western twilight, Saturn is now within 4° of brighter Venus. In a telescope at high power they'll be very blurry though the thick atmosphere, but you can certainly observe their wildly different surface brightnesses. Venus is 13 times closer to the Sun than Saturn is, so it's illuminated by sunlight that's about 169 times as bright!

Tuesday, September 17 • This is the time of year when, as the stars come out, bright Arcturus shines due west at the same height as the Big Dipper hangs in the northwest.

Wednesday, September 18 • Full Moon tonight and tomorrow night (exactly full at 7:13 a.m. Thursday morning EDT). The Moon is passing through dim Pisces, to the lower right of the Great Square of Pegasus both evenings.

Thursday, September 19 • A winter preview: If you're up before dawn this week, the southern sky displays the same starry panorama as it will at dusk next February. Orion stands high in the south, Sirius and Canis Major sparkle to its lower left, and Gemini, with Jupiter, occupies the high east. Come February, Jupiter will still be there.

Friday, September 20 • As summer nears its end, orange Antares blinks its bleary seasonal farewell low in the southwest at nightfall. Look for it twinkling well to the left of Venus and Saturn and perhaps a bit higher. The farther north you are, the sooner Antares sinks out of sight.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

LOCAL DATE/TIME VISIBLE (MIN)

MAX HEIGHT (DEG)

APPEARS(DEG)

DISAPPEARS(DEG)

Mon Sep 16, 5:02 AM 2 min 83° 81 above E 25 above NE

Tue Sep 17, 4:15 AM < 1 min 19° 19 above ENE 19 above ENE

Tue Sep 17, 5:48 AM 5 min 24° 15 above WNW 10 above NNE

Wed Sep 18, 5:01 AM 3 min 35° 35 above NNW 11 above NE

Thu Sep 19, 4:15 AM < 1 min 16° 16 above NE 13 above NE

Thu Sep 19, 5:48 AM 4 min 15° 10 above NW 10 above NNE

Fri Sep 20, 5:01 AM 2 min 19° 19 above NNW 11 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

September 17, Tuesday 2 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Demonstration Mission News Conference - WFF (All Channels)

September 18, Wednesday10 a.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Processing and Demonstration Mission Animation - JSC (All Channels)10:15 a.m. - Launch Coverage of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Demonstration Mission to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 10:50 a.m. EDT) - JSC/WFF (All Channels)12:30 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Post-Launch News Conference - WFF (All Channels)

September 19, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels) 3 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/38 Crew Activities and Soyuz TMA-10M Spacecraft Processing in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)

September 20, Friday 3 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/38 Crew Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Sep 16 - Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski) At Opposition (8.847 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 89 Julia At Opposition (9.2 Magnitude) Sep 16 - Asteroid 2595 Gudiachvili Occults HIP 19718 (6.6 Magnitude Star) Sep 16 - Asteroid 2001 SQ263 Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 8000 Isaac Newton Closest Approach To Earth (1.866 AU) Sep 17 - Comet P/2005 JN (Spacewatch) At Opposition (2.964 AU) Sep 17 - Asteroid 215423 Winnecke Closest Approach To Earth (1.025 AU) Sep 18 - [Sep 15] Cygnus Orb-D1 Antares Launch (International Space Station) Sep 18 - [Sep 14] Cassiope 1/ DANDE/ CUSAT 1 & 2/ POPACS 1, 2 & 3/ SNAPS Falcon 9 Launch Sep 18 - [Sep 16] AEHF-3 Atlas 5 Launch Sep 18 - Comet C/2012 S4 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.398 AU) Sep 18 - Comet 216P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.245 AU) Sep 18 - [Sep 16] Asteroid 2013 RZ53 Near-Earth Flyby (0.002 AU) Sep 18 - Asteroid 29470 Higgs Closest Approach To Earth (1.690 AU) Sep 19 - Asteroid 23638 Nagano Closest Approach To Earth (1.447 AU) Sep 19 - 165th Anniversary (1848), William Bonds's & George Bond's Disovery of Saturn Moon Hyperion Sep 20 - Venus Passes 3.7 Degrees From Saturn Sep 20 - Comet C/2012 V2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (2.078 AU) Sep 20 - Comet 252P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.088 AU) Sep 20 - [Sep 15] Asteroid 2013 RN43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.094 AU) Sep 20 - Asteroid 55555 DNA Closest Approach To Earth (1.340 AU) Sep 20 - Asteroid 6135 Billowen Closest Approach To Earth (1.731 AU) Sep 20 - Asteroid 17427 Poe Closest Approach To Earth (2.350 AU)

Food for ThoughtNASA Invites Social Media Fans to Earth

Science Event

Space Image of the WeekM2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula

Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing: Judy Schmidt