Space News Update- January 7, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: Polar Vortex Enters Northern U.S.

Story 2:An Astronaut’s Rhythm

Story 3:

NASA's Kepler Provides Insights on Enigmatic Planets Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Polar Vortex Enters Northern U.S.

An Astronaut’s Rhythm

NASA's Kepler Provides Insights on Enigmatic Planets

The Night Sky•Tuesday, Jan u ary 7 •First-quarter Moon (exact at 10:39 p.m. EST). Look to the right of the Moon this evening for the Great Square of Pegasus, tipped up onto one corner. The main line of Andromeda’s stars extends up from its top. •Wednes day, Jan u ary 8 • Jupiter’s moon Europa crosses Jupiter’s face from 6:47 to 9:29 p.m. EST, with its shadow following just 10 minutes behind. •Thursday, January 9 • In this coldest time of the year, the dim Little Dipper hangs straight down from Polaris after dinnertime as if from a nail on the cold north wall of the sky.•Friday, January 10 • Look left of the Moon at nightfall for the Pleiades, as shown here. The Pleiades are straight above the Moon by about 8 or 9. • Bright Capella high overhead and bright Rigel in Orion's foot, both magnitude 0, have almost the same right ascension — so they cross your sky’s north-south meridian at almost the same time. Capella passes closest to straight overhead around 10 p.m., depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone. (It goes exactly through the zenith if you're at latitude 46° north: Portland, Oregon; Montreal; central France.) So, when Capella is passing closest to the zenith, Rigel always marks true south over your landscape. •Saturday, January 11 • Aldebaran shines below the Moon at dusk, as shown here. It's left of the Moon by about 11 p.m. • Jupiter’s Great Red Spot transits Jupiter’s central meridian around 9:30 p.m. EST. • Venus is at inferior conjunction, passing 5° north of the Sun today

Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

Date VisibleMax Height

Appears Disappears

Tue Jan 7, 5:52 AM < 1 min 11° 10 above SSE 11 above SE

Wed Jan 8, 6:37 AM 6 min 66° 10 above SW 10 above ENE

Thu Jan 9, 5:49 AM 6 min 35° 10 above SSW 10 above ENE

Fri Jan 10, 5:03 AM 1 min 19° 18 above SSE 18 above ESE

Fri Jan 10, 6:37 AM 6 min 43° 10 above WSW 10 above NE

Sat Jan 11, 5:50 AM 4 min 75° 44 above WSW 11 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

January 7, Tuesday9:30 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (All Channels)10:25 a.m. - ISS Expedition 38 Educational Event with the Denbigh High School and Aviation Academy, Newport News, Va. - JSC (Media and Education Channels)10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. NASA and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Commemorates 10 Years of Mars Rovers - HQ (Public Channel)2 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Science Briefing - WFF (All Channels)3 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Prelaunch News Conference - WFF (All Channels)

January 8, Wednesday11:30 a.m. - Replay of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Prelaunch News Conference (recorded on Jan. 7) - HQ (All Channels)12:30 p.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Prelaunch Processing - HQ (All Channels)1 p.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the Orbital-1 Cygnus Resupply Mission to the International Space Station (Launch scheduled at 1:32 p.m. ET) - JSC/WFF (All Channels)3 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Post-Launch News Conference - WFF (All Channels)

January 9, Thursday12 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

•Jan 07 - Mercury Passes 6.5 Degrees From Venus •Jan 07 - [Jan 03] Asteroid 2013 YV102 Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU) •Jan 07 - Asteroid 4871 Riverside Closest Approach To Earth (1.151 AU) •Jan 07 - Asteroid 7000 Curie Closest Approach To Earth (1.548 AU) •Jan 07 - Asteroid 3948 Bohr Closest Approach To Earth (1.670 AU) •Jan 08 - [Jan 04] Cygnus-2/ Flock-1 (1-28)/ ArduSat 2/ LituanicaSAT 1/ LitSat 1/ SkyCube/ UAPSat 1 Antares Launch (International Space Station) •Jan 08 - Comet 270P/Gehrels At Opposition (2.797 AU) •Jan 08 - Asteroid 2013 WS43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU) •Jan 08 - [Jan 01] Asteroid 2013 YL48 Near-Earth Flyby (0.096 AU) •Jan 08 - Asteroid 2062 Aten Closest Approach To Earth (0.146 AU) •Jan 08 - Asteroid 75564 Audubon Closest Approach To Earth (1.158 AU) •Jan 08 - Asteroid 25930 Spielberg Closest Approach To Earth (1.675 AU) •Jan 09 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Titan •Jan 09 - Comet 276P/Vorobjov At Opposition (3.290 AU) •Jan 09 - Comet P/2012 U2 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.455 AU) •Jan 09 - Asteroid 4055 Magellan Closest Approach To Earth (1.388 AU) •Jan 09 - Asteroid 15371 Steward Closest Approach To Earth (2.331 AU) •Jan 09 - Asteroid 30440 Larry Closest Approach To Earth (2.416 AU) •Jan 09 - Asteroid 2688 Halley Closest Approach To Earth (2.635 AU) •Jan 10 - Comet 290P/Jager Closest Approach To Earth (1.281 AU) •Jan 10 - Comet 293P/Spacewatch Perihelion (2.112 AU) •Jan 10 - Asteroid 2013 AF53 Near-Earth Flyby (0.058 AU) •Jan 10 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Venera 6 Launch (USSR Venus Atmospheric Probe) •Jan 11 - Comet 261P/Larson At Opposition (2.613 AU) •Jan 11 - [Jan 01] Asteroid 2102 Tantalus Closest Approach To Earth (0.514 AU)

Verena 6; was to analyze the atmosphere of Venus. It transmitted data for only 51 minutes. The probe was 405 kg and had 6 instruments. The total spacecraft and probe were 1130 kg.

Food for ThoughtDecade-Old Rover Adventure Continues on Mars and Earth

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit:Michael Fossum, STS-121 Mission, NASA

Reflections on Planet Earth