Space News Update- November 21, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: China launches for the second time in 24 hours

Story 2: Contact Lost with Sun-watching Stereo B

Story 3: 3-D printer powered up on the International Space Station

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

China launches for the second time in 24 hours

The Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 0712 GMT (2:12 a.m. EST) Thursday, Nov. 20 from the Jiuquan space base in northwest China. Credit: Xinhua

Contact Lost with Sun-watching Stereo B

3-D printer powered up on the International Space Station

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, November 21Does night already seem to be falling about as early as it ever will? You're right! We're still a whole month away from the winter solstice — but the Sun sets its earliest around December 7th, and right now it already sets within only about 5 minutes of that time (if you're near latitude 40° north). A surprising result of this: The Sun actually sets a trace earlier on Thanksgiving than on Christmas, even though Christmas is around solstice time.This offset is made up for by the opposite happening at sunrise: the Sun doesn't come up its latest for the year until January 7th. You can blame the tilt of Earth's axis and the eccentricity of its orbit. Saturday, November 22High in the northeast, the W pattern of Cassiopeia stands on end as early as 6 p.m. now. Whenever this happens, the dim handle of the Little Dipper (far lower left of Cassiopeia) extends straight left from Polaris.Algol in Perseus should be at its minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 11:50 p.m. EST (8:50 p.m. PST). Algol takes several hours to fade beforehand and to rebrighten after.New Moon (exact at 7:32 a.m. EST).

Sunday, November 23We're two thirds of the way through fall, so Capella shines well up in the northeast as soon as the stars come out. As night grows darker, look to its right by about three fists at arm's length for the frosty little Pleiades cluster, the size of your fingertip at arm's length. Monday, November 24With the waxing Moon still thin, plan some deep-sky observing while the evenings are still dark! Around the spilling water bucket of Aquarius are the Helix Nebula, the R Aquarii nebula, a little-known globular cluster, and some galaxies in the 11th- and 12th-magnitude range — as told in depth by Sue French in her Deep-Sky Wonders column in the November Sky & Telescope, page 56, with map and photos. Tuesday, November 25Look for Mars left of the crescent Moon in twilight, as shown above.Algol is at minimum light for a couple hours centered on 8:39 p.m. EST. 

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears

Sat Nov 22, 5:40 AM 4 min 16° 11 above NNW 10 above ENE

Sun Nov 23, 4:52 AM

< 1 min 12° 12 above NNE 10 above NE

Sun Nov 23, 6:26 AM

4 min 42° 10 above NW 32 above ENE

Mon Nov 24, 5:37 AM

3 min 27° 16 above NNW 19 above ENE

Tue Nov 25, 4:50 AM

1 min 18° 18 above NE 12 above ENE

Tue Nov 25, 6:23 AM

5 min 71° 10 above NW 29 above SE

NASA-TV Highlights

9 p.m., Friday, November 21 - The STS-125 Crew, from SMA-4 -- the Last Mission to Hubble at the Intrepid Museum in New York - Get Ready to Celebrate 25 years of Hubble! (all channels)

1 p.m., Saturday, November 22 - Video File of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 42/43 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (all channels)

3 p.m., Sunday, November 23 - ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 4:01 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 3:15 p.m. ET) - (all channels)

6 p.m., Sunday, November 23 - Video File of ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Pre-Launch, Launch Video B-Roll and Post-Launch Interviews (all channels)

9:15 p.m., Sunday, November 23 - ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 9:50 p.m. ET) (all channels)

11 p.m., Sunday, November 23 - ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (Hatch Opening scheduled at 11:30 p.m. ET) (all channels)

1 a.m., Monday, November 24 - Video File of ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Docking, Hatch Opening and Other Activities (all channels)

9:40 a.m., Tuesday, November 25 - ISS Expedition 42 In-Flight Interviews with WBAL-TV, Baltimore and WKRN-TV, Nashville, TN with Station Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA (all channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Nov 21 - [Nov 21] Kuaizhou 2 Kuaizhou Launch, SuccessfulNov 21 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #396 (OTM-396)Nov 21 - Comet 197P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.345 AU)Nov 21 - [Nov 21] Asteroid 2014 WR7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU)Nov 21 - [Nov 21] Asteroid 2014 WS7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)Nov 21 - Asteroid 2009 BS5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.090 AU)Nov 21 - Asteroid 3673 Levy Closest Approach To Earth (0.934 AU)Nov 21 - Asteroid 3354 McNair Closest Approach To Earth (1.493 AU)Nov 21 - Asteroid 5805 Glasgow Closest Approach To Earth (1.731 AU)Nov 21 - Lecture: Advanced Spacecraft Propulsion, London, United KingdomNov 22 - [Nov 19] Asteroid 2014 WP4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)Nov 22 - Asteroid 3654 AAS Closest Approach To Earth (0.903 AU)Nov 22 - Asteroid 4125 Lew Allen Closest Approach To Earth (1.031 AU)Nov 22 - Asteroid 719 Albert Closest Approach To Earth (1.175 AU)Nov 22 - Asteroid 13212 Jayleno Closest Approach To Earth (1.863 AU)Nov 22 - Lost Dutchman State Park Star Party, Apache Junction, Ariz onaNov 22 - 25th Anniversary (1989), STS-33 Launch (Space Shuttle Discovery, DOD)Nov 23 - [Nov 16] Soyuz TMA-15M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 41S)Nov 23 - Cosmos-Glonass K1 N2 Soyuz 2-1B-Fregat LaunchNov 23 - Comet C/2014 A4 (SONEAR) At Opposition (4.077 AU)Nov 23 - [Nov 21] Asteroid 2014 WH6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.075 AU)Nov 23 - Asteroid 13070 Seanconnery Closest Approach To Earth (1.306 AU)Nov 23 - Asteroid 4115 Peternorton Closest Approach To Earth (1.996 AU)Nov 23 - Asteroid 1069 Planckia Closest Approach To Earth (2.305 AU)Nov 24 - Comet 193P/LINEAR-NEAT Perihelion (2.166 AU)Nov 24 - Comet C/2013 P3 (Palomar) Perihelion (8.646 AU)Nov 24 - Asteroid 5811 Keck Closest Approach To Earth (1.638 AU)Nov 24 - Asteroid 1886 Lowell Closest Approach To Earth (1.842 AU)Nov 24 - Asteroid 6143 Pythagoras Closest Approach To Earth (1.857 AU)Nov 24 - [Nov 18] Teleconference: Discovery 2014 AO Pre-Proposal ConferenceNov 24 - Carolyn Hurless' 80th Birthday (1934)Nov 24 - 375th Anniversary (1639), 1st Observations of a Transit of VenusNov 25 - Comet 300P/Catalina Closest Approach To Earth (1.462 AU)Nov 25 - Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro At Opposition (2.447 AU)Nov 25 - Asteroid 4970 Druyan Closest Approach To Earth (1.071 AU)Nov 25 - Asteroid 5703 Hevelius Closest Approach To Earth (1.173 AU)Nov 25 - Asteroid 14967 Madrid Closest Approach To Earth (1.377 AU)Nov 25 - Asteroid 7495 Feynman Closest Approach To Earth (1.661 AU)Nov 25 - Asteroid 9499 Excalibur Closest Approach To Earth (1.949 AU)Nov 25 - Kuiper Belt Object 145453 (2005 RR43) At Opposition (38.255 AU)Nov 25 - Kuiper Belt Object 386723 (2009 YE7) At Opposition (49.830 AU)

Food for ThoughtIconic Kennedy Space Center Countdown Clock Retires

Space Image of the Week

LDN 988: Dark Nebula in Cygnus Image Credit & Copyright: Bob Franke