Space News Update- October 29, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Could the Next Planetary Rover Come from Canada?

Story 2: Return of the Dragon: Commercial craft back home

Story 3: Coolant leak prompts Nov. 1 station spacewalk

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Could the Next Planetary Rover Come from Canada?

>

Return of the Dragon: Commercial craft back home

Coolant leak prompts Nov. 1 station spacewalk

The Night SkyMonday, October 29 · Full Moon (exact at 3:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). Look a fist-width above the Moon for the brightest stars of Aries, lined up nearly horizontally. · Algol should be at minimum light for a couple hours centered on 10:03 p.m. EDT. · Jupiter's Great Red Spot (pale orange-tan) crosses Jupiter's central meridian around 11:32 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Tuesday, October 30 · The "Summer Star" Vega is still the brightest star in the west during fall evenings. Higher above it is Deneb. Farther off to Vega's left or lower left is Altair, the third star of the Summer Triangle.

Wednesday, October 31 · The Halloween Moon, waning gibbous, rises around the end of twilight. The Pleiades are above it. Once it rises higher, Aldebaran sparkles is below it and bright Jupiter shines to its lower left, as shown here. · Just after dark, the faint, slow-moving asteroid 35 Leukothea should occult a 10.6-magnitude star in Aquarius fairly high in the south for up to 39 seconds, for observers along a track from Florida through Michigan. Charts and details.

Thursday, November 1 · The bright "star" above the Moon this evening is Jupiter. Although they look close together, Jupiter is 1,500 times farther away. Aldebaran, to their right, is 930,000 times more distant than Jupiter!

Friday, November 2 · Once the waning gibbous Moon rises high late this evening, look lower right of it for wintry Orion making his sparkly appearance.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATION MAX ELEV APPROACH DEPARTURE

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

ISS Mon Oct 29/06:54 PM 6 72 10 above NW 14 above ESE

ISS Mon Oct 29/08:32 PM < 1 10 10 above WSW 10 above WSW

ISS Tue Oct 30/07:44 PM 3 20 20 above WSW 11 above S

ISS Wed Oct 31/06:54 PM 3 38 35 above WSW 11 above SSE

ISS Fri Nov 02/06:52 PM 1 13 13 above SW 10 above SSW

NASA-TV Highlights

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.

October 30, Tuesday8:40 a.m. - ISS Expedition 33 Interviews with the Weather Channel and the Associated Press - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

October 31, Wednesday3:15 a.m. - ISS Progress 49 Launch Coverage (Launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan scheduled at 3:41 a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)9 a.m. - ISS Progress 49 Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 9:40 a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)

November 1, Thursday7:15 a.m. - ISS Expedition 33 Spacewalk Coverage (Spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar

· Oct 29 - [Oct 26] KSLV 1 Launch (South Korea) · Oct 29 - [Oct 29] Asteroid 2012 UU169 Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU) · Oct 29 - Asteroid 2012 UW9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU) · Oct 29 - Asteroid 2000 EA14 Near-Earth Flyby (0.100 AU) · Oct 29 - Asteroid 1154 Astronomia Closest Approach To Earth (2.508 AU) · Oct 30 - Asteroid 2012 UR18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU) · Oct 30 - [Oct 25] Asteroid 2012 UU68 Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU) · Oct 30 - Asteroid 2012 UQ18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.098 AU) · Oct 30 - Asteroid 8423 Macao Closest Approach To Earth (1.356 AU) · Oct 30 - Asteroid 4149 Harrison Closest Approach To Earth (2.028 AU) · Oct 30 - Kuiper Belt Object 55637 (2002 UX25) At Opposition (40.313 AU) · Oct 31 - [Oct 25] Progress M-17M Soyuz U Launch (International Space Station 49P) · Oct 31 - Comet P/2012 SB6 (Lemmon) Perihelion (2.406 AU) · Oct 31 - Asteroid 1602 Indiana Closest Approach To Earth (1.324 AU) · Oct 31 - Asteroid 149244 Kriegh Closest Approach To Earth (1.393 AU) · Oct 31 - Asteroid 7707 Yes Closest Approach To Earth (2.087 AU) · Oct 31 - Kuiper Belt Object 84522 (2002 TC302) At Opposition (45.806 AU) · Nov 01 - Asteroid 18125 Brianwilson Closest Approach To Earth (1.844 AU) · Nov 02 - Luch 5-B/ Yamal 300K Proton M-Briz M Launch · Nov 02 - Moon Occults Jupiter · Nov 02 - Asteroid 4798 Mercator Closest Approach To Earth (1.405 AU) · Nov 02 - Asteroid 16046 Gregnorman Closest Approach To Earth (2.335 AU) · Nov 02 - Asteroid 1268 Libya Closest Approach To Earth (2.868 AU) · Nov 02 - 10th Anniversary (2002), Stardust, Asteroid 5535 Annefrank Flyby · Nov 02 - 95th Anniversary (1917), Mount Wilson 100-inch Telescope First Light

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtMars Odyssey: Record-Breaking Mission to Mars

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: NASA

(click image to view video on NASA’s webiste)