Space News Update - August 20, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Rover's Laser Instrument Zaps First Martian Rock Story 2: Story 2: Tentative Travel Plans for Mars Rover Curiosity Unveiled Story 3: Story 3: Mighty Eagle Prototype Lander Finds Its Target Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Rover's Laser Instrument Zaps First Martian Rock This composite image, with magnified insets, depicts the first laser test by the Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam, instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Image credit: NASA/JPL- Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

Tentative Travel Plans for Mars Rover Curiosity Unveiled This view from orbit shows Curiosity's landing site, a nearby area known as Glenelg that will be studied for much of the remainder of 2012 and the foothills of Mount Sharp, a three-mile-tall mound of layered terrain that represents one of the major goals of the mission. Credit: NASA; edited by CBS News.

Mighty Eagle Prototype Lander Finds Its Target Mighty Eagle lander prototype on test flight.

The Night Sky Friday, August 3 · As summer enters its second half, the Summer Triangle approaches its greatest height in the evening. Face east and look almost straight up after nightfall. The brightest star there is Vega. Toward the northeast from Vega (by two or three fist-widths at arm's length) is Deneb. Toward the southeast from Vega by a greater distance is Altair. Saturday, August 4 · The waning gibbous Moon rises in the east as twilight fades into night. Look left or upper left of it for the Great Square of Pegasus, balancing on one corner. Sunday, August 5 · Vega is near the zenith soon after nightfall (as seen from mid-northern latitudes), and this tells you that the rich Milky Way in Sagittarius and the tail of Scorpius is now at its best low in the south. The region is loaded with telescopic star clusters and nebulae. Catch it while you can. Monday, August 6 · By mid-evening this week, W-shaped Cassiopeia rises as high in the northeast as the bowl of the Big Dipper has sunk in the northwest.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCALDURATIONMAX ELEVAPPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSMon Aug 20/08:29 PM31210 above NNW10 above NE ISSMon Aug 20/10:06 PM12918 above NNW29 above NNW ISSTue Aug 21/09:14 PM32413 above NNW22 above NE ISSTue Aug 21/10:50 PM< above WNW ISSWed Aug 22/08:24 PM51810 above NNW10 above ENE ISSWed Aug 22/10:02 PM< above NW34 above NW ISSThu Aug 23/09:14 PM25527 above NNW43 above E ISSFri Aug 24/08:25 PM53417 above NNW13 above E ISSFri Aug 24/10:01 PM12313 above W23 above WSW

NASA-TV Highlights August 20, Monday 10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 32 Russian Spacewalk Coverage (Hatch open to begin the spacewalk is scheduled at 10:40 a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) 1 p.m. - Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Prelaunch Press Conference - KSC (Media Channel) 2 p.m. - Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Mission Science Briefing - KSC (Media Channel) August 22, Wednesday 12:55 p.m. - ISS Expedition 32 Social Media In-Flight Event - JSC (All Channels) 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - NASA Social for Launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Mission - KSC (All Channels) August 23, Thursday 7 a.m. - ISS Expedition 32 In-Flight Event for JAXA with TV Asahi - JSC (Media Channel only in native language to Japan) 10 a.m. - Interpreted Replay of the ISS Expedition 32 In-Flight Event for JAXA with TV Asahi - JSC (All Channels) August 24, Friday 1: a.m. - Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Launch Coverage (Launch at 4:07 a.m. EDT) - KSC (All Channels) 6:30 a.m. - Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Post-Launch News Conference - KSC (All Channels) Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website

Space Calendar Aug 20 - Asteroid 2012 EC Near-Earth Flyby (0.081 AU)Asteroid 2012 ECNear-Earth Flyby Aug 20 - [Aug 17] Asteroid 2008 QB Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)Asteroid 2008 QBNear-Earth Flyby Aug 20 - Asteroid 3688 Navajo Closest Approach To Earth (3.715 AU)Asteroid 3688 NavajoClosest Approach To Earth Aug th Anniversary (1977), Voyager 2 LaunchVoyager 2 Aug 21 - [Aug 15] Progress M-15M Reenters Earth's AtmosphereProgress M-15M Reenters Earth's Atmosphere Aug 21 - Asteroid 1198 Atlantis Closest Approach To Earth (0.513 AU)Asteroid 1198 Atlantis Aug 21 - Asteroid 9951 Tyrannosaurus Closest Approach To Earth (1.196 AU)Asteroid 9951 Tyrannosaurus Aug th Anniversary (1972), Copernicus LaunchCopernicus Aug 22 - Asteroid 2742 Gibson Closest Approach To Earth (1.866 AU)Asteroid 2742 Gibson Aug 22 - Asteroid 5725 Nordlingen Closest Approach To Earth (1.931 AU)Asteroid 5725 Nordlingen Aug 23 - Intelsat 23 Proton M-Briz M LaunchIntelsat 23 Aug 23 - Asteroid 983 Gunila Occults HIP (6.4 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 983 Gunila Occults HIP Aug 23 - Asteroid 9963 Sandage Closest Approach To Earth (0.778 AU)Asteroid 9963 Sandage Aug 23 - Asteroid 2874 Jim Young Closest Approach To Earth (1.127 AU)Asteroid 2874 Jim Young Aug 23 - Asteroid 3524 Schulz Closest Approach To Earth (1.950 AU)Asteroid 3524 Schulz Aug 24 - [Aug 20] RBSP-A & B (Radiation Belt Storm Probes) Atlas 5 LaunchRBSP-A & B (Radiation Belt Storm Probes)Atlas 5 Launch Aug 24 - Neptune At OppositionNeptuneAt Opposition Aug 24 - Asteroid Mossbauer Closest Approach To Earth (1.446 AU)Asteroid Mossbauer Aug 24 - Asteroid JPL Closest Approach To Earth (1.991 AU)Asteroid JPL Aug 24 - Kuiper Belt Object (2007 OR10) At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object (2007 OR10)At Opposition JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Seeking the Moon’s Rare Atmosphere LAMP during installation.

Space Image of the Week