Space News Update - October 15, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Soyuz crew transport rolls out for Tuesday launch Story 2: Story 2: Moon-forming impact theory rescued Story 3: Story 3: New Horizons May Need to ‘Bail Out’ to Dodge Debris, Rings and Moons in the Pluto System Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Soyuz crew transport rolls out for Tuesday launch >

Moon-forming impact theory rescued

New Horizons May Need to ‘Bail Out’ to Dodge Debris, Rings and Moons in the Pluto System

The Night Sky Monday, October 22 · Vega is the brightest star high in the west these evenings. Even higher above it is Deneb. Farther off to Vega's left or lower left is the third Summer Triangle star, Altair. Tuesday, October 23 · Wintry Orion sparkles above the east-southeast horizon as early as 11 p.m. now, depending on your location. Earlier in the evening, keep watch for Orion rising below or lower right of brilliant Jupiter. Wednesday, October 24 · Around 8 or 9 p.m. the Big Dipper lies low and level above the north-northwest horizon. The farther north you live, the higher it will appear. If you're as far south as Miami, it's below the horizon completely. Thursday, October 25 · The W pattern of Cassiopeia is tipping nearly vertically high in the northeast after dusk. It stands exactly vertical around 9 p.m., depending on your location. The W's brightest side is on top. Friday, October 26· The Ghost of Summer Suns. Halloween is approaching, and this means that Arcturus, the star sparkling low in the west-northwest in twilight, is taking on its role as "the Ghost of Summer Suns." What does this mean? For several days centered on October 29th every year, Arcturus occupies a special place above your local landscape. It closely marks the spot in your sky where the Sun stood at the same time, by the clock, during warm June and July — in broad daylight, of course. So, in the last days of October each year, you can think of Arcturus as the chilly Halloween ghost of the departed summer Sun. · The waxing gibbous Moon shines in the east early this evening. Look to its upper left for the Great Square of Pegasus, tipped onto one corner.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCALDURATION MAX ELEV APPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSMon Oct 22/07:51 PM11310 above NNW13 above N ISSTue Oct 23/07:02 PM31210 above NNW10 above NE ISSTue Oct 23/08:38 PM< above NW ISSWed Oct 24/07:49 PM11911 above NNW19 above N ISSThu Oct 25/06:59 PM41710 above NNW14 above NE ISSThu Oct 25/08:36 PM< above NW12 above NW ISSFri Oct 26/07:46 PM23710 above NW37 above NNW

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website October 23, Tuesday 5:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 33/34 Soyuz TMA-06M Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 6:51 a.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 5:45 a.m. ET) - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) 10 a.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 33/34 Soyuz TMA-06M Pre-Launch and Launch Video B- Roll and Post-Launch Interviews - JSC (All Channels) October 25, Thursday 8 a.m. - ISS Expedition 33/34 Soyuz TMA-06M Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 8:35 a.m. ET followed by the post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia) - JSC via Korolev, Russia (All Channels) 10:45 a.m. - ISS Expedition 33/34 Soyuz TMA-06M Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony (Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony scheduled at 11:15 a.m. ET) - JSC via Korolev, Russia (All Channels) 1 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 33/34 Soyuz TMA-06M Docking, Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony - JSC (All Channels) October 26, Friday 2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 33 Program and Spacewalk Briefing - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Space Calendar Oct 22 - [Oct 21] Asteroid 2012 US18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU)Asteroid 2012 US18Near-Earth Flyby Oct 22 - [Oct 21] Asteroid 2012 UF34 Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU)Asteroid 2012 UF34Near-Earth Flyby Oct 22 - [Oct 19] Asteroid 2012 TP231 Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)Asteroid 2012 TP231Near-Earth Flyby Oct 22 - Asteroid 2008 CT1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)Asteroid 2008 CT1Near-Earth Flyby Oct 22 - Asteroid 6779 Perrine Closest Approach To Earth (1.391 AU)Asteroid 6779 Perrine Oct 23 - [Oct 22] Soyuz TMA-06M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 32S)Soyuz TMA-06MSoyuz FG Launch Oct 23 - Asteroid 8275 Inca Closest Approach To Earth (1.322 AU)Asteroid 8275 Inca Oct 23 - Asteroid 5066 Garradd Closest Approach To Earth (1.339 AU)Asteroid 5066 GarraddClosest Approach To Earth Oct 23 - Asteroid Lovas Closest Approach To Earth (2.241 AU)Asteroid Lovas Oct 24 - [Oct 19] Asteroid 2012 TT231 Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU)Asteroid 2012 TT231Near-Earth Flyby Oct 24 - [Oct 17] Asteroid 2012 TF146 Near-Earth Flyby (0.075 AU)Asteroid 2012 TF146Near-Earth Flyby Oct 24 - Asteroid Orwell Closest Approach To Earth (2.192 AU)Asteroid Orwell Oct th Anniversary (2007), Chang'e 1 CZ-3A Launch (Chinese Lunar Orbiter)Chang'e 1 Oct 25 - X-37B OTV-1 F-2 Atlas 5 LaunchX-37B OTV-1 F-2Atlas 5 Launch Oct 25 - Comet P/2012 S2 (La Sagra) Closest Approach To Earth (0.760 AU)Comet P/2012 S2 (La Sagra)Closest Approach To Earth Oct 25 - Asteroid 2451 Dollfus Closest Approach To Earth (1.771 AU)Asteroid 2451 Dollfus Oct 25 - Asteroid 4356 Marathon Closest Approach To Earth (2.109 AU)Asteroid 4356 Marathon Oct 25 - Asteroid 1578 Kirkwood Closest Approach To Earth (2.216 AU)Asteroid 1578 Kirkwood Oct 25 - Henry Russell's 135th Birthday (1877)Henry Russell's Oct 26 - DubaiSat 2/ STSat 3/ Brite-PL 1/ WNISAT-1 Dnepr 1 LaunchDubaiSat 2STSat 3Brite-PL 1WNISAT-1 Oct 26 - STSat 2C Naro 1 LaunchSTSat 2C Oct 26 - Mercury At Its Greatest Eastern Elongation (24 Degrees)MercuryElongation Oct 26 - Asteroid (1991 VE) Near-Earth Flyby (0.087 AU)Asteroid (1991 VE)Near-Earth Flyby Oct 26 - Asteroid Sputnik Closest Approach To Earth (1.000 AU)Asteroid Sputnik Oct 26 - Asteroid 3200 Phaethon Closest Approach To Earth (1.325 AU)Asteroid 3200 PhaethonClosest Approach To Earth Oct 26 - Asteroid 3341 Hartmann Closest Approach To Earth (1.365 AU)Asteroid 3341 Hartmann Oct 26 - Asteroid Krakow Closest Approach To Earth (1.366 AU)Asteroid Krakow Oct 26 - Asteroid Steward Closest Approach To Earth (2.040 AU)Asteroid Steward Oct 26 - Asteroid 310 Margarita Closest Approach To Earth (2.067 AU)Asteroid 310 Margarita Oct 26 - Asteroid 3933 Portugal Closest Approach To Earth (2.325 AU)Asteroid 3933 Portugal JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Mars Sample Return Mission? Naaah… Just Beam Back Martian DNA

Space Image of the Week The Horsehead Nebula Credit & Copyright: Nigel Sharp (NOAO), KPNO, AURA, NSFCopyrightNigel SharpNOAOKPNOAURANSF