Space News Update - August 9, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: Buildup of unusual launcher begins for NASA’s asteroid sample return mission Story 2: Simulations suggest Venus may have once been able to support life Story 3: Will You See a Bumper Crop of Perseid Meteors? Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Buildup of unusual launcher begins for NASA’s asteroid sample return mission In this computer graphic, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, moving toward upper left, nears the edge of the sun's influence, flying through a region of space dominated by a "magnetic highway" that helps mediate the flow of particles into and out of the solar system. The region includes particles from the sun's southern hemisphere that have been forced northward by the pressure of the interstellar wind. Voyager 1 is expected to cross the boundary into interstellar space sometime within the next few years if not sooner. (Credit: NASA)

Simulations suggest Venus may have once been able to support life

Will You See a Bumper Crop of Perseid Meteors?

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, August 9 • Have you seen Venus yet? It's slowly beginning a long and eventually spectacular evening apparition that will run all the way through the end of the coming winter. About 20 minutes after sunset, start by spotting Jupiter low due west through the twilight. Venus shines to Jupiter's lower right by 18°, about two fist-widths at arm's length. Wednesday, August 10 • As twilight fades away, Vega shines near the zenith (if you're in the mid-northern latitudes), and Arcturus shines in the west. A third of the way from Arcturus up to Vega, look for Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with its one modestly bright star: Alphecca or Gemma. Two thirds of the way from Arcturus to Vega is the dim Keystone of Hercules, with the 6th-magnitude globular cluster M13 in its western side. Thursday, August 11 • The Moon this evening forms a tilted diamond shape with Saturn, Mars, and Antares, as shown in the second panel above. The shape of the diamond will depend on your time and place. • The annual Perseid meteor shower should peak late tonight. The Moon, just past first quarter, sets around 1 a.m., leaving the sky dark for the best meteor-watching hours leading up to dawn. Find a dark spot, wrap up in blankets or a sleeping bag, lie back in a reclining lawn chair, and gaze at the stars overhead. Be patient. If this is a typical year you might see a meteor a minute on average, depending on your sky's light pollution. But this year meteor scientists are predicting a chance of an especially strong shower, due to Jupiter slightly perturbing some of the Perseid meteoroid stream 16 months ago. That periodic event has been associated with especially good Perseid showers in the past; see the August Sky & Telescope, page 48. And photographers: see Capturing the Perseids: How to Photograph a Meteor Shower by astrophoto expert Jerry Lodriguss. Friday, August 12 • This evening, the waxing gibbous Moon looks down on the Saturn-Mars-Antares triangle from the upper left (as shown in the second panel above). • The Perseids continue late tonight, a day after their nominal peak. Now the Moon doesn't set until about 1:30 or 2 a.m. local daylight saving time (Saturday morning).   Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Aug 9, 9:35 PM 3 min 21° 15° above NNW 17° above ENE Tue Aug 9, 11:10 PM < 1 min 12° 10° above WNW 12° above WNW Wed Aug 10, 8:42 PM 4 min 15° 11° above NNW 10° above NE Wed Aug 10, 10:19 PM 36° 23° above NW 36° above NW Thu Aug 11, 9:26 PM 37° 21° above NNW 29° above ENE Fri Aug 12, 8:32 PM 5 min 23° 13° above NNW 10° above E Fri Aug 12, 10:09 PM 1 min 18° above WNW 36° above W Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, August 16 - ISS Expedition 48 In-Flight Event for JAXA with the Space Kyodai Project and Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (NTV-1 with English interpretation; NTV-3 in native language) (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-3 (Media))   6:30 a.m., Friday, August 19 - ISS Expedition 48 Spacewalk Coverage (Spacewalk begins at 8:05 a.m. ET; Williams and Rubins) (NTV-1 will carry hosted coverage and commentary; NTV-3 will carry regular commentary) (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-3 (Media)) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Aug 09 - Comet 298P/Christensen At Opposition (3.843 AU) Aug 09 - Atira Asteroid 418265 (2008 EA32) Closest Approach To Earth (0.599 AU) Aug 09 - Asteroid 5392 Parker Closest Approach To Earth (2.211 AU) Aug 09 - 40th Anniversary (1976), Luna 24 Launch (USSR Moon Sample Return) Aug 09 - Roman Romanenko's 45th Birthday (1971) Aug 09 - William Fowler's 105th Birthday (1911) Aug 10 - [Aug 06] Cassini, Titan Flyby Aug 10 - [Aug 06] 50th Anniversary (1966), Lunar Orbiter 1 Launch Aug 10 - Asteroid 64070 NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.336 AU) Aug 10 - Apollo Asteroid 306367 Nut Closest Approach To Earth (1.657 AU) Aug 10 - Lecture: JPL Visitors - Juno and Dawn Missions, Sydney, Australia Aug 10 - 15th Anniversary (2001), STS-105 Launch (Space Shuttle Discovery, International Space Station) Aug 10 - Leonid Elenin's 35th Birthday (1981) Aug 11 - Comet P/2015 K5 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.214 AU) Aug 11 - Asteroid 54439 Topeka Closest Approach To Earth (1.359 AU) Aug 11 - 40th Anniversary (1976), Acapulco Meteorite Fall in Mexico Aug 12 - Perseids Meteor Shower Peak Aug 12 - Amor Asteroid 2016 OX Near-Earth Flyby (0.077 AU) Aug 12 - Asteroid 3001 Michelangelo Closest Approach To Earth (1.413 AU) Aug 12 - Asteroid 3297 Hong Kong Closest Approach To Earth (1.997 AU) Aug 12 - Asteroid 294727 Dennisritchie Closest Approach To Earth (2.718 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Commercial Space to Smash the Astronomy 'Funding Wall'? Food for Thought Commercial Space to Smash the Astronomy 'Funding Wall'?

Aurora and Manicouagan Crater Space Image of the Week Aurora and Manicouagan Crater