Space News Update - March 27, 2015 - In the News Departments Story 1: Hubble, Chandra Find Clues that May Help Identify Dark Matter Story 2: NASA Selects Asteroid Mission Design Story 3: Best view yet of dusty cloud passing galactic center black hole Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Hubble, Chandra Find Clues that May Help Identify Dark Matter 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)

NASA Selects Asteroid Mission Design Ratchet Wrench ‘E-mailed’ to Space Station

Best view yet of dusty cloud passing galactic center black hole

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, March 27 This evening the Moon (just past first quarter) forms a big kite shape with bright Jupiter far to its left, Pollux to the Moon's upper left, and Procyon to its lower left.   Saturday, March 28 Now the Moon has moved inside the triangle of Jupiter, Pollux, and Procyon. Tonight's the night of International Earth Hour, when millions of people worldwide will turn off nonessential lights for one hour starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. This annual observance, "the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment," began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 and went global from there. The main purpose was to show public support for energy conservation and CO2 reduction, but awareness of light pollution and needless overuse of outdoor light has become part of it. The International Year of Light 2015 is onboard this year, pushing for smarter lighting. Set your alarm. Sunday, March 29 Tonight the Moon and Jupiter cross the sky together. Although they look fairly near each other, looks in astronomy are deceiving. Jupiter is almost 1,800 times farther away than the Moon, and it's 40 times larger in diameter. Monday, March 30 Watch Jupiter's satellite Europa emerge out of eclipse from Jupiter's shadow around 11:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. With a telescope, watch for it to gradually glimmer into view a little off Jupiter's celestial eastern (following) limb.   Tuesday, March 31 The waxing gibbous Moon shines beneath Regulus and the Sickle of Leo early this evening, as shown at right. Farther upper right of the Moon shines bright Jupiter. By late evening, the sky rotates to place Jupiter to the Moon's right. The shadow of Callisto slowly crosses Jupiter's face tonight from 11:14 p.m. EDT to 3:57 a.m. EDT. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Sat Mar 28, 5:17 AM 3 min 25° 11 above NNW 24 above NE Sun Mar 29, 4:26 AM < 1 min 17° 17 above NNE 16 above NE Sun Mar 29, 5:59 AM 6 min 81° 10 above NW 10 above SE Mon Mar 30, 5:08 AM 4 min 49° 33 above NNW 11 above ESE Tue Mar 31, 4:17 AM 1 min 16° 16 above ENE 10 above E Tue Mar 31, 5:50 AM 5 min 31° 16 above W 11 above SSE 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) 2:30 p.m., Friday, March 27 - ISS Expedition 43 Soyuz TMA-16M Launch Coverage (includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 2:40 p.m. ET, Launch scheduled at 3:42 p.m.) (all channels)   6 p.m., Friday, March 27 - Video File of ISS Expedition 43 Soyuz TMA-16M Pre-Launch, Launch Video B-Roll and Related Interviews (all channels) 8:45 p.m., Friday, March 27 - ISS Expedition 43 Soyuz TMA-16M Docking Coverage (all channels) 10:45 p.m., Friday, March 27 - ISS Expedition 43 Soyuz TMA-16M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (all channels) 1 a.m., Saturday, March 28 - Video File of ISS Expedition 43 Soyuz TMA-16M Docking, Hatch Opening and Other Activities (all channels) 2:45 p.m., Monday, March 30 - ISS Expedition 43 In-Flight Event with NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly (all channels) 11:45 a.m., Monday, April 6 - ISS Expedition 43 Educational Event with the Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, Texas and Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar Mar 27 - [Mar 26] Soyuz TMA-16M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 42S) Mar 27 - [Mar 25] Galileo FM7 & FM8 Soyuz STB-Fregat-MT Launch Mar 27 - Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) Closest Approach To Earth (2.141 AU) Mar 27 - [Mar 26] Asteroid 2015 FH37 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU) Mar 27 - Asteroid 2014 YB35 Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU) Mar 27 - Asteroid 5050 Doctorwatson Closest Approach To Earth (1.622 AU) Mar 27 - Asteroid 9619 Terrygilliam Closest Approach To Earth (1.933 AU) Mar 27 - Asteroid 18125 Brianwilson Closest Approach To Earth (2.534 AU) Mar 27 - John Pierce's 105th Birthday (1910) Mar 27 - Wilhelm Rontgen's 170th Birthday (1845) Mar 28 - Comet C/2013 V2 (Borisov) At Opposition (2.988 AU) Mar 28 - Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Closest Approach To Earth (3.045 AU) Mar 28 - Comet C/2013 G9 (Tenagra) At Opposition (4.424 AU) Mar 28 - [Mar 27] Asteroid 2015 FT117 Nea r Earth Flyby (0.007 AU) Mar 28 - [Mar 25] Asteroid 2015 FF36 Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU) Mar 28 - [Mar 20] Asteroid 2015 FP Near-Earth Flyby (0.025 AU) Mar 28 - Asteroid 15550 Sydney Closest Approach To Earth (2.308 AU) Mar 28 - Jerome Friedman's 85th Birthday (1930) Mar 29 - European Summer Time - Set Clock Ahead 1 Hour (European Union) Mar 29 - Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy At Opposition (3.045 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Space Calendar Mar 29 - Comet P/1996 R2 (Lagerkvist) At Opposition (3.943 AU) Mar 29 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 1019-00807-1 (11.0 Magnitude) Mar 29 - Asteroid 3306 Byron Closest Approach To Earth (1.245 AU) Mar 29 - Asteroid 3850 Peltier Closest Approach To Earth (1.528 AU) Mar 29 - Asteroid 3265 Fletcher Closest Approach To Earth (1.765 AU) Mar 29 - Asteroid 4701 Milani Closest Approach To Earth (2.045 AU) Mar 29 - Asteroid 132904 Notkin Closest Approach To Earth (3.401 AU) Mar 29 - Harold Jones' 125th Birthday (1890) Mar 30 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 1019-01403-1 (11.0 Magnitude Star) Mar 30 - [Mar 23] Asteroid 2015 FP34 Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU) Mar 30 - Asteroid 15845 Bambi Closest Approach To Earth (1.666 AU) Mar 30 - Asteroid 12574 LONEOS Closest Approach To Earth (1.727 AU) Mar 30 - Asteroid 484 Pittsburghia Closest Approach To Earth (1.792 AU) Mar 30 - Asteroid 171381 Taipei Closest Approach To Earth (2.262 AU) Mar 30 - Asteroid 3852 Glennford Closest Approach To Earth (2.686 AU) Mar 30 - Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Workshop, London, United Kingdom Mar 31 - Asteroid 4356 Marathon Closest Approach To Earth (1.650 AU) Mar 31 - Asteroid 1618 Dawn Closest Approach To Earth (1.879 AU) Mar 31 - Asteroid 12773 Lyman Closest Approach To Earth (1.977 AU) Mar 31 - Asteroid 7100 Martin Luther Closest Approach To Earth (2.019 AU) Mar 31 - 10th Anniversary (2005), Mike Brown, et al's Discovery of Dwarf Planet Makemake Mar 31 - 1615th Anniversary (400 AD), Comet C/400 F1 Near-Earth Flyby (29.8 Lunar Distance) JPL Space Calendar

Rocket wars: ULA getting into the reusable rocket business New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale Food for Thought Rocket wars: ULA getting into the reusable rocket business

Orion Spring Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Dickinson Space Image of the Week Orion Spring  Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Dickinson