Space News Update - November 29, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: Study shows Pluto should be counted among solar system’s ocean worlds Story 2: Space Station in good health, prepares for busy Expedition 50 period Story 3: NASA Saturn Mission Prepares for 'Ring-Grazing Orbits' Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Study shows Pluto should be counted among solar system’s ocean worlds 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)

Space Station in good health, prepares for busy Expedition 50 period

NASA Saturn Mission Prepares for 'Ring-Grazing Orbits'

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, November 29 • Two faint fuzzies naked-eye: The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Perseus Double Cluster are two of the most famous deep-sky objects. They're both cataloged as 4th magnitude, and in a good sky you can see each with the unaided eye. They're located only 22° apart, very high toward the east early these evenings — to the right of Cassiopeia and closer below Cassiopeia, respectively. To find exactly where to look, you'll need a good sky chart to pinpoint them. The all-sky constellation chart in the center of Sky & Telescope will do just fine. • New Moon (exact at 7:18 a.m. EST). Wednesday, November 30 • Twilight challenge: Can you see Mercury and the super-thin crescent Moon? Starting about 15 minutes after sunset, use binoculars to scan for them just above the southwest horizon, about 25° to the lower right of Venus, as shown here. The Moon and Mercury are about 7° apart, with the Moon to the planet's right or upper right depending on where you are. Thursday, December 1 • Now the Moon, slightly thicker, hangs about 10° above Mercury low in the southwest in bright twilight. Friday, December 2 • For the next two evenings, the thickening crescent Moon does with bright Venus what it just did with faint Mercury while very thin. Look southwest at dusk. Venus and the Moon are 7° or 8° apart at the at the time of twilight for the Americas, with the Moon on the right. Although they may look like they're keeping each other company, Venus this evening is 370 times more distant than the Moon. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Nov 29, 5:31 PM 3 min 14° 10° above SSE 13° above ESE Tue Nov 29, 7:07 PM < 1 min 15° 15° above WSW Wed Nov 30, 6:15 PM 2 min 72° 16° above SW 72° above S Thu Dec 1, 5:23 PM 5 min 36° 10° above SSW 17° above ENE Thu Dec 1, 7:00 PM 18° 15° above WNW 18° above WNW Fri Dec 2, 6:09 PM 44° 25° above W 34° above N Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website 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) 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Tuesday, November 29 - Replay of the ISS Expedition 50 In-Flight Interview with KSBJ-FM Radio, Humble, Texas and ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA (all channels) 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Wednesday, November 30 - Replay of the ISS Expedition 50 In-Flight Interview with KSBJ-FM Radio, Humble, Texas and ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA (NTV-1 (Public)) 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., Wednesday, November 30 - ISS Expedition 51-52 Crew News Conference (Yurchikhin, Fischer) (all channels) 9:30 a.m., Thursday, December 1 - Coverage of the ISS Progress 65 Cargo Craft Launch to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 9:51 a.m. ET) (all channels) 11 a.m., Thursday, December 1 - NASA Education Event from the Langley Research Center featuring NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Film Director Ted Melfi, Octavia Spencer, who plays NASA Mathematician Dorothy Vaughan, Chief Historian Bill Barry and NASA Modern Figure Julie Williams-Byr (NTV-1 (Public))   Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Nov 29 - [Nov 23] Cassini, Titan Flyby Nov 29 - Comet P/2015 R2 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.255 AU) Nov 29 - Asteroid 422 Berolina Occults HIP 24447 (6.6 Magnitude Star) Nov 29 - [Nov 27] Apollo Asteroid 2016 WL7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU) Nov 29 - Apollo Asteroid 5143 Heracles Closest Approach To Earth (0.147 AU) Nov 29 - Asteroid 316201 Malala Closest Approach To Earth (1.516 AU) Nov 29 - Asteroid 2848 ASP Closest Approach To Earth (1.698 AU) Nov 29 - Asteroid 12258 Oscarwilde Closest Approach To Earth (1.967 AU) Nov 29 - Asteroid 4151 Alanhale Closest Approach To Earth (2.013 AU) Nov 29 - 55th Anniversary (1961), Mercury 5 Launch (Enos the Chimpanzee) Nov 30 - Comet 278P/McNaught At Opposition (4.306 AU) Nov 30 - Asteroid 869 Mellena Occults HIP 22833 (5.2 Magnitude Star) Nov 30 - [Nov 22] Apollo Asteroid 2016 WQ Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU) Nov 30 - Apollo Asteroid 369264 (2009 MS) Near-Earth Flyby (0.070 AU) Nov 30 - Amor Asteroid 3352 McAuliffe Closest Approach To Earth (0.519 AU) Nov 30 - Asteroid 249521 Truth Closest Approach To Earth (0.896 AU) Nov 30 - Apollo Asteroid 10563 Izhdubar Closest Approach To Earth (1.060 AU) Nov 30 - Asteroid 4330 Vivaldi Closest Approach To Earth (1.177 AU) Nov 30 - Asteroid 6524 Baalke Closest Approach To Earth (1.255 AU) Nov 30 - Asteroid 8299 Tealeoni Closest Approach To Earth (1.451 AU) Nov 30 - 70th Anniversary (1946), Colford Meteorite Fall (Boy Reportedly Knocked Off Bicycle in UK) Nov 30 - Eric Elst's 80th Birthday (1936) Nov 30 - Bruce Murray's 85th Birthday (1931) Nov 30 - Ernst Chladni's 260th Birthday (1756) Dec 01 - [Nov 24] Progress MS-4 Soyuz U Launch (International Space Station 65P) Dec 01 - Comet 73P-AT/Schwassmann-Wachmann Perihelion (0.989 AU) Dec 01 - Asteroid 5191 (1990 VO3) Occults HIP 20948 (6.9 Magnitude Star) Dec 01 - [Nov 26] Apollo Asteroid 2016 WQ3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU) Dec 01 - [Nov 26] Aten Asteroid 2016 WG7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.007 AU) Dec 01 - [Nov 28] Apollo Asteroid 2016 WC8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU) Dec 01 - Aten Asteroid 2016 LO1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.063 AU) Dec 01 - Amor Asteroid 2016 VP4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU) Dec 01 - [Nov 29] Apollo Asteroid 2016 WN8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.099 AU) Dec 01 - Asteroid 2511 Patterson Closest Approach To Earth (1.526 AU) Dec 01 - Kuiper Belt Object 229762 (2007 UK126) At Opposition (41.879 AU) Dec 01 - Kuiper Belt Object 2006 QH181 At Opposition (82.599 AU) Dec 01 - Benjamin Wilson's 205th Birthday (1811) Dec 02 - Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham At Opposition (1.746 AU) Dec 02 - Comet 246P/NEAT At Opposition (4.180 AU) Dec 02 - Asteroid 96192 Calgary Closest Approach To Earth (1.376 AU) Dec 02 - Asteroid 10866 Peru Closest Approach To Earth (1.533 AU) Dec 02 - Asteroid 72432 Kimrobinson Closest Approach To Earth (1.943 AU) Dec 02 - Asteroid 37452 Spirit Closest Approach To Earth (2.202 AU) Dec 02 - Asteroid 19911 Rigaux Closest Approach To Earth (2.364 AU) Dec 02 - 45th Anniversary (1971), Mars 3, Mars Orbit Insertion JPL Space Calendar

Metallic Glass Gears Make for Graceful Robots Food for Thought Metallic Glass Gears Make for Graceful Robots

Sculpting Solar Systems Space Image of the Week Sculpting Solar Systems Credit: ESO