Space News Update - September 9, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: OSIRIS-REx probe launched to asteroid in compelling search for the origins of life Story 2: Hubble discovers rare fossil relic of early Milky Way Story 3: Titan's Dunes and Other Features Emerge in New Images Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

OSIRIS-REx probe launched to asteroid in compelling search for the origins of life 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)

Hubble discovers rare fossil relic of early Milky Way

Titan's Dunes and Other Features Emerge in New Images

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, September 9 • First-quarter Moon (exact at 7:49 a.m. EDT). This evening the Moon, no longerexactly first-quarter, shines over Mars, as shown at right. • The triangle of Mars, Saturn, and Antares, emblem of all this summer's evenings, continues to lengthen as summer nears its end, as shown below. In the coming days and weeks Saturn and Antares will continue to move farther toward the lower right, while Mars hangs back and fades. By mid-autumn Saturn and Antares will be gone. Saturday, September 10 • This evening the Moon shines over the Sagittarius Teapot. The Teapot, about the size of your fist at arm's length, is tipping and pouring to the right. Sunday, September 11 • The Moon is just about equidistant from Altair, high to its upper left after dark, and Mars, far off to its right and somewhat lower. Monday, September 12 • Now the Moon shines straight under Altair at dusk. A finger-width above Altair is Tarazed, Gamma Aquilae. Altair is 16.7 light-years distant; Tarazed is about 390. The name "Tarazed" comes for the Persian for "balance beam," referring to its pattern with Altair and fainter Beta Aquilae on Altair's other side. Tuesday, September 13 • As dusk turns to night, Arcturus twinkles due west. It's getting lower every week. And off to its right in the northwest, the Big Dipper is turning more and more level. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Sat Sep 10, 4:42 AM 2 min 30° 30° above N 15° above NNE Sun Sep 11, 5:25 AM 3 min 14° 11° above NW 10° above NNE Mon Sep 12, 4:36 AM 1 min 17° 17° above N Mon Sep 12, 6:12 AM 10° 10° above NNW 10° above N Tue Sep 13, 5:19 AM 11° Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights 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)   2 p.m., 8 p.m., Friday, September 9 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 48/Soyuz TMA-20M Post-Landing Activities in Kazakhstan and Interviews (Includes a post-landing interview with ISS Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and the return of cosmonauts Alexey (all channels) 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Friday, September 9 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s Departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (Kimbrough, Ryzhikov, Borisenko) (all channels) 4 p.m., Friday, September 9 - Replay of the OSIRIS-Rex Post Launch News Conference (all channels) 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Saturday, September 10 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s Departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (all channels) 10 a.m., 6 p.m., Saturday, September 10 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 48/Soyuz TMA-20M Post-Landing Activities in Kazakhstan and Interviews (all channels) 2 p.m., 8 p.m., Saturday, September 10 - Replay of the OSIRIS-Rex Post Launch News Conference (all channels) 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Sunday, September 11 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s Departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (all channels) 10 a.m., 4 p.m., Sunday, September 11 - Replay of the OSIRIS-Rex Post Launch News Conference (all channels) 2 p.m., Sunday, 8 p.m., September 11 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 48/Soyuz TMA-20M Post-Landing Activities in Kazakhstan and Interviews (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 09 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 0539-01038-1 (10.7 Magnitude Star) Sep 09 - [Sep 09] Apollo Asteroid 2016 RL17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU) Sep 09 - [Sep 07] Amor Asteroid 2016 RV1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU) Sep 09 - [Sep 03] Apollo Asteroid 2016 QN44 Near-Earth Flyby (0.073 AU) Sep 09 - Asteroid 3473 Sapporo Closest Approach To Earth (1.705 AU) Sep 09 - Asteroid 118945 Rikhill Closest Approach To Earth (2.339 AU) Sep 09 - 10th Anniversary (2006), STS-115 Launch (Space Shuttle Atlantis, International Space Station) Sep 09 - 55th Anniversary (1961), Bells Meteorite Fall (Hit Building in Texas) Sep 10 - Comet 288P At Opposition (1.449 AU) Sep 10 - Comet 212P/NEAT Perihelion (1.645 AU) Sep 10 - [Sep 03] Apollo Asteroid 2016 QS44 Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU) Sep 10 - Aten Asteroid 2015 KE Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU) Sep 10 - 5th Anniversary (2011), GRAIL Launch (Moon Orbiter) Sep 10-13 - European Rover Challenge, Jasionka, Poland Sep 11 - Comet 288P Closest Approach To Earth (1.449 AU) Sep 11 - Comet 343P/NEAT-LONEOS At Opposition (1.571 AU) Sep 11 - [Sep 09] Apollo Asteroid 2016 RH17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.016 AU) Sep 11 - Apollo Asteroid 2009 BK2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU) Sep 11 - Amor Asteroid 2016 PR26 Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU) Sep 11 - Asteroid 23469 Neilpeart Closest Approach To Earth (1.167 AU) Sep 11 - Asteroid 11881 Mirstation Closest Approach To Earth (1.202 AU) Sep 11 - Asteroid 10204 Turing Closest Approach To Earth (1.778 AU) Sep 11 - Alexandre Pingre's 305th Birthday (1711) Sep 12 - [Sep 07] 50th Anniversary (1966), Gemini 11 Launch (Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon) Sep 12 - Asteroid 971 Alsatia Occults HIP 39077 (6.9 Magnitude Star) Sep 12 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 LX48 Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU) Sep 12 - Apollo Asteroid 161989 Cacus Closest Approach To Earth (0.243 AU) Sep 12 - Asteroid 34419 Corning Closest Approach To Earth (1.647 AU) Sep 12 - Asteroid 780 Armenia Closest Approach To Earth (1.826 AU) Sep 12 - 25th Anniversary (1991), STS-48 Launch (Space Shuttle Discovery, UARS) Sep 12 - Anousheh Ansari's 50th Birthday (1966) Sep 13 - [Sep 09] Tiangong 2 CZ-2F Launch (2nd Chinese Space Station) Sep 13 - Comet 188P/LINEAR-Mueller Closest Approach To Earth (1.786 AU) Sep 13 - Comet 228P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.831 AU) Sep 13 - Comet C/2015 H2 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (4.967 AU) Sep 13 - Comet 95P/Chiron Closest Approach To Earth (17.399 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 1217 Maximiliana Closest Approach To Earth (1.465 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Report Warns of Additional Commercial Crew Delays Food for Thought Report Warns of Additional Commercial Crew Delays

Mars in the Clouds Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer Space Image of the Week Mars in the Clouds  Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer