Space News Update - May 3, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: Found: Clues about Volcanoes Under Ice on Ancient Mars Story 2: Will SpaceX Get People to Mars Before NASA? Story 3: Three potentially habitable worlds found around nearby ultracool dwarf star Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Found: Clues about Volcanoes Under Ice on Ancient Mars 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)

Will SpaceX Get People to Mars Before NASA?

Three potentially habitable worlds found around nearby ultracool dwarf star

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, May 3 • Bright Jupiter stands high due south at dusk. To its right is the Sickle of Leo, upright with Regulus marking the bottom of its handle. The Sickle's second-brightest star is Algieba, Gamma Leonis, a fine double star for telescopes. Before the Moon comes back into the evening sky, explore the faint galaxy groups around Algieba with Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article, charts, and photos in the April Sky & Telescope, page 54. Wednesday, May 4 • The Eta Aquariid meteor shower should peak before local dawn Thursday morning, bit it's active for several mornings before and after as well. This is often the best shower of the year for the Southern Hemisphere. Mid-northern meteor watchers are less well placed and will see fewer. The sky is free of moonlight. Thursday, May 5 • Summer is more than six weeks away, but the Summer Triangle is making its appearance in the east, one star after another. The first in view is Vega. It's already visible low in the northeast as twilight fades. Next up is Deneb, lower left of Vega by two or three fists at arm's length. Deneb takes about an hour to appear after Vega does, depending on your latitude. The third is Altair, which shows up far to their lower right around midnight. Friday, May 6 • Double shadow transit on Jupiter. Both Callisto and Io cast their tiny black shadows onto Jupiter's sunlit face from 12:38 to 1:42 a.m. EDT tonight (9:38 to 10:42 p.m. PDT). • New Moon (exact at 3:30 p.m. EDT; 12:30 p.m. PDT). Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: No sightings for Denver through May 6th. 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)   4 p.m., 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 3 - Replay of the RNASA Space Awards Gala 2016 (all channels) 1 p.m., 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 4 - Replay of the RNASA Space Awards Gala 2016 (all channels) 11:30 a.m., Thursday, May 5 - ISS Expedition 47 In-Flight Educational Event with the South Suburban College in Chicago and Commander Tim Kopra and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA (Starts at 11:55 a.m.) (all channels) 2 p.m., Thursday, May 5 - Live Coverage of the Dedication of the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar May 03 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #448 (OTM-448) May 03 - Comet 89P/Russell At Opposition (1.719 AU) May 03 - Apollo Asteroid 444584 (2006 UK) Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU) May 03 - Asteroid 5899 Jedicke Closest Approach To Earth (1.293 AU) May 03 - Asteroid 5049 Sherlock Closest Approach To Earth (1.474 AU) May 03 - Asteroid 1578 Kirkwood Closest Approach To Earth (3.654 AU) May 04 - [Apr 28] Star Wars Day May 04 - Comet 237P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.395 AU) May 04 - Comet C/2014 Y1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.646 AU) May 04 - Comet 140P/Bowell-Skiff Closest Approach To Earth (2.283 AU) May 04 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 HN Near-Earth Flyby (0.032 AU) May 04 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 EK56 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU) May 04 - Kuiper Belt Object 2010 FX86 At Opposition (45.279 AU) May 05 - [May 03] JCSat 14 Falcon 9 Launch May 05 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak May 05 - Apollo Asteroid 388945 (2008 TZ3) Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU) May 05 - [May 03] Amor Asteroid 2016 HE19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU) May 05 - Asteroid 3688 Navajo Closest Approach To Earth (1.359 AU) May 05 - Asteroid 8003 Kelvin Closest Approach To Earth (1.405 AU) May 05 - Centaur Object 144908 (2004 YH32) At Opposition (11.747 AU) May 05 - 55th Anniversary (1961), Freedom 7 Launch (Alan Shepard, 1st US Man in Space) May 05 - John Draper's 205th Birthday (1811) May 06 - [Apr 29] Cassini, Titan Flyby May 06 - [Apr 29] Space Day May 06 - Comet C/2015 B2 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (3.370 AU) May 06 - Comet 121P/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (3.890 AU) May 06 - Atira Asteroid 434326 (2004 JG6) Closest Approach To Earth (0.825 AU) May 06 - Robert Dicke's 100th Birthday (1916) May 06 - 120th Anniversary (1896), 1st Successful Flight of a Large Unmanned Heavier-Than-Air Craft (Langley Aerodrome No. 5) JPL Space Calendar

Are we alone? Setting some limits to our uniqueness Food for Thought Are we alone? Setting some limits to our uniqueness

NASA’s SDO Watches Glowing Solar Material Arch Up and Out Space Image of the Week NASA’s SDO Watches Glowing Solar Material Arch Up and Out