Space News Update - March 15, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: ExoMars Mission Underway after Proton Launch Story 2: NASA's K2 mission: The Kepler Space Telescope's Second Chance to Shine Story 3: Unpacking Space Radiation Key to Controlling Astronaut and Potentially Earthbound Cancer Risk Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

ExoMars Mission Underway after Proton Launch 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's K2 mission: The Kepler Space Telescope's Second Chance to Shine

Unpacking Space Radiation Key to Controlling Astronaut and Potentially Earthbound Cancer Risk

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, March 18 Tuesday, March 15 First-quarter Moon (exactly so at 1:03 p.m. EDT). This evening the Moon shines in the dim Club of Orion, above the bright stars of Orion's body. Before dawn brightens on Wednesday morning, look south for Scorpius. Mars will seem (at first glance) to have replaced Beta Scorpii, as shown at right. It's as if the top star of the Scorpius's familiar head has flared up to be ten times brighter! Wednesday, March 16 Mid-March is when Sirius blazes mid-south (on the meridian) in mid-twilight. As more stars come out, piece together more of its constellation, Canis Major. A real challenge for a 10-inch or larger telescope is Sirius B, the famous white-dwarf companion of Sirius. It's only 1/10,000 as bright! But it's less difficult now than in the last couple of decades, having widened to 10.6 arcseconds east- northeast of Sirius A. Practice on Rigel, which outshines a companion star of its own by a mere 1,000 times. Rigel's companion is 9.5 arcseconds to its south-southwest. Thursday, March 17 The waxing gibbous Moon this evening shines more or less between Pollux and Castor above it and Procyon below it. Friday, March 18 This is the time of year when Orion declines in the southwest after dark, with his Belt roughly horizontal. But when does Orion's Belt appear exactly horizontal? That depends on where you're located east-west in your time zone, and on your latitude. How accurately can you time this event? If you're near your time zone's standard longitude, expect it around 9:15 this evening (daylight-saving time), more or less. Mars and Saturn glow over Scorpius in early dawn all week. On Wednesday morning, Mars is just 0.2° from Beta Scorpii Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Wed Mar 16, 4:48 AM < 1 min 11° 11° above NNE Wed Mar 16, 6:23 AM 1 min 10° 10° above N 10° above NNE Thu Mar 17, 5:31 AM 10° above NNW Fri Mar 18, 6:15 AM 3 min 12° 10° above NE Sat Mar 19, 5:23 AM 2 min 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) Wednesday, March 16 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 47-48 Crew’s Soyuz TMA-20M Mating and Rollout to the Launch Pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (all channels) 12 p.m. - Women’s History Month Special – “NASA Women in Action” (NTV-1 (Public)) 1 p.m. - Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum Presents - “STEM in 30”- the SR-71 Blackbird - the World's Fastest Jet-Propelled Aircraft (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education)) Thursday, March 17 4 p.m. - Replay of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final ISS Expedition 47-48 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Ovchinin, Skripochka, J. Williams) (all channels) Friday, March 18 4:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 47-48 Soyuz TMA-20M Launch Coverage (Ovchinin, Skripochka, J. Williams; launch scheduled at 5:26 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 4:40 p.m. ET) (all channels) 7:30 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 47-48 Soyuz TMA-20M Pre-Launch, Launch Video B-Roll and Related Interviews (all channels) 10:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 47-48 Soyuz TMA-20M Docking Coverage (Ovchinin, Skripochka, J. Williams; docking scheduled at 11:11 p.m. ET) (all channels) Saturday, March 19 12:30 a.m., - ISS Expedition 47-48 Soyuz TMA-20M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (Ovchinin, Skripochka and J. Williams) Hatch Opening is scheduled at 12:55 a.m. (all channels)   Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar   Mar 15 - Comet 73P-AF/Schwassmann-Wachmann At Opposition (0.813 AU) Mar 15 - Comet 252P/LINEAR Perihelion (0.996 AU) Mar 15 - Comet P/2016 BA14 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (1.009 AU) Mar 15 - Comet 9P/Tempel At Opposition (1.062 AU) Mar 15 - Apollo Asteroid 2010 FR Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU) Mar 15 - Asteroid 6 Hebe Closest Approach To Earth (1.893 AU) Mar 15 - Asteroid 1756 Giacobini Closest Approach To Earth (1.999 AU) Mar 15 - Asteroid 4513 Louvre Closest Approach To Earth (2.145 AU) Mar 15 - 210th Anniversary (1806), Alais Meteorite Fall in France (1st Carbonaceous Chondrite) Mar 16 - 50th Anniversary (1966), Gemini 8 Launch (Neil Armstrong & David Scott) Mar 16 - Comet 132P/Helin-Roman-Alu At Opposition (3.777 AU) Mar 16 - Comet C/2015 ER61 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.326 AU) Mar 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 EW85 Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU) Mar 16 - Aten Asteroid 2016 ES85 Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU) Mar 16 - Asteroid 10101 Fourier Closest Approach To Earth (1.335 AU) Mar 16 - Asteroid 4783 Wasson Closest Approach To Earth (1.408 AU) Mar 16 - Asteroid 15058 Billcooke Closest Approach To Earth (2.394 AU) Mar 16 - 90th Anniversary (1926), 1st Liquid Fuel Rocket Launch By Robert Goddard Mar 17 - Comet 332P/Ikeya-Murakami Perihelion (1.573 AU) Mar 17 - Comet 127P/Holt-Olmstead Perihelion (2.206 AU) Mar 17 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 ES155 Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU) Mar 17 - Amor Asteroid 2016 ER28 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU) Mar 17 - Atira Asteroid 2014 FO47 Closest Approach To Earth (0.106 AU) Mar 17 - Asteroid 241418 Darmstadt Closest Approach To Earth (2.564 AU) Mar 17 - 5th Anniversary (2011), MESSENGER, Mercury Orbit Insertion Mar 18 - Soyuz TMA-20M Soyuz-FG Launch (International Space Station 47S) JPL Space Calendar

Hunt for Intelligent Aliens Should Focus on 'Transit Zone' Food for Thought Hunt for Intelligent Aliens Should Focus on 'Transit Zone'

Space Image of the Week Edge-On Galaxy NGC 5866 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processed & Copyright: Hunter Wilson