Space News Update - September 23, 2014 - In the News Departments Story 1: MAVEN: NASA Hails Mars Probe's 'Flawless' Arrival at Red Planet Story 2: 'J' Marks the Spot for Rosetta's Lander Story 3: Radiation Blast Delays NASA Spacecraft’s Arrival at Dwarf Planet Ceres: Dawn Operating Normally after Safe Mode Triggered Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

MAVEN: NASA Hails Mars Probe's 'Flawless' Arrival at Red Planet 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)

'J' Marks the Spot for Rosetta's Lander

Radiation Blast Delays NASA Spacecraft’s Arrival at Dwarf Planet Ceres: Dawn Operating Normally after Safe Mode Triggered

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, September 23 Arcturus is the bright star fairly high due west at nightfall. It's an orange giant 37 light-years away. Off to its right in the northwest is the Big Dipper, most of whose stars are about 80 light-years away. Algol is at minimum light again for a couple hours centered on 7:44 p.m. EDT. Wednesday, September 24 Mars is within 4° of Antares (passing north of it) from this evening through the 30th. Mars is just a little brighter and almost the same color as its namesake star; "Antares" is Greek for "anti-Mars.“ Thursday, September 25 With the coming of fall, Deneb slowly replaces Vega as the bright star nearest to the zenith just after nightfall (for mid-northern latitudes). Friday, September 26 As early as 8 or 9 p.m. now look for Fomalhaut, the lonely 1st-magnitude Autumn Star, twinkling on its way up from the southeast horizon. It will be highest due south around 11 or midnight (depending on your location). Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Sep 23, 5:14 AM 2 min 10° 10 above N 10 above NNE Wed Sep 24, 4:26 AM < 1 min Wed Sep 24, 6:01 AM 3 min 16° 11 above NNW 13 above NE Thu Sep 25, 5:12 AM 13° 10 above NNW 11 above NE Fri Sep 26, 4:25 AM 11° 11 above NNE Fri Sep 26, 6:00 AM 27° 24 above NE 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 Tuesday, September 23 7:20 a.m. - ISS Expedition 41 In-Flight Event with the Weather Channel and NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman (all channels) 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 41/42 Soyuz TMA-14M Spacecraft Rollout to the Launch Pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Launch Pad Interviews (all channels) Wednesday, September 24 2 p.m. - Video File of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 41/42 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (all channels) 4:10 p.m. - ISS Expedition 41 In-Flight Event with the Clinton Global Initiative Closing Plenary Session in New York and NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman (all channels) Thursday, September 25 3:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 41/42 Soyuz TMA-14M Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 4:25 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 3:40 p.m. ET) (all channels) 9:45 p.m. - ISS Expedition 41/42 Soyuz TMA-14M Docking Coverage (all channels) 11:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 41/42 Soyuz TMA-14M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (Hatch Opening scheduled at approximately 12 a.m. ET) - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (all channels) Friday, September 26 1 a.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 41/42 Soyuz TMA-14M Docking, Hatch Opening and Other Activities (all channels)   (all times Eastern Time Zone) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 23 - Autumnal Equinox, 02:29 UT Sep 23 - Comet C/2011 J2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (3.487 AU) Sep 23 - Asteroid 2007 RY19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.072 AU) Sep 23 - Asteroid 253 Mathilde Closest Approach To Earth (0.995 AU) Sep 23 - Asteroid 9007 James Bond Closest Approach To Earth (1.126 AU) Sep 23 - Asteroid 3526 Jeffbell Closest Approach To Earth (1.708 AU) Sep 23 - Asteroid 157064 Sedona Closest Approach To Earth (2.109 AU) Sep 24 - Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Mars Orbit Insertion Sep 24 - Comet C/2013 G8 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.762 AU) Sep 24 - Asteroid 9860 Archaeopteryx Closest Approach To Earth (2.026 AU) Sep 25 -Soyuz TMA-14M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 40S) Sep 25 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #392 (OTM-392) Sep 25 - Asteroid 11277 Ballard Closest Approach To Earth (1.213 AU) Sep 26 - Moon Occults Asteroid 21 Lutetia Sep 26 - Comet 278P/McNaught At Opposition (2.495 AU) Sep 26 - Comet 246P/NEAT At Opposition (3.077 AU) Sep 26 - Asteroid 2009 FG19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU) Sep 26 - Asteroid 5649 Donnashirley Closest Approach To Earth (0.898 AU) Sep 26 - Asteroid 10101 Fourier Closest Approach To Earth (1.126 AU) Sep 26 - Plutino 2001 QF298 At Opposition (42.304 AU) Sep 27 - Meridian 7 Soyuz 2-1A-Fregat Launch Sep 27 - Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski) At Opposition (9.380 AU) Sep 27 - Asteroid 2007 DL41 Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU) Sep 27 - Asteroid 4690 Strasbourg Closest Approach To Earth (0.842 AU) JPL Space Calendar

This Exoplanet Has Prematurely Aged its Star New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale Food for Thought This Exoplanet Has Prematurely Aged its Star

Space Image of the Week Jaw-dropping Aurora View Wins 2014 Astronomy Photo Contest Credit: Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon © James Woodend (U.K.)