Space News Update - March 1, 2013 - In the News Departments Story 1: SpaceX troubleshoots Dragon thruster problem Story 2: NASA Discovers New Radiation Belt Around Earth Story 3: Computer Swap on Curiosity Rover Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

SpaceX troubleshoots Dragon thruster problem

NASA Discovers New Radiation Belt Around Earth > NASA Discovers New Radiation Belt Around Earth

Computer Swap on Curiosity Rover

The Night Sky Friday, March 1 · Around 11 p.m. this evening (depending on where you live), the waning Moon rises with Saturn glowing a few degrees to its left, as shown above. The pair remain close for the rest of the night. Saturday, March 2 · Now that March has begun, it's Sirius's turn to stand at its highest in the south soon after nightfall.  Sunday, March 3 · Jupiter's moon Europa disappears into eclipse by Jupiter's shadow around 7:10 p.m. EST, after reappearing from behind Jupiter's eastern limb just 14 minutes earlier. Io disappears behind Jupiter's other side 10 minutes later. Europa then reappears out of eclipse at 9:38 p.m. EST, followed by Io at 10:50 p.m. EST. For all of Jupiter's satellite events and Great Red Spot transit times, handy at the telescope and good worldwide, get our JupiterMoons app. Monday, March 4 · With Sirius on the meridian after dinnertime, so is the Winter Triangle — since Sirius is its bottom corner. The other two are Procyon to its upper left and Betelgeuse to its upper right. The Winter Triangle is almost perfectly equilateral: all three stars are 26° from each other within about 1° accuracy. · Last-quarter Moon (exact at 4:53 p.m. EST).

ISS Sighting Opportunities For Denver: No Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website. March 1, Friday 8:30 a.m. - Coverage of the SpaceX / Dragon-2 Launch to the International Space Station (Launch scheduled at 10:10 a.m. EST) - KSC (Public and Media Channels) March 2, Saturday 3:30 a.m. - Coverage of the Rendezvous and Grapple of the SpaceX / Dragon at the International Space Station (Grapple scheduled at 6:30 a.m. EST) - JSC (Public and Media Channels) 8 a.m. - Coverage of the Berthing of the SpaceX / Dragon to the International Space Station (Berthing operations scheduled to begin at 8:40 a.m. EST) - JSC (Public and Media Channels) Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Mar 01 - [Feb 26] Dragon CRS-2 Falcon 9 Launch (International Space Station) Mar 01 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #342 (OTM-342) Mar 01 - Comet 91P/Russell Perihelion (2.617 AU) Mar 01 - Asteroid 11083 Caracas Closest Approach To Earth (1.396 AU) Mar 01 - Asteroid 12542 Laver Closest Approach To Earth (2.630 AU) Mar 02 - Asteroid 4150 Starr Closest Approach To Earth (1.588 AU) Mar 03 - Asteroid 729 Watsonia Occults HIP 53417 (4.3 Magnitude Star) Mar 03 - Asteroid 17033 Rusty Closest Approach To Earth (1.437 AU) Mar 03 - Asteroid 8889 Mockturtle Closest Approach To Earth (2.358 AU) The propeller-shaped white dashes near the bottom of this Cassini spacecraft image reveal the location of a small moonlet embedded in Saturn's A ring. The gravity of this tiny moonlet affects the orbits of nearby ring particles and creates the propeller feature, nicknamed Bleriot by imaging scientists, that Cassini sees. JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought How Will Sequestration Affect NASA?

Space Image of the Week Colors of Mercury Image Credit: NASA / JHU Applied Physics Lab / Carnegie Inst. Washington