Space News Update - July 18, 2014 - In the News Departments Story 1: OCO-2 Data to Lead Scientists Forward into the Past Story 2: Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts Story 3: Venus Express Rises Again Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

OCO-2 Data to Lead Scientists Forward into the Past Scientists will use measurements from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to track atmospheric carbon dioxide to sources such as these wildfires in Siberia, imaged on May 18 by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. Image Credit: NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response Web: http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/oco2/virtual-time-machine-20140718/index.html#.U8mbjbHN5Jk

Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts This is a spectacular high-Sun view of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. This image from LRO's NAC is 400 meters (1,312 feet) wide, north is up. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University Web: http://phys.org/news/2014-07-lunar-pits-astronauts-reveal-moon.html

Venus Express Rises Again

The Night Sky Friday, July 18 Last-quarter Moon (exact at 10:08 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon rises around midnight tonight, shining in Pisces. Early Saturday morning before dawn, the faint asteroid 611 Valeria will occult an 8.7-magnitude star in Pisces for observers along a track crossing northern Mexico, Texas, the Deep South (including the Atlanta area) and the Carolinas. Details, times, finder chart. Saturday, July 19 Mars at dusk is still slightly less than 3° (two finger widths at arm's length) from Spica in the southwestern sky. But they're widening and sinking lower day by day. Sunday, July 20 In a 6- or 8-inch telescope, globular star clusters are among the most beautiful objects in the night and certainly among the eeriest. This is their season. Monday, July 21 As dawn begins very early early Tuesday morning the 22nd, look for Aldebaran near the waning crescent Moon in the east as shown to the right. Can you catch the Hyades stars before dawn gets too bright? Web: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_Express_rises_again Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Sat Jul 19, 3:22 AM 2 min 35° 35 above ESE 13 above ENE Sat Jul 19, 4:56 AM 4 min 26° 11 above W 20 above N Sun Jul 20, 2:35 AM < 1 min 12° 12 above E 10 above E Sun Jul 20, 4:09 AM 3 min 39° 28 above WNW 24 above NNE Mon Jul 21, 3:22 AM 1 min 58° 58 above N 25 above NE Mon Jul 21, 4:57 AM 15° 10 above NW 12 above NNE - Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) Monday, July 21 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) Monday, July 21 10:15 a.m., Renaming Ceremony for the KSC Operations and Checkout Building (includes in-flight downlink from the ISS at 10:25 a.m. ET) (all channels) 11:30 a.m., Space Station Live (all channels) 5:30 p.m., Coverage of the ISS Progress 55 Cargo Ship Undocking from the ISS (all channels)   Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Liberty Bell 7 after recovery in 1999. Space Calendar Jul 18 - Comet 175P/Hergenrother At Opposition (2.413 AU) Jul 18 - Comet P/2007 V2 (Hill) Closest Approach To Earth (2.687 AU) Jul 18 - Comet P/2010 H5 (Scotti) Closest Approach To Earth (6.146 AU) Jul 18 - Asteroid 2014 MJ6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU) Jul 18 - Asteroid 11066 Sigurd Closest Approach To Earth (0.789 AU) Jul 19 - Comet 287P/Christensen At Opposition (2.156 AU) Jul 19 - Comet 82P/Gehrels Closest Approach To Earth (3.632 AU) Jul 19 - Comet 82P/Gehrels At Opposition (3.632 AU) Jul 19 - Comet 31P/Schwassmann-Wachmann At Opposition (4.005 AU) Jul 19 - Comet C/2014 M1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (5.316 AU) Jul 19 - Carlsbad Caverns National Park Star Party, Carlsbad, New Mexico Jul 20 -[Jul 13] Cassini, Titan Flyby Jul 20 -[Jul 15] 45th Anniversary (1969), 1st Man On The Moon (Apollo 11) Jul 20 - Comet 106P/Schuster Perihelion (1.546 AU) Jul 20 - Comet 283P/Spacewatch At Opposition (2.880 AU) Jul 20 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (4.003 AU) Jul 20 - Asteroid 7222 Alekperov Occults HIP 86060 (6.5 Magnitude Star) Jul 20 - Asteroid 12432 Usuda Closest Approach To Earth (2.074 AU) Jul 20 - 15th Anniversary (1999), Retrieval Of Liberty Bell 7 Capsule From Ocean Floor Jul 21 - Comet 256P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.054 AU) Jul 21 - Comet P/2013 G4 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.062 AU) Jul 21 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (4.000 AU) Jul 21 - Comet 258P/PANSTARRS At Opposition (4.078 AU) Jul 21 - Comet P/2010 H5 (McNaught) At Opposition (6.148 AU) Jul 21 - 100th Anniversary (1914), Seth Nicholson's Discovery of Jupiter Moon Liberty Bell 7 after recovery in 1999. JPL Space Calendar

45 Years Ago: July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale Food for Thought 45 Years Ago: July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

Space Image of the Week Aldrin Gazes at Tranquility Base Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 45 years ago on July 20, 1969. Image credit: NASA