Space News Update - March 21, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds New Gully Channel on Mars Story 2: Story 2: NASA Observes World Water Day Story 3: Story 3: LVAC: Advancing the Technology Readiness of SLS Adaptive Controls Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds New Gully Channel on Mars

NASA Observes World Water Day

LVAC: Advancing the Technology Readiness of SLS Adaptive Controls

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, March 21 This year's huge "Winter Diamond" — bright Jupiter on top, bright Sirius on the bottom, and Procyon and Betelgeuse forming the left and right corners — persists well into spring. It stands straight up in the south around 7 p.m. now (depending on where you live east or west in your time zone), then tips westward as the evening advances. Saturday, March 22 When the stars come out this week, the Big Dipper is standing on its handle in the northeast. As evening grows late, the Dipper climbs higher and starts tipping to the left. Sunday, March 23 Double shadow transit on Jupiter: Ganymede and Io are both casting their tiny black shadows onto the giant planet from 10:08 to 10:32 p.m. EDT (9:08 to 9:32 p.m. CDT). Last quarter Moon (exact at 9:46 p.m. EDT). The Moon, in northern Sagittarius, rises around 2 or 3 a.m. Monday morning. By dawn Monday look for Antares very far to the Moon's right, Altair about equally far to the Moon's upper left, and bright Venus about equally far to its lower left. Monday, March 24 By 10 or 11 p.m. Mars and Spica are well up in the southeast. Look almost two fists at arm's length to their right for the four-star pattern of Corvus, the Crow. Normally the Crow eyes Spica in Virgo's hand. Now he may be more interested in the brighter shiny right close by.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Sat Mar 22, 5:19 AM2 min13°12 above NNW10 above NNE Sun Mar 23, 4:31 AM< 1 min11°11 above NNE10 above NNE Sun Mar 23, 6:06 AM2 min10°10 above N10 above NNE Mon Mar 24, 5:16 AM2 min10°10 above NNW10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) March 23, Sunday 2 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 39/40 Soyuz TMA-12M Spacecraft Mating and Rollout to the Launch Pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan plus Launch Pad Interviews - HQ (All Channels) March 24, Monday 2 p.m. - Video File of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 39/40 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) 3-4 p.m. - Kid-Friendly NASA Social: Meet Astronaut Karen Nyberg - HQ (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Mar 21 - Moon Occults SaturnMoon Occults Saturn Mar 21 - Comet 124P/Mrkos Closest Approach To Earth (0.679 AU)Comet 124P/MrkosClosest Approach To Earth Mar 21 - Comet 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte At Opposition (2.582 AU)Comet 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-DelporteAt Opposition Mar 21 - Asteroid 2014 DW110 Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)Asteroid 2014 DW110Near-Earth Flyby Mar 21 - Asteroid Williemccool Closest Approach To Earth (1.194 AU)Asteroid Williemccool Mar 21 - Asteroid 2187 La Silla Closest Approach To Earth (1.854 AU)Asteroid 2187 La Silla Mar 21 - Asteroid De Jong Closest Approach To Earth (1.917 AU)Asteroid De Jong Mar 21 - Asteroid 4446 Carolyn Closest Approach To Earth (3.534 AU)Asteroid 4446 Carolyn Mar 22 - [Mar 21] Astra 5B/ Amazonas 4A/ Ariane 5 LaunchAstra 5BAmazonas 4AAriane 5 Launch Mar 22 - Mercury Passes 1.25 Degrees From NeptuneMercuryNeptune Mar 22 - Venus At Its Greatest Western Elongation (47 Degrees)VenusElongation Mar 22 - Comet C/2014 C3 (NEOWISE) Closest Approach To Earth (1.064 AU)Comet C/2014 C3 (NEOWISE)Closest Approach To Earth Mar 22 - Comet P/2008 J2 (Beshore) At Opposition (1.579 AU)Comet P/2008 J2 (Beshore)At Opposition Mar 22 - Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy At Opposition (1.960 AU)Comet 135P/Shoemaker-LevyAt Opposition Mar 22 - Comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff Closest Approach To Earth (2.228 AU)Comet 114P/Wiseman-SkiffClosest Approach To Earth Mar 22 - Asteroid 21 Lutetia At Opposition (11.0 Magnitude)Asteroid 21 LutetiaAt Opposition Mar 22 - Asteroid Abbott Closest Approach To Earth (1.291 AU)Asteroid Abbott Mar 22 - Asteroid Stephencolbert Closest Approach To Earth (2.283 AU)Asteroid Stephencolbert Mar 23 - Comet 244P/Scotti At Opposition (3.785 AU)Comet 244P/ScottiAt Opposition Mar 23 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC (9.8 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC Mar 23 - Asteroid 2003 HT42 Near-Earth Flyby (0.094 AU)Asteroid 2003 HT42Near-Earth Flyby Mar 23 - Asteroid 9949 Brontosaurus Closest Approach To Earth (1.230 AU)Asteroid 9949 Brontosaurus Mar 23 - Asteroid 2825 Crosby Closest Approach To Earth (1.484 AU)Asteroid 2825 Crosby Mar 23 - Asteroid Hypnos Closest Approach To Earth (1.952 AU)Asteroid HypnosClosest Approach To Earth Mar 23 - Asteroid 5029 Ireland Closest Approach To Earth (2.230 AU)Asteroid 5029 Ireland Mar 23 - Pierre Simon Laplace's 265th Birthday (1749)Pierre Simon Laplace's Mar 24 - Uragan-M #42 (GLONASS-M, 14F113) Soyuz-2-1b Fregat-M LaunchUragan-M #42 (GLONASS-M, 14F113) Mar 24 - Asteroid 172 Baucis Occults HIP (6.7 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 172 Baucis Occults HIP Mar 24 - Asteroid 2014 DG80 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)Asteroid 2014 DG80Near-Earth Flyby Mar 24 - Asteroid (2008 EY5) Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)Asteroid (2008 EY5)Near-Earth Flyby Mar 24 - Asteroid Tomhanks Closest Approach To Earth (1.836 AU)Asteroid Tomhanks Mar 24 - Asteroid 3154 Grant Closest Approach To Earth (2.446 AU)Asteroid 3154 Grant

Food for Thought NASA's Spitzer Telescope Brings 360-Degree View of Galaxy to Our Fingertips

Space Image of the Week Solargraphy Analemmas