Space News Update - December 30, In the News Story 1: Ratchet Wrench ‘ ed’ to Space Station Story 2: 15 Amazing Space Missions to Watch in 2015 Story 3: Story 3: Signs of Europa Plumes Remain Elusive in Search of Cassini Data Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week Happy New Year!

Ratchet Wrench ‘ ed’ to Space Station

15 Amazing Space Missions to Watch in Ratchet Wrench ‘ ed’ to Space Station

Signs of Europa Plumes Remain Elusive in Search of Cassini Data

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, December 30 As Gemini rises into nice evening view, keep watch on its red variable star R Geminorum: an unusual type-S star with a weird mix of rare elements. It should be about 9th magnitude now, on its way to a roughly 7th- magnitude maximum in February. Wednesday, December 31 After the midnight cheering at the turning of 2015, step outside into the silent dark. Look south. There shines Sirius, the highest you'll see it. Upper right of it stands Orion. Upper left of it is Procyon. Off your right shoulder, the gibbous Moon hangs in the west. And off your left shoulder, bright Jupiter dominates the east.hangs Earlier this evening, Jupiter's moon Ganymede disappears into eclipse by Jupiter's shadow at 10:18 p.m. EST. Europa follows Ganymede into Jupiter's shadow at 11:00 p.m. EST, fading away more rapidly. Keep watch as Mercury edges up closer to Venus day by day this week and next. Thursday, January 1 The waxing gibbous Moon shines in or near the Hyades this evening. Late tonight the Moon's invisible dark limb will occult (cover) Delta1 and/or Delta2 Tauri (magnitudes 3.8 and 4.8, respectively) for much of the southern and western U.S. Friday, January 2 This evening the Moon shines among some of the sky's brightest relatively cool stars. Look for orange-red Aldebaran (spectral type K5 III) to the Moon's upper right, similarly tinted Betelgeuse (type M2 Iab) a little farther below the Moon, and orange Pollux (type K0 III) much farther to the Moon's lower left. Bright Capella, yellow-white (type G5 III), shines high to the Moon's upper left.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver : Not Available

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA Tuesday, December 30 9:55 a.m. - ISS Expedition 42 In-Flight Interviews with BBC Radio and the CBS News Radio Network and Newspath Syndication Service (all channels) Monday, January 5 12 p.m. - NASA ISS Earth Science Briefing: Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS) (all channels) 1:30 p.m. - NASA ISS Research and Technology Briefing (all channels) 4 p.m. - SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) -5 Prelaunch News Conference (all channels) Tuesday, January 6 4:30 a.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of SpaceX/Dragon CRS-5 Processing (all channels) 5 a.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the SpaceX/Dragon CRS-5 Cargo Ship to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 6:18 a.m. ET) (all channels) 7:45 a.m.- SpaceX/Dragon CRS-5 Post-Launch News Conference – KSC (all channels) 9:15 a.m. - ISS Expedition 42 In-Flight Interviews with KGO-TV, San Francisco and the Associated Press (all channels)

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar  Dec 30 - EuropaSat Proton M-Briz M Launch  Dec 30 - Mercury Passes 3.7 Degrees From Venus  Dec 30 - Comet C/2014 R4 (Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (1.396 AU)  Dec 30 - Comet 16P/Brooks Closest Approach To Earth (1.538 AU)  Dec 30 - Comet 181P/Shoemaker-Levy Closest Approach To Earth (1.797 AU)  Dec 30 - Asteroid Itokawa Closest Approach To Earth (1.611 AU)  Dec 31 - Feng Yung 2G CZ-3A Launch  Dec 31 - Comet 110P/Hartley Closest Approach To Earth (1.494 AU)  Dec 31 - Comet C/2014 W7 (Christensen) Perihelion (1.510 AU)  Dec 31 - Asteroid 10 Hygiea At Opposition (10.0 Magnitude)  Dec 31 - Asteroid 6032 Nobel Closest Approach To Earth (1.897 AU)  Dec 31 - Asteroid Yangtze Closest Approach To Earth (2.065 AU)  Jan 01 - Comet 110P/Hartley At Opposition (1.494 AU)  Jan 01 - Comet 191P/McNaught At Opposition (1.705 AU)  Jan 01 - Comet 9P/Tempel At Opposition (3.112 AU)  Jan 01 - Kuiper Belt Object (2004 XA192) At Opposition ( AU)  Jan 02 - Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) At Opposition (0.488 AU)  Jan 02 - Comet C/2014 F2 (Tenagra) Perihelion (4.314 AU)  Jan 02 - Comet C/2014 W3 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (5.476 AU)  Jan 02 - Asteroid 4245 Nairc Occults HIP (5.5 Magnitude Star)  Jan 02 - Asteroid 2005 YQ96 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)  Jan 02 - Asteroid Atacama Closest Approach To Earth (1.445 AU)  Jan 02 - Asteroid 1981 Midas Closest Approach To Earth (2.210 AU)  Jan 03 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak  Jan 03 - Comet 268P/Bernardi Closest Approach To Earth (1.618 AU)

Food for Thought What Does It Mean To Be ‘Star Stuff’? New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale

Space Image of the Week Galactic Get-Together Has Impressive Light Display Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Mineo et al, Optical: NASA/STScI, Infr