Space News Update - March 29, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Next space station crew launches on fast track Story 2: Story 2: Hunting Massive Stars with Herschel Story 3: Story 3: NSF Team Measures Antiproton's Magnetic Charge 680 Times More Precisely Than in Past Efforts Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Next space station crew launches on fast track >

Hunting Massive Stars with Herschel

NSF Team Measures Antiproton's Magnetic Charge 680 Times More Precisely Than in Past Efforts

The Night Sky Friday, March 29 · The waning Moon rises in the east around 11 or later this evening, depending on your location. Look above it for the planet Saturn, as shown below. · This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper juts to the right from Polaris (the Little Dipper's handle-end) during evening hours. The Big Dipper, much brighter, curls over high above it, "dumping water" into it. Saturday, March 30 · Algol in Perseus is heading down in the northwest after dusk. Your last good chance to catch Algol in one of its eclipses this season, at least from North America, may be this evening. Algol should be at minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 9:32 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, favoring the eastern half of the continent. Algol takes several additional hours to fade and to rebrighten. · Early Sunday morning, telescope users south of a line from central Florida through Oregon can watch the double star Beta Scorpii, magnitudes 2.6 and 4.8, emerge from behind the dark limb of the waning gibbous Moon. Map and timetables(for the bright component; the faint one emerges up to a minute or two earlier. Times are in Universal Time. Be sure to scroll down there to find the Reappearance timetable.)Map and timetables Sky & Telescope

The Night Sky Sunday, March 31 · Following Sirius and Canis Major westward across the sky is Milky-Way-rich Puppis. Now that the Moon is gone, get out your scope and hunt the open clusters and nebulae of Puppis with Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article and chart in theMarch Sky & Telescope, page 56.March Sky & Telescope Monday, April 1 · The red carbon stars U and V Hydrae, and the Ghost of Jupiter planetary nebula (magnitude 7.7), all reside within a few degrees of each other in central Hydra. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCALDURATION MAX ELEV APPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSFri Mar 29/04:41 AM21110 above N10 above NNE ISSFri Mar 29/06:16 AM32510 above NNW24 above NE ISSSat Mar 30/05:26 AM31810 above NNW18 above NNE ISSSun Mar 31/04:37 AM21412 above N13 above NNE ISSSun Mar 31/06:12 AM45610 above NW39 above E ISSMon Apr 01/05:21 AM43210 above NW28 above ENE

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website April 1, Monday 12:20 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event with WGME-TV, Portland, ME and NASA Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy – JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Space Calendar Mar 29 - Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini) At Opposition (2.908 AU)Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini)At Opposition Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EL89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.012 AU)Asteroid 2013 EL89Near-Earth Flyby Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EM89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.044 AU)Asteroid 2013 EM89Near-Earth Flyby Mar 29 - Asteroid 9258 Johnpauljones Closest Approach To Earth (1.351 AU)Asteroid 9258 Johnpauljones Mar th Anniversary (1998), Galileo, Europa 14 FlybyGalileo Mar 30 - Comet 275P/Hermann Closest Approach To Earth (1.135 AU)Comet 275P/HermannClosest Approach To Earth Mar 30 - Comet C/2010 R1 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (5.102 AU)Comet C/2010 R1 (LINEAR)Closest Approach To Earth Mar 30 - Comet C/2011 L6 (Boattini) At Opposition (7.533 AU)Comet C/2011 L6 (Boattini)At Opposition Mar 30 - Asteroid 41 Daphne Occults HIP (4.8 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 41 Daphne Occults HIP Mar 30 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FB8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)Asteroid 2013 FB8Near-Earth Flyby Mar 31 - Easter SundayEaster Sunday Mar 31 - European Summer Time Begins - Set Clock Ahead 1 Hour (European Union)European Summer Time Begins Mar 31 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (28 Degrees)MercuryElongation Mar 31 - Comet C/2012 X2 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (4.748 AU)Comet C/2012 X2 (PANSTARRS)Perihelion Mar 31 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2001 TA2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)Asteroid 2001 TA2Near-Earth Flyby Mar 31 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FC8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.041 AU)Asteroid 2013 FC8Near-Earth Flyby Mar 31 - Asteroid 1743 Schmidt Closest Approach To Earth (1.146 AU)Asteroid 1743 Schmidt Mar 31 - Asteroid 8088 Australia Closest Approach To Earth (1.634 AU)Asteroid 8088 Australia Mar 31 - Asteroid Typhon Closest Approach To Earth ( AU)Asteroid TyphonClosest Approach To Earth Apr 01 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #346 (OTM-346)Cassini Apr 01 - Asteroid 2032 Ethel Occults HIP (6.7 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 2032 Ethel Occults HIP Apr 01 - Asteroid 2013 EN89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)Asteroid 2013 EN89Near-Earth Flyby Apr 01 - Asteroid 2013 EQ4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.071 AU)Asteroid 2013 EQ4Near-Earth Flyby Apr 01 - Asteroid de Vico Closest Approach To Earth (1.488 AU)Asteroid de Vico Apr 01 - Asteroid 3665 Fitzgerald Closest Approach To Earth (1.667 AU)Asteroid 3665 Fitzgerald Apr 01 - Asteroid Orinoco Closest Approach To Earth (1.704 AU)Asteroid Orinoco Apr 01 - Asteroid 203 Pompeja Closest Approach To Earth (1.873 AU)Asteroid 203 Pompeja Apr 01 - Asteroid Yarkovsky Closest Approach To Earth (2.069 AU)Asteroid Yarkovsky JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Is NASA Seeking $100 Million for Wild Asteroid Capture Mission

Space Image of the Week NASA, ESA & A. van der Hoeven