Space News Update - March 19, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Launch of NASA's NuSTAR Mission Postponed Story 2: Story 2: Solving the Puzzle of Apollo 12′s Mysterious Magnetic Moon Rocks Story 3: Story 3: ESA Ruling Council OKs ExoMars Funding Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Launch of NASA's NuSTAR Mission Postponed

Solving the Puzzle of Apollo 12′s Mysterious Magnetic Moon Rocks

ESA Ruling Council OKs ExoMars Funding

The Night Sky Monday, March 19 · When darkness falls, look northwest for for W-shaped Cassiopeia standing on end. · Spring begins (in the Northern Hemisphere) tonight. The equinox comes at 1:14 a.m. Tuesday morning EDT, 10:14 p.m. Monday evening PDT, when the Sun crosses the equator on its way north. The Sun rises and sets almost due east and west, and day and night are about equally long. In the Southern Hemisphere, autumn begins. Tuesday, March 20 · This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper juts to the right from Polaris (its handle-end) during evening hours. The much brighter Big Dipper curls over high above it, "dumping water" into it. · This is also the time of year when Orion declines in the southwest after dark with his Belt roughly horizontal. But when does Orion's Belt appearexactly horizontal? That depends on where you're located east-west in your time zone, and on your latitude. How accurately can you time this event at your location? Orion's Belt is slightly curved, so judge by the two stars on its ends. Can you rig up a sighting reference to make your measurement more precise? Welcome to pre-telescopic astronomy. Sky & Telescope

The Night Sky Wednesday, March 21 · With the Moon out of the sky, now's a fine time to shoot for some challenge objects in Canis Major. See Steve Gottlieb's "Going Deep" column, "Bubbles, Jets, and Exotic Stars" with chart and photos, in the March Sky & Telescope, page 66.March Sky & Telescope Thursday, March 22 · This is the time of year when we in the mid-northern latitudes get our best early-evening look at the rich Milky Way in Puppis, to Canis Major's left and lower left. Explore some telescopic highlights here with Sue French's article and chart in the March Sky & Telescope, page 62.March Sky & Telescope · New Moon (exact at 10:37 a.m. EDT). Friday, March 23 · Look low in the west about a half hour after sunset, below Venus and Jupiter and perhaps a little right, for the very thin crescent Moon in the bright twilight — as shown at bottom-right here.

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) ISSMon Mar 19/05:51 AM37429 above SW27 above ENE ISSTue Mar 20/04:56 AM< above E18 above E ISSTue Mar 20/06:29 AM52811 above W10 above NNE ISSWed Mar 21/05:33 AM35448 above WNW17 above NE ISSThu Mar 22/04:39 AM< above ENE ISSThu Mar 22/06:11 AM41912 above WNW10 above NNE ISSFri Mar 23/05:16 AM23030 above NNW11 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights March 20, Tuesday 10:15 a.m. - ISS Expedition 30 In-Flight Interview with WVIT-TV, Hartford, CT - JSC (All Channels) 12 p.m. - ISS Program and Science Overview Briefing - JSC (All Channels) 1:30 p.m. - Video B-Roll of ISS Expedition 32/33 Crew Training - JSC (All Channels) 2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 32/33 Crew News Conference - JSC (All Channels) March 21, Wednesday *9 a.m. - House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Budget Hearing – HQ (Public and Education Channels) March 22, Thursday 12:05 p.m. – ISS Mission Control Interview with the Digital Learning Network – JSC (All Channels) March 23, Friday 12 a.m. - ISS European Space Agency “Edoardo Amaldi” Automated Transfer Vehicle Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 12:34 a.m. via Kourou, French Guiana ET) - JSC (All Channels) 11:40 a.m. - ISS Expedition 30 In-Flight Interview with Bloomberg News, Moscow - JSC (Public, Education and Media Channels) Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website

Space Calendar Mar 19 - Comet 228P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (2.532 AU)Comet 228P/LINEARClosest Approach To Earth Mar 19 - Asteroid Grantstokes Closest Approach To Earth (1.778 AU)Asteroid Grantstokes Mar 19 - Asteroid Madrid Closest Approach To Earth (1.935 AU)Asteroid Madrid Mar 19 - Asteroid Maxwell Closest Approach To Earth (2.335 AU)Asteroid Maxwell Mar 19 - Asteroid 5281 Lindstrom Closest Approach To Earth (2.367 AU)Asteroid 5281 Lindstrom Mar 19 - Lecture: From Vanguard to GPS, London, United KingdomLecture: From Vanguard to GPS Mar 20 - Vernal Equinox, 05:14 UTVernal Equinox05:14 UT Mar 20 - Comet C/2011 S2 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (1.706 AU)Comet C/2011 S2 (Kowalski)Closest Approach To Earth Mar 20 - Comet P/2011 C2 (Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (4.401 AU)Comet P/2011 C2 (Gibbs)Closest Approach To Earth Mar 20 - [Mar 14] Asteroid 4355 Memphis Closest Approach To Earth (1.519 AU)Asteroid 4355 Memphis Mar 20 - Asteroid 8992 Magnanimity Closest Approach To Earth (1.782 AU)Asteroid 8992 Magnanimity Mar 21 - Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini) Perihelion (1.787 AU)Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini)Perihelion Mar 21 - [Mar 17] Asteroid 2012 EO8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU)Asteroid 2012 EO8Near-Earth Flyby Mar 21 - Asteroid 2011 SY120 Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)Asteroid 2011 SY120Near-Earth Flyby Mar 21 - Asteroid 2012 DH4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)Asteroid 2012 DH4Near-Earth Flyby Mar 21 - Asteroid 1756 Giacobini Closest Approach To Earth (2.039 AU)Asteroid 1756 Giacobini Mar 22 - [Mar 16] Asteroid 2012 EK5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)Asteroid 2012 EK5Near-Earth Flyby Mar 22 - Asteroid 2010 FR9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)Asteroid 2010 FR9Near-Earth Flyby Mar 22 - Asteroid 2906 Caltech Closest Approach To Earth (2.678 AU)Asteroid 2906 Caltech Mar th Anniversary (1982), STS-3 Launch, Space Shuttle ColumbiaSTS-3 Launch Mar 23 - [Mar 16] ATV-3 Edoardo Amaldi Ariane 5ES Launch (International Space Station)ATV-3 Edoardo AmaldiAriane 5ES Launch Mar 23 - Asteroid 2012 EB2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)Asteroid 2012 EB2Near-Earth Flyby Mar 23 - Asteroid Jenniferharris Closest Approach To Earth (1.872 AU)Asteroid Jenniferharris Mar 23 - Asteroid Dudleymoore Closest Approach To Earth (2.273 AU)Asteroid Dudleymoore Mar 23 - Asteroid Widmanstatten Closest Approach To Earth (2.654 AU)Asteroid Widmanstatten Mar 23 - Wernher von Braun's 100th Birthday (1912)Wernher von Braun's JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought SpaceX: Entrepreneur's race to space – 60 Minutes interview (click HERE to view video on CBS News)HERE

Space Image of the Week Sunspot Group 1429 and the Distant Sun Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Manuel Pérez RayegoJuan Manuel Pérez Rayego