Space News Update - June 3, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Rare Stellar Alignment Offers Opportunity To Hunt For Planets Story 2: Story 2: Boeing's crew capsule tested for launch environment Story 3: Story 3: Earth's Milky Way Neighborhood Gets More Respect Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Rare Stellar Alignment Offers Opportunity To Hunt For Planets >

Boeing's crew capsule tested for launch environment

Earth's Milky Way Neighborhood Gets More Respect Old PictureNew Picture

The Night Sky Monday, June 3 · "Cassiopeia" usually means "Cold!". Late fall and winter are when this landmark constellation is high overhead (seen from mid-northern latitudes), but even on hot June evenings it's lurking low. After dark, look for it down near the north horizon. It's a wide, upright W. The farther north you are the higher it'll appear. But even as far south as San Diego and Atlanta it's completely above the horizon. Tuesday, June 4 · Above the Big Dipper's high handle is north-central Bootes, home to double stars, three spindle galaxies, and the Kangaroo asterism. Find them using Sue French's "Deep-Sky Wonders" article, map, and photos in the June Sky & Telescope, page 56.June Sky & Telescope Wednesday, June 5 · Vega is the brightest star in the east these evenings. The main part of its little constellation, Lyra, dangles from it to its lower right. Thursday, June 6 · With June well under way, the Big Dipper has swung around to hang down by its handle high in the northwest after dark. The middle star of its handle is Mizar, with tiny little Alcor right next to it. On which side of Mizar should you look for Alcor? As always, on the side exactly toward Vega! Which is now shining in the east. Friday, June 7 · Mercury has reached its farthest distance above Venus, 5°. See the twilight scene at right. This is the same separation as between fainter Pollux and Castor above them, which come into view as twilight fades further. 5° is about three finger-widths at arm's length (depending, of course, on the width of your fingers relative to the length of your arm!). 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) ISSMon Jun 03/09:54 PM64711 above SSW11 above ENE ISSMon Jun 03/11:32 PM52311 above W11 above NNE ISSTue Jun 04/02:48 AM11410 above NNW13 above N ISSTue Jun 04/04:24 AM65310 above NW10 above ESE ISSTue Jun 04/09:06 PM52511 above S11 above ENE ISSTue Jun 04/10:42 PM63412 above W10 above NE ISSWed Jun 05/01:59 AM< above NNW ISSWed Jun 05/03:35 AM63310 above NW10 above E ISSWed Jun 05/09:53 PM65710 above WSW10 above NE ISSWed Jun 05/11:34 PM< above N10 above NNE ISSThu Jun 06/02:46 AM52211 above NNW10 above ENE ISSThu Jun 06/04:22 AM65110 above WNW10 above SE ISSThu Jun 06/09:04 PM67810 above SW10 above NE ISSThu Jun 06/10:42 PM51810 above WNW10 above NNE ISSFri Jun 07/01:57 AM41710 above NNW10 above ENE ISSFri Jun 07/03:33 AM68410 above NW11 above SE ISSFri Jun 07/09:52 PM52511 above W10 above NNE ISSFri Jun 07/11:33 PM< above N

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website June 4, Tuesday 11:05 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Interviews with WCCO-TV, Minneapolis and KMSP-TV, Minneapolis - JSC (Public and Media Channels) 1 p.m. - NASA Prelaunch News Briefing on the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) Mission - HQ (All Channels) June 5, Wednesday 5:15 p.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the European Space Agency’s “Albert Einstein” Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 Cargo Ship to the International Space Station (Launch is scheduled at 5:52 p.m. EDT) - JSC via Kourou, French Guiana (All Channels) June 6, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On-Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels) June 7, Friday 8:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 36 In-Flight Event with Italian Networks for the European Space Agency with Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Space Calendar Jun 03 - SES-6 Proton M-Briz M LaunchSES-6 Jun 03 - Comet C/2013 J6 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (1.771 AU)Comet C/2013 J6 (Catalina)Closest Approach To Earth Jun 03 - Comet C/2012 OP (Siding Spring) At Opposition (3.050 AU)Comet C/2012 OP (Siding Spring)At Opposition Jun 03 - Comet 196P/Tichy At Opposition (3.651 AU)Comet 196P/TichyAt Opposition Jun 03 - [May 27] Comet C/2013 H2 (Boattini) Closest Approach To Earth (6.670 AU)Comet C/2013 H2 (Boattini)Closest Approach To Earth Jun 03 - [Jun 03] Asteroid 2013 LA Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU)Asteroid 2013 LANear-Earth Flyby Jun 03 - Asteroid 2004 KH17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.098 AU)Asteroid 2004 KH17Near-Earth Flyby Jun 03 - Asteroid 8003 Kelvin Closest Approach To Earth (1.203 AU)Asteroid 8003 Kelvin Jun 04 - Comet 257P/Catalina Perihelion (2.129 AU)Comet 257P/CatalinaPerihelion Jun 04 - Comet 16P/Brooks At Opposition (2.390 AU)Comet 16P/BrooksAt Opposition Jun 04 - Asteroid 2013 JE29 Near-Earth Flyby (0.051 AU)Asteroid 2013 JE29Near-Earth Flyby Jun 04 - Asteroid 2013 JB36 Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU)Asteroid 2013 JB36Near-Earth Flyby Jun 04 - Asteroid Mount Stromlo Closest Approach To Earth (1.887 AU)Asteroid Mount Stromlo Jun 04 - Kuiper Belt Object (2003 MW12) At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object (2003 MW12)At Opposition Jun 05 - [May 29] ATV-4 (Albert Einstein) Ariane 5ES Launch (International Space Station)ATV-4 (Albert Einstein)Ariane 5ES Launch Jun 05 - Comet 277P/LINEAR Perihelion (1.913 AU)Comet 277P/LINEARPerihelion Jun 05 - Comet 255P/Levy At Opposition (3.216 AU)Comet 255P/LevyAt Opposition Jun 05 - Asteroid Maxwell Closest Approach To Earth (2.001 AU)Asteroid Maxwell Jun 05 - Sydney's Observatory's 155th Birthday (1858)Sydney's Observatory's Jun Conference: Big Data From Space, Rome, ItalyConference: Big Data From Space Jun Rocky Mountain Star Stare, Gardner, ColoradoRocky Mountain Star Stare Jun 06 - Comet C/2013 F3 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (1.424 AU)Comet C/2013 F3 (McNaught)Closest Approach To Earth Jun 06 - Comet 230P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.131 AU)Comet 230P/LINEARAt Opposition Jun 06 - Asteroid Rolling Stones Closest Approach To Earth (1.209 AU)Asteroid Rolling Stones Jun 06 - Asteroid 5145 Pholus Closest Approach To Earth ( AU)Asteroid 5145 PholusClosest Approach To Earth Jun th Anniversary (1983), Venera 16 Launch (USSR Venus Orbiter)Venera 16 Jun 07 - [May 31] Shenzhou 10 CZ-2F/H Launch (Chinese Manned Launch to Tian Gong1 1 Space Station)Shenzhou 10CZ-2F/H LaunchTian Gong1 1 Jun 07 - [Jun 02] Cosmos 2486 (Persona N2) Soyuz 2-1B LaunchPersona Jun 07 - Comet P/2005 L1 (McNaught) At Opposition (2.241 AU)Comet P/2005 L1 (McNaught)At Opposition Jun 07 - Asteroid 2013 HO11 Near-Earth Flyby (0.063 AU)Asteroid 2013 HO11Near-Earth Flyby JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Ten Years at Mars: New Global Views Plot the Red Planet’s History

Space Image of the Week Image Credit: NASA Stunning View of Earth and Orbital Sunset from the Space Station