Space News Update - January 28, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Atlas 5 comes together at record pace for NASA launch Story 2: Story 2: Opportunity Rover Starts Year 10 on Mars with Remarkable Science Discoveries Story 3: Story 3: Kepler telescope's pointing system under scrutiny Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Atlas 5 comes together at record pace for NASA launch

Opportunity Rover Starts Year 10 on Mars with Remarkable Science Discoveries >

Kepler telescope's pointing system under scrutiny

The Night Sky Monday, January 28 · Once the waning gibbous Moon is well up in the east in mid- to late evening, look upper left of it for Regulus with the Sickle of Leo extending beyond, as shown here. Look about twice as far to the Moon's right for Alphard, the fire-colored heart of Hydra. Tuesday, January 29 · Around 9 or 10 p.m. this week (depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone), brilliant Sirius is at its highest due south. · Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky — and are you far enough south to see the second brightest, Canopus? In one of the many interesting coincidences that devoted skywatchers know about, Canopus lies almost due south of Sirius: by 36°. That's far enough south that it never appears above your horizon unless you're below latitude 37° N (southern Virginia, southern Missouri, central California). And there, you'll need a flat south horizon. Canopus transits the sky's north-south meridian just 21 minutes before Sirius does. When to look? Canopus is there at its highest point when Beta Canis Majoris — Mirzim, the star about three finger- widths to the right of Sirius — is at itshighest point crossing the meridian. Look straight down from Mirzim then. Wednesday, January 30 · Saturn is at western quadrature: 90° west of the Sun in the morning sky.

The Night Sky Thursday, January 31 · Jupiter's moon Io crosses Jupiter's face from 7:59 to 11:09 p.m. EST. Io's tiny black shadow follows behind across Jupiter from 10:10 p.m. to 12:21 a.m. EST. Meanwhile, Jupiter's Great Red Spot (actually pale orange-tan) crosses the planet's central meridian around 8:07 p.m. EST. For all of Jupiter's satellite events and Great Red Spot transit times, good worldwide, get our newJupiterMoons app.JupiterMoons app Friday, February 1 · The sky's biggest well-known asterism (informal star pattern) is the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle. It fills the sky toward the east and south these evenings. Start with brilliant Sirius at its bottom. Going clockwise from there, march through Procyon, then Pollux and Castor, then Menkalinen and Capella overhead, down to Aldebaran (overshone by Jupiter this season!), down to Rigel, and back to Sirius.

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 Jan 28/05:29 AM23634 above NNE25 above ENE ISSTue Jan 29/04:41 AM< above ENE ISSTue Jan 29/06:14 AM54517 above WNW12 above SSE ISSWed Jan 30/05:26 AM38585 above SE14 above SE ISSThu Jan 31/04:38 AM< above ESE12 above ESE ISSThu Jan 31/06:10 AM31615 above WSW10 above S ISSFri Feb 01/05:22 AM12222 above S12 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website January 28, Monday 11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (All Channels) 1 p.m. - TDRS-K Prelaunch News Conference - KSC (All Channels) January 29, Tuesday 10 a.m p.m. - TDRS-K NASA Social - KSC (Public and Education Channels) 11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (Media Channel) January 30, Wednesday 12:40 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34 In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa - JSC (All Channels) 6:15 p.m. - Live Coverage of the TDRS-K Launch - KSC (All Channels) January 31, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels) February 1, Friday 10 a.m. - Kennedy Space Center’s Day of Remembrance Ceremony - KSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar Jan 28 - Comet 246P/NEAT Perihelion (2.880 AU)Comet 246P/NEATPerihelion Jan 28 - Asteroid 3925 Tret'yakov Occults HIP (6.6 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 3925 Tret'yakov Occults HIP Jan 28 - Asteroid 2011 BY10 Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU)Asteroid 2011 BY10Near-Earth Flyby Jan 28 - Asteroid 2004 Lexell Closest Approach To Earth (1.110 AU)Asteroid 2004 Lexell Jan 28 - Asteroid 3709 Polypoites Closest Approach To Earth (4.107 AU)Asteroid 3709 Polypoites Jan 29 - Comet P/2013 A2 (Scotti) Closest Approach To Earth (1.210 AU)Comet P/2013 A2 (Scotti)Closest Approach To Earth Jan 29 - Comet 272P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.450 AU)Comet 272P/NEATClosest Approach To Earth Jan 29 - Comet 185P/Petriew Closest Approach To Earth (1.450 AU)Comet 185P/PetriewClosest Approach To Earth Jan 30 - [Jan 24] TDRS-K Atlas 5 LaunchTDRS-KAtlas 5 Launch Jan 30 - [Jan 28] STSat 2C Naro 1 LaunchSTSat 2C Jan 30 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #339 (OTM-339)Cassini Jan 30 - [Jan 24] Asteroid 2013 BT45 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU)Asteroid 2013 BT45Near-Earth Flyby Jan 30 - Asteroid 1225 Ariane Closest Approach To Earth (1.088 AU)Asteroid 1225 Ariane Jan 30 - Asteroid 2343 Siding Spring Closest Approach To Earth (1.556 AU)Asteroid 2343 Siding Spring Jan th Anniversary (1868), Pultusk Meteorite Shower in PolandPultusk Meteorite Jan 31 - Intelsat 27 Zenit 3SL LaunchIntelsat 27 Jan 31 - [Jan 21] Asteroid 2013 BE19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU)Asteroid 2013 BE19Near-Earth Flyby Jan 31 - Asteroid Jodiefoster Closest Approach To Earth (2.010 AU)Asteroid Jodiefoster Jan 31 - Asteroid Sellers Closest Approach To Earth (2.280 AU)Asteroid Sellers Jan 31 - Asteroid Lake Placid Closest Approach To Earth (2.459 AU)Asteroid Lake Placid Jan nd Dutch Gravitational Wave Meeting, Nijmegen, The Netherlands2nd Dutch Gravitational Wave Meeting Jan th Anniversary (1958), Explorer 1 Launch (1st US Satellite)Explorer 1 Feb 01 - [Jan 25] 10th Anniversary (2003), Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster10th Anniversary (2003)Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster Feb 01 - Comet 111P/Helin-Roman-Crockett Perihelion (3.704 AU)Comet 111P/Helin-Roman-CrockettPerihelion Feb 01 - Asteroid 3918 Brel Occults HIP (6.9 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 3918 Brel Occults HIP Feb 01 - Asteroid Hokule'a Occults HIP (6.2 Magnitude Star)Asteroid Hokule'a Occults HIP Feb 01 - Asteroid 2012 YN6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)Asteroid 2012 YN6Near-Earth Flyby Feb 01 - Asteroid CCD Closest Approach To Earth (1.797 AU)Asteroid CCD Feb 01 - Asteroid 1143 Odysseus Closest Approach To Earth (3.864 AU)Asteroid 1143 Odysseus JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Iran Launches Monkey Into Space: Reports

Space Image of the Week Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of ArizonaNASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona