Space News Update - July 6, In the News Story 1: Story 1: The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dust Story 2: Story 2: Why Higgs Discovery Deserves the Hype Story 3: Story 3: Latest Panoramic View from Mars Rover Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dust

Why Higgs Discovery Deserves the Hype

Latest Panoramic View from Mars Rover

The Night Sky Friday, July 6 · The brightest planet action happens at dawn all week, with Jupiter and Venus dramatically stacked in the east- northeast as shown at right. Aldebaran, much fainter, creeps higher close to Venus. Also in the starry background are the Hyades, and above Jupiter are the Pleiades. The asteroids Ceres and Vesta (magnitudes 9.1 and 8.4) are nearby too! See article Predawn Treats for Early Risers for the naked-eye aspect, and to find the asteroids in this scene, Ceres and Vesta: July 2012 – April Saturday, July 7 · The red long-period variable star R Draconis should be at its maximum brightness of about magnitude 7.6 this week. Binoculars should show it. See the article and finder charts in the July Sky & Telescope, page 50. · Aldebaran passes 1° to the right or lower right of Venus low in the dawn Sunday through Tuesday mornings. Sunday, July 8 · After nightfall at this time of year, the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia has just passed its lowest point in the north and is beginning its long, slow climb in the north-northeast. The later in the night you look, the more altitude it gains. But the farther south you live, the lower it will be. Monday, July 9 · At nightfall, spot bright Arcturus very high in the southwest to west. It's way above Saturn, Spica, and Mars. Look off to the right of Arcturus for the Big Dipper — which is hanging down and, as night grows late, previewing its late-summer dip as if scooping water.

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) No Sighting Opportunities until July 17.

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website July 6, Friday 1 p.m. - Replay of Orion Arrival Event Interactive Social Session at KSC - HQ (Public and Education Channels) 4 p.m., 9 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/3) - HQ (All Channels) 6 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (All Channels) 7 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/6) - HQ (All Channels) 8 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/5) - HQ (All Channels) July 7, Saturday 8 a.m. - Replay of Video File (7/1) of the ISS Expedition 31/Soyuz TMA-03M Landing and Post- Landing Activities; includes interviews with Expedition 31 Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers and the return of Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko to Chkalovsky Airfield near Star City, Russia - HQ (All Channels) 10 a.m. - Replay of NASA’s Orion Crew Module Arrives at the Kennedy Space Center - HQ (All Channels) 11 a.m., 3 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/6) - HQ (All Channels) 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 32/33 Crew Departure for Baikonur Activities from Star City, Russia - HQ (All Channels) 1 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/3 - HQ (All Channels) 2 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Update (7/5) - HQ (All Channels) 4 p.m. - Replay of Orion Arrival Event Interactive Social Session at KSC - HQ (Public and Education Channels)

Space Calendar Jul th Anniversary (1687), Isaac Newton's Principia Published Jul 07 - [Jul 01] Astra 4-B (SES-5) Proton M-Briz M Launch Jul 07 - Asteroid 3155 Lee Closest Approach To Earth (1.488 AU) Jul 07 - Asteroid 3199 Nefertiti Closest Approach To Earth (1.697 AU) Jul 07 - Asteroid 1069 Planckia Closest Approach To Earth (2.217 AU) Jul 08 - Asteroid 1057 Wanda Occults HIP (6.9 Magnitude Star) Jul 08 - Asteroid 3148 Grechko Occults HIP 9295 (6.1 Magnitude Star) Jul 08 - Asteroid 1999 NW2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU) Jul th Anniversary (1992), Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Near-Jupiter Flyby ( AU), Comet Breakup Jul 09 - Comet 189P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (0.172 AU) Jul 09 - Comet 152P/Helin-Lawrence Perihelion (3.116 AU) Jul 09 - Asteroid 1818 Brahms Closest Approach To Earth (0.834 AU) Jul 09 - Asteroid 1997 Leverrier Closest Approach To Earth (1.002 AU) JPL Space Calendar Brown spots mark impact sites on Jupiter’s southern hemisphere.

Food for Thought NASA Scientist: Climate Just One Factor in Wildfires

Space Image of the Week Waldo Canyon Fire Burn Scar Image Credit: NASA