Space News Update - October 14, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015 Story 2: Story 2: Secretive X-37B Military Space Plane Could Land in California Tuesday Story 3: Story 3: Nearby Galaxy Holds First Ultraluminous X-Ray Source that is a Pulsar Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015

Secretive X-37B Military Space Plane Could Land in California Tuesday

Nearby Galaxy Holds First Ultraluminous X-Ray Source that is a Pulsar

The Night Sky Tuesday, October 14 Now that it's mid-October, Deneb has replaced Vega as the zenith star after nightfall (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes) — and, accordingly, Capricornus has replaced Sagittarius as the most notable constellation low in the south. Wednesday, October 15 Last-quarter Moon (exactly so at 3:12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon rises around midnight tonight, below Gemini. By early dawn on Thursday the 16th it's very high in the south — with Pollux and Castor above it, Procyon to its lower right, and bright Jupiter shining farther to its lower left.Watch the thinning crescent Moon pass Jupiter and Regulus in early dawn. Thursday, October 16 Dawn and sunrise come quite late now as the season advances. On Friday morning the 17th, before the sky gets too bright, you'll find Jupiter to the left of the waning Moon, and Procyon farther to the Moon's right. Friday, October 17 Before dawn Saturday morning, Jupiter shines above the waning Moon. Although they look rather close together, Jupiter is 2,100 times farther in the background — at a distance of 47 light-minutes, compared to the Moon's 1.3 light-seconds. Saturday, October 18 This is the time of year when, after nightfall, W-shaped Cassiopeia stands on end halfway up the northeastern sky — and when, off to its left, the dim Little Dipper extends leftward from Polaris in the north. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver:

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website 8 a.m., Tuesday, October 14 - Replay of NASA Science Briefing - Comet Siding Spring (all channels) 7 a.m., Wednesday, October 15 - Coverage of the ISS Expedition 41 U.S. Spacewalk # 28 (Wiseman and Wilmore; spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. ET) (all channels) 6 a.m., Friday, October 17 - Live Media Interviews on the “Mars flyby of Comet Siding Spring” (10/19/2014) (NTV-3 (Media))

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Oct 14 - [Oct 05] Comet 306P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (0.773 AU)Comet 306P/LINEARClosest Approach To Earth Oct 14 - Comet 233P/La Sagra Closest Approach To Earth (1.659 AU)Comet 233P/La SagraClosest Approach To Earth Oct 14 - Comet 303P/NEAT Perihelion (2.488 AU)Comet 303P/NEATPerihelion Oct 14 - Comet 94P/Russell At Opposition (3.306 AU)Comet 94P/RussellAt Opposition Oct 14 - Comet C/2013 V2 (Borisov) Perihelion (3.508 AU)Comet C/2013 V2 (Borisov)Perihelion Oct 14 - Kuiper Belt Object (2005 UQ513) At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object (2005 UQ513)At Opposition Oct 15 - Asteroid 2014 SL260 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)Asteroid 2014 SL260 Oct Hosted Payload Summit, Washington DC2014 Hosted Payload Summit Oct 15 - Tom Bopp's 65th Birthday (1949)Tom Bopp's Oct th Anniversary (1929), Beardsley Meteorite Shower in KansasBeardsley Meteorite Shower in Kansas Oct 15 - Asaph Hall's 185th Birthday (1829)Asaph Hall's Oct 16 - [Oct 08] IRNSS-1C PSLV-XL LaunchIRNSS-1CPSLV-XL Launch Oct 16 - Intelsat 30/ ARSAT 1 Ariane 5 LaunchIntelsat 30ARSAT 1 Oct 16 - Comet P/2013 N3 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.568 AU)Comet P/2013 N3 (PANSTARRS)Closest Approach To Earth Oct 16 - Comet P/2005 RV25 (LONEOS-Christensen) At Opposition (2.843 AU)Comet P/2005 RV25 (LONEOS-Christensen)At Opposition Oct 16 - Asteroid (28289) 1999 CT50 Occults HIP (6.0 Magnitude Star)Asteroid (28289) 1999 CT50 Occults HIP Oct 16 - Asteroid 55 Pandora Closest Approach To Earth (1.376 AU)Asteroid 55 Pandora Oct 17 - Mercury Passes 2.7 Degrees From VenusMercuryVenus Oct 17 - Comet 32P/Comas Sola Perihelion (2.001 AU)Comet 32P/Comas SolaPerihelion Oct 17 - Comet P/2013 P1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.279 AU)Comet P/2013 P1 (PANSTARRS)At Opposition Oct 17 - Asteroid 2014 SN260 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)Asteroid 2014 SN260 Oct 17 - Asteroid 4581 Asciepius Closest Approach To Earth (0.273 AU)Asteroid 4581 AsciepiusClosest Approach To Earth Oct 17 - Asteroid 2011 MD Closest Approach To Earth (1.506 AU)Asteroid 2011 MDClosest Approach To Earth Oct 17 - Dwarf Planet Eris At Opposition ( AU)Dwarf Planet ErisAt Opposition Oct 18 - [Oct 11] Dragon CRS-4 Return To Earth (International Space Station)Dragon CRS-4 Return To Earth Oct 18 - [Oct 11] Ames Research Center Open House, Moffett Field, CaliforniaAmes Research Center Open House Oct 18 - Comet 108P/Ciffreo Perihelion (1.709 AU)Comet 108P/CiffreoPerihelion Oct 18 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults TYC (12.0 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 3 Juno Occults TYC Oct 18 - Asteroid 2014 TV Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)Asteroid 2014 TVNear-Earth Flyby Oct 18 - Asteroid 2014 SU1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU)Asteroid 2014 SU1Near-Earth Flyby Oct 18 - Asteroid 1850 Kohoutek Closest Approach To Earth (1.413 AU)Asteroid 1850 Kohoutek Oct 18 - Asteroid 2315 Czechoslovakia Closest Approach To Earth (1.712 AU)Asteroid 2315 Czechoslovakia Oct 18 - Asteroid 7307 Takei Closest Approach To Earth (1.920 AU)Asteroid 7307 Takei Oct 18 - Asteroid 5441 Andymurray Closest Approach To Earth (2.181 AU)Asteroid 5441 Andymurray Oct th Anniversary (1989), STS-34 Launch (Space Shuttle Atlantis, Galileo Launch - Jupiter Orbiter)STS-34 LaunchGalileo Launch NASA Galileo spacecraft which consisted of an orbiter and entry probe, studied Jupiter and its moons. Named after Galileo Galilei

Food for Thought What Part of the Milky Way Can We See?

Space Image of the Week Image Credit: C. R. O'Dell, (Vanderbilt) et al. ESA, NOAO, NASA The Helix Nebula from Blanco and Hubble