Space News Update - September 17, In the News Story 1: Story 1: China says aims to train astronauts from other countries Story 2: Story 2: Virginia's bet brings big launches to the mid-Atlantic Story 3: Story 3: A “Mini Jet” Juts from Saturn’s F Ring Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

China says aims to train astronauts from other countries

Virginia's bet brings big launches to the mid-Atlantic

A “Mini Jet” Juts from Saturn’s F Ring

The Night Sky Monday, September 16 Low in the western twilight, Saturn is now within 4° of brighter Venus. In a telescope at high power they'll be very blurry though the thick atmosphere, but you can certainly observe their wildly different surface brightnesses. Venus is 13 times closer to the Sun than Saturn is, so it's illuminated by sunlight that's about 169 times as bright! Tuesday, September 17 This is the time of year when, as the stars come out, bright Arcturus shines due west at the same height as the Big Dipper hangs in the northwest. Wednesday, September 18 Full Moon tonight and tomorrow night (exactly full at 7:13 a.m. Thursday morning EDT). The Moon is passing through dim Pisces, to the lower right of the Great Square of Pegasus both evenings.right Thursday, September 19 A winter preview: If you're up before dawn this week, the southern sky displays the same starry panorama as it will at dusk next February. Orion stands high in the south, Sirius and Canis Major sparkle to its lower left, and Gemini, with Jupiter, occupies the high east. Come February, Jupiter will still be there. Friday, September 20 As summer nears its end, orange Antares blinks its bleary seasonal farewell low in the southwest at nightfall. Look for it twinkling well to the left of Venus and Saturn and perhaps a bit higher. The farther north you are, the sooner Antares sinks out of sight.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: LOCAL DATE/TIMEVISIBLE (MIN) MAX HEIGHT (DEG) APPEARS (DEG) DISAPPEARS (DEG) Mon Sep 16, 5:02 AM2 min83°81 above E25 above NE Tue Sep 17, 4:15 AM< 1 min19°19 above ENE Tue Sep 17, 5:48 AM5 min24°15 above WNW10 above NNE Wed Sep 18, 5:01 AM3 min35°35 above NNW11 above NE Thu Sep 19, 4:15 AM< 1 min16°16 above NE13 above NE Thu Sep 19, 5:48 AM4 min15°10 above NW10 above NNE Fri Sep 20, 5:01 AM2 min19°19 above NNW11 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) September 17, Tuesday 2 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Demonstration Mission News Conference - WFF (All Channels) September 18, Wednesday 10 a.m. - Video B-Roll Feed of Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Processing and Demonstration Mission Animation - JSC (All Channels) 10:15 a.m. - Launch Coverage of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Demonstration Mission to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 10:50 a.m. EDT) - JSC/WFF (All Channels) 12:30 p.m. - Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Post-Launch News Conference - WFF (All Channels) September 19, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control On Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels) 3 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/38 Crew Activities and Soyuz TMA-10M Spacecraft Processing in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) September 20, Friday 3 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/38 Crew Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 16 - Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski) At Opposition (8.847 AU)Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski)At Opposition Sep 16 - Asteroid 89 Julia At Opposition (9.2 Magnitude)Asteroid 89 JuliaAt Opposition Sep 16 - Asteroid 2595 Gudiachvili Occults HIP (6.6 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 2595 Gudiachvili Occults HIP Sep 16 - Asteroid 2001 SQ263 Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU)Asteroid 2001 SQ263Near-Earth Flyby Sep 16 - Asteroid 8000 Isaac Newton Closest Approach To Earth (1.866 AU)Asteroid 8000 Isaac Newton Sep 17 - Comet P/2005 JN (Spacewatch) At Opposition (2.964 AU)Comet P/2005 JN (Spacewatch)At Opposition Sep 17 - Asteroid Winnecke Closest Approach To Earth (1.025 AU)Asteroid Winnecke Sep 18 - [Sep 15] Cygnus Orb-D1 Antares Launch (International Space Station)Cygnus Orb-D1Antares Launch Sep 18 - [Sep 14] Cassiope 1/ DANDE/ CUSAT 1 & 2/ POPACS 1, 2 & 3/ SNAPS Falcon 9 LaunchCassiope 1DANDECUSAT 1 & 2POPACS 1, 2 & 3SNAPSFalcon 9 Launch Sep 18 - [Sep 16] AEHF-3 Atlas 5 LaunchAEHF-3Atlas 5 Launch Sep 18 - Comet C/2012 S4 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.398 AU)Comet C/2012 S4 (PANSTARRS)At Opposition Sep 18 - Comet 216P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.245 AU)Comet 216P/LINEARAt Opposition Sep 18 - [Sep 16] Asteroid 2013 RZ53 Near-Earth Flyby (0.002 AU)Asteroid 2013 RZ53Near-Earth Flyby Sep 18 - Asteroid Higgs Closest Approach To Earth (1.690 AU)Asteroid Higgs Sep 19 - Asteroid Nagano Closest Approach To Earth (1.447 AU)Asteroid Nagano Sep th Anniversary (1848), William Bonds's & George Bond's Disovery of Saturn Moon HyperionWilliam Bonds'sGeorge Bond'sHyperion Sep 20 - Venus Passes 3.7 Degrees From SaturnVenusSaturn Sep 20 - Comet C/2012 V2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (2.078 AU)Comet C/2012 V2 (LINEAR)Closest Approach To Earth Sep 20 - Comet 252P/LINEAR At Opposition (4.088 AU)Comet 252P/LINEARAt Opposition Sep 20 - [Sep 15] Asteroid 2013 RN43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.094 AU)Asteroid 2013 RN43Near-Earth Flyby Sep 20 - Asteroid DNA Closest Approach To Earth (1.340 AU)Asteroid DNA Sep 20 - Asteroid 6135 Billowen Closest Approach To Earth (1.731 AU)Asteroid 6135 Billowen Sep 20 - Asteroid Poe Closest Approach To Earth (2.350 AU)Asteroid Poe

Food for Thought NASA Invites Social Media Fans to Earth Science Event

Space Image of the Week M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing: Judy Schmidt