Space News Update - Aug 10, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Curiosity prepped for software load, snaps color panorama Story 2: Story 2: Morpheus Lander Crashes, Burns at Kennedy Space Center Story 3: Story 3: Plenty of Dark Matter Near the Sun Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Curiosity prepped for software load, snaps color panorama >

Morpheus Lander Crashes, Burns at Kennedy Space Center

Plenty of Dark Matter Near the Sun

The Night Sky Friday, August 10 · Night owls! The waning Moon forms a tight triangle with Jupiter and fainter Aldebaran after they rise about 1 or 2 a.m. Saturday morning, as shown at right. Bright Venus rises far to their lower left around 3 a.m. (depending on your location). Saturday, August 11 · The Perseid meteor showershould be at its best late tonight. Find a dark spot with a wide-open view of the sky overhead, bundle up against the late-night chill, lie back in a lounge chair, watch the sky, and be patient. After 11 or midnight you may see a meteor a minute on average; fewer earlier. The thick waning crescent Moon rises by 1 or 2 a.m. (with Jupiter above it). But its modest light, notes the International Meteor Organization, "should be considered more of a nuisance than a deterrent." You're also likely to see occasional Perseids for many nights before and after. See our article Perseids at Their Prime.

The Night Sky Sunday, August 12 · Venus hangs below the waning crescent Moon before and during dawn Monday morning, as shown above and below. Monday, August 13 · Mars is finally passing between Saturn and Spica low in the west- southwestern twilight this evening and tomorrow evening. · Daytime occultation of Venus. This afternoon, telescope users across most of North America can watch the edge of the thin waning crescent Moon cover half-lit Venus in a blue sky. The event happens low for Easterners; the farther west you are, the higher the Moon and Venus will be in your sky. Finding them is the trick. See the August Sky & Telescope, page 51, for full details.

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) ISSFri Aug 10/09:09 PM32929 above NW11 above NNE ISSFri Aug 10/10:46 PM11111 above NNW10 above N ISSSat Aug 11/09:53 PM21313 above NNW10 above NNE ISSSat Aug 11/11:30 PM< above N ISSSun Aug 12/09:00 PM21818 above NNW10 above NNE ISSSun Aug 12/10:37 PM< above N ISSMon Aug 13/09:43 PM11110 above NNW10 above N

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website August 10, Friday 4 p.m. - Replay of Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Briefing - Sol 5 Update - HQ (All Channels) 8 p.m. - Replay of Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Briefing - Sol 5 Update - HQ (All Channels) 10 p.m. - Replay of Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Briefing - Sol 5 Update - HQ (All Channels)

Space Calendar Aug 10 - Asteroid 8299 Tealeoni Closest Approach To Earth (1.075 AU) Aug 10 - Asteroid 4758 Hermitage Closest Approach To Earth (1.707 AU) Aug th Anniversary (1992), TOPEX/Poseidon Launch Aug th Anniversary (1992), Kitsat A Launch (1st South Korean Satellite) Aug th Anniversary (1972), Daylight Fireball (Utah, Canada) Aug 11 - Moon Occults Jupiter Aug 11 - Asteroid Arthurdent Closest Approach To Earth (1.926 AU) Aug 11 - Asteroid Kronk Closest Approach To Earth (1.957 AU) Aug 11 - Asteroid 2127 Tanya Closest Approach To Earth (2.110 AU) Aug th Anniversary (1962), Vostok 3 Launch Aug th Anniversary (1877), Asaph Hall's Discovery of Mars Moon Deimos Aug 12 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Telesto Aug 12 - Perseids Meteor Shower Peak Aug 12 - Moon Occults Asteroid 21 Lutetia Aug 12 - Asteroid 1757 Porvoo Occults HIP (4.5 Magnitude Star) Aug 12 - Asteroid Illapa Near-Earth Flyby (0.095 AU) Aug 12 - Asteroid 1539 Borrelly Closest Approach To Earth (1.921 AU) Aug th Anniversary (1977), HEAO 1 Launch Aug th Anniversary (1962), Vostok 4 Launch Aug 13 - Moon Occults Venus Aug 13 - Comet 185P/Petriew Perihelion (0.932 AU) Aug 13 - Asteroid LONEOS Closest Approach To Earth (1.838 AU) Aug 13 - Asteroid 4037 Ikeya Closest Approach To Earth (2.018 AU) Aug 13 - Asteroid 3106 Morabito Closest Approach To Earth (2.059 AU) Aug th Anniversary (1642), Christiaan Huygens' Discovery of Mars' South Polar Cap JPL Space Calendar This represents the view from mid-northern latitudes at about 2:00 a.m. local time around August 12 and 13

Food for Thought Schweickart: Private Asteroid Mission is for the Benefit of Humanity

Space Video of the Week Video Credit: Universe Today