Space News Update - March 25, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Ever-Changing Venus Superstorm Sparks Interest Story 2: Story 2: Ongoing Science as Crew Counts Down to Dragon Departure, New Trio Story 3: Story 3: Powerful Private Rocket Crucial to ISS Set for Maiden April Blast Off from Virginia Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Ever-Changing Venus Superstorm Sparks Interest >

Ongoing Science as Crew Counts Down to Dragon Departure, New Trio

Powerful Private Rocket Crucial to ISS Set for Maiden April Blast Off from Virginia

The Night Sky Monday, March 25 · Look northwest right after dark for W-shaped Cassiopeia standing on end. The brightest part of the W is on the bottom. Tuesday, March 26 · Full Moon tonight (exact at 5:27 a.m. Wednesday morning EDT). The Moon this evening is far below Leo and above Spica and Corvus. Wednesday, March 27 · With spring under way, Algol in Perseus is heading down in the northwest after dusk. Your last chance to catch Algol in one of its eclipses this season may be the one this evening or the one Saturday evening. Tonight Algol should be at minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 9:43 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Easterners will have a better shot on Saturday. Algol takes several additional hours to fade and to rebrighten. Thursday, March 28 · Once the Moon rises this evening, look upper right of it for Spica and lower left of it for Saturn, as shown at right. You'll find more details here.here. Friday, March 29 · The waning Moon rises in the east quite late this evening. Look above it for the planet Saturn. · This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper juts to the right from Polaris (the Little Dipper's handle-end) during evening hours. The much brighter Big Dipper curls over high above it, "dumping water" into it. Sky & Telescope

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 Mar 25/04:49 AM< above N10 above N ISSMon Mar 25/06:26 AM21110 above N10 above NNE ISSTue Mar 26/05:35 AM11010 above N10 above NNE ISSWed Mar 27/04:45 AM< above N ISSWed Mar 27/06:21 AM31510 above NNW14 above NE ISSThu Mar 28/05:31 AM31210 above NNW11 above NE ISSFri Mar 29/04:41 AM21110 above N10 above NNE ISSFri Mar 29/06:16 AM32510 above NNW24 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website March 26, Tuesday 4 a.m. - SpaceX/Dragon Unberthing from the ISS and Release Coverage (Release scheduled at 7:06 a.m. EDT; coverage concludes at approximately 7:30 a.m. EDT) - JSC (All Channels) 11:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency with Societe Radio-Canada (in native language) - JSC (Public and Media Channels) 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Rocket Mating and Rollout to the Launch Pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan Plus Launch Pad Interviews - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) 2 p.m. - CNN Espanol Interview with Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa - JSC (Media Channel) 3 p.m. - Interpreted Replay of the ISS Expedition 35 In-Flight Event with Societe Radio-Canada - JSC (Public and Media Channels) March 27, Wednesday 3 p.m. - Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 35/36 Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) March 28, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels) 3:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Launch Coverage (Launch scheduled at 4:43 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s pre-launch activities at 3:45 p.m. ET) - JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) 7 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Pre-Launch, Launch Video B-Roll and Post-Launch Interviews - JSC (All Channels) 9:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 10:32 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) 11:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Hatch Opening and Other Activities (Hatch Opening scheduled at 12:10 a.m. ET March 29) - JSC and Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) March 29, Friday 12:45 a.m. - Replay of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Post-Docking News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Subject to cancellation) – JSC via Baikonur, Kazakhstan (All Channels) 2 a.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 35/36 Soyuz TMA-08M Docking, Hatch Opening and Other Activities - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar Mar 25 - Comet P/2011 UA134 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.345 AU)Comet P/2011 UA134 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS)At Opposition Mar 25 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults 2UCAC (11.7 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults 2UCAC Mar 25 - Asteroid 1000 Piazzia Closest Approach To Earth (1.714 AU)Asteroid 1000 Piazzia Mar 26 - [Mar 23] Dragon CRS-2 Returns To EarthDragon CRS-2 Returns To Earth Mar 26 - SatMex 8 Proton M-Briz M LaunchSatMex 8Proton M-Briz M Launch Mar 26 - Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught) At Opposition (6.861 AU)Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught)At Opposition Mar 26 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FX7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU)Asteroid 2013 FX7Near-Earth Flyby Mar 26 - Asteroid 7032 Hitchcock Closest Approach To Earth (1.292 AU)Asteroid 7032 Hitchcock Mar 26 - Asteroid 7853 Confucius Closest Approach To Earth (1.337 AU)Asteroid 7853 Confucius Mar 26 - Asteroid 6268 Versailles Closest Approach To Earth (1.454 AU)Asteroid 6268 Versailles Mar 26 - Asteroid 6827 Wombat Closest Approach To Earth (1.687 AU)Asteroid 6827 Wombat Mar 26 - Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff Closest Approach To Earth (1.718 AU)Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff Mar 26 - Teleconference: Committee on Radio FrequenciesTeleconference: Committee on Radio Frequencies Mar nuSTORM Meeting, Geneva, SwitzerlandnuSTORM Meeting Mar st Solar Probe Plus Workshop, Pasadena, California1st Solar Probe Plus Workshop Mar 27 - [Mar 23] Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (6.861 AU)Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught)Closest Approach To Earth Mar 27 - [Mar 22] Asteroid 2013 FD8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)Asteroid 2013 FD8Near-Earth Flyby Mar 27 - Asteroid 8249 Gershwin Closest Approach To Earth (0.971 AU)Asteroid 8249 Gershwin Mar 27 - Asteroid Ilanramon Closest Approach To Earth (1.836 AU)Asteroid Ilanramon Mar 27 - Asteroid North Dakota Closest Approach To Earth (1.854 AU)Asteroid North Dakota Mar 27 - Asteroid 8722 Schirra Closest Approach To Earth (2.100 AU)Asteroid 8722 Schirra Mar 28 - [Mar 21] Soyuz TMA-08M Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 34S)Soyuz TMA-08MSoyuz FG Launch Mar 28 - Venus Passes 0.7 Degrees From UranusVenusUranus Mar 28 - Asteroid 9674 Slovenija Closest Approach To Earth (1.279 AU)Asteroid 9674 Slovenija Mar 28 - Asteroid 8146 Jimbell Closest Approach To Earth (1.676 AU)Asteroid 8146 Jimbell Mar th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (ICNPA 2013), Madrid, Spain34th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (ICNPA 2013) Mar 29 - Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini) At Opposition (2.908 AU)Comet P/2011 Y2 (Boattini)At Opposition Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EL89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.012 AU)Asteroid 2013 EL89Near-Earth Flyby Mar 29 - Asteroid 2013 EM89 Near-Earth Flyby (0.044 AU)Asteroid 2013 EM89Near-Earth Flyby Mar 29 - Asteroid 9258 Johnpauljones Closest Approach To Earth (1.351 AU)Asteroid 9258 Johnpauljones Mar th Anniversary (1998), Galileo, Europa 14 FlybyGalileo JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Database Is Shut Down by NASA for a Review

Space Image of the Week Image Credit: NASA