Space News Update - October 1, In the News Story 1: Story 1: NASA at 55 Years Old Story 2: Story 2: Dawn Reality-Checks Telescope Studies of Asteroids Story 3: Story 3: NASA Space Telescopes Find Patchy Clouds on Exotic World Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NASA’s 55 th Anniversary

Dawn Reality-Checks Telescope Studies of Asteroids

NASA Space Telescopes Find Patchy Clouds on Exotic World

The Night Sky Monday, September 30 In the eastern dawn Tuesday morning, look for the thin waning crescent Moon forming a triangle with Mars and Regulus, as shown at right. Best view: at least an hour before your local sunrise. Tuesday, October 1 Now that October is here, the little fall constellation Aries is visible in the east-northeast after dark and all through the evening. Its two or three brightest stars are lined up roughly horizontally, well below the stars of Andromeda. Wednesday, October 2 Have you ever seen the "false dawn," the morning zodiacal light? This is sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust orbiting in the plane of the solar system. The next two weeks offer a fine opportunity for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers. See the September Sky & Telescope, page 54. Thursday, October 3 Jupiter is up in the east by midnight or 1 a.m. and climbs higher until dawn Friday morning. Tonight it's just 0.1° from Delta Geminorum, magnitude 3.5 (you may need binoculars). Delta Gem is more than a magnitude brighter than Ganymede, Jupiter's brightest satellite much closer in. Friday, October 4 Even as the stars begin to come out in twilight, Cassiopeia is already higher now in the northeast than the sinking Big Dipper is in the northwest. And Cassiopeia's broad W pattern is almost standing on end. New Moon (exact at 8:35 p.m. EDT).

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: VISIBLE (MIN) MAX HEIGHT (DEG) APPEARS (DEG) DISAPPEARS (DEG) Mon Sep 30, 4:58 AM2 min25°24 above N20 above ENE Mon Sep 30, 6:32 AM3 min38°10 above WNW38 above WSW Tue Oct 1, 5:44 AM5 min79°23 above WNW11 above SE Wed Oct 2, 4:58 AM2 min42°42 above E10 above ESE Wed Oct 2, 6:32 AM4 min14°10 above W10 above SSW Thu Oct 3, 5:46 AM3 min25°25 above SW10 above S Fri Oct 4, 5:01 AM< 1 min13°13 above SSE10 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) October 1, Tuesday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop -- Grand Challenge Panel - Crowd Sourcing & Citizen Science - HQ/LPI (Public and Education Channels) 9:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Event with KSTP-TV, Minneapolis - JSC/HQ (Media Channel) 11 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (Media Channel) 2: p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop -- Asteroid Capture Systems - HQ/LPI (All Channels) October 2, Wednesday 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop - Plenary Session - HQ/LPI (Public and Media Channels) 11 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (Media Channel) October 3, Thursday 10:40 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Event for ESA - JSC (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar  Sep 30 - [Sep 30] Astra 2E Proton M-Briz M LaunchAstra 2EProton M-Briz M Launch  Sep 30 - Comet 32P/Comas Sola At Opposition (2.628 AU)Comet 32P/Comas SolaAt Opposition  Sep 30 - Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak At Opposition (3.785 AU)Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-KresakAt Opposition  Sep 30 - Asteroid 2002 NV16 Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)Asteroid 2002 NV16Near-Earth Flyby  Sep 30 - Asteroid 1981 Midas Closest Approach To Earth (0.286 AU)Asteroid 1981 MidasClosest Approach To Earth  Sep 30 - Asteroid Grammier Closest Approach To Earth (1.865 AU)Asteroid Grammier  Oct 01 - [Sep 24] Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Near-Mars Flyby (0.07 AU)Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)Near-Mars Flyby  Oct 01 - Comet P/2010 H2 (Vales) At Opposition (3.604 AU)Comet P/2010 H2 (Vales)At Opposition  Oct 01 - Asteroid 2008 SZ150 Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)Asteroid 2008 SZ150Near-Earth Flyby  Oct 01 - Asteroid 5392 Parker Closest Approach To Earth (2.059 AU)Asteroid 5392 Parker  Oct 01 - NASA's 55th Birthday (1958)NASA's  Oct 02 - Asteroid (2002 OA22) Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)Asteroid (2002 OA22)Near-Earth Flyby  Oct 02 - Asteroid 7645 Pons Closest Approach To Earth (1.361 AU)Asteroid 7645 Pons  Oct 02 - Asteroid Greensleeves Closest Approach To Earth (1.387 AU)Asteroid Greensleeves  Oct Enchanted Skies Star Party, Socorro, New MexicoEnchanted Skies Star Party  Oct 03 - Uranus At OppositionUranusAt Opposition  Oct 03 - Asteroid 2013 RU9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU)Asteroid 2013 RU9Near-Earth Flyby  Oct 03 - Asteroid 149 Medusa Closest Approach To Earth (1.065 AU)Asteroid 149 Medusa  Oct 03 - Asteroid 1816 Liberia Closest Approach To Earth (1.600 AU)Asteroid 1816 Liberia  Oct Prairie Skies Star Party, Bourbonnais, IllinoisPrairie Skies Star Party  Oct South Jersey Astrononmy Club (SJAC) Fall Star Party, Woodbine, New JerseySouth Jersey Astrononmy Club (SJAC) Fall Star Party  Oct 04 - Asteroid 9766 Bradbury Closest Approach To Earth (1.484 AU)Asteroid 9766 Bradbury  Oct 04 - Asteroid 4559 Strauss Closest Approach To Earth (1.747 AU)Asteroid 4559 Strauss

Food for Thought NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Finds Ingredient of Household Plastic in Space

Space Image of the Week The Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft: Image Credit: NASA Soyuz Spacecraft Approaches International Space Station