Space News Update - September 8, In the News Story 1: NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Begins Intensive Data Downlink Phase Story 2: Caltech astronomers detect the farthest galaxy yet with Keck telescope Story 3: Story 3: NASA Soil Moisture Radar Ends Operations, Mission Science Continues Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Begins Intensive Data Downlink Phase

Caltech astronomers detect the farthest galaxy yet with Keck telescope

NASA Soil Moisture Radar Ends Operations, Mission Science Continues

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, September 8 In the dawn of Wednesday the 9th, look for Venus and Mars below the waning crescent Moon in the east, as shown at right. And if you're out early enough before sunrise for the stars to still be visible, you get a winter preview! The 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 occupies the high east. Wednesday, September 9 An hour before sunrise Thursday, look low in the east for the crescent Moon between bright Venus and faint Mars (in the time zones of the Americas). Thursday, September 10 Got light pollution? Cygnus overhead offers many sights for small telescopes regardless. See Ken Hewitt- White's "Cygnus in the City" in the September Sky & Telescope, page 58, with chart and photos.Sky & Telescope Friday, September 11 How soon after sunset can you identify the big Summer Triangle? Vega, its brightest star, is nearly straight overhead (for skywatchers at mid- northern latitudes). Deneb is the first bright star to Vega's east-northeast.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver : DateVisibleDateAppearsDisappears Wed Sep 9, 4:46 AM2 min14°13 above SSE11 above ESE Thu Sep 10, 5:28 AM3 min72°23 above SW35 above ENE Fri Sep 11, 4:37 AM1 min32°32 above ESE19 above E Fri Sep 11, 6:11 AM5 min27°11 above W10 above NNE Sat Sep 12, 5:19 AM3 min47°37 above WNW17 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA Tuesday, September 8  10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 45/Visiting Crew Joint Crew News Conference (starts at 10:10 a.m.) (all channels) Wednesday, September 9  8:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 44 In-Flight Interview with WNYW-TV, New York “Good Day, New York” Program and NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) (Starts at 8:35 a.m.) (all channels) Friday, September 11  1:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 44/Visiting Crew Farewells and Hatch Closure Coverage (hatch closure scheduled at 2 p.m. ET) (starts at 1:45 p.m.) (all channels)  5 p.m. - ISS Expedition 44/Soyuz TMA-16M Undocking Coverage (undocking scheduled at 5:27 p.m. ET) (all channels)  7:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 44/Soyuz TMA-16M Deorbit Burn and Landing Coverage (Deorbit burn scheduled at 7:58 p.m. ET; landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan scheduled at 8:51 p.m. ET) (all channels)  10 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 44/Soyuz TMA-16M Landing and Post-Landing Activities (all channels)

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar  Sep 08 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 RC Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU)  Sep 08 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #420 (OTM-420)Cassini  Sep 08 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of DioneCassini  Sep 08 - Comet C/2015 J2 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (4.321 AU)Comet C/2015 J2 (PANSTARRS)  Sep th Anniversary (2000), STS-106 Launch (Space Shuttle Atlantis, ISS)STS-106 Launch  Sep 08 - Marshall Space Flight Center's 55th Birthday (1960)Marshall Space Flight Center's  Sep 08 - Thomas Keith Glennan's 110th Birthday (1905)Thomas Keith Glennan's  Sep 09 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of HeleneCassini  Sep 09 - Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel) Closest Approach To Earth (1.072 AU)Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel)  Sep 09 - Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel) At Opposition (1.072 AU)Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel)  Sep 09 - Comet 128P-A/Shoemaker-Holt Closest Approach To Earth (2.955 AU)Comet 128P-A/Shoemaker-Holt  Sep 09 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt Closest Approach To Earth (2.955 AU)Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt  Sep 09 - Comet C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.968 AU)Comet C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS)  Sep 09 - Comet 174P/Echeclus Closest Approach To Earth (4.849 AU)Comet 174P/Echeclus  Sep 09 - Comet 95P/Chiron Closest Approach To Earth ( AU)Comet 95P/Chiron  Sep 09 - Atira Asteroid (2005 TG45) Closest Approach To Earth (1.100 AU)Atira Asteroid (2005 TG45)  Sep 09 - Asteroid 4433 Goldstone Closest Approach To Earth (1.131 AU)Asteroid 4433 Goldstone  Sep 09 - Asteroid 697 Galilea Closest Approach To Earth (1.439 AU)Asteroid 697 Galilea  Sep 09 - Asteroid 7853 Confucius Closest Approach To Earth (2.773 AU)Asteroid 7853 Confucius  Sep th Anniversary (1975), Viking 2 Launch (Mars Orbiter/Lander)Viking 2  Sep 10 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of TitanCassini

Food for Thought Some Apollo Moon Samples 'Crumbling to Dust' New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale

Space Image of the Week Milky Way with Airglow Australis Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory)