1. Space News Update - December 20, 2016 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
Mars Rover’s Drill Out of Action
Story 2:
Saturn’s Bulging Core Implies Moons Younger than Thought
Story 3: SpaceX Sets Dec. 16 for First Flight since Launch Pad Explosion
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Mars Rover’s Drill Out of Action
In this computer graphic, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, moving toward upper left, nears the edge of the sun's influence, flying through a region of space dominated by a "magnetic highway" that helps mediate the flow of particles into and out of the solar system. The region includes particles from the sun's southern hemisphere that have been forced northward by the pressure of the interstellar wind. Voyager 1 is expected to cross the boundary into interstellar space sometime within the next few years if not sooner. (Credit: NASA)

3. Saturn’s Bulging Core Implies Moons Younger than Thought

4. NASA’s Experimental Hurricane Monitoring Fleet Launched by Pegasus Rocket

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, December 20
Last-quarter Moon (exact at 8:56 p.m. EST). The Moon rises around midnight. Once it's well up you'll see that it's in Virgo under the tail of Leo. Jupiter rises below the Moon about an hour and a half later. By dawn Wednesday morning, they're high in the south.
You are remembered, Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996).
Wednesday, December 21
Shortest day of the year. We reach the solstice at 5:44 a.m. EST (10:44 UT). This is when the Sun is at its southernmost declination in Earth's sky for the year and begins its six-month return northward. Winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere, summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Algol should be at its minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for about two hours centered on 7:35 p.m. EST. Algol takes several more hours to fade and to rebrighten.
Step out at the beginning of dawn Thursday morning the 22nd, and high in the south you'll find Jupiter, fainter Spica, and the waning crescent Moon in a line, as shown here. Bundle up and bring the telescope!
Thursday, December 22
This is the time of year when Orion shines in the east-southeast after dinnertime. He's well up now, but his three-star Belt is still nearly vertical. The Belt points up toward Aldebaran and, even higher, the Pleiades. In the other direction, it points down to where bright Sirius is about to rise and twinkle furiously.
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue Dec 20, 5:03 PM
6 min
83°
10° above NW
11° above SE
Wed Dec 21, 5:51 PM
1 min
14°
14° above SSW
11° above SSW
Wed Dec 28, 6:51 AM
37°
11° above ENE
Thu Dec 29, 5:59 AM
2 min
18°
10° above S
18° above SSE
Fri Dec 30, 6:43 AM
80°
10° above SW
10° above NE
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone)
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
Thursday, December 22
11 a.m. - ISS Expedition 50 In-Flight Event with Radio Iowa and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Dec 20 - Star One D1/ JCSat 15 Ariane 5 Launch
Dec 20 - ERG Epsilon Launch
Dec 20 - Asteroid 2014 Lancelot Occults HIP 664 (6.2 Magnitude Star)
Dec 20 - Aten Asteroid 2016 GK135 Near-Earth Flyby (0.093 AU)
Dec 20 - Asteroid 3533 Toyota Closest Approach To Earth (0.991 AU)
Dec 20 - Asteroid 1278 Kenya Closest Approach To Earth (1.674 AU)
Dec 21 - Winter Solstice, 10:44 UT
Dec 21 - Comet 125P/Spacewatch At Opposition (3.224 AU)
Dec 21 - Comet P/2015 T3 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.419 AU)
Dec 21 - Aten Asteroid 2015 YQ1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.016 AU)
Dec 21 - Apollo Asteroid 2010 XN Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU)
Dec 21 - Apollo Asteroid 2006 XD2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)
Dec 21 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 XM18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.053 AU)
Dec 21 - Apollo Asteroid (2008 WM64) Near-Earth Flyby (0.072 AU)
Dec 21 - Asteroid Zsazsa Closest Approach To Earth (1.622 AU)
Dec 21 - Asteroid Mohr-Gruber Closest Approach To Earth (2.139 AU)
Dec 21 - Kuiper Belt Object (2002 XW93) At Opposition ( AU)
Dec 22 - Echostar 21 Proton-M/Briz-M P4 Launch
Dec 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower Peak
Dec 22 - Comet 320P/McNaught At Opposition (3.287 AU)
Dec 22 - Comet C/2016 A6 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.144 AU)
Dec 22 - Asteroid Tweedledum Closest Approach To Earth (0.835 AU)
Dec 22 - Aten Asteroid 2340 Hathor Closest Approach To Earth (1.437 AU)
Dec 22 - Asteroid 3130 Hillary Closest Approach To Earth (1.495 AU)
Dec 22 - Asteroid APL Closest Approach To Earth (2.092 AU)
Dec 22 - Asteroid 742 Edisona Closest Approach To Earth (2.093 AU)
Dec 23 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #468 (OTM-468)
JPL Space Calendar

9. How on Earth Does NASA Choose a Landing Site on Mars?
Food for Thought
How on Earth Does NASA Choose a Landing Site on Mars?

10. The Cartwheel Galaxy from Hubble Image Credit: ESA, NASA, Hubble
Space Image of the Week
The Cartwheel Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA, NASA, Hubble