1. Space News Update - May 31, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1:
BEAM Fully Expanded and Pressurized
Story 2:
Rosetta’s Comet Contains Ingredients for Life
Story 3: New 'Einstein ring' is discovered
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. BEAM Fully Expanded and Pressurized
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. Rosetta’s Comet Contains Ingredients for Life

4. New 'Einstein ring' is discovered

5. The Night Sky Tuesday, May 31
• As darkness arrives these evenings, look south about halfway between Jupiter and Mars. One star there stands out: Spica, in Virgo. High above it shines brighter Arcturus in Bootes. Half as far to Spica's lower right is the constellation Corvus, the Crow, eyeing Spica to steal it from Virgo's hand as she looks the other way.
Wednesday, June 1
• Is your sky dark enough for you to see the Coma Berenices star cluster naked-eye? As soon as twilight is completely over, look above Jupiter by about 25°, about two and a half fists at arm's length. The cluster is dim but big, at least 5° wide, the size of a golf ball at arm's length. Its brightest stars, near its middle, form a sort of inverted Y shape. Binoculars bring its stars right out.
Thursday, June 2
• Now it's Saturn's turn at opposition. It's the second-brightest point in the area of Mars, 16° to Mars's lower left.
Friday, June 3
• For much of the spring at mid-northern latitudes, the Milky Way lies right down out of sight all around the horizon. But watch the east now. The rich Cepheus-Cygnus-Aquila stretch of the Milky Way starts rising up all across the east late these nights, earlier and higher every week.
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue May 31, 1:35 AM
3 min
18°
10° above NNW
18° above NNE
Tue May 31, 9:30 PM
2 min
21°
21° above N
10° above NNE
Tue May 31, 11:08 PM
< 1 min
10°
10° above N
Wed Jun 1, 00:45 AM
1 min
14°
14° above NNE
12° above NE
Wed Jun 1, 10:14 PM
11°
11° above N
Wed Jun 1, 11:52 PM
11° above NNE
Thu Jun 2, 1:26 AM
10° above NW
14° above NNW
Thu Jun 2, 9:22 PM
14° above N
Thu Jun 2, 10:59 PM
Fri Jun 3, 00:35 AM
19°
18° above N
19° above N
Fri Jun 3, 10:05 PM
Fri Jun 3, 11:43 PM
15°
15° above N
13° 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)
4 p.m., Tuesday, May 31 - Replay of the ISS Expedition Crew News Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (Ivanishin, Rubins, Onishi) (all channels)
4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 31 - Video File of the ISS Expedition Crew’s Ceremonial Visit to the Gagarin Museum at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and their Visit to Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow (Ivanishin, Rubins, Onishi) (starts at 4:45 p.m.) (all channels)
8:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 1 - Video B-Roll Feed of Training with ISS Expedition Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA (all channels)
9 a.m., Wednesday, June 1 - Live Interviews with ISS Expedition Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA from Moscow, Russia (all channels)
12:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 1 - ISS Expedition 47 In-Flight Interview for Facebook Live with Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with Commander Tim Kopra and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (starts at 12:55 p.m.) (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
May 31 - [May 24] Pluto & Planetary Discovery Stamps Released
May 31 - Juno, Trajectory Correction Maneuver
May 31 - Comet C/2014 Y1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (1.727 AU)
May 31 - Comet 216P/LINEAR Perihelion (2.150 AU)
May 31 - Comet 136P/Mueller Perihelion (2.979 AU)
May 31 - Comet P/2008 O2 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (3.605 AU)
May 31 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 JG17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.041 AU)
May 31 - Amor Asteroid 2016 HQ19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)
May 31 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 YU1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.072 AU)
May 31 - Apollo Asteroid Illapa Closest Approach To Earth (1.017 AU)
May 31 - Asteroid Bean Closest Approach To Earth (1.172 AU)
May 31 - Asteroid Yokoono Closest Approach To Earth (1.364 AU)
May 31 - Asteroid 7225 Huntress Closest Approach To Earth (1.605 AU)
May 31 - Kuiper Belt Object (2007 JJ43) At Opposition ( AU)
Jun 01 - Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel) At Opposition (2.260 AU)
Jun 01 - Comet P/2012 T1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.626 AU)
Jun 01 - Asteroid Petergabriel Closest Approach To Earth (1.226 AU)
Jun 01 - Asteroid 8423 Macao Closest Approach To Earth (2.640 AU)
Jun th Anniversary (2011), Final Landing of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134)
Jun 01 - Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot's 220th Birthday (1796)
Jun th Anniversary (1966), Surveyor 1, Moon Landing
Jun 02 - Comet C/2014 OE4 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (5.755 AU)
Jun 02 - Amor Asteroid 2016 HR6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)
Jun 02 - Asteroid MANIAC Closest Approach To Earth (0.943 AU)
Jun 02 - Asteroid 656 Beagle Closest Approach To Earth (2.158 AU)
Jun 02 - Lecture: Mars Science Laboratory Mission Update, Houston, Texas
Jun  Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, Broomfield, Colorado
Jun 03 - Moon Occults Mercury
Jun 03 - Saturn At Opposition
Jun 03 - Comet P/1999 J6 (SOHO) Closest Approach To Earth (2.744 AU)
Jun th Anniversary (1966), Gemini 9 Launch (Thomas Stafford & Eugene Cernan)
Jun 03 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 JK34 Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Jun 03 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 KD Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid 7644 Cslewis Closest Approach To Earth (1.661 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid Boslough Closest Approach To Earth (1.808 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid 293 Brasilia Closest Approach To Earth (1.916 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid Lovas Closest Approach To Earth (1.921 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid 1604 Tombaugh Closest Approach To Earth (2.038 AU)
Jun 03 - Asteroid 624 Hektor (Jupiter Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (4.290 AU)
Jun 03 - James Hutton's 290th Birthday (1726)
JPL Space Calendar

10. Are Mystery Mars Plumes Caused by Space Weather?
Food for Thought
Are Mystery Mars Plumes Caused by Space Weather?

11. Cat's Eye Wide and Deep Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Smith
Space Image of the Week
Cat's Eye Wide and Deep  Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Smith