1. Space News Update - July 18, 2017 - In the News Departments Story 1:
Curiosity Mars Rover Begins Study of Ridge Destination
Story 2:
Eight Planetary Systems Found Hosting 20 Super-Earth & Neptune-Mass Companions
Story 3: Ancient, Massive Asteroid Impact Could Explain Martian Geological Mysteries
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
NASA-TV Highlights
Space Calendar
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Curiosity Mars Rover Begins Study of Ridge Destination
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. Eight Planetary Systems Found Hosting 20 Super-Earth & Neptune-Mass Companions

4. Ancient, Massive Asteroid Impact Could Explain Martian Geological Mysteries

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, July 18
The first "star" you're likely to see coming out after sunset this month is bright Jupiter, in the southwest. Once you find it, examine the sky 30° above it (three fists at arm's length) for Arcturus, two magnitudes fainter.
Once the night is completely dark, look for the kite-shaped pattern of Bootes extending upper right from Arcturus. It's two fists long.
Wednesday, July 19
Early in Thursday's dawn, and even a bit earlier, Venus and the waning crescent moon shine together in the east, as shown here. Upper right of them is Aldebaran, and above Aldebaran are the Pleiades. Left of the Moon and Venus is 2nd-magnitude El Nath, Beta Tauri.
Thursday, July 20
With the advance of summer, the Sagittarius Teapot, in the south after dark now, is starting to tilt and pour from its spout to the right. The Teapot will tilt farther and farther for the rest of the summer — or for much of the night, if you stay out very late.
Friday, July 21
Starry Scorpius is sometimes called "the Orion of Summer" for its brightness and its prominent red supergiant (Antares in the case of Scorpius, Betelgeuse for Orion). But Scorpius is a lot lower in the south than Orion for those of us at mid-northern latitudes. That means Scorpius has only one really good evening month: July. Catch Scorpius due south just after dark now, before it starts to tilt lower toward the southwest. It's full of deep-sky objects for binoculars or a telescope — if you have a detailed star atlas to find them with.
Set your alarm to catch the crescent Moon with Venus early in the dawn of Thursday the 20th.

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Wed Jul 19, 1:54 AM
< 1 min
13°
13° above NNW
13° above N
Wed Jul 19, 3:31 AM
10°
10° above N
Wed Jul 19, 5:06 AM
2 min
24°
11° above NNW
24° above NNE
Thu Jul 20, 1:03 AM
12°
12° above NNE
10° above NNE
Thu Jul 20, 2:38 AM
Thu Jul 20, 4:14 AM
16°
10° above NNW
16° above N
Fri Jul 21, 1:45 AM
Fri Jul 21, 3:22 AM
1 min
Fri Jul 21, 4:58 AM
6 min
48°
10° above NW
11° above ESE
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)
Tuesday, July 18
12:15 p.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference Luncheon Keynote: Senator Peters (NTV-1 (Public))
4:30 p.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference ISS Exploration Technologies (NTV-1 (Public))
Wednesday, July 19
TBD, - ISS Expedition 52 In-Flight Interview with WFXT-TV, Boston (Fox 25 Boston) and the Weather Channel with NASA Flight Engineer Jack Fischer (all channels)
8:30 a.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference Morning Keynote: Robert Lightfoot, NASA Acting Administrator (NTV-1 (Public))
10:30 a.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference Keynote: Robert T. Bigelow, Founder and President, Bigelow Aerospace (NTV-1 (Public))
11:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 52 In-Flight Media Interviews with the Weather Channel and NASA Flight Engineer Jack Fischer (starts at 11:40 a.m.) (all channels)
12:30 p.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference An Innovation Discussion with Elon Musk (NTV-1 (Public))
Thursday, July 20
9:30 a.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference Commercial Space – It Is More Than Just Transportation (NTV-1 (Public))
11:15 a.m. - ISS Research & Development Conference STEM on Station: How the ISS National Lab is Influencing Students and Educators in STEM Education (NTV-1 (Public))
Tue May 30, 9:16 PM
1 min
14°
14° above N
10° above NNE
Tue May 30, 10:53 PM
< 1 min
10°
10° above N
Wed May 31, 00:30 AM
18°
18° above N
Wed May 31, 10:01 PM
Wed May 31, 11:38 PM
2 min
15°
14° above NE
Thu Jun 1, 9:09 PM
11°
11° above N
Thu Jun 1, 10:45 PM
12°
12° above N
10° above NE
Fri Jun 2, 00:20 AM
17°
10° above NW
17° above NNW
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Jul th Anniversary (1967), Denver Meteorite Fall (Hit Warehouse in Colorado)
Jul 18 - Comet 213P/Van Ness Closest Approach To Earth (1.052 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 213P-B/Van Ness 3 Closest Approach To Earth (1.055 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-I/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.705 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-B/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.706 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-D/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.706 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-H/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.707 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-A/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.708 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-E/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.709 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P-C/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.711 AU)
Jul 18 - Comet 332P/Ikeya-Murakami At Opposition (2.717 AU)
Jul 18 - Apollo Asteroid 2017 NX5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)
Jul 18 - Atira Asteroid 2015 DR215 Closest Approach To Earth (0.580 AU)
Jul 18 - Asteroid 7273 Garyhuss Closest Approach To Earth (1.652 AU)
Jul th Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum (NESF), Moffett Field, California
Jul CTEQ Summer School on QCD and Electroweak Phenomenology (CTEQ 2017), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jul 19 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Atlas & Janus
Jul 19 - Asteroid Ampere Closest Approach To Earth (1.415 AU)
Jul 19 - Asteroid ISON Closest Approach To Earth (7.659 AU)
Jul th Anniversary (1967), Explorer 35 Launch (Moon Orbiter)
Jul th Anniversary (1912), Holbrook Meteorite Shower (Hit Train Station in Arizona)
Jul 20 - Moon Occults Aldebaran
Jul 20 - Atira Asteroid 2010 XB11 Closest Approach To Earth (0.735 AU)
Jul 20 - Asteroid 3688 Navajo Closest Approach To Earth (3.179 AU)
Jul 20 - Lecture: Red-hot Real Estate - Living on Mars, Pasadena, California
Jul 21 - Comet 185P/Petriew Closest Approach To Earth (1.606 AU)
Jul 21 - Comet 81P/Wild At Opposition (2.338 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Spiky Ferrofluid Thrusters Can Move Satellites
New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale
New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale
Food for Thought
Spiky Ferrofluid Thrusters Can Move Satellites

10. Space Image of the Week Earth at Night
Image Credit: NASA, NOAA NGDC, Suomi-NPP, Earth Observatory,
Data and Processing: Chris Elvidge and Robert Simmon