1. Space News Update - November 15, 2016 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
Colorado-built GOES-R Readied for Launch
Story 2:
NASA Finds Unusual Origins of High-Energy Electrons
Story 3: Clearing the Air in Space: Improving Life Support on International Space Station and For Deep Space Exploration
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Colorado-built GOES-R Readied for Launch
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. NASA Finds Unusual Origins of High-Energy Electrons

4. Clearing the Air in Space: Improving Life Support on International Space Station and For Deep Space Exploration

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, November 15
The Moon, just past full, has now stepped to the lower left of Aldebaran (as seen in the evening).
Wednesday, November 16
Vega is the brightest star in the west early on November evenings. Vega's little constellation Lyra extends to its left, pointing in the direction of Altair, the brightest star in the southwest.
Thursday, November 17
Look carefully at Venus as twilight ends. This evening it's only ½° from 3rd-magnitude Lambda Sagittarii, the lid star of the Sagittarius Teapot.
Friday, November 18
Around 8 or 9 p.m. this week, the Great Square of Pegasus stands in its level position very high toward the south. (It's straight overhead if you're as far south as Miami.) Its right (western) side points very far down toward Fomalhaut. Its eastern side points down less directly toward Beta Ceti, not as far down.
If you have a very good view down to a dark south horizon — and if you're not much farther north than roughly New York, Denver, or Madrid — picture an equilateral triangle with Fomalhaut and Beta Ceti forming its top two corners. Near where the third corner would be is Alpha Phoenicis, or Ankaa, in the constellation Phoenix. It's magnitude 2.4, not very bright but the brightest thing in its area. It has an orange tint (binoculars help). Have you ever seen anything of the constellation Phoenix before?
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Wed Nov 16, 5:39 AM
4 min
26°
14° above NNW
18° above ENE
Thu Nov 17, 4:50 AM
2 min
18°
18° above NNE
11° above ENE
Thu Nov 17, 6:23 AM
28°
10° above NW
28° above WNW
Fri Nov 18, 5:33 AM
3 min
53°
22° above NW
32° above E
Sat Nov 19, 4:43 AM
1 min
28° above NE
19° above E
Sat Nov 19, 6:17 AM
5 min
11° above WNW
11° above SSE
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)
Wednesday, November 16
TBD - NASM’S “STEM in 30” – Scientist or Guinea Pig: Science in Space (NTV-1 (Public))
2 p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. - Replay of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final ISS Expedition Pre-Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Novitskiy, Whitson, Pesquet) (all channels)
4 p.m. and 8 p.m.. - Replay of NASM’S “STEM in 30” – Scientist or Guinea Pig: Science in Space (NTV-1 (Public))
Thursday, November 17
1 p.m. - GOES-R Prelaunch News Conference (all channels)
2 p.m. - GOES-R Mission Briefing (all channels)
2:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 50-51/Soyuz MS-03 Launch Coverage (Novitskiy, Whitson, Pesquet; launch is scheduled at 3:20 p.m. ET; includes video B-roll of the crew’s launch day pre-launch activities at 2:45 p.m. ET) (NTV-1 until the end of the GOES Mission Briefing on (all channels)
6 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 50-51/Soyuz MS-03 (Novitskiy, Whitson, Pesquet) Pre-Launch and Launch Video and Post-Launch Interviews (all channels)
Friday, November 18
12:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 50 Educational In-Flight Event with the Wheat Ridge High School in Wheat Ridge, Colorado and ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA (Starts at 12:40p.m.) (all channels)
1:30 p.m. - GOES-R Social (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Nov 15 - Moon Occults Aldebaran
Nov 15 - Comet 73P-BR/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (1.804 AU)
Nov 15 - Comet 324P/La Sagra At Opposition (2.002 AU)
Nov 15 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (2.084 AU)
Nov 15 - Comet P/1999 XN120 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (2.434 AU)
Nov 15 - Comet 264P/Larsen At Opposition (4.042 AU)
Nov 15 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 VE4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)
Nov 15 - Asteroid 4031 Mueller Closest Approach To Earth (0.842 AU)
Nov 15 - Plutino 2003 UZ413 At Opposition ( AU)
Nov 16 - Mars Express, Phobos Flyby
Nov 16 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #464 (OTM-464)
Nov 16 - Comet 30P/Reinmuth Closest Approach To Earth (1.973 AU)
Nov 16 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt Closest Approach To Earth (2.083 AU)
Nov 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 VK2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU)
Nov 16 - Apollo Asteroid (1998 VN) Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU)
Nov 16 - Apollo Asteroid 1865 Cerberus Closest Approach To Earth (0.339 AU)
Nov 16 - Asteroid 9249 Yen Closest Approach To Earth (1.460 AU)
Nov 16 - Asteroid Suzaku Closest Approach To Earth (1.547 AU)
Nov 16 - Asteroid 4345 Rachmaninoff Closest Approach To Earth (1.876 AU)
Nov 16 - Neptune Trojan 2011 WG157 At Opposition ( AU)
Nov 17 - Soyuz MS-3/ ITASAT 1 Soyuz-FG Launch (International Space Station 49S)
Nov 17 - Galileo Ariane 5 Launch
Nov 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower Peak
Nov 17 - Comet 34D/Gale At Opposition (4.016 AU)
Nov 17 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 VV2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)
Nov 17 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 UZ25 Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)
Nov 17 - Asteroid 3714 Kenrussell
JPL Space Calendar

9. Atomic Beltway Could Solve Problems of Cosmic Gravity
Food for Thought
Atomic Beltway Could Solve Problems of Cosmic Gravity

10. Supermoon and Expedition 50 Soyuz Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Space Image of the Week
Supermoon and Expedition 50 Soyuz
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls