1. Space News Update - May 17, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1:
Second Cycle of Martian Seasons Completing for Curiosity Rover
Story 2:
Metal Content in Early Galaxies Challenges Star Forming Theory
Story 3: World's Blackest Coating Material Makes its Debut in Space
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Second Cycle of Martian Seasons Completing for Curiosity Rover
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. Metal Content in Early Galaxies Challenges Star Forming Theory

4. World's Blackest Coating Material Makes its Debut in Space

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, May 17
• Look for Spica lower left of the waxing gibbous Moon this evening (for North America). To the Moon's right or upper right is fainter Gamma Virginis (Porrima), a famous close double star for telescopes. Its nearly-equal components are currently 2.5 arcseconds apart.
Wednesday, May 18
• Spot Spica to the Moon's right at nightfall, and to its lower right as night grows late. Far to their lower left blazes Mars, shining its biggest and brightest in more than a decade as it nears opposition. Mars heads up the triangle that it forms with steady Saturn and twinkling Antares.
• Jupiter's Great Red Spot should transit the planet's central meridian around 11:36 p.m. EDT.
Thursday, May 19
• With summer still about a month away (astronomically speaking), the last star of the Summer Triangle doesn't rise above the eastern horizon until about 10 or 11 p.m. That's Altair, the Triangle's lower right corner. Its highest and brightest corner is Vega. The third is Deneb, sparkling less far to Vega's lower left.
Friday, May 20
• The nearly full Moon is low the east-southeast at sunset and shines above Mars as twilight fades. How soon can you pick out Mars? How much later will it be until you can pick out fainter Antares rising 8½° below Antares?
And what about Saturn, 7½° left of Antares? Saturn and Antares rise at the same time if you're near 35° N latitude (North Carolina, central California). If you're north of there Saturn rises first; south of there, Antares.
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue May 17, 2:40 AM
< 1 min
24°
24° above NNE
20° above NNE
Tue May 17, 4:14 AM
3 min
13°
10° above NW
11° above N
Wed May 18, 1:49 AM
10°
10° above NE
Wed May 18, 3:22 AM
2 min
17°
15° above NW
14° above N
Wed May 18, 5:00 AM
10° above N
Thu May 19, 2:30 AM
21°
21° above N
17° above NNE
Thu May 19, 4:06 AM
1 min
10° above NNW
Fri May 20, 1:39 AM
13° above NE
Fri May 20, 3:13 AM
12°
Fri May 20, 4:50 AM
11°
11° above NNE
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website
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)
1 p.m., Tuesday, May 17 - Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum Presents - “What’s New in Aerospace?” – Cleaning Up Outer Space (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education))
10 a.m., Thursday, May 19 - Space Station Live (all channels)
11 a.m., Thursday, May 19 - ISS Expedition 47 In-Flight Educational Event with the Winter, Wisconsin School District and NASA Flight Engineer Jeff Williams (Starts at 11:15 a.m.) (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
May 17 - [May 11] Comet P/2016 J1-A (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.399 AU)
May 17 - Comet 89P/Russell Closest Approach To Earth (1.691 AU)
May 17 - Comet C/2015 W1 (Gibbs) Perihelion (2.232 AU)
May 17 - Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy At Opposition (3.313 AU)
May 17 - Comet 32P/Comas Sola At Opposition (3.554 AU)
May 17 - Comet 131P/Mueller At Opposition (3.736 AU)
May 17 - Comet P/2009 SK280 (Spacewatch-Hill) Closest Approach To Earth (4.091 AU)
May 17 - [May 10] Aten Asteroid 2016 JH18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU)
May 17 - Aten Asteroid 5381 Sekmet Closest Approach To Earth (0.489 AU)
May 17 - Atira Asteroid (2004 XZ130) Closest Approach To Earth (0.667 AU)
May 17 - Asteroid Niagara Falls Closest Approach To Earth (1.713 AU)
May 17 - Asteroid Mikeanderson Closest Approach To Earth (2.038 AU)
May 17 - Asteroid 3933 Portugal Closest Approach To Earth (2.061 AU)
May 17 - Kuiper Belt Object (2002 RP120) At Opposition ( AU)
May 17 - Webex Conference: Review of NASA's Evidence Reports on Human Health Risks
May 17 - [May 17] Norman Lockyer's 180th Birthday (1836)
May  Australasia Satellite Forum 2016, Sydney, Australia
May  The Humans to Mars Summit 2016, Washington DC
May 18 - Comet 116P/Wild At Opposition (1.350 AU)
May 18 - Comet 214P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.521 AU)
May 18 - Comet P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel) Closest Approach To Earth (2.210 AU)
May 18 - Comet 217P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.094 AU)
May 18 - [May 17] Apollo Asteroid 2016 GS2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU)
May 18 - Amor Asteroid 2016 HF3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)
May 18 - Amor Asteroid 2016 GF216 Near-Earth Flyby (0.051 AU)
May 18 - Asteroid 447 Valentine Closest Approach To Earth (2.094 AU)
May 18 - Roger Boscovich's 305th Birthday (1711)
May  4th European Lunar Symposium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
May 19 - Comet P/2010 N1 (WISE) At Opposition (0.772 AU)
May 19 - Comet P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.415 AU)
May 19 - Comet P/2006 F1 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (3.561 AU)
May 19 - Asteroid 6434 Jewitt Closest Approach To Earth (1.459 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
May 19 - Asteroid 1258 Sicilia Closest Approach To Earth (2.286 AU)
May th Anniversary (1996), STS-77 Launch (Space Shuttle Endeavour, SPACEHAB)
May th Anniversary (1971), Mars 2 Launch (USSR Mars Orbiter/Lander)
May ,155th Anniversary (861 AD) Meteorite Hit Shrine in Nogata, Japan
May 20 - Comet 78P/Gehrels At Opposition (4.282 AU)
May 20 - [May 14] Apollo Asteroid 2016 JT28 Near-Earth Flyby (0.064 AU)
May 20 - [May 10] Apollo Asteroid 2016 JF18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.093 AU)
May 20 - Asteroid 2873 Binzel Closest Approach To Earth (0.938 AU)
May 20 - Asteroid 9025 Polansky Closest Approach To Earth (2.064 AU)
May 20 - Asteroid Berndpauli Closest Approach To Earth (3.262 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

10. NASA and Roscosmos discuss ISS suicide plunge requirements
Food for Thought
NASA and Roscosmos discuss ISS suicide plunge requirements

11. Space Image of the Week
The Orion Nebula in Visible and Infrared  Image Credit & Copyright: Infrared: NASA, Spitzer Space Telescope; Visible: Oliver Czernetz, Siding Spring Obs.