1. Space News Update - January 14, 2013 - In the News Departments
Story 1: Rover Team Chooses 1st Rock Drilling Target for Curiosity
Story 2: NGC 6872: Largest Spiral Galaxy Known
Story 3: NASA Rules Out Earth Impact in 2036 for Asteroid Apophis
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
NASA-TV Highlights
Space Calendar
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Rover Team Chooses 1st Rock Drilling Target for Curiosity

3. NGC 6872: Largest Spiral Galaxy Known
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NGC 6872: Largest Spiral Galaxy Known

4. NASA Rules Out Earth Impact in 2036 for Asteroid Apophis

5. The Night Sky
Monday, January 14 · Before moonlight returns in force to wash out low-surface-brightness telescopic objects, try tonight for the Bubble and Pac-Man Nebulae in Cassiopeia using Ken Hewitt-White's "Hot Gas in Cass" article with finder chart and photos in the January Sky & Telescope, page 65.
Tuesday, January 15 · In this coldest time of the year, the dim Little Dipper hangs straight down from Polaris after dinnertime, as if (per Leslie Peltier) from a nail on the cold barn wall of the sky.
Wednesday, January 16 · Of course you often turn your telescope to Jupiter, high and bright this season. But how well do you know all that you can actually look for? See "Observing Dynamic Jupiter" in the January Sky & Telescope, page 52 — including all of Jupiter's satellite events for January.
Thursday, January 17 · Bright Capella high overhead and bright Rigel in Orion's foot, both magnitude 0, have almost the same right ascension — so they transit your north-south meridian at the almost same time. Capella passes closest to the zenith around 9 or 10 p.m. this week, depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone. (It goes exactly through the zenith if you're at latitude 46° north: Portland, Oregon; Montreal; central France.) So, whenever Capella is closest to the zenith, Rigel always marks true south over your landscape.
Friday, January 18 · First-quarter Moon. The Moon is exactly half lit at 6:45 p.m. EST. In early evening, look above the Moon by about about a fist-width at arm's length for the brightest two or three stars of Aries. These are aligned more or less vertically.

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
For Denver:
SATELLITE
LOCAL
DURATION
MAX ELEV
APPROACH
DEPARTURE
DATE/TIME
(MIN)
(DEG)
(DEG-DIR)
ISS
Mon Jan 14/05:54 AM 3 37
37 above NW
11 above NE
Tue Jan 15/05:07 AM
< 1 17
17 above NE
Tue Jan 15/06:39 AM 4 15
10 above NW
11 above NNE
Wed Jan 16/05:51 AM 2 19
19 above N
10 above NNE
Thu Jan 17/05:03 AM 10
10 above NE
Thu Jan 17/06:36 AM 11
10 above NNW
Fri Jan 18/05:48 AM 1 13
13 above N
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.
January 16, Wednesday 11:30 a.m. - NASA/ESA Orion Partnership News Conference - JSC (All Channels) January 17, Thursday 6 - 9:30 a.m. - Live Interviews on “RRM” - GSFC (Media Channel) 10:20 a.m. - ISS Expedition 34 In-Flight Educational Event for the Canadian Space Agency with the Chris Hadfield Public School in Sarnia, Ontario - JSC (All Channels) 12 p.m. - ISS Program and Science Overview Briefing - JSC (All Channels) 1:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Video B-Roll Footage of Training - JSC (All Channels) 2 p.m. - ISS Expedition 35/36 Crew News Conference (Vinogradov, Misurkin, Cassidy) - JSC (All Channels)
Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Jan 14 - Asteroid Okinawa Closest Approach To Earth (1.191 AU)
Jan 14 - Asteroid 1913 Sekanina Closest Approach To Earth (1.842 AU)
Jan 14 - Kuiper Belt Object Varuna At Opposition ( AU)
Jan th Anniversary (2008), MESSENGER, 1st Mercury Flyby
Jan 15 - Cosmos (Rodnik-S N1, N2 & N3) Rokot KM Launch
Jan 15 - Comet C/2012 X2 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.821 AU)
Jan 15 - Asteroid 2012 UW68 Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)
Jan 15 - Asteroid 4636 Chile Closest Approach To Earth (1.657 AU)
Jan 16 - Comet 131P/Mueller 2 Closest Approach To Earth (2.313 AU)
Jan 16 - Asteroid (2003 JG8) Occults IP 51047 (6.5 Magnitude Star)
Jan 16 - Asteroid Coulomb Closest Approach To Earth (1.878 AU)
Jan 17 - Comet P/2012 T7 (Vorobjov) Perihelion (3.924 AU)
Jan 17 - Asteroid 2266 Tchaikovsky Closest Approach To Earth (1.963 AU)
Jan 17 - Asteroid Pohl Closest Approach To Earth (2.351 AU)
Jan 17 - Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote Closest Approach To Earth (6.094 AU)
Jan 18 - [Jan 12] Asteroid 2012 YF8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)
Jan 18 - Asteroid 6594 Tasman Closest Approach To Earth (2.223 AU)
Jan 18 - Kuiper Belt Object (2003 AZ84) At Opposition ( AU)
Messenger at Mercury
JPL Space Calendar

9. Food for Thought
Private Test Pilots to Fly 1st Commercial Crewed Space Flights for NASA

10. Space Image of the Week
Stratocumulus Clouds Over Pacific Credit: NASA