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Space News Update - July 20, 2012 -. In the News Story 1: Nearby Magma Exoplanet is Smaller Than Earth Story 2: Engineers study options for realtime data during Mars landing Story 3: NASA and ULA confirm Atlas V baseline for human rated launches Departments The Night Sky
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Space News Update - July 20, 2012 - In the News Story 1:Nearby Magma Exoplanet is Smaller Than Earth Story 2: Engineers study options for realtime data during Mars landing Story 3: NASA and ULA confirm Atlas V baseline for human rated launches Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week
Engineers study options for realtime data during Mars landing
NASA and ULA confirm Atlas V baseline for human rated launches
The Night Sky Friday, July 20· The Teapot star pattern of Sagittarius glitters dimly in the south-southeast at nightfall, and it reaches its highest in the south later in the evening. Hidden in the rich star fields above it is the magnitude-9.5 asteroid 18 Melpomene, which you can ferret out with a telescope and the finder chart in the July Sky & Telescope, page 52. · Jupiter and Venus blaze strikingly in the dawn this week, with an interesting (but much fainter ) starry scene behind them, as shown at right. Saturday, July 21· Draco the Dragon arches his back over the Little Dipper in the north at this time of year. With your scope, here you can search out the Cat's Eye Nebula, some interesting double stars and galaxies, and (if your scope is big enough) a quasar with a look-back time of 8.6 billion years — using Sue French's "Deep Sky Wonders" column and charts in the July Sky & Telescope, page 56. Sunday, July 22· Arcturus is the brightest star high in the west after dark at this time of year. It and Vega, almost overhead, are the two leading stars of summer. Look off to the right of Arcturus, in the northwest, to spot the Big Dipper. Monday, July 23· As twilight behind to fade, use the Moon in the west-southwest to guide your way to Saturn, Spica, and Mars glimmering through the dusk (in that order of visibility) as shown below.
ISS Sighting Opportunities For Denver: Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information
NASA-TV Highlights July 20, Friday 5 p.m. - Replay of ISS Mission Control Interview with the Digital Learning Network - HQ (Public and Education Channels) 9:15 p.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the Japanese HTV-3 Resupply Craft to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 10:06 p.m. ET) - JSC via Tanegashima, Japan (All Channels) July 21, Saturday 12 p.m. - LAUNCH: Beyond Waste Forum - JPL (Education Channel) July 22, Sunday 4 p.m. - Coverage of the Initial Undocking of the ISS Progress 47 Resupply Ship from the ISS (Undocking scheduled at 4:27 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) July 23, Monday 10 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (All Channels) 11 a.m. - NASA Science Briefing - LANDSAT AT 40: The Long View of Earth from Space - HQ/GSFC (All Channels) 9:15 p.m. - Coverage of the Redocking of the ISS Progress 47 Resupply Ship to the ISS (Redocking scheduled at 9:57 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.
Space Calendar Jul 20 - [Jul 15] HTV-3 H-2B Launch (International Space Station, Japan) Jul 20 - Comet 189P/NEAT Perihelion (1.177 AU) Jul 20 - Asteroid 1566 Icarus Closest Approach To Earth (0.996 AU) Jul 20 - Asteroid 19535 Rowanatkinson Closest Approach To Earth (1.137 AU) Jul 21 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #328 (OTM-328) Jul 21 - Asteroid 69230 Hermes Closest Approach To Earth (1.524 AU) Jul 22 - [Jul 20] Kanopus-V N1/ Belka 2/MKA-DKI/ TET-1/ EV-1 (ExactView) Soyuz FG-Fregat Launch Jul 22 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Helene Jul 22 - [Jul 19] Comet P/2012 NJ (La Sagra) Closest Approach To Earth (0.580 AU) Jul 22 - Comet C/2012 K5 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (1.839 AU) Jul 22 - Comet C/2011 UF305 (LINEAR) Perihelion (2.138 AU) Jul 22 - Comet 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh Closest Approach To Earth (3.573 AU) Jul 22 - Asteroid 153958 (2002 AM31) Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU) Jul 22 - Asteroid 67 Asia Closest Approach To Earth (0.974 AU) Jul 22 - Asteroid 14702 Benclark Closest Approach To Earth (1.688 AU) Jul 22 - Asteroid 4464 Vulcano Closest Approach To Earth (1.835 AU) Jul 22 - Asteroid 8373 Stephengould Closest Approach To Earth (4.104 AU) Jul 22 - 40th Anniversary (1972), Venera 8, Venus Landing Jul 22 - 40th Anniversary (1972), Landsat 1 Launch Jul 23 - Asteroid 64070 NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.497 AU) Jul 23 - Asteroid 51823 Rickhusband Closest Approach To Earth (2.250 AU) Saturn’s moon Helene imaged by Cassini spacecraft on June 18, 2011 JPL Space Calendar
Food for Thought Why Doesn’t Earth Have More Water?
Space Image of the Week Image Credit: NASA