Transcript NASA-TV Highlights

Space News Update
- December 2, 2011 In the News
Story 1:
Course Excellent, Adjustment Postponed
Story 2:
Voyagers Detect Missing Signal
Story 3:
Astrophotographers Capture Phobos-Grunt; ESA Ends Tracking the Russian Probe
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week
Course Excellent, Adjustment Postponed
Voyagers Detect Missing Signal
Astrophotographers Capture Phobos-Grunt;
ESA Ends Tracking the Russian Probe
The Night Sky
Friday, Dec. 2
· First-quarter Moon (exact at 4:52 a.m. on this date). The Moon, high in
the south at dusk, shines below the western side of the Great Square of
Pegasus this evening. It's between the Water Jar of Aquarius to its right,
and the dimmer Circlet of Pisces to its left.
· Mars is at quadrature, 90° west of the Sun in the morning sky.
Therefore, in a telescope Mars is as gibbous as it's going to appear this
season (90% sunlit).
Saturday, Dec. 3
· Orion is up! With winter approaching, bright Orion rises into good view
in the east-southeast by 8 or 9 p.m. now. In its middle, the three-star line
of Orion’s Belt is nearly vertical — as it always is when Orion displays
itself in this part of the sky (viewed from mid-northern latitudes).
Sunday, Dec. 4
· Two reappearances of Jupiter’s moons tonight: Europa emerges from
eclipse out of Jupiter’s shadow around 10:35 p.m. EST. Then Io emerges
around 1:52 a.m. EST. A good telescope will show them gradually
swelling into view just off the planet’s eastern edge.
Monday, Dec. 5
· Jupiter shines lower left of the Moon this evening. Although they look
close together, Jupiter is 1,550 times farther away — and 40 times larger
in diameter.
In a telescope, Jupiter’s tiny moon Io casts its shadow on the planet’s
face from 8:54 to 11:04 p.m. EST. Then Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
crosses the planet’s central meridian around 12:17 a.m. EST. (For all
Red Spot transit times and events among Jupiter's moons this month,
visible worldwide, see "Action at Jupiter" in the December Sky &
Telescope, page 60.)
For Denver: No ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS Sighting Opportunities
For Denver:
SATELLITE
LOCAL
DURATION
DATE/TIME
(MIN)
MAX
ELEV
(DEG)
APPROACH
DEPARTURE
(DEG-DIR)
(DEG-DIR)
ISS
Fri Dec 02/06:05 AM
4
36
13 above NW
24 above E
ISS
Sat Dec 03/05:11 AM
2
21
21 above NNE
13 above ENE
ISS
Sun Dec 04/05:50 AM
2
75
31 above NW
36 above ESE
ISS
Mon Dec 05/04:56 AM
<1
24
24 above E
20 above E
ISS
Mon Dec 05/06:28 AM
4
21
11 above W
11 above S
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Daylight Time)
December 3, Saturday
7 a.m., 2 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (12/2/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
8 a.m., 3 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (12/1/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
9 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/30/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
10 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/29/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
11 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/28/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
12 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
1 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 30/31 Crew News Conference
at Star City, Russia and Visit to Red Square in Moscow - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
December 4, Sunday
5 a.m. - Replay of Video File of the ISS Expedition 30/31 Crew News Conference at Star City,
Russia and Visit to Red Square in Moscow - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
6 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (12/2/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
7 a.m., 4 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (12/1/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
8 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/30/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
9 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m. - Replay of Video File of the ISS Expedition 30/31
Crew News Conference at Star City, Russia and Visit to Red Square in Moscow - HQ (Public,
HD and Media Channels)
10 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/29/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
11 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update (11/28/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
12 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)
Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Daylight Time)
December 5, Monday
9 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 4 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 10:50 p.m. - Destination Innovation - “Kepler” (a new
magazine style program from the Ames Research Center) - HQ (Public, HD and Education
Channels)
Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website
Johann Gottfried Galle
Space Calendar
Dec 02 - [Dec 02] Asteroid 2011 WV74 Near-Earth Flyby (0.006 AU)
Dec 02 - [Dec 01] Asteroid 2011 WR69 Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)
Dec 02 - Asteroid 4047 Chang'e Closest Approach To Earth (1.569 AU)
Dec 02 - Asteroid 7853 Confucius Closest Approach To Earth (2.091 AU)
Dec 02 - Asteroid 7755 Haute-Provence Closest Approach To Earth (2.487 AU)
Dec 02 - Kuiper Belt Object 84922 (2003 VS2) At Opposition (35.535 AU)
Dec 02 - 40th Anniversary (1971), Mars 3, Mars Orbit Insertion
Dec 03 - Comet P/2011 UA134 (Spacewatch-PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To
Earth (1.074 AU)
Dec 03 - Comet C/2011 U3 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.001 AU)
Dec 03 - Asteroid 2011 KG4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU)
Dec 03 - Asteroid 1850 Kohoutek Closest Approach To Earth (1.543 AU)
Dec 04 - [Dec 02] Asteroid 2011 WU74 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)
Dec 04 - Asteroid 2003 XV Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)
Dec 04 - [Dec 02] Asteroid 2011 WS74 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU)
Dec 04 - [Nov 26] Asteroid 2002 VU114 Near-Earth Flyby (0.060 AU)
Dec 04 - Asteroid 3200 Phaethon Closest Approach To Earth (1.186 AU)
Dec 04 - Asteroid 42487 Angstrom Closest Approach To Earth (1.478 AU)
Dec 04 - Asteroid 12759 Joule Closest Approach To Earth (2.180 AU)
Dec 04 - 15th Anniversary (1996), Mars Pathfinder Launch
Dec 04 - Wilhelm Tempel's 190th Birthday (1821)
Dec 05 - MESSENGER, Orbit Correction Maneuver #5 (OCM-5)
Dec 05 - Asteroid 2010 TK7 (Earth Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (0.200 AU)
Dec 05 - Asteroid 4627 (1985 RT2) Occults HIP 23871 (5.3 Magnitude Star)
Dec 05 - Asteroid 6735 Madhatter Closest Approach To Earth (1.001 AU)
Dec 05 - Asteroid 9250 Chamberlin Closest Approach To Earth (2.806 AU)
Dec 05 - Kuiper Belt Object 174567 (2003 MW12) At Opposition (47.521 AU)
Food for Thought
Successful Chinese space launch breaks annual record
Space Image of the Week
Solar Eclipse over Antarctica
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Zelayeta (San Martín Station, Antarctica)