Space News Update - September 4, In the News Story 1: Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights Story 2: Sentinel-2 Catches Eye of Algal Storm Story 3: Story 3: 'Hedgehog' Robots Hop, Tumble in Microgravity Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights Sentinel-2 Catches Eye of Algal Storm 'Hedgehog' Robots Hop, Tumble in Microgravity The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, September 4 The last-quarter Moon rises around 11 or midnight tonight very close to Aldebaran, depending on your location. The Moon occults Aldebaran soon after rising for parts of eastern North America, and in Saturday's dawn or daylight for Europe and western Asia. See the article in the September Sky & Telescope, page 51. Here are local timetables for the star's disappearance and for its reappearance. September Sky & Telescopelocal timetables The Moon is exactly last quarter at 5:54 a.m. Saturday morning Eastern Daylight Time. Saturday, September 5 The wide W pattern of Cassiopeia is tilting up in the northeast after dark. Below the W's bottom segment, by a little farther than the segment's length, look for an enhanced spot of the Milky Way's glow (if you have a fairly dark sky). Binoculars will show this to be the Perseus Double Cluster, even through a fair amount of light pollution. Sunday, September 6 Sagittarius and the summer Milky Way, rich with deep-sky objects, stand highest on the meridian in the south right after dark this week. Work this area now, before moonlight returns next week. By the time the Moon leaves and we have a dark evening sky again, this area will be past the meridian. Monday, September 7 Even though it's not yet autumn, you can already greet Fomalhaut, the 1st-magnitude Autumn Star, twinkling low in the southeast by mid-evening. It shines highest in the south around midnight or 1 a.m. Tuesday, September 8 In the dawn of Wednesday the 9th, look for Venus and Mars below the waning crescent Moon in the east, as shown at right. And if you're out early enough before sunrise for the stars to still be visible, you get a winter preview! The sky displays the same starry panorama as it will at dusk next February. Orion stands ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASAs Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Sun Sep 6, 5:49 AM2 min1210 above SSE11 above ESE Tue Sep 8, 5:37 AM3 min2812 above SSW24 above ESE NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA Saturday, September 5 2:30 p.m., ISS Expedition 44/45 Change of Command Ceremony (Padalka hands over ISS Command to Kelly) (starts at 2:40 p.m.) (all channels) Tuesday, September 8 10 a.m., ISS Expedition 45/Visiting Crew Joint Crew News Conference (starts at 10:10 a.m.) (all channels) (all times Eastern Time Zone) Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 04 - Kanopus ST Soyuz 2-1v LaunchKanopus ST Sep 04 - Mercury At Its Greatest Eastern Elongation (27 Degrees)MercuryElongation Sep 04 - Comet 322P/SOHO Perihelion (0.054 AU)Comet 322P/SOHOPerihelion Sep 04 - Comet C/2014 E1 (Larson) At Opposition (2.717 AU)Comet C/2014 E1 (Larson)At Opposition Sep 04 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 QX8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)Apollo Asteroid 2015 QX8Near-Earth Flyby Sep 04 - Asteroid 716 Berkeley Closest Approach To Earth (1.985 AU)Asteroid 716 Berkeley Sep th Anniversary (1990), Burnwell Meteorite Fall (Hit Porch in Kentucky)Burnwell Meteorite Fall Sep 05 - Moon Occults AldebaranMoon Occults Aldebaran Sep 05 - Comet 320P/McNaught Closest Approach To Earth (0.183 AU)Comet 320P/McNaughtClosest Approach To Earth Sep 05 - [Sep 03] Comet 327P/Van Ness Closest Approach To Earth (1.271 AU)Comet 327P/Van NessClosest Approach To Earth Sep 05 - Comet 87P/Bus At Opposition (3.028 AU)Comet 87P/BusAt Opposition Sep 05 - Comet C/2014 A4 (SONEAR) Perihelion (4.180 AU)Comet C/2014 A4 (SONEAR)Perihelion Sep 05 - Asteroid 9 Metis At Opposition (8.8 Magnitude)Asteroid 9 MetisAt Opposition Sep 05 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 PK57 Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU)Apollo Asteroid 2015 PK57Near-Earth Flyby Sep 05 - Asteroid Elvis Closest Approach To Earth (1.253 AU)Asteroid Elvis Sep 05 - Asteroid Innsbrook Closest Approach To Earth (1.267 AU)Asteroid Innsbrook Sep 05 - Asteroid 371 Bohemia Closest Approach To Earth (1.684 AU)Asteroid 371 Bohemia Sep 05 - Asteroid Vonnegut Closest Approach To Earth (1.815 AU)Asteroid Vonnegut Sep 05 - Asteroid Sethmacfarlane Closest Approach To Earth (1.870 AU)Asteroid Sethmacfarlane Sep 05 - Asteroid 6984 Lewiscarroll Closest Approach To Earth (3.231 AU)Asteroid 6984 Lewiscarroll Sep 06 - Comet 57P-A/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte Closest Approach To Earth (1.020 AU)Comet 57P-A/du Toit-Neujmin-DelporteClosest Approach To Earth Sep 06 - Comet 2P/Encke At Opposition (3.067 AU)Comet 2P/EnckeAt Opposition Sep 06 - Comet C/2014 C1 (TOTAS) At Opposition (2.987 AU)Comet C/2014 C1 (TOTAS)At Opposition Sep 06 - Asteroid 661 Cloelia Occults HIP (5.9 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 661 Cloelia Occults HIP Sep 06 - Apollo Asteroid 2009 BK2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU)Apollo Asteroid 2009 BK2Near-Earth Flyby Sep 06 - Asteroid 6336 Dodo Closest Approach To Earth (1.286 AU)Asteroid 6336 Dodo Sep 06 - Asteroid 5891 Gehrig Closest Approach To Earth (1.288 AU)Asteroid 5891 Gehrig Sep 06 - Asteroid 9250 Chamberlin Closest Approach To Earth (2.225 AU)Asteroid 9250 Chamberlin Sep 06 - Asteroid Alaska Closest Approach To Earth (2.595 AU)Asteroid Alaska Sep 06 - Kuiper Belt Object 2010 RF43 At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object 2010 RF43At Opposition Sep 06 - Carl Walz's 60th Birthday (1955)Carl Walz's Sep 06 - Stephen Singer-Brewster's 70th Birthday (1945)Stephen Singer-Brewster's Sep 06 - Walter Dornberger's 120th Birthday (1895)Walter Dornberger's Sep 06 - John Dallmeyer's 185th Birthday (1830)John Dallmeyer's Sep 07 - Comet 50P/Arend At Opposition (1.339 AU)Comet 50P/ArendAt Opposition Sep 07 - Comet 224P/LINEAR-NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.806 AU)Comet 224P/LINEAR-NEATClosest Approach To Earth Sep 07 - [Sep 02] Comet C/2015 Q1 (Scotti) Perihelion (1.918 AU)Comet C/2015 Q1 (Scotti)Perihelion Sep 07 - Asteroid 2520 Novorossijsk Occults TYC (6.3 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 2520 Novorossijsk Occults TYC Sep 07 - Asteroid Okina-Ouna Closest Approach To Earth (1.862 AU)Asteroid Okina-Ouna Sep 07 - Asteroid Santorini Closest Approach To Earth (2.428 AU)Asteroid Santorini Sep th Anniversary (1995), STS-69 Launch (Space Shuttle Endeavour, SPARTAN)STS-69 Launch Food for Thought Comet Hitchhiker Would Take Tour of Small Bodies Space Image of the Week Distant Neutrinos Detected Below Antarctic Ice Image Credit: IceCube Collaboration, U. Wisconsin, NSFIceCube CollaborationU. WisconsinNSF