News, Thursday, 15 June 2006 Star Party Saturday SLAS will be opening SPOC to the public this coming Saturday evening. SLAS member Chuck Hards notes that right after sunset Saturn and Mars will be a mere half degree apart which will put both in the same field of view in many scopes. +++++ NASA to Select Shuttle Discovery Launch Date NASA officials will host a news conference no earlier than noon MDT, Saturday, June 17, following a two-day detailed assessment of the readiness of Space Shuttle Discovery for launch. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_M06098_STS-121_launch_date.html +++++ Cool video: A Meteoroid Hits the Moon Last month, astronomers watched a meteoroid blast a hole in the lunar Sea of Clouds. Their video of the event is a must-see. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/13jun_lunarsporadic.htm?list864576 +++++ A Moon's Telltale Tail The plumes of Enceladus continue to gush icy particles into Saturn orbit, making this little moon one of a select group of geologically active bodies in the solar system. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2157 +++++ Hubble Eyes Star Birth in the Extreme Staring into the crowded, dusty core of two merging galaxies, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a region where star formation has gone wild. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2006/26/ +++++ Scientists Unveil New Mars Rover British scientists have taken the wraps off a prototype craft to search for signs of life on Mars, hailing it the smartest piece of equipment ever designed for exploration of the red planet. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1661352.htm +++++ NASA Releases Genesis Accident Report NASA has posted the Genesis Mission Mishap Investigation Board Report on the agency's Web site. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_M06097_Genesis_update.html +++++ NASA Technology Aids Water Purification in Iraq NASA engineers, who are used to making a difference in the lives of astronauts in space, recently had the chance to improve the lives of villagers in Iraq by using NASA technology. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_06239_Iraq_Water.html +++++ STS Update http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/status/2006/status-200... +++++ Idaho Museum to Open Bigfoot Exhibit The director of the Idaho Museum of Natural History says it won't matter whether Bigfoot is farce or fact when a new exhibit opens Friday. http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/ap_060613_bigfoot_museum.html +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** Images and Data From Cassini-Huygens At: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/latest/index.cfm http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-releases.cfm +++++ Information On The Mars Rovers At: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html +++++ SLAS 2006 Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/LOCAL.HTML +++++ SSA / UMNH 2006 Southern Utah Public Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/STARPARTIES.HTML +++++ ************************************************** News is being sent to you because of your affiliation with the Salt Lake Astronomical Society or because you asked to be subscribed. To unsubscribe please send your request to paw at wirelessbeehive dot com. Check out my NASA Solar System Ambassador web site at: http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky and mirrored at http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ For astronomy clubs in Utah see: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/UTAHCLUBS.HTML For the Utah Astronomy Listserve see: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy ************************************************** -- Patrick Wiggins NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah & NE Nevada paw at wirelessbeehive dot com http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092