1. Space News Update - March 15, 2019 - In the News Departments Story 1:
This is the Final Photograph from Opportunity
Story 2:
Cooking up Alien Atmospheres on Earth
Story 3:
A NASA spacecraft may have explored the edges of an early Mars sea in 1997
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
NASA-TV Highlights
Space Calendar
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. This is the Final Photograph from Opportunity
In this computer graphic, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, moving toward upper left, nears the edge of the sun's influence, flying through a region of space dominated by a "magnetic highway" that helps mediate the flow of particles into and out of the solar system. The region includes particles from the sun's southern hemisphere that have been forced northward by the pressure of the interstellar wind. Voyager 1 is expected to cross the boundary into interstellar space sometime within the next few years if not sooner. (Credit: NASA)

3. Cooking up Alien Atmospheres on Earth

4. A NASA spacecraft may have explored the edges of an early Mars sea in 1997

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope
Friday, March 15 • Look for Arcturus, the Spring Star, very low in the east-northeast after nightfall and higher in the east later in the evening. By modern measurements Arcturus is visual magnitude –0.05, making it the fourth-brightest nighttime star. It's bested only by Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centauri (if you combine the light of Alpha Cen A and B, because the pair appears single to the unaided eye).
Saturday, March 16 • Very high after dark, Castor and Pollux point almost at the waxing gibbous Moon near them.
• The Big Dipper glitters softly high in the northeast these evenings, standing on its handle. You probably know that the two stars forming the front of the Dipper's bowl (currently on top) are the Pointers; they point to Polaris, currently to their left.
And, you may know that if you follow the curve of the Dipper's handle out and around by a little more than a Dipper length, you'll arc to Arcturus, rising in the east.
But did you know that if you follow the Pointers backward the opposite way, you'll land in Leo?
Draw a line diagonally across the Dipper's bowl from where the handle is attached, continue far on, and you'll go to Gemini.
And look at the two stars forming the open top of the Dipper's bowl. Follow this line past the bowl's lip far across the sky, and you crash into Capella.
Sunday, March 17
• This is the time of year when Orion declines in the southwest after dark, with his Belt roughly horizontal. When does Orion's Belt appear exactly horizontal? That depends on where you're located east-west in your time zone, and on your latitude.
Can you time this event? If you're near your time zone's standard longitude, expect it around 9:15 this evening (daylight-saving time). . . more or less.
Monday, March 18 • The bright waxing gibbous Moon traverses the sky in company with 1st-magnitude Regulus tonight. They're only a couple of degrees apart in early evening (for North America). Watch them pull farther apart hour by hour.
Tuesday, March 19 • The Moon, almost full, shines in the dim hind feet of Leo. Upper right of it after dark is Regulus, about a fist and a half at arm's length away.
Left of the Moon by about half that distance is Denebola, Leo's tailtip. Denebola is 0.8 magnitude dimmer than Regulus (meaning about half as bright) and it'll also be closer to the Moon's dazzling glare. Depending on the clarity of your air, Denebola may or may not be a challenge to pick out.

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Fri Mar 15, 4:50 AM
< 1 min
20°
20° above ENE
18° above ENE
Fri Mar 15, 6:23 AM
6 min
39°
12° above WNW
10° above SSE
Sat Mar 16, 5:35 AM
3 min
79°
74° above W
10° above SE
Sun Mar 17, 4:47 AM
12°
12° above ESE
10° above ESE
Sun Mar 17, 6:19 AM
15°
14° above WSW
10° above SSW
Mon Mar 18, 5:31 AM
15° above S
Tue Mar 19, 9:15 PM
10°
10° above SW
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone)
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
March 15, Friday     11 a.m. – SpaceCast Weekly (All Channels)
March 18, Monday 12:50 p.m. – International Space Station In-Flight Interviews with Q13 Fox News, Seattle and AmeriForce Media with NASA astronaut Anne McClain (All Channels)
March 19, Tuesday 2 p.m. – International Space Station Expedition 59 Spacewalk Preview Briefing (All Channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Mar 15 - [Mar 14] WGS-10 Delta 4 Launch
Mar 15 - Comet 169P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (2.492 AU)
Mar 15 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 EF7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)
Mar 15 - Aten Asteroid (2005 ES70) Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU)
Mar 15 - Asteroid 3524 Schulz Closest Approach To Earth (1.309 AU)
Mar 15 - Amor Asteroid 2368 Beltrovata Closest Approach To Earth (1.888 AU)
Mar 15 - Asteroid 1762 Russell Closest Approach To Earth (2.046 AU)
Mar th Anniversary (2009), STS-119 Launch (Space Shuttle Disocvery, International Space Station)
Mar 16 - [Mar 08] DARPA R3D2 Electron Launch
Mar 16 - Comet 44P/Reinmuth At Opposition (4.217 AU)
Mar 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2019 ES Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU)
Mar 16 - Asteroid Frankfurt Closest Approach To Earth (1.613 AU)
Mar 16 - Asteroid Lexington Closest Approach To Earth (2.023 AU)
Mar 16 - Asteroid 6223 Dahl Closest Approach To Earth (2.059 AU)
Mar 16 - Asteroid 9446 Cicero Closest Approach To Earth (2.078 AU)
Mar 16 - Asteroid 1282 Utopia Closest Approach To Earth (2.389 AU)
Mar 16 - Georg Ohm's 230th Birthday (1789)
Mar 17 - Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan At Opposition (0.877 AU)
Mar 17 - Comet C/2018 A6 (Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (2.724 AU)
Mar 17 - Comet P/2003 L1 (Scotti) At Oppositon (4.351 AU)
Mar 17 - Asteroid Andypuckett Closest Approach To Earth (1.343 AU)
Mar 17 - Asteroid 763 Cupido Closest Approach To Earth (1.585 AU)
Mar 17 - Asteroid 6984 Lewiscarroll Closest Approach To Earth (2.780 AU)
Mar 17 - Asteroid 2483 Guinevere Closest Approach To Earth (2.992 AU)
Mar th Anniversary (1899), William Pickering's Discovery of Saturn Moon Phoebe
Mar 18 - Comet 324P/La Sagra At Opposition (2.591 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid 6175 Cori Occults HIP 49669 (1.3 Magnitude Star)
Mar 18 - Apollo Asteroid 2019 DH1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)
Mar 18 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 ED1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.096 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid ZZ Top Closest Approach To Earth (1.288 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Mar 18 - Asteroid 5450 Sokrates Closest Approach To Earth (1.697 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid 6434 Jewitt Closest Approach To Earth (1.865 AU)
Mar 18 - Justus Westphal's 195th Birthday (1824)
Mar 19 - Comet 69P/Taylor Perihelion (2.283 AU)
Mar 19 - Comet 220P/McNaught At Opposition (3.210 AU)
Mar 19 - Comet P/2014 W12 (Gibbs) At Opposition (3.987 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 358 Apollonia Occults HIP 19036 (6.7 Magnitude Star)
Mar 19 - Apollo Asteroid 2019 CL2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 3749 Balam (2 Moons) Closest Approach To Earth (1.147 AU)
Mar 19 - Apollo Asteroid Beowulf Closest Approach To Earth (1.194 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 9766 Bradbury Closest Approach To Earth (1.361 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 3869 Norton Closest Approach To Earth (1.698 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 9340 Williamholden Closest Approach To Earth (2.061 AU)
Mar th Anniversary (1879), Tenham Meteorite Shower in Australia
Mar 19 - William Dawes' 220th Birthday (1799)
JPL Space Calendar

10. Astronomers investigate a recently reactivated radio magnetar
Food for Thought
Astronomers investigate a recently reactivated radio magnetar

11. ExoMars Images InSight
Space Image of the Week
ExoMars Images InSight