Your Mars Welcome Packet

Attached are multiple links to details about the Mars Science Labortory landing.  I've included NASA archive pictures from earlier landers and orbiters to whet your appetite for Curiosity's touchdown on Mars.  Television coverage on NASA-TV and www.ustream.tv/ begins by 10pm and then the first signals from Mars should start streaming in at 1:31am Aug 6 - if the landing is successful!

link to Mars Science Laboratory mission website
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/

Here's another short NASA video about the rover, Curiosity, narrated by William Shattner  -    http://go.nasa.gov/N7eV2N

And finally, a listing of key August 2012 Astronomy Happenings

Aug  2 - Full Moon

Aug  6 - Scheduled first transmissions to be received from Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)– 1:31a EDT.  Television coverage on NASA-TV or www.ustream.tv/

Aug  7 – 20   After 8:30 pm, look low in the WSW to see Saturn (gold), Spica (slightly blue star) and Mars (orange) visible within 5 degrees of one another (three fingers –wide with your outstretched arm).  Look each night as Mars travels between the other two R to L.  Saturn will be above Mars’ orbit and Spica below it.

Aug  9 - Last Quarter Moon

Aug  11-12 - Perseid Meteor Showers peak  - only a thin crescent moon allows for great viewing opportunities!  Look to the Northeast below the “W” of the constellation Cassiopeia.  As many as 60 meteors per hour will originate from there and radiate in all directions.   Wait until at least 11pm-midnight, but you’ll see even more meteors if you stay up until 3 or 4am when visibility improves as the shower moves higher in the sky.

Aug  17 - New Moon

Aug  24 - First Quarter Moon

Aug 29 -  Venus (half-lit in a telescope) rises 3 hours before the Sun

Aug 31 -  Full Moon