Note: The links below will
open up in one new browser window. For best viewing, size the two web
browsers so that they don't take up the entire screen - this way, you will be
able to go back and forth to all the stories without losing your place. Click
the Refresh button to
make sure you have the newest version.
28 November 2000 - After the Space Telescope, is planning the follow-on observatories,
and . Without the obscuring
effects of the Earth's atmosphere, they'll be able to see the most distant
stars out there!
More pics are now available. This time, it's a on the surface of the Martian south pole. reports:
Recent images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft show autumn's frosty
arrival in the southern hemisphere of Mars. While frost spreads to areas
like Lowell Crater (right), it is receding in the north as spring warms
that hemisphere.
Today In Space History - Launch of
(), featuring the in space. Launch of
had been while
problems were investigated, causing the (return to )
of the . [Date: ]
More Space History - Today is the (28 Nov
) of the of
, the first
to
return
of (). approached the in
and took
( and
over
!) its .
[Date: ]
27 November 2000 - How much does it take to help the (working with the ) track ?
has built a to do the job!
Cleveland Rocks! That's what the folks at in Ohio want you to know. Come see their
contributions to the construction of the ISS
at the Center
.
is reorganizing their internal
security departments, including those responsible for .
Wrap up last week's space news at .
Today In Space History - The Soviet probe of Mars 29 years ago today (). It was the to reach the surface of .
Maybe that's why they call it the !
[Date: ]
26 November 2000 - NASA's and the U.S. Army's (both in Huntsville) have
to , saving taxpayer money (!!!).
Russia's of plans to de-orbit the aging in February...
...and where will millionaire blast off to - he's paying for a - but
Global climate changes may not be caused solely by greenhouse gases in
the Earth's atmosphere - .
25 November 2000 - by a research balloon flying 10 miles up. that it could have been deposited there by a passing
comet. Space bugs??? We can't even deal with West Nile Virus!!
Earlier this month, NASA demonstrated a method of . So how do you reboot a space station?
Today In Space History - The Soviet
Union launched , a designed to study the effects of solar radiation. Liftoff
occurred on from .
[Date: ]
24 November 2000 - What are 's
future ? They appear poised to become the
with , and they stress . Chinese academics even envision a ! Let the race begin!!
A loophole in the may permit private ownership of real estate on the moon!
How long till someone puts up a Starbuck's?
An American satellite, , was aboard a Russian , fired from the . Quickbird would have been able to , from !
The second stage probably shut down prematurely, and the satellite probably burned up in the atmosphere. Next time, !
's plan to may put a slight who want to put on a , with contestants going through grueling Cosmonaut training.
Hey, there's always !
23 November 2000 - Happy Thanksgiving!
- NASA has to
- the most distant planet in our , and the that hasn't been explored. All together now:
DU-U-U-U-U-U-HHHHHHHH!!!
has released a of on .
NASA :
NASA's
spacecraft took images of dynamic cloud action on Jupiter that have been
assembled into two short movies. In , winds swirling
counterclockwise around the giant planet are shown near the Great Red
Spot. Dark and light bands that form horizontal stripes around the planet
can be seen rushing in opposite directions to each other. The Cassini
spacecraft will pass closest to Jupiter, at about 6 million miles away, on
Dec. 30. It will use a boost from Jupiter's gravity to reach its ultimate
destination, Saturn. While near Jupiter, it is studying that planet's
atmosphere, magnetic field and rings in collaboration with NASA's
spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since Dec. 7, 1995. for more information on the joint Cassini-Galileo
observations.
the , an organization for astronomical research
operating in the high desert of Chile.
22 November 2000 - Here's some more about that on
[See also 19 Nov].
The folks at the have
one of their
from by a giant solar eruption! NASA reports:
Quick-thinking
NASA engineers and scientists helped the
spacecraft survive a close encounter with a storm of high-energy particles
from the Sun after a recent solar flare. Stardust, a NASA mission to
return samples of a comet, was only 130 million miles from the Sun on
November 9. when flight team engineers began to worry, having heard that
the fourth-largest solar flare since 1976 was heading toward Earth. This
monster cloud of energized particles, 100,000 times more intense than
usual, hit the spacecraft and its cameras took a series of proton hits.
The spacecraft went into standby mode. But all is well. An image taken
days after the solar flare subsided shows that the camera had completely
recovered.
Today In Space History - Launch of
Shuttle Discovery on ,
the fifth of the Shuttle program ().
[Date: ]
21 November 2000 - has
three from a
today at 1:24PM EST. is getting most of the press; the other
two are hitching a ride from Argentina (SAC-C) and Sweden (
). NASA reports:
Into
a clear morning sky today, NASA's New Millennium Program's first lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA,
to begin a new era in Earth science. EO-1's mission is to test new
technology land imaging instruments. Three revolutionary land imaging
instruments on EO-1 will collect multispectral and hyperspectral scenes
over the course of its mission in coordination with the Enhanced Thematic
Mapper on Landsat 7. Its companion spacecraft, ,
also launched aboard the Delta rocket today, will study the structure and
dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and geomagnetic field.
SAC-C is a cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission
on Space Activities ().
()
Private the Russian
. Give it up already! Mir was a technological achievement
(after all, the U.S. can't even touch the space endurance records set by ), but it's time to move on! Get with the Alpha program!
[See also 16 Nov].
20 November 2000 - Tomorrow's will be from . A Delta booster will carry 2 satellites into
orbit. Launch is scheduled for (note new time). [See
also 18 Nov]. NASA reports:
After a two-day delay, the Boeing Delta 2 rocket is now back on track for
blastoff Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, carrying a payload of
Earth science research satellites. The satellite and
spacecraft will usher in a new era of looking at Earth. EO-1's primary
mission is to test a set of advanced technology land imaging instruments.
The SAC-C spacecraft, carrying the cooperative mission between NASA and the
Argentine Commission on Space Activities (),
will study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere
and geomagnetic field ().The launch, scheduled for 1:24 a.m. EST, will follow a
pre-launch press conference held today at 2 p.m. EST. will cover these events live and webcasts can be accessed
from and .
Wrap up last week's space news at .
Today In Space History - Shuttle
Atlantis came to a landing at KSC 10 years ago today, concluding STS-38,
a classified .
[Date: ]
19 November 2000 - The , in orbit around the Red Planet, has snapped more .
Some of them show gullies that . Don't book that kayaking trip just yet - that water is long gone! NASA reports:
Global Surveyor captures views of gullies
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars, simultaneously
snapped both a wide-angle and high-resolution view of Hale crater that
show gullies -- possibly carved by water -- in the peaks of sand dunes
inside the crater.
The picture at the top of this page is captioned "".
NASA chief received from National Space Club of Huntsville (Alabama, home of the ) last Thursday.
More Space History - The at the on the
on .
[See also 14 Nov]
[Date: ]
18 November 2000 -
will probably be your to see some , as the annual
event . Check
for peak viewing times. Satellites face a small risk from .
is scheduled for
next February - but (Hint: now may be a good time to invest in a ). [See
also 16 Nov]
will
an , called , on
( from )
atop a rocket from .
NASA reports:
Engineers
have rescheduled the launch of NASA's satellite and the Argentine
spacecraft for no earlier than Monday, Nov. 20, at 1:24 p.m. EST. The delay
will allow launch managers to review discrepancies in documentation related
to the guidance computer on the Delta II rocket carrying the satellites. The
prelaunch press conference has also been rescheduled and will now occur on
Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. EST. and will carry the launch live. ()
Today In Space History - Eleven years
ago today (), the
Background Explorer ()
was
by .
Its
was to what
the
was like, and it provided
to support the . [Date: ]
17 November 2000 - The , the U.S. agency responsible for , this week regarding the , saying that the U.S. risks becoming "" to threats from terrorists.
meteor shower tonight? We
hope to see some , but the moon may be too bright.
NASA is ending
the mission of the satellite, which observed the universe in the UV
spectrum for 8 years. What, ran out of
sunscreen lotion?
will
a weather satellite .
Today In Space History - The launched the , an designed to "see" in the of light.
was
from the
facility at ,
(in the South American country of ), atop an rocket. The launch date was , and it until , although from . [Date: ]
16 November 2000 - : Russia will . Outlasting its by many years, it was the 's (and Russia's) space program. may be launched in January to for its into the Pacific Ocean in . It is the (but we've heard that before!)
Can the stars of how the are so
precisely aligned - and ?
rocket into orbit. It is the of the 's line.
Doesn't need a ? Makes a great stocking stuffer!
to launch on Sunday. They report:
New Millennium Earth Observation Mission to Launch Sunday
When the Delta rocket carrying the satellite and
spacecraft lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday, a new era of
looking at Earth will have begun. EO-1's primary mission is to test a set of
advanced technology land imaging instruments. The SAC-C spacecraft carrying
the cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission on Space
Activities () will
study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and
geomagnetic field (). and will carry the 1:24 p.m. EST launch live.
Today In Space History - Today is the of the
of . (The official designation was ,
counting the 's
unmanned ,
but it was the ). Mission Fact sheet ;
Crew info ;
Image collection . Skylab
was America's . Its initial
in May 1973 was the final flight of the mighty
rocket (The manned flights were s boosted by s).
's
orbit after that final mission (), and the station in the atmosphere (except for some chunks that landed in
Australia!) in .
[Date: ]
15 November 2000 - An unmanned Progress supply ship will
launch tonight at 8:32PM EST, bound for Space
Station Alpha (AKA ISS).
at .
CNN: Ariane rocket
Today In Space History - On this day in
1988, the Union of the Space Shuttle, known as .
It made two orbits of the Earth, and landed in a 40MPH crosswind - all by
remote control! The project was cancelled due to lack of funding, and the
orbiter never flew again.
[Date: ]
More Space History - The Shuttle mission
(a classified ) 10 years ago today
(). The flight was , with landing from
to (there's a switch!),
making it the first touchdown for
.
Pics . [Date: ]
More Space History - Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin splashed down in
Gemini XII this day in 1966, bringing and the entire
to a successful close.
[Date: ]
14 November 2000 - Get up early (or stay up late Thursday and Friday!) Why? - the annual is here. Will we get a spectacular ,
or just some dull sparks? If we're lucky, we might even see If you don't feel like trudging out to the back yard in
your bunny slippers, catch the at .
New video is available of the closeup flyover that the made over . Here's :
Showing
you don't need lasers and light sabers to make a great space flick, the
mission team has released the first movie from NEAR Shoemaker's low-altitude
buzz over the asteroid Eros. Shot in the early hours of Oct. 26, 2000, the
video covers segments of a 55-minute span in which NEAR Shoemaker closes
from 8 to 5 miles over the asteroid's rocky surface. Without giving away too
much of the plot, the 90-second movie includes unprecedented and detailed
views of dust-filled craters, jagged boulders and rugged terrain that have
intrigued NEAR scientists.
The that the U.S. and
had planned to return soil samples from an asteroid has been cancelled due
to rising costs. Too bad, that would have been a cool mission!
NASA's has spotted a "battle between galactic
forces" (no, not Imperial Stormtroopers!). It's a between galaxy , and a mysterious .
Today In Space History - We mark the of the
launch ().
was the , and the last U.S. of the . Mission Fact sheet
;
Crew info ;
Image collection .
The crew
in the Pacific
after (24 Nov
1969). commander became the
to on 19 November 1969. He 30 years later, in a
accident (July 1999), after a long and successful
as an and in the
.
is survived by his ,
and .
[Date: ]
13 November 2000 - announced their
- a smaller booster dubbed
"Kaituozhe-1" (Explorer-1), featuring a solid-fuel motor.
Web in Space: Satellite technology is being marketed to bring to people who can't get DSL or cable modem.
Today In Space History - On this day in
1971, became the . The reached Mars after a 5-month journey.
[Date: ]
12 November 2000 - A was
last aboard a rocket. occurred at 12:17PM EDT from
the 's Cape Canaveral facility.
Today In Space History - Two Space
Shuttle anniversaries today:
(12 Nov 1981); and
(12 Nov 1995). STS-74's crew included , the first Canadian to visit Mir. STS-2 was the second Shuttle
flight - the first time in history that a spacecraft had been
with a new crew, and the of the CanadArm remote manipulator. [Dates: ]
11 November 2000 - It's Veteran's Day (Rememberance Day for our friends in
Canada/UK/Australia/NZ, in the UK).
Fly your flag and give thanks to those who gave so much for our freedom!!
The wants the European Union to view
of Europe's economy and politics. Space:
It Isn't Just For Breakfast Anymore!
Today In Space History - Today marks the of the
launch ().
was the , and the last of the . Mission Fact sheet ;
Crew info ;
Image collection .
Pilot docked with the "by hand" after the
. Three years later,
would become the to set foot on the (A long way from !). Mission
commander already had under his belt. He would later become one of the first three
men to leave the Earth's orbit (, in 1968) and would head up in . [Date: ]
More Space History - Today is also the 18th anniversary () of the
(Shuttle )
,
the .
Mission Fact sheet ; Crew info ;
Payload info ;
Image collections
and ;
Launch video .
This was the - the previous four were considered to be test flights
(even though they did some productive work!). A due to problems with both spacesuits. Other firsts were: the
from a Shuttle Orbiter; the first U.S. crew
to ; and the
. Columbia would land at . [Date: ]
10 November 2000 - Is 's
moon
blanketed with -rich
?
Let's go skiing!
The has spotted a neutron star - the remains of
a stellar explosion, only a few miles across - but ! NASA explains:
Hubble Images 'Nearby' Neutron Star Streaking Across Galaxy
NASA's has
imaged a . Forged in a stellar explosion that was visible to our
ancestors in 1 million B.C., this interstellar interloper is the closest
neutron star to Earth ever seen--200 light years away--according to Hubble
researchers. Astronomers expect it to swing by our planet at a safe distance
in about 300,000 years. A neutron star made up of the remnants left behind
after a supernova explosion, as the material at the core collapses into a
dense mass of neutrons. The star has the mass of the sun packed into an area
about 12 miles in diameter--the size of Manhattan Island.
07 November 2000 - Will launch their manned mission soon? It appears that they are
- and someday, beyond that... ! They have launched their in an . Will the next flight of the contain a human passenger?
For the second time in two years, a prediction of an
asteroid hit has been retracted after show . Whoops, back to the ol' slide-rule!
If Mars soil were brought back to Earth, could an Sample return missions from the Moon were
no big deal - lunar soil is sterile. But what if living organisms existed in
the soil of the Red Planet? (Might have a hard time getting through ...)
Today In Space History - Here's an old
one - 81 years ago today (), tested a small solid-fueled rocket.
is considered "". [Date: ]
More Space History - Shuttle Discovery, featuring , ended its 9-day mission with a
at KSC on .
[Date: ]
06 November 2000 - NASA another of the
last week.
The is intended to act as a , should
an arise. It is a "" design with
(other than ), and
for gear.
to a
using a (steerable
), and can hold up
to . [Note to :
No matter how bad you want one, s are not covered by your car insurance!]
Is still ? Photographic evidence shows formed by , and not just meteor hits.
Wrap up last week's space news at .
Today In Space History - Thirty-four years ago today
(),
launched ,
a
to possible Apollo
. Five of the were
to the between . They were
and
to the to avoid
with the .
[Date: ]
05 November 2000 - The folks have just released some of the 's surface, (including ) and . Bust out the !
A has been discovered between the orbits of
Neptune and Pluto!
Today In Space History - Thirty-three years ago today
(),
satellite
, the
the full disk of the .
[Date: ]
04 November 2000 - We will be re-arranging things here
this week, as we inaugurate the new International
Space Station Mission Journal. Please bear with us as we juggle some
articles around. Check back for more news later!
Shuttle Discovery , from its . Get the scoop here.
Today In Space History - , the launched the probe, designed to land on the fiery-hot surface of
(04 Nov 1981). [Date: ]
03 November 2000 - Three decades from now, will an like a nuclear blast? The odds are 500-to-1 - not exactly
remote!
NASA is planning to launch designed to monitor the Earth's environment,
including observing the migrations of whales!
The South American nation of Venezuela is hatching a plan to . (Bang! Zoom!!)
President Hugo Chavez would like to build a space base in his country,
funded by oil profits.
Today In Space History - The USSR launched the probe, the first
to carry a - a (). Laika was provided with , but unfortunately, the to retrieve the back then. (probably from heat exhaustion) in orbit , and the
() burned up in the the following April. [Date: ]
02 November 2000 - The Hubble Space Telescope spotted a between two galaxies. Did anybody
file an accident report?
01 November 2000 - The Russian government has to send two to their . If private funds can be secured, the Progress vehicles can be
used to boost Mir's orbit. If not, then they will be used to de-orbit the
station for a controlled re-entry into the ocean.
Today In Space History -
flight number 174 (), where pilot took his
(X-15A ) to nearly , earning him ! X-15s were carried aloft under the wing of a B-52 bomber, then
dropped from 45,000 feet. The pilot would then light the , take his plane , and as high as the , and then glide to a 200MPH landing. Bill Dana joined NASA on
01 Oct 1958 (the day it was founded), making him !
[Date: ]
More Space History:
of STS-52 - Shuttle Columbia (01 Nov 1992). [Date: ]
Quick-thinking
NASA engineers and scientists helped the
spacecraft survive a close encounter with a storm of high-energy particles
from the Sun after a recent solar flare. Stardust, a NASA mission to
return samples of a comet, was only 130 million miles from the Sun on
November 9. when flight team engineers began to worry, having heard that
the fourth-largest solar flare since 1976 was heading toward Earth. This
monster cloud of energized particles, 100,000 times more intense than
usual, hit the spacecraft and its cameras took a series of proton hits.
The spacecraft went into standby mode. But all is well. An image taken
days after the solar flare subsided shows that the camera had completely
recovered.
Into
a clear morning sky today, NASA's New Millennium Program's first lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA,
to begin a new era in Earth science. EO-1's mission is to test new
technology land imaging instruments. Three revolutionary land imaging
instruments on EO-1 will collect multispectral and hyperspectral scenes
over the course of its mission in coordination with the Enhanced Thematic
Mapper on Landsat 7. Its companion spacecraft, ,
also launched aboard the Delta rocket today, will study the structure and
dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and geomagnetic field.
SAC-C is a cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission
on Space Activities ().
()
Showing
you don't need lasers and light sabers to make a great space flick, the
mission team has released the first movie from NEAR Shoemaker's low-altitude
buzz over the asteroid Eros. Shot in the early hours of Oct. 26, 2000, the
video covers segments of a 55-minute span in which NEAR Shoemaker closes
from 8 to 5 miles over the asteroid's rocky surface. Without giving away too
much of the plot, the 90-second movie includes unprecedented and detailed
views of dust-filled craters, jagged boulders and rugged terrain that have
intrigued NEAR scientists.
NASA's has
imaged a . Forged in a stellar explosion that was visible to our
ancestors in 1 million B.C., this interstellar interloper is the closest
neutron star to Earth ever seen--200 light years away--according to Hubble
researchers. Astronomers expect it to swing by our planet at a safe distance
in about 300,000 years. A neutron star made up of the remnants left behind
after a supernova explosion, as the material at the core collapses into a
dense mass of neutrons. The star has the mass of the sun packed into an area
about 12 miles in diameter--the size of Manhattan Island.