Track NASA's Y2K status here. The pads are quiet, so it's party time!

Russian Mission Control ready for Y2K; missiles to stay put.

Florida Today ranks their Top Ten space stories.

Arianespace looks back on their triumphant year.

When you're watching the Rose Parade tomorrow morning, look for a float honoring NASA! (Pasadena is the home of JPL). Boeing will also have a float.

Thanks to all our readers for a great "launch" year!! We have a whole new millennium to explore!!! See you on the other side...

MSNBC looks back on their top stories of 1999.

The 1000-ft Arecibo radiotelescope in Puerto Rico is used for six weeks a year in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Online petition urges a manned mission to Mars by 2015. Add your signature here!

Will solar storms complicate Y2K? [see also 13 November].

U.S. and Russia to share missile data to avert Y2K accident.

What was the biggest scientific achievement of the 20th century?

Kennedy Space Center reviews 1999 accomplishments.

Are failed Mars missions part of "Faster, Better, Cheaper"?

NASA selects Orbital's air-launched Pegasus rocket for two missions in 2002.

Was the Star of Bethlehem really a star?

NASA and Boeing agree to modify Space Station contract.

Will Russians pay more taxes to keep Mir alive?

Europe's XMM telescope reaches functional orbit.

Arecibo Observatory Y2K-compliant, thanks to Julian dates.

Has anyone seen the new Powerstreet commercial with Bob Vila and Buzz Aldrin? In the TV ad for the on-line brokerage, Buzz is shown floating around the screen (as if space-walking, but wearing street clothes). As Buzz reaches out and grabs a floating hand-held computer, he exclaims "Gotcha!" while Bob, in the foreground, discusses their contrasting stock-trading styles. Bob claims that "you don't have to be a rocket scientist to use" the service, and Buzz (who, with a PhD. from MIT, actually is a rocket scientist) retorts, "Speak for yourself, Bob!".

Two more rockets were launched today: An Orbital Sciences Taurus T4 lofted two satellites into orbit (one for the Korean government, one for JPL) early this morning, and an Ariane 44L rocket launched a communications satellite this evening - Ariane's tenth launch this year.

Today In Space History - Tuesday marks the 31st anniversary of the Apollo 8 launch (21 Dec 1968). AS8 was the first manned moon mission, sending three astronauts into lunar orbit (the first manned Apollo flight was an Earth orbit mission). This marked the first time in history that humans had left the Earth's orbit, and the first time anyone would see another planetary body close up, with their own eyes. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Apollo 8 was the first manned flight of the Saturn V rocket, and carried a "test article" instead of a real Lunar Module. Before launch, the Apollo 8 crew met aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh. This mission was also the first to lift off from KSC's Launch Complex 39, the home of all future manned NASA flights (Apollo 7 and all the Mercury and Gemini missions launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station).

Hey, how 'bout that millennium moon, eh?

The market is heating up for commercial space launches.

Kennedy Space Center announces personnel reorganization.

NASA issues a press release on the successful Terra satellite launch. The spacecraft will study the Earth's environment from orbit.

Latest International Space Station status...

Both of the "double-header" flights have been pushed back 24 hours, as the Terra satellite mission was postponed due to a safety-related shutdown by onboard computers, just seconds before liftoff. The new launch will be Friday at 1:33 PM EST.

16 December - NASA will use the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor to try locating evidence of the failed Mars Polar Lander on the surface. The lander is too small to be seen from orbit, but scientists are hoping to spot the large parachute near the target area.

NASA will have a "double-header" launch today, as the Terra Earth Observation satellite is scheduled to lift off from California's Vandenberg AFB around 1PM EST. Shuttle Discovery will launch from Florida's KSC around 9PM tonight.

Largest European satellite launched - the XMM X-Ray observatory (bigger than Chandra!) went up on an Ariane 5 rocket. It was the first commercial launch for the heavy-lift booster.

President Clinton defended NASA, and, recalling far worse space tragedies of the past, maintained that "America didn't quit ... and I don't think we should quit now." How about some budget dollars, then?!?!?

European Space Agency will launch XMM orbiting X-ray observatory atop a new Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket this Friday. Portugal announced today that they would become the 15th member of ESA.

China will build a fourth space center. (Good! We need a worthy adversary for a new space race!)

What would a manned Mars base be like?

Russia claims that Y2K bug won't launch their nukes.

Excellent editorial on the state of the U.S. space program in light of China's apparent readiness to put a human in space, in FLATODAY.

More top news at the ever-independent and always-skeptical NASA Watch...

This Week In Space History - Tuesday marks the 27th anniversary of the Apollo 17 launch (7 Dec 1972). AS17 was the last lunar landing, and the last manned flight of the Saturn V rocket. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Mission commander Gene Cernan became the last man to walk on the moon (until...???).

"America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow".
- Gene Cernan, last man on the moon

Mars exploration is featured on the Dec 6th issue of Newsweek.

European spy satellite is launched on Ariane 4 rocket. It was the 50th consecutive launch success for the French company's booster.

Computerworld gives us the skinny on how NASA is ready for all the Mars web traffic with their new heavy-duty sites, www.MarsPolarLander.org and www.MarsPolarLander.com. 

China promises to put a person in space within a year, after their first successful unmanned orbital launch last month.

Liberty Bell 7 slowly gives up its secrets and may finally answer the question of Gus Grissom and the exploding hatch!

Today is the 35th anniversary (28 Nov 1964) of the launch of Mariner 4, the first spacecraft to return close-up pictures of another planet (Mars). Mariner 4 approached the Red Planet in July 1965 and took 22 pictures (recorded on tape and transmitted over 4 days!) during its flyby. [Source: NASA Mars site]

Check the Shuttle Page for This Week In Space History.

Well, it was bound to happen - the Hubble Space Telescope had another one of its last 3 operational gyroscopes fail, forcing the giant orbital observatory into "Safe Mode", which will keep it in a stable orbit but shut down its scientific capability until the next servicing mission arrives next month.

If you have the cash, an overnight stay in orbit may be in your future!

China readies major rocket launch - can manned missions be far behind?

USAF tests Minuteman 3 missile.

More on the historic discovery of a planet outside our solar system.

Mercury makes rare crossing in front of our sun.

Mars microprobes to be named after Antarctic explorers.

Keep your eyes peeled for those Leonid meteor showers! Peak viewing will start tomorrow night.

Today In Space History - Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin splashed down in Gemini XII this day in 1966, bringing their mission and the entire Gemini program to a successful close.

European rocket launches American satellite. - An Ariane 4 booster put a communications satellite into orbit yesterday.

More talk of space hotels...

Leonid meteor showers return this week. The annual sky show should peak this Wednesday and Thursday night. We may see the meteorites strike the lunar surface!

This Week In Space History - Three Shuttle anniversaries, a Skylab mission, plus an Apollo anniversary!
This Tuesday will be the 26th anniversary of the launch of Skylab III. (The official NASA designation was Skylab 4, counting the station's unmanned launch, but it was the 3rd manned flight). Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Skylab was America's first space station. Its launch in May 1973 was the final flight of the mighty Saturn V rocket (The manned flights were Apollo CSMs boosted by Saturn 1Bs). Skylab's orbit decayed over the years after that final mission (16 November 1973), and the station burned up in the atmosphere in July 1979.

Today also marks the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 12 launch (14 Nov 1969). AS12 was the second lunar landing, and the last U.S. space flight of the sixties. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. The crew splashed down in the Pacific 10 days after launch (24 Nov 69). Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad became the third human to walk on the moon on 19 November 1969. He died tragically 30 years later, in a motorcycle accident this summer (July 1999), after a long and successful career as an astronaut and in the U.S. Navy. Conrad is survived by his crewmates, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon.

ESA approves British Mars lander, the Beagle 2 (see Aug 1st story).

Why is the Sun getting spotty? And will solar flares cause more trouble than the Y2K bug?

Check out the latest Shuttle news...

How's the restoration of Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 capsule going?

Sandia Labs simulates neutron star emissions!

What was the ball of fire seen over Florida skies this week?

New supernova discovered by automated telescope.

Will the government be able to predict solar storms? NOAA plans to rate solar storms which may disrupt communications and electrical power here on Earth.

Several space-related articles appear in the November issue of Popular Mechanics.

NASA boss Dan Goldin reaches a milestone of his own this month - he will become the longest continuously serving NASA Administrator in the agency's history. NASA Watch estimates that Goldin will break Apollo-era chief James Webb's 7.5-year record on 21 November (my birthday!).

Hubble Telescope observes star births and deaths in the Trifid Nebula.

Scientists are making craters (this apparently involves shooting stuff at buckets of dirt - for this I went to college??) to simulate what happens in asteroid collisions.

Priceless 9.5-ton telescope mirror makes its way from Arizona to Chile. It will take over 3 weeks to arrive at its destination in the Andes mountains.

Will the feud between Russia and Kazakhstan mean delays in the International Space Station?

More X-33 news (see 4 Nov).

John Glenn reflected on his life on NBC's "Today" show.

KSC working on a 6-ft (2 meter) tall rocket designed to launch from the surface of Mars!

Did a giant asteroid impact 65 million years ago send deadly tsunamis ("tidal waves") racing across the Atlantic?

Get ready for the annual Leonids Meteor Shower next week! Will satellites face damage from the cometary remnants?

Russians joining competition to win $10 million X Prize for commercial suborbital flight.

This Week In Space History - Wow! four Shuttle anniversaries (moved to the Shuttle page) plus a Gemini mission!
This Thursday marks the 33rd anniversary of the Gemini 12 launch (11 Nov 1966). GT-XII was the 16th U.S. manned spaceflight, and the last of the Gemini series. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Pilot Buzz Aldrin docked Gemini with the Agena target vehicle "by hand" after the radar system failed. Three years later, Aldrin would become the second human to set foot on the moon (A long way from Jersey!). Mission commander Jim Lovell already had Gemini 7 under his belt. He would later become one of the first three men to leave the Earth's orbit (Apollo 8, in 1968) and would head up Apollo 13 in 1970.

Hawaiian volcano may have a "twin" on Jupiter's moon Io. The volcano, dubbed Prometheus, has a structure and behavior similar to that of Earth's Kilauea volcano, but is several times larger.

Who will build the Interplanetary Internet?

A South-Pole-based microwave telescope has detected ripples in the cosmic background radiation that is the "echo" from the Big Bang.

Ikonos satellite produces hi-res photos of San Fran area from orbit.

Hollywood will be churning out the Mars flicks next year!

For the first time, a planet has been discovered orbiting a double star!

Was John Glenn such a "Boy Scout" that his fellow Mercury astronauts didn't want him to be the first American in space? 

Officials from Russia and Kazakhstan will investigate the failure of a Proton rocket on 29 Oct. The Kazaks claim that the latest mishap is harming ties between the former Soviet neighbors.

The first phone call was made into Florida's new (321) area code. The new area code for the Space Coast conjures up images of a countdown to liftoff.

Updates from the Galileo mission to Jupiter...

November will be a busy month for stargazers.

Did you know that December's Mars Polar Lander mission will have a microphone on board? We will be able to hear live sounds from the Martian surface!! Testing, 1-2-3...

High-tech balloons that can float in the stratosphere for 100 days will be used in NASA space research!

Shuttle wing damage called "not serious" - March mission remains on schedule.

Apollo 12 - 30th Anniversary gala to take place next Friday (5 Nov 99) in Phoenix, Arizona. Proceeds will benefit the NSS's Center for Lunar Research.

Companies designing space resort for low Earth orbit! Does room service come in a little squeeze tube?

"Teaching With Space" Conference to take place 28 Jan 2000 in Denver, CO.

This Week In Space History - STS-66 Shuttle mission (3 Nov 1994). Stay tuned for full article!

Wing flaps of Shuttle Atlantis inadvertently damaged by NASA technicians! In other Shuttle news, Discovery is set to roll out to Pad 39B next Sunday, 7 Nov for its STS-103 flight.

Monday's Lear Jet crash (which claimed the life of golfer Payne Stewart) was similar to a 1988 crash which killed astronaut candidate Susan Reynolds.

Contract awarded to analyze Lunar Prospector data.

Despite yesterday's Proton rocket explosion, NASA remains confident in the Russian launcher.

Scientists think dusty rings may foretell the formation of distant solar systems.

Space chimps to retire to (where else?!?) Florida.

Creative Accounting in GPS News...

Shuttle Discovery move to KSC Vehicle Assembly Building delayed.

Australian satellite to be launched by Europe's Arianespace company.

DoD developing robot to refuel satellites.

NASA decides to keep original Mars Polar Lander site (see 23 Oct). 

International Space Station orbit adjusted to avoid space junk. Without the increase in altitude, the ISS would have narrowly missed a spent Pegasus rocket. The last time such a move was attempted (in June), the guidance system shut down, and the station avoided a collision by only 7km. Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Sulu!

NASA recommends funding upgrades to the Shuttle fleet - postpones decision on Shuttle successor until 2005.

Radiotelescopes detect a black hole in galaxy M87!

Marshall Space Center looks to the future.

Black holes may help prove the existence of gravity waves.

Hubble telescope spots hot blue stars in distant galaxy M32.

Virgin Islands may not welcome rocket factory. [top]

International Space Business Assembly set for 2 Nov - 4 Nov in Washington DC.

Chandra space telescope observes X-ray jet emitting from nearby galaxy.

NASA to hold "Technology 2009" conference 1 Nov - 3 Nov 1999, in Miami Beach, FL.

Mars Lander team focusing on task ahead.

China intends missions to the Moon and to Mars - will they be manned flights?

Gamma-ray bursts may be a "window" to the earliest history of the universe.

This Week In Space History - The 29th of October marks the 1st anniversary of John Glenn's return to space in STS-95 (not to mention the first Spaniard in space, Pedro Duque!) , and the 12th anniversary of STS-61-A Shuttle mission (30 Oct 1985). Stay tuned for full articles!

In other Jupiter news, NASA has released photos from the the Galileo spacecraft's closest flyby (only 417 miles/617 km) of its moon Io.

The target site for the Mars Polar Lander may be rougher than first thought - a new landing site may need to be chosen.

The Brazilian Space Agency, which launched a pair a satellites from China last week, is asking for NASA's help in rescuing the SACI-1 bird, which appears to be lost.

U.S. military satellite observes Russian missile strike!

Mars Climate Orbiter inquiry presents initial findings.

Former astronauts to travel to Antarctica to search for life at Earth's south pole. Jim Lovell and Owen Garriott will be part of a team heading south this January (the austral summer) for a project to look for microbial life in samples of ancient ice. If life can survive under these conditions, could it exist in the frosty cold of Mars?

The moon is not not as dead as we thought! Weak volcanic activity and outgassing is identified by ground observations as well as the Clementine probe.

NASA will work with British scientists on 2003 Swift mission to study gamma-ray bursts.

Russian & U.S. astronauts in training for next International Space Station mission.

Earth-based telescope observe clouds on Neptune.

Contact lost with joint Brazil/China satellite (see Oct 14th story).

Commercial spaceport may wind up in Texas.

NASA budget is passed by House.

Interview with NASA astrophysicist heading up Gamma Ray Burst project. 

This Week In Space History - Four Shuttle launch anniversaries: STS-34 (18 Oct 1989); STS-58 Shuttle (18 Oct 1993); STS-73 Shuttle (20 Oct 1995); and STS-52 Shuttle (22 Oct 1992). Stay tuned for full articles!
Ten years ago (18 Oct 1989), the Galileo spaceprobe, bound for Jupiter and its moons & rings, was launched from Shuttle Atlantis. The main spacecraft launched a smaller probe into the Jovian atmosphere in July 1995, and the main spacecraft continues to return photos and data to this day.

NASA budget awaits presidential signature.

Comm satellites? How about comm planes? (See also 13 Oct).

Sunspot Cycle update from NASA Space Science News.

China launches 2 satellites with Brazil.

Lunar Prospector smash-up reveals no water - its moon-mapping mission was completed, so scientists had a plan: intentionally crash the probe into the lunar surface, in an area thought to contain water deposited by comet impacts over billions of years, and kept frozen in the perpetual shadow of craters near the moon's south pole. Mission directors had hoped that the collision would eject a plume of water vapor visible from Earth. There is still the possibility of water, but a new search would be required. The icy resource would prove invaluable towards starting a lunar colony, providing a fuel source and possible drinking water for colonists. The report on the July 31st crash was presented yesterday.

New deep-space missions announced.