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The Mission




Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA
Payload: DirecTV 9S & Optus D1
Date: Oct. 13, 2006
Window: 2056-2156 GMT (4:56-5:56 p.m. EDT)
Site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Satellite feed: AMC 3, Transponder 23, C-band, 87° West

Cue Card

Mission Status Center




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Soyuz moves ports
The three-man Expedition 14 crew of the International Space Station complete a short trip, flying their Soyuz capsule to another docking port in preparation for receiving a resupply ship.

 Undock | Re-dock

STS-39: Military maneuvers
Space shuttle Discovery's STS-39 flight, launched in April 1991, served as a research mission for the U.S. Department of Defense. An instrument-laden spacecraft for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization was released to watch Discovery perform countless rocket firings and maneuvers, as well as canisters releasing clouds of gas. The crew tells the story of the mission in this post-flight film presentation.

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STS-37: Spacewalkers help Gamma Ray Observatory
Seeking to study explosive forces across the universe, the Gamma Ray Observatory was launched aboard shuttle Atlantis in April 1991. But when the craft's communications antenna failed to unfold, spacewalking astronauts ventured outside the shuttle to save the day. The rescue EVA was followed by a planned spacewalk to test new equipment and techniques. The crew of STS-37 narrate this post-flight mission film.

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Mars rover seen by orbiter
Dazzling images from Mars are revealed by scientists. The robotic rover Opportunity has reached the massive Victoria crater with its steep cliffs and layers of rock exposing the planet's geologic history. Meanwhile, the new Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed the rover and its surroundings from high above.

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BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying the DirecTV 9S and Optus D1 communications spacecraft. Reload this page for the latest on the mission.