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News Archive 2009: June
Fresh satellite launches for Sirius XM Radio listeners
Radio listeners received a boost Tuesday, when a powerful new broadcasting satellite for Sirius XM Radio successfully blasted off from Kazakhstan to beam programming to receivers in cars, boats, airplanes and homes. FULL STORY
Controllers bid farewell to long-lived Ulysses probe
The sun will set Tuesday on Ulysses, a robotic sentry that spent more than 18 years exploring unseen reaches of the sun for NASA and the European Space Agency. FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
THE VOYAGES OF ULYSSES PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
Landforms indicate 'recent' warm weather on Mars -- New research led by a UK scientist indicates that Mars had significantly warmer weather in its recent past than previously thought. First conclusive signature for lunar uranium -- A senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, is mapping the Moon's surface elements using data gathered by an advanced gamma-ray spectrometer that rode aboard the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft. The data promise to show chemical elements on the Moon that have never
been identified before. NASA, Japan release most complete topographic map of Earth -- NASA and Japan released a new digital topographic map of Earth Monday that covers more of our planet than ever before. The map was produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
THE FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY VIDEO:
DELTA 4 BLASTS OFF WITH GOES O PLAY VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS OF GOES O'S LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS OF DELTA 4'S LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: PAD 39A CAMERA PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: CAUSEWAY ZOOMED VIEW PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: CAUSEWAY WIDE-ANGLE VIEW PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: UMBILICALS RETRACT PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: CAMERA IN FRONT OF PAD PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: UCS 23 TRACKING CAMERA PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: PLAYALINDA BEACH TRACKER PLAY VIDEO:
WEATHER OFFICER PROVIDES FORECAST PLAY VIDEO:
FIRST LAUNCH ATTEMPT SCRUBBED BY WEATHER PLAY VIDEO:
PAD'S MOBILE GANTRY RETRACTED FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
WEATHER FORECAST FOR FIRST LAUNCH ATTEMPT PLAY VIDEO:
WATCH THE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS BRIEFING PLAY VIDEO:
SPACECRAFT SITS ATOP THE DELTA 4 ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
GOES O TRANSPORTED TO LAUNCH PAD 37B PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
NOSE CONE PLACED AROUND THE SATELLITE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH GOES O PLAY | HI-DEF MORE:DELTA/GOES O VIDEO COVERAGE MORE:HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO OF GOES O MORE:ARCHIVED GOES N COVERAGE FROM 2006 SUBSCRIBE NOW
Shuttle launch and clouds point to Tunguska comet
The exhaust plume of a shuttle launch that created noctilucent clouds similar to those seen after the Tunguska event supports the theory that a comet, and not a meteoroid, exploded over Siberia one hundred years ago. FULL STORY
Stuck rover exposes fresh clues on environment
NASA's plucky Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, which is still stuck in a patch of soil, has been taking advantage of the situation to learn more about the planet's environmental history. FULL STORY
JPL rover tests next week begin efforts to free Spirit
Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers working to free the rover Spirit from its slippery Martian trap will begin test rover drives by June 29, aimed at freeing Spirit to continue roving by late July. FULL STORY
Court filings detail Sea Launch's bankruptcy
Sea Launch's bankruptcy filing this week was brought on by recurring financial losses, partially stemming from a 2007 rocket failure that helped set off a cascading series of delays and customer defections, according to court records. FULL STORY
Endeavour test date set; knob jammed in Atlantis
Engineers plan to load the shuttle Endeavour's external tank with rocket fuel next Wednesday to test vent line fixes intended to stop, or at least reduce, gaseous hydrogen leaks that grounded the shuttle June 13 and 17, NASA officials say. If the repairs work, the agency will press ahead with a third attempt to launch Endeavour on a space station assembly mission July 11. FULL STORY
Cassini finding hints at ocean within Saturn moon
For the first time, scientists working on NASA's Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn's outermost ring. Detecting salty ice indicates that Saturn's moon Enceladus, which primarily replenishes the ring with material from discharging jets, could harbor a reservoir of liquid water - perhaps an ocean - beneath its surface. FULL STORY
Galaxies coming of age in cosmic blobs
The "coming of age" of galaxies and black holes has been pinpointed, thanks to new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. This discovery helps resolve the true nature of gigantic blobs of gas observed around very young galaxies. FULL STORY
Special shuttle fueling test expected next week
Shuttle managers plan to meet Wednesday to review procedures for a fueling test next week to assess the performance of an alternative internal seal and shim-like washers intended to eliminate a leak in a gaseous hydrogen vent line that has twice grounded the shuttle Endeavour. FULL STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE STS-127 FLIGHT PLAN
NASA's lunar mapper goes into orbit around the Moon
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reached the Moon and successfully performed the insertion maneuver Tuesday, firing its engines for 40 minutes to brake into orbit. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
Moon-bound launch: Rocket cameras show the way
Hitch a ride aboard the Atlas 5 rocket destined for the Moon with this dazzling footage provided by video cameras facing forward and aft. See the liftoff and ascent through the clouds, the first stage separate, the Centaur ignite and the payload shroud jettison. LRO AND LCROSS VIDEO JOIN SPACEFLIGHT NOW+PLUS
First direct evidence of lightning on Mars
University of Michigan researchers say they have found direct evidence for lightning on Mars caused by a large dust storm. FULL STORY
New images kick off Cassini celebrations at Greenwich
The Cassini imaging team have released a set of never-before-seen images and movies of the Saturn system to coincide with the opening of a week-long celebration of the mission at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. FULL STORY
Repaired satellite finally blasts off from Baikonur
A Malaysian communications satellite was shot into space Sunday after being grounded for nearly a year due to damage caused by a launch site crane accident last August. FULL STORY - updated
Minor defect in shuttle fuel tank might be causing leaks
A very slight "clocking" misalignment in the way a hydrogen vent port flange on the shuttle Endeavour's external tank was riveted into the structure is the leading candidate for what caused gaseous hydrogen leaks that derailed two launch attempts June 13 and 17, the shuttle program manager says. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates MOVIES:HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO MOVIES:STANDARD DEFINITION VIDEO
GPS chief dismisses concerns about system
The manager of the Global Positioning System network responded Friday to growing concerns about potential coverage gaps in the navigation service used to guide missiles to targets and tell drivers what's around the next corner. FULL STORY
LRO: 21st century orbiter to map the Moon When the next generation of lunar astronauts step foot on the Moon in the years ahead, the definitive travel guide compiled by an instrument-laden spacecraft launching this week will detail the best and worst places to go and the risks the crews could face. LCROSS: A smashing way to answer watery question Are polar craters on the Moon, eternally dark places where sunlight hasn't been seen for billions of years, harboring natural reservoirs of water ice that could be farmed by future colonists? That's a question that NASA's audacious lunar impactor experiment plans to answer.
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
THE FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY VIDEO:
SPECTACULAR ONBOARD VIDEO CAMERA FOOTAGE PLAY VIDEO:
ONBOARD VIEW OF NOSE CONE JETTISON PLAY VIDEO:
LRO AND LCROSS LAUNCH ABOARD ATLAS 5 ROCKET PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: VIEW FROM SHUTTLE PAD PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: KSC PRESS SITE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: VERTICAL INTEGRATION FACILITY PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: CLOSEUP OF UMBILICALS PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: PAD CAMERA SOUTHSIDE PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: UCS 12 TRACKER PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS: LRO DEPLOYED PLAY VIDEO:
COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH RECAP PLAY VIDEO:
NARRATED PREVIEW OF THE LAUNCH SEQUENCE PLAY VIDEO:
ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO COMPLEX 41 PLAY VIDEO:
ATLAS 5 ROCKET PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY VIDEO:
LRO AND LCROSS PRE-LAUNCH SCIENCE BRIEFING PLAY VIDEO:
LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER MISSION SUMMARY PLAY VIDEO:
LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER SCIENCE SUMMARY PLAY VIDEO:
LCROSS MISSION SUMMARY PLAY VIDEO:
LCROSS SCIENCE SUMMARY PLAY VIDEO:
SATELLITES MOUNTED ABOARD ATLAS 5 ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LRO AND LCROSS ENCAPSULATED IN NOSE CONE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
COUNTDOWN REHEARSAL FOR ATLAS 5 ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
CENTAUR UPPER STAGE ADDED ATOP ATLAS PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLAS 5 ROCKET FIRST STAGE ERECTED PLAY | HI-DEF MORE:LRO AND LCROSS VIDEO COVERAGE MORE:HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO SUBSCRIBE NOW
Spaceflight Now's Craig Covault wins award
Craig Covault, editor-at-large for Spaceflight Now, has been awarded the "2009 Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award for Space" at a ceremony in Paris. FULL STORY
Trouble aboard new Global Positioning System satellite
The U.S. military's newest Global Positioning System navigation satellite is suffering from unusual signal distortions that will keep it out of service for at least six months, the Air Force has announced. FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
POST-SCRUB NEWS BRIEFING PLAY VIDEO:
FIRING ROOM UPDATE WITH LAUNCH DIRECTOR PLAY VIDEO:
SCRUB NO. 2 DECLARED DUE TO HYDROGEN LEAK PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
NASA sets Wednesday for shuttle Endeavour launch
Shuttle Endeavour will bump its way into the Cape Canaveral launch lineup and target a 5:40 a.m. EDT liftoff Wednesday, NASA officials have decided. That means the Atlas 5 rocket originally scheduled to launch at that day carrying two Moon-bound science satellites will be pushed back. FULL STORY NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. A (.pdf download) LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART COUNTDOWN TIMELINE LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE STS-127 FLIGHT PLAN
Shuttle Endeavour launch date remains up in the air
NASA managers Sunday deferred making a formal decision on whether to reschedule the delayed shuttle Endeavour for launch Wednesday or whether to press ahead instead with launch of the agency's $583 million Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket. FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
SUNDAY'S UPDATE FROM MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM PLAY VIDEO:
THE STS-127 MISSION PREVIEW MOVIE PLAY VIDEO:
GET TO KNOW ENDEAVOUR'S ASTRONAUTS PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
North Korea gambles as South readies own rocket
A dynamic mix of factors could worsen the already deteriorating military posture between the U.S. and North Korea as President Barack Obama hosts South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the White House this week. FULL STORY
Space shuttle Endeavour launch postponed by leak
NASA cancelled Saturday's launch of the space shuttle Endeavour because of a leak in the gaseous hydrogen vent system that developed late in fueling. Officials say the launch will be delayed until at least Wednesday and perhaps longer. FULL STORY FRIDAY UPDATE STORY NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. 0 (.pdf download)
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
LEAK POSTPONES SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR LAUNCH PLAY VIDEO:
TIME-LAPSE OF SUN SETTING OVER PAD 39A PLAY VIDEO:
ANOTHER TIME-LAPSE OF GANTRY RETRACTION PLAY VIDEO:
TIME-LAPSE OF LAUNCH PAD TOWER ROLLBACK PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH MARK POLANSKY PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH DOUG HURLEY PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS CASSIDY PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH JULIE PAYETTE PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH TOM MARSHBURN PLAY VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH DAVE WOLF PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
Flight will be intricate dance of spacewalks and robotics
The shuttle Endeavour will launch on one of the most complex space station assembly missions yet attempted, a grueling 16-day flight to attach a Japanese experiment platform, deliver critical spare parts, replace massive solar array batteries and swap out a station crew member. MISSION PREVIEW STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
THE STS-127 MISSION PREVIEW MOVIE PLAY VIDEO:
THURSDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY VIDEO:
JAPANESE SCIENCE FACILITIES ABOARD STATION PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
Shuttle Endeavour's launch countdown gets underway
Countdown clocks at the Kennedy Space Center have started ticking toward Saturday morning's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour and the marathon 16-day mission to the International Space Station. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
A smashing end for Japan's lunar orbiter mission
An Australian telescope observed the controlled crash of Japan's Kaguya lunar probe into the moon Wednesday, an important warm-up act before a NASA impactor attempts a similar feat in October with much higher stakes. FULL STORY EARLIER STORY
Crew performs unusual spacewalk inside station
Working in spacesuits inside a compartment opened to vacuum, space station commander Gennady Padalka and NASA flight engineer Michael Barratt carried out a short 12-minute internal spacewalk Wednesday to finish rigging a port in the Zvezda command module for arrival of a new docking module in November. FULL STORY
OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
A sleeping giant -- Astronomers using the Submillimeter Array atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii have found a massive, quiescent object in a dark cloud that is likely to be the direct progenitor of a massive star or stars. Red giant star in Orion is mysteriously shrinking -- The red supergiant star Betelgeuse, the bright reddish star in the constellation Orion, has steadily shrunk over the past 15 years, according to University of California, Berkeley, researchers. Ultracool stars take wild rides -- Astronomers have found that stars of a recently discovered type, dubbed ultracool subdwarfs, take some pretty wild rides as they orbit around the Milky Way, following paths that are very different from those of typical stars. One of them may actually be a visitor that originated in another galaxy.
Endeavour astronauts jet into the Cape for launch
The Mark Polansky-led crew has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for Saturday morning's launch of the shuttle Endeavour on the construction flight that will finish building the Japanese science facilities aboard the International Space Station. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
LAUNCH COUNTDOWN PREVIEW BRIEFING PLAY VIDEO:
CREW ARRIVES JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
GET TO KNOW ENDEAVOUR'S ASTRONAUTS PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
Fog lifted on dark gamma-ray bursts across universe
Gamma-ray bursts, with their ability to pierce through gas and dust to shine brightly across the universe, are revealing areas of intense star formation and stellar death where astronomers have been unable to look -- the dusty corners of otherwise dust-free galaxies. FULL STORY
A new way to measure cosmic distances
Ohio State University researchers have found a way to measure distances to objects three times farther away in outer space than previously possible, by extending a common measurement technique. FULL STORY
Cassini finds Titan's clouds hang on to summer
Cloud chasers studying Saturn's moon Titan say its clouds form and move much like those on Earth, but in a much slower, more lingering fashion. The forecast for Titan's early autumn - warm and wetter. FULL STORY
Shuttle and crew in HD
Shuttle Endeavour is just a week away from launching on its space station construction mission. The shuttle's recent launch pad switch and the astronauts' countdown dress rehearsal activities at Kennedy Space Center are presented here in standard and high definition video.
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS PRACTICE EVACUATION OF SHUTTLE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
CREW BOARDS SHUTTLE FOR PRACTICE COUNT PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS SUIT UP FOR DRESS REHEARSAL PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
CREW INSPECTS CARGO IN THE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
TRAINING SESSIONS AT LAUNCH PAD AND BUNKER PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAD 39A GANTRY ENCLOSES SHUTTLE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ROLLAROUND MOVES ENDEAVOUR TO PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ENDEAVOUR IS HAULED OFF LAUNCH PAD 39B PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLANTIS TOWED BACK TO HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
SHUTTLE REMOVED FROM ATOP 747 CARRIER PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME TO FLORIDA PLAY | HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Spacewalkers prep station for new Russian module
The space station crew carried out a spacewalk Friday, the first of two needed to rig the Russian Zvezda module for attachment of a new docking port. The EVA by commander Gennady Padalka and NASA flight engineer Michael Barratt began at 3:52 and concluded at 8:46 a.m. EDT, accomplishing all of the planned tasks. SUCCESSFUL EVA ENDS SPACEWALK BEGINS PREVIEW STORY
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PREVIEW OF TWO SPACEWALKS BY EXPEDITION 20 PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Endeavour crew completes practice countdown
Despite cloudy and raining weather that would have scrubbed a real space shuttle launch attempt, Endeavour's seven astronauts climbed aboard their spacecraft at pad 39A for a practice countdown Thursday morning. MISSION STATUS CENTER
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS PRACTICE EVACUATION OF SHUTTLE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
CREW BOARDS SHUTTLE FOR PRACTICE COUNT PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS SUIT UP FOR DRESS REHEARSAL PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
CREW INSPECTS CARGO IN THE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
TRAINING SESSIONS AT LAUNCH PAD AND BUNKER PLAY | HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Shuttle Endeavour cleared for launch next week
While the shuttle Endeavour's crew reviewed emergency procedures at the launch pad Wednesday, NASA managers held an executive-level flight readiness review and cleared the ship for blastoff June 13, at 7:17 a.m. EDT, on a complex space station assembly mission. FULL STORY
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FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW SETS LAUNCH DATE PLAY VIDEO:
INFORMAL CREW NEWS CONFERENCE AT LAUNCH PAD PLAY MORE:STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
Mysterious supernova may have had carbon origins
A weird explosion in space that confounded astronomers in 2006 may have been the destruction of a rare star with an unusual amount of carbon dust surrounding it, according to research carried out by scientists at the University of Warwick. FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
ATLANTIS TOWED BACK TO HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
SHUTTLE REMOVED FROM ATOP 747 CARRIER PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME TO FLORIDA PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
FERRYFLIGHT DEPARTS FROM EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE PLAY MORE:STS-125 VIDEO COVERAGE SUBSCRIBE NOW
Endeavour crew set for countdown practice run
Space shuttle Endeavour's seven astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday to participate in emergency training exercises and a countdown dress rehearsal for next weekend's launch. MISSION STATUS CENTER
U.S. military spacecraft aid search for missing Airbus
U.S. Air Force Defense Support Program missile warning satellite data collected early Monday over the central Atlantic, is being examined to see if it captured a possibly fiery breakup or impact of the Air France Airbus A330 that disappeared en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. FULL STORY MILES O'BRIEN BLOG POSTING
Expanded space station crew off to smooth start
Orchestrating the work of six full-time astronauts aboard the International Space Station is a bit like "herding cats," a Canadian crew member told reporters Monday, adding that living in the surreal weightlessness of space was like floating in a Salvador Dali painting. FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
CREW'S INTERNATIONAL NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
VIDEO:
THE VOYAGES OF ULYSSES 
