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News Archive 2010: October |
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Countdown clocks begin ticking for Discovery
Having resolved helium and nitrogen leaks, space shuttle Discovery's final launch countdown started Sunday afternoon at Kennedy Space Center's Complex 39. Liftoff is targeted for Wednesday at 3:52 p.m. EDT (1752 GMT).
 FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
 VIDEO:
COUNTDOWN PREVIEW BRIEFING AND WEATHER FORECAST PLAY
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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China deploys another navigation satellite to orbit
China launched its sixth Beidou navigation satellite Sunday, reaching another step in a program to provide precise positioning services across the Asia-Pacific region by 2012.
FULL STORY
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Discovery launch postponed to Wednesday afternoon
Shuttle managers have decided to push back Discovery's launch an additional 24 hours, enabling technicians time to complete testing and the pressurization of Discovery's helium system before starting the countdown sequence.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
ANOTHER 24-HOUR DELAY ORDERED TO FINISH REPAIRS PLAY
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STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Cosmonaut flies resupply ship to station docking
For the 40th time in the past decade, a Russian cargo freighter has arrived at the International Space Station carrying vital supplies to feed the needs of the orbiting laboratory and its resident crews. But this docking required the intervention by one of the most experienced cosmonauts.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
WATCH PROGRESS 40P FREIGHTER DOCKING PLAY
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Space station's spectacular views of the world below
The Expedition 25 crew working aboard the International Space Station has used the outpost's seven-windowed cupola to take amazing nighttime pictures of planet Earth. The orbital observation deck offers panoramic views for the astronaut shutterbugs to wow the public in these photos of America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
FULL STORY
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Eutelsat declares craft total loss after propellant leak
The Eutelsat W3B communications satellite launched Thursday evening fell victim to a significant propellant leak shortly after separating from its Ariane 5 rocket, prompting the company to declare the five-ton spacecraft a total loss.
FULL STORY
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Helium leak repair delays launch of shuttle Discovery
Shuttle Discovery's launch is being delayed from Monday to at least Tuesday -- election day in the United States -- to give engineers time to repair two leaking quick-disconnect fittings in pressurization systems used by the ship's right-side orbital maneuvering system rocket pod.
FULL STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. 0 (.pdf download)
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
LAUNCH DELAYED 24 HOURS BY LEAK REPAIRS PLAY
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Discovery astronauts fly to Florida for launch
Six astronauts traveled from their home base in Houston to the Kennedy Space Center launch site in sleek T-38 jets Thursday afternoon, trained and ready to take shuttle Discovery for its final spaceflight.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
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STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Ariane 5 hits the mark with satellites for Europe, Japan
Two communications satellites to cover Europe, Africa and Japan were delivered to a spot-on orbit Thursday by an Ariane 5 rocket. Liftoff from French Guiana was at 2151 GMT (5:51 p.m. EDT).
FULL STORY
OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
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NASA recycles two small satellites for lunar mission
Having finished their primary mission investigating the formation of auroral light displays at Earth's poles, two diminutive NASA satellites have been dispatched to the moon for bonus science.
FULL STORY
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Debt-free Sea Launch emerges from bankruptcy
After winning court and regulatory approval of its Chapter 11 reorganization under majority Russian ownership, California-based Sea Launch emerged from a 16-month bankruptcy process Wednesday with plans to resume satellite delivery missions in 2011.
FULL STORY
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Progress cargo craft begins pursuit of space station
Just a week before the shuttle Discovery arrives at the International Space Station for its construction mission, a Russian resupply ship has launched to deliver a load of equipment, fuel and provisions to the orbiting science laboratory.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle boosters swap rooms in assembly building
The two solid rocket motors that will help boost the shuttle Endeavour to space in February took a rare solo trip outdoors Wednesday, moving from one bay of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building to another.
FULL STORY AND PHOTOS
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CryoSat 2 passes in-orbit tests with flying colors
Europe's CryoSat 2 satellite sailed through a performance review last week, confirming it is ready to map Earth's eroding polar ice caps for the next three years.
FULL STORY
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NASA delegation to China sets stage for more talks
Last week's trip by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden to China did not include talks on specific areas of cooperation between the two countries, but it did "form the basis for further dialogue" on potential collaboration, according to an agency statement.
FULL STORY
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SpaceX reschedules next Falcon 9 launch for Nov. 18
SpaceX has reset the launch of a crucial test flight of the Dragon capsule for no earlier than Nov. 18, giving engineers extra time to simulate the ship's brief but ambitious mission.
FULL STORY
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NASA opens next round of commercial crew program
NASA formally released a tender Monday for the second round of competition for privately-developed spacecraft to carry U.S. astronauts to orbit by the middle of the decade, supplanting the agency's reliance on Russian contractors.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle Discovery cleared for blastoff next Monday
After reviewing normal processing and weekend work to fix a small fuel leak, NASA managers Monday cleared the shuttle Discovery for an election-eve launch November 1 to begin a space station resupply mission, the orbiter's 39th and final flight.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW SETS LAUNCH DATE PLAY
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE AND STATION PROGRAM BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO:
THE STS-133 MISSION OVERVIEW PRESENTATIONS PLAY
VIDEO:
PREVIEW BRIEFING ON MISSION'S SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO:
IN-DEPTH BACKGROUND ON ROBONAUT 2 HUMANOID PLAY
VIDEO:
THE ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
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STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Swedish satellites accomplish close approach
Sweden's Prisma satellite mission is nearly halfway through a 10-month mission testing European technologies that could enable future formation-flying and robotic servicing projects.
FULL STORY
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Seals replaced in shuttle Discovery's fuel line flange
Working through the weekend, engineers drained toxic propellants from the shuttle Discovery's orbital maneuvering system rocket pods, dried out the lines, disassembled a fuel-line flange Saturday and replaced two internal seals in a bid to stop a tiny leak.
FULL STORY
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Lunar impactor scooped up more than just water
Astronauts exploring the moon's south pole should bring a shovel. NASA's robotic mission to plunge an empty rocket stage into a lunar crater last year confirmed the presence of large quantities of water ice and hydrogen, but it also found traces of silver and mercury, scientists said Thursday.
FULL STORY
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Underground aquifers formed martian lakes
A study of martian terrain in the northern lowlands suggests that water discharged from underground reservoirs slowly over time, rather than in catastrophic flooding events.
ASTRONOMY NOW STORY
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NASA optimistic shuttle seal changeout will fix leak
Engineers geared up Thursday to drain toxic rocket fuel from the shuttle Discovery's orbital maneuvering system rocket pods before beginning weekend work to replace suspect seals in a fuel-line flange.
FULL STORY
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NASA chooses Atlas 5 rocket to launch MAVEN to Mars
NASA has selected an Atlas 5 rocket to launch an orbiter in November 2013 to study the ancient climate record of Mars, the agency announced Thursday.
FULL STORY
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Docking system agreement key to global space policy
An agreement on a common docking interface for the International Space Station is pushing the program's partners closer to a global transportation policy, one that officials say is imperative for a collaborative exploration effort.
FULL STORY
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Main engine probably not to blame for AEHF 1 trouble
As investigators narrow the list of potential culprits in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite's main propulsion system problem, the Air Force has decided to delay launching the follow-up spacecraft and rearrange its upcoming Atlas rocket manifest.
FULL STORY
EARLIER COVERAGE
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Workers race to replace damaged Soyuz module
Responding to unexplained damage to a piece of the next Soyuz spacecraft, the Russian builder of the capsule has shipped a replacement descent module to Kazakhstan for preparations to launch the next three-person crew to the International Space Station in December.
FULL STORY
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Six improved Globalstar craft orbited by Soyuz
Globalstar's fleet of orbiting communications satellites received reinforcements Tuesday, when a commercial Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan and deployed six advanced spacecraft to restore the company's diminished two-way voice and data services.
FULL STORY
SOYUZ PREPPED FOR BLASTOFF
IMAGES: COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF
IMAGES: SOYUZ ROLLOUT
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NASA managers order seal replacement in Discovery
Uncomfortable with an on-again, off-again leak in the plumbing used by the shuttle Discovery's maneuvering rockets, NASA managers Tuesday ordered engineers to forego additional testing and to press ahead instead with work to replace internal seals in a fuel line fitting.
FULL STORY
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Technicians working on tiny fuel leak in Discovery pod
Engineers troubleshooting a small fuel leak aboard the shuttle Discovery decided Monday to carry out additional tests before more invasive and time-consuming work to replace a suspect seal, officials said.
FULL STORY
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Patience required as AEHF 1 recovery begins new mode
Moving into the next phase of its orbital rescue, the Air Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite is warming up exotic electric thrusters to begin 10 months of propulsion-with-persistence that's needed to save the craft's life.
FULL STORY
EARLIER COVERAGE
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German mapping satellites enter orbital formation
Two German radar mapping satellites have moved into close formation to collect unprecedented three-dimensional imagery of Earth for scientific and commercial users, officials announced Friday.
FULL STORY
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Japan plans H-2A rocket upgrades by mid-2010s
Continuing efforts to snare an elusive share of commercial launches, the Japanese government and industry are planning upgrades to the country's H-2A rocket to make it more competitive in the global marketplace.
FULL STORY
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Discovery astronauts practice launch countdown
Shuttle Discovery's six veteran astronauts suited up and climbed aboard the spacecraft at launch pad 39A for a countdown dress rehearsal Friday. The test culminated with a simulated shutdown of the main engines at T-minus 4 seconds to practice emergency procedures.
FULL STORY
PRACTICE COUNTDOWN PHOTO GALLERY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live coverage!
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS EGRESS SHUTTLE AFTER COUNTDOWN PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH STEVE LINDSEY PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH ERIC BOE PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH AL DREW PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH TIM KOPRA PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH MIKE BARRATT PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE STOTT PLAY
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STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Sirius XM Radio satellite launched by Russian rocket
Sirius XM Radio's next broadcasting satellite rocketed away from Earth and into space Thursday, reaching a lofty perch high above Earth for a 15-year mission serving nearly 20 million subscribers in North America with music, news and variety programming.
FLAWLESS FLIGHT DELIVERS PAYLOAD TO ORBIT
PROTON READY FOR BLASTOFF
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Hubble sees aftermath of asteroid smash-up
Using a sharp-eyed camera installed by space shuttle astronauts last year, the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a long, glittering tail of dust streaming from an asteroid. Scientists believe the mysterious object was the victim of a collision in the asteroid belt in early 2009.
FULL STORY
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Discovery's crew takes armored tank for a spin
Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts Wednesday took turns test-driving an armored tank around Complex 39 as part of their emergency training exercises in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.
PHOTO GALLERY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live coverage!
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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Bolden heads to China this weekend for space talks
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden will depart to China on Saturday for introductory talks on potential space partnerships and unprecedented visits to Chinese human spaceflight facilities.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle crew comes to town for practice countdown
The six astronauts to fly Discovery's final orbital voyage have jetted into the Kennedy Space Center for this week's countdown dress rehearsal with the space shuttle launch team.
FULL STORY
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NASA expects a gap in commercial crew funding
Some companies could see a gap in funding between the first and second rounds of NASA's procurement to help develop commercial crew transportation services for low Earth orbit, according to the agency's top exploration official.
FULL STORY
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India may seek help on cryogenic rocket engine
India remains committed to perfecting an indigenous cryogenic upper stage for its most powerful rockets, but the leader of the country's space program is not ruling out asking for more Russian help.
FULL STORY
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President signs space program agenda into law
President Obama signed legislation Monday that authorizes $19 billion for NASA in fiscal 2011, funding an additional shuttle flight, accelerating development of a new heavy lift rocket for deep space exploration and pressing ahead with plans to use commercial spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
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Payloads loaded aboard shuttle Discovery for launch
Space shuttle Discovery's cargo bay was filled Monday with the orbiter's final payload complement, a new module and platform that are among the last accouterments for the International Space Station after a decade of construction.
FULL STORY
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Commercial rocketplane takes first gliding flight test
Virgin Galactic conducted the first piloted gliding flight of its commercial sub-orbital spaceship, the VSS Enterprise, Sunday, releasing the winged rocketplane from the WhiteKnightTwo mothership at an altitude of 45,000 feet above the Mojave Desert.
FULL STORY
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Digital Soyuz arrives at the International Space Station
Flying an automated approach to successfully dock with the International Space Station, the new Russian Soyuz TMA-01M capsule delivered a three-man crew to the outpost Saturday night.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live coverage!
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
WELCOME CEREMONY FOR NEW EXPEDITION 25 PLAY
VIDEO:
POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ TMA-01M DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY
MORE:
EXPEDITION 25 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Three men launched into space for half-year voyage
Russia's upgraded Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft launched Thursday evening from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying a veteran shuttle commander and two cosmonauts toward a Saturday linkup with the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
PREVIEW STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY
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EXPEDITION 25 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Ground radio transmitters interfering with satellite
Radio signals on Earth are proving troublesome for scientists attempting to use data from a European Space Agency satellite to measure soil moisture and ocean salinity.
FULL STORY
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Roomy addition for space station ready to launch
An Italian-made module that will give the International Space Station a float-in closet and help ease the outpost's storage woes arrived at the launch pad Thursday morning for loading aboard space shuttle Discovery.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live coverage!
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Orbital inspector operating smoothly following launch
The U.S. military's new space surveillance observatory has begun maneuvering toward its operational perch to track orbital objects without the hindrances imposed on ground-based monitors.
FULL STORY
EARLIER LAUNCH COVERAGE
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WMAP finishes nine-year probe of infant universe
The WMAP satellite devoted to studying the genesis of the universe has finished nine years of observations, but NASA will continue funding the mission for two more years so researchers can extract every bit of science from its ground-breaking observations.
FULL STORY
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China's Chang'e 2 probe brakes into lunar orbit
Five days after leaving Earth, China's second lunar mission slipped into a preliminary orbit around the moon early Wednesday, setting the stage for at least six months of scientific observations.
FULL STORY
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Space station crew's ride rolls out to launch pad
The Soyuz booster featuring the maiden flight of Russia's upgraded crew capsule with digital enhancements was transported by rail from the final assembly building to the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday.
FULL STORY AND PHOTO GALLERY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
BIOGRAPHIES OF KELLY, KALERI AND SKRIPOCHKA PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT KELLY PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER KALERI PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH OLEG SKRIPOCHKA PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
VIDEO:
ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO:
PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
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Pair of research satellites launched by China
Two research satellites flew into a nearly 400-mile-high orbit early Wednesday on a Long March rocket, continuing a pace of nearly one Chinese launch a week since the end of July.
FULL STORY
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Glory's launch delayed by spacecraft, rocket reviews
A problem with the Glory satellite's solar array system and continued engineering work to clear the Taurus launcher for flight are delaying the start of a $424 million NASA mission to investigate climate change.
FULL STORY
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Last shuttle launch slips one day, making room for ATV
After commercial interests pushed its launch into next year, Europe's next orbital cargo freighter will attempt to reach the International Space Station in a narrow docking window in February, pushing back the final planned space shuttle flight by one day, officials said this week.
FULL STORY
STS-134 FLIGHT PLAN
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China's second moon probe dispatched from Earth
A robotic spacecraft bound for lunar orbit blasted off from China on Friday, beginning the next phase of that country's program to explore the moon with unmanned probes.
MOON MISSION BLASTS OFF
CHANG'E 2 SET TO LAUNCH
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Goldilocks world discovered
One of two new planets discovered in the Gliese 581 system is three Earth masses and lies square in the middle of the star's habitable zone, boosting its chances of hosting conditions suitable for life.
ASTRONOMY NOW STORY
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IBEX probe reveals dynamic Solar System edge
A new set of all-sky maps from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) shows that conditions at the edge of our Solar System are more dynamic than first thought.
ASTRONOMY NOW STORY
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Read our earlier news archive page.
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