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Sunday:
February 6, 2000 | |
0300 GMT |
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NASA X-38 team flies largest parafoil parachute
A team developing a prototype International Space Station "lifeboat" called the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle successfully flew the largest parafoil parachute in history in January.
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Huygens probe checked
The fifth in-flight checkout of the Saturn-bound Huygens probe was successfully completed this week. European controllers say all subsystems and experiments performed as expected.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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New results show which way the ocean winds blow -- Scientists, weather forecasters and the public take possession of a valuable stream of meteorological and climate observations this week, as the first calibrated measurements from NASA's SeaWinds instrument on the Quikscat satellite become available.
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Saturday:
February 5, 2000 | |
0527 GMT |
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Whole world listening for Mars Polar Lander signals
Radio telescopes in The Netherlands, England and at Stanford University in California began listening for a possible signal from Mars Polar Lander Friday.
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International Mars group looks for future options
Over the next five years, four space agencies will be sending spacecraft to Mars, with many others hitching rides. Their representatives converged on the British National Space Centre in London last week for the first meeting of the International Mars Exploration Working Group.
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Mars assessment team returns to JPL
The Mars Program Independent Assessment Team, appointed by NASA, returned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory this week to continue its review of the agency's program for the robotic exploration of Mars.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Shuttle Endeavour has new master controller -- A faulty avionics control unit that scuttled this week's shuttle launch has been replaced aboard Endeavour. Liftoff is now planned for 1730 GMT (12:30 p.m. EST) on February 11.
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Friday:
February 4, 2000 | |
1650 GMT |
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Spanish satellite rides Atlas rocket into Earth orbit
Neither the weather nor a minor technical problem could spoil Thursday's launch of a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carrying the Spanish Hispasat 1C communications satellite.
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MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH VIDEO (281k QuickTime file)
PHOTO GALLERY
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The 'force' put back in Cape Canaveral Air Station
Air Force Space Command issued a special order today which redesignates Cape Canaveral Air Station as Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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NEAR rendezvous burn a success
Preliminary indications show the NEAR spacecraft is on a steady path to Eros, after a braking maneuver Thursday adjusted its approach speed and trajectory toward the large asteroid.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Space station officials to meet next week -- Managers are preparing to travel to Moscow next week for a review of the ISS program and the readiness to launch of the station's next component -- the Zvezda service module.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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NASA: We'll launch if Russia fails -- (AP/Yahoo!) NASA administrator Daniel Goldin said the U.S. will launch its own service module to the International Space Station late this year if Russia fails to put up a module by this summer.
Nissan may sell aerospace division -- (AP/Yahoo!) Ailing Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it is in talks to sell its aerospace division as part of the company's efforts to restructure and return to profitability.
Solar smoke rings -- (NASA Space Science) The Sun put on a dynamic show this week with a series of swirling coronal mass ejections that expelled billions of tons of hot gas into interplanetary space.
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Thursday:
February 3, 2000 | |
1637 GMT |
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Launch of Endeavour officially reset for Feb. 11
NASA has secured February 11 as space shuttle Endeavour's new launch date after a scheduling conflict with an unrelated rocket test at Cape Canaveral was resolved, NASA officials confirmed late Wednesday.
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MISSION STATUS CENTER
STS-99 INDEX
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Atlas rocket to launch Spanish satellite tonight
A Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket is scheduled to launch the Spanish Hispasat 1C communications satellite tonight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida. Follow the countdown and launch in our Mission Status Center.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Progress links up with Mir
A Progress cargo freighter carrying with supplies and equipment docked to the Russian space station Mir today. The rendezvous concluded a two-day orbital chase that began when the Progress was launched.
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Hubble sees light and shadow in the Carina Nebula
Previously unseen details of a mysterious, complex structure within
the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) are revealed by this image of the
"Keyhole Nebula," obtained with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Russians launch new reconnaissance satellite -- A Zenit 2 rocket launched a classified Russian military spy satellite today from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The intermediate-class booster lifted off at 0926 GMT (4:26 a.m. EST) carrying the Cosmos 2369 spacecraft.
Rescheduled maneuver to keep NEAR on track -- Mission operators were set to send commands to NEAR Wednesday night for a revised engine burn that will keep the spacecraft on course for asteroid Eros. The burn will cut NEAR's approach speed.
ESA's XMM observatory takes first pictures -- The European Space Agency's X-ray space observatory has taken its very first pictures giving new views on the Universe. The commissioning images confirm XMM, its X-ray telescopes and instruments are functioning.
The Sun's magnetic field has a good memory -- By compiling all the solar wind data gathered in the space age, NASA scientists have concluded that even though the solar magnetic field is constantly changing, it always returns to its original shape and position.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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ICO rejigs Hughes deal for 12 satellites -- (Reuters/Yahoo!) ICO Global Communications Ltd. in a move to rebound from bankruptcy proceedings, has renegotiated a deal to purchase 12 satellites from Hughes Electronics Corp. on more-favorable terms and is close to securing options for four more.
EchoStar sues competitor DirecTV -- (Reuters/Yahoo!) EchoStar Communications Corp. on Tuesday sued DirecTV Enterprises Inc., claiming its competitor had monopolized the rapidly growing distribution of satellite television.
Red moon rising -- (NASA Space Science) Sky watchers from Europe to the Pacific were treated to a beautiful lunar eclipse last month. On January 20, 2000, the full moon plunged into the darkest part of Earth's shadow and put on a beautiful show for sky watchers from Europe to Hawaii.
Decision to get rid of NASA's icing plane to be reviewed -- (Cleveland Plain Dealer) NASA's investigative branch will review a controversial decision by the space agency's managers to get rid of a test plane at NASA Glenn Research Center that is used to study ice buildup on aircraft wings.
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Wednesday:
February 2, 2000 | |
2110 GMT |
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NEAR rendezvous burn delayed
The NEAR spacecraft went into a "safe" hold this morning while preparing for today's scheduled rendezvous burn. The NEAR team will attempt the maneuver tomorrow.
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Endeavour launch may be delayed until February 12
While workers make plans to replace a faulty avionics box aboard shuttle Endeavour, NASA officials are jockeying to secure a new launch date for the Earth radar mapping mission.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
STS-99 INDEX
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SpaceDev, Boeing head commercially to deep space
SpaceDev and The Boeing Company have teamed together to investigate opportunities for small, low-cost, deep-space missions to the moon, Mars and near-Earth asteroids.
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Projects disclose status from multi-satellite launch
Five satellites were launched aboard the first OSP Minotaur rocket. Now about a week later, the various satellite groups have released their status.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Terra has recorder trouble; orbit raising plans developed -- Controllers of NASA's Terra satellite are working on an alternative plan to boost the craft into its operational after a problem seen earlier this month. Also a data recorder recently hung up.
This week on Galileo -- Galileo heads back toward the heart of the Jupiter system this week after passing through apojove last Friday, the farthest distance from Jupiter for a given orbit.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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Earth turns its ears to Mars -- (BBC) European radio scientists are to join the hunt for the Mars Polar Lander (MPL) which has been missing since it entered the atmosphere of the Red Planet on December 3 last year.
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Tuesday:
February 1, 2000 | |
1809 GMT |
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NASA postpones shuttle Endeavour launch again
Space agency officials today ordered the replacement of a suspect avionics box aboard Endeavour, delaying the shuttle's launch until around February 9 at the earliest. Get the latest news in our Mission Status Center.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
STS-99 INDEX
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Progress ship bound for Mir
A Russian Soyuz rocket launched a Progress cargo freighter into space at 0647 GMT (1:47 a.m. EST) today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The craft, loaded with supplies and equipment, should dock with the space station Mir on Thursday.
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New efforts hear no signal from Mars lander, so far
Mission managers for Mars Polar Lander report that radio scientists at Stanford University have not detected a signal from the spacecraft in data they collected last week. However, further attempts will continue this week.
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NEAR snaps new approach photos of asteroid Eros
On Janunary 29 the multispectral imager on the NEAR spacecraft acquired the fourth in a series of color image sequences that will be taken during NEAR's approach to the asteroid 433 Eros.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Air Force communications satellite declared healthy -- The military now has a more responsive, high priority, communication satellite that allows defense officials and battlefield commanders to exchange crucial information during war.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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Countdown for Chinese astronaut -- (BBC) Speculation is growing that China may attempt a manned space flight to usher in the Year of the Dragon which begins on February 5.
Scientist says nutrients may foster microbial life on Europa -- (San Francisco Chronicle) A noted Stanford University space scientist calculates that intense radiation streaming from Jupiter is powerful enough to cook up nutrients essential to feed microbes living in the deep ocean that probably lies beneath Europa's icy crust.
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Monday:
January 31, 2000 | |
2100 GMT |
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Endeavour delayed 24 hours
NASA officials have scrubbed today's planned launch of space shuttle Endeavour due to bad weather at Kennedy Space Center. The launch team was also working a technical problem with an electronics box on the shuttle. Liftoff has been reset for Tuesday. Stay with Spaceflight Now for continuous live reports.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
STS-99 INDEX
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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Russia plans Mars probe in 2005, if the money lands -- (Russia Today) Russia is planning to send a space probe towards Mars and its moon Phobos in 2005, to examine the surface of the red planet, if the money can be found, scientists said.
Astronauts turn to Alberta for space training -- (CBC) When NASA wanted to try out potential candidates for the international space station it needed to find a substitute for outer space. The U.S. space agency settled on Cold Lake, Alberta and this week 12 astronauts began their first test -- surviving wilderness training during a Canadian winter.
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