Sunday: October 15, 2000   1445 GMT Spacewalkers lend a hand building space station today Astronauts Leroy Chiao and William McArthur are walking in space today to electrically connect a massive structural truss that was installed on the international space station Saturday. They also plan to deploy a large Ku-band dish antenna. Follow the spacewalk in our status center.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY Choose from this menu:       New framework added to international space station After recovering from a potentially crippling short circuit, the Discovery astronauts Saturday successfully attached a $273 million structural truss to the international space station to accomplish one of the primary goals of the 100th shuttle mission.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    DAILY PREVIEW STORY    ANIMATION OF Z1 TRUSS ATTACHMENT Discovery's launch revisited Spaceflight Now presents a series of images from Wednesday's spectacular evening launch of space shuttle Discovery and previously unseen video clips from cameras at launch complex 39A.    PHOTO GALLERY    VIDEO: REAR VIEW OF LAUNCH (220k)    VIDEO: LIFTOFF IN CLOSE UP (161k)    VIDEO: FRONT VIEW OF LIFTOFF (341k) Digital sky survey dedicated The most ambitious astronomical survey ever undertaken. The largest three-dimensional reconstruction of the universe ever made. A quarter of the sky -- one hundred million celestial objects -- observed and recorded as 15 terabytes of digital information. It is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today NEAR Shoemaker on course for a close encounter -- With a few bursts from its thrusters on Friday, NEAR Shoemaker performed the first of the maneuvers that will send it on a low pass over Eros later this month. The craft is due to pass to within 4 miles of the asteroid's surface. Saturday: October 14, 2000   0401 GMT International space station to grow in size today It is construction day in space as the astronauts of shuttle Discovery plan to mount an 18,400-pound truss structure onto the international space station. The so-called Z1 truss houses four stabilizing gyroscopes and critical electronic gear for the outpost.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ANIMATION OF Z1 TRUSS ATTACHMENT Choose from this menu:       Discovery links up with international space station Streaking through space at five miles per second, the shuttle Discovery gently docked with the international space station on Friday as the two spacecraft sailed 240 miles above Ukraine. Commander Brian Duffy had no problems pulling off an on-time linkup, despite the loss of Discovery's rendezvous radar.    FULL STORY    DOCKING TIMELINE    VIDEO OF DOCKING & STATION ENTRY Dust disk found around a nearby star and planet The star "iota Horologii", 56 light-years from Earth, possesses not only an extrasolar planet, but also a dust disk. This is the exciting result of recent observations at the La Silla Observatory. Such a disk holds information about the formation of the exoplanetary system.    FULL STORY Europe's future science missions get full approval At its 92nd meeting this week, the European Space Agency's Science Programme Committee took the final step to consolidate the future of the science program by unanimously endorsing a package of five new missions and one reserve.    FULL STORY Friday: October 13, 2000   1500 GMT Discovery's TV downlink antenna on the blink The failure Thursday of the shuttle Discovery's primary television and rendezvous radar antenna will not prevent the crew from safely docking with the international space station today. But the loss will make the final rendezvous sequence slightly more complex while the loss of KU-band TV coverage means the linkup won't be seen live.    FULL STORY Shuttle and space station set for rendezvous today The two-day orbital chase by space shuttle Discovery to catch the international space station is scheduled to culminate with docking today at 1:46 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT). See our status center for continuous updates.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    DOCKING TIMELINE    ANIMATION OF DOCKING SEQUENCE Proton rocket launches with Glonass satellites A Russian Proton rocket blasted off today carrying a trio of military navigation satellites. Liftoff occurred at 1412:45 GMT (10:12:45 a.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.    FULL STORY Russian space station Mir financing goes public MirCorp plans an historic Initial Public Offering (IPO) on leading exchanges worldwide to raise $117 million in financing for long-term commercial operations with Russia's Mir space station.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today PanAmSat's PAS-1R satellite to serve four continents -- PanAmSat Corporation says the company's latest spacecraft, the PAS-1R Atlantic Ocean Region satellite, has arrived in Kourou, French Guiana in preparation for its historic liftoff in mid November. Thursday: October 12, 2000   0717 GMT Discovery lifts off on station assembly flight The space shuttle Discovery lifted off Wednesday on its oft-delayed space station assembly mission. The winged spaceship vaulted from its Florida launch pad at 7:17 p.m. EDT (2317 GMT), soon after sunset. See our status center for the latest on the mission.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: DISCOVERY LIFTS OFF    MISSION INDEX Choose from this menu:       Camera shows what it's like to launch aboard shuttle The Discovery astronauts have downlinked dramatic video recorded from inside the cockpit of the space shuttle, showing the jerking and shaking of launch and a surprising light show produced by the ship's main engine exhaust plume as the spacecraft left the atmosphere. (Includes images and video)    FULL STORY Russians fared better than Americans in space According to a new psychological and emotional study, American astronauts and mission control personnel who participated in missions to the Mir space station tended to be less happy and less satisfied with their working conditions than their Russian counterparts.    FULL STORY NEWSWIRE  Links to news across the internet NASA investigation team reports on shuttle engine damage -- (SpaceRef) On 16 June 2000, testing of a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) with a high-pressure fuel turbopump configuration at NASA Stennis Space Center had to be cut short. Higher than expected test temperatures caused the SSME to shut itself down 5 seconds into a planned 200-second test. Wednesday: October 11, 2000   0319 GMT Stray metal pin keeps shuttle grounded Clearly frustrated, NASA managers Tuesday ordered a fourth launch delay for the hard-luck shuttle Discovery after engineers spotted a small but potentially dangerous metal pin lodged in an inaccessible area at the base of the ship's external fuel tank.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: LAUNCH SCRUBBED    VIDEO: NASA DESCRIBES PIN    MISSION INDEX Hubble finds a tantalizing veil from exploded star This delicate Hubble Space Telescope image shows a tiny portion of the Cygnus loop, a supernova remnant in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. Measurements on this super-detailed image of a cosmic veil shows that the original supernova explosion took place only 5,000 years ago.    FULL STORY Extra tests of satellite cargo delay Atlas rocket launch A $200 million U.S. military communications satellite is awaiting a new launch date after a last-minute electrical concern with a crucial internal part forced officials to scrap a planned liftoff this week.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Sea Launch vessels depart to loft Thuraya satellite -- The Sea Launch Commander and the Odyssey Launch Platform, have departed Sea Launch Home Port in Long Beach, Calif., in preparation for the launch of the Thuraya-1 satellite next week. Tuesday: October 10, 2000   0850 GMT Discovery to make another launch attempt today NASA will make another attempt to launch space shuttle Discovery today, after technical and weather problems delayed its liftoff three times. The shuttle is scheduled to blast off at 7:40 p.m. EDT (2340 GMT) on NASA's most ambitious space station assembly mission yet.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    WINDS DELAYED LAUNCH MONDAY    LATEST LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST    MISSION INDEX Cassini sees Europa casting shadow on Jupiter The first color image of Jupiter taken by cameras on the Cassini spacecraft shows that weather on the giant planet is the same kind of weather that Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft photographed more than 21 years ago. The moon Europa is also visible.    FULL STORY New asteroid-searching telescope makes first find University of Arizona Spacewatch Project founders just realized a 20-year dream. They have ben electronically scanning the skies for asteroids throughout the solar system, and now have used a new, larger telescope to capture its first light from an asteroid.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Galileo busy replaying data from Io and Ganymede flybys -- NASA's Galileo spacecraft continues to play back science data acquired during its previous two encounters. In February, the spacecraft flew past Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, and in May the spacecraft flew past the largest Jovian moon, Ganymede. Monday: October 9, 2000   1420 GMT High winds scrub shuttle Discovery's launch After weekend work to resolve two technical issues, the hard-luck shuttle Discovery was grounded again today, this time by high winds at the launch pad that prevented engineers from completing preparations to fuel the ship for take off.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LATEST LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST    BOLT ISSUE RESOLVED    MISSION INDEX Choose from this menu:       Pegasus rocket launches NASA science probe An Orbital Sciences' air-launched Pegasus rocket successfully placed NASA's HETE 2 gamma ray observatory into space today to seek out the most powerful explosions in the universe. Release of the Pegasus from the carrier jet to begin its 30th flight occurred at 0538 GMT (1:38 a.m. EDT).    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH PREVIEW STORY Risk of solar radiation to aircraft fliers to be studied A new study is beginning to assess the exposure of passengers to cosmic radiation inside aircraft because surprisingly little is known about the causes and effects of this hazard. The risk is expected to increase as the Sun becomes more active and emits more radiation in the approach to Solar Maximum this year.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Boeing wraps up $3.75 billion Hughes acquisition -- Boeing concluded the formal acquisition of Hughes Space and Communications on Friday, creating the world's largest space company. Boeing now has subsidiaries in both the launching and satellite-building industries.				Shuttle Latest See the Status Center for full play-by-play coverage. Hubble poster The Hubble Space Telescope's majestic view of the Eskimo Nebula. This spectacular poster is available now from the Astronomy Now Store.    MORE Earlier news Oct. 2-8: Lonely giant planets seen 1,000 light years away; 100th shuttle launch delayed; Data relay glitch threatens mission to Saturn moon; Future of Mir uncertain; Proton and Ariane 4 launches. Sept. 25-Oct. 1: First images from new observatories; Fountains of fire on the Sun; Top 10 images from commercial eye-in-the-sky; Agreement on new X-33 plan. Sept. 18-24: Hubble movies; Atlantis lands safely; Global weather satellite launched; Mystery of asteroid Eros; X-ray telescope to provide virtual journey to black hole. Sept. 11-17: Astronauts delivery supplies to space station; Chandra clinches case for new type of black hole; Hubble finds possible crater of fresh ice on space rock; Star-making factory; Inside cauldron of exploded star; Ariane 5 launch. More news  See our weekly archive of space news. 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