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Sunday:
January 6, 2002 | |
0302 GMT |
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Lowell astronomers to help lead Pluto-Kuiper mission
Two Lowell Observatory astronomers are members of the New Horizons science team selected by NASA to lead the Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission, intended to explore our solar system's most distant planet and beyond.
 FULL STORY
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Space station crew wraps up cell research experiment
Operations with two long-running experiments have resumed onboard the International Space Station following a holiday break, and the three-man station crew has completed a labor-intensive cell science experiment.
FULL STORY
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Saturday:
January 5, 2002 | |
0316 GMT |
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Sun erupts with an extraordinary mass ejection
The Sun unlashed a powerful eruption Friday and the SOHO instruments recorded maybe the most complex coronal mass ejection seen since the launch of the observatory six years ago. The event was initiated by an eruptive prominence on the northeast solar limb and is therefore not heading towards the Earth.
FULL STORY
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World's largest telescope creates a virtual star
The W. M. Keck Observatory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have created a "virtual" guide star that will greatly increase the ability of the Keck II telescope using adaptive optics to resolve fine details of astronomical objects.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
January 4, 2002 | |
0320 GMT |
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History Flashback: Space shuttle mission STS-51A
Over the past few days we have reminisced about the November 1984 flight of Discovery that arguably has been the most daring and complex space shuttle mission. The astronauts successfully launched two communications satellites and then recovered two others during extraordinary spacewalks using jet-propelled backpacks and muscle power. We have posted 50 minutes of video in 28 clips for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers:
VIDEO INDEX
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Hubble snaps stunning view of globules in space
Strangely glowing dark clouds float serenely in this remarkable and beautiful image taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. These dense, opaque dust clouds - known as "globules" - are silhouetted against nearby bright stars in the busy star-forming region, IC 2944.
FULL STORY
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'Space hairs' could help craft dock to mother ship
Beds of thousands of tiny pulsating artificial "hairs" can provide a precise method for steering small satellites to docking stations on larger vessels, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Washington.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
January 3, 2002 | |
0448 GMT |
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History Flashback: Space shuttle mission STS-51A
Over the past few days we have reminisced about the November 1984 flight of Discovery that arguably has been the most daring and complex space shuttle mission. The astronauts successfully launched two communications satellites and then recovered two others during extraordinary spacewalks using jet-propelled backpacks and muscle power. Today, we offer the fifth and final collection of video clips that includes the Presidential Call and landing:
VIDEO INDEX
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Element reveals abundance of matter in early Universe
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's 140 Foot Radio Telescope were able to infer the amount of matter created by the Big Bang, and confirmed that it accounts for only a small portion of the effects of gravity observed in the Universe.
FULL STORY
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NASA satellite observes fires raging around Sydney
Bush fires surrounding Sydney continue to burn feverishly, and vast smoke plumes ascend from the southeastern coastline of Australia and extend out over the Tasman Sea. This true-color image from NASA's Terra spacecraft was made from data collected on Tuesday.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
January 2, 2002 | |
0039 GMT |
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History Flashback: Space shuttle mission STS-51A
When Discovery blasted off on November 8, 1984 it marked the start of arguably the most daring and complex space shuttle mission. The astronauts successfully launched two communications satellites and then recovered two others during extraordinary spacewalks using jet-propelled backpacks and muscle power. Over the next few days we'll present video clips of the mission for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Today, we offer part four -- the spacewalk to retrieve the wayward Westar 6 satellite:
VIDEO INDEX
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New images of 'Pillars of Creation' in Eagle Nebula
Evidence has been found for recent star formation in the so-called "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula in new must-see pictures. Those huge pillars of gas and dust are being sculpted and illuminated by bright and powerful high-mass stars in the nearby NGC 6611 young stellar cluster.
FULL STORY
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Connexion by Boeing receives FCC license
The Boeing Company has been granted a license by the Federal Communications Commission that will enable passengers on airplanes to transmit and receive broadband data in flight, using its revolutionary Connexion by Boeing service.
FULL STORY
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Tuesday:
January 1, 2002 | |
0337 GMT |
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History Flashback: Space shuttle mission STS-51A
When Discovery blasted off on November 8, 1984 it marked the start of arguably the most daring and complex space shuttle mission. The astronauts successfully launched two communications satellites and then recovered two others during extraordinary spacewalks using jet-propelled backpacks and muscle power. Over the next few days we'll present video clips of the mission for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Today, we offer part three -- the spacewalk to retrieve the stranded Palapa satellite:
VIDEO INDEX
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
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Shuttle program looks to records, challenges in 2002
On the heels of making space history in 2001 by completing the first phase of the International Space Station assembly in orbit, the space shuttle will continue a string of space firsts during six missions planned for 2002.
FULL STORY
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NASA funds next-gen space transport efforts
NASA has announced an additional $94.6 million in contract awards to advance the agency's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) -- a research and development effort to develop the technologies needed to build a second-generation reusable launch vehicle, as well as to design vehicle architectures for 21st century missions.
FULL STORY
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Monday:
December 31, 2001 | |
0452 GMT |
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Moon of Uranus is demoted
In an unusual move, the International Astronomical Union has recently stripped the title of "moon" from a body orbiting Uranus discovered in images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The IAU concluded that there is not as yet enough information to confirm that the object is in fact a natural satellite of Uranus.
FULL STORY
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History Flashback: Space shuttle mission STS-51A
When Discovery blasted off on November 8, 1984 it marked the start of arguably the most daring and complex space shuttle mission. The astronauts successfully launched two communications satellites and then recovered two others during extraordinary spacewalks using jet-propelled backpacks and muscle power. Over the next few days we'll present video clips of the mission for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Today, we offer part two -- deployment of the Anik and Syncom satellites:
VIDEO INDEX
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
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Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now present a 100-page, full-color special publication: 2001: a Year in Space. A stunning month-by-month pictorial record of the space events and discoveries during 2001. Available now from our store.
The Hubble Space Telescope's majestic view of the Eskimo Nebula. This spectacular poster is available now from the Astronomy Now Store.