Spaceflight Now

Sunday: April 13, 2003		0235 GMT

Supermassive black hole at core of skinny galaxy Scientists have uncovered a supermassive black hole at the core of a svelte, spiral galaxy, a finding that questions a recently devised rule of thumb in which only galaxies with bulging cores have such black holes. FULL STORY

X-rays chart the wakes of supersonic galaxies A new observation of the galaxy cluster Abell 160 is giving astronomers important insight into the motion of galaxies as they plough through tenuous gas in space at supersonic speeds. Observations made with the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal the wakes they create behind them. FULL STORY

Saturday: April 12, 2003		0625 GMT

Atlas 3 rocket gives Asian satellite ride to orbit An Asian telecommunications spacecraft that will cover over 40 countries from the Middle East to New Zealand was successfully launched Friday night by a Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket from Cape Canaveral. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER ARCHIVED ATLAS COVERAGE

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Friday: April 11, 2003		0621 GMT

Atlas 3 to try again today A last-minute shift in upper level winds delayed Thursday's launch of a Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket carrying a communications satellite to serve the Asia-Pacific region. Another launch attempt is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. EDT today. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP ARCHIVED ATLAS COVERAGE

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF THIS LAUNCH QT VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE HELD THURSDAY QT VIDEO: REPLAY OF LAST YEAR'S MAIDEN ATLAS 3B LAUNCH QT VIDEO: ATLAS 3B ROCKET PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
SIRTF launch delayed The launch of NASA's final "Great Observatory" -- the Space Infrared Telescope Facility -- is being delayed due to concerns associated with the Boeing Delta 2 rocket that will send $1.2 billion mission into space, sources said on Thursday. FULL STORY

Far-flung supernovae shed light on dark universe Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys have found two supernovae that exploded so long ago they provide new clues about the accelerating universe and its mysterious "dark energy." The supernovae are approximately 5 and 8 billion light-years from Earth. The farther one exploded so long ago the universe may still have been decelerating under its own gravity. FULL STORY

Giant solar tadpoles born in explosion Dark features resembling Earth-sized tadpoles were seen swimming in the atmosphere of the Sun after it was heated to millions of degrees following an enormous explosion, according to scientists who made the observation using NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer spacecraft. FULL STORY

Thursday: April 10, 2003		0425 GMT

Ariane 5 program resumes flights with a success Europe's battered Ariane 5 rocket program scored a much needed success Wednesday night, lofting a pair of communications satellites while making strides to repair the heavy-lifting booster's reputation. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER ARCHIVED ARIANE COVERAGE

Third Atlas 3 rocket awaits liftoff from Cape today Just after sunset tonight along Florida's Space Coast, a Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket is expected to fire off the launch pad carrying a telecommunications satellite to serve the Asia-Pacific region. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP ARCHIVED ATLAS COVERAGE

Galileo makes discovery during moon encounter NASA's Galileo spacecraft serendipitously discovered seven to nine space rocks near Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea when Galileo flew past that moon five months ago. FULL STORY

Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission moves ahead The solar system's farthest known planetary outpost is closer to getting its first visitor. This week NASA gave The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute and their partners the go-ahead to start full development of the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. FULL STORY

Wednesday: April 9, 2003		0251 GMT

No 'privileged' testimony to be made public Harold Gehman, chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, said today two interim recommendations will be released late this week or early next and that the panel likely will write its final report in June. Gehman also said "privileged," or confidential testimony from senior shuttle managers, engineers and technicians, will never be made public, either in a public hearing or in final report transcripts. FULL STORY
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Experts recount two decades of debris shedding The shedding of foam insulation from space shuttle external tanks was never considered a safety-of-flight issue, experts told the Columbia Accident Investigation Board this week. But tank engineers have worried for more than 20 years about potentially catastrophic impacts and a top level program requirement held that any shedding of large, potentially dangerous pieces of debris was forbidden. FULL STORY

Last Milstar successfully soars to orbital perch The final member of the U.S. military's most secure satellite communications constellation ascended into the sky Tuesday where it will relay highly sensitive information between the president and the armed forces. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH MILSTAR 6 QT VIDEO: LAUNCH SCENES FROM PRESS SITE ON CAUSEWAY QT VIDEO: RETROSPECTIVE VIDEO ON HISTORY OF TITAN QT VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE HELD SATURDAY QT VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF MILSTAR ASSEMBLY IN FACTORY QT VIDEO: MILSTAR SPACECRAFT SHIPPED TO THE CAPE QT VIDEO: SATELLITE ENCAPSULATED BY NOSE CONE QT VIDEO: ANIMATION OF MILSTAR ASCENT TO ORBIT QT PANORAMA: 360-DEGREE VIEW OF TITAN 4 ON THE PAD QT VR SUBSCRIBE NOW
Ariane 5 launch postponed Tuesday's planned return-to-flight launch of the Ariane 5 rocket was delayed at least 24 hours at the request of a mission customer. Arianespace did not disclose which satellite payload atop the rocket -- Insat 3A or Galaxy 12 -- prompted the delay. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates PREVIEW STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE ARCHIVED ARIANE COVERAGE

Astronauts take spacewalk outside station Space station commander Kenneth Bowersox and science officer Donald Pettit embarked on a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk Tuesday to complete a series of chores before the orbiting complex is turned over to a two-man crew later this month. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Tuesday: April 8, 2003		0348 GMT

Titan 4 rocket set for another launch try today A second attempt to launch a Titan 4 rocket carrying the final Milstar spacecraft is scheduled for 9:43 a.m. EDT (1343 GMT) today from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 10,000-pound, $800 million satellite that will serve as an orbiting switchboard for secure communications between senior U.S. leaders and military forces around the world. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE PREVIEW STORY

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: RETROSPECTIVE VIDEO ON HISTORY OF TITAN QT VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE HELD SATURDAY QT VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF MILSTAR ASSEMBLY IN FACTORY QT VIDEO: MILSTAR SPACECRAFT SHIPPED TO THE CAPE QT VIDEO: SATELLITE ENCAPSULATED BY NOSE CONE QT VIDEO: ANIMATION OF MILSTAR ASCENT TO ORBIT QT PANORAMA: 360-DEGREE VIEW OF TITAN 4 ON THE PAD QT VR SUBSCRIBE NOW
Americans to take spacewalk outside station Space station commander Kenneth Bowersox and science officer Donald Pettit are gearing up for a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk today to complete a series of chores before the orbiting complex is turned over to a two-man crew later this month. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: SPACEWALK PREVIEW NEWS BRIEFING QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Ariane 5 to launch today The crucial return-to-flight of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled for 6:49 p.m. EDT (2249 GMT) today from the South American spaceport in Kourou carrying a pair of Indian and American communications satellites. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates PREVIEW STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE ARCHIVED ARIANE COVERAGE

Weather iffy for Atlas 3 The early weather forecast for Thursday evening's launch of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket from Florida calls for a 40 percent chance of conditions prohibiting liftoff. The AsiaSat 4 telecommunications satellite will ride the rocket into orbit. A complete mission preview is coming soon. LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST

Monday: April 7, 2003		0340 GMT

Titan 4 launch scrubbed After a series of technical and Range issues Sunday, the launch of a Titan 4 rocket was scrubbed until Tuesday. The rocket is to loft a 10,000-pound, $800 million satellite that will serve as an orbiting switchboard for secure communications between senior U.S. leaders and military forces around the world. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE PREVIEW STORY

First images from disaster monitoring microsat An armada of small satellites will soon be circling Earth ready for use as an on-demand imaging system to monitor natural and man-made disasters affecting nations worldwide. Officials released the first images from the disaster monitoring constellation's flagship spacecraft -- AlSat-1 -- last week. FULL STORY

New Mars Global Surveyor view of dune field NASA's Mars Global Surveyor in orbit around the Red Planet has captured this view of the Wirtz Crater sand dune field. Scientists say the shape of the dunes indicates that wind has been transporting the sand from the southwest toward the northeast. FULL STORY

News Archive
March 31-April 6: Gehman calls recorder data a 'treasure trove'; NASA formally announces Expedition 7 station crew; Delta doesn't disappoint in successful GPS launch; Hubble's rainbow image of a dusty star; NASA researchers put new spin on relativity theory.

March 24-30: Plan calls for shuttles to be imaged by spy satellites; Expert says NASA lost sight of safety margin; Japan enters spy satellite arena with rocket launch; Rocket troubles delay pair of ESA research projects; Stunning Hubble images of mysterious erupting star; New class of hot-tempered black holes bucks trends.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.

Apollo 12 tribute DVD set

New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail.

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Fallen Heroes special patch

This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.

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Women in Space

Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.

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Mars rover poster

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

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Gemini 12

Gemini 12: The NASA Mission Reports covers the voyage of James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin that capped the Gemini program's efforts to prove the technologies and techniques that would be needed for the Apollo Moon landings. Includes CD-ROM.

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Soviet Space

For the first time ever available in the West. Rocket & Space Corporation Energia: a complete pictorial history of the Soviet/Russian Space Program from 1946 to the present day all in full color. Available from our store.

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Viking patch

This embroidered mission patch celebrates NASA's Viking Project which reached the Red Planet in 1976.

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Apollo 7 DVD

For 11 days the crew of Apollo 7 fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.

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Gemini 12

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Soviet Space

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Viking patch

This embroidered mission patch celebrates NASA's Viking Project which reached the Red Planet in 1976.

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Apollo 7 DVD

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Gemini 12

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Expedition 18 patch & pin

The official embroidered patch and lapel pin for the International Space Station Expedition 18 crew is now available to from our stores.

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Ares patch

The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.

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Apollo patches

The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.
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Columbus mission patch

The official astronaut embroidered patch of Atlantis' STS-122 mission that launched the Columbus science lab in February is available to U.S. customers from our store.

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