Spaceflight Now

Sunday: May 4, 2003		0630 GMT

Off-target Soyuz found after hours of searching An upgraded Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft carrying three returning space station fliers landed some 285 miles short of its target in Kazakhstan, kicking off a hurried search that raised post-Columbia concern among U.S. observers. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates LANDING PREVIEW STORY UNDOCKING AND LANDING TIMELINE GRAPHICAL PREVIEW OF SOYUZ HOMECOMING MAP OF LANDING ZONE IN KAZAKHSTAN

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: WATCH THE CHANGE-OF-COMMAND CEREMONY QT VIDEO: NASA ADMINISTRATOR SEAN O'KEEFE CALLS THE STATION QT VIDEO: EXPEDITION 6 CREW BIDS FAREWELL AND BOARDS SOYUZ QT VIDEO: 5-MINUTE REPLAY OF SOYUZ TMA-1 UNDOCKING QT VIDEO: 'THE EARLY SHOW' INTERVIEW WITH STATION CREWS QT VIDEO: LIVE CREW INTERVIEW BY CNN'S MILES O'BRIEN QT COMPLETE VIDEO LISTING SUBSCRIBE NOW
Saturday: May 3, 2003		0001 GMT

Outgoing station crew returns to Earth today After more than five months living in space, the Expedition 6 crew of commander Ken Bowersox, flight engineer Nikolai Budarin and science officer Don Pettit will depart the international space station aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-1 capsule today for landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan. MISSION STATUS CENTER UNDOCKING AND LANDING TIMELINE SPACE STATION VIDEO COLLECTION

Finding ashes of first stars Recent observations with the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the first stars formed as little as 200 million years after the Big Bang. This is much earlier than previously thought. Astronomers have observed large amounts of iron in the ultraluminous light from very distant, ancient quasars. This iron is the "ashes" left from supernova explosions in the very first generation of stars. FULL STORY

Friday: May 2, 2003		0215 GMT

Full video coverage of Expedition 7 launch Video coverage of the Expedition 7 crew's pre-flight preparations, launch aboard the Russian Soyuz capsule, docking to the space station and joint activities with Expedition 6 is available to Spaceflight Now Plus users. SEE VIDEO COLLECTION PEGASUS/GALEX LAUNCH COLLECTION

Freewheeling galaxies collide in blaze of star birth A dusty spiral galaxy appears to be rotating on edge, like a pinwheel, as it slides through the larger, bright galaxy NGC 1275 in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. Taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, the image shows traces of spiral structure accompanied by dramatic dust lanes and bright blue regions that mark areas of active star formation. FULL STORY

Scientist sees evidence of 'onions' in space Scientists may have peeled away another layer of mystery about materials floating in deep space. Tiny multilayered balls called "carbon onions," produced in laboratory studies, appear to have the same light-absorption characteristics as dust particles in the regions between the stars. FULL STORY

Thursday: May 1, 2003		0001 GMT

Columbia could not be saved, NASA study shows As NASA and independent investigators close in on the root cause of the Columbia disaster, one question lingers in the minds of many armchair analysts: What, if anything, could have been done to save the crew if engineers had known early on that the orbiter had a non-survivable breach in the leading edge of its left wing? FULL STORY
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Hubble gyroscope fails; no impact to science The Hubble Space Telescope went into "zero gyro safemode," a form of electronic hibernation, early Tuesday when one of the three stabilizing gyroscopes then in operation failed. The telescope is programmed to stop science observations, spin down its remaining gyros and go into safe mode whenever fewer than three gyros are running. FULL STORY

Early Universe sheds light on how elements form New information from a distant corner of the Universe may lead to a fuller understanding of how the elements of the periodic table -- which make up all the familiar matter in the Universe -- come to be. FULL STORY

Wednesday: April 30, 2003		0310 GMT

Breach moves slightly inboard; key tests on tap Ongoing analysis of recovered debris from the shuttle Columbia indicates the deadly breach in the ship's left wing may have been centered on a broken leading edge panel and not slightly outboard at a so-called "T-seal" as investigators were thinking last week, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Tuesday. FULL STORY

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: THIS WEEK'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
BeppoSAX takes the plunge A defunct Italian research satellite fell from orbit Tuesday and spread debris across the Pacific Ocean, ending a potential scare to more than 30 nations along the equator that were under the craft's orbital flight path before re-entry. FULL STORY

The search for the missing mass of the Universe The Universe around us is not what it appears. The stars make up less than 1 percent of its mass; all the gas clouds and other objects, less than 5 percent. This visible matter is mere flotsam on a sea of unknown material -- so called 'Dark Matter' -- a descriptor which mainly serves as an expression of our great ignorance of its nature. FULL STORY

Tuesday: April 29, 2003		0100 GMT

Group organized to develop ambitious survey telescope Four major research organizations have joined forces to build a world-class telescope that will survey the entire sky in a relentless search for supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, near-Earth asteroids and the mysterious energy of expansion in the Universe known as dark energy. FULL STORY

NASA satellite measures Earth's carbon metabolism NASA scientists have unveiled the first consistent and continuous global measurements of Earth's "metabolism." Data from the Terra and Aqua satellites are helping scientists frequently update maps of the rate at which plant life on Earth is absorbing carbon out of the atmosphere. FULL STORY

Monday: April 28, 2003		1400 GMT

Satellite launched to trace the evolution of galaxies A diminutive satellite with a monumental goal of mapping the history of star formation in a million galaxies streaked into space Monday atop an air-launched rocket booster. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: L-1011 CARRIER JET TAKES OFF FROM CAPE QT VIDEO: WATCH 12-MINUTE REPLAY OF GALEX LAUNCH QT VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT COMMENTS BY NASA LAUNCH MANAGER QT SEE GALEX VIDEO COLLECTION SUBSCRIBE NOW
New residents arrive at station for half-year stay A Russian Soyuz spacecraft successfully docked with the international space station Monday, bringing a two-man "caretaker" crew to the lab complex in a bid to keep the high-maintenance station manned until NASA's space shuttles can resume flights. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: 5-MINUTES OF FINAL APPROACH & DOCKING FROM SOYUZ QT VIDEO: STATION'S VIEW OF APPROACHING SOYUZ CAPSULE QT VIDEO: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF DOCKING FROM INSIDE STATION QT VIDEO: HATCHWAY OPENED AND EXPEDITION 7 ENTERS STATION QT VIDEO: VIP CALL FROM RUSSIAN AND U.S. OFFICIALS QT VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS CONFERENCE QT SUBSCRIBE NOW

News Archive
April 21-27: Space station caretaker crew blasts off on Soyuz; NASA, CAIB investigators compare notes on disaster; Dittemore to leave after accident probe complete; Glowing hot transiting exoplanet discovered; Spectacular photos unveil mysterious nebulae; Titan reveals a surface dominated by icy bedrock.

April 14-20: Columbia board issues preliminary recommendations; Administrator O'Keefe visits Texas search teams; Rocket booster problem delays SIRTF until August; Fix ordered for possible problem on Mars rovers; X-rays found from a lightweight brown dwarf.

April 7-13: No 'privileged' Columbia testimony to be made public; Ariane 5 program resumes flights with a success; Last Milstar successfully soars to orbital perch on Titan 4; Atlas 3 rocket gives Asian satellite ride to orbit; SIRTF launch on hold; Galileo makes discovery during moon encounter; Far-flung supernovae shed light on dark Universe.

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.

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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

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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Gemini 12

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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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Apollo 12 tribute DVD set

Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

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.

Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

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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U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

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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Current Shuttle Mission Patch

The official embroidered patch for shuttle Atlantis' flight to deliver critical spare equipment to the space station.

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Ares 1-X Patch

The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.

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Apollo Collage

This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.

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Project Orion

The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.

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Fallen Heroes Patch Collection

The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.

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