Spaceflight Now

Sunday: July 13, 2003		0022 GMT

Rocket telescope sees Sun Scientists got their closest-ever ultraviolet look at the Sun from space, thanks to a telescope and camera launched aboard a sounding rocket. The images revealed an unexpectedly high level of activity in a lower layer of the Sun's atmosphere. The pictures will help researchers answer one of their most burning questions about how the Sun works. FULL STORY

Europe awards contracts for first Galileo satellites European space officials have announced the builders of two experimental spacecraft for the Galileo global satellite navigation system. The craft will serve as forerunners for the system's in-orbit validation phase. FULL STORY

Saturday: July 12, 2003		0101 GMT

Detailed failure scenario released by Columbia board The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has released a definitive scenario detailing the doomed shuttle's countdown, launch and re-entry. The result is the most complete picture yet showing how a foam strike during launch punched a catastrophic hole in the shuttle's left wing that led to the ship's destruction during re-entry Feb. 1. FULL STORY

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Catching a comet's tail in Earth's upper atmosphere For more than 20 years, NASA has flown high-altitude research aircraft to collect cosmic dust -- debris of comets and asteroids that fills the inner solar system. In late April though, they made the first attempt to collect dust particles from a very specific target -- comet Grigg-Skjellerup. FULL STORY

Friday: July 11, 2003		0430 GMT

Shuttle team attempts to recover Atlas 5 boosters The odds of a successful catch are somewhere between slim and none, but a space shuttle solid rocket motor retrieval team will sail into the Atlantic Ocean next week in hopes of snaring the spent boosters from Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 rocket. FULL STORY

Farthest and oldest known planet confirmed Long before the Earth and sun existed, a Jupiter-sized planet formed around a sun-like star. Now, 13 billion years later, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has precisely measured the mass of this farthest and oldest known planet, and an international team of scientists has determined the age and mass of a companion helium white dwarf. FULL STORY

Helios investigators issue interim mishap report The NASA Mishap Investigation Board that is probing the causes of the in-flight mishap that led to the loss of the Helios Prototype solar-electric aircraft June 26 has completed the on-site portion of their task at the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, and will now turn towards coming up with a probable cause of the accident. FULL STORY

Thursday: July 10, 2003		0220 GMT

Pluto's atmosphere is expanding, researchers say Pluto's atmosphere is expanding even as it continues on its long orbit away from the sun, a team of astronomers report. Scientists said the new results seem counterintuitive, because observers assumed Pluto's atmosphere would begin to collapse as it cooled. In fact, the temperature of Pluto's mostly nitrogen atmosphere has increased around 1 degree Celsius since it was closest to the sun in 1989. FULL STORY

Opportunity sees Mars as it navigates through space NASA's Opportunity spacecraft, the second of twin Mars Exploration Rovers, has successfully reduced its spin rate as planned and switched to celestial navigation using a star scanner. FULL STORY

Cosmic evolution: How the Owl Nebula got its shape Astronomers have assembled the first effective model for both the shape and evolutionary history of the Owl Nebula, the well-known planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major. Named for its ghostly similarity to the face of the carnivorous bird of prey, the Owl Nebula has a complex structure consisting of three concentric shells. FULL STORY

Wednesday: July 9, 2003		0200 GMT

Mars Express power glitch a minor annoyance, ESA says Europe's Mars Express orbiter is now over one month into its marathon cruise to the Red Planet, and although the ground team has discovered a few of the probe's quirks in testing, project officials contend the spacecraft is performing well. FULL STORY

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2003 comet awards announced An annual award of several thousand dollars for discoveries of comets by amateur astronomers has just been announced for the fifth consecutive year. FULL STORY

Tuesday: July 8, 2003		0702 GMT

Earth's Opportunity rover launched to Mars Recovering from a last-second cliffhanger delay, NASA finally launched its second state-of-the-art rover to Mars late Monday, sending the $400 million "Opportunity" spacecraft on its way atop a hot-rod Delta 2 rocket that lighted the night sky for dozens of miles around. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

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Foam impact test blows hole in shuttle wing panel In a dramatic test that drew startled gasps from onlookers, engineers fired a chunk of foam insulation at a mockup of a shuttle wing leading edge Monday, blowing a gaping 16-inch-wide hole in the carbon composite structure and putting to rest any lingering doubts a launch-day foam strike was responsible for the Columbia disaster. FULL STORY

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Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket fitted with Rainbow Fueled and ready to fly, the Rainbow 1 direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellite was delivered to Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 assembly building and mounted atop its rocket launcher Monday for next week's liftoff from Cape Canaveral. FULL STORY

Monday: July 7, 2003		0042 GMT

Mars Exploration Rover poised for Monday liftoff After a nine-day wait to fix problems with its launcher, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will take its second shot at departing Earth on Monday night aboard a Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates! LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP

Space sailing test could launch within months The Planetary Society's efforts to build and operate the world's first solar sail are pressing onward for what officials hope will be a launch before the end of this year. FULL STORY

'Spacewalk squad' joins humans and robots Humans and robots worked side-by-side this summer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to evaluate the concept of using human-robotic teams to improve the productivity of astronauts working outside the International Space Station, other space vehicles, or on the surface of other planets. FULL STORY

News Archive
June 30-July 6: Foam strike email to shuttle commander released; Shuttle program announces personnel changes; Launch of Mars rover Opportunity delayed; Celestial fireworks; Solar system 'most similar' to our own discovered; Minimal data loss expected from SOHO problem; Rockot booster launches 9 payloads.

June 23-29: Foam 'most probable' cause of Columbia disaster; Columbia board issues tile repair recommendation; Spaceflight Now interviews station's resident crew; SOHO engineers battle to overcome antenna problem; Commercial Earth imager launched into space by Pegasus; Helios prototype solar aircraft lost in mishap.

June 16-22: Space shuttle tile repair options in development; Engineers assess bi-pod redesign options; Lu talks of 'silver lining' from the Columbia tragedy; The secret lives of galaxies unveiled in deep survey; Evidence for meteor in early mass extinction found.

June 9-15: 'Spirit' rover begins seven-month cruise to Mars; Cargo-carrying craft docks to space station; Bolt catcher a possible shuttle return to flight issue; Comets survive plunge through Sun's atmosphere; Ariane 5 launches double cargo with success; Sea Launch rocket lofts second Thuraya spacecraft.

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Columbia Report

A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven.

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Mars Panorama

DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image.

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Apollo 11 Mission Report

Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!

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Rocket DVD

If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.

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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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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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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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Expedition 20

The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.

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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 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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One Giant Leap

Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.

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Expedition 21

The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.

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