Spaceflight Now

Sunday: August 10, 2003		0329 GMT

'Winking star' started winking only recently Last year, astronomers announced that they had discovered a "winking" star -- a star known as KH 15D that undergoes a regular, long-lasting (~20 day) eclipse every 48 days. Spurred on by those findings, the past behavior of KH 15D has been examined using sky photographs taken during the first half of the 20th century and stored in the Harvard archives. FULL STORY

Saturday: August 9, 2003		0335 GMT

Nature of comets reconsidered The long-held perspective that comets are pristine remnants from the formation of the solar system has evolved from the prevailing views of 30 years ago, finds a planetary scientist in a newly published paper. FULL STORY

Too close for comfort: A view of globular cluster This Hubble Space Telescope view of the core of one of the nearest globular star clusters, called NGC 6397, resembles a treasure chest of glittering jewels. The cluster is located 8,200 light-years away in the constellation Ara. FULL STORY

Friday: August 8, 2003		0703 GMT

Shuttle return-to-flight task group outlines plans The co-chairman of a panel charged with assessing how well NASA meets the intent of recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Thursday he's not sure the agency will have time to implement critical management changes before shuttle flights resume next year. FULL STORY STS-107 STORY DIRECTORY

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Sea Launch rocket lofts communications satellite The tenth Sea Launch mission lifted off from the central Pacific Ocean Thursday night, successfully delivering into space a "combo" communications satellite that will be shared by two different companies. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Replacement satellite to be launched for XM Radio XM Satellite Radio announced Thursday that it plans to launch a third satellite into its fleet, in addition to a decision to order a fourth satellite to serve as a ground spare to be sent into orbit as needed. FULL STORY

Delta 4 launch likely pushed back to late-August Unless the Eastern Range schedule at Cape Canaveral has an unexpected opening in the coming days, launch of Boeing's Delta 4 rocket carrying the last Air Force DSCS communications satellite will be delayed until August 28, the company said today. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!

Thursday: August 7, 2003		0235 GMT

Asteroids dedicated to fallen Columbia astronauts The final crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia was memorialized in the cosmos as seven asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter were named in their honor Wednesday. FULL STORY

Source for major type of supernova explosions found Astronomers have finally identified the progenitor star system of a Type Ia supernova. The culprit that triggered the stellar explosion is a surprisingly normal star just a few times more massive than the Sun. FULL STORY

First shape measurement of an exploding white dwarf Scientists have established that the extraordinarily bright and remarkably similar astronomical "standard candles" known as Type Ia supernovae do not explode in a perfectly spherical manner. FULL STORY

Wednesday: August 6, 2003		0145 GMT

NASA deputy chief declines 'culture' questions NASA will respond to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations "almost to the letter," a senior agency official said Tuesday. But Frederick Gregory, NASA's deputy administrator, downplayed widely publicized criticism of NASA's management culture, saying "it would be difficult for me to define to you what the 'NASA culture' is." FULL STORY

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Sea Launch prepares for Thursday night flight Sea Launch vessels have returned to the central Pacific Ocean for the consortium's tenth mission -- the deployment of a "combo" communications satellite that will be shared by two different companies. Liftoff of the Zenit 3SL rocket is set for 11:31 p.m. EDT Thursday (0331 GMT Friday). FULL STORY

Tuesday: August 5, 2003		0344 GMT

'Phoenix' lander headed for Martian North Pole In May 2008, the progeny of two promising U.S. missions to Mars will deploy a lander to the water-ice-rich northern polar region, dig with a robotic arm into arctic terrain for clues on the history of water, and search for environments suitable for microbes. FULL STORY

Delta 4 rocket searching for new launch date When the Boeing Delta 4 rocket and the Air Force's DSCS 3-B6 communications satellite will get their next shot at launching remains very unclear because the Eastern Range's schedule is jam-packed this month. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates! PREVIEW STORY LAUNCH TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP

Many gamma-ray bursts go undetected An MIT researcher estimates that there are roughly 450 gamma-ray bursts or X-ray flashes occurring in the observable universe for every 1 detectable by orbiting satellites. The bursts shine as brightly as a million trillion suns yet seldom lasting even one minute. FULL STORY

Monday: August 4, 2003		0050 GMT

Gravity variations predict earthquake behavior In trying to predict where earthquakes will occur, few people would think to look at Earth's gravity field. What does the force that causes objects to fall to the ground and the moon to orbit around the earth have to do with the unpredictable ground trembling of an earthquake? FULL STORY

News Archive
July 28-Aug. 3: New maps of Mars water; Columbia board: NASA needs better imaging; Ion engine records nearly five years of firing time; Wind and reflections from supermassive black hole; Troubles strike Landsat 7.

July 21-27: Pentagon strips 7 launches from Boeing Delta 4 rocket; Columbia management team hardly discussed foam strike; Two options emerge for NASA's Orbital Space Plane; Space entrepreneurs seek regulatory relief; Giant gas cloud made of atoms formed in first stars.

July 14-20: Enhanced version of Atlas 5 rocket debuts successfully; Columbia crew module likely survived shuttle breakup; Detailed maps reveal early Universe galaxy distribution; Hubble tracks down a galaxy cluster's dark matter.

July 7-13: Earth's Opportunity rover launched to Mars; Foam impact test blows hole in shuttle wing panel; Detailed failure scenario released by Columbia board; Shuttle team to attempt recovery of Atlas 5 boosters; Farthest and oldest known planet confirmed; Pluto's atmosphere is expanding, researchers say.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.

Apollo 11 special patch

Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.

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Inside Apollo mission control

An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.

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The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD

This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.

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Next ISS crew

Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!

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Columbia Report

The official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. Includes CD-ROM.

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Gemini 7

Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.

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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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Mars Rover mission patch

A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.

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Apollo 9 DVD

On the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon.

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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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Apollo Collage

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

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STS-127 Patch

The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.

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Hubble Patch

The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.

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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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