Spaceflight Now

Sunday: October 12, 2003		0408 GMT

Mars orbiter shoots oblique view of Olympus Mons This wide angle view of the giant martian volcano, Olympus Mons, acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor. The volcano is large enough to cover much of the U.S. state of New Mexico. This view was taken looking west toward the sunward limb of the planet. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

NASA modified Space Flight Operations Contract -- NASA has modified the Space Flight Operations Contract with United Space Alliance of Houston for work in support of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs. NASA names new historian -- NASA has announced that Dr. Steven J. Dick is the new Director, History Office, and Chief Historian. He will assume his duties at NASA on November 3. Dick has worked as an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory since 1979. Antarctic penguins thrive in ocean 'oases' -- NASA satellite data was used for the first time to analyze the biology of hot spots along the coast of Antarctica. The biological oases are open waters, called polynyas, where blooming plankton support the local food chain.

Saturday: October 11, 2003		0124 GMT

Expansion of universe once sluggish, now speeding up Exploding stars, called supernovae, that are three-quarters of the way across the universe have helped astrophysicists discover that the universe has expanded at different rates over its cosmic history. FULL STORY

Friday: October 10, 2003		0642 GMT

Long-delayed weather satellite to fly Wednesday It was a half-minute away from blastoff 33 months ago. Now, a U.S. Air Force weather observatory is finally poised to leave its troubled history behind and rocket into space. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE DMSP SATELLITE FACT SHEET TITAN 2 ROCKET FACT SHEET PREVIOUS TITAN 2 SLV LAUNCHES

First laser-powered aircraft successfully flies Ever since the dawn of powered flight, it has been necessary for all aircraft to carry onboard fuel -- whether in the form of batteries, fuel, solar cells, or even a human "engine" -- in order to stay aloft. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

Scientists use satellite to 'pond-er' melted Arctic ice -- NASA researchers and other scientists used a satellite combined with aircraft video to create a new technique for detecting ponds of water on top of Arctic sea ice. Until now, it was not possible to accurately monitor these ponds on ice from space. NASA signs mission assurance agreement -- NASA signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency. The agreement allows the two organizations to exchange information and collaborate on crucial matters affecting safety and mission success.

Thursday: October 9, 2003		0409 GMT

Team picked to build NASA hypersonic vehicles NASA has selected Allied Aerospace Industries to provide three experimental demonstrator vehicles that will fly approximately 5,000 miles per hour or seven times the speed of sound. The multi-year project, called X-43C, will expand the hypersonic flight envelope for air-breathing engines. FULL STORY

Loral rejects new EchoStar offer to purchase its assets Loral Space & Communication said that its board of directors has reviewed a letter from EchoStar Communications Corp. in which it indicated an interest in purchasing all of Loral's assets for $1.85 billion. EchoStar's proposal, which the board rejected, was subject to numerous conditions. FULL STORY

NASA accepting proposals for student experiments NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is accepting proposals from undergraduate teams across the country to fly their experiments on a unique agency airplane. FULL STORY

Wednesday: October 8, 2003		0139 GMT

China on the cusp of its first human spaceflight When the long-awaited event will be announced, very few know. Very few know the identity or details of the passenger(s) and exact flight plan for the mission. But many are aware of the importance and prestige associated with what is expected to occur in a matter of days. FULL STORY

SMART-1's ion engine tuned After more than 32 hours of accumulated thrust, the electric propulsion system aboard the European Space Agency's newly-launched SMART-1 satellite is now fully tuned for nominal operations under space conditions. FULL STORY EARLIER STORY LAUNCH STORY

NASA research propels development of new glass There's a new glass in town. The glass, developed with the help of a unique NASA levitator facility, is available for numerous commercial applications including lasers and optical communications. FULL STORY

Tuesday: October 7, 2003		0418 GMT

Cape's next-to-last Titan 4 rocket moved to launch pad With a pair of Air Force locomotives pushing the way, Cape Canaveral's penultimate Titan 4 rocket was rolled from its assembly building to the launch pad Monday where it will undergo four months of work before hauling a missile-warning satellite into space. FULL STORY OUR TITAN 4 LAUNCH ARCHIVE

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET BACKS OUT OF SMARF BUILDING QT VIDEO: THE ROCKET MAKES ITS WAY TO LAUNCH PAD QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
ICESat's lasers measure ice, clouds, land elevations NASA's ICESat spacecraft has resumed measurements of the Earth's polar ice sheets, clouds, mountains and forests with the second of its three lasers. Crisscrossing the globe at nearly 17,000 miles per hour, this new space mission is providing data with unprecedented accuracy on the critical third dimension of the Earth, its vertical characteristics. FULL STORY

Monday: October 6, 2003		0033 GMT

Cluster's gain is galaxy's loss, Chandra shows This image of the M86 galaxy shows gas being swept out of the galaxy to form a long tail more than 200,000 light years in length. Located in the Virgo galaxy cluster, this enormous elliptical galaxy is moving at about 3 million miles per hour through diffuse hot gas that pervades the cluster. The supersonic motion of M86 produces pressure that is stripping gas from the galaxy and forming the spectacular tail. FULL STORY

NASA gives 'TIMED' more time to study atmosphere NASA has extended the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission for another three years of operations and data analysis beginning in January 2004 with an additional year of data analysis to be conducted after orbital operations are completed. FULL STORY

Air Force orders another Minotaur rocket from Orbital Orbital Sciences says the U.S. Air Force has ordered a Minotaur space launch vehicle to carry a classified payload in 2005. The new order increases the launch manifest for the Minotaur program to four missions to be carried out over the next two years. FULL STORY

News Archive
Sept. 29-Oct. 5: NASA moves shuttle launch date target and formally adds new flight; Communications satellite launched from Pacific Ocean; Saturn-bound spacecraft tests Einstein's theory; SMART 1 fires up its ion engine for first time; Hubble makes mosaic of majestic Sombrero Galaxy.

Sept. 22-28: Galileo spacecraft crashes into Jupiter; Ariane trifecta: Moon probe, two other craft launched; Hubble uncovers Uranus' smallest moons yet seen; NASA completes Orbital Space Plane design review; Sharpest ever color view of Mars captured by Hubble; 'Planet-swallowing' giant star identified.

Sept. 15-21: NASA mission management team gets major revamp; First supernovae seeded universe with stuff of life; Prevailing theory about cosmic explosions opposed; Distant star bursts provide key to the origin of galaxies; Problem shuts down Telstar 4 communications satellite.

Sept. 8-14: Titan 4 rocket launches cargo cloaked in secrecy; Farthest, faintest solar system objects found; The slant on Saturn's rings; Sunlight makes asteroids spin in strange ways; MIT researchers reassess asteroid hazards.

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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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

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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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