Spaceflight Now

Sunday: November 9, 2003		0048 GMT

Desert could explain why Viking found no life on Mars A team of scientists from NASA, the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Louisiana State University and several other research organizations has discovered clues from one of Earth's driest deserts about the limits of life on Earth, and why past missions to Mars may have failed to detect life. FULL STORY

Sand ripples taller on Mars Mars is kind of like Texas: things are just bigger there. In addition to the biggest canyon and biggest volcano in the solar system, Mars has now been found to have sand ripples twice as tall as they would be on Earth. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

Two cosmic explorers named 'Best of What's New' -- Two recently launched NASA missions won "Best of What's New" awards from Popular Science magazine. The two missions, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), which both probe the far reaches of our universe. KSC engineer receives R&D 100 Award for new insulation technology -- James Fesmire, NASA lead engineer of the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at Kennedy Space Center, received the R&D 100 Award for his work on a new product, "Flexible Aerogel Superinsulation," a composite insulation blanket. R&D named Fesmire an innovator and the product "one of the most technologically significant of the year." Senate confirms NASA chief financial officer -- President George Bush has appointed Gwendolyn Brown as NASA's new Chief Financial Officer. Brown's nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate. The CFO provides professional leadership for the planning, analysis, justification, control and reporting of all NASA fiscal resources, and for agency strategic management and planning, and performance measurement.

Saturday: November 8, 2003		0420 GMT

NASA increases return-to-flight shuttle crew to seven Two space veterans and a rookie have joined four other astronauts already training as the crew for NASA's first post-Columbia space shuttle mission, now targeted for launch next September. FULL STORY

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: 12-MINUTE OVERVIEW OF STS-114 SHUTTLE MISSION QT VIDEO: ANIMATION OF CARGO MODULE INSTALLATION QT VIDEO: INFORMATION ON SPACE STATION'S GYROSCOPES QT VIDEO: SPACEWALK ANIMATION OF GYROSCOPE REPLACEMENT QT VIDEO: INSTALLATION OF EXTERNAL STATION STOWAGE PLATFORM QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Budget ax falls on planet finder, Mercury lander Budget pressures have forced the European Space Agency to kill the Eddington mission to discover Earth-like planets and a planned robotic lander to explore the surface of Mercury. FULL STORY

Biggest solar X-ray flare ever classified as X28 It has been announced that the massive solar X-ray flare which occurred earlier this week was, at best estimate, an X28. There is still a small chance this will be revised by a small amount, but it is now official: We have a new number 1 X-ray flare for the record books, the most powerful in recorded observational history. FULL STORY

Friday: November 7, 2003		0118 GMT

Dark matter forms a ghost universe, new theory shows The "dark matter" that comprises a still-undetected one-quarter of the universe is not a uniform cosmic fog, says a University of California, Berkeley, astrophysicist, but instead forms dense clumps that move about like dust motes dancing in a shaft of light. FULL STORY

Turbulent neighborhood seen near eruptive star A small portion of the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of swirling dust and gas near one of the most massive and eruptive stars in our galaxy is seen in this Hubble Space Telescope image. This close-up view shows only a three light-year-wide portion of the entire Carina Nebula, which has a diameter of over 200 light-years. Located 8,000 light-years from Earth, the nebula can be seen in the southern sky with the naked eye. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

NASA awards space station mission integration contract -- NASA has awarded a contract with a potential value of $145.1 million for support of International Space Station mission integration services to Barrios Technology, Inc. of Houston.

Thursday: November 6, 2003		0210 GMT

Voyager approaching solar system's outer limits NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is about to make history again. It is the first spacecraft to enter the solar system's final frontier, a vast expanse where wind from the sun blows hot against thin gas between the stars: interstellar space. FULL STORY

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: WATCH WEDNESDAY'S VOYAGER NEWS CONFERENCE QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Roses in the southern sky The two best known satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, are located in the southern sky at a distance of about 170,000 light-years. They host many giant nebular complexes with very hot and luminous stars whose intense ultraviolet radiation causes the surrounding interstellar gas to glow. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

Proposed NASA Explorer missions selected for study -- NASA recently selected candidate mission proposals that would study the universe, from Jupiter and the sun to black holes and dark matter. The proposals are candidates for missions in NASA's Explorer Program of lower cost, highly focused, rapid-development scientific spacecraft. NASA awards space station cargo mission contract -- NASA has awarded a contract with a potential value of $165.8 million for support of International Space Station Cargo Mission services to Lockheed Martin Space Operations of Houston.

Wednesday: November 5, 2003		0054 GMT

Sun spews spectacular solar storm The NOAA Space Environment Center reports that an intense explosion occurred on the sun Tuesday afternoon. The violent eruption saturated X-ray detectors on NOAA's GOES satellite, which monitors the sun and produces a new image every minute. FULL STORY

Astronomers find nearest galaxy to the Milky Way An international team of astronomers from France, Italy, the UK and Australia has found a previously unknown galaxy colliding with our own Milky Way. This newly-discovered galaxy takes the record for the nearest galaxy to the centre of the Milky Way. FULL STORY

NASA: Full use expected from Mars rover tool A series of tests of one of the science instruments on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has enabled engineers and scientists to identify how to work around an apparent problem detected in August. FULL STORY

Tuesday: November 4, 2003		0109 GMT

Solar storms continue to pummel Earth The series of solar storms that have pummeled Earth continues as forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed three more explosions on the sun during the past 24 hours. FULL STORY

Key milestone achieved in crew escape demonstration In wind tunnel tests during September and October, the Lockheed Martin-designed Pad Abort Demonstration vehicle proved that it is stable under the maneuvering required to escape from a catastrophic launch vehicle event. The tests were conducted at Lockheed Martin's High Speed Wind Tunnel in Texas. FULL STORY

Station video coverage Hours of video covering the recent changing of the guard aboard the International Space Station is available to our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. The movies follow the launch of Expedition 8 and the landing of Expedition 7 aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. FULL COVERAGE

Boeing establishes Orbital Space Program office Boeing established an integrated Orbital Space Program office Monday, headquartered in Huntsville, that will provide innovative solutions for NASA and support a robust future for human space flight. The office includes the Orbital Space Plane and Alternate Access to Station programs. FULL STORY

Atlas 5 gets go-ahead for second Air Force mission The U.S. Air Force has authorized International Launch Services to begin integrating the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite No. 3 with the Atlas 5 rocket, as the second mission ordered from the company under the government's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. WGS-3 is planned for launch in early 2006. FULL STORY

Monday: November 3, 2003		0202 GMT

NASA probe captures 'sound' of solar storm Although no major electrical problems have yet resulted from the current series of solar flares bombarding the Earth, NASA's Cassini spacecraft was recently used to record the sound of one of the largest solar flares seen in decades as it moved outward from the Sun. FULL STORY

Recent warming of Arctic may affect world climate Recently observed change in Arctic temperatures and sea ice cover may be a harbinger of global climate changes to come, according to a recent NASA study. Satellite data -- the unique view from space -- are allowing researchers to more clearly see Arctic changes and develop an improved understanding of the possible effect on climate worldwide. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

NASA exploring potential of small UAVs for Earth studies -- NASA is exploring the potential use of uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) that look like large radio controlled airplanes to conduct scientific studies of the Earth. Long endurance UAVs have the potential to fill the gap between satellites and surface networks in the integrated global observing system.

News Archive
Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Russian capsule safely ferries station crew to Earth; Experimental Japanese satellite launched into space; Hope of salvaging ADEOS 2 satellite fades; Megastar-birth cluster is biggest, hottest ever seen; Infrared flares seen from black hole at galactic center.

Oct. 20-26: Sun erupts with intense activity; New station residents arrive at their orbiting home; Earth monitoring satellite goes silent; Five-segment shuttle solid rocket booster test fired.

Oct. 13-19: CHINA ORBITS MAN; New crew launches to International Space Station; Military weather satellite finally escapes grasp of hard luck; India successfully launches remote sensing satellite; CONTOUR mishap board completes investigation.

Oct. 6-12: China on the cusp of its first human spaceflight; Expansion of universe once sluggish, now speeding up; Team picked to build NASA hypersonic vehicles; Cape's next-to-last Titan 4 rocket moved to launch pad.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.

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

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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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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.

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

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

Mars Rover mission patch

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

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

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

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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