Spaceflight Now

Sunday: April 4, 2004		0457 GMT

Europe plans for Mars sample return mission EADS Space has made significant progress in completing the first definition of a European Mars Sample Return mission. While EADS Astrium is defining the overall mission and the spacecraft, EADS Space Transportation is responsible for the re-entry systems and a 'Mars Ascent Vehicle' - a small rocket to carry the precious sample up through the Martian atmosphere. FULL STORY

New quasar studies set stringent limit Detecting or constraining the possible time variations of fundamental physical constants is an important step toward a complete understanding of basic physics and hence the world in which we live. A step in which astrophysics proves most useful. FULL STORY

IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today

Launch nears for next station crew -- Plans for the next crew rotation on the International Space Station are on schedule. On Thursday, managers conducted a Stage Operations Readiness Review and found no constraints to the planned April 19 launch of the Soyuz carrying Expedition 9. SpaceDev awarded $43 million for six MDA satellites -- SpaceDev announced that it has been awarded a five-year $43 million cost-plus-fixed fee indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to conduct a micro satellite distributed sensing experiment, an option for a laser communications experiment, and other micro satellite studies and experiments as required in support of the Advanced System Deputate.

Saturday: April 3, 2004		1631 GMT

Radio astronomers lift 'fog' on Milky Way's dark heart Thirty years after astronomers discovered the mysterious object at the exact center of our Milky Way Galaxy, an international team of scientists has finally succeeded in directly measuring the size of that object, which surrounds a black hole nearly four million times more massive than the Sun. FULL STORY

Spots on Saturn As Cassini closes in on Saturn, its view is growing sharper with time and now reveals new atmospheric features in the planet's southern hemisphere. This latest image was taken when the spacecraft was 35 million miles from Saturn, or slightly more than one-third of the distance from Earth to the Sun. FULL STORY

NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet

Metallic sound is heard by space crew -- (Associated Press) The two men aboard the international space station heard a strange metallic sound again Friday, four months after being startled by it the first time.

Friday: April 2, 2004		0634 GMT

Spirit finds hints of past water at Gusev site Clues from a wind-scalloped volcanic rock on Mars investigated by NASA's Spirit rover suggest repeated possible exposures to water inside Gusev Crater, scientists said Thursday. Gusev is halfway around the planet from the Meridiani region where Spirit's twin, Opportunity, recently found evidence that water used to flow across the surface. FULL STORY

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: WATCH THURSDAY'S MARS ROVER NEWS CONFERENCE QT VIDEO: SPIRIT EXAMINES MAZATZAL ROCK WITH NARRATION QT VIDEO: IMAGERY OF 'BOUNCE' ROCK WITH NARRATION QT VIDEO: PREVIEW OF OPPORTUNITY'S NEW COLOR PANORAMA QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Astronomer tells Congress of lunar water challenges The discovery of accessible deposits of water on the moon would "profoundly" affect the economics and viability of a lunar base, a Cornell University astronomer said Thursday. Unfortunately, he said, recovering water deposits will not be an easy task, since they are likely to exist in the bottoms of very cold, permanently dark craters at the moon's poles. FULL STORY

Builders of ancient tombs, temples followed the stars Two studies of ancient monuments in southwest Europe reveal the influence the Sun and stars had on their builders according to Dr Michael Hoskin, a historian of astronomy at Cambridge University. FULL STORY

Thursday: April 1, 2004		0240 GMT

Hunt for extrasolar Earth-like planets intensifies An international group of astronomers are about to continue their hunt for extrasolar planets with an enhanced world-wide telescope network in May. They are hoping to secure the firm evidence for the existence of Earth-mass planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, which has so far eluded astronomers. FULL STORY

Calculating odds of other habitable 'Earths' More than 100 planetary systems have already been discovered around distant stars. How many of the known exoplanetary systems might contain habitable Earth-type planets? Perhaps half of them, according to a team using computer modelling to calculate the likelihood of any 'Earths' existing in the so-called habitable zone. FULL STORY

Dozens of 'mini-galaxies' discovered by astronomers A new survey made with the Anglo-Australian Telescope has revealed dozens of previously unsuspected miniature galaxies in the nearby Fornax galaxy cluster. They belong to a class of galaxies dubbed "ultra-compact dwarfs." FULL STORY

Wednesday: March 31, 2004		0505 GMT

Ocean waves forecast for Saturn's moon Titan When the European Huygens probe on the Cassini space mission parachutes down through the opaque smoggy atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan early next year, it may find itself splashing into a sea of liquid hydrocarbons. In what is probably the first piece of "extraterrestrial oceanography" ever carried out, scientists have calculated how any seas on Titan would compare with Earth's oceans. FULL STORY

Is Andromeda Galaxy a cannibal on our doorstep? Astronomers have collected the first clear evidence that the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31, is pulling one of its bright satellite galaxies apart, and discovered 14 previously unknown globular clusters orbiting far from the center of M31 which could have been left behind when Andromeda devoured their parent galaxies. FULL STORY

Searching for life on icy worlds of outer solar system At present, we know of no worlds beyond our Earth where life exists. However, primitive organisms on our planet have evolved and adapted over billions of years, colonizing the most inhospitable places. FULL STORY

Tuesday: March 30, 2004		1643 GMT

Probe confirms methane in the Martian atmosphere During recent observations from the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars, methane was detected in its atmosphere. Whilst it is too early to draw any conclusions on its origin, exciting as they may be, scientists are thinking about the next steps to take in order to understand more. FULL STORY

Andromeda yields cache of stellar black holes Astronomers have discovered ten previously unknown likely black holes in the Andromeda Galaxy by means of a powerful new search technique they have devised. The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest neighboring spiral galaxy, 2.5 million light years away. FULL STORY

Ultraviolet astronomy in danger, scientists say World astronomers are becoming very concerned about their ability to carry out observations in ultraviolet light following recent announcements about the future of the Hubble Space Telescope. FULL STORY

Reflector successfully deployed on MBSAT satellite The 12-meter (40-foot) diameter furlable mesh reflector system successfully deployed aboard the MBSAT satellite early Monday. The craft was launched earlier this month aboard an Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral. FULL STORY EARLIER LAUNCH COVERAGE

Monday: March 29, 2004		1502 GMT

Cassini examines high winds on Saturn Wind-blown clouds and haze high in Saturn's atmosphere are captured in a movie made from images taken by the Cassini narrow angle camera. In the movie, atmospheric motions can be seen most clearly in the equatorial region and at other southern latitudes. FULL STORY

Supernova remnant reveals magnesium in abundance The Chandra X-ray Observatory image of N49B, the remains of an exploded star, shows a cloud of multimillion degree gas that has been expanding for about 10,000 years. A specially processed version of this image reveals unexpectedly large concentrations of the element magnesium. FULL STORY

NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet

Third space tourist preparing for orbit -- (Associated Press) The next civilian to be rocketed into orbit at his own expense won't just be enjoying the ride: Gregory Olsen, a scientist who made a fortune with optics inventions, plans to do some research during his $20 million trip to the International Space Station. Next space crew passes pre-flight exam -- (Associated Press) The three-man crew headed to the International Space Station next month passed a preflight exam Monday at Russia's Star City cosmonaut training center, space officials said.

News Archive
March 22-28: Rover finds evidence of ancient sea on Mars; Opportunity rover bids farewell to crater home; Scramjet experiment soars off California coast; New phase of exploration beginning for Mars rovers; 10-week launch delay adds 2 years to Mercury journey for MESSENGER; White dwarf explodes inside circumstellar disk.

March 15-21: Most distant object in Solar System discovered; Mineral in Mars 'berries' adds to water story; Newest GPS spacecraft successfully soars into orbit; New imagery of comet released from Stardust; Satellite solves 30-year gamma-ray mystery; W3A communications satellite put into orbit by Proton.

March 8-14: Hubble's deepest view ever unveils earliest galaxies; Rovers watch solar eclipses by Martian moons; The great 'bunny' chase at Mars rover landing site; Atlas launches mobile communications satellite for Asia; Clumps in Saturn's rings; Gehman's initial review of Hubble mission released.

March 1-7: Rover confirms past liquid water on Mars; Rosetta soars on ambitious comet intercept mission; Hubble picture of space phenomenon imitates art; Enigmatic X-rays may point to new class of black holes.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.

Soviet Space

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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 7

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Apollo patches

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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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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

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Next ISS crew

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Expedition 18 patch & pin

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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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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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Apollo patches

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