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		Premium video content for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Titan up close Scientists reveal stunning pictures of Saturn's moon Titan and other results during this news conference from July 3. (38min 17sec file) Play video Saturn ring pictures Cassini's stunning close-up images of the rings around Saturn, taken just after the craft entered orbit Thursday morning, are presented with expert narration by Carolyn Porco, the mission imaging team leader. (8min 39sec file) Play video Burn ignition! Mission control erupts in applause as communications from Cassini confirm the orbit insertion burn has begun. (60sec file) Play video Burn completed Signals from Cassini announce the conclusion of the Saturn orbit insertion burn, confirming the spacecraft has arrived at the ringed planet. (2min 15sec file) Play video Post-arrival briefing Mission officials hold a post-orbit insertion burn news conference at 1 a.m. EDT July 1 to discuss Cassini's successful arrival at Saturn. (25min 27sec file) Play video Wednesday's status briefing Cassini's health in the final hours before arrival at Saturn is presented in this status briefing from 12 p.m. EDT on June 30. (33min 09sec file) Play video International cooperation Officials from the U.S., European and Italian space agencies discuss the international cooperation in the Cassini mission and future exploration projects during this news conference from 2 p.m. EDT June 30. (19min 35sec file) Play video 'Ring-side' chat This informal "ring-side chat" from 5 p.m. EDT June 30 discusses the Cassini mission to Saturn and the future of space exploration. (49min 20sec file) Play video Tuesday's Cassini update Mission managers and scientists provide an update on the Cassini mission and preview the spacecraft's arrival at Saturn during this news conference from June 29. (51min 58sec file) Play video Become a subscriber More video

Sunday: July 4, 2004		0814 GMT

Cassini close ups of Titan thrill, mystify scientists New pictures of Saturn's enigmatic moon Titan, taken by cameras aboard the Cassini probe show strange looking surface features and a deck of methane clouds the size of Arizona. But so far, the instruments have not detected reflections from the surfaces of lakes or small seas of liquid hydrocarbons many scientists believe must form in the ultra-cold environment. FULL STORY SEE OUR FULL CASSINI COVERAGE

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: WATCH SATURDAY'S NEWS CONFERENCE ON TITAN PICTURES QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Saturday: July 3, 2004		0557 GMT

Cassini finds puzzles in Saturn's ring ingredients Just two days after the Cassini spacecraft entered Saturn orbit, preliminary science results are already beginning to show a complex and fascinating planetary system. One early result intriguing scientists concerns Saturn's Cassini Division, the large gap between the A and B rings. FULL STORY

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: WATCH FRIDAY'S SCIENCE NEWS CONFERENCE QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Reading tale of ions in Saturn's magnetosphere The Cassini spacecraft has barely begun its four-year tour around Saturn, but already a University of Maryland sensor is beginning to reveal new data about the immense magnetosphere of the ringed planet. FULL STORY

Station gyro restarted The International Space Station is again operating with three of its four control gyroscopes, thanks to this week's spacewalk by the Expedition 9 crew. Flight controllers on Friday placed Control Moment Gyroscope #2 back in full operation along with CMGs #3 and #4. The three CMGs are now controlling the Station's attitude and orientation. FULL STORY

Friday: July 2, 2004		0001 GMT

Scientists marvel at photos Making gravity visible, close-up images of Saturn's rings shot by NASA's newly arrived Cassini probe revealed an intricate, never-before-seen tapestry of icy particles herded into spiralling density waves by the effects of nearby moons. FULL STORY

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: THURSDAY'S NEWS CONFERENCE ON FIRST PICTURES QT VIDEO: RING PICTURES ARE PRESENTED WITH EXPERT NARRATION QT VIDEO: CASSINI RE-DISCOVERS TINY MOONS ATLAS AND PAN QT VIDEO: CASSINI BOOMING SOUNDS FROM BOW-SHOCK CROSSING QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Hubble studies generations of star formation The Hubble Space Telescope captures the iridescent tapestry of star birth in a neighbouring galaxy in this panoramic view of glowing gas, dark dust clouds, and young, hot stars. FULL STORY

Thursday: July 1, 2004		1400 GMT

Welcome to Saturn! NASA's $3.3 billion Cassini probe completed a seven-year, 2.2-billion mile voyage Wednesday night, firing its main engine for a nerve-wracking 96 minutes to successfully brake into orbit around the ringed planet Saturn. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates! SEE OUR FULL CASSINI COVERAGE

First pictures from Saturn orbit show rich ring detail The first batch of photographs snapped by the Cassini Saturn orbiter earlier today reached the Jet Propulsion Laboratory around 8:30 a.m. EDT, zoomed-in shots of the planet's myriad rings showing a ghostly tapestry of icy, back-lit particles arrayed in sharply defined bands. FULL STORY IMAGES FROM CASSINI

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: CASSINI BEGINS ENGINE FIRING TO ENTER ORBIT QT VIDEO: BURN ENDS SUCCESSFULLY TO PUT CASSINI IN ORBIT QT VIDEO: POST-ARRIVAL NEWS CONFERENCE QT VIDEO: 3-MINUTE PREVIEW OF CASSINI'S MISSION QT VIDEO: CASSINI'S ARRIVAL AT SATURN IS MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT QT VIDEO: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CASSINI MISSION PLANNER QT VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S 12 P.M. EDT CASSINI STATUS BRIEFING QT VIDEO: A LOOK AT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION QT VIDEO: 'RING-SIDE CHAT' ABOUT SPACE EXPLORATION QT VIDEO: AN OVERVIEW OF CASSINI'S RADIO SCIENCE QT VIDEO: TUESDAY'S CASSINI MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING QT VIDEO: CASSINI'S ARRIVAL AT SATURN EXPLAINED QT VIDEO: SCIENCE OBJECTIVES FOR CASSINI ORBITER QT VIDEO: HUYGENS LANDER SCIENCE OBJECTIVES QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
OTHER CASSINI HEADLINES Additional stories today

Instrument aims at Saturn's space environment -- As NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft begins its four-year orbital tour of the Saturn system, mission scientists will use an innovative imaging device to deliver the most detailed look yet at the relationship between the Sun, the giant ringed planet and the diverse collection of moons looping around it.

Station crew steps outside for successful spacewalk A critical space station repair spacewalk that was aborted last week due to a spacesuit problem was successfully carried out Wednesday as commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Mike Fincke ventured outside to replace a faulty circuit breaker in the outpost's orientation control system. MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! EARLIER STORY

Wednesday: June 30, 2004		0449 GMT

Cassini mission hinges on Wednesday's engine firing After a seven-year voyage from Earth, NASA's $3.3 billion Cassini probe is racing toward a make-or-break rocket firing Wednesday, a 96-minute maneuver designed to put the craft in orbit around the ringed planet Saturn for a four-year scientific odyssey. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER SATURN ORBIT INSERTION TIMELINE CASSINI MISSION REPORT

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: TUESDAY'S CASSINI MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING QT VIDEO: CASSINI'S ARRIVAL AT SATURN EXPLAINED QT VIDEO: SCIENCE OBJECTIVES FOR CASSINI ORBITER QT VIDEO: HUYGENS LANDER SCIENCE OBJECTIVES QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
OTHER CASSINI HEADLINES Additional stories today

Saturn's rotation is a puzzle -- On approach to Saturn, data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft are already posing a puzzling question: How long is the day on Saturn? Cassini took readings of the day-length indicator regarded as most reliable -- the rhythm of natural radio signals from the planet. The result was 6 minutes longer than that measured by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew by Saturn in 1980 and 1981. Plasma noise burst welcomes Cassini at Saturn -- Although Cassini is scheduled to officially arrive at Saturn on June 30, scientists studying the planet's magnetosphere received an official welcome on June 27 when a burst of plasma wave noise indicated that Cassini had crossed the planet's bow shock -- the region where charged particles flowing outward from the sun collide with Saturn's magnetic field or magnetosphere. Winds measured on Saturn's moon Titan to help lander -- On top the windswept summit of a Hawaiian volcano, a NASA instrument attached to the Japanese Subaru telescope measured distant winds raging on a strange world -- Titan, the giant moon of Saturn -- to help the robotic Huygens probe as it descends through Titan's murky atmosphere next January.

Mercury orbiter's launch delayed a few days Repeated delays in launching a Delta 2 rocket carrying a Global Positioning System satellite this month at Cape Canaveral have created a ripple effect by prompting NASA to postpone by three days the liftoff of the MESSENGER space probe to orbit Mercury. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Station crew to conduct spacewalk on Wednesday A critical space station repair spacewalk that was aborted last week due to a spacesuit problem will be reattempted Wednesday. The astronauts will replace a faulty circuit breaker to restore power for a gyroscope that helps control the station's orientation in orbit. MISSION STATUS CENTER EARLIER STORY

Tuesday: June 29, 2004		1802 GMT

Sea Launch rocket fails to put satellite in correct orbit An Asian telecommunications spacecraft was deployed in the wrong orbit by its sea-launched rocket early Tuesday, but the satellite's maker is confident that the altitude shortfall can be overcome without jeopardizing the mission. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Seeing double: Spitzer captures our galaxy's twin What would our Milky Way galaxy look like if we could travel outside it and snap a picture? It might look a lot like a new image by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of a spiral galaxy called NGC 7331 - a virtual twin of our Milky Way. The picture shows our twin as never before. Its swirling arms spin outward from a central bulge of light, which is outlined by a ring of actively forming stars. FULL STORY

Saturn's rotation is a puzzle On approach to Saturn, data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft are already posing a puzzling question: How long is the day on Saturn? Cassini took readings of the day-length indicator regarded as most reliable -- the rhythm of natural radio signals from the planet. The result was 6 minutes longer than that measured by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew by Saturn in 1980 and 1981. FULL STORY

Satellite cluster launched A Russian Dnepr booster successfully deployed eight small satellites into Sun-synchronous orbit for several countries this morning. The converted SS-18 missile launched at 0630 GMT (2:30 a.m. EDT) from a silo at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The cargo included the French Demeter spacecraft, tiny communications craft for Saudi Arabia and an amateur radio satellite.

Monday: June 28, 2004		1545 GMT

Station spacewalk expected to slip to Wednesday A critical space station repair spacewalk that was aborted last week due to a spacesuit problem is expected to slip from Tuesday to Wednesday night, officials said today. The schedule shift, if approved Tuesday by NASA's mission management team, means the spacewalk would be underway at the same time NASA's $3.3 billion Cassini probe is braking into orbit around Saturn. FULL STORY

Scientists discover two new interstellar molecules A team of scientists using the Green Bank Telescope has discovered two new molecules in an interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. This discovery is already helping astronomers better understand the complex processes by which large molecules form in space. FULL STORY

Asian satellite ready for Sea Launch ride to orbit The three-day, highly-automated countdown for the next Sea Launch mission culminates with Monday night's liftoff of the Zenit 3SL rocket carrying an Asian telecommunications satellite into space from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean. MISSION STATUS CENTER

News Archive
June 21-27: SpaceShipOne rockets into history; Phoebe moon likely born in outer solar system; Delta rocket successfully launches one for The Gipper; Suit problem ends station spacewalk; Mars scientists marvel at mysterious rock formation; Camera to shoot first direct images of exoplanets.

June 14-20: Stardust reveals surprising anatomy of a comet; Cassini maneuver sets stage for Saturn arrival; Phoebe's surface gives scientists clues to its origin; Sweeping changes needed for moon-Mars initiative; Spirit, showing signs of old age, reaches Columbia hills; Spitzer telescope reveals what Edwin Hubble missed.

June 7-13: Cassini preview: 'Flagship mission of our time' nears its destination; Cassini makes close observations of Phoebe; Mars rover Opportunity enters stadium-sized crater; Space shuttle solid rocket motor test fired; Faintest survey of distant galaxies taken by Hubble.

May 31-June 6: Rutan announces manned spaceflight plans; Mars rover Opportunity will drive into Endurance Crater; Great Observatories find black holes, hidden objects; Proof found for gamma-ray burst in Milky Way; Looking to catch stars in the act as planets form; Boeing to study Neptune missions for NASA.

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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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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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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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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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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