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		Premium video content for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Welcome back to Earth The Apollo 11 astronauts are retrieved from their capsule and welcomed back to Earth by President Richard Nixon. (2min 04sec file) Play video Apollo 11 returns Apollo 11 safely returns to Earth, making a parachute-assisted splashdown in the ocean. (3min 57sec file) Play video MESSENGER preview Mission officials and scientists preview the flight of NASA's MESSENGER space probe to orbit the planet Mercury during this news conference. (41min 36sec file) Play video Apollo 11 moonwalk Armstrong and Aldrin gather lunar samples and conduct experiments during their moonwalk. (2min 27sec file) Play video Moon landing explained The Apollo 11 astronauts narrate footage of their historic landing on the moon and describe the technical details of the descent. (22min 02sec file) Play video Leaving the moon The Eagle lunar module returns to the orbiting command module and the Apollo 11 astronauts head back to Earth. (5min 33sec file) Play video Nixon calls the moon President Richard Nixon calls Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to congratulate the astronauts following their successful landing on the moon. (1min 29sec file) Play video Anniversary celebration The Apollo 11 astronauts and other dignitaries hold a special 35th anniversary celebration in Washington on July 20. Hear from Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins, Walter Cronkite, NASA Administrator O'Keefe and others. (76min 12sec file) Play video Heading for landing The "Eagle" lunar lander undocks from the "Columbia" command module in preparation for landing. (1min 21sec file) Play video The Eagle has landed! The Apollo 11 spacecraft "Eagle" lands on the moon 35 years ago, delivering Armstrong and Aldrin. (2min 04sec file) Play video Walking on the moon Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step foot on the surface of the moon on July 20 1969, forever changing history. (11min 17sec file) Play video Shuttle engine test One of the liquid-fueled main engines that will power space shuttle Discovery on the return-to-flight mission next spring is test-fired at NASA's Stennis Space Center. (1min 56sec file) Play video Cronkite interview Famed CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite recalls the Apollo 11 mission in this interview on NASA Television. (3min 15sec file) Play video Become a subscriber More video

Sunday: July 25, 2004		0215 GMT

Gas between galaxies helps case for dark energy Using observations of 3,000 quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, scientists have made the most precise measurement to date of the cosmic clustering of diffuse hydrogen gas. These quasars -- 100 times more than have been used in such analyses in the past -- are at distances of eight to ten billion light years, making them among the most distant objects known. FULL STORY

Landing technology tested for future spacecraft Lockheed Martin has successfully performed a series of drop tests at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Ariz., to validate soft landing technology that can be used for astronaut crew capsules upon return to Earth. FULL STORY

OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today

Space station status report -- The International Space Station's Expedition 9 crewmembers are now past the halfway point of their six-month mission. This week, they prepared for a third spacewalk and joined the world in observing the 35th anniversary of the first landing of humans on the moon. Statement from ISS Heads of Agency meeting -- The space agency leaders from the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada met Friday to discuss International Space Station cooperation activities. At this meeting, the partnership unanimously endorsed the station technical configuration and reviewed the status of on-orbit operations and plans. The new ISS configuration is planned for completion by the end of the decade and will accommodate on-orbit elements from each of the ISS Partners. The configuration will enable increased utilization and will provide early opportunities for an enhanced crew of greater than three people.

Saturday: July 24, 2004		0119 GMT

A day in the lives of galaxies Like a photographer clicking random snapshots of a crowd of people, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken a view of an eclectic mix of galaxies. In taking this picture, Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys was not looking at any particular target. The camera was taking a picture of a typical patch of sky, while Hubble's infrared camera was viewing a target in an adjacent galaxy-rich region. FULL STORY

Cassini sees the moon Tethys: The Sea Goddess Like a half-full moon, cratered Tethys hangs before the Cassini spacecraft in this narrow angle camera view. Voyager images showed a large fracture on Tethys about 470 miles long. Cassini will investigate this and other features on Tethys during two planned flybys beginning next year. FULL STORY

OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today

Minuteman 3 missile test launch successful -- An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 0837 GMT Friday.

Friday: July 23, 2004		0452 GMT

Stunning true-color picture of Saturn's rings With shimmering pinks, hues of gray and a hint of brown, a newly released image of Saturn's rings resembles a fresco where nature is the painter. The Cassini spacecraft captured this exquisite natural color view a few days before entering orbit around Saturn. FULL STORY

Newborn star provides info on solar system's origin A new study has caught a newborn star similar to the sun in a fiery outburst. X-ray observations of the flare-up, which are the first of their kind, are providing important new information about the early evolution of the sun and the process of planet formation. FULL STORY

NASA goes to the 'SORCE' of Earth sun-blockers Scientists using measurements from NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite have discovered that Venus and sunspots have something in common: they both block some of the sun's energy going to Earth. FULL STORY

Thursday: July 22, 2004		0250 GMT

Cassini sees crescent Rhea The first artificial satellite in the Saturn system, the Cassini spacecraft, returned images of the natural moons following a successful insertion into orbit. This is an unmagnified view of the moon Rhea. FULL STORY

From Mojave to the moon: Armstrong's early years The B-29 mothership shuddered, and pilot Neil Armstrong, flying the airplane from the co-pilot's seat, glimpsed a bullet-shaped propeller hub shoot past the cockpit. He looked over and saw that the number four propeller had disintegrated. FULL STORY

Mercury orbiter delivered to Florida launch pad NASA's MESSENGER space probe took a night owl drive early Wednesday from its processing hangar to launch pad 17B at Cape Canaveral where it was mounted atop the Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket in preparation for blastoff to the planet Mercury. FULL STORY

OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today

NASA Television is switching satellites July 24 -- NASA Television will improve coverage to viewers in Alaska and Hawaii as well as the continental United States when it switches its signal from one satellite to two different ones. Peacekeeper launch from Vandenberg is successful -- An unarmed Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched Wednesday from a launch facility on North Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The missile carried 8 unarmed re-entry vehicles approximately 4,800 miles to a predetermined target at the Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein Atoll. Minuteman 3 missile test launch scheduled -- An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for launch from North Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Friday morning as part of the Force Development Evaluation Program.

Wednesday: July 21, 2004		0250 GMT

Doughnut-shaped cloud has 'black hole' filling An international team of scientists has found more evidence that massive black holes are surrounded by a doughnut-shaped gas cloud which, depending on our line of sight, blocks the view of the black hole in the center. FULL STORY

New martian meteorite found in Antarctica While rovers and orbiting spacecraft scour Mars searching for clues to its past, researchers have uncovered another piece of the red planet in the most inhospitable place on Earth -- Antarctica. FULL STORY

New date established for delayed Atlas launch Launch of the final Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket is being delayed another four weeks so technicians can replace transistors inside an avionics unit as a precaution. Liftoff is now targeted for August 31 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Newest GPS satellite begins service for users worldwide Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force have completed on-orbit checkout of the upgraded Global Positioning System satellite launched successfully June 23 from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft has been declared fully operational for military and civilian navigation users around the globe. FULL STORY LAUNCH COVERAGE

Tuesday: July 20, 2004		0057 GMT

Cassini shows the dark side of Saturn's moon Dione The icy, cratered surface of Saturn's moon Dione shows more than just its sunlit side in these two processed versions of the same image from the Cassini spacecraft. FULL STORY

Spitzer pinpoints elusive but violent starbursts A major breakthrough in pinpointing some of the most primordial and violently star forming galaxies in the Universe has been made by a joint collaboration of U.K. and U.S. astronomers using the Spitzer Space Telescope to resolve primordial galaxies initially detected by a ground-based observatory. FULL STORY

First engine tested for shuttle return to flight NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi has successfully tested one of the engines that will carry the next space shuttle into orbit. The engine will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for installation on the space shuttle Discovery. FULL STORY

Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO: WATCH THE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE TEST-FIRING QT SUBSCRIBE NOW
Monday: July 19, 2004		0129 GMT

Satellite sees 'sprites' in the upper atmosphere Photos of red sprites, blue jets, elves and sprite halos are now flowing into the University of California, Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory from the first satellite instrument devoted to the study of these puzzling high-altitude lightning flashes. FULL STORY

Autonomous rendezvous craft goes to Vandenberg The Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) flight demonstrator, a spacecraft developed to prove technologies to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite, has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in preparation for a fall 2004 launch. FULL STORY

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to end NASA will decommission the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission later this year. A highly successful scientific research mission, TRMM has provided data used worldwide in the monitoring and forecasting of hazardous weather on a demonstration basis. FULL STORY

News Archive
July 12-18: Aura launched to probe atmosphere's chemistry; Panel says keep options open for Hubble repair; Cassini exposes Saturn's two-face moon Iapetus; Mars rovers roll into martian winter; Ariane 5 lofts broadband communications satellite .

July 5-11: Ultraviolet pictures hint at origin of Saturn's rings; Glimpse at early universe reveals surprise; New view of Orion Nebula's stellar nursery; Space probes track blast wave through solar system; How to fail at being a star.

June 28-July 4: Cassini arrives at Saturn; First pictures from Saturn orbit show rich ring detail; Cassini close ups of Titan thrill, mystify scientists; Hubble studies generations of star formation; Sea Launch rocket fails to put satellite in correct orbit.

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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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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Columbia Report

A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven.

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Mars Panorama

DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image.

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Apollo 11 Mission Report

Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!

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Rocket DVD

If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.

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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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