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Atlas launch preview
Preview the launch of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 2AS rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft with this narrated animation package. (2min 22sec file)
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Sunday's Atlas scrub
Unacceptable weather conditions force the Atlas rocket's countdown to be stopped at T-minus 90 seconds on August 29. (1min 36sec file)
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Saturday's Atlas scrub
A shortage of liquid oxygen caused by a mis-configured valve prompts Lockheed Martin to scrub the August 28 attempt to launch the final Atlas 2AS rocket from Cape Canaveral. (1min 26sec file)
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Space shuttle update
NASA's William Readdy, Space Operations associate administrator and Bill Parsons, space shuttle program manager, provide a status report on returning the shuttles to flight in this teleconference with reporters held on the one-year anniversary since the CAIB report was issued. (37min 35sec file)
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Station update
To mark one year since the publication of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board final report, William Gerstenmaier, International Space Station program manager, updates the news media on the status of the project. (42min 41sec file)
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Titan 4 rollout
The Titan 4 rocket emerges from the Solid Motor Assembly and Readiness Facility at Cape Canaveral at about 5:45 a.m. August 25 for rollout to the Complex 40 pad. (3min 58sec file)
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On the launch pad
Riding on its mobile launching platform, the Titan 4 rocket arrives at the pad just before sunrise. (5min 22sec file)
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Sunrise over Titan 4
As dawn breaks over Cape Canaveral, these daylight scenes show the Titan 4 on Complex 40 in preparation for the final Florida launch of this heavy-lift rocket. (2min 11sec file)
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Return of Genesis
NASA's Genesis spacecraft will return to Earth on Sept. 8 with a capsule containing samples collected of solar wind. Officials preview the dramatic homecoming in this news conference. (50min 50sec file)
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Sunday: August 29, 2004  0357 GMT
Valve error delays Atlas rocket launch to Sunday
A mis-configured valve in launch pad plumbing caused about 10,000 gallons of liquid oxygen to escape through a dump valve during fueling operations Saturday, forcing officials to scrub the flight of Lockheed Martin's last Atlas 2AS rocket. Launch is rescheduled for 6:57 p.m. EDT (2257 GMT) Sunday.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
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VIDEO: SATURDAY'S COUNTDOWN IS SCRUBBED QT
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Hurricane Frances seen from the space station
These photos of Hurricane Frances were taken by Astronaut Mike Fincke aboard the International Space Station as he flew 230 statute miles above the storm.
   FULL STORY
   THIS WEEK'S ISS STATUS REPORT
Saturday: August 28, 2004  0303 GMT
Precautionary battery check scrubs Atlas launch
Launch of the final Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket was delayed until Saturday evening so engineers could conduct extra tests on the booster's batteries. Once launched from Cape Canaveral, the rocket will carry a secret U.S. national security satellite into Earth orbit.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
   LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   ATLAS 2AS LAUNCH RECORD
South polar storms on Saturn spotted by Cassini
This Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera view of Saturn's southern polar region features a bright white spot, or storm, surrounded by faint, darker swirls of clouds.
   FULL STORY
Friday: August 27, 2004  0200 GMT
Final Atlas 2AS to launch Friday, weather permitting
Mother Nature could play a pivotal role in Friday's countdown to launch of Lockheed Martin's last Atlas 2AS rocket carrying a secret national security satellite, but officials have a few tricks up their sleeves to avoid delays during pre-flight preparations at Cape Canaveral's pad 36A.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
   LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   ATLAS 2AS LAUNCH RECORD
Boeing's Delta 4-Heavy rocket is revealed
Boeing's 23-story tall Delta 4-Heavy rocket is fully assembled atop Cape Canaveral's pad 37B. The powerful booster is scheduled for launch this fall on a demonstration flight. This collection of images taken by photographer Carleton Bailie includes aerial views from a helicopter and from various vantage points around the pad.
   ENTER PHOTO GALLERY
OTHER HEADLINES  Additional stories today
MESSENGER completes first trajectory correction maneuver -- MESSENGER has performed its first planned maneuver when the Mercury-bound probe's thrusters ignited to correct trajectory inaccuracies associated with launch.

Scientists meet to review Envisat results -- From September 6 to 10 in Salzburg, Austria, over 700 scientists from 50 countries worldwide will meet to review and discuss the early results of the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite mission.
Thursday: August 26, 2004  0040 GMT
History-making Titan 4 rocket put on the pad
By the time the sun rose over Cape Canaveral Wednesday a bittersweet moment had finally arrived for hundreds of workers as the final Titan 4 rocket to fly from the Florida spaceport reached its launch pad.
   FULL STORY
   SEE OUR TITAN ARCHIVE
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VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET EMERGES FROM ASSEMBLY BUILDING QT
VIDEO: THE ROCKET ARRIVES AT COMPLEX 40 BEFORE DAWN QT
VIDEO: VIEWS OF THE TITAN 4 ON THE PAD AFTER SUNRISE QT
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Odyssey begins overtime after successful mission
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter began working overtime Wednesday after completing a prime mission that discovered vast supplies of frozen water, ran a safety check for future astronauts, and mapped surface textures and minerals all over Mars, among other feats.
   FULL STORY
Radar test may help space shuttle return
Radar tracking data gathered during the Delta 2 launch of the MESSENGER spacecraft earlier this month has provided promising results that may benefit NASA's space shuttle program and Discovery's return to flight.
   FULL STORY
Wednesday: August 25, 2004  0431 GMT
Tiny 'David' telescope finds 'Goliath' planet
Fifteen years ago, the largest telescopes in the world had yet to locate a planet orbiting another star. Today telescopes no larger than those available in department stores are proving capable of spotting previously unknown worlds. A newfound planet detected by a small, 4-inch-diameter telescope demonstrates that we are at the cusp of a new age of planet discovery.
   FULL STORY
Meteorites supplied Earth life with phosphorus
University of Arizona scientists have discovered that meteorites, particularly iron meteorites, may have been critical to the evolution of life on Earth.
   FULL STORY
Tuesday: August 24, 2004  1600 GMT
Thunderstorms are main concern for Atlas launch
Air Force meteorologists today issued their first weather forecast for Friday evening's scheduled launch of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 2AS rocket carrying a classified national security spacecraft.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
Cassini conducts major orbit adjustment maneuver
The Cassini spacecraft successfully completed a 51-minute engine burn that will raise its next closest approach distance to Saturn by nearly 186,000 miles. The maneuver was necessary to keep the spacecraft from passing through the rings and to put it on target for its first close encounter with Saturn's moon Titan on Oct. 26.
   FULL STORY
Deepest image of exploded star uncovers bipolar jets
A spectacular new image of Cassiopeia A released Monday from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has nearly 200 times more data than the "First Light" Chandra image of this object made five years ago. The new image reveals clues that the initial explosion, caused by the collapse of a massive star, was far more complicated than suspected.
   FULL STORY
OTHER HEADLINES  Additional stories today
Telstar 18 enters full commercial service over Asia -- Telstar 18, a powerful and flexible satellite designed to provide communication services across Asia, has completed its in-orbit testing and is now fully operational. The craft reached a lower than planned orbit during launch in June, but controllers were able to raise the satellite to its proper orbital position at 138 degrees East longitude.
Monday: August 23, 2004  0112 GMT
Streaking away from Dione
Saturn's crescent moon Dione hangs before the Cassini spacecraft in this magnified image. The icy moon shows a hint of the bright, wispy features that mark its surface.
   FULL STORY
A galaxy's fatal plunge
These images offer a dramatic look at C153, a galaxy being ripped apart as it races at 4.5 million miles per hour through a distant cluster of galaxies. The infalling galaxy's gas is being stripped by the pressure of 20-million-degree Celsius gas that permeates the cluster.
   FULL STORY
News Archive
Aug. 16-22: Out from the shadows: Two new Saturnian moons; Latest color pictures from Cassini look like artwork; Bedrock in Mars' Gusev Crater hints at watery past; How old is the Milky Way?; Disk shows signs of planets; Final engine test-fired for shuttle return to flight.

Aug. 9-15: Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a lumpy interior; Giant vortices found near Earth by Cluster satellites; Spitzer shows dying star that goes out with a ring; International Space Station receives resupply ship; Chandra catches early phase of cosmic assembly.

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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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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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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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.
 U.S. STORE

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