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Hill-climbing Mars rover
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has reached the summit of Husband Hill, returning a spectacular panorama from the hilltop in the vast Gusev Crater. Scientists held a news conference Sept. 1 to reveal the panorama and give an update on the twin rover mission.

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Planes track Discovery
To gain a new perspective on space shuttle Discovery's ascent and gather additional imagery for the return to flight mission, NASA dispatched a pair of high-flying WB-57 aircraft equipped with sharp video cameras in their noses.

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Rocket booster cams
When space shuttle Discovery launched its two solid-fuel booster rockets were equipped with video cameras, providing dazzling footage of separation from the external fuel tank, their free fall and splashdown in the sea.

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Discovery ferried home
Mounted atop a modified Boeing 747, space shuttle Discovery was ferried across the country from Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

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Shuttle tank returned
Shuttle fuel tank ET-119 is loaded onto a barge at Kennedy Space Center for the trip back to Lockheed Martin's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The tank will be used in the investigation to determine why foam peeled away from Discovery's tank on STS-114 in July.

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Delta 4 launch delayed
Launch of the GOES-N weather observatory aboard a Boeing Delta 4 rocket is postponed at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Mars probe leaves Earth
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter lifts off aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.

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Launch pad demolition
Explosives topple the abandoned Complex 13 mobile service tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This video was shot from the blockhouse roof at neighboring Complex 14 where John Glenn was launched in 1962.

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ILS Proton to boost massive satellite for DIRECTV
ILS NEWS RELEASE
Posted: September 6, 2005

Following the successful launch of the DIRECTV 8 satellite in May, DIRECTV has contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) for another mission on a Proton vehicle.

The launch, on a Russian-built Proton/Breeze M rocket, is planned for second quarter 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The contract includes an option for an additional launch.

This satellite is one of three 702 model spacecraft being built for DIRECTV by Boeing Satellite Systems. The 702 is Boeing's largest satellite, and at more than 6,000 kg will be the heaviest commercial payload launched by Proton.

This is the seventh award for International Launch Services in 2005. ILS is a joint venture of Russian rocket builder Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, and Lockheed Martin, builder of the Atlas launch vehicle.

"Satellite-delivered HDTV is driving the business for many of our customers," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "We are delighted to again help DIRECTV connect with its customers and expand its services in the United States."

The new Ka-band DIRECTV satellite is one of two that will launch in early 2007 and join DIRECTV's SPACEWAY 1 and 2 satellites in providing DIRECTV with the capacity for more than 1,500 additional local high-definition channels, more than 150 national HD channels and other new programming offerings.

DIRECTV Senior Vice President Jim Butterworth said, "ILS has repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to meet a launch schedule and provide reliable launch services. We look forward to another successful launch aboard Proton and the rollout of new HD and other programming services for our customers."

This will be the third DIRECTV satellite launched on a Proton vehicle. DIRECTV 8 was launched on May 22 of this year, and DIRECTV 5 was carried to orbit in 2002. The Atlas vehicle also has launched two satellites for DIRECTV: DBS 2 and DIRECTV 6, in 1994 and 1997, respectively.

International Launch Services marks its 10th anniversary this year, as well as the 40th anniversary of the Proton vehicle and the 50th anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C., ILS is the global leader in launch services, offering the industry's two best launch systems: Atlas and Proton. The two vehicles together have accumulated more than 80 years of flight experience and more than 900 missions, demonstrating the reliability and flexibility that have made them the preferred choice among satellite operators worldwide.