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Sunday:
April 16, 2000 | |
0333 GMT |
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Test underway to check Atlantis' repaired hydraulics
Space shuttle engineers are putting Atlantis through a complete hydraulics test at launch pad 39A this weekend. The test must go well if the shuttle is to launch on April 24 as planned. See Mission Status Center for the latest news.
 MISSION STATUS CENTER
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NEAR Shoemaker sees the impact of sun at high noon
NASA's NEAR Shoemaker space probe has caught a crater on asteroid 433 Eros near local noon with the Sun highest in the sky. On that day, a hardy astronaut standing at the bottom of the crater would have experienced 1 hour and 45 minutes of daylight.
FULL STORY
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European environmental satellite takes shape
The European Space Agency's Envisat satellite is currently undergoing integration and tests at the European Space research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands. The craft is Europe's largest ever environmental satellite.
FULL STORY
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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NASA technology safely strips ships of loose chips -- A new robotic device that safely strips paint from the hulls of ships without polluting the environment is based on NASA robotics technology. The system, which has received kudos from environmentalist and undersea explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, could revolutionize paint removal in the shipping industry. Current sandblasting methods potentially can contaminate waters surrounding harbors.
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Saturday:
April 15, 2000 | |
0445 GMT |
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Cassini clears asteroid belt
NASA's Cassini spacecraft, currently en route to Saturn, has successfully completed its passage through our solar system's asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
FULL STORY
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NASA to put newly repaired Atlantis to the test today
Space shuttle Atlantis is ready for a crucial hydraulic test today that will show engineers whether the ship is fit to fly on April 24. Efforts to replace a faulty hydraulic unit aboard the ship were completed Thursday. See Mission Status Center for the latest news.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
VIDEO: FAULTY UNIT REMOVAL
VIDEO: INSTALLING NEW UNIT
PHOTO GALLERY
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Astronomers: 'Interesting' data from XMM-Newton
The first XMM-Newton Science Working Team meeting since the launch of the X-ray observatory last December has concluded. The astronomers examined new X-ray data and images from the European telescope.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
April 14, 2000 | |
0401 GMT |
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Astronomers observe most distant object in Universe
Last week, when astronomers analyzed the spectrum from the quasar they had found, they realized they were seeing light that had left its source when the universe was a baby, a mere infant of less than a billion years old. They were looking at the most distant object human beings had ever identified.
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Critical test planned for Atlantis' new hydraulic unit
While NASA prepares for a critical test of Atlantis' new hydraulic unit, the space agency is juggling other problems while trying to keep the shuttle on track for a planned April 24 launch to the International Space Station. See Mission Status Center for the latest news.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
VIDEO: FAULTY UNIT REMOVAL
VIDEO: INSTALLING NEW UNIT
PHOTO GALLERY
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Proton rocket to launch Zvezda being assembled
In Russia and Kazakhstan work continues in preparation for launch of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module atop a Proton launch vehicle. NASA reports the Proton that will carry Zvezda currently is being assembled in Moscow, and should be delivered by late-May to Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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Commanding problem put XMM-Newton into safe mode
The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory placed itself in a safe standby mode on April 2, officials said Thursday. The safing procedure was prompted after ground controllers sent a command to the telescope at the wrong time.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
April 13, 2000 | |
0406 GMT |
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Atlantis repair underway
Workers late Wednesday removed the faulty hydraulic unit from shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A. The effort was delayed several hours by weather and equipment problems. A new unit was slated for installation overnight. See Mission Status Center for the latest news.
MISSION STATUS CENTER [updated 0800 GMT]
VIDEO OF HYDRAULIC LINES BEING FROZEN
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Space, ground telescopes take image of exploded star
This Chandra X-ray Observatory image of an exploding star is overlaid with an optical image from the Hubble Space Telescope and radio image from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Such a composite shows astronomers a clearer picture of how the energy resulting from the explosion expands into the universe.
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NEAR Shoemaker moves even closer to asteroid Eros
The NEAR Shoemaker mission moved smoothly to its next stage after a 5-second engine burn on Tuesday nudged the spacecraft into a circular orbit about 62 miles from asteroid Eros.
FULL STORY
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Boeing stresses quality to its top space suppliers
The leaders of the Boeing space transportation businesses met with their top 150 suppliers to discuss the results of the Boeing Mission Assurance Review (BMAR) and its findings in terms of supplier expectations.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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NASA develops a super ultrasonic drill for the future -- Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, together with engineers from Cybersonics, Inc., Erie, PA, have developed an ultrasonic device that can drill and core very hard rocks and also has medical applications.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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NASA advisors explain Mars mission failures to a concerned Congress -- (SpaceRef) A hearing was held on Wednesday before the House Science Committee titled "NASA's Mars Program After the Young Report". At the core of the Committee's concerns was the failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter, the loss of the Mars Polar Lander and disappearance of the twin DS-2 probes.
Russia's Putin supports Mir, international space lab -- (Reuters/Yahoo!) President-elect Vladimir Putin pledged Wednesday to fund Russia's aging Mir space station as well as sticking to agreements to build a much-delayed International Space Station.
Starry Night: Realistic astronomy program -- (Macworld) Did you ever wonder what the view would be like from Pluto? Want to fly into the Sun without getting flambéed? Now you can take a virtual trip to the heavens using Sienna Software's Starry Night Backyard and Starry Night Pro, a pair of programs that provide navigable star maps incorporating a wealth of astronomical information.
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Wednesday:
April 12, 2000 | |
0404 GMT |
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Tricky space shuttle repair job planned today
NASA workers will perform an unprecedented repair job on space shuttle Atlantis today, replacing a balky 300-pound hydraulic unit in the spaceship's tail while the winged-orbiter stands on its exposed seaside launch pad.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Arianespace shuffles launch schedule
Arianespace has postponed the next launch of its powerful Ariane 5 rocket because of an undisclosed problem with one of two satellites the booster was supposed to carry into space.
FULL STORY
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U.S. Air Force budget bolsters space programs
The Air Force space budget for fiscal 2001 provides all necessary components to continue to organize, train and equip the nation's premier space and missile force, officials say.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Globalstar shows Internet capability via satellite phone -- Globalstar, the worldwide mobile satellite telephone service, Tuesday successfully carried out test transmissions of Internet data through the Globalstar satellite network via Qualcomm's Globalstar tri-mode telephone. This service will be introduced by Globalstar on a commercial basis later this year.
Starsem gets 11 launches for SkyBridge satellite system -- SkyBridge LP and Starsem announced Tuesday that they have signed an agreement under which Starsem becomes equity partner and launch service provider for the SkyBridge constellation.
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Tuesday:
April 11, 2000 | |
0247 GMT |
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Global Surveyor reveals exotic Martian landscape
Two new photo mosaics, created with images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft now in orbit at Mars, may help scientists understand what materials make up the exotic, multi-layers of the South Pole.
FULL STORY
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Tentative go-ahead for Atlantis repair effort
NASA managers gave tentative approval Monday to replace the a faulty hydraulic unit inside shuttle Atlantis' tail this week at launch pad 39A. However, officials will meet again Tuesday to review the full work plan before giving the final clearance to complete the job. The April 24 launch date hangs in the balance.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
HYDRAULIC SYSTEM GRAPHIC
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New U.S. postage stamps mark 10 years of Hubble
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, the U.S. Postal Service issued five new commemorative postage stamps in a ceremony on Monday at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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X-33 linear aerospike engine completes its longest firing -- The innovative aerospike engine that will power the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator successfully completed its 12th of 14 scheduled single-engine tests April 6 at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. The 250-second test was the longest to date.
This week on Galileo -- In a relatively quiet week, Galileo's activities are dedicated to the return of science data stored on its onboard tape recorder. The data were acquired during the spacecraft's February flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The data returned this week are from a second pass through the data stored on the tape recorder.
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Monday:
April 10, 2000 | |
0421 GMT |
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Today could be decision day for Atlantis repair effort
NASA officials today are expected to decide how engineers should go about repairing a hydraulic problem in shuttle Atlantis' steering system used during landing. Hanging in the balance is the scheduled April 24 launch to the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
HYDRAULIC SYSTEM GRAPHIC
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NASA reaching to goals in space transport, propulsion
To get beyond a low-Earth orbit -- which is the beginning of space flight -- future cosmic explorers will require a more efficient means of rocket propulsion. And to get there, the team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will have to "think outside the box."
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DAILY BRIEFING Other stories making news today
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Loren Shriver leaves NASA for United Space Alliance -- Veteran Shuttle astronaut and senior Space Shuttle manager Loren Shriver has announced his departure from NASA/Kennedy Space Center, and has since been named the deputy program manager of operations for United Space Alliance.
JPL picks boss for its new Mars Program Office -- Dr. Firouz Naderi has been named manager of the newly created Mars Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, JPL Director Dr. Edward C. Stone has announced.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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Soviet rocket blast left 48 dead -- (BBC) Twenty years after the event, a Russian TV station has shown pictures of an accident at a Soviet cosmodrome in which nearly 50 died. Russian NTV International television said the accident occurred during the launch of a Vostok rocket on March 18, 1980.
Goldin says NASA may need more than $14B budget -- (Huntsville Times) NASA may have to ask for more money than was included in its $14 billion budget request for fiscal 2001, space agency Administrator Dan Goldin admitted. Rep. Jim Walsh, R-N.Y., who chairs a key NASA funding subcommittee, said Congress may give it to the agency -- or it may ask NASA to cut some programs instead.
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