Sunday: September 3, 2000   0304 GMT Intriguing meteorite discovered in Saskatchewan An odd-looking rock that a Saskatchewan farmer found in his field two decades ago has been recently identified as a meteorite with significant scientific value by researchers with the Prairie Meteorite Search.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Space station's Destiny laboratory passes review -- The Boeing-built research laboratory, Destiny, which is designed to be the centerpiece of the International Space Station when it is launched early next year, has successfully passed an Acceptance Review Board at Kennedy Space Center. Japanese N-SAT-110 craft shipped for Ariane launch -- The N-SAT-110 telecommunications satellite, designed and built for Space Communications Corporation and JSAT Corporation of Tokyo, Japan by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, has been shipped from California to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana where it will be readied for a Fall launch aboard an Ariane rocket. Saturday: September 2, 2000   0424 GMT SOHO finds 200th 'sungrazing' comet Both amateur and professional astronomers are using the joint European/American Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to find so-called "sungrazing" comets that pass very close to our Sun.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Chinese Earth-watching satellite launched -- A Chinese rocket lofted a remote sensing payload into Earth orbit early Friday, marking the 50th successful space launch of 2000. More 'ambassadors' sought for telling solar system story -- They come from all walks of life to spread the word, and beginning this week, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is seeking applications for people to become Solar System Ambassadors in 2001. Friday: September 1, 2000   0052 GMT Hubble finds stellar cocoon soon to hatch butterfly Observations with the Hubble telescope show a previously unknown richness of detail in an intriguing proto-planetary nebula. It is a superb example of the transition taking place in the later stages of the life of a star like the Sun after it has lost most of its mass and before it emerges as a fully-fledged butterfly-like planetary nebula.    FULL STORY Shuttle astronauts to make station a home in space The astronauts will float into the international space station during shuttle Atlantis' upcoming mission to transfer supplies and equipment into the outpost. The goal is to outfit and activate the Zvezda module, which will provide the station's initial crew quarters and the propulsion needed to maintain a safe orbit. Read the conclusion of our four-part preview of the shuttle mission.    PART 4: MAKING A HOME IN SPACE    PART 3: SPACEWALK TO WIRE UP MODULES    PART 2: LAUNCH TIMED TO CATCH STATION    PART 1: OPENING STATION FLOODGATES    PHOTO GALLERIES Choose from this menu:       DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Space station to undergo test before shuttle docking -- With a visit by the Space Shuttle Atlantis a little over a week away, international space station flight controllers plan to conduct a final rehearsal of the station's activities for the upcoming docking on Tuesday. Cops catch criminals on Earth with help of space technology -- FBI and other law enforcement officers -- whose investigations are normally down-to-Earth -- recently have been seeking the help of two NASA scientists who study the Sun and storms like hurricanes. Thursday: August 31, 2000   0501 GMT Appearance of stellar object deceives astronomers Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have stumbled upon a mysterious object that is grudgingly yielding clues to its identity. It looks like a young, dust-enshrouded star with narrow jets of material streaming from each side. But it's not.    FULL STORY NASA opts to leave shuttle hurricane policy unchanged NASA is keeping open the option of putting two shuttles on the Kennedy Space Center's two launch pads at the same time during hurricane season. But such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, balancing the demands of space station assembly against potential disruptions due to approaching storms.    FULL STORY Spacewalking astronauts to wire up station modules After docking to the international space station next month, the astronauts will not immediately enter the outpost or even open any hatches. First, two crewmembers are scheduled to stage a spacewalk to connect cables between the station's modules. Read our continuing four-part preview of the shuttle mission.    PART 3: SPACEWALK TO WIRE UP MODULES    PART 2: LAUNCH TIMED TO CATCH STATION    PART 1: OPENING STATION FLOODGATES    PHOTO GALLERIES Choose from this menu:       DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Arianespace resumes efforts to launch next Ariane 5 rocket -- With two Ariane 4 campaigns being conducted simultaneously at the Guiana Space Center, Arianespace has its Ariane 5 rocket back on track for launch on September 14 from the South American spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone after an technical problem. Wednesday: August 30, 2000   0221 GMT Shuttle launch timed to catch orbiting space station Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 8 with launch targeted for the moment Earth's rotation carries the pad into the plane of the space station's orbit. Read our continuing four-part preview of the shuttle mission.    PART 2: LAUNCH TIMED TO CATCH STATION    PART 1: OPENING STATION FLOODGATES    MISSION STATUS CENTER: LAUNCH DATE SET Choose from this menu:       NEAR Shoemaker on the way up to higher orbit The NEAR Shoemaker satellite is taking a wider view of asteroid Eros, after a recent maneuver sent it climbing toward an orbit 62 miles from the space rock's center.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Arianespace prepares for first of three September launches -- Just over a week after the launch of Flight 131, Arianespace's launch site at Kourou, French Guiana, is shifting to a exceptionally busy pace for the remainder of the year, with an average of one launch every fifteen days through the end of December. Next up is Flight 132 on September 6, followed by Flights 130 and 133 later in September. Los Ninos may be gone, but pesky Pacific pattern remains -- After three years of El Nino and La Nina with their often devastating climate consequences, the Pacific is finally calming down in the tropics but still shows signs of being abnormal elsewhere, according to the latest satellite data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission. Tuesday: August 29, 2000   1555 GMT Atlantis to begin ambitious station assembly sequence Shuttle Atlantis is poised for blastoff to the international space station Sept. 8 to outfit and activate the growing lab complex, opening a floodgate of backed-up assembly flights and setting the stage for arrival of the station's first full-time crew. Spaceflight Now will provided unrivaled coverage of the mission starting today with the first of a four-part preview.    FULL STORY Choose from this menu:       Proton rocket lofts Russian miliary satellite A Russian Proton rocket soared into Earth orbit Monday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The six and a half hour mission carried the Globus-1 communications satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defence.    FULL STORY Satellite failure causes communications blackout Controllers are investigating why the computer brain aboard the Mexican Solidaridad 1 communications satellite malfunctioned over the weekend, wiping out television, radio and pager services.    FULL STORY Giant telescope 'hears' first radio waves from space At a recent ceremony in which the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope was formally dedicated, U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd announced that the gigantic telescope had successfully opened its two-acre 'eye' on the Universe.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Galileo returning data from heart of Jupiter system -- This week, Galileo returns observations of Io, and of Jupiter's atmosphere, rings, and magnetosphere as it continues to orbit the gas giant and its family of moons. The observations have been stored on the spacecraft's onboard tape recorder. Universal Space Network picked to support QuikTOMS -- Founded by aerospace pioneer and astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., USN will provide on-orbit support services to the upcoming QuikTOMS satellite mission for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Monday: August 28, 2000   0357 GMT Video shows journey of shuttle rocket booster In an effort to examine how the insulation on the space shuttle external fuel tank survives during launch, NASA has flown several "rocketcams" to capture the view. Today we have two clips taken from the camera mounted on a solid rocket booster showing separation from the shuttle and splashdown in the Atlantic.    VIDEO: SEPARATION FROM EXTERNAL TANK    VIDEO: SPLASHDOWN INTO ATLANTIC    PREVIOUS ROCKETCAM VIDEOS European Space Agency's Mars Express comes alive Europe's mission to Mars is assuming a tangible form at the integration facilities in Toulouse, France. The craft due for launch to the Red Planet in 2003.    FULL STORY Ocean-observing QuikSCAT satellite hits record In its first year since its launch, the QuikSCAT satellite and its scatterometer instrument has helped set a U.S. record, providing a full annual cycle of ocean surface winds research.    FULL STORY				Hubble poster The Hubble Space Telescope's majestic view of the Eskimo Nebula. This spectacular poster is available now from the Astronomy Now Store.    MORE Earlier news Aug. 21-27: Boeing Delta 3 rocket launches on demonstration flight; Possible water world under Europa's icy crust; Little black hole works overtime; Hubble gets head count of brown dwarf stars; Chandra turns 1. Aug. 14-20: Titan 4 rocket launches spy satellite; New evidence shows galaxies formed early; Superbubbles bespeak toil and trouble in space; Arianespace resumes flights. Aug. 7-13: More extra-solar planets found; Comet LINEAR's 'shower' observed; NASA to send twin rovers to Mars in 2003; Cargo freighter docks to ISS; Cluster 2 quartet complete; Saturn's moon Titan. July 31-Aug. 6: Film yields amazing views of first Atlas 3 rocket launch; A dying star seen by Hubble; Mars launch in 2014 would offer safety for astronauts; Comet LINEAR not quite gone. More news  See our weekly archive of space news. Contact us If you have a comment or question for Spaceflight Now, just send us an e-mail.