Sunday: December 17, 2000   0337 GMT Ocean believed hidden on solar system's largest moon Add Jupiter's moon Ganymede, which is bigger than two of the solar system's nine planets, to the growing list of worlds with evidence of liquid water under the surface. A thick layer of melted, salty water somewhere beneath Ganymede's icy crust would be the best way to explain some of the magnetic readings taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.    FULL STORY Magnetic field 'umbrellas' shield Martian atmosphere Though Mars lacks a global protective magnetic shield like that of the Earth, strong localized magnetic fields embedded in the crust appear to be a significant barrier to erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind, according to a new map by the Mars Global Surveyor.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Ariane 508 rocket to launch 3 payloads Tuesday night -- A mighty Ariane 5 rocket has taken center stage at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where satellite troubles have sidelined an Ariane 4 launcher once poised for blastoff a week ago. Workers are now gearing up to launch a pair of communications satellites and a crucial Japanese experiment Tuesday evening on the Ariane 508 vehicle. Saturday: December 16, 2000   0440 GMT Station crew awaits spare parts for air scrubber The international space station's air purification system is working smoothly, NASA's lead flight director said Friday. But unexpected equipment failures during the crew's first six weeks in space have left the astronauts just one failure away from a possible forced evacuation.    FULL STORY Choose from this menu:       China pledges development of manned space program China is poised to launch the second test flight of its Shenzhou spacecraft -- an orbiter capable of carrying an astronaut into space -- a Chinese official said Thursday in his year-end press briefing.    FULL STORY Kennedy Space Center's accomplishments in 2000 During the past year, NASA's Kennedy Space Center began an ambitious schedule of Space Shuttle launches as construction of the International Space Station shifted into high gear, plus managed six rocket launches and formed partnerships across the board.    FULL STORY Friday: December 15, 2000   0419 GMT Hubble sees satellite footprints in Jupiter aurora Check out a spectacular Hubble Space Telescope close-up view of an electric-blue aurora that is eerily glowing one half billion miles away on the giant planet Jupiter. Auroras are curtains of light resulting from high-energy electrons racing along the planet's magnetic field into the upper atmosphere.    FULL STORY Universe's most massive spiral galaxy revealed The most massive spiral galaxy known so far in the Universe has been discovered by a team of astronomers. This galaxy is located at a distance of approximately 6 billion light-years and its measured mass is more than 1,000 billion times that of the Sun.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Twin telescopes poised to explore structure of Universe -- More than 300 people traveled thousands of miles to a remote mountaintop in Chile for the dedication of two of the most powerful survey instruments ever built: the Baade and the Clay 6.5-meter reflecting telescopes. Thursday: December 14, 2000   0430 GMT New report offers evidence of primitive life on Mars A new scientific report offers compelling evidence that primitive life existed on Mars. Tiny magnetite crystals, identical to those used by aqueous bacteria on Earth as compasses to find food and energy, have been found in the Martian meteorite ALH84001.    FULL STORY New movie now showing: 'High clouds of Jupiter' Images from NASA's Cassini space probe have been used to generate this new movie of Jupiter's high-altitude clouds. This is the first time a movie sequence of Jupiter has been made that illustrates the motions of the high clouds on a global scale.    FULL STORY Shuttle delay extends voyage of first station crew The first expedition aboard international space station got a little longer on Wednesday when NASA announced a delay from February to March in launching space shuttle Discovery to ferry the three-man crew back to Earth.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Engine burn puts NEAR Shoemaker on final track -- An engine firing yesterday put NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft in orbit just 22 miles above the tumbling space rock Eros' center of mass in preparation for low altitude operations in January and February, just prior to the mission's end. Wednesday: December 13, 2000   0555 GMT Jupiter's eye seen watching Io in stunning new photo As NASA's Cassini spacecraft cruises through space, the probe has captured yet another awe-inspiring image of Jupiter. This latest view shows details of the planet's Great Red Spot and other features not seen earlier. Also visible is the Jovian moon Io and the white and reddish colors on its surface.    FULL STORY Booster inspections keep shuttle Atlantis parked Engineers began inspections of electrical cable connectors in the solid rocket boosters of space shuttle Atlantis on Tuesday in the wake of a problem during the launch of sistership Endeavour two weeks ago.    FULL STORY Black holes said younger, meaner and more plentiful A team of astronomers has found that supermassive black holes contribute about as much energy to the Universe as all the stars combined. Many have formed recently rather than in the early, violent stages of galaxy birth. And, at any give time in the history of the Universe, about 10 percent of all supermassive black holes are actively pulling in huge quantities of gas and whole stars.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today DoD gets global with Iridium satellite-phone system -- The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a two-year, $72 million contract last week for unlimited use of the global Iridium satellite-based, secure telephone network. Details of deal indicate the Pentagon will pay 10 to 30 cents a minute while new civilian commercial service will cost about 80 cents a minute, down from the previous near $5 per minute for some customers. Future French military communications system set -- Alcatel Space has won the contract to build France's new-generation Syracuse 3A military satellite, plus options for a second and third satellite in the series. Syracuse 3A satellite will enter service in 2003, complementing the current fleet of mixed civil/military spacecraft to serve both French and allied armed forces. Tuesday: December 12, 2000   0425 GMT Endeavour returns to Earth with nighttime landing The space shuttle Endeavour glided to a smooth Florida touchdown Monday evening just minutes after the international space station sailed overhead, closing out a successful flight to equip the outpost with the most powerful solar arrays ever launched.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR TOUCHES DOWN    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF LANDING    VIDEO: LANDING IN INFRARED    TODAY'S TIMELINE LEADING TO LANDING    GROUND TRACKS Choose from this menu:       Three extrasolar planets found 150 light-years away Three new planets around distant stars have been found by scientists using an observatory in Australia, adding to the 46 other extrasolar planets found since 1995. The new worlds vary in size but are comparable to Jupiter and likely gas giants.    FULL STORY High school students make stellar discovery, win award Three high school students, using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the NSF's Very Large Array, Monday won first place in the Siemens-Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition for discovery of the first evidence of a neutron star in the nearby supernova remnant.    FULL STORY Ariane 4 rocket launch of Turkish craft delayed Monday's launch of the Arianespace Ariane 4 rocket with the Turkish Eurasiasat 1 communications spacecraft from Kourou in South America was called off and a new date is still pending.    MISSION STATUS CENTER DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today One of NASA's female pioneers to retire -- In 1964, Carolyn Griner was one of only three women in technical positions at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center -- outnumbered by male engineers at a ratio of more than 1,000 to one. Today, after 36 years of helping America reach new frontiers in space exploration, Griner, now deputy director of Marshall, has announced plans to retire. Galileo continues probing Jovian magnetosphere -- Galileo's efforts continue on maintaining the continuity of a survey of the Jovian magnetosphere. The survey data are very valuable as they are Galileo's contribution to a dual-spacecraft observation campaign to examine the influence of the solar wind on the magnetosphere. Monday: December 11, 2000   0508 GMT Endeavour heads for Florida homecoming today Flush with success, the shuttle Endeavour astronauts are set to close out their mission that spread the power-generating wings of the international space station this evening with a pin-point landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Touchdown on Runway 15 is expected at 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 GMT).    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    TODAY'S TIMELINE LEADING TO LANDING    LANDING WEATHER FORECAST    GROUND TRACKS Choose from this menu:       Atlantis rollout delayed for booster inspections Rollout of shuttle Atlantis to pad 39A to ready the ship for launch next month will be delayed at least two days -- from Monday to Wednesday -- because of ongoing work to determine why an explosive booster separation bolt failed to fire during the Endeavour's launch Nov. 30.    FULL STORY Ariane 4 to rocket Turkish Eurasiasat 1 craft into orbit A Turkish telecommunications satellite built to bridge Europe and Asia is poised for its launch into space later today atop an Arianespace Ariane 4 rocket. Liftoff is set for 2204 GMT (5:04 p.m. EST) from Kourou, South America.    MISSION STATUS CENTER				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 Dec. 4-10: Astronauts spread solar wings of international space station; Evidence of ancient Martian lakes, shallow seas found; Four more moons discovered orbiting Saturn; U.S. military buys airtime on Iridium; Atlas rocket launches classified cargo. Nov. 27-Dec. 3: Shuttle Endeavour launches to space station rendezvous; XMM-Newton spacecraft finds most distant quasar; Sirius 3 radio satellite launched; Hubble spies extraordinary and powerful active galaxy; Frosty craters of Mars. Nov. 20-26: Jupiter: the movie; Delta launches three satellites; Launch failure for QuickBird 1; Daring high wire act to mount space station arrays; China lifts veil on its secret space program; U.S. Galaxy 7 TV satellite lost. Nov. 13-19: Cosmonaut docks cargo ship in dramatic fashion; Russia decides to dump Mir; Iridium system saved; Hot stars of Orion cluster uncovered in the making; Ariane 5 launch. Nov. 6-12: Solar storm warning for ISS; Delta 2 launches GPS 2R-6; Solar system family portrait; Cassini watches Jupiter; Chandra telescope catches a galactic football. 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.