Sunday: February 11, 2001   0526 GMT Destiny lab to welcome first astronauts aboard today One day after the 16-ton U.S. module Destiny was firmly joined to the orbiting international space station, today will mark the moment of truth as astronauts will finally float inside the lab and bring it to life.    FULL STORY    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN Space station meets its 'Destiny' as lab comes alive The $1.38 billion centerpiece of the international space station -- the U.S. Destiny laboratory -- was mounted to the orbiting outpost Saturday in clockwork fashion by the Atlantis astronauts. The day's only hitch was a minor ammonia leak while connecting cooling to the module during the spacewalk.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates    PREVIEW STORY    VIDEO: AMMONIA CLEAN UP    VIDEO: SPACEWALK PREVIEW    PHOTO: LAB ATTACHED    DETAILED SPACEWALK TIMELINE New craft watches universe for violent explosions NASA's High-Energy Transient Explorer 2 spacecraft was officially declared operational this month, beginning a mission of possibly up to four years to detect massive cosmic explosions.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Asian telecommunications to get boost with new satellite -- The international satellite operator INTELSAT has announced that they have forged a deal with the European Astrium satellite manufacturer to build an all Ku-band communications craft that will serve Asian markets. Saturday: February 10, 2001   0304 GMT Atlantis crew to attach Destiny lab to station today The centerpiece of the international space station is set to be attached to the orbiting outpost Saturday by the astronauts of space shuttle Atlantis during a action-packed day that will feature a six-hour spacewalk.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO REPORT PREVIEWING SPACEWALK    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN Atlantis arrives at space station to deliver Destiny The Atlantis astronauts were welcomed aboard the international space station Friday after a flawless docking that sets the stage for a long-awaited spacewalk Saturday to attach a $1.4 billion lab module that will serve as the station's main control center.    FULL STORY    DETAILED DOCKING TIMELINE    UPDATED NASA TV SCHEDULE Company to take small satellites to new dimension A Utah-based company is revolutionizing the satellite technology field by marketing a small picosatellite design invented by a Stanford University professor. The first batch of the cube-shaped satellites is scheduled for launch in November.    FULL STORY Friday: February 9, 2001   0258 GMT Atlantis to rendezvous with space station Friday Space shuttle Atlantis is nearing the completion of its two-day pursuit to catch the international space station with the orbital linkup scheduled for 1650 GMT (11:50 a.m. EST) Friday.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    UPDATED NASA TV SCHEDULE More mission coverage here:       Old brown dwarf-like stars discovered Astronomers have discovered a kind of star never previously observed. These small, cool stars look superficially like brown dwarfs but are actually the remnants of ordinary stars that have been whittled down to cool Jupiter-sized bodies over billions of years by spilling material over to a white dwarf companion star.    FULL STORY X-33 engines pass test Qualification test firings of the unique engines designed to propel America's X-33 space plane into high-speed, suborbital flight in 2003 began Tuesday at NASA's Stennis Space Center. The ignition test went the full scheduled duration of 1.1 seconds with no observed anomalies.    FULL STORY Space views of El Salvador save lives after earthquake Digital damage maps derived from satellite images are helping the teams clearing up after the disastrous earthquake in El Salvador. For the second time in a few short weeks, the recently-signed 'Charter on Disaster Relief' has swung into action to bring the satellite resources of the European, French and Canadian space agencies.    FULL STORY Thursday: February 8, 2001   0633 GMT LIFTOFF OF ATLANTIS! Putting on a dramatic sunset sky show, the shuttle Atlantis blasted off and rocketed away after the international space station Wednesday, carrying a $1.4 billion module that will serve as the station's main laboratory and central control center.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    FULL STORY    VIDEO: LAUNCH OF ATLANTIS    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK INFO ON ATLANTIS MISSION Europe's Ariane 4 carries out military mission Arianespace launched its first double military payload Wednesday, lofting a pair of communications relay satellites for the British and Italian defense ministries.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER U.S. commercial space industry worth $61 billion The American commercial space industry generated $61.3 billion in direct and indirect economic effects in 1999, putting it on a par with many existing conventional industries, a new federal study concluded Wednesday.    FULL STORY Congress' space policy: supportive but cautious While the new Congress and the new President are both strong supporters of NASA and space exploration, don't except any major new initiatives from either in the immediate future, a key Congressman cautioned Tuesday.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Why dazzling stars are given boring but useful names -- Of the 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, only a handful have colorful names, while the rest are designated by letters and numbers that are the stellar equivalent of a Social Security card. Wednesday: February 7, 2001   0323 GMT Launch day arrives for Atlantis and Destiny lab The trouble-free countdown continues at Kennedy Space Center as Atlantis nears its sunset launch today, but weather at overseas emergency landing sites could be a stumbling block in getting the shuttle airborne with the Destiny laboratory module for the international space station.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    COUNTDOWN TIMELINE CHART    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK INFO ON ATLANTIS MISSION Spectacular layers of Mars exposed in Becquerel Crater Toward the end of its primary mapping mission, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired one of its most spectacular pictures of layered sedimentary rock exposed within the ancient crater Becquerel.    FULL STORY Ariane 4 poised for tonight's military mission Two European military communications satellites are stacked atop the most powerful version of Arianespace's Ariane 4 rocket for liftoff today from the jungle launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana.    FULL STORY Titanic collision seen in distant universe A student astronomer in Australia has discovered the "wreckage" of a vast collision between two giant clusters of galaxies. The finding changes scientists' views of how clusters and individual galaxies evolve.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today NASA picks Boeing Delta 2 to launch weather satellite -- NASA has exercised a contract option to launch the NOAA-N polar-orbiting weather satellite aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket in January 2003 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Tuesday: February 6, 2001   0259 GMT Secrets of the Martian Noachian Highlands Among the most exciting places that the Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera has photographed during its three and a half years in orbit has been this crater in central Noachis Terra.    FULL STORY Atlantis countdown rolls on The countdown ticked along smoothly at Kennedy Space Center on Monday as engineers focused on loading Atlantis' three power-generating fuel cells. With a favorable weather forecast, the shuttle remains set for blastoff at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Wednesday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Titan 4 rocket could launch next Tuesday at earliest A puzzling problem with a guidance computer is keeping a U.S. Air Force Titan 4B rocket and its sophisticated communications satellite cargo grounded at Cape Canaveral, Florida.    FULL STORY Atlas 3B and Proton rockets picked by EchoStar The rockets that will loft the next two EchoStar direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellites were picked Monday and the joint U.S.-Russian venture International Launch Services won both contracts.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Ariane 4 prepped for all-military launch -- Arianespace officials have cleared Ariane 4 rocket with a pair of European military communications satellite for launch on Wednesday evening at 2228 GMT (5:28 p.m. EST), the opening of a one-hour window. Liftoff will take place from ELA-2 at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Monday: February 5, 2001   0454 GMT Station's destiny rides on laboratory attachment The shuttle Atlantis is set for launch Wednesday on a critical mission to deliver the $1.38 billion U.S. laboratory module, Destiny, to the international space station, finally clearing the way for the start of orbital research later this year. Read our comprehensive six-part mission preview report.    FULL STORY Astronauts fly to Florida, countdown begins With the five-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center, the launch team inside Complex 39's Firing Room 3 started the countdown on schedule Sunday night leading to liftoff at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Wednesday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    COUNTDOWN TIMELINE CHART    ASTRONAUTS' MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK INFO ON ATLANTIS MISSION More mission coverage here:				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 Jan. 29-Feb. 4: Ant-like space structure previews death of our Sun; Boeing Delta 2 rocket lofts another GPS satellite; Mars Global Surveyor completes prime mission; What's that? Probe sees strange surfaces on Mars; EUVE shut down; Pin-pointing black holes in distant galaxies. Jan. 22-28: World's largest human gathering seen from space; Deorbiting tug arrives at space station Mir; Titan 2 and weather satellite grounded; Cassini sees Jovian lightning storms, moons; New shuttle launch schedule; Challenger 15th anniversary. Jan. 15-21: Must see new views of Orion Nebula; Nuclear engine promises to slash travel times to Mars; Shuttle Atlantis, Titan 2 and Soyuz rocket launches delayed; Ice may have formed Martian channels; Cassini probe fails to find lightning on Venus. Jan. 8-14: Bizarre new planets puzzle astronomers; Hubble finally may have proof black holes do exist; Chinese capsule launched on second unmanned test; More moons found around Jupiter; Report: U.S. needs stronger defense role in space; Sea Launch aborts liftoff; Ariane 4 success. 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.