Sunday: July 15, 2001   0940 GMT Airlock marks milestone in quest to assemble Alpha Station astronaut Susan Helms, operating the lab's new Canadarm2 space crane with a jeweler's precision, lifted a 6.5-ton airlock module from the shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay today and attached it to the side of the international space station.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    MISSION VIDEO THEATER (subscribe now)    ASTRONAUTS' DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK MISSION FACTS    SPACEWALK STATISTICS More mission coverage here:       XM Satellite Radio begins 'soft launch' test program XM Satellite Radio commenced a nationwide soft launch test program this past week, deploying dozens of teams of testers equipped with XM radios to more than 20 markets across the country, in preparation for its commercial service launch later this summer.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Indian science satellite completes mission, reenters -- The Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2) spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on Thursday after successfully being in orbit for more than seven years. The satellite had far outlived its design life of one year, sending valuable gamma-ray burst and ionospheric data. Saturday: July 14, 2001   0519 GMT Shuttle Atlantis arrives at space station Alpha The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 11:08 p.m. EDT (0308 GMT) Friday night. The shuttle is delivering a $164 million airlock to the orbital outpost. Check the status center for further updates.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates    MISSION VIDEO THEATER (subscribe now)    VIDEO: DOCKING (subscribers only)    ASTRONAUTS' DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK MISSION FACTS Ariane 5 investigation focuses on upper stage The Ariane 5 rocket's upper stage failed to deliver its full thrust and ultimately shut down 80 seconds early during Thursday's botched launch that left two satellite payloads in the wrong orbit, Arianespace officials said Friday.    FULL STORY Space agency hopes to save stranded satellite European Space Agency ground controllers are looking at ways to save the costly, experimental Artemis satellite, one of two spacecraft stranded in a lower than expected orbit after a failed Ariane 5 launch on Thursday.    FULL STORY Giant dust storm swallows half of the Red Planet The largest dust storm to be seen on Mars since NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft arrived in 1997 is currently raging across about half the planet.    FULL STORY Friday: July 13, 2001   0341 GMT Ariane 5 falls short Europe's Ariane 5 commercial rocket suffered a major setback Thursday when it failed to deliver a pricey experimental communications technology satellite and a TV broadcasting spacecraft into the correct orbit, possibly resulting in a $1 billion loss.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Atlantis launches doorway for space station Alpha The space shuttle Atlantis, carrying a $164 million airlock module for the international space station, streaked into orbit early Thursday after a flawless countdown, putting on a spectacular sky show as it climbed aloft and rocketed away up the east coast.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    MISSION VIDEO THEATER (subscribe now)    VIDEO: ATLANTIS LIFTS OFF (subscribers only)    VIDEO: CREW WALKOUT (subscribers only)    ASTRONAUTS' DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK MISSION FACTS Electromagnetic black holes cause gamma-ray bursts? A team of scientists, using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory on the X-ray afterglow from a gamma-ray burst, has proposed that these mysterious explosions represent the formation of an electromagnetic black hole. This could be the first evidence of the explosive extraction of energy from an electromagnetic black hole.    FULL STORY Greater solar activity may bring U.S. more gray days NASA-funded Earth Science researchers have discovered that during periods of increased solar activity much of the United States becomes cloudier, possibly because the jet stream in the troposphere moves northward causing changes to regional climate patterns.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today NASA scientist finds clue to possible evolutionary shift -- A team of researchers, including a NASA scientist, reports that an early-life nitrogen crisis may have triggered a critical evolutionary leap about 2 billion years ago. Thursday: July 12, 2001   0001 GMT Shuttle Atlantis being loaded with rocket fuel With cooperative weather conditions around Central Florida this evening, NASA has started loading of space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank with a half-million gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Liftoff of the 10th U.S. voyage to the international space station remains set for 5:04 a.m. EDT Thursday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    MISSION VIDEO THEATER (Subscribe now)    COUNTDOWN EVENTS CHART    UPDATED LAUNCH TIMELINE    ASTRONAUTS' DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN    QUICK-LOOK MISSION FACTS More mission coverage here:       House subcommittee increases NASA budget An appropriations subcommittee of the US House of Representatives added more than $400 million dollars to NASA's proposed budget Tuesday, including restoring funds for a crew return vehicle for the space station.    FULL STORY Scientists: Water-bearing worlds beyond solar system As an alien sun blazes through its death throes, it is apparently vaporizing a surrounding swarm of comets, releasing a huge cloud of water vapor. The discovery from NASA's SWAS satellite provides the first evidence that extra-solar planetary systems contain water, a molecule that is an essential ingredient for known forms of life.    FULL STORY Ariane 5 rocket to launch Artemis, BSAT-2b satellites The 10th Ariane 5 rocket is set to fly on Thursday to propel a European experimental communications satellite and Japanese television broadcast spacecraft into orbit.    FULL STORY Wednesday: July 11, 2001   0226 GMT Trouble-free countdown continues for Atlantis Technicians have loaded Atlantis' electricity-producing fuel cells Tuesday as the countdown continues smoothly for Thursday's predawn liftoff of the 105th space shuttle flight. NASA says the weather is currently the only concern for an on-time launch.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!    MISSION VIDEO THEATER (Subscribe now)    COUNTDOWN EVENTS CHART    LAUNCH TIMELINE More mission coverage here:       Atlas launch of weather satellite delayed to July 22 Sunday's launch of the next U.S. weather satellite is being postponed one week so technicians can make repairs to part of the Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket's guidance system.    FULL STORY X-38 flight proves new space rescue technologies An advanced X-38 prototype International Space Station "lifeboat" floated to a successful touchdown at 2:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday under the world's largest parafoil at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif. This is the seventh free flight test for the X-38 project, ultimately intended to produce a vehicle capable of evacuating a seven-person crew from the station in an emergency.    FULL STORY Hubble telescope images remarkable double cluster The Double Cluster NGC 1850, found in one of our neighboring galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud, is an eye-catching object. It is a young globular-like star cluster - a type of object unknown in our own Milky Way galaxy. Moreover, NGC 1850 is surrounded by a pattern of filamentary nebulosity thought to have been created during supernova blasts.    FULL STORY Tuesday: July 10, 2001   0238 GMT Security breach forces tighter shuttle protection Security forces are sharply increasing the surveillance and overall level of anti-terrorist protection around the space shuttle launch pads this week ahead of the scheduled launch of the orbiter Atlantis and its five-member crew early Thursday.    FULL STORY Countdown ticking along for Thursday shuttle launch NASA started up its countdown clock Monday for Thursday's planned launch of space shuttle Atlantis on a mission that aims to complete the first phase of international space station assembly, but stormy weather in Florida could be an obstacle in getting the ship airborne before an imposed deadline next Tuesday.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    MISSION THEATER (Subscribe now) More mission coverage here:       East meets West on 'Double Star' scientific mission A new phase in ESA-China scientific collaboration was officially given the green light today at ESA Headquarters in Paris with an historic agreement between ESA and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) to develop a joint project known as 'Double Star'.    FULL STORY DAILY BRIEFING  Other stories making news today Galileo to perform orbital maneuver this week -- Cruise activities continue for the Galileo spacecraft this week. On Friday, the craft performs an Orbit Trim Maneuver to adjust its path to accurately reach the next close flyby of Io in early August. Monday: July 9, 2001   0240 GMT Atlantis astronauts prepare for Thursday's launch The five Atlantis astronauts have arrived at Kennedy Space Center as NASA readies to start the countdown for Thursday's predawn blastoff of the space shuttle on a mission that aims to complete the first phase of space station assembly.    FULL STORY				Earlier news July 2-8: Hubble captures best view of Mars obtained from Earth; Astronomers discover giant Kuiper Belt object; NASA, Boeing dispute major TDRS problem. June 25-July 1: MAP launched to measure afterglow of the Big Bang; Hints of planet-sized drifters bewilder scientists; Satellite images tell tale of Wisconsin tornado. June 18-24: Atlas launches foundation of ICO satellite system; Temperature map of Io presents a puzzle; Pegasus launch of HESSI postponed indefinitely; Atlantis rolled to launch pad; Grounded military weather satellite finally repaired. 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. 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