Sunday: March 10, 2002  0600 GMT
Color of universe corrected by astronomers
The universe has come in for a color correction. Astronomers who announced in January that they'd determined the color of the universe will publish a paper on their broader results in April. When they do, the footnote describing the color of the universe finding will cite beige, not the originally announced turquoise.
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Color
Galaxy's light pushes back Dark Ages of the universe
An international team led by astronomers from the University of Hawaii report discovery of a galaxy which gives the earliest glimpse of the epoch when galaxies and stars formed in the universe. This galaxy is forming stars at a time speculated to be in the 'Dark Ages' of the universe when galaxies begin to 'turn on.'
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Galaxy
Saturday: March 9, 2002  1050 GMT
Hubble set free from shuttle
The Columbia astronauts released the rejuvenated Hubble Space Telescope back into open space at 5:04 a.m. EST today, wrapping up a surprisingly successful five-spacewalk flight to upgrade the $2 billion observatory's electrical system and scientific instruments.
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High-tech refrigerator installed into Hubble
The fifth and final spacewalk of Columbia's mission to give the Hubble Space Telescope a makeover was successfully completed 360 miles above Earth on Friday. John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan attached an experimental ultra low-temperature refrigerator to the Hubble Space Telescope in a bid to revive a dormant infrared camera-spectrometer that ran out of nitrogen ice coolant in 1999.
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Atlas 2A rocket launches NASA data relay satellite
An advanced communications satellite built to keep NASA's orbiting data relay network working for years to come was successfully hauled into space Friday aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket.
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Friday: March 8, 2002  0903 GMT
Atlas rocket to launch NASA communications satellite
A new spacecraft to replenish NASA's preeminent tracking and data relay satellite constellation is scheduled for launch at 5:39 p.m. EST (2239 GMT) today aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Celebrating the successes of Faint Object Camera
When the new Advanced Camera for Surveys was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope Thursday it replaced the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera. FOC has spent a record-breaking 4,340 days in space. That is nearly 12 years!
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FOC
Report raises concerns about NASA safety
A report by an independent panel released Thursday warned that the safety of the shuttle, station, and other NASA programs, while in good shape today, are in jeopardy if major reforms are not implemented.
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NASA
Even stars use sunscreen!
While astronomers have known of the existence of dramatically changing stars, the cause of their variability has been hard to identify. Now, two researchers have solved this long-standing mystery. The key, they say, is the formation of light-absorbing chemicals in the star's gaseous atmosphere -- the same chemicals found in sunscreen.
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Mira
Thursday: March 7, 2002  2200 GMT
Astronauts give Hubble new camera to view cosmos
Flush with success after upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope's power system, the Columbia astronauts turned their attention to beefing up the observatory's scientific horsepower with installation of a $75 million camera during the mission's fourth spacewalk Thursday.
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Atlas rocket to launch NASA communications satellite
A new spacecraft to replenish NASA's preeminent tracking and data relay satellite constellation is scheduled for launch Friday aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2A rocket from Cape Canaveral.
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FUSE satellite lit again
Like spacewalking astronauts performing open-heart surgery on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope this week, an ingenious team of engineers re-awakened another orbiting observatory earlier this month -- without ever leaving the ground. NASA's FUSE was returned to full operations when the team developed an innovative new guidance system.
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FUSE
Bow shock near young star
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope continues to reveal various stunning and intricate treasures that reside within the nearby, intense star-forming region known as the Great Nebula in Orion. One such jewel is the bow shock around the very young star, LL Ori, featured in this Hubble Heritage image.
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Hubble
Wednesday: March 6, 2002  1700 GMT
Hubble undergoes risky transplant by spacewalkers
What was considered the riskiest portion of Columbia's Hubble Space Telescope service call appears to have gone smoothly. The observatory was switched off for the first time since it was launched in April 1990, allowing spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan to replace the electrical heart of the telescope.
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Relativity mission achieves two major milestones
The NASA Gravity Probe B Relativity Mission has successfully mated its science payload to its spacecraft and after successful systems testing, the GP-B space vehicle was shipped to Sunnyvale, Calif., to prepare for upcoming rigorous environmental tests.
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GP-B
NASA study links El Nino, southern ocean changes
NASA researchers have found strong relationships between El Nino episodes and changes in climate and sea ice cover around Antarctica. Identifying these relationships is important because it provides new insights into the changing characteristics of the Antarctic region and their role in Earth's climate system.
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Antarctica
Tuesday: March 5, 2002  1345 GMT
Hubble fitted with second array during spacewalk
Astronauts Jim Newman and Mike Massimino took their turn as the spacewalking duo this morning, heading into Columbia's payload bay for a successful seven-hour EVA to replace Hubble's other power-generating solar array and to swap out a suspect Reaction Wheel Assembly that is used to point the observatory.
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An early NASA probe still on the job in deep space
It took a little extra effort, but NASA this weekend bridged a nearly seven-and-a-half billion mile span to make contact with Pioneer 10, a plucky space probe that first left Earth's gravitational pull more than 30 years ago.
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Pioneer 10
Future volcanic eruptions may cause Arctic ozone hole
An "ozone hole" could form over the North Pole after future major volcanic eruptions, according to the cover story by a NASA scientist in today's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Ozone
Monday: March 4, 2002  1800 GMT
New solar wing attached to Hubble during spacewalk
Shuttle Columbia astronauts John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan removed the Hubble Space Telescope's starboard solar array Monday morning and installed a new, more powerful array during a successful seven-hour spacewalk. It was the first of five consecutive days of spacewalks scheduled for Columbia's mission to rejuvenate the observatory.
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Array
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A Year in Space
Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now present a 100-page, full-color special publication: 2001: a Year in Space. A stunning month-by-month pictorial record of the space events and discoveries during 2001. Available now from our store.
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Earlier news
Feb. 25-March 3: Shuttle Columbia launched on Hubble service call; Mars Odyssey detects evidence of water ice; Ariane 5 launches massive environmental satellite; First space shuttle launch director passes away.

Feb. 18-24: Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket has successful debut; Team plots a faster path to Pluto for robotic probe; Odyssey begins mapping Mars; Wiring mistake doomed launch of Japanese craft; Ariane 4 rocket launch.

Feb. 11-17: Delta 2 rocket launches quintet of Iridium satellites; Cassini studies ripples in the fabric of space and time; Global Surveyor sees changes of Martian ice cap; Weather satellite removed from rocket for repairs.

Feb. 4-10: HESSI solar explorer finally launched by Pegasus rocket; NASA emphasizes basics in 2003 budget proposal; Reentry satellite lost during launch of H-2A rocket; Tides of Jovian moon Europa might support life.

Jan. 28-Feb. 3: Updates on new Boeing Delta 4 and Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rockets; Dennis Tito cautious about space tourism future; Impressive new images released of Saturn and Io.

More news  See our weekly archive of space news.





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Hubble poster
The Hubble Space Telescope's majestic view of the Eskimo Nebula. This spectacular poster is available now from the Astronomy Now Store.
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