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.    FULL STORY 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.'    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY - live updates!    DEPLOYMENT PREVIEW STORY    TODAY'S MISSION TIMELINE    COMPREHENSIVE FLIGHT PLAN    UPDATED NASA TELEVISION SCHEDULE More mission coverage here:       Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: HUBBLE DEPLOYED FROM COLUMBIA QT or RV 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.    FULL STORY    SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY    HUBBLE SPACEWALK STATS Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS' CLOSING REMARKS QT or RV    VIDEO: FRIDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING QT or RV    VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TODAY'S SPACEWALK QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX 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.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    TDRS-I FACT SHEET Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 2 1/2-MINUTE MOVIE OF THE LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: REMARKABLE SCENES OF ROCKET STAGING QT or RV    VIDEO: REPLAY OF VIEW FROM CAPE INDUSTRIAL AREA QT or RV    VIDEO: VIEW OF UMBILICALS PULLING AWAY AT LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKING CAMERA FOLLOWS ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: PICTURESQUE CAMERA ANGLE OF LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: CAPE PRESS SITE VIEW OF THE LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: MOBILE TOWER ROLLED AWAY FROM ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: THURSDAY'S PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV    VIDEO: ATLAS 2A PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATIONS QT or RV    VIDEO: TDRS-I PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATIONS QT or RV    VIDEO: NASA PROJECT MANAGER SPEAKS ON TDRS QT or RV    VIDEO: BOEING MANAGER SPEAKS ON TDRS QT or RV 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.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    TDRS-I FACT SHEET Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV    VIDEO: ATLAS 2A PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATIONS QT or RV    VIDEO: TDRS-I PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATIONS QT or RV    VIDEO: NASA PROJECT MANAGER SPEAKS ON TDRS QT or RV    VIDEO: BOEING MANAGER SPEAKS ON TDRS QT or RV 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!    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY    SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY    FULL MISSION INDEX Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING QT or RV    VIDEO: ADVANCED CAMERA FOR SURVEYS INSTALLED QT or RV    VIDEO: FAINT OBJECT CAMERA STOWED ON COLUMBIA QT or RV    VIDEO: NICMOS ELECTRONICS MODULE MANEUVERED QT or RV    VIDEO: PREVIEW OF THURSDAY'S SPACEWALK QT or RV 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.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    TDRS-I FACT SHEET 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY 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.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY    TODAY'S MISSION TIMELINE    COMPREHENSIVE FLIGHT PLAN    HUBBLE SPACEWALK STATS    NASA TELEVISION SCHEDULE More mission coverage here:       Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TODAY'S SPACEWALK QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX (Updated!) 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY 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.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    HUBBLE SPACEWALK STATS    COMPREHENSIVE FLIGHT PLAN    NASA TELEVISION SCHEDULE More mission coverage here:       Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: JIM NEWMAN EXITS THE AIRLOCK QT or RV    VIDEO: ROOKIE MASSIMINO BEGINS FIRST SPACEWALK QT or RV    VIDEO: OLD PORT SOLAR ARRAY STOWED ON COLUMBIA QT or RV    VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS ATTACH NEW PORT-SIDE ARRAY QT or RV    VIDEO: SUSPECT HUBBLE REACTION WHEEL REMOVED QT or RV    VIDEO: MASSIMINO INSTALLS NEW REACTION WHEEL QT or RV    VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TODAY'S SPACEWALK QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX (Updated!) 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY 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.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING QT or RV    VIDEO: GRUNSFELD FLOATS OUT OF AIRLOCK QT or RV    VIDEO: LINNEHAN BEGINS HIS FIRST EVER SPACEWALK QT or RV    VIDEO: OLD ARRAY IS DETACHED FROM HUBBLE QT or RV    VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS STOW OLD ARRAY IN CARGO BAY QT or RV    VIDEO: NEW SOLAR ARRAY IS SWUNG OPEN QT or RV    VIDEO: BRIEFING ON HUBBLE SPACEWALKS QT or RV    VIDEO: ANIMATION OF SOLAR ARRAY REPLACEMENT QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX (Updated!)				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.  U.S. STORE  WORLDWIDE STORE 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. 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