Sunday: March 17, 2002  1100 GMT
Gravity mapping satellites launched into space
Two satellites designed to work in concert to map Earth's gravity field to an unprecedented accuracy were trucked into polar orbit today for a five-year mission that scientists hope will give new insight into global climate change.
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GRACE
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Shifts in Pacific winds may support El Nino formation
Wind data for the Pacific Ocean obtained by NASA's Quick Scatterometer spacecraft are documenting episodes of reversed trade winds that are responsible for unseasonable cyclone conditions in the northwest and southwest Pacific, and which may be a precursor of a future El Nino.
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Pacific
Japanese observatory views Uranus and two moon
This near-infrared image of Uranus, its ring system, and two of its satellites -- Miranda and Ariel -- is from the Subaru Telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
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Uranus
Boeing receives 'go' to build new GPS 2F satellites
Boeing Space and Communications has received approval from the U.S. Air Force to move forward with satellite production for the Global Positioning System 2F Modernization program.
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GPS
Saturday: March 16, 2002  0901 GMT
High altitude winds scrub today's Eurockot launch
Strong upper altitude winds forced today's attempt to launch the Rockot booster with the twin GRACE spacecraft to be scrubbed. Liftoff has been tentatively rescheduled for Sunday. The NASA/German mission will map Earth's gravity field.
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GRACE
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Age discrepancy throws pulsar theories into turmoil
Astronomers have found a pulsar -- a spinning, superdense neutron star -- that apparently is considerably younger than previously thought. This finding, combined with the discovery in 2000 of a pulsar that was older than previously thought, means that many assumptions astronomers have made about how pulsars are born and age must be reexamined.
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Pulsar
Successful completion of first Atlas 5 countdown test
The first round of fueling and countdown demonstrations for Lockheed Martin's inaugural Atlas 5 rocket was successfully completed Friday morning at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 with rollback of the vehicle to its assembly building. Over the past few days, the rocket was fully fueled and put through countdown simulations through the T-minus 4 minute mark.
Atlas 5
Friday: March 15, 2002  0717 GMT
Saturday launch planned for gravity mapping mission
A pair of satellites are awaiting launch in far northern Russia on a revolutionary mission that promises to improve the understanding of Earth's gravity field and a variety of other processes that make our world what it is today. Liftoff of the GRACE mission is set for 0923 GMT (4:23 a.m. EST) Saturday aboard a Rockot booster.
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GRACE
Atlas 5 nears completion of first countdown test
The first round of fueling and countdown demonstrations for Lockheed Martin's inaugural Atlas 5 rocket was nearing completion Thursday evening at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 as engineers loaded super-cold liquid oxygen into the vehicle's first stage. Earlier this week the first stage was loaded with kerosene propellant and the Centaur upper stage was tanked with cryogenics. The rocket is to be rolled off the pad Friday.
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Atlas 5
Students use International Space Station to view Earth
A student experiment -- that allows middle school students to use a camera aboard the International Space Station to take pictures of cities, mountains, rivers and other features on Earth and bring those pictures into their classrooms via the Internet -- has completed Expedition Four operations.
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ISS
Thursday: March 14, 2002  0320 GMT
Scientists say Martian spots worth a close look
Are dark spots that appear near the south pole of Mars in early spring, a sign of life on the Red Planet? No-one can say for sure, according to a group of scientists who met at the European Space Agency's technical center in the Netherlands.
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Mars
Mars Odyssey's radiation experiment revived
Flight controllers for NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft report the martian radiation environment experiment began gathering science data Wednesday after their troubleshooting efforts successfully reestablished communications with the instrument.
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Odyssey
Deputy administrator nomination withdrawn
On the day the U.S. Senate had scheduled a confirmation hearing, the White House on Wednesday withdrew its nomination of Major General Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, to become NASA's deputy administrator. Read a statement issued by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe:
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Bolden
Atlas 5 fueling tests to continue Thursday
The countdown dress rehearsal of Lockheed Martin's first Atlas 5 rocket was partially completed on Wednesday as the launch team loaded the Centaur upper stage with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The Atlas first stage will be loaded with liquid oxygen Thursday to wrap up the rehearsal. If the rest of the test goes well, the rocket will be rolled off the pad Friday.
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Atlas 5
Wednesday: March 13, 2002  0615 GMT
Researchers: Mars' features not eroded by water
Scientists have provided new evidence that liquid carbon dioxide, not running water, may have been the primary cause of erosional features such as gullies, valley networks, and channels that cover the surface of Mars.
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Mars
One shuttle mission ends as next rolls to launch pad
Four hours after space shuttle Columbia swooped out of the night sky and touched down on Kennedy Space Center's runway Tuesday to conclude its mission to rejuvenate the Hubble Space Telescope, sistership Atlantis began rolling to launch pad 39B for blastoff next month.
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Atlantis
Atlas 5 countdown test reset for Wednesday
Technical issues on Tuesday forced Lockheed Martin officials to postpone a countdown dress rehearsal for its new Atlas 5 rocket until Wednesday.
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Atlas 5
Tuesday: March 12, 2002  1230 GMT
Columbia returns from Hubble service call
The space shuttle Columbia glided to a smooth touchdown Tuesday on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center to close out a surprisingly successful five-spacewalk mission to overhaul and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Shuttle

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Inaugural Atlas 5 rocket moved to the launch pad
Lockheed Martin's first Atlas 5 rocket was rolled out to its Cape Canaveral launch pad Monday for fueling tests and a crucial countdown dress rehearsal.
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Atlas 5
Environment of a very remote galaxy investigated
Observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have enabled an international group of astronomers to study in unprecedented detail the surroundings of a very remote galaxy, almost 12 billion light-years distant. The corresponding light travel time means that it is seen at a moment only about 3 billion years after the Big Bang.
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Galaxy
Off-the-shelf camera device to hunt for distant planets
It could fit on your desk, and it's made mostly from parts bought at a camera shop, but two scientists believe their new instrument will help them find a slew of large planets orbiting stars in our Milky Way galaxy.
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Art
Monday: March 11, 2002  0807 GMT
Preparing for landing
Columbia's astronauts are spending their final full day in space packing up the crew cabin and testing the shuttle's reentry systems in preparation for Tuesday's predawn landing at Kennedy Space Center.
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Crew reflects on Hubble, look forward to home
Despite advances in adaptive optics and the advent of truly huge ground-based observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope, with its relatively modest 94.5-inch mirror, will remain at the forefront of science for years to come, says John Grunsfeld, Columbia's resident astronomer-astronaut.
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Hubble
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Life at the dish
The SETI Institute has once again set up camp at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico as part of its Project Pheonix search for extraterrestrial signals from civilizations beyond our Solar System. Alex Barnett reports on life at the observatory.
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Arecibo
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
March 4-10: Spacewalks repair and refurbish Hubble; Atlas 2A launches NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite; Report raises concerns about NASA safety; Color of universe corrected by astronomers.

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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