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Sunday:
May 5, 2002 | |
0456 GMT |
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Space tourist, crewmates return to Earth in Soyuz
After delivering a fresh Soyuz lifeboat to the International Space Station last Saturday and spending a week living aboard the complex, the three-man Soyuz "taxi crew" of commander Yuri Gidzenko, Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori and South African space tourist Mark Shuttleworth departed the outpost at 8:31 p.m. EDT Saturday night. Riding in the station's old Soyuz capsule, they reentered the atmosphere and landed in Kazakhstan at 11:51 p.m.
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 VIDEO: VIEW FROM SOYUZ AS CAPSULE UNDOCKS QT or RV
VIDEO: GREAT VIEW FROM STATION OF UNDOCKING QT or RV
VIDEO: LOOKING OUT WINDOW OF NEW SOYUZ QT or RV
VIDEO: SOYUZ DEPARTS VICINITY OF STATION QT or RV
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New environmental eye on Earth launched into space
Touted as a "grand observatory" to study planet Earth's water resources from space, NASA's Aqua satellite flew to its orbital perch Saturday atop a Boeing Delta 2 rocket.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
OVERVIEW OF AQUA SPACECRAFT
ROCKET FACT SHEET
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: AQUA LIFTS OFF FROM VANDENBERG QT or RV
VIDEO: UMBILICALS FALL AWAY AS AQUA LAUNCHES QT or RV
VIDEO: PRESS SITE VIEW OF AQUA LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: LAUNCH PAD VIEW OF AQUA LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING OF DELTA ROCKET QT or RV
VIDEO: AQUA PREPARED FOR LAUNCH AT VANDENBERG QT or RV
VIDEO: MOBILE SERVICE TOWER IS ROLLED BACK QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION PREVIEW OF THIS DELTA 2 LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF AQUA WORKING IN SPACE QT or RV
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Saturday:
May 4, 2002 | |
1230 GMT |
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Aqua observatory launched by Boeing Delta 2 rocket
NASA's $1 billion Aqua environmental satellite was launched into space atop a Boeing Delta 2 rocket this morning for a six-year mission to improve scientists' understanding of the role water plays in the planet's climate. Check the status center for updates.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
OVERVIEW OF AQUA SPACECRAFT
ROCKET FACT SHEET
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: AQUA LIFTS OFF FROM VANDENBERG QT or RV
VIDEO: UMBILICALS FALL AWAY AS AQUA LAUNCHES QT or RV
VIDEO: PRESS SITE VIEW OF AQUA LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: LAUNCH PAD VIEW OF AQUA LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING OF DELTA ROCKET QT or RV
VIDEO: AQUA PREPARED FOR LAUNCH AT VANDENBERG QT or RV
VIDEO: MOBILE SERVICE TOWER IS ROLLED BACK QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION PREVIEW OF THIS DELTA 2 LAUNCH QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF AQUA WORKING IN SPACE QT or RV
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Ariane 4 rocket launches French Spot 5 satellite
The French Spot 5 remote sensing satellite became the 200th payload to be launched by Arianespace Friday night, riding an Ariane 4 rocket into orbit around Earth's poles.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
GROUND TRACK MAP
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NASA awards $1.14 billion shuttle engine contract
NASA has awarded a $1.14 billion contract to the Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit of the Boeing Company, Canoga Park, Calif., for maintenance and support of the Space Shuttle Main Engine for the next five years.
FULL STORY
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NASA honors student winners
Is there usable water on Mars? How does the space environment affect earthworms? What is the effect of El Nino on whale shark migration? What does a rocket flight sound like? Students nationwide tackled these and many other questions as part of the NASA Student Involvement Program competition.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
May 3, 2002 | |
0500 GMT |
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Teenage stars: Rebels without a known cause
They don't know why, but scientists say some adolescent stars rebel against the norm by spinning more slowly than their peers. Normally, a young star gets smaller as its gravity pulls gas and dust in toward its center; the smaller the star gets, the faster it spins. But scientists have found that a significant percentage of adolescent stars do not spin faster as they shrink.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
May 2, 2002 | |
0439 GMT |
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Aqua observatory to ride Delta 2 rocket into orbit
Carrying a price tag of nearly $1 billion, NASA's Aqua environmental satellite is awaiting launch early Saturday for a six-year mission to improve scientists' understanding of the role water plays in the planet's climate.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
OVERVIEW OF AQUA SPACECRAFT
ROCKET FACT SHEET
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New Global Surveyor pictures of Martian gullies
These new Mars Global Surveyor images show gullies from the walls of two different craters on the Red Planet. The spacecraft, launched in November 1996, remains in operation, taking pictures from orbit around Mars.
FULL STORY
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Sending 'rats' to Mars
NASA and JPL are sending "rats" to Mars to work as field geologists. A "rat" is not quite a furry little friend, but rather a high-tech robot with diamond teeth, called a rock abrasion tool.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
May 1, 2002 | |
0500 GMT |
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Delta 4 rocket takes its place on the launch pad
With four months left until its crucial maiden voyage, the first Boeing Delta 4 rocket was moved to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 on Tuesday to begin an extensive campaign of testing and final pre-flight preparations.
FULL STORY
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New Hubble camera shows panoramic view of universe
Jubilant astronomers Tuesday unveiled humankind's most spectacular views of the universe as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope's new Advanced Camera for Surveys. They also reported that Hubble is operating superbly since the March servicing mission and are looking forward to more pictures from the newly revived NICMOS camera.
FULL STORY
ARCHIVED COVERAGE OF SERVICING MISSION
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: WATCH ALL OF TUESDAY'S NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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NASA whittles down field of new launch vehicle ideas
NASA is another step closer to defining the next-generation reusable space transportation system and successor to the Space Shuttle. The Space Launch Initiative, a NASA-wide effort defining the future of human space flight, has completed its first milestone review -- resulting in a narrower field of potential candidates for the nation's second-generation reusable space transportation system.
FULL STORY
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VIDEO: SLI MISSION CONCEPT TO SPACE STATION QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF A BOEING VEHICLE CONCEPT QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF A LOCKHEED MARTIN VEHICLE QT or RV
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF ORBITAL/NORTHROP CONCEPT QT or RV
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH NASA SLI PROGRAM MANAGER QT or RV
VIDEO: COMMENTS BY MSFC CENTER DIRECTOR ON SLI QT or RV
MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX
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Ariane rocket to launch Spot 5 satellite Friday
Arianespace will continue its fast-paced launch schedule for 2002 on Friday night when an Ariane 4 is set to loft a French Earth-imaging satellite into polar orbit.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH GROUND TRACK
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Tuesday:
April 30, 2002 | |
0241 GMT |
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Mars Global Surveyor observes volcanoes
Acquired in March, this Mars Global Surveyor wide angle view shows the volcanoes, Ceraunius Tholus and Uranius Tholus. The presence of impact craters on these volcanoes, particularly on Uranius Tholus, indicates that they are quite ancient.
FULL STORY
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Endeavour moved to launch pad for May 30 liftoff
Space shuttle Endeavour traveled from the Kennedy Space Center's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39A Monday morning for the planned May 30 blastoff to exchange the resident crews living aboard the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
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Tiny particles in hurricanes may help with predictions
NASA-funded scientists are looking at microscopic ice particles inside hurricanes to determine if they contribute to the storm's strengthening or weakening.
FULL STORY
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Monday:
April 29, 2002 | |
0323 GMT |
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Work continues to ready solar sail for launch
Preparations and testing in advance of the Planetary Society's orbital solar sail mission called Cosmos 1 are making progress in Russia, officials report. The first-ever solar sail is scheduled for launch later this year aboard a Russian submarine-launched Volna rocket.
FULL STORY
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Physicist proposes getting power from the moon
If a physicist in Houston has his way you'll be able to say good-bye to pollution-causing energy production from fossil fuels. In the April/May issue of The Industrial Physicist Dr. David Criswell suggests that the Earth could be getting all of the electricity it needs using solar cells -- on the moon.
FULL STORY
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