Sunday: September 29, 2002   0023 GMT NASA uses satellites to distinguish human pollution Driven by precise new satellite measurements and sophisticated new computer models, a team of NASA researchers is now routinely producing the first global maps of fine aerosols that distinguish plumes of human-produced particulate pollution from natural aerosols.    FULL STORY Thicker storm clouds found over tropics, affect climate Over warmer ocean waters, tropical storm clouds become thicker, more extensive and reflect more sunlight back into space than they do over cooler waters, NASA researchers report.    FULL STORY Saturday: September 28, 2002   0129 GMT Space is big, but not big enough According to Douglas Adams, in his famous book The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, space is big. However, it seems near-Earth space is not big enough. In December 2001, the Space Shuttle pushed the International Space Station away from a discarded Russian rocket booster that was due to pass uncomfortably close. Space litter is a growing problem but smarter satellite design may help in the future.    FULL STORY Titan-bound space probe passes key checkout The Huygens probe, riding aboard the Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft, stepped flawlessly through a test run last week of the activities it will perform when it descends through the soupy atmosphere of Titan less than 28 months from now.    FULL STORY Friday: September 27, 2002   0515 GMT Atlantis to launch outward extension of station truss After a frustrating summer of work to fix potentially dangerous fuel line cracks, NASA is gearing up to resume shuttle flights Wednesday with launch of the Atlantis on a critical mission to deliver a 14-ton section of the international space station's main solar array truss. Read our comprehensive 7-part mission preview:    FULL STORY See more coverage here:       European weather satellite ready for commissioning The first of EUMETSAT's new generation of weather satellites, MSG-1, has arrived on station 36,000 kilometers above the Earth. MSG has been developed through the close cooperation between the European Space Agency and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.    FULL STORY Thursday: September 26, 2002   0314 GMT Climate model for Earth also describes changes on Mars Orbit affects climate on Mars similar to the way it affects climate on Earth, say three scientists, who used a model of climate change on Earth to explain the layers of deposits in the polar regions of the Red Planet.    FULL STORY NASA-built atomic clock does the time warp, again A '70s song by the late singer Jim Croce begins, "If I could save time in a bottle..." And when it comes to atomic clocks-those ultra-precise standard-keepers to which other precision timekeeping devices are set-some do just that.    FULL STORY New Russian resupply ship en route to space station One day after a used up Russian cargo freighter was discarded from the International Space Station, a new Progress ship blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday bound for a weekend linkup with the orbiting complex.    FULL STORY Wednesday: September 25, 2002   0402 GMT Avoiding the fate of the dinosaurs Tales of asteroids or comets in a collision course with the Earth are always good to fill space in newspapers during the quiet summer months. Is there any truth in these tales of impending doom and if so, what is ESA doing about it?    FULL STORY Student team hopes to fly equipment on Pluto mission A group of students from the University of Colorado at Boulder has designed a unique concept to observe dust grains in space that they hope to fly on NASA's mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, a collection of ancient, icy objects located beyond Neptune.    FULL STORY Freighter discarded from the space station The Russian Progress 8P cargo ship undocked from the aft end of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module at 9:59 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Loaded with trash and unneeded items, the craft departed the station to make way for the arrival of a fresh Progress this weekend. The old freighter will remain in orbit for a couple weeks to make Earth observations using onboard cameras. Tuesday: September 24, 2002   0340 GMT Atlantis to launch next week Technicians continue readying space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff next Wednesday carrying a crew of six and the International Space Station's S1 truss structure. We have posted our usual collection of mission timelines and background info. Use the pull-down menu below to access the pages. A comprehensive mission preview will be posted in a couple days. More mission coverage here:       Sky-pervading afterglow of the big bang studied The universe really is as surprising as scientists have come to suspect it is, according to a discovery that University of Chicago astrophysicists recently announced. The discovery, which astrophysicists have pursued with increasingly sensitive instruments for more than two decades, verifies the theoretical framework that supports modern cosmological theory.    FULL STORY Monday: September 23, 2002   0240 GMT Shuttle shakeup eyed for cost, safety goals NASA is moving to change its management and procurement strategy for billions of dollars in shuttle, Station and Space Launch Initiative (SLI) contracts -- including a possible full restructuring of the shuttle program -- in the wake of a Rand Corp. study which found that contract management and safety reform is essential across all U.S. manned space projects.    FULL STORY Delta 4 test to check tweaked ground software Boeing is planning to run a crucial Delta 4 countdown test this week to check ground software, which officials hope will clear the way for a dramatic engine firing on the launch pad early next month.    FULL STORY    ARCHIVED DELTA 4 COVERAGE Air Force grounds weather satellite launch again For the second time this year a Titan 2 rocket has been destacked and hauled away from its California launch pad due to troubles with the U.S. military weather satellite it will eventually propel to space.    FULL STORY				The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.  U.S. STORE  U.K. WORLDWIDE STORE Contact us If you have a comment or question for Spaceflight Now, just send us an e-mail.