Sunday: October 20, 2002   0300 GMT Clouds found floating high above Milky Way New studies have revealed a previously unknown population of discrete hydrogen clouds in the gaseous halo that surrounds the Milky Way Galaxy. These clouds were discovered in the transition zone between the Milky Way and intergalactic space, and provide tantalizing evidence that supernova-powered "galactic fountains" continually blast superheated hydrogen gas into our galactic suburbs.    FULL STORY At that star, turn left! Our bodies contain proteins that are made of smaller molecules that can be either left- or right-handed, depending upon their structure. Regardless of which hand we use to write, however, all human beings are 'left-handed' at the molecular level. Life on Earth uses the left-handed variety and no one knows how this preference crept into living systems. In 2012, ESA's Rosetta lander will land on a comet to investigate, among other things, if the origin of this preference lies in the stars.    FULL STORY Saturday: October 19, 2002   0445 GMT Atlantis is home; Soyuz launch to station in question The shuttle Atlantis dropped out of a beautiful fall sky Friday and settled to a slightly windy touchdown on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center to close out an 11-day space station assembly mission spanning 170 orbits and 4.5 million miles since blastoff Oct. 7.    FULL STORY - updated!    MISSION STATUS CENTER    PREVIEW STORY    ENTRY AND LANDING TIMELINE    MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    NASA TV SCHEDULE See more coverage here:       Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: LANDING AS SEEN LIVE WITH FULL AUDIO QT or RV    VIDEO: TRACKER FOLLOWS ATLANTIS IN HAC TURN QT or RV    VIDEO: REPLAY FROM CAMERA AT RUNWAY MID-POINT QT or RV    VIDEO: CAMERA ANGLE WITH LAUNCH PADS IN BACKGROUND QT or RV    VIDEO: VIEW OF LANDING FROM VAB ROOF QT or RV    VIDEO: SIDE VIEW OF ATLANTIS' TOUCHDOWN QT or RV    VIDEO: VIEW FROM NORTH END OF THE RUNWAY QT or RV    VIDEO: TOUCHDOWN FROM SOUTH END OF RUNWAY QT or RV    VIDEO: RUNWAY COMMENTS FROM THE COMMANDER QT or RV    VIDEO: CREW POST-LANDING NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV    VIDEO: SHUTTLE AND STATION PROGRAM UPDATE QT or RV    MORE: SEE A FULL LISTING OF STS-112 VIDEO    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA extends first pitch tradition into space When Chief Umpire Jerry Crawford calls for the traditional ceremonial first pitch in the first game of the World Series Saturday, the ball will "virtually" travel more than 240 miles, all the way from the space station to Anaheim, California.    FULL STORY Friday: October 18, 2002   0400 GMT Skid marks in the galaxy Radio galaxies are amongst the most luminous celestial objects -- however, they mainly emit radio waves, not light. These occur when electrically charged particles travelling at almost the speed of light are slowed down, thereby losing energy. Until recently it was not known exactly where the particles reach such high speeds.    FULL STORY First light for new Palomar infrared camera Astronomers itch to detect the very faint galaxies that were created close to the beginning of the Universe. Now a panoramic infrared camera, one with the largest field of view for a large telescope, has been installed on the Palomar Observatory's Hale 200-inch telescope. This much-awaited instrument promises to yield many new insights for deep-space astronomy.    FULL STORY Thursday: October 17, 2002   0700 GMT European gamma ray observatory launched A new space-based observatory is in orbit today to give the clearest view of the most energetic explosions in the Universe. The European Space Agency's Integral satellite was successfully launched by a Russian Proton rocket at 0441 GMT (12:41 a.m. EDT) this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.    FULL STORY    LAUNCH PREVIEW STORY The planet that wasn't there To date, astronomers have announced their "discovery" of more than 100 planets orbiting nearby stars. But do all these planets really exist? Not always, according to studies performed at Mount Wilson Observatory's 100-inch telescope.    FULL STORY Stardust will fly by asteroid Annefrank next month Stardust will take advantage of flying near a small asteroid next month to test many procedures the spacecraft will use 14 months later during its encounter with its primary science target, comet Wild-2.    FULL STORY Shuttle Atlantis undocks from space station Atlantis departed the international space station Wednesday after a 7-day visit that began the outward expansion of the outpost's truss backbone with delivery of the S1 segment. Atlantis is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center on Friday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!    PREVIEW STORY    UNDOCKING TIMELINE    MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    NASA TV SCHEDULE See more coverage here:       Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TEARFUL FAREWELL CEREMONY QT or RV    VIDEO: DOCKING TARGET ATTACHED TO STATION HATCH QT or RV    VIDEO: HATCHWAY CLOSED FOR UNDOCKING QT or RV    VIDEO: UNDOCKING AS SEEN FROM STATION'S NEW CAMERA QT or RV    VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING QT or RV    MORE: SEE A FULL LISTING OF STS-112 VIDEO    SUBSCRIBE NOW Wednesday: October 16, 2002   0630 GMT Soldier killed in Soyuz explosion An unmanned Soyuz rocket suffered a catastrophic malfunction seconds after liftoff from northern Russia Tuesday, plunging back to Earth where it killed one and injured eight others, local news reports said today.    FULL STORY European gamma ray observatory awaits blastoff Russian and European teams are gearing up for the Thursday launch of a space observatory designed to view the most powerful radiation and explosions in the Universe. Liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome is scheduled for 0441 GMT (12:41 a.m. EDT).    FULL STORY Galaxy merger leaves behind telltale blue arc Astronomers have identified the vivid scar of a cosmic catastrophe: a blue arc thousands of light years long produced when a galaxy pulled in a smaller satellite galaxy and tore it apart.    FULL STORY Tuesday: October 15, 2002   0621 GMT New Delta 4 rocket fires engine on the launch pad Belching flame and roaring like a lion, Boeing's inaugural Delta 4 rocket did everything but lift off during a successful countdown rehearsal Monday that was capped by a dramatic engine firing on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 37B.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: DELTA 4 MAIN ENGINE FIRED ON LAUNCH PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: 2-MINUTE CLIP OF FINAL COUNT THOUGH SAFING QT or RV    VIDEO: CLOSE UP VIEW OF ROCKET'S BASE QT or RV    VIDEO: OUR VIEW FROM THE CAPE PRESS SITE QT or RV    VIDEO: DIFFERENT PAD CAMERA OF THE FIRING QT or RV    VIDEO: ANGLE SHOWING PAD'S FLAME TRENCH QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA developing tools to track, predict West Nile NASA researchers are conducting Earth Science research that may one day allow public health officials to better track and predict the spread of West Nile Virus. NASA's goal is to provide people on the front lines of public health with innovative technologies, data and a unique vantage point from space through satellites, all tailored into useful tools and databases for streamlining efforts to combat the disease.    FULL STORY Third spacewalk of shuttle Atlantis' mission completed David Wolf and Piers Sellers embarked on the third and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission Monday. The two men performed the final outfitting and configuring of the new S1 truss and released a stuck bolt on the station's mobile railcar during the 6 1/2-hour excursion. Earlier in the day a 75-foot radiator was deployed from the truss.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: STUNNING VIEW OF SHUTTLE AT SUNRISE QT or RV    VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS WORK TO REMOVE KEEL PIN QT or RV    VIDEO: THE SPACEWALKERS WAVE AT EACH OTHER QT or RV    VIDEO: CLIMBING BACK INTO AIRLOCK QT or RV    VIDEO: RADIATOR PANEL DEPLOYMENT QT or RV    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING QT or RV    MORE: SEE A FULL LISTING OF STS-112 VIDEO    SUBSCRIBE NOW Monday: October 14, 2002   0210 GMT Launch pad engine firing for Delta 4 rocket Monday Boeing's first Delta 4 rocket won't blast off Monday but its brand new liquid hydrogen-fueled main engine will fire to life for a few seconds on Cape Canaveral's rebuilt pad 37B at the culmination of a crucial countdown rehearsal. Ignition is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT).    MISSION STATUS CENTER Station resident Whitson describes life in orbit Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 130 days into a planned 167-day stay in space, says getting callouses on the tops of her feet, relying on her Russian commander to cut her hair and losing her taste for her favorite Earth food - shrimp - are par for the course when it comes to living in space. All in all, Whitson said today, she's having a blast.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!    MASTER FLIGHT PLAN    NASA TV SCHEDULE See more coverage here:				News Archive Oct. 7-13: 'Shuttlecam' captures never before seen view of launch; Station backbone grows with new truss segment; Hubble spots an icy world far beyond Pluto; Chaos seen in movement of ring-herding Saturn moons; Titan's bizarre landscape shaped by internal heat?; First planet found orbiting close-in binary star; Global warming on Pluto. Sept. 30-Oct. 6: Hurricane delays launch of Atlantis; Camera eyes dusty spirals in Milky Way center; Chandra discovers history of black hole X-ray jets; Odd couple widely separated by time, space; Astronomers put quasars in their place; Boeing tests changes to Delta 4 countdown software. Sept. 23-29: Atlantis to launch outward extension of station truss; Climate model for Earth also describes changes on Mars; Air Force grounds weather satellite launch again; New Russian resupply ship en route to space station; Avoiding the fate of the dinosaurs. More news  See our weekly archive of space news. 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.