Sunday:
April 20, 2003 | |
0010 GMT |  |
Dittemore departing NASA, sources say
Shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore, the clean-cut, straight-talking engineer whose daily briefings in the wake of the Columbia disaster won widespread respect, plans to leave NASA in the near future, sources say, presumably to take a job in private industry.
FULL STORY
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Saturday:
April 19, 2003 | |
0420 GMT |  |
Rocket booster problem delays SIRTF until August
Worried that a suspect rocket nozzle on one of the Boeing Delta 2's solid-fueled boosters could trigger a catastrophic failure during launch, NASA on Friday grounded the Space Infrared Telescope Facility until mid-August.
FULL STORY
SIRTF FACT SHEET
MISSION SCIENCE OBJECTIVES
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Photo gallery provides glimpse into debris search
On April 16, officials from NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service and the news media toured a space shuttle Columbia recovery area near Palestine, Texas. Here is a gallery of images taken that day:
ENTER PHOTO GALLERY
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Friday:
April 18, 2003 | |
0240 GMT |  |
Board issues preliminary recommendations
As expected, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Thursday released its first two interim recommendations to NASA, calling for routine spy satellite imagery of shuttles in orbit and detailed pre-flight inspections of the protective panels on the leading edges of the shuttle's wings. A breach in a reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) panel on Columbia's left wing is believed to have triggered the shuttle's breakup during re-entry Feb. 1.
FULL STORY
BOARD STATEMENT
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New evidence for heaviest phase of star formation
New distance measurements from faraway galaxies further strengthen the view that the strongest burst of star formation in the universe occurred about two billion years after the Big Bang.
FULL STORY
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Space infrared astronomy comes of age
It is 20 years ago this year that Europe, in collaboration with the United States, launched the first infrared observatory into space. Its infrared powers revealed a secret universe that, to this day, continues to fascinate. The more astronomers look, the better the picture gets.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
April 17, 2003 | |
0631 GMT |  |
Administrator O'Keefe visits Texas search teams
Senior NASA officials toured parts of the space shuttle Columbia debris field in East Texas Wednesday, thanking searchers for their work as the massive recovery operation enters its final weeks.
FULL STORY
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It's always stormy weather
"The weather forecast for tomorrow is increased solar winds with heavy electromagnetic radiation. So be prepared to protect yourself from more-than-usual doses of X-rays coming your way." Evening news watchers would likely be baffled by such announcements.
FULL STORY
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Massive communications satellite achieves milestone
Space Systems/Loral has completed static loads testing of iPSTAR-1, the world's largest commercial communications satellite with a launch weight of 14,900 pounds. iPSTAR-1 is being built in Palo Alto, California for Shin Satellite, Plc of Thailand.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
April 16, 2003 | |
0446 GMT |  |
Suspected Columbia wing breach location moved
Ongoing analysis of sensor data and recovered debris indicate the deadly breach in the shuttle Columbia's left wing was located slightly outboard of the best previous guess, possibly at or near the intersection of leading edge panels 8 and 9, investigators said today. Recovered debris from that area shows damage consistent with extreme, prolonged heating and matches up well with telemetry and recorded data showing unusual temperature increases in the early phases of the shuttle's catastrophic re-entry.
FULL STORY
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News Archive
April 7-13: No 'privileged' Columbia testimony to be made public; Ariane 5 program resumes flights with a success; Last Milstar successfully soars to orbital perch on Titan 4; Atlas 3 rocket gives Asian satellite ride to orbit; SIRTF launch on hold; Galileo makes discovery during moon encounter; Far-flung supernovae shed light on dark Universe.

March 31-April 6: Gehman calls recorder data a 'treasure trove'; NASA formally announces Expedition 7 station crew; Delta doesn't disappoint in successful GPS launch; Hubble's rainbow image of a dusty star; NASA researchers put new spin on relativity theory.

March 24-30: Plan calls for shuttles to be imaged by spy satellites; Expert says NASA lost sight of safety margin; Japan enters spy satellite arena with rocket launch; Rocket troubles delay pair of ESA research projects; Stunning Hubble images of mysterious erupting star; New class of hot-tempered black holes bucks trends.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.







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