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Sunday:
May 18, 2003 | |
0315 GMT |
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'Happy Face' crater of Mars
Every day, the Mars Global Surveyor wide angle instruments obtain a global view of the planet to help monitor weather and seasonal patterns of frost deposition and removal. The two pictures here show Galle Crater, informally known as "Happy Face," as it appeared in early southern winter.
 FULL STORY
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Proton rocket launch delayed by technical glitch
Monday's planned launch of the Russian Proton rocket carrying the AMC 9 telecommunications satellite has been postponed, officials announced Saturday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC
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Saturday:
May 17, 2003 | |
0425 GMT |
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Lunar eclipse as seen out space station's window
NASA astronaut Ed Lu, the flight engineer and science officer living aboard the international space station, snapped this image Thursday near the time of a total lunar eclipse.
FULL STORY
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Chaos theory explains origin of new moons
The ability to understand how small bodies such as moons switch from orbiting the Sun to orbiting a planet has long remained one of the outstanding problems of planetary science. A paper published in Nature shows how this problem has been resolved using chaos theory, enabling scientists to predict where astronomers might search for new moons orbiting the giant planets.
FULL STORY
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NASA picks in-space propulsion innovations
NASA has selected 15 industry, government and academic organizations to pursue 22 innovative propulsion technology research proposals that could revolutionize exploration and scientific study of the solar system.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
May 16, 2003 | |
0603 GMT |
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Brighter Neptune suggests a change of seasons
Springtime is blooming on Neptune! This might sound like an oxymoron because Neptune is the farthest and coldest of the major planets. But Hubble Space Telescope observations are revealing an increase in Neptune's brightness in the southern hemisphere, which is considered a harbinger of seasonal change, say astronomers.
FULL STORY
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Russian rocket to launch U.S. communications craft
Delayed three weeks to replace a faulty rocket component, a Russian Proton booster fitted with a Breeze M upper stage is set to launch a satellite on Monday that is destined to beam communications transmissions to users throughout North America.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC
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Thursday:
May 15, 2003 | |
0812 GMT |
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NASA chief, CAIB chairman testify at Senate hearing
A Senate hearing held in Washington on Wednesday saw NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Columbia Accident Investigation Board chairman Hal Gehman answer questions about the shuttle tragedy, what could have been done to save the astronauts and the controversy over NASA's decision not to seek spy satellite images of Columbia. The entire hearing is presented here for Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers.
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: SENATORS MAKE OPENING STATEMENTS QT
VIDEO: ADMINISTRATOR SEAN O'KEEFE OPENING STATEMENT QT
VIDEO: CAIB CHAIRMAN HAL GEHMAN OPENING COMMENTS QT
VIDEO: QUESTIONING OF O'KEEFE AND GEHMAN DURING HEARING QT
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A new way to explore the surface of Mars
Students from North Carolina State University are helping NASA expand the exploration of the surface of Mars. The team of students and researchers has designed a wind-powered rover that can be blown, like tumbleweed, across the surface of the Red Planet collecting atmospheric and geological samples at multiple locations.
FULL STORY
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NASA finds soot has impact on global climate
A team of researchers, led by NASA and Columbia University scientists, found airborne, microscopic, black-carbon (soot) particles are even more plentiful around the world, and contribute more to climate change, than was previously assumed by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
May 14, 2003 | |
0632 GMT |
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First Greek satellite launch performed by Atlas 5 rocket
Tuesday's rocket launch from Cape Canaveral wasn't your every day satellite delivery mission. Sure, it had that unmistakable crackling roar and golden tail of fire. But the successful second flight of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 rocket began with a history-making accomplishment and ended with Greece achieving its first presence in space.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
ATLAS 5 VIDEO COLLECTION
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO THE PAD QT
VIDEO: SHORT VERSION OF ATLAS 5 LAUNCH MOVIE QT
VIDEO: LONGER VERSION OF ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING HELLAS SAT QT
VIDEO: OUR LAUNCH FOOTAGE FROM THE CAPE PRESS SITE QT
VIDEO: VAPOR CLOUD APPEARS IN THE SKY BEHIND ROCKET QT
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH SPEECHES DECLARE MISSION SUCCESS QT
VIDEO: MONDAY'S ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO THE PAD QT
VIDEO: A PREVIEW OF THE ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING HELLAS SAT QT
AUDIO: 54-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Clearest video yet of foam strike as tests get underway
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Tuesday released the clearest video yet showing a tumbling piece of foam insulation slamming into the shuttle's left wing during launch Jan. 16. Investigators say the enhanced video, along with ongoing mathematical modeling, indicates the foam slammed into the wing at some 529 mph with a ton of force.
FULL STORY
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Tuesday:
May 13, 2003 | |
0145 GMT |
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Atlas 5 rocket launch rescheduled for today
Delayed 24 hours to replace a faulty part on the rocket, the second flight of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 rocket has been reset for 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT) today from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket will propel the Greek Hellas Sat communications spacecraft into orbit.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
PREVIEW STORY
LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST
ATLAS 5 VIDEO COLLECTION
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO THE LAUNCH PAD QT
VIDEO: A PREVIEW OF THE ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING HELLAS SAT QT
AUDIO: 54-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT
SUBSCRIBE NOW
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Your name could make a 'Deep Impact' on a comet
People worldwide may celebrate July 4, 2005, as the day their names reach a comet. NASA is launching a campaign to send hundreds of thousands of names to comet Tempel 1. The names will be carried on board NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, the first deep-space mission designed to really reach out and touch a comet.
FULL STORY
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Unique NASA satellite watches rainfall from space
Your local weather forecaster uses Doppler radar systems, covering U.S. regions, to estimate rainfall and flooding, but NASA research satellites can see rainfall worldwide.
FULL STORY
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Monday:
May 12, 2003 | |
0200 GMT |
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Atlas 5 rocket to launch Greek satellite today
Looking to make it two successes in a row, Lockheed Martin's next-generation Atlas 5 rocket is ready to take its second flight. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT) today from Florida's Cape Canaveral carrying the commercial Hellas Sat communications spacecraft.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
PREVIEW STORY
LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST
ATLAS 5 VIDEO COLLECTION
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