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Sunday:
June 29, 2003 | |
0617 GMT |
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Winds aloft delay launch of Opportunity rover to Mars
Shifting high-altitude winds forced the postponement of Saturday night's attempt to launch NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Another launch attempt is scheduled 11:46:14 p.m. EDT on Sunday (0346:14 GMT Monday). Check our Mission Status Center for the latest news.
 MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: DECISION TO SCRUB THE LAUNCH IS ANNOUNCED QT
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE VIEW OF MOBILE SERVICE TOWER ROLLBACK QT
VIDEO: THE MOBILE TOWER IS RETRACTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON QT
VIDEO: NARRATED MOVIE SHOWS 'OPPORTUNITY' LAUNCH PREPS QT
VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF DELTA 2 ROCKET BEING STACKED QT
PHOTO: 12-PICTURE GALLERY FROM SATURDAY'S COUNTDOWN OPEN
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S "OPPORTUNITY" PRE-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF DELTA LAUNCHING MARS ROVER QT
VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF MER-A "SPIRIT" LAUNCH QT
PHOTO: 19-PICTURE GALLERY FROM 'SPIRIT' ONBOARD CAMERA OPEN
FULL VIDEO COLLECTION
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Saturday:
June 28, 2003 | |
0510 GMT |
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Mars Exploration Rover awaits launch tonight
It is deja vu all over again. Two-and-a-half weeks after the successful departure of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, the twin Opportunity spacecraft is sitting atop its rocket launcher at Cape Canaveral for this evening's late-night blastoff.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
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Board issues tile repair recommendation
As expected, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has released an interim recommendation requiring NASA to develop a capability to inspect the shuttle's heat shield system in orbit and to repair any significant damage that might be found.
FULL STORY
STS-107 STORY DIRECTORY
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Youngest astronomers are mostly woman, study shows
The latest study of American Astronomical Society members reveals that almost 60 percent of the astronomers in the youngest age bracket are women. The report was made today at the Conference on "Women in Astronomy II: Ten Years After" at the California Institute of Technology.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
June 27, 2003 | |
0222 GMT |
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Commercial Earth imager launched into space
A commercial satellite that will snap sharp photos of Earth's surface soared into space Thursday, boosting a Virginia-based company's hopes of establishing a foothold in the high-resolution imaging business.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
AUDIO: LAUNCH TEAM GIVES PLAY-BY-PLAY CALL OF THE FLIGHT QT
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Helios prototype solar aircraft lost in mishap
The remotely operated Helios Prototype aircraft, a proof-of-concept solar-electric flying wing designed to operate at extremely high altitudes for long duration, was destroyed when it crashed Thursday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
FULL STORY
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Mars Exploration Rover awaits weekend launch
The "Opportunity" Mars rover is slated for launch Saturday night from Cape Canaveral aboard the first flight of Boeing's Delta 2-Heavy rocket. Liftoff will occur at precisely 11:56:16 p.m. EDT (0356:16 GMT Sunday).
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates
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NASA's Odyssey orbiter watches a frosty Mars
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is revealing new details about the intriguing, dynamic character of the frozen layers now known to dominate the high northern latitudes of Mars. The implications have a bearing on science strategies for future missions in the search of habitats.
FULL STORY
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New director named to lead Kennedy Space Center
NASA has named James W. Kennedy as the new director of the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy has served as KSC's deputy director since November 2002. He will succeed General Roy Bridges, who was appointed to lead NASA's Langley Research Center.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
June 26, 2003 | |
0424 GMT |
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Winged booster to launch Earth imager today
An air-launched Pegasus XL rocket will ferry the OrbView 3 commercial Earth-imaging satellite into polar orbit today. Flying off the central coast of California, the winged booster will be dropped from the belly of a modified jet around 1855 GMT (2:55 p.m. EDT) for its 9-minute flight to space.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Powerful 'conveyor belts' drive Sun's 11-year cycle
NASA and university astronomers have found evidence the 11-year sunspot cycle is driven in part by a giant conveyor belt-like, circulating current within the Sun. The astronomers made their discovery by reviewing the positions and sizes of all sunspots seen on the Sun since 1874.
FULL STORY
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On-orbit checkout of final Milstar satellite completed
A U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin-led team has successfully accomplished an accelerated on-orbit checkout of the last Milstar 2 secure communications satellite and transferred full operational control of the spacecraft to the Air Force Space Command. The satellite will now be quickly placed into service to support current military operations.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
June 25, 2003 | |
0021 GMT |
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Foam 'most probable' cause of Columbia disaster
A member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Tuesday, for the first time, that a foam strike during the shuttle's launching is the "most probable cause" of the disaster. He also said analysis of recovered debris indicates a large portion of the ship's left wing broke off in the shuttle's final seconds at the point where the catastrophic breach occurred.
FULL STORY
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: WATCH TUESDAY'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Spaceflight Now interviews station's resident crew
The international space station's Expedition 7 crew -- commander Yuri Malenchenko and science officer Ed Lu -- spent about 20 minutes talking with Spaceflight Now's Steven Young on Tuesday in an exclusive live interview. The interview is presented here in its entirety.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW [3.2MB QuickTime file]
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Mars orbiter eyes Phobos over planet's horizon
Images from the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor capture a faint yet distinct glimpse of the elusive Phobos, the larger and innermost of Mars' two moons. The moon, which usually rises in the west and moves rapidly across the sky to set in the east twice a day, is shown setting over Mars' afternoon horizon.
FULL STORY
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Astrobiology Institute announces new teams
NASA has announced 12 new teams would join the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), a national and international research consortium that studies the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life on Earth and in the universe.
FULL STORY
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Tuesday:
June 24, 2003 | |
0620 GMT |
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'Rosetta stone' decodes gamma-ray burst mystery
Scientists have pieced together the key elements of a gamma-ray burst, from star death to dramatic black hole birth, thanks to a "Rosetta stone" found in March. This telling burst in the constellation Leo, one of the brightest and closest on record, reveals for the first time that a gamma-ray burst and a supernova -- the two most energetic explosions known in the Universe -- occur simultaneously, a quick and powerful one-two punch.
FULL STORY
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NASA reviewing Educator Astronaut applications
The countdown has started for teachers from around the United States striving to become permanent members of NASA's Astronaut Corps. NASA will review more than 1,600 applications from teachers
for the three to six slots in the first class of Educator
Astronauts.
FULL STORY
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Atlas 5 rocket undergoes countdown dress rehearsal
Lockheed Martin's third Atlas 5 rocket -- the first to fly in the 500-series configuration -- was rolled to the pad Monday for a full launch day rehearsal at Cape Canaveral.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates
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Monday:
June 23, 2003 | |
0620 GMT |
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SOHO engineers battle to overcome antenna problem
One of the world's premiere Sun-watching observatories has suffered a glitch that threatens to hamper its future studies of our nearest star.
FULL STORY
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Atlas 5 set for countdown dress rehearsal
Lockheed Martin's third Atlas 5 rocket -- the first to fly in the 500-series configuration -- rolls to the pad Monday for a full launch day rehearsal at Cape Canaveral.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Nighttime clouds shed light on space weather
NASA is looking for the opportunity, beginning Monday, to launch rocket experiments that will form nighttime clouds in a project intended to shed light on space weather. Three of the four rocket experiments, launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, will include the formation of milky, white clouds. The clouds will allow scientists to view winds in a high and poorly accessible layer of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere.
FULL STORY
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