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Sunday:
August 8, 2004 | |
0410 GMT |
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Colliding high-speed winds light up cluster
This Chandra image presents the first detection of X-rays from stars in the Quintuplet Cluster, an extremely dense young star cluster near the Galactic Center.
 FULL STORY
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First shuttle main engine fully assembled at KSC
Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power recently completed the build-up and avionics testing of the first Space Shuttle Main Engine fully assembled at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The engine will be shipped to Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test.
FULL STORY
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Saturday:
August 7, 2004 | |
0021 GMT |
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Science instrument on Hubble shuts down
One of four science instruments aboard NASA's Hubble's Space Telescope suspended operations earlier this week, and engineers are now looking into possible recovery options.
FULL STORY
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Hubble images majestic cousin of the Milky Way
Our Sun and solar system are embedded in a broad pancake of stars deep within the disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Even from a distance, it is impossible to see our galaxy's large-scale features other than the disk.
FULL STORY
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Newest picture from Cassini shows Saturn in color
A frigid ball of gas in the blackness of space, Cassini's new home, Saturn, appears cool and serene in this natural color image. The spacecraft obtained this view as it sped outward from the planet on its initial orbit. At the left, Saturn's shadow stretches almost completely across the rings, while at the right, the planet's illuminated face appears to gaze down at the far-off Sun.
FULL STORY
CASSINI ARCHIVE
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Friday:
August 6, 2004 | |
0211 GMT |
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Cassini discoveries shed light on Saturn and Titan
The Cassini spacecraft, which began its tour of the Saturn system just over a month ago, has detected lightning and a new radiation belt at Saturn, and a glow around the planet's largest moon, Titan.
FULL STORY
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Rocks tell stories in reports of Spirit's first 90 days
Scientific findings from the NASA rover Spirit's first three months on Mars will be published Friday, marking the start of a flood of peer-reviewed discoveries in scientific journals from the continuing two-rover adventure.
FULL STORY
MARS ROVER ARCHIVE
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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TRMM craft to remain at work through hurricane season -- NASA will extend operation of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) through the end of 2004, in light of a recent request from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The extension, to be undertaken jointly with NASA's TRMM partner, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will provide data during another storm season in the U.S. and Asia.
Galaxy 10R satellite suffers propulsion system failure -- PANAMSAT's Galaxy 10R communications satellite, a Boeing model 601 HP spacecraft, has experienced an unexpected shutdown of its xenon ion propulsion system. Now, the satellite is operating on its backup bi-propellant propulsion system, which has a limited lifetime.
Canadian X PRIZE team announces launch date -- The Canadian da Vinci Project Team has notified the ANSARI X PRIZE of its intention to launch its rocket on October 2, marking its official entry in the international, commercially-funded space race competition.
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Thursday:
August 5, 2004 | |
0831 GMT |
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Gamma-ray burst was new type of cosmic explosion
Astronomers have identified a new class of cosmic explosions that are more powerful than supernovae but considerably weaker than most gamma-ray bursts. The discovery strongly suggests a continuum between the two previously-known classes of explosions.
FULL STORY
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Controllers working to fix Mars rover problems
NASA's Spirit rover has climbed higher into rocky hills on Mars, and its twin, Opportunity, has descended deeper into a crater, but both rovers, for the time being, are operating with some restrictions while team members diagnose unexpected behavior.
FULL STORY
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Proton rocket deploys communications satellite
The Amazonas communications spacecraft that will serve Spanish and Portuguese speaking residents on both sides of the Atlantic was successfully launched aboard a commercial Russian Proton rocket Thursday morning.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
PROTON ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH AMAZONAS QT
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South polar structure of Saturn imaged by Cassini
Saturn's southern polar region exhibits concentric rings of clouds which encircle a dark spot at the pole. To the north and toward the right, wavy patterns are evident, resulting from the atmosphere moving with different speeds at different latitudes.
FULL STORY
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Environmental craft ascending to mission orbit
Activation of the Aura spacecraft, launched July 15, is continuing, with the mission going very well so far, NASA said Wednesday. All spacecraft subsystems have demonstrated readiness to support science operations, which cannot begin until the instruments are fully activated and Aura has reached its nominal orbit altitude.
FULL STORY
LAUNCH COVERAGE
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Wednesday:
August 4, 2004 | |
0430 GMT |
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Terra spacecraft snaps image of Hurricane Alex
NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Alex, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, on Tuesday as the Category 2 storm was pounding North Carolina's Outer Banks with winds of up to 100 miles an hour.
FULL STORY
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Is the solar system special?
On the evidence to date, our solar system could be fundamentally different from the majority of planetary systems around stars because it formed in a different way. If that is the case, Earth-like planets will be very rare.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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Space Flight Operations Contract extended -- NASA has exercised an option to extend for two years the Space Flight Operations Contract, which supports the Space Shuttle Program. This two-year option, valued at $3.6 billion, extends the contract period of performance with United Space Alliance, LLC, of Houston through Sept. 30, 2006.
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Tuesday:
August 3, 2004 | |
1050 GMT |
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Probe leaves Earth on voyage to orbit Mercury
A Boeing Delta 2 rocket roared to life early Tuesday and climbed into space, launching NASA's ambitious MESSENGER probe on a round-about six-and-a-half-year voyage to Mercury, a $427 million quest to fill in one of the most glaring blanks in planetary exploration.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
OUR PREVIEW STORY
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
DELTA 2 ROCKET BLASTS OFF WITH MESSENGER QT
VIDEO:
CLOSE-UP VIEW OF MAIN ENGINE IGNITION QT
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UMBILICAL TOWER CAMERA VIDEO OF LIFTOFF QT
VIDEO:
FIERY BLASTOFF AS CAPTURED BY PAD CAMERA QT
VIDEO:
LIFTOFF AS SEEN FROM PLAYALINDA BEACH QT
VIDEO:
LAUNCH AS SEEN FROM CAPE'S PRESS SITE 1 QT
VIDEO:
COCOA BEACH TRACKING CAMERA LAUNCH VIDEO QT
VIDEO:
VIEW FROM ALTERNATE PRESS VIEWING LOCATION QT
VIDEO:
POWERFUL TRACKING CAMERA OFFERS THIS ANGLE QT
VIDEO:
CLOSE-UP VIEW OF BOOSTER NOZZLES DURING ASCENT QT
VIDEO:
POST-FLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH NASA LAUNCH MANAGER QT
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SERVICE TOWER ROLLED BACK FOR SECOND COUNTDOWN QT
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BAD WEATHER SCRUBS MONDAY'S LAUNCH ATTEMPT QT
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WEATHER OFFICER GIVES FORECAST FOR TUESDAY QT
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MESSENGER'S LAUNCH CAMPAIGN SHOWN WITH NARRATION QT
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DELTA 2 ROCKET IS ASSEMBLED ON THE LAUNCH PAD QT
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MOBILE SERVICE TOWER IS ROLLED BACK SUNDAY EVENING QT
VIDEO:
SATURDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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MESSENGER PRE-LAUNCH SCIENCE BRIEFING QT
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Station crew steps outside on spacewalk
Commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Mike Fincke - the International Space Station's two-man Expedition 9 crew - conducted the third spacewalk of their mission early Tuesday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Retreating glaciers spur Alaskan earthquakes
In a new study, NASA and United States Geological Survey scientists found that retreating glaciers in southern Alaska may be opening the way for future earthquakes.
FULL STORY
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Agency transformation in effect at NASA
Over the weekend, an unprecedented transformation of NASA's organizational structure occurred, streamlining the agency and putting it in a better position to implement the Vision for Space Exploration.
FULL STORY
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Saturn in full view for Cassini spacecraft
Two weeks after orbit insertion, Cassini glanced back at Saturn, taking in the entire planet and its expansive rings. Currently it is summer in Saturn's southern hemisphere. Notable here is the bright spot located near the planet's southern hemisphere, where the line from the day and night side of the planet meets. The angle of illumination hints at Saturn's tilt relative to the Sun.
FULL STORY
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Monday:
August 2, 2004 | |
0731 GMT |
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Weather scrubs launch of NASA's Mercury orbiter
Clouds streaming off Tropical Storm Alex kept NASA's MESSENGER probe grounded on the launch pad today. Anvil clouds over the Cape Canaveral launch site were deemed unsafe for the Boeing Delta 2 rocket to ascend through due to triggered lightning concerns, forcing officials to postpone the launch just minutes before the scheduled 2:16 a.m. liftoff.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
OUR PREVIEW STORY
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
GROUND TRACK MAP
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
BAD WEATHER SCRUBS MONDAY'S LAUNCH ATTEMPT QT
VIDEO:
WEATHER OFFICER GIVES FORECAST FOR TUESDAY QT
VIDEO:
MESSENGER'S LAUNCH CAMPAIGN SHOWN WITH NARRATION QT
VIDEO:
DELTA 2 ROCKET IS ASSEMBLED ON THE LAUNCH PAD QT
VIDEO:
MOBILE SERVICE TOWER IS ROLLED BACK SUNDAY EVENING QT
VIDEO:
SATURDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO:
MESSENGER PRE-LAUNCH SCIENCE BRIEFING QT
VIDEO:
WATCH THE MESSENGER OVERVIEW NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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A Russian Proton M rocket launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying the Amazonas communications satellite that will serve the Americas and Europe. (2min 25sec file)
This narrated animation profiles the mission of a Proton rocket launching the Amazonas communications satellite. (2min 27sec file)
The fully assembled Proton rocket is rolled to launch pad for its flight to place the Amazonas spacecraft into orbit. (41sec file)
The Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket launches at 2:16 a.m. EDT carrying the NASA's MESSENGER space probe from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (5min 23sec file)
The Cocoa Beach tracking camera site captured this beautiful view of the launch and separation of the ground-ignited solid rocket boosters. (1min 31sec file)
Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov discuss their planned six-month mission on the space station. (11min 23sec file)
Space station officials brief the news media on the continuing mission of the Expedition 9 crew and the plan for an upcoming spacewalk. (58min 42sec file)
The Apollo 11 astronauts are retrieved from their capsule and welcomed back to Earth by President Richard Nixon. (2min 04sec file)
Apollo 11 safely returns to Earth, making a parachute-assisted splashdown in the ocean. (3min 57sec file)
Mission officials and scientists preview the flight of NASA's MESSENGER space probe to orbit the planet Mercury during this news conference. (41min 36sec file)
Armstrong and Aldrin gather lunar samples and conduct experiments during their moonwalk. (2min 27sec file)
The Apollo 11 astronauts narrate footage of their historic landing on the moon and describe the technical details of the descent. (22min 02sec file)
The Eagle lunar module returns to the orbiting command module and the Apollo 11 astronauts head back to Earth. (5min 33sec file)
President Richard Nixon calls Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to congratulate the astronauts following their successful landing on the moon. (1min 29sec file)
The Apollo 11 astronauts and other dignitaries hold a special 35th anniversary celebration in Washington on July 20. Hear from Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins, Walter Cronkite, NASA Administrator O'Keefe and others. (76min 12sec file)
The "Eagle" lunar lander undocks from the "Columbia" command module in preparation for landing. (1min 21sec file)
The Apollo 11 spacecraft "Eagle" lands on the moon 35 years ago, delivering Armstrong and Aldrin. (2min 04sec file)
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step foot on the surface of the moon on July 20 1969, forever changing history. (11min 17sec file)
One of the liquid-fueled main engines that will power space shuttle Discovery on the return-to-flight mission next spring is test-fired at NASA's Stennis Space Center. (1min 56sec file)
Famed CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite recalls the Apollo 11 mission in this interview on NASA Television. (3min 15sec file)