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Sunday:
August 22, 2004 | |
0311 GMT |
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Meteorite has record of its lunar launch site
Scientists have pinpointed the source of a meteorite from the moon for the first time. Their unique meteorite records four separate lunar impacts.
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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Space station status update -- Astronaut Mike Fincke will spend some time this week continuing to troubleshoot U.S. spacesuit cooling system problems. New U.S. spacesuit cooling system pumps were among the spare parts delivered aboard the new Progress last weekend.
Air-to-space laser communications to be tested -- Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to design, build and demonstrate a prototype optical aperture system that will enable laser communications between aircraft and space-based platforms.
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Saturday:
August 21, 2004 | |
0001 GMT |
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Final engine test-fired for shuttle return to flight
Engineers at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi have successfully tested what's expected to be the last of three Space Shuttle Main Engines that will carry the next shuttle into orbit.
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Cooking on a comet
One of the ingenious instruments on board the European Space Agency's Rosetta comet-chasing spacecraft is designed to 'smell' the comet for different substances, analyzing samples that have been 'cooked' in a set of miniature ovens.
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Friday:
August 20, 2004 | |
0431 GMT |
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Delta 4-Heavy rocket to take maiden flight in Oct.
A new launch date has been selected for the delayed demonstration flight of Boeing's massive Delta 4-Heavy rocket that will carry a satellite simulator and two tiny nanosats.
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Latest color pictures from Cassini look like artwork
NASA has released three new stunning color pictures taken by the Cassini spacecraft exploring the planet Saturn. The images show the giant planet, its golden rings and several moons.
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Intelsat is critical link in Athens Olympics coverage
Intelsat, the only global satellite leader to provide coverage of every Olympic Games since 1968, confirmed Thursday that it pre-booked over 35,000 hours of programming for 50 channels for this year's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This represents one of the highest traffic events in the company's history, and equates to what would be almost four years of continual programming carried within a 20-day period.
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Thursday:
August 19, 2004 | |
0201 GMT |
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Bedrock in Mars' Gusev Crater hints at watery past
Now that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is finally examining bedrock in the "Columbia Hills," it is finding evidence that water thoroughly altered some rocks in Mars' Gusev Crater. On Opportunity, a tool for exposing the insides of rocks stopped working Sunday, but engineers are optimistic that the most likely diagnosis is a problem that can be fixed soon.
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MARS ROVER ARCHIVE
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International interplanetary networking from Mars
One of NASA's Mars rovers has sent pictures relayed by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter for the first time, demonstrating that the orbiter could serve as a communications link if needed.
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Desert air studied to understand climate
NASA, Naval Research Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists have assembled in the Arabian Desert to study tiny airborne particles called aerosols and their effect on weather and climate. The scientists are collaborating with researchers from the United Arab Emirates Department of Water Resources Studies and 20 other U.S., European and South African research laboratories to decipher the complex processes controlling the area's climate.
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Wednesday:
August 18, 2004 | |
0245 GMT |
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Discovery milestones set stage for Return To Flight
The pace of preparations for Return to Flight is picking up, with several key milestones in recent weeks marking important progress in readying the Space Shuttle Discovery for its next mission.
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How old is the Milky Way?
The currently best estimate of the age of the Universe, as deduced from measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background, is 13.7 billion years. New observations with the Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory indicate that the first generation of stars in the Milky Way galaxy formed soon after the end of the ~200 million-year long "Dark Ages" that succeeded the Big Bang.
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TRMM spacecraft sees rain from hurricanes
Since rain and freshwater flooding are the number one causes of death from hurricanes in the United States over the last 30 years, better understanding of these storms is vital for insuring public safety. A recent study funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation offers insight into patterns of rainfall from tropical storms and hurricanes around the world.
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Tuesday:
August 17, 2004 | |
0152 GMT |
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Out from the shadows: Two new Saturnian moons
With eyes sharper than any that have peered at Saturn before, the Cassini spacecraft has uncovered two moons, which may be the smallest bodies so far seen around the ringed planet.
FULL STORY
CASSINI ARCHIVE
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Boeing to design Mars parachute technology
Boeing has won a $1.5 million, three-year NASA Mars Technology Development contract to develop guidance parachute technology for future Mars missions. NASA's proposed robotic Mars missions, using this technology, would be capable of landing on the surface of the planet within 2.5 miles of the target area.
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Monday:
August 16, 2004 | |
0326 GMT |
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Disk shows signs of planets
The sharpest image ever taken of a dust disk around another star has revealed structures in the disk which are signs of unseen planets. At a distance of only 33 light years, this is the nearest star possessing a visible disk of dust, which are believed to be the birthplaces of planets.
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One of the three liquid-fueled main engines that will power Discovery into orbit during the space shuttle return-to-flight mission is test-fired at Stennis Space Center. (2min 57sec file)
Preview what a Boeing Delta 4 rocket launch will be like with this animation package of a "Heavy" configuration vehicle. (1min 41sec file)
A problem with the Opportunity rover's Rock Abrasion Tool is explained in detailed by JPL mission manager Chris Salvo. (4min 14sec file)
Spirit's examination of rock outcropping at Gusev Crater has yielded new clues about the history of water there, as explained by Doug Ming, a rover science team member from Johnson Space Center. (5min 59sec file)
A stunning new picture from the Mars rover Spirit taken from the hillside shows the sweeping plains of Gusev and the crater's rim on the distant horizon. Expert narration is provided by Steve Squyres, the rover lead scientist. (1min 22sec file)
Steve Squyres, the rover lead scientist, descibes Opportunity's ongoing work inside Endurance Crater and narrates new pictures that includes clouds moving across the Martian sky. (5min 50sec file)
Scientists and mission officials explain the latest findings and exploration by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers during this news conference on August 18. (49min 40sec file)