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Sunday:
September 12, 2004 | |
0001 GMT |
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Dying star creates fantasy-like gas and dust sculpture
In this detailed view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the so-called Cat's Eye Nebula looks like the penetrating eye of the disembodied sorcerer Sauron from the film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings."
 FULL STORY
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Major milestone for detecting life on Mars
To detect life on Mars, scientists have to devise instruments to recognize it and design them in such a way to get them to the Red Planet most efficiently, says a member of an international team designing techniques to find life.
FULL STORY
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Saturday:
September 11, 2004 | |
0422 GMT |
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Scientists optimistic about salvaging Genesis mission
Two days after a spacecraft carrying samples of the solar wind crashed into the Utah desert, scientists are increasingly optimistic about accomplishing most, if not all, of the mission's primary science objectives.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
AUDIO:
FRIDAY'S STATUS NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO:
WORKERS INSPECT THE SCIENCE CANISTER QT
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Friday:
September 10, 2004 | |
0330 GMT |
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Photo gallery shows Genesis landing mishap
This collection of pictures recaps the Genesis solar wind sample return capsule making a high-speed impact into the Utah desert floor after its chutes failed to deploy during atmospheric descent from space on Wednesday.
ENTER GALLERY
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Cassini discovers ring and one, maybe two, objects
Scientists examining Saturn's contorted F ring, which has baffled them since its discovery, have found one small body, possibly two, orbiting in the F ring region, and a ring of material associated with Saturn's moon Atlas.
FULL STORY
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Scientists follow doomed matter around black hole
Scientists have pieced together the journey of a bundle of doomed matter as it orbited a black hole four times, an observational first. Their technique provides a new method to measure the mass of a black hole; and this may enable the testing of Einstein's theory of gravity to a degree few thought possible.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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DIRECTV to expand HDTV and advanced programming -- DIRECTV has announced a historic expansion of programming capacity with the planned launch of four new next-generation satellites. These satellites will provide DIRECTV with a massive expansion in local and national high-definition channels, as well as capacity for new interactive and enhanced services and standard-definition programming.
Arianespace signs two launch contracts with DIRECTV -- Arianespace announced Thursday the signing of two contracts with The DIRECTV Group. The first contract will be for the launch of the Spaceway 2 satellite in April 2005. The second contract is for an un-named direct-to-home satellite.
Arianespace to launch Galaxy 17 for PanAmSat -- At the 6th World Summit on Space Transportation Business held in Paris, Arianespace also announced Thursday that it has been chosen by U.S. operator PanAmSat to launch the Galaxy 17 satellite. The craft will be orbited by an Ariane 5 as early as late 2006.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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China sends 2 satellites into preset orbits -- (Xinhuanet) China launched two scientific experiment satellites into space from a north China space center atop a Long March 4-B rocket carrier earlier Thursday. Sources from the Xi'an Satellite Tracking Center said one of the satellites, SJ-6A scientific experiment satellite, separated from the rocket 11 minutes after flight, and the other one, SJ-6B scientific experiment satellite, disengaged from the carrier one minute later.
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Thursday:
September 9, 2004 | |
0228 GMT |
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Genesis space capsule crashes back to Earth
A small spacecraft carrying priceless samples of the sun crashed into the Utah desert Wednesday when its stabilizing parachute failed to deploy, bringing an innovative $264 million mission, NASA's first sample return flight since the Apollo moonshots, to a disappointing end.
FULL STORY - updated!
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LAUNCH COVERAGE FROM 2001
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
POST-LANDING NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO:
TRACKING CAMERAS FIRST SPOT CAPSULE DURING DESCENT QT
VIDEO:
GENESIS CAPSULE TUMBLES TO A HIGH-SPEED IMPACT QT
VIDEO:
SLOW-MOTION VIEW OF CAPSULE SLAMMING INTO GROUND QT
VIDEO:
AERIAL VIEWS OF CAPSULE HALF BURIED IN IMPACT CRATER QT
VIDEO:
RECOVERY HELICOPTERS TAKE OFF EARLIER TODAY QT
VIDEO:
NARRATED ANIMATION SHOWS ORIGINAL RETURN PLAN QT
VIDEO:
GENESIS PRE-RETURN NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO:
TUESDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING FROM UTAH QT
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Mars may have had large sea near rover landing site
Spacecraft observations of the landing area for one of NASA's two Mars rovers now indicate there likely was an enormous sea or lake covering the region in the past, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.
FULL STORY
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Galactic collision reveals fate of our Milky Way
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has set its infrared sight on a major galactic collision and witnessed the future of our own Milky Way galaxy. Sixty-eight million light-years away, the Antennae galaxies are locked in a dance of death, with stars being ripped from their orbits and spiral arms being shredded into streamers that dangle in space. Several billion years from now, our home might look the same.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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Boeing wins major commercial satellite contract -- Boeing announced Wednesday that it has been awarded a contract by DIRECTV to build three Boeing 702 model satellites. These spacecraft will provide DIRECTV with unprecedented national and local broadcast coverage in High Definition Television (HDTV).
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Wednesday:
September 8, 2004 | |
0401 GMT |
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Stunt pilots to snag returning space probe today
NASA's Genesis satellite completes its three-year, 20-million mile voyage through space in dramatic fashion today when a capsule containing samples of solar wind returns to Earth for a mid-air capture by Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
GENESIS PRE-RETURN NEWS CONFERENCE QT
VIDEO:
TUESDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING FROM UTAH QT
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Kennedy Space Center damage estimate updated
The Kennedy Space Center, reeling from widespread wind and water damage caused by Hurricane Frances, will remain closed to normal work until Monday at the earliest while engineers complete a detailed damage assessment. Updating initial damage reports, the center director said Tuesday the Vehicle Assembly Building lost large areas of side paneling, leaving gaping "windows" into the building's interior that are open to the elements.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
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TUESDAY'S KSC/CCAFS HURRICANE DAMAGE NEWS BRIEFING QT
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FOOTAGE OF DAMAGE AROUND KENNEDY SPACE CENTER QT
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Air Force says Delta, Titan rockets survive Frances
Three unmanned rockets standing on launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station escaped serious damage during Hurricane Frances, the 45th Space Wing's commander said Tuesday.
FULL STORY
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Tuesday:
September 7, 2004 | |
0435 GMT |
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Cape battered by Hurricane Frances; Ivan threatens
Hurricane Frances battered the Kennedy Space Center with sustained winds of more than 70 mph, ripping off an estimated 40,000 square feet of siding on the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building and partially destroying the roof of a critical heat shield tile facility needed for NASA's shuttle return to flight effort.
FULL STORY
HURRICANE UPDATES
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
AUDIO:
KSC DIRECTOR GIVES INITIAL DAMAGE REPORT ON MONDAY QT
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE FLEET PREPARED FOR FRANCES QT
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SPACE STATION COMPONENTS BAGGED QT
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Cassini spacecraft spies Saturn's moon Iapetus
The dark material that coats one hemisphere of Saturn's moon Iapetus is very dark, as these two processed views of the same image demonstrate.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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X-43A set for captive carry flight test -- Only days after Guinness World Records certified the prior flight of NASA's X-43A hypersonic technology demonstrator aircraft as a world speed record, a full-scale dress rehearsal for the last and even faster flight of the small unpiloted research aircraft is tentatively scheduled to occur on Tuesday from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.
Alcatel prepares Worldsat 2 for launch from Baikonur -- The Worldsat 2 communications satellite is undergoing final integration at Alcatel Space's Cannes facility in preparation for transfer to the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan.
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NEWSWIRE Links to news across the internet
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Israeli spy satellite launch fails at cost of $100m -- (Haaretz) The attempt to launch the spy satellite Ofek-6 failed yesterday when the Shavit rocket carrying the payload on its tip malfunctioned in its third and final stage.
Launch of Ofek 6 fails -- (Jerusalem Post) The defense establishment, shaken by the failed launch Monday of the Ofek 6 spy satellite, plans to push forward with more launches to boost its surveillance over Iran's nuclear weapons program.
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Monday:
September 6, 2004 | |
1600 GMT |
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France leaves significant damage at space center
Hurricane Frances has battered the Kennedy Space Center's 525-ft high Vehicle Assembly Building ripping off over 1000 panels from its exterior. With another Hurricane possibly on course to hit Florida this weekend, the space agency is worried.
HURRICANE UPDATES
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On Friday, Sept. 10, officials hold a news conference from Utah to update reporters on the recovery operations to salvage the Genesis sample return mission. (44min 47sec file)
Workers recover the Genesis solar wind samples from the impact crater and take the equipment into a facility for examination. (2min 08sec file)
Martin Wilson, manager of the Thermal Protection System Facility, gives a tour of the highly damaged building at Kennedy Space Center in the wake of Hurricane Frances. (2min 31sec file)
Go inside Kennedy Space Center's hurricane-battered Vehicle Assembly Building and also see the damage to the 52-story tall facility's roof. (2min 51sec file)
Officials hold a post-landing news conference in Utah a couple hours after Genesis returned to Earth on Sept. 8. (40min 52sec file)
Powerful tracking cameras spot the Genesis capsule for the first time a couple hundred thousand feet above Earth, prompting applause in the control centers. But just moments later, that joy turned to heartbreak. (1min 02sec file)
The Genesis sample return capsule tumbles through the sky and impacts the desert floor in Utah after its speed-slowing chute and parafoil failed to deploy for a mid-air recovery by a helicopter. (2min 29sec file)
This slow-motion video shows the Genesis capsule slamming into the ground. (1min 06sec file)
Aerial views show the Genesis capsule half buried in the Utah desert floor after its landing system suffered a failure. (1min 53sec file)
The primary and backup recovery helicopters take off with escort from a Blackhawk in preparation for the mid-air retrieval of Genesis. (1min 01sec file)
Animation shows how the Genesis spacecraft was supposed to return. Expert narration provided by JPL entry, descent and landing expert Rob Manning. (5min 29sec file)
The Kennedy Space Center director and 45th Space Wing commander from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station hold a news conference Tuesday to describe damage from Hurricane Frances. (46min 15sec file)
This movie takes you on a tour of hurricane damage to Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, shuttle tile manufacturing facility and press site. (3min 11sec file)
Director of the Kennedy Space Center, Jim Kennedy, briefs reporters on the initial hurricane damage inspections at the spaceport on Monday, Sept. 6. (24min 00sec file)