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News Archive 2011: August

Canadian robot completes first maintenance task
Dextre, the International Space Station's robotic handyman, replaced an electrical switchboard outside the complex this week, the first time the Canadian space robot has performed a maintenance task.
   FULL STORY
Jupiter-bound probe looks back at Earth and moon
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this unique view of the Earth and the moon Aug. 26 as the probe was about 6 million miles away.
   IMAGE: EARTH AND MOON
Russia determines causes of rocket launch failures
Investigators have identified the causes of consecutive launch mishaps with the Proton and Soyuz rockets, clearing a major hurdle in preparing to return the workhorse launch vehicles to flight.
   FULL STORY
NASA considers how to leave space station vacant
Engineers are evaluating what steps are necessary to safeguard the International Space Station should the orbiting lab be temporarily evacuated in the wake of last week's Soyuz rocket failure.
   FULL STORY
Shannon to review options for deep space exploration
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has asked outgoing space shuttle program manager John Shannon to carry out an independent assessment of competing options for eventual manned missions beyond low-Earth orbit.
   FULL STORY
Virginia launch facilities spared by Hurricane Irene
Rocket launch facilities along Virginia's Eastern Shore escaped significant damage this weekend as Hurricane Irene swept up the Atlantic coastline, according to a NASA spokesperson.
   FULL STORY
Russia's workhorse rockets grounded by investigations
Two of Russia's most flown rockets -- responsible for nearly one-third of the global launch rate over the last few years -- are grounded in the aftermath of consecutive mishaps that spoiled the mission of a communications satellite and a resupply flight bound for the International Space Station.
   FULL STORY
Space station could be abandoned without Soyuz
Astronauts may need to temporarily withdraw from the International Space Station before the end of this year if Russia is unable to resume manned flights of its Soyuz rocket after a failed cargo launch last week, according to the NASA official in charge of the outpost.
   FULL STORY
International Space Station watches Hurricane Irene
Cameras aboard the International Space Station have captured stunning views of the massive Hurricane Irene during direct overhead passes all week.
   VIDEO: WEATHER SATELLITE TRACKS PATH
   IMAGE SHOWS SCALE OF STORM
   NASA SATELLITE PHOTOS
   LIVE STREAMING VIDEO FROM MISSION CONTROL
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: HURRICANE IRENE ON SATURDAY, AUG. 27 PLAY
VIDEO: HURRICANE IRENE ON FRIDAY, AUG. 26 PLAY
VIDEO: HURRICANE IRENE ON THURSDAY, AUG. 25 PLAY
VIDEO: HURRICANE IRENE ON WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24 PLAY
VIDEO: HURRICANE IRENE ON TUESDAY, AUG. 23 PLAY
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Another look back at the final space shuttle launch
We've posted some new video of Atlantis' blastoff taken last month during the final space shuttle launch, including slow-motion engineering views and rare footage recorded inside the control center.
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SLOW-MOTION LAUNCH CAMERA ON PAD TOWER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SLOW-MOTION LAUNCH CAMERA ON PAD TOWER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SLOW-MOTION LAUNCH CAMERA IN SOUTHEAST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SLOW-MOTION LAUNCH CAMERA IN NORTHWEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SLOW-MOTION LAUNCH CAMERA FROM SOUTH PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: INSIDE FIRING ROOM 4 DURING COUNTDOWN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: INSIDE FIRING ROOM 4 DURING LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: INSIDE FIRING ROOM 4 AFTER LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: AERIAL VIEWS OF PAD DURING COUNTDOWN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: AERIAL VIEWS OF CROWDS ON SPACE COAST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: AERIAL VIEWS OF ATLANTIS' LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: ATLANTIS' PRE-LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAYLOADS' PRE-LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF SHUTTLE BEING ASSEMBLED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: OVERHEAD TIME-LAPSE OF THE STACKING PLAY | HI-DEF
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Cargo vessel for station resupply arrives in Virginia
The pressurized cargo module for Orbital Sciences' first Cygnus commercial resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station arrived at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia this week.
   FULL STORY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: CYGNUS CARGO MODULE ARRIVES AT WALLOPS PLAY | HI-DEF
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Rocket failure dooms space station cargo ship launch
An "emergency situation" occurred during Wednesday's launch of a robotic Russian resupply ship headed for the International Space Station, preventing the Soyuz rocket from reaching orbit. The freighter crashed back to Earth in the first post-shuttle launch to the lab complex.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SOYUZ LAUNCHES ON ILL-FATED FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: STATION CREW INFORMED OF ANOMALY PLAY
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH FAILURE NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
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Rover gets a closer look at rocks near Mars crater
Two weeks after arriving at the rim of Endeavour crater on Mars, the Opportunity rover has begun scientific observations at a locale unlike any other the veteran robot has ever visited.
   IMAGES: OPPORTUNITY STUDIES MYSTERY ROCK
Auditors to NASA: Don't trust your cost estimates
NASA's internal cost assumptions for developing a colossal heavy-lift Space Launch System and multi-purpose spacecraft are too optimistic should not be fully trusted, according to an independent analysis by Booz Allen Hamilton.
   FULL STORY
Inquiry into rocket mishap focuses on control system
Investigators probing last week's failure of a Russian rocket are narrowing their focus on the control system of the vehicle's Breeze M upper stage, which left a Russian Express communications satellite in the wrong orbit.
   FULL STORY - with video!
NASA pursues tests of solar sail, laser communications
Kicking off a new line of technology demonstration missions, NASA announced plans Monday to demonstrate a laser communications system, a precise atomic clock and a futuristic solar sail in space by 2016, but officials cautioned budgetary negotiations may keep the high-tech missions on the ground.
   FULL STORY
Newly launched GPS satellite readied for use
The nation's newest Global Positioning System satellite has completed its post-launch checkout and entered service in the orbiting constellation, spacecraft-maker Boeing announced Monday.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
A rocket's resurrection?
The familiar green and white Delta 2 rocket now on the cusp of retirement could be given new life to launch a handful of NASA climate research satellites later this decade.
   FULL STORY
Building block of Chinese space station will go ahead
The failure of a Chinese Long March rocket Thursday will not affect the country's plans to launch a 19,000-pound space station module later this year, a senior Chinese space official told state media.
   FULL STORY
NASA's twin lunar mappers moved to the launch pad
After 55 years of launches, the historic Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral received what could be its final satellite payload Thursday morning when NASA's twin Moon-mapper probes arrived for mounting atop the Delta 2 rocket.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   LAUNCH WINDOW CHART
   OUR DELTA ARCHIVE
Powerful communications satellite feared lost in space
Russia lost contact with a Breeze M upper stage and a powerful communications satellite Thursday, hours after the duo blasted off from Kazakhstan on a Proton rocket.
   FULL STORY - updated!
Chinese rocket fails to orbit experimental satellite
A Chinese Long March rocket failed to orbit an experimental Shijian satellite Thursday, weeks before the country plans to send a man-rated space station module into orbit.
   FULL STORY
Dnepr rocket boosts seven satellites into Earth orbit
Seven small satellites to serve organizations on four continents rocketed out of a missile silo in Russia and roared into orbit Wednesday on top of a Dnepr launcher.
   FULL STORY
18-year-old GPS satellite returns to navigation duty
Operators of the Global Positioning System have brought a decommissioned satellite back to life to replace an ailing craft in the precision navigation network, the Air Force said.
   FULL STORY
SpaceX fuels Falcon rocket; Dragon to arrive next month
SpaceX tested its next Falcon 9 rocket during a major countdown rehearsal Monday, loading propellant into the two-stage launcher and validating improvements made to the company's Cape Canaveral launch pad before liftoff scheduled for Nov. 30.
   FULL STORY
Juno spacecraft right on course after flawless launch
Ten days after leaving Earth in the nose of an Atlas 5 launcher, the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft is flying straight and true, allowing NASA managers to cancel a planned rocket burn to aim the probe toward the next waypoint on its five-year journey to the solar system's largest planet.
   FULL STORY
   ARCHIVED MISSION COVERAGE
Chinese marine observation satellite placed in orbit
A Chinese ocean observation satellite launched Monday on a Long March rocket from the Taiyuan space center in northeastern China, according to state-run media.
   FULL STORY
NASA completes testing of sophisticated Mars rover
Engineers finished up functional testing of the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory last week, verifying the Curiosity rover can make it to Mars and pursue scientific clues that the planet may have once harbored life.
   FULL STORY
   IMAGES: ROVER AND DESCENT STAGE
   PANORAMA: INSIDE THE CLEAN ROOM
One year later: Air Force craft still fighting adversity
Launched from Cape Canaveral a year ago Sunday, the first satellite in the U.S. military's next-generation secure communications network continues its arduous journey to reach the correct orbit.
   FULL STORY
   ARCHIVED MISSION COVERAGE
Two shuttle orbiters face off on road to retirement duty
Two space shuttle orbiters swapped places at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday as NASA prepares the retired spaceships for public display in museums. The unique morning climaxed with a nose-to-nose photo opportunity with Discovery and Endeavour.
   IMAGES: DISCOVERY AND ENDEAVOUR TOGETHER
Military's hypersonic flight test cut short by anomaly
A hypersonic glider launched Thursday by the U.S. military was lost in flight, the second straight mishap crippling the Pentagon's desire to develop a strategic weapon to deliver conventional munitions anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
   FULL STORY
   MINOTAUR BLASTS OFF
GRAIL satellites configured for flight to the moon
NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites are in launch configuration, ready to move to the pad next week and meet a Delta 2 rocket for liftoff toward the moon in September.
   IMAGES: GRAIL IN CLEAN ROOM
Satellite for Pakistan launched by Chinese rocket
China deployed a communications satellite for Pakistan on Thursday aboard a Long March 3B rocket launched from a mountainous spaceport in the southwest China's Sichuan province.
   FULL STORY
Opportunity rover begins exploring huge crater
NASA's Opportunity rover has arrived at Endeavour crater, a sweeping impact site fraught with clay minerals that could signal a wetter, more habitable environment existed on ancient Mars, the space agency announced Wednesday.
   FULL STORY
Rocket-mounted cameras capture Juno's launch
Take a ride aboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket as it blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno probe with two side-mounted video cameras facing down at Earth and looking skyward from the booster's first stage. The video clips are presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus users with launch audio.
   IMAGES: ONBOARD ROCKET PHOTO GALLERY
   ULA'S HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: EARTH-FACING ONBOARD ROCKET CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: UPWARD-FACING ONBOARD ROCKET CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: SRB SEPARATION IN NORMAL AND SLOW-MOTION PLAY
VIDEO: NOSE CONE JETTISON IN NORMAL AND SLOW-MOTION PLAY
VIDEO: STAGE SEPARATION AND CENTAUR FLYING AWAY PLAY

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PATRICK AFB PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: SOUTH OF THE PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: SHUTTLE PAD CAMERA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: SHUTTLE WATER TOWER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: EAST OF THE PAD PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: COMPLEX 41 VIF PLAY
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Ariane leaves troubles behind with good launch
Five weeks after scrubbing its countdown in the final moments by a main fuel valve problem, an Ariane 5 rocket finally blasted off at 2252:37 GMT (6:52:37 p.m. EDT) Saturday carrying European and Japanese direct-to-home television satellites.
   FULL STORY
   OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
Juno spacecraft leaves Earth for journey to Jupiter
United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket roared to life Friday and dispatched NASA's solar-powered Juno space probe on a five-year voyage to Jupiter, the first step in a $1.1 billion mission to look for clues about the origins of the solar system in the hidden heart of its largest planet.
   LAUNCH STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!

   IMAGES: ULA PHOTO COLLECTION
   IMAGES: LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
   IMAGES: CAMERA AT LAUNCH PAD
   IMAGES: AS SEEN FROM VAB ROOF
   IMAGES: ROCKET ROLLED TO THE PAD
   IMAGES: ATLAS POISED FOR LAUNCH

   NASA PRESS KIT (.pdf download)
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   ASCENT EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: THE FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: JUNO'S PRE-LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROCKET'S PRE-LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ATLAS 5 ROCKET ROLLED OUT FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF ROLLOUT FROM PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF ROLLOUT FROM VIF PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LEARN ABOUT JUNO MISSION'S SCIENCE OBJECTIVES PLAY
VIDEO: THE ATLAS/JUNO PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
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NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter is rolled to its launch pad in preparation for its launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket.

Boeing selects Atlas rocket for CST-100 test flights
Boeing will use United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets for initial test flights of the company's proposed CST-100 manned spacecraft, a seven-seat capsule being developed for commercial missions to and from government and private-sector space stations in low-Earth orbit, company officials announced Thursday.
   FULL STORY
Spacecraft spots evidence for liquid water on Mars
Fingers of dark material running down steep slopes in the warmest regions of Mars could be the result of salty water flows, say scientists interpreting repeat observations snapped by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's powerful HiRISE camera.
   FULL STORY
Get to know Juno's ride:
The Atlas 5 rocket

This rocket's family name has been launching robotic explorers throughout the solar system for nearly 50 years, revolutionizing mankind's knowledge about the planets and our place in the Universe.
   FULL STORY
   IMAGES: ATLAS FIRST STAGE STACKED
   IMAGES: THE FIRST SOLID MOTOR ADDED
   IMAGES: FIFTH AND FINAL SRB ATTACHED
   IMAGES: CENTAUR UPPER STAGE HOISTED
   IMAGES: JUNO SPACECRAFT ENCAPSULATED
   IMAGES: PAYLOAD MOUNTED ATOP THE ROCKET
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Special photo gallery: Atlantis' cargo bay emptied
The final space shuttle payloads were removed from Atlantis' cargo bay Tuesday morning inside Kennedy Space Center's orbiter processing hangar. The Italian-made Raffaello logistics module and the failed ammonia coolant pump returned from the International Space Station during the July shuttle mission. Spaceflight Now had the rare opportunity to witness Tuesday's unloading operation and shoot this photo gallery.
   PHOTO GALLERY
NASA unveils spectacular photos of cratered asteroid
Four years after launch from Cape Canaveral, NASA's ion-drive Dawn spacecraft is finally in orbit around the asteroid Vesta, studying the second largest body in the rubble-strewn belt between Mars and Jupiter in unprecedented detail. Pictures released Monday show a strangely tortured world with huge parallel grooves separating the heavily cratered northern hemisphere from smoother terrain in the south dominated by the chaotic remnants of a catastrophic impact.
   FULL STORY
   DAWN'S LAUNCH COVERAGE

Read our earlier news archive page.