Spaceflight Now

Sunday: December 1, 2002		0301 GMT

Final spacewalk completed despite transporter trouble In one of the more challenging space station assembly spacewalks to date, two astronauts managed to accomplish all of their primary objectives Saturday even though problems moving the station's $290 million robot arm transporter prevented them from using the Canadarm2 space crane as originally planned. FULL STORY SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY

No shortage of mysteries on planet Venus What kind of mysteries and scientific intrigue await the European Space Agency's Venus Express once it has left Earth for its nearest planetary neighbour in 2005? A closer inspection promises to reveal a planet that is hugely different from our own despite a few similarities. FULL STORY

Saturday: November 30, 2002		0135 GMT

Departing station crew looks forward to home Space station science officer Peggy Whitson, 177 days off the planet with just five to go before coming home, says she's looking forward to "a nice steak with a caesar salad with tons of garlic in it." Flight engineer Sergei Treschev wants "a big hot dog." And Expedition 5 commander Valery Korzun says he wants to "eat and drink, maybe, for a couple of days. And then diet." FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates MASTER FLIGHT PLAN NASA TV SCHEDULE
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Crews stage ceremonial change of station command During a brief change-of-command ceremony today, outgoing Expedition 5 commander Valery Korzun formally turned over the international space station to Expedition 6 commander Kenneth Bowersox, a veteran space shuttle commander with four previous flights to his credit. FULL STORY

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Jupiter-like planets formed faster than thought An accepted assumption in astrophysics holds that it takes more than 1 million years for gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn to form from the cosmic debris circling a young star. But new research suggests such planets form in a dramatically shorter period, as little as a few hundred years. FULL STORY

Friday: November 29, 2002		1415 GMT

Thanksgiving Day spacewalk for astronauts While Americans were enjoying traditional turkey dinners and football, Endeavour astronauts Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington took a successful six-hour spacewalk Thursday to continue the outfitting and activation of the space station's new P1 truss. FULL STORY SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY

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Ariane 5 launch aborted Contrary to the Arianespace announcement last night that a problem opening the cryogenic arms caused the halted countdown, officials said today the reason for the cutoff was the failure of computer software to register the firing of hydrogen burnoff flares beneath the Ariane 5 rocket's Vulcain 2 main engine. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates

Thursday: November 28, 2002		1500 GMT

Thanksgiving Day spacewalk for astronauts Space shuttle and space station astronauts spent Wednesday to transferring equipment and supplies between the two docked spacecraft. Meanwhile, Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington prepared for a Thanksgiving Day spacewalk to continue outfitting the new P1 truss. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates MASTER FLIGHT PLAN NASA TV SCHEDULE
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Kosmos rocket lofts two small satellites The first in a series of new tools to monitor disasters and other events worldwide and a small Russian military satellite are in orbit today, thanks to a ride from a Russian Kosmos-3M rocket. FULL STORY

NASA awards JPL contract NASA completed negotiation of a new cost-plus award fee contract to the California Institute of Technology for the operation of the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The contract will run five years and have a value of approximately $8 billion. FULL STORY

Wednesday: November 27, 2002		0915 GMT

Station grows with addition of another truss The busiest day of Endeavour's mission was successfully pulled off Tuesday. The $390 million Port 1 truss was added to the space station's backbone, clearing the way for two shuttle astronauts to embark on a 7-hour spacewalk wire up the new structure and perform other tasks. FULL STORY SPACEWALK PREVIEW STORY

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More powerful version of Ariane 5 ready to fly Arianespace is poised to debut a new version of its heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket Thursday evening in a mission to deliver a pair of European satellites into space. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Tuesday: November 26, 2002		0800 GMT

Russian launch fails The massive Astra 1K broadcasting spacecraft never left low-Earth orbit Monday night when the Block DM upper stage of the Proton rocket malfunctioned, leaving the satellite in a worthless perch 109 miles above the planet. An investigation has begun. MISSION STATUS CENTER

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Endeavour arrives at station Taking his time, commander James Wetherbee deftly guided the shuttle Endeavour to a gentle docking with the international space station Monday as the two spacecraft sailed 245 miles above the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia. FULL STORY DOCKING PREVIEW STORY RENDEZVOUS TIMELINE
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New station crew takes over Expedition 6 commander Kenneth Bowersox, flight engineer Nikolai Budarin and science officer Donald Pettit officially replaced the international space station's fifth full-time crew Monday night after installing and testing custom-fitted emergency gear. FULL STORY

Galileo data recorder still not working Flight controllers have returned NASA's Galileo spacecraft to normal operation after the spacecraft put itself into a precautionary standby mode about 16 minutes after flying near Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea on Nov. 5. The veteran spacecraft is now functioning properly, except for its tape recorder, which is used for storing data for later transmission to Earth. FULL STORY

Monday: November 25, 2002		0641 GMT

Go for a ride on Endeavour The astronauts of Endeavour have given space fans an incredible treat. A video camera was mounted in the cockpit facing the flight deck crew during Saturday's launch, showing the shaking and flashing of ascent. But what's more, the movie includes the onboard intercom audio with the astronauts talking to each other and mission control. We present the full 11-minute clip to Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers:

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Missing man missed Astronaut Donald Thomas, veteran of four shuttle flights and more than 43 days in space, trained for more than a year and a half to fly aboard the international space station as a member of its sixth full-time crew, the crew currently en route to the lab complex aboard the shuttle Endeavour. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates TIMELINE OF MONDAY'S DOCKING MASTER FLIGHT PLAN NASA TV SCHEDULE
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Proton rocket to loft Astra 1K satellite Monday What's being called the largest commercial communications satellite ever built -- a powerful craft to transmit digital TV and multimedia programming across Europe -- is awaiting its ride into space Monday aboard a Russian-made Proton rocket. Liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome's is scheduled for 2304 GMT (6:04 p.m. EST). MISSION STATUS CENTER

News Archive
Nov. 18-24: Boeing's Delta 4 rocket debuts successfully; Endeavour launches to continue building station; Fast-flying black hole yields clues to supernova origin; Two supermassive black holes found in same galaxy.

Nov. 11-17: Boeing delays debut launch of Delta 4 rocket; Endeavour launch delayed by oxygen leak, robot arm accident; Exceptionally bright eruption on Jovian moon Io; New evidence for dark energy in the Universe; Black hole at Milky Way's center is on starvation diet.

Nov. 4-10: A spectacular solar show; Soyuz returns to Earth; Endeavour ready to fly; Mars glows in X-rays; Hubble shows an old star that gave up the ghost; Stunning views of Mt. Etna eruption from space station; Galileo enters safe mode during last science mission; Cargo mounted atop Delta 4 as debut launch nears.

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The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD

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Columbia Report

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The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD

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Columbia Report

A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven.

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Mars Panorama

DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image.

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Apollo 11 Mission Report

Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!

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Rocket DVD

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STS-134 Patch

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The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!

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Final Shuttle Mission Patch

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The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!

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Apollo Collage

This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.

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STS-133 Patch

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The final planned flight of space shuttle Discovery is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-133. Available in our store!

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Anniversary Shuttle Patch

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This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.

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Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch.

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Fallen Heroes Patch Collection

The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.

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Station Calendar

NEW! This beautiful 12" by 12" wall calendar features stunning images of the International Space Station and of the people, equipment, and space craft associated with it, as it takes shape day by day in orbit high above the Earth.

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