Spaceflight Now

Sunday: February 16, 2003		0720 GMT

Missions to Europa surface said needed for life search Scientists have long considered Europa, the smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, as a prime candidate for life outside Earth because it is one of the few places in the solar system where liquid water may be found. Any future Europa exploration should focus on the identification of sites where signs of past or present life can be found and studied, says Ron Greeley, an ASU geology professor. FULL STORY

Study shows how water may have flowed on Mars NASA scientists have discovered how an intricate martian network of streams, rivers and lakes may have carried water across Mars. Using new three-dimensional data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and a powerful state-of-the-art computer code that 'models' overland water flow, scientists visualized the complex flow of martian water. FULL STORY

Saturday: February 15, 2003		0800 GMT

Goodbye Ariane 4: Finale flight for workhorse rocket Arianespace closed out its venerable Ariane 4 rocket program Saturday with an early morning vault into space that put a shining end to one of the most successful commercial launchers in the history of the industry. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Entry flight director recalls Columbia's final minutes For entry flight director Leroy Cain, struggling to make sense of unexpected telemetry from the shuttle Columbia and still hoping to regain radio contact, it was a moment of reluctant, dawning realization that a day he'd hoped would never come was finally there. FULL STORY

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Friday: February 14, 2003		0110 GMT

NASA unveils revised Columbia accident timeline Just one minute and 24 seconds after reaching the region of maximum aerodynamic heating off the coast of California, telemetry from the shuttle Columbia shows the first sign of unusual heating in the ship's left wing main landing gear wheel well, according to a dramatic new accident timeline released Thursday by NASA. FULL STORY

'What-if' email explained; gear signal believed faulty NASA managers say an engineer's email discussing a worst-case scenario based on the assumption a foam debris impact during the shuttle Columbia's launch did, in fact, seriously damage the ship's heat-shield tiles is an example of normal "what-ifing" and not an expression of real concern that somehow failed to reach upper management. FULL STORY

Ariane 4 delayed for third day by strong winds For the third day running, high winds have forced Arianespace to cancel plans to launch the final Ariane 4 rocket. Once launched, the mission will place the Intelsat 907 communications satellite into Earth orbit. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Thursday: February 13, 2003		0320 GMT

Study shows how water may have flowed on Mars NASA scientists have discovered how an intricate martian network of streams, rivers and lakes may have carried water across Mars. Using new three-dimensional data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and a powerful state-of-the-art computer code that 'models' overland water flow, scientists visualized the complex flow of martian water. FULL STORY

Rivers of gas could be part of 'missing' matter An Ohio State University astronomer and her colleagues have detected a type of hot gas in space that could account for part of the "missing" matter in the universe. A gas cloud, one trillion times more massive than our sun and more than 150 times hotter, surrounds our local group of galaxies, the astronomers reported in the journal Nature. FULL STORY

Upper level winds delay Ariane 4 for a second day Unfavorable high-altitude winds have forced Arianespace to scrub the launch of the last Ariane 4 rocket for a second straight day. The mission will place the Intelsat 907 communications satellite into Earth orbit. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Wednesday: February 12, 2003		0600 GMT

Investigation board vows openness, independence The chairman of the independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board - AIB - said Tuesday the root cause of the Feb. 1 shuttle disaster may never be known, but he vowed to leave no stone unturned in a herculean effort to nail down exactly what triggered NASA's second shuttle disaster. FULL STORY AUDIO: FLIGHT DIRECTOR LOOP RELEASED

Station crew remembers fallen colleagues On Saturday morning, Feb. 1, the three-man crew of the international space station was working through its 70th day in orbit, preparing for a daily planning session with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow. Instead of having a routine chat with the astronaut "CAPCOM" in mission control, Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson Howell, a retired Marine Corps general, came on the line. FULL STORY

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Winds keep final Ariane 4 rocket on the launch pad Launch of the last Ariane 4 rocket has been postponed due to unfavorable high-altitude winds. Liftoff had been planned for 0700 GMT to deliver the Intelsat 907 communications satellite into Earth orbit. A new launch date has not been announced. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Age of universe refined NASA has unveiled the sharpest picture ever taken of the infant universe, a landmark set of data showing when the very first stars "turned on" a surprisingly brief 200 million years after the big bang birth of the cosmos. FULL STORY

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Tuesday: February 11, 2003		0500 GMT

Part of Columbia's suspect left wing recovered NASA engineers confirmed the recovery of debris from the shuttle Columbia's left wing Monday amid reports one of the orbiter's four general purpose flight computers - or some sort of avionics box - might have been located. FULL STORY

Hubble gives close-up view of the Dumbbell Nebula An aging star's last hurrah is creating a flurry of glowing knots of gas that appear to be streaking through space in this close-up image of the Dumbbell Nebula, taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. FULL STORY

Violent truth behind Sun's 'gentle giants' uncovered Solar physicists have discovered new clues to understanding explosions on the Sun. Coronal mass ejections are violent explosions that can fling electrified gas with a mass greater than Mount Everest towards the Earth with destructive consequences for satellites. FULL STORY

Ariane 4 rocket to make last flight Wednesday Marking the end of the road for one of the most successful commercial rockets in history, the final Ariane 4 rocket is due to launch early Wednesday morning from its South American spaceport. Liftoff is set for the opening of an hour-long window at 0700 GMT (2 a.m. EST). MISSION STATUS CENTER

Monday: February 10, 2003		0338 GMT

The timeline of shuttle Columbia's final re-entry This timeline was compiled from telemetry data provided by shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore and a transcription of the NASA-Select commentary loop from Houston. Dittemore cautions the telemetry timing may well change and readers should take the times listed with a grain of salt. They are strictly preliminary. SEE THE TIMELINE

Shuttle chief explains Columbia's final minutes Using detailed charts, the shuttle program manager shows where sensors are located in the shuttle's left wing either failed or recorded abnormal pressure or temperature readings. VIDEO: THE PRELIMINARY SEQUENCE

News Archive
Feb. 3-9: Complete coverage of Columbia tragedy; NASA mulls space station launch, crew options; NASA's proposed 2004 budget quietly released.

Jan. 27-Feb. 2: COLUMBIA AND CREW LOST - In a devastating tragedy that took the lives of seven astronauts, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in the skies over Texas on Feb. 1 as the ship was heading back to Earth.

Jan. 20-26: Air-launched rocket gives boost to climate research; Shock waves may explain water in meteorites; First Milky Ways found at edge of Universe; NASA announces Educator Astronaut Program; Vandenberg receives first Boeing Delta 4 rocket.

Jan. 13-19: Shuttle Columbia rockets into orbit for science flight; Delta 2 pulls double duty with launch of two satellites; Three new moons found around Neptune; Researchers seek 'heart' of black hole mystery; Stellar cocoons found in harsh environment; Rocket issues keep Rosetta grounded indefinitely.

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The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD

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Apollo 11 special patch

Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.

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Inside Apollo mission control

An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.

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The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD

This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.

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Next ISS crew

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