Spaceflight Now

Sunday: June 8, 2003		0401 GMT

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover to launch today After a three-year, $800 million campaign to dispatch a pair of Mars Exploration Rovers to the Red Planet, the first craft is just hours away from launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:05:55 p.m. EDT (1805:55 GMT) aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE ASCENT GROUND TRACK

Twin roving geologists bound for surface of Mars Building on past successes -- and learning from embarrassing failures -- NASA is poised to jump start its Mars exploration program by sending a pair of "monster truck" rovers to the Red Planet in a mission to search for clues about what happened to the water than once carved the martian surface. FULL STORY

Rovers undergo biological cleaning before launch What do NASA's soon-to-be-launched Mars Exploration Rover spacecraft have in common with the Viking and Voyager spacecraft launched decades ago? Besides being interplanetary explorers, they will be among the biologically cleanest spacecraft ever launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. FULL STORY

Cargo freighter awaits launch to space station A Russian Progress resupply craft is scheduled for liftoff at 1034 GMT (6:34 a.m. EDT) today from Baikonur Cosmodrome atop a unmanned Soyuz rocket. The Progress is carrying about 5,300 pounds of supplies for the station's crew -- Expedition 7 commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA science officer Ed Lu.

Saturday: June 7, 2003		1230 GMT

Foam impact cracks wing leading edge panel In a potentially significant breakthrough, engineers fired a 1.7-pound chunk of foam insulation at shuttle wing mockup Friday, visibly cracking a leading edge panel in a test that strongly supports the widely held hypothesis that a foam strike during Columbia's launch doomed the orbiter and its crew. FULL STORY FOAM TEST DELAYED (posted Thursday) STS-107 STORY DIRECTORY

Russian Proton rocket flies its 300th launch In a commercial mission Friday night that was anything but a sprint, the milestone 300th flight of the Russian Proton heavy-lifting rocket booster successfully launched a telecommunications satellite to cover North America. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC

Friday: June 6, 2003		0001 GMT

Test postponed because of weather conditions Stormy weather in Texas forced the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to delay a critical test designed to find out whether foam debris could have caused the kind of wing leading edge damage that doomed the shuttle and its crew during re-entry. FULL STORY EARLIER STORY STS-107 STORY DIRECTORY

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover to launch Sunday Building on past successes -- and learning from embarrassing failures -- NASA is poised to jump start its Mars exploration program by sending a pair of "monster truck" rovers to the Red Planet in an $800 million mission to search for clues about what happened to the water than once carved the martian surface. The first rover is poised for liftoff at 2:06 p.m. EDT Sunday from Cape Canaveral. MISSION STATUS CENTER MARS ROVER PREVIEW STORY STORY ON ROVERS' DESCENT AND LANDING

Thermal data from Odyssey reveals a changing Mars The first overview analysis of a year's worth of high-resolution infrared data gathered by the Thermal Emission Imaging System on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is opening Mars to a new kind of detailed geological analysis and revealing a dynamic planet that has experienced dramatic environmental change. FULL STORY

Clamps away: Mars Express eases its grip on its lander Mars Express engineers breathed a sigh of relief Thursday morning at the European Space Operations Centre, in Germany. If a particularly delicate operation had not proceeded as planned, it would have been impossible to deploy the Beagle 2 lander on arrival at Mars. FULL STORY

Russian rocket to launch U.S. communications craft Hoping the third time is the charm, a Russian Proton rocket is standing on its Baikonur Cosmodrome pad for a commercial satellite launch that has been delayed since April by technical problems. Liftoff is scheduled for 2215 GMT (6:15 p.m. EDT) on Friday. MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC

Thursday: June 5, 2003		0001 GMT

Critical foam impact test planned for Thursday Computer analysis and the results of a dramatic test last week indicate a critical experiment on tap Thursday may help investigators determine, to the satisfaction of most, that a foam strike during the shuttle Columbia's launching was the initiating event that led to the ship's destruction. FULL STORY

Japanese space probe headed to Mars rendezvous As other nations launch their stake in this year's wave of Mars exploration, Japan has its own mission that is chugging toward the Red Planet despite encountering a rocky journey. FULL STORY

Launch date established for NASA's Mars rover NASA's Mars Exploration Rover-A has been cleared for launch Sunday at 2:05:55 p.m. EDT (1805:55 GMT) following the Flight Readiness Review held Wednesday morning. The only worry now is the weather forecast, which predicts a 60 percent chance of unfavorable conditions. MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART

Wednesday: June 4, 2003		0124 GMT

Another Jovian moon found So far this year, Jupiter has gained 21 new distant satellites, with the most recent announcement of satellite S/2003 J 21 on Tuesday at the annual Canadian Astronomical Society meeting in Waterloo. This puts Jupiter far ahead of the all other planets, with 61 known moons. FULL STORY

'RAVE' seeking to reveal Galaxy's history Clues to how galaxies formed in the early Universe lie right under our nose -- in our own Galaxy. The Galaxy formed by the accretion of infalling satellite galaxies, many astronomers think. Theoretical models of the formation of galaxies predict such a scenario. But not all astronomers are convinced yet and the topic is still controversial. FULL STORY

No final decision yet on launch date for Mars rover NASA has put off making the final decision, which had been expected Tuesday, of when to launch the Mars Exploration Rover-A. For now, workers continue to prepare for liftoff on Sunday. MISSION STATUS CENTER EARLIER STORY LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART

Tuesday: June 3, 2003		0001 GMT

'Razor-sharp image' of star cluster snapped from Earth A razor-sharp image was released Monday revealing new details at the heart of a famous star cluster. The thousands of swarming stars at the cluster's core were made visible by an innovative adaptive optics system called Altair that is currently being commissioned on the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. FULL STORY

NASA opens applications for new astronaut class NASA is accepting applications for mission specialist and pilot astronaut candidates to join the 2004 Astronaut Candidate Class. FULL STORY

Monday: June 2, 2003		2030 GMT

Europe's first adventure to Mars successfully launched Kicking off a string of Mars launches this month, a Russian Soyuz booster did its job Monday as it placed the first European mission to the Red Planet onto the path that will see it arrive late this year amidst a flurry of international science missions. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER MARS EXPRESS PREVIEW STORY BEAGLE 2 OVERVIEW STORY

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH MARS EXPRESS QT VIDEO: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF ROCKET BLASTING OFF QT VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM DIR. OF ESA SCIENCE PROGRAMS QT SUBSCRIBE NOW

News Archive
May 26-June 1: Foam impact test causes significant T-seal movement; Demonstration flight not likely for space shuttle; 'Slick Six' launch pad hosts its first Delta 4 rocket; Japanese science cargo returns to Earth for study; Mars rover launch delayed.

May 19-25: Columbia rescue mission feasible, but unlikely; Slag on shuttle debris suggests location of breach; Martian view of Earth; Satellite of Milky Way found in retrograde orbit.

May 12-18: Clearest video yet of foam strike as tests get underway; NASA chief, CAIB chairman testify at Senate hearing; First Greek satellite launch performed by Atlas 5 rocket; Brighter Neptune suggests a change of seasons; NASA picks in-space propulsion innovations.

May 5-11: CAIB accepts, agrees with NASA failure scenario; Japan launches asteroid sample return mission; New shuttle program manager named; Deepest view of space yields young stars in halo; India launches second GSLV rocket.

More news See our weekly archive of space news.

Apollo 12 tribute DVD set

New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail.

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Fallen Heroes special patch

This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.

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Women in Space

Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.

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Mars rover poster

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

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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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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

Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!

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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

If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this 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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Mercury anniversary

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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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