Spaceflight Now

Sunday: February 22, 2004		0122 GMT

Seeking new Earths? Look for dust, researchers say If alien astronomers around a distant star had studied the young Sun four-and-a-half billion years ago, could they have seen signs of a newly-formed Earth orbiting this innocuous yellow star? The answer is yes, according researchers. The key to locating newborn Earths, they say, is to look not for the planet itself, but for a ring of dust orbiting the star that is a fingerprint of terrestrial planet formation. FULL STORY

Was Einstein right about dark energy after all? The good news from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is that Einstein was right -- maybe. A strange form of energy called "dark energy" is looking a little more like the repulsive force that Einstein theorized in an attempt to balance the universe against its own gravity. Even if Einstein turns out to be wrong, the universe's dark energy probably won't destroy the universe any sooner than about 30 billion years from now, say Hubble researchers. FULL STORY

Saturday: February 21, 2004		0001 GMT

Planetoid found in Kuiper Belt, maybe the biggest yet Planetary scientists have discovered a new planetoid in the outer fringes of the solar system. The planetoid, currently known only as 2004 DW, could be even larger than Quaoar -- the current record holder in the area known as the Kuiper Belt -- and is some 4.4 billion miles from Earth. FULL STORY

Tank modifications more complex than expected After months of testing and computer analyses, engineers believe they understand the phenomena that causes foam insulation to separate from the space shuttle's external fuel tank during launch. But preventing such foam shedding has turned out to be more difficult than originally thought, a top NASA manager said Friday, and tank modifications remain a major challenge. FULL STORY

Friday: February 20, 2004		0224 GMT

Next shuttle flight delayed; rescue scenario formed The first post-Columbia shuttle mission will slip from September to March 2005 to give engineers more time to develop in-flight repair procedures and to take advantage of more favorable launch windows, officials said Thursday. The slip also will give NASA and its contractors time to resolve problems with actuators in the shuttle's rudder and speedbrake assembly in the ship's vertical tail fin. FULL STORY

Fading supernova produces spectacular new light show Seventeen years ago, astronomers spotted the brightest stellar explosion ever seen since the one observed by Johannes Kepler 400 years ago. Called SN 1987A, the titanic supernova explosion blazed with the power of 100,000,000 suns for several months following its discovery. Although the supernova itself is now a million times fainter than 17 years ago, a new light show in the space surrounding it is just beginning. FULL STORY

Opportunity probes trench, Spirit to dig one, too By inspecting the sides and floor of a hole it dug on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover is finding some things it did not see beforehand, including round pebbles that are shiny and soil so fine-grained that the rover's microscope can't make out individual particles. MISSION STATUS CENTER

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Thursday: February 19, 2004		0257 GMT

Prime mission half over, Spirit looks for bonus time The first Mars Exploration Rover, beset for a time by computer troubles but now trekking on a geology adventure to an impact crater, has reached the midway mark of its primary mission. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Giant black hole destroys unlucky star A super-massive black hole has ripped apart a star and consumed a portion of it, according to data from ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatories. These results are the best evidence yet that such a phenomenon, long predicted by theory, does actually happen. FULL STORY

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More views of Saturday's Titan 4 liftoff in new gallery With the end of Lockheed Martin's Titan 4B rocket era looming, here is another collection of images showing last Saturday's launch from Cape Canaveral. These pictures were captured from sound-triggered cameras around the launch pad and the NASA Causeway viewing site south of Complex 40. ENTER PHOTO GALLERY

Kosmos 2405 military payload launched by Russia With President Vladimir Putin looking on, Russia's largest military exercise in over two decades took to the high frontier Wednesday with the launch of a clandestine payload from the nation's northern space base near the Arctic Circle. FULL STORY

Wednesday: February 18, 2004		0434 GMT

Opportunity digs Mars The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is putting its mark on the Red Planet, digging a small hole so its suite of science instruments can probe soil enriched with hematite, a mineral that typically forms in the presence of water. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

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Road trip to Bonneville Crater continues for Spirit Proving to be a real Mars hotrod, the Spirit rover has become the most traveled vehicle on the Red Planet, surpassing the distance accumulated by the Pathfinder rover nearly seven years ago. FULL STORY

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X-43A flight delayed The flight of NASA's X-43A has been postponed, due to an incident with the rudder actuator on the booster. On Feb 11, during setup at Orbital Sciences Corporation for testing of the rudder and its actuator, an anomaly caused the actuator to go hard over and hit its mechanical stop, exceeding the torque to which the units were qualified. FULL STORY

Tuesday: February 17, 2004		0318 GMT

Rosetta comet probe is a space sophisticate The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenk is certainly not a short trip. Rosetta will need ten years just to reach the comet. This places extreme demands on its hardware; when the probe meets up with the comet, all instruments must be fully operational, especially since it will have been in "hibernation" for two-and-a-half years of its journey. FULL STORY

Rosetta mounted atop its Ariane 5 launch vehicle The Rosetta comet probe that will embark on its long-awaited journey next week was attached to its Ariane 5 launcher Monday inside a cavernous assembly building at the South American launch site. MISSION STATUS CENTER

Monday: February 16, 2004		1510 GMT

Farthest known galaxy in the Universe discovered An international team of astronomers may have set a new record in discovering what is the most distant known galaxy in the Universe. Located an estimated 13 billion light-years away, the object is being viewed at a time only 750 million years after the big bang, when the Universe was barely 5 percent of its current age. FULL STORY

Photo gallery captures Titan 4's weekend launch The Lockheed Martin Titan 4B rocket lifted off Saturday, powering through an overcast Florida sky. A collection of launch photos is available in this gallery. ENTER PHOTO GALLERY

Missile warning satellite launched by Titan 4B rocket The U.S. military's newest orbiting sentry was successfully deployed Saturday, joining a space surveillance system that maintains a constant vigil 22,300 miles above Earth to detect enemy missile launches and nuclear weapon detonations. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

News Archive
Feb. 9-15: Beagle failure investigation formally begins; Orbiter sees Opportunity rover on the Martian surface; Titan 4B rocket launches U.S. military satellite; Spitzer Space Telescope sends cosmic Valentine rose.

Feb. 2-8: Oxygen, carbon discovered in exoplanet atmosphere; Spirit grinds hole in rock; Martian hills dedicated to fallen Columbia crew; American TV watchers to reap benefits of Atlas launch; Supernova blast bonanza in nearby galaxy; New study shows how black holes get their 'kicks'.

Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Opportunity achieves 'interplanetary hole in one'; Opportunity finds what it went to Mars looking for; Martian landmarks dedicated to Apollo 1 crew; Challenger crew memorialized on Mars; Russians launch resupply ship to space station; Fitful young star sputters to maturity in Rosette Nebula.

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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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Apollo patches

The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.

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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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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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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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