Shuttle practice countdown / Kepler spies planet / Next Mars rover

    NEWSALERT: Friday, August 7, 2009 @ 1637 GMT
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        The latest news from Spaceflight Now


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SEE DISCOVERY'S rollout IN HI-DEF!
Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers can see latest stunning footage
Watch on your big screen TV with Apple TV, Xbox-360 or PS3
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/sts128/
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DISCOVERY CREW COMPLETES ITS LAUNCH COUNTDOWN TEST
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Shuttle Discovery's seven astronauts climbed aboard their spacecraft at
pad 39A for a simulated countdown this morning, completing a full dress
rehearsal to practice the launch day coming up sometime in late August.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts128/status.html


KEPLER SEES CHANGING PHASES OF GIANT PLANET
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NASA's exoplanet seeking spacecraft, Kepler, has been confirmed to be up
and running, and in doing so has captured the light of a gas giant
orbiting a star over a thousand light years away.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/06kepler/


VOLCANOES AND LAKES IN NEW IMAGES OF TITAN
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New ultra-high resolution radar images of the surface of Saturn's moon
Titan showing the effects of icy cryovolcanoes are being presented this
week at the International Astronomical Union's General Assembly in Rio de
Janeiro.

http://astronomynow.com/news/n0908/06titan/


CURIOSITY ROVER ASSEMBLED AS COST IMPACTS DEBATED
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Assembly and test of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, and its Sky Crane
descent stage, are accelerating at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif. toward launch on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral in
late 2011.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/05msl/


COMMITTEE EXAMINES OPTIONS FOR SPACE PROGRAM'S FUTURE
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The committee deliberating America's future in human spaceflight is
beginning to narrow down an expansive list of alternatives to be presented
to the White House at the end of this month.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/05augustine/