Weekend recap: Indian rocket blows up / Russian launch success

NEWSALERT: Monday, December 27, 2010 @ 2355 GMT
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INDIAN SPACE PROGRAM HIT BY ANOTHER LAUNCH MISHAP
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India's largest rocket lost control and erupted in a fireball Saturday,
dealing another blow to the country's space program after back-to-back
failures of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/25gslv/


EUROPEAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE RIDES PROTON TO ORBIT
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A Russian Proton rocket launched Sunday with a European broadband
communications satellite, the continent's first spacecraft dedicated to
high-throughput Ka-band connectivity for Internet and television services.

http://spaceflightnow.com/proton/kasat/launch/


SHUTTLE DISCOVERY INSPECTIONS UNDERWAY
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The digital X-ray scans of all 108 structural beams on the ribbed
midsection of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank are underway in
the Vehicle Assembly Building after the Christmas holiday break.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/status.html

HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/sts133/


TEAM EXTENDS STARDUST'S FUEL MILEAGE FOR COMET FLYBY
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Dispatched on a bonus mission, NASA's Stardust probe is speeding toward a
Valentine's Day rendezvous with comet Tempel 1. A team of Lockheed Martin
engineers is ensuring Stardust has enough fuel to make it.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/23stardustnext/


SPACE STATION'S DEXTRE ROBOT PASSES CRUCIAL TEST
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Canadian engineers put the International Space Station's Dextre robot
through a workout Thursday, successfully proving the handyman is ready for
duty when a Japanese cargo freighter arrives at the orbiting lab in
January.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp26/101224dextre/


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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
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Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra