Space shuttle special report / House proposes killing Hubble successor

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 @ 2300 GMT
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  The latest news from Spaceflight Now


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2011 ASTRONAUT CLUB FEATURED IN ONLINE STORE

Get "lost in space" with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's 2011
Astronaut Autograph Club! Join today and receive an astronaut-signed photo
and a personalized letter from a legendary astronaut for every month of
the year. Memberships are limited, order today.

http://www.astronautstore.org/2011-astronaut-autograph-2011.html
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MISSION PREVIEW: SHUTTLE FINALE BRINGS UNCERTAIN FUTURE
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NASA is readying the shuttle Atlantis for launch Friday on the iconic
program's 135th and final flight, bringing the curtain down on one of the
nation's greatest technological triumphs after more than three decades at
the apex of manned spaceflight.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/


PAINFUL RETIREMENT FOR SPACE SHUTTLE OPERATIONS TEAM
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NASA ordered to
complete the International Space Station and retire the space shuttle
fleet by the end of the decade.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index2.html


U.S. MUST RELY UPON THE RUSSIANS FOR ACCESS TO SPACE
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Reliance on the former Cold War rival has been a particularly bitter pill
to swallow for many at NASA, forced to retire the most sophisticated
manned spacecraft ever built before a U.S. replacement is available.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index3.html


DISMANTLING REMAINING SHUTTLE TEAM LOOMS
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As NASA's fortunes have waxed and waned, buffeted by political upheaval,
an economic crisis and uncertain public support, the one constant has been
the shuttle's looming retirement and the slow but steady elimination of
the program's highly skilled workforce.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index4.html


SOYUZ CAPSULES WOULD RESCUE ATLANTIS CREW
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Atlantis is using NASA's final set of solid-fuel boosters and its last
external tank, so there isn't another shuttle waiting in the wings for a
quick-response rescue mission if needed. Soyuz lifeboats will be used in
such a dire scenario.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index5.html


ATLANTIS' ASTRONAUT CREW FACES TIGHT MISSION TIMELINE
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The day after takeoff will be particularly busy as the astronauts as they
inspect the shuttle's heat shield, dock to the International Space Station
and mount the Raffaello module onto the complex.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index6.html


STATION CREW TO DO SPACEWALK CHORES ON ATLANTIS VISIT
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While the astronauts begin unloading the cargo module, fellow station
residents Ron Garan and Mike Fossum will conduct the mission's only
spacewalk.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index7.html


THE FINAL SHUTTLE RE-ENTRY
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Hundreds of engineers, technicians, astronauts and NASA managers will be
standing by to welcome Atlantis and its crew home and to "share the
moment" as the shuttle program comes to an end after three decades.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/index8.html

SHUTTLE ATLANTIS PREPARES TO TAKE FLIGHT FOR FINAL JOURNEY
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As we prepare to say goodbye to the space shuttle, let's take a moment to
reflect on the ship that will sail the final voyage this week with a look
at Atlantis' history and a special photo tribute as she stands on the
launch pad one last time.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110705atlantis/

SPECIAL PHOTO TRIBUTE:
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110705gallery/


HOUSE PANEL PROPOSES KILLING HUBBLE SUCCESSOR
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Legislators seeking to rein in government spending have put the troubled
James Webb Space Telescope up for cancellation, saying the troubled
successor to NASA's Hubble observatory is haunted by poor management and
out-of-control costs.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1107/06jwst


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FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT PATCH!
Emblem for STS-135 now available in our store.
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling

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Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

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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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More Info: http://www.localokel.com/event/666/good_clear_skies