Shepherding a new era of GPS satellites to orbit

      NEWSALERT: Friday, April 30, 2010 @ 1837 GMT
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          The latest news from Spaceflight Now


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AGI Users' Conference: We're Coming to You!

AGI is taking its technology on the road in 2010. We'll be making st ops
in 18 states around the U.S. Each free, one-day event includes hands-on
software demos, virtual expert sessions, developer kiosks and user
discussions. Register today at http://uc.agi.com
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SHEPHERDING A NEW ERA OF GPS SATELLITES TO ORBIT
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A cadre of military and industry workers at the Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station is readying the first-of-its-kind satellite for the Global
Positioning System, an advanced bird that will be shipped to the launch
pad and bolted atop a Delta 4 rocket next week.

http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d349/100429cleanroom/


STATION'S STUBBORN NITROGEN VALVE FINALLY POPS OPEN
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After extended troubleshooting, space station flight controllers
successfully coaxed open a stuck nitrogen tank valve Friday, finally
re-pressurizing an ammonia coolant loop serviced during the shuttle
Discovery's recently completed mission.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/100430ntavalve/


MAKING A MARS SAMPLE RETURN MISSION AFFORDABLE
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Scientists are proposing splitting an ambitious multibillion-dollar
mission to return samples from Mars into three pieces to ease budget
concerns, officials said this week.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/29mars/


LATEST CARGO SHIP HEADS FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
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A three-day orbital chase by a robotic cargo freighter to catch the
International Space Station began today with successful launch of the
Russian-made resupply ship.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/28progress37p/


SECOND SBSS SATELLITE SET FOR LAUNCH IN 2014
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The U.S. Air Force is planning a competition to acquire a second Space
Based Space Surveillance satellite for launch in late 2014, according to a
posting on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/27sbss/


RUSSIAN MILITARY SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY SENT TO ORBIT
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A Kosmos 3M rocket launched from northern Russia overnight to place a
military navigation satellite in orbit more than 600 miles above Earth.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/27kosmos/


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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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Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
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Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra