Thursday, 8 May 2008
Monday, 5 May 2008
eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Space Weather News for May 4, 2008
http://spaceweather.com
ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER: If you see a meteor flit across the sky tonight, it could be a piece of Halley's Comet. Earth is crossing a stream of dusty debris from Halley and this is causing the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Sky watchers in the tropics and southern hemisphere (where the shower is most intense) could see as many as 70 meteors per hour during the dark hours before dawn on Monday, May 5th, and Tuesday, May 6th. The show is diminished at northern latitudes where rates may be 15 meteors per hour or less. Check http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and more information.
MERCURY AND THE MOON: Innermost planet Mercury is emerging from the glare of the sun and putting on its best show of the year. A good time to look is Tuesday evening, May 6th, just after sunset when the crescent Moon glides by Mercury in the darkening western sky. A sky map and photos are available at http://spaceweather.com.
http://spaceweather.com
ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER: If you see a meteor flit across the sky tonight, it could be a piece of Halley's Comet. Earth is crossing a stream of dusty debris from Halley and this is causing the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Sky watchers in the tropics and southern hemisphere (where the shower is most intense) could see as many as 70 meteors per hour during the dark hours before dawn on Monday, May 5th, and Tuesday, May 6th. The show is diminished at northern latitudes where rates may be 15 meteors per hour or less. Check http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and more information.
MERCURY AND THE MOON: Innermost planet Mercury is emerging from the glare of the sun and putting on its best show of the year. A good time to look is Tuesday evening, May 6th, just after sunset when the crescent Moon glides by Mercury in the darkening western sky. A sky map and photos are available at http://spaceweather.com.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
NASA Extends Cassini's Grand Tour of Saturn
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726
NASA Headquarters, Washington
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov
Carolina Martinez 818-354-9382
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
carolina.martinez@jpl.nasa.gov
NEWS RELEASE: 2008-060 April 15, 2008
NASA Extends Cassini's Grand Tour of Saturn
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA is extending the international Cassini-Huygens mission by two
years. The historic spacecraft's stunning discoveries and images have revolutionized our
knowledge of Saturn and its moons.
Cassini's mission originally had been scheduled to end in July 2008. The newly-announced two-
year extension will include 60 additional orbits of Saturn and more flybys of its exotic moons.
These will include 26 flybys of Titan, seven of Enceladus, and one each of Dione, Rhea and
Helene. The extension also includes studies of Saturn's rings, its complex magnetosphere, and
the planet itself.
"This extension is not only exciting for the science community, but for the world to continue to
share in unlocking Saturn's secrets," said Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA
Headquarters, Washington. "New discoveries are the hallmarks of its success, along with the
breathtaking images beamed back to Earth that are simply mesmerizing."
"The spacecraft is performing exceptionally well and the team is highly motivated, so we're
excited at the prospect of another two years," said Bob Mitchell, Cassini program manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Based on findings from Cassini, scientists think liquid water may be just beneath the surface of
Saturn's moon Enceladus. That's why the small moon, only one-tenth the size of Titan and one-
seventh the size of Earth's moon, is one of the highest-priority targets for the extended mission.
Cassini discovered geysers of water-ice jetting from the Enceladus surface. The geysers, which
shoot out at a distance three times the diameter of Enceladus, feed particles into Saturn's most
expansive ring. In the extended mission, the spacecraft may come as close as 25 kilometers (15
miles) from the moon's surface.
Cassini's observations of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, have given scientists a glimpse of what
Earth might have been like before life evolved. They now believe Titan possesses many parallels
to Earth, including lakes, rivers, channels, dunes, rain, snow, clouds, mountains and possibly
volcanoes.
"When we designed the original tour, we really did not know what we would find, especially at
Enceladus and Titan," said Dennis Matson, the JPL Cassini project scientist. "This extended tour
is responding to these new discoveries and giving us a chance to look for more."
Unlike Earth, Titan's lakes, rivers and rain are composed of methane and ethane, and
temperatures reach a chilly minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit). Although
Titan's dense atmosphere limits viewing the surface, Cassini's high-resolution radar coverage and
imaging by the infrared spectrometer have given scientists a better look.
Other activities for Cassini scientists will include monitoring seasons on Titan and Saturn,
observing unique ring events, such as the 2009 equinox when the sun will be in the plane of the
rings, and exploring new places within Saturn's magnetosphere.
Cassini has returned a daily stream of data from Saturn's system for almost four years. Its travel
scrapbook includes nearly 140,000 images, and information gathered during 62 revolutions
around Saturn, 43 flybys of Titan and 12 close flybys of the icy moons.
More than 10 years after launch and almost four years after entering into orbit around Saturn,
Cassini is a healthy and robust spacecraft. Three of its science instruments have minor ailments,
but the impact on science-gathering is minimal. The spacecraft will have enough propellant left
after the extended mission to potentially allow a third phase of operations. Data from the
extended mission could lay the groundwork for possible new missions to Titan and Enceladus.
Cassini launched Oct. 15, 1997, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a seven-year journey to Saturn,
traversing 3.5 billion kilometers (2.2 billion miles). It is one of the most scientifically capable
spacecraft ever launched, with a record 12 instruments on the orbiter and six more instruments
on the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, which piggybacked a ride to Titan on Cassini.
Cassini receives electrical power from three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which
generate electricity from heat produced by the natural decay of plutonium. The spacecraft was
captured into Saturn orbit in June 2004 and immediately began returning data to Earth.
More information is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency
and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
-end-
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726
NASA Headquarters, Washington
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov
Carolina Martinez 818-354-9382
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
carolina.martinez@jpl.nasa.gov
NEWS RELEASE: 2008-060 April 15, 2008
NASA Extends Cassini's Grand Tour of Saturn
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA is extending the international Cassini-Huygens mission by two
years. The historic spacecraft's stunning discoveries and images have revolutionized our
knowledge of Saturn and its moons.
Cassini's mission originally had been scheduled to end in July 2008. The newly-announced two-
year extension will include 60 additional orbits of Saturn and more flybys of its exotic moons.
These will include 26 flybys of Titan, seven of Enceladus, and one each of Dione, Rhea and
Helene. The extension also includes studies of Saturn's rings, its complex magnetosphere, and
the planet itself.
"This extension is not only exciting for the science community, but for the world to continue to
share in unlocking Saturn's secrets," said Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA
Headquarters, Washington. "New discoveries are the hallmarks of its success, along with the
breathtaking images beamed back to Earth that are simply mesmerizing."
"The spacecraft is performing exceptionally well and the team is highly motivated, so we're
excited at the prospect of another two years," said Bob Mitchell, Cassini program manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Based on findings from Cassini, scientists think liquid water may be just beneath the surface of
Saturn's moon Enceladus. That's why the small moon, only one-tenth the size of Titan and one-
seventh the size of Earth's moon, is one of the highest-priority targets for the extended mission.
Cassini discovered geysers of water-ice jetting from the Enceladus surface. The geysers, which
shoot out at a distance three times the diameter of Enceladus, feed particles into Saturn's most
expansive ring. In the extended mission, the spacecraft may come as close as 25 kilometers (15
miles) from the moon's surface.
Cassini's observations of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, have given scientists a glimpse of what
Earth might have been like before life evolved. They now believe Titan possesses many parallels
to Earth, including lakes, rivers, channels, dunes, rain, snow, clouds, mountains and possibly
volcanoes.
"When we designed the original tour, we really did not know what we would find, especially at
Enceladus and Titan," said Dennis Matson, the JPL Cassini project scientist. "This extended tour
is responding to these new discoveries and giving us a chance to look for more."
Unlike Earth, Titan's lakes, rivers and rain are composed of methane and ethane, and
temperatures reach a chilly minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit). Although
Titan's dense atmosphere limits viewing the surface, Cassini's high-resolution radar coverage and
imaging by the infrared spectrometer have given scientists a better look.
Other activities for Cassini scientists will include monitoring seasons on Titan and Saturn,
observing unique ring events, such as the 2009 equinox when the sun will be in the plane of the
rings, and exploring new places within Saturn's magnetosphere.
Cassini has returned a daily stream of data from Saturn's system for almost four years. Its travel
scrapbook includes nearly 140,000 images, and information gathered during 62 revolutions
around Saturn, 43 flybys of Titan and 12 close flybys of the icy moons.
More than 10 years after launch and almost four years after entering into orbit around Saturn,
Cassini is a healthy and robust spacecraft. Three of its science instruments have minor ailments,
but the impact on science-gathering is minimal. The spacecraft will have enough propellant left
after the extended mission to potentially allow a third phase of operations. Data from the
extended mission could lay the groundwork for possible new missions to Titan and Enceladus.
Cassini launched Oct. 15, 1997, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a seven-year journey to Saturn,
traversing 3.5 billion kilometers (2.2 billion miles). It is one of the most scientifically capable
spacecraft ever launched, with a record 12 instruments on the orbiter and six more instruments
on the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, which piggybacked a ride to Titan on Cassini.
Cassini receives electrical power from three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which
generate electricity from heat produced by the natural decay of plutonium. The spacecraft was
captured into Saturn orbit in June 2004 and immediately began returning data to Earth.
More information is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency
and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
-end-
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Luna and the Seven Sisters
Space Weather News for Monday, April 7, 2008
http://spaceweather.com
SUNSET ALERT: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Weather permitting you'll see a slender equinox crescent Moon hanging above the rosy glow of sunset. Framed by the cobalt blue of early evening, the Moon reveals its "da Vinci glow" or Earthshine, a pale impression of the full Moon inside the vivid crescent--a beautiful sight.
Consider it an appetizer for Tuesday. On April 8th, the still-slender crescent passes almost directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. Also known as the Seven Sisters, the dipper-shaped Pleiades are visible to the naked eye even from urban areas and they look wonderful through binoculars. Tuesday evening's delicate conjunction of Luna and the Seven Sisters should not be missed.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.
http://spaceweather.com
SUNSET ALERT: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Weather permitting you'll see a slender equinox crescent Moon hanging above the rosy glow of sunset. Framed by the cobalt blue of early evening, the Moon reveals its "da Vinci glow" or Earthshine, a pale impression of the full Moon inside the vivid crescent--a beautiful sight.
Consider it an appetizer for Tuesday. On April 8th, the still-slender crescent passes almost directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. Also known as the Seven Sisters, the dipper-shaped Pleiades are visible to the naked eye even from urban areas and they look wonderful through binoculars. Tuesday evening's delicate conjunction of Luna and the Seven Sisters should not be missed.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.
LYRA AND KAG COMET REPORT AND UPCOMING EVENTS FOR APRIL AND INTO THE SUMMER..........
COMETS:
Comet 17P/Holmes: is now fading and expanding into the dark background sky in the Constellation Of Perseus-it was fantastic to see it through my 20x100 mounted big Binoculars during late October and into November and December of 2007 as well as these past Months during the start of this year 2008 it has now expanded out so much that it can quite easily be overlooked, its trend is to fade now and is best seen in the evening sky still in the Constellation of Perseus not far from Algol.
Comet 8P/Tuttle: is currently around Magnitude 8 and its trend is also to fade, it did become Binocular visible passing 0.25 AU from the Earth and I managed to glimpse this on about one night before it moved rapidly Southwards and at this time it was around magnitude 6, it is now past Perihelion and closest to the Earth, this was one of its closest passes to the Earth since before its discovery although there will be a closer pass in 2048, it is now moving through the Constellation of Dorado and is a Southern hemisphere object.
Comet Chen Gao 2008 C1: is currently at Magnitude 10 in the constellation of Auriga and should have just scraped past Capella the main star in that Constellation on 3rd of April, it should stay around magnitude 10 for most of April and after then fade.
Comet 29P/Schwassmann Wachmann is fading from Magnitude 12.7 to Magnitude 13 through April and into May in the Constellation of Auriga and into Gemini skirting through Taurus the Bull.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen will fade from Magnitude 10.4 to Magnitude 14.8 during April and into May also in the Constellation of Auriga going through Gemini and into Cancer.
UPCOMING COMETS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
1 possible upcoming Comet that may reach Binocular brightness during this year and one in 2009 are:
C/2007 W1 Comet Boattini which will be Magnitude 8.8 by the beginning of May 2008 this year before shortly being lost 10 days later to the South Western Evening Twilight and in the next month around June 20th it should reach a brightness of 5.5 although will be in a daylight sky and won't be able to be Observed until it returns in the very early morning Twilight during mid July at Magnitude 6.9 to 7, it will have faded and be beyond magnitude 10 by the end of the Summer around late August so not a good viewing window for this one either side of the Summer Solistice but its one I will be looking out for during the Summer months to add to the 20 or so Comets I have already seen and Observed over the past 13 or so years.
Another Comet that may become Binocular Bright in 2009 of next year is C/2007 N3 Lulin which will become Observable after the new year 2009 in January in the early morning skies around magnitude 8 becoming Binocular bright in the Winter skies of Feburary whilst entering the Evening skies around the 12th of that month and becoming a good viewing Object around magnitude 5.9 on the 20th moving from Virgo into Leo and not starting to fade much before mid March when it will be Magnitude 8.5.
Once I do see and Observe these Comets I will send out text and Email alerts to notify Observers in where best to look for these Comets.
APRIL PHENOMENA:
9th April Asteroid (7) Iris at opposition.
12th April Mars 1.2 Degrees South of the Moon.
15th April Regulus in Leo is 0.9 Degrees North of the Moon and Saturn will be 3 Degrees North of the Moon.
16th April Mercury is in Superior Conjuction.
18th April Juno Becomes stationary.
22nd April Lyrid Meteor Shower with a usual maximun ZHR of +-10 is unfavourable due to a 2 day past full Moon (Gibbous) rising around 22.09 Hours U.T on that Evening.
23rd April Antares will be 0.3 Degrees North of the Moon.
27th April Jupiter will be 3 Degrees North of the Moon.
28th April Mars will have moved within five Degrees of Pollux in Gemini.
ISS sightings-there has been some good evening passes of the ISS as well as the ATV (automated transport vehicle) last week and into this week and is well worth going outside to look at-timings of these passes can be obtained off the Heavens above website which address is at the bottom of this page.
Mercury: Will become an Evening Apparition in late April low on the Western Horizon and will become the best seen during May this year setting about an Hour after Sunset.
Venus: will be too close to the Sun for any kind of Observation.
Mars: Still reatains a very good Evening Observing window but is starting to shrink by the end of April.
Jupiter: Is in the South Eastern sky 3 Hours before Surise and by the end of April will rise around 02.00 Hours U.T.
Saturn: Close to the Main Star Regulus in Leo and by the End of April it will Culminate in strong Twilight.
Uranus and Neptune: Uranus is just past Conjuction and will not return to the Morning sky as yet and Neptune may just be glimpsed with giant Binoculars in the South Eastern Morning Twilight near the end of April.
Jupiter: Is in the South Eastern sky 3 Hours before Surise and by the end of April will rise around 02.00 Hours U.T.
Saturn: Close to the Main Star Regulus in Leo and by the End of April it will Culminate in strong Twilight.
Uranus and Neptune: Uranus is just past Conjuction and will not return to the Morning sky as yet and Neptune may just be glimpsed with giant Binoculars in the South Eastern Morning Twilight near the end of April.
Dwarf Planet Pluto: Is a Morning object now amongst the stars of Sagittarius
THE MOON: Last Quarter was on 29th March, New Moon was on the 6th April and first quarter is on the 12th April, full Moon will occur on the 20th April and last quarter occurs on the 28th April.
LUNAR ECLIPSE:
Feburary 21st I got to see a total Lunar clipse of the Moon from my living room window during the early hours of that morning-although a cloud and slight haze obscurred it from view quite a bit around the time of totality which occured around 03.00 Hours U.T I still got to observe some of it through breaks and clearing patches of cloud-it was a brownish bland colour with with a slight hint of coppery red and a little brighter towards the lower limb-certainly not as bright as the Lunar Eclipse some of the Lyra Observers witnessed back on 3rd March 2007 (03-04) I was pretty certain I could see very small flashes of light on the surace of the Moon during Totality and I'm sure I have seen these occurences in past Lunar Eclipses also-my theory is that it could be rocks on the surface of the Moon cooling rapidly once in shadow and exploding causing a small flash-this sudden surface cooling could account for a number of rocks exploding and causing flashes I thought I see through my 20x100 mounted binoculars on that night-but I remain sceptical about it.
Lighting up times: (all times BST)
1st April was 20.04 Hours
30th April will be 20.52 Hours
1st May will be 20.54 Hours
31s May will be 21.37 Hours
Websites:
Lyra Blogsite: www.lyrandgyastronomers.blogspot.com plenty of Astronomical information and updates.
www.heavens-above.com ISS, Iridium flares and Satellite pass timings.
www.popastro.com The Society for popular Astronomy website.
www.britastro.org/baa/ The British Astronomical association website.
www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/ The sky at night website.
www.heavens-above.com ISS, Iridium flares and Satellite pass timings.
www.popastro.com The Society for popular Astronomy website.
www.britastro.org/baa/ The British Astronomical association website.
www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/ The sky at night website.
http://hubblesite.org The Hubble space telescope website.
www.skyandtelescope.com another good Astronomy information site.
www.spaceweather.com Good information site with up to the minute reports on space travel etc.
www.eclipse.org.uk an excellent site for planning future Eclipses.
Weather:
www.weatherforlowestoft.co.uk weather in Kessingland and surrounding areas.
www.metcheck.com another good weather information site.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Spaceflight Now-ATV/Jules Verne Preliminary Rendezvous Timeline
ATV/Jules Verne Preliminary Rendezvous Timeline:
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 27, 2008
NOTE: GMT is +4 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.
Demo Day 1March 29, 2008
1419 GMT....S-1/2 hold point. Distance: 24.2 miles (39 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1505 GMT....S1 hold point. Distance: 9.6 miles (15.5 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1551 GMT....S2 hold point arrival. Distance: 2.2 miles (3.5 km) behind and 328 feet (100 m) above space station.
1551 - 1729 GMT....Turn on external lights; KURS activation; crew command tests.
1729 GMT....ESCAPE. The ATV control center sends an escape command for Jules Verne to fly away from the vicinity of the space station.
Demo Day 2March 31, 2008
1226 GMT....S-1/2 hold point. Distance: 24.2 miles (39 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1312 GMT....S1 hold point. Distance: 9.6 miles (15.5 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1358 GMT....S2 hold point arrival. Distance: 2.2 miles (3.5 km) behind and 328 feet (100 m) above space station.
1358 - 1430 GMT....Turn on external lights; KURS activation; begin using relative GPS.
1430 GMT....S2 hold point departure.
1510 GMT....S3 hold point arrival. Distance: 817 feet (249 m) behind space station.
1510 - 1547 GMT....Activate videometer and telegoniometer instruments; ATV-CC GO/NO-GO.
1547 GMT....S3 hold point departure.
1553 GMT....RETREAT test.
1555 GMT....HOLD test.
1559 GMT....RESUME test.
1613 GMT....S4 hold point arrival. Distance: 62 feet (19 m) behind space station.
1613 - 1628 GMT....Pointing maneuver; ATV-CC GO/NO-GO.
1628 GMT....S4 hold point departure.
1631 GMT....S41 hold point arrival. Distance: 36 feet (11 m) behind space station.
1634 GMT....RETREAT. The space station crew sends a retreat command through the ATV's proximity link system.
1636 GMT....S4 hold point arrival. Distance: 62 feet (19 m) behind space station.
1638 GMT....ESCAPE. The space station crew sends an escape command for Jules Verne to fly away from the vicinity of the complex.
DockingApril 3, 2008
1033 GMT....S-1/2 hold point. Distance: 24.2 miles (39 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1119 GMT....S1 hold point. Distance: 9.6 miles (15.5 km) behind and 3.1 miles (5 km) below space station.
1205 GMT....S2 hold point arrival. Distance: 2.2 miles (3.5 km) behind and 328 feet above space station.
1205 - 1237 GMT....Turn on external lights; KURS activation; begin using relative GPS.
1237 GMT....S2 hold point departure.
1317 GMT....S3 hold point arrival. Distance: 817 feet (249 m) behind space station.
1317 - 1354 GMT....Activate videometer and telegoniometer instruments; ATV-CC GO/NO-GO.
1354 GMT....S3 hold point departure.
1415 GMT....S4 hold point arrival. Distance: 62 feet (19 m) behind space station.
1415 - 1430 GMT....Pointing maneuver; ATV-CC GO/NO-GO.
1430 GMT....S4 hold point departure.
1433 GMT....S41 hold point arrival. Distance: 36 feet (11 m) behind space station.
1433 - 1438 GMT....ATV-CC GO/NO-GO.
1438 GMT....S41 hold point departure.
1441 GMT....CAPTURE. Jules Verne's forward docking cone is captured by the aft port of the station's Zvezda service module.
1515 GMT....Hooks begin closing to firmly attach Jules Verne to the space station.
Data Source: ESA
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Shuttle Endeavour's landing delayed at Cape Canaveral.....
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) March 26, 2008:
The space shuttle Endeavour's scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center was postponed Wednesday due to poor weather after a record-setting mission at the International Space Station, NASA.
However, astronauts were expected to try again at 8:39 pm local time (0039 GMT Thursday) after a brief 90-minute delay, as weather was expected to improve, said flight director Richard Jones.
The Endeavour's mission at the ISS was the longest ever -- 16 days and five spacewalks, the most ever embarked upon in a single mission as astronauts attached a new Japanese laboratory called Kibo to the ISS.
NASA's mission control at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, earlier gave the green light for the shuttle's cargo bay doors to close at 1926 GMT, the first step toward deorbiting.
The delay, announced about two hours later, means deorbiting may not start until 7:33 pm local time (2333 GMT) with landing at Cape Canaveral now scheduled for 8:39 pm (0039 GMT Thursday).
If conditions do not improve, astronauts will try again during several openings Thursday or Friday.
"This has been a two-week adventure and it's been a pleasure and honor to be on it," shuttle co-pilot Greg Johnson told Houston after the crew got their wake-up call from control center around 1500 GMT.
Endeavour commander Dominic Gorie late Sunday described the 16-day mission as an all-around success.
"We've done awesome," Gorie said. "Every spacewalk was a win, every robotic op (operation) was a win."
His comments came after mission specialists Robert Behnken and Mike Foreman attached a 50-foot sensory boom to the outside of the space station.
ISS flight director Dana Weigel said the spacewalk, often referred to by NASA officials as an EVA, or an extra-vehicular activity, had set a new record.
"This was five EVAs ... more than we've done on any station mission," he said.
The spacewalkers also successfully installed an experiment on the outside of the European Space Agency's laboratory, which the astronauts had failed to complete during the third spacewalk on March 17.
Endeavour launched on March 11. Its mission's main tasks were to install the first part of the Japanese Kibo lab, a micro-gravity research facility that will be the station's largest module when completed in March 2009.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takao Doi, who is returning on the Endeavour, said Kibo "is going to open up a new era for Japan in the space program."
Astronauts also tested new repair techniques for the shuttle's heat shield. NASA has been testing different in-space repair techniques on the shuttle's protective layer since a crack in Columbia's heat shield caused it to explode while re-entering Earth's atmosphere in 2003, killing its seven-member crew.
Astronauts also assembled the Canadian-made Dextre robot, which is designed to undertake maintenance operations on the space station that until now required a human touch, and reduce the need for risky spacewalks.
The robot's human-like upper torso swivels at the waist, and its arms were designed with seven joints to provide it with maximum versatility. Umbilical connectors provide power and data connectivity.
Manipulated by joysticks inside the ISS or from ground control on Earth, the 1.56-tonne Dextre will conduct operations such as replacing small components on the station's exterior.
NASA wants to complete construction of the ISS by 2010, when its three-shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired.
Spaceflight Now Hubble servicing mission's launch date threatened
Hubble servicing mission's launch date threatened
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: March 21, 2008
With the shuttle Endeavour's mission entering the home stretch, shuttle Discovery remains on track for blastoff May 25 to ferry a huge Japanese laboratory module to the international space station. But subsequent near-term flights, including a high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, could be delayed, sources say, because of ongoing external tank production issues.
The tank used by Endeavour for its current mission was the last in the inventory of tanks built before the 2003 Columbia disaster and subsequently modified to reduce potentially dangerous losses of foam insulation. The tank slated for use with Discovery in late May, ET-128, is the first so-called "in-line" external tank built from the ground up with post-Columbia upgrades, including a new ice-frost ramp design and titanium oxygen line support brackets. Both improvements address areas of possible foam shedding.
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: March 21, 2008
With the shuttle Endeavour's mission entering the home stretch, shuttle Discovery remains on track for blastoff May 25 to ferry a huge Japanese laboratory module to the international space station. But subsequent near-term flights, including a high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, could be delayed, sources say, because of ongoing external tank production issues.
The tank used by Endeavour for its current mission was the last in the inventory of tanks built before the 2003 Columbia disaster and subsequently modified to reduce potentially dangerous losses of foam insulation. The tank slated for use with Discovery in late May, ET-128, is the first so-called "in-line" external tank built from the ground up with post-Columbia upgrades, including a new ice-frost ramp design and titanium oxygen line support brackets. Both improvements address areas of possible foam shedding.
ET-128 for Discovery's upcoming mission leaves the Test and Check-out Building near New Orleans this week for the journey to Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Lockheed Martin
ET-128 departed Lockheed Martin's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Thursday for the 900-mile barge trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
But a backlog of work at Michoud is hampering downstream tank deliveries. The tank that would be needed for a rescue mission should some mishap strand Discovery's crew in orbit is not expected to reach the Kennedy Space Center until late summer. NASA managers say the space station has enough supplies on board to support a combined crew for more than three months if necessary and as of this writing, Discovery's launch remains on track.
But the picture is cloudier for NASA's next shuttle flight, a mission by the shuttle Atlantis to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Launch currently is targeted for Aug. 28. ET-127, the tank designated as the emergency backup for Discovery's May mission, is the prime tank for the Hubble flight.
Safe haven aboard the space station is not an option for Atlantis' crew if major heat shield damage occurs. The observatory and the station are in different orbits and the shuttle does not have the ability to move from one to the other. As a result, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin early on approved plans to have a second shuttle, Endeavour, ready for launch on a rescue mission just in case.
That means NASA needs two ready-to-fly external tanks for the Hubble mission, ET-127 and ET-129 respectively. Manpower and production issues, triggered in part by unplanned work to upgrade low-level hydrogen fuel sensors and other post-Columbia design upgrades, have slowed external tank manufacturing and sources say the Hubble mission faces a possible delay to October.
Senior program managers visited Michoud for a first-hand look earlier this week and a more realistic assessment of the tank production schedule is expected in the next week or so. For now, the Hubble mission remains officially targeted for launch Aug. 28.
Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon told CBS News Thursday that NASA has "added many new features to further ensure the safety of this tank and since these were the first in-line tanks, we took extra time to make sure we got it right."
"We have margin in the schedule to absorb small delays and we have learned a lot in the process of putting these tanks together so that the '09 and '10 tanks will flow much faster," he said.
Shannon did not address specific launch dates.
NASA plans to complete the space station and retire the shuttle by the end of fiscal 2010. The current manifest calls for four more flights this year - in May, August, October and December - four in 2009 and up to three in 2010.
ET-128 departed Lockheed Martin's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Thursday for the 900-mile barge trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
But a backlog of work at Michoud is hampering downstream tank deliveries. The tank that would be needed for a rescue mission should some mishap strand Discovery's crew in orbit is not expected to reach the Kennedy Space Center until late summer. NASA managers say the space station has enough supplies on board to support a combined crew for more than three months if necessary and as of this writing, Discovery's launch remains on track.
But the picture is cloudier for NASA's next shuttle flight, a mission by the shuttle Atlantis to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Launch currently is targeted for Aug. 28. ET-127, the tank designated as the emergency backup for Discovery's May mission, is the prime tank for the Hubble flight.
Safe haven aboard the space station is not an option for Atlantis' crew if major heat shield damage occurs. The observatory and the station are in different orbits and the shuttle does not have the ability to move from one to the other. As a result, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin early on approved plans to have a second shuttle, Endeavour, ready for launch on a rescue mission just in case.
That means NASA needs two ready-to-fly external tanks for the Hubble mission, ET-127 and ET-129 respectively. Manpower and production issues, triggered in part by unplanned work to upgrade low-level hydrogen fuel sensors and other post-Columbia design upgrades, have slowed external tank manufacturing and sources say the Hubble mission faces a possible delay to October.
Senior program managers visited Michoud for a first-hand look earlier this week and a more realistic assessment of the tank production schedule is expected in the next week or so. For now, the Hubble mission remains officially targeted for launch Aug. 28.
Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon told CBS News Thursday that NASA has "added many new features to further ensure the safety of this tank and since these were the first in-line tanks, we took extra time to make sure we got it right."
"We have margin in the schedule to absorb small delays and we have learned a lot in the process of putting these tanks together so that the '09 and '10 tanks will flow much faster," he said.
Shannon did not address specific launch dates.
NASA plans to complete the space station and retire the shuttle by the end of fiscal 2010. The current manifest calls for four more flights this year - in May, August, October and December - four in 2009 and up to three in 2010.
Endeavour departs the space station and targets a Wednesday landing
NEWSALERT: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 @ 2015 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now
++++ FREE SHUTTLE PATCH WITH $20 PATCH ORDERS! ++++
Get the current STS-123 shuttle patch free
when you spend $20 or more on patches
* Offer ends when Endeavour returns to Earth!
* Only available on orders shipped to U.S. addresses
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR UNDOCKS FROM THE SPACE STATION
------------------------------------------------
Endeavour departed the international space station Monday evening to close
out a marathon five-spacewalk assembly mission. The astronauts are packing
up the cabin and testing the ship's reentry system for Wednesday's planned
return to Earth.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/status.html
STATION CHIEF GIVES DETAILED UPDATE ON JOINT PROBLEM
----------------------------------------------------
Analysis of metallic contamination from a critical solar array rotary
joint on the international space station indicates a "high-friction event"
of some sort, possibly a misaligned bearing roller or some other like
defect, has chewed up and damaged one of the surfaces of a 10-foot-wide
gear and bearing race, the station's program manager said Monday.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080325sarj/
COMPLETE MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php
ODYSSEY GIVES CLUES TO GUIDE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS
----------------------------------------------------
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These
deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence
might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0803/24marssalt/
SUPER-BRIGHT GAMMA RAY BURST VISIBLE TO NAKED EYE
-------------------------------------------------
An intense stellar explosion - a gamma ray burst - detected by NASA's
Swift space telescope, is the most distant object visible to the naked eye
and the brightest object ever observed by humans.
http://www.astronomynow.com/Super-brightgammarayburst.html
CASSINI FINDS OCEAN MAY EXIST BENEATH TITAN'S CRUST
---------------------------------------------------
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the
existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon
Titan. The findings, made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation,
appear in the journal Science.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0803/24titan/
SPACEWALKERS ANCHOR INSPECTION BOOM TO STATION
----------------------------------------------
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Mike Foreman went outside for a six-hour
spacewalk Saturday, installing Endeavour's 50-foot-long heat shield
inspection boom on the space station for use by the next shuttle mission,
deploying an experiment package they were unable to attach earlier and
inspecting the station's damaged solar array rotary joint.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080322fd13/
HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION'S LAUNCH DATE THREATENED
-------------------------------------------------
With the shuttle Endeavour's mission entering the home stretch, shuttle
Discovery remains on track for blastoff May 25 to ferry a huge Japanese
laboratory module to the space station. But subsequent near-term flights,
including a high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope,
could be delayed, sources say, because of ongoing external tank production
issues.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080321tanks/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now
++++ FREE SHUTTLE PATCH WITH $20 PATCH ORDERS! ++++
Get the current STS-123 shuttle patch free
when you spend $20 or more on patches
* Offer ends when Endeavour returns to Earth!
* Only available on orders shipped to U.S. addresses
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR UNDOCKS FROM THE SPACE STATION
------------------------------------------------
Endeavour departed the international space station Monday evening to close
out a marathon five-spacewalk assembly mission. The astronauts are packing
up the cabin and testing the ship's reentry system for Wednesday's planned
return to Earth.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/status.html
STATION CHIEF GIVES DETAILED UPDATE ON JOINT PROBLEM
----------------------------------------------------
Analysis of metallic contamination from a critical solar array rotary
joint on the international space station indicates a "high-friction event"
of some sort, possibly a misaligned bearing roller or some other like
defect, has chewed up and damaged one of the surfaces of a 10-foot-wide
gear and bearing race, the station's program manager said Monday.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080325sarj/
COMPLETE MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php
ODYSSEY GIVES CLUES TO GUIDE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS
----------------------------------------------------
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These
deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence
might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0803/24marssalt/
SUPER-BRIGHT GAMMA RAY BURST VISIBLE TO NAKED EYE
-------------------------------------------------
An intense stellar explosion - a gamma ray burst - detected by NASA's
Swift space telescope, is the most distant object visible to the naked eye
and the brightest object ever observed by humans.
http://www.astronomynow.com/Super-brightgammarayburst.html
CASSINI FINDS OCEAN MAY EXIST BENEATH TITAN'S CRUST
---------------------------------------------------
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the
existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon
Titan. The findings, made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation,
appear in the journal Science.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0803/24titan/
SPACEWALKERS ANCHOR INSPECTION BOOM TO STATION
----------------------------------------------
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Mike Foreman went outside for a six-hour
spacewalk Saturday, installing Endeavour's 50-foot-long heat shield
inspection boom on the space station for use by the next shuttle mission,
deploying an experiment package they were unable to attach earlier and
inspecting the station's damaged solar array rotary joint.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080322fd13/
HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION'S LAUNCH DATE THREATENED
-------------------------------------------------
With the shuttle Endeavour's mission entering the home stretch, shuttle
Discovery remains on track for blastoff May 25 to ferry a huge Japanese
laboratory module to the space station. But subsequent near-term flights,
including a high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope,
could be delayed, sources say, because of ongoing external tank production
issues.
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts123/080321tanks/
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Craft prepare for next Mars landing / Moon probed by radar
NEWSALERT: Friday, February 29, 2008 @ 1614 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now
+++ NEW SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION DVD'S NOW SHIPPING!
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com
SPACECRAFT AT MARS PREPARE FOR NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
---------------------------------------------------
Three Mars spacecraft are adjusting their orbits to be over the right
place at the right time to listen to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it
enters the Martian atmosphere on May 25.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/28phoenix/
POTENTIAL LUNAR LANDING SITE EXPLORED BY RADAR
----------------------------------------------
NASA has obtained the highest resolution terrain mapping to date of the
moon's rugged south polar region. Scientists collected the data using the
Deep Space Network's Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's
Mojave Desert.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/28moon/
SCIENTISTS PROBE INTRIGUING PHENOMENON ON ENCELADUS
---------------------------------------------------
An enormous plume of dust and water spurts violently into space from the
south pole of Enceladus, Saturn's sixth-largest moon. This raging eruption
has intrigued scientists ever since the Cassini spacecraft provided
dramatic images of the phenomenon.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/27enceladus/
LAKE ERIE CREW DESCRIBES SATELLITE SHOT
---------------------------------------
The crewmembers of the USS Lake Erie were calm as they fired the latest
shot heard round the world. The Aegis-class cruiser fired the missile that
destroyed a dead spy satellite that posed a threat to humans.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/28lakeerie/
RIGOROUS TEST COMPLETED FOR FIRST AEHF SATELLITE
------------------------------------------------
Lockheed Martin has successfully completed acoustic testing of the first
Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications
satellite. The Advanced EHF system will provide survivable, highly secure,
protected, global communications for all warfighters serving under the
U.S. Department of Defense.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/28aehf/
CONCEPT VEHICLE TAKES OFF-ROADING OUT OF THIS WORLD
---------------------------------------------------
In a car commercial, it would sound odd: active suspension, six-wheel
drive with independent steering for each wheel, no doors, no windows, no
seats and the only color available is gold.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/27lunartruck/
NEW THEORY OF STAR FORMATION
----------------------------
In order for a rare, massive star to form inside an interstellar cloud of
gas and dust, small "helper" stars about the size of the sun must first
set the stage, according to a new theory proposed by astrophysicists at
the University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0802/27starformation/
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