STS-123 LANDING DELAYED - Flight controllers decided to pass on Endeavour’s first landing opportunity today. The next opportunity is at 8:39 p.m. EDT. STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. More (Source: NASA - Mar 26)
SHUTTLE READY TO LAND AFTER 'TWO-WEEK ADVENTURE' - With fine weather expected for landing, the shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven aimed for a touchdown right before sunset Wednesday to wrap up "a two-week adventure" at the international space station. "We think it's looking really nice to get you home," Mission Control informed the astronauts. More (Source: CNN.com - Mar 26)
SHUTTLE CREW PREPARES FOR LANDING - After a week and a half of complex orbital construction work, Endeavour's seven astronauts undocked from the international space station and began their journey home. The space shuttle is scheduled to land on Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center, ending a record-setting mission to the orbiting outpost. Endeavour's astronauts will spend Tuesday preparing their ship for touchdown. More (Source: CNN.com - Mar 25)
CREW USES BOOM TO CHECK SHUTTLE'S SKIN - Endeavour's astronauts inspected their ship's thermal skin Friday for any damage from orbital debris, using a laser-tipped boom that will be left behind at the international space station. The slow and meticulous survey normally is conducted after a space shuttle leaves the space station. This time, it was done with the shuttle still docked. That's because the 50-foot inspection boom will be left behind for the next shuttle crew. More (Source: CNN.com - Mar 22)
DIRECTV SATELLITE SET FOR LAUNCH - The postponed launch of DirecTV’s newest satellite is now set to go Wednesday, according to officials. Sea Launch Tuesday said it was proceeding with the liftoff of DirecTV 11 at 3:48 p.m. PDT tomorrow. The company had put a hold on the countdown for the launch, which was originally slated for Monday, “to allow the team to study an issue,” Sea Launch had said on its web site. More (Source: Multichannel News - Mar 19)
SPACEWALKERS RESORT TO BANGING, PRY BAR - Two spacewalking astronauts attached 11-foot arms to the international space station's huge new robot Sunday, preparing the giant machine for its handyman job on the orbital outpost. The Canadian-built robot, named Dextre, will stand 12 feet and have a mass of 3,400 pounds when it's fully assembled. More (Source: CNN.com - Mar 17)
U.S. SATELLITE TO MARK 50 YEARS IN ORBIT - The pioneering U.S. satellite Vanguard I is about to reach its 50th year in orbit around the Earth, it was noted Saturday. The Times of London reported Vanguard, the oldest man-made satellite in space, will mark its 50th anniversary Monday. The historic satellite, small compared to today's advanced satellites, was launched March 17, 1958, and soon became the first satellite to offer evidence the Earth is not perfectly round, but actually somewhat pear-shaped. More (Source: United Press International - Mar 16)
ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH GPS SATELLITE - A Delta 2 rocket carrying a GPS satellite for the Air Force is on its way into orbit. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral early Saturday without a hitch. It momentarily lit up the star-studded sky, despite earlier concerns that thick clouds and rain might postpone the launch. The third-generation GPS satellite is about 6 feet by 34 feet, a little smaller than an average sailboat. At nearly 4,500 pounds, it weighs about the same as a minivan. More (Source: Associated Press - Mar 16)
RUSSIA FAILS TO DELIVER U.S. SATELLITE - An unmanned Russian rocket failed to put a U.S. telecommunication satellite into its target orbit because it developed a booster rocket malfunction after lifting off Saturday from the Baikonur space facility in Kazakhstan. "The second booster module switched off earlier than expected, which resulted in the craft failing to reach its designated target orbit," said the state-controlled Khrunichev State Research and Production Center, which made the Proton-M rocket carrying the satellite. More (Source: USA Today - Mar 16)
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