USSR MISJUDGED IMPORTANCE OF SPUTNIK SATELLITE - The Soviet Union did not immediately grasp the importance of its Sputnik satellite after launching it 50 years ago, triggering a space race with the United States, said the son of then USSR leader Nikita Krushchev. "The consequences became clear much later. At the time it was like sending a ball far away," Sergei Krushchev, an expert on Russia at Brown University in Rhode Island, told a forum on the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik's launch on Monday. More (Source: AFP - Nov 30)
FOURTH SPACEWALK PUSHED BACK TO SATURDAY - Friday’s spacewalk, already pushed back from Thursday, has been pushed back again one more day to Saturday. The shuttle and station crews will continue spacewalk preparations, transfer activities and enjoy some off-duty time today. The spacewalk preparations include studying procedures, building tools and resizing a spacesuit glove. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will conduct the excursion. More (Source: NASA - Nov 30)
DISCOVERY READY TO RETURN HOME TODAY - Space shuttle Discovery is ready to return home with landing planned for the first of two opportunities to the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 1:02 p.m. EST today. The seven astronauts on board the shuttle completed final preparations Tuesday. More (Source: NASA - Nov 30)
ASTRONAUTS THRILLED BY 'TRIUMPHANT' MISSION - The crew of space shuttle Discovery left its mark on the International Space Station during two weeks in space that included adding a new piece, moving another and conducting an unprecedented spacewalk successfully. "This is truly a triumphant moment for NASA," Scott Parazynski said. "I think we obtained the summit and then some." More (Source: NASA - Nov 30)
SENSOR GLITCH DELAYS SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH - NASA postponed the launch scheduled for Thursday of the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis after discovering a problem with a sensor in the spacecraft's fuel tank, officials said. The U.S. space agency planned to try again on Friday to launch Europe's long-delayed Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station. Liftoff was scheduled for 4:09 p.m. EST. More (Source: Reuters - Nov 30)
NASA RESCHEDULES SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH - The launch of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will take place no earlier than Saturday, Dec. 8, at 3:43 p.m. EST. Thursday's scheduled liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., was postponed because of a problem with a fuel cutoff sensor system inside the shuttle's external fuel tank. More (Source: Reuters - Nov 30)
RUSSIA TO LAUNCH TELECOM SATELLITE FOR NORWAY - The satellite Thor 2R, which has been made for Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor, has been brought to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, from where Russia is due to launch it on February 10, the Russian Federal Space Agency said. More (Source: Interfax - Nov 30)
ISRO PLANNING TO LAUNCH SATELLITE TO STUDY THE SUN - In the midst of the buzz about Chandrayaan, the moon mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a satellite to study the sun. ‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun. More (Source: Hindu - Nov 30)
ROCKET DELAYED TO AVOID SPACE DEBRIS - The launch of a rocket carrying a secret payload has been postponed to avoid possible space debris from the destruction of a spy satellite. The Atlas V rocket was supposed to blast off Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California carrying a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. More (Source: Associated Press - Nov 30)
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