ORBITAL CRS-5 LAUNCHING HOT AND BRIGHT SCIENCE TO SPACE - Orbital ATK is scheduled to send new science experiments to the International Space Station in early October on its sixth Commercial Resupply Services (CSR) mission. The Cygnus spacecraft will blast off from Wallops Island, Virginia atop an Antares rocket, carrying supplies for the crew along with dozens of experiments, including studies on fire in space, the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, collection of health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons. Low-temperature fires with no visible flames are known as cool flames. In previous combustion experiments aboard the space station, researchers observed cool flame burning behaviors not predicted by models or earlier investigations.    More
(Source: Space Daily - Oct 7)

ARIANE 5 GOES ON TEST RUN AFTER LAUNCHING TWO SATELLITES - An Ariane 5 rocket lifted two communications satellites to space Wednesday to connect rural Australians with the rest of the world through high-speed Internet and extend television and data services over India, then completed experiments in orbit aimed at helping designers craft Europe’s next-generation launcher. The 180-foot-tall (55-meter) launcher lit its Vulcain 2 main engine at 2030 GMT (4:30 p.m. EDT; 5:30 p.m. local time) Wednesday, completed a computer-controlled readiness check, then sent commands to ignite two large solid rocket boosters. The twin boosters, consuming pre-packed ammonium perchlorate and powdered aluminum fuel, powered up with an explosive rush of energy to drive the Ariane 5 off its launch pad at the Guiana Space Center, a sprawling facility the size of Martinique on the northern coast of South America.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 7)

WATCH HURRICANE MATTHEW BARRELING TOWARD LAND, AS SEEN FROM THE SPACE STATION - Floridians, brace yourselves—literally. "Severe" Hurricane Matthew is sweeping its way at 12 miles per hour across the Bahamas, and reaching toward the east coast of Florida by Thursday night. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects this motion to continue for up to the next 48 hours, at Category 3 or even higher (for reference, Hurricane Katrina was a 5). But already, it’s a monster of a storm, as you can see in this new video captured from orbit by the International Space Station, and posted online by NASA. This is the second video of Hurricane Matthew captured from the space station; the first was taken two days ago.    More
(Source: Motherboard - Oct 7)

IRAN PLANS TO LAUNCH THREE SATELLITES INTO SPACE - Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Mohsen Bahrami says the country is planning to send three home-made satellites into space. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday on the occasion of World Space Week, Bahrami said Sharif Sat would be put into orbit by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2017). He added that Amirkabir and Nahid I satellites would be put into space during the next Iranian calendar year. The ISA chief noted that Sharif Sat is a remote-sensing satellite and Nahid I is a communications satellites. He further stated that the preparation process for domestically-manufactured Sadr satellite is also underway.   More
(Source: Press TV - Oct 6)

SECOND NBN SATELLITE, SKY MUSTER II, SET FOR TAKE OFF IN SOUTH AMERICA - AFTER a delayed launch, the NBN satellite has blasted into orbit, bringing the hope of faster internet speeds that little bit closer for half a million Aussies. The Sky Muster II satellite successfully launched from the French Guiana Space Centre at 7.30am AEDT. The launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday, had to be rescheduled due to high altitude winds. Sky Muster II will combine with the Sky Muster satellite launched in October last year to provide a broadband network to about 400,000 Australians in regional areas.   More
(Source: NEWS.com.au - Oct 6)

RICHARD BRANSON WANTS TO BUILD 'SEXY' HOTELS IN SPACE - The billionaire entrepreneur isn't the first to talk about building hotels beyond Earth's atmosphere--but his vision comes with a distinctly Virgin flair.Richard Branson has always been up for adventure. The entrepreneur at one point held the record for the fastest transatlantic boat trip, a journey that nearly killed him. He tried to give his Virgin Cola brand a boost by running over 300 tons of Coke with a tank in the middle of Times Square. And his Virgin Galactic is moving closer to blasting tourists to the edge of the atmosphere.   More
(Source: International Business Times - Oct 6)

NASA IS SETTING A BUNCH OF FIRES IN SPACE ON PURPOSE - NASA is setting space on fire — literally — with a series of burns designed to help scientists learn more about how flames behave in a micro-gravity environment. The experiment, called Saffire, could help better inform security on future missions. "No space agency has had the opportunity to study a spacecraft fire of anything larger than an index card in long-term low gravity," David Urban, principal investigator of the Saffire experiment, said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters.    More
(Source: NBC News - Oct 6)

WITH NEW NOAA SATELLITE WILL COME ENHANCED WEATHER DATA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new satellite is scheduled to launch in a month, providing an upgrade officials say will offer more frequent and better data than its predecessors. The satellite, GOES-R, will provide faster and more accurate weather forecasting and warnings, Stephen Volz, NOAA's assistant administrator for satellite and information services, told reporters Tuesday. He said its data will give local officials more time to make decisions on evacuating communities during extreme weather events, such as hurricanes.    More
(Source: FedScoop - Oct 5)

EERIE FACE SPOTTED ON SATELLITE IMAGE AS HURRICANE MATTHEW MAKES LANDFALL IN HAITI - Just as Hurricane Matthew was making landfall in Haiti, a sinister face appeared in a satellite image. In the infrared image, the storm actually took on the look of a skull. An eerie sight was spotted on a satellite image Tuesday morning as Hurricane Matthew moved over western Haiti: a face seemed to appear in the imagery of the tropical cyclone, and it looked almost as ominous as the storm itself. The infrared satellite image appeared to show the storm resembling a smiling skull, with Matthew's eye actually looking like an eye. The resemblance was first pointed out on Twitter by Stu Ostro, a senior meteorologist with The Weather Channel.   More
(Source: Weather.com - Oct 5)

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