U.S. NAVY'S NEWLY LAUNCHED SPACECRAFT IS FLYING HIGH - The U.S. Navy's new satellite to provide more agile communications for forces on the move has successfully maneuvered itself into a perch 22,300 miles above Earth and unfurled its giant umbrella-like mesh antennas. Launched by ULA's Atlas 5 rocket on Feb. 24 from Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, the Mobile User Objective System 1 satellite has executed eight firings of its liquid apogee main engine to ascend from that dropoff point. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 27)
GET A PEEK AT HUGE SPACE CARGO SHIP ORBITING EARTH - Skywatchers around the world have two more chances to spot a huge robotic cargo ship that is currently orbiting Earth, but time is running out. By Wednesday, the spacecraft will arrive at the International Space Station, and both spacecraft may be visible together just before docking, weather permitting. More space news from msnbc.com NASA Finding life on Mars: Been there, done that? Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: NASA's next Mars mission could conceivably confirm the Viking probe's controversial findings about Red Planet life, one of the Viking mission's veterans says. One last show for Venus, Jupiter and moon Get a peek at space cargo ship orbiting Earth Two small asteroids zip by Earth ..The giant space delivery truck is the Automated Transfer Vehicle 3 (ATV-3), a massive unmanned freighter carrying nearly 7 tons of cargo for astronauts on the space station. It launched into orbit last week on a mission for its builder, the European Space Agency. More (Source: MSNBC - Mar 27)
RUSSIAN SATELLITE DESTROYED DESPITE PROMISE FOR SCIENTISTS - Engineers on Sunday intentionally crashed a Russian Express communications satellite stranded in space by an August rocket mishap, declaring the mission a total loss despite efforts by a start-up company to purchase the craft to serve the Antarctic research community. The Express AM4 satellite was guided on a controlled descent by engineers at EADS Astrium, the spacecraft's prime contractor. After firing its engine at about 1033 GMT (6:33 a.m. EDT), the 6.3-ton satellite plummeted into Earth's atmosphere, burning up and spreading debris over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 26)
SOUTH KOREA CLAIMS NORTH KOREA HAS MOVED ROCKET TO LAUNCH SITE - North Korea has moved a long-range rocket to its northwestern launch site in preparation for a launch next month, South Korean officials said Sunday, as Pyongyang pushes ahead with plans that Washington says are a cover for testing long-range missile systems. South Korean Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff officials said Sunday that the information comes from the South Korean and U.S. militaries. They provided no further details and spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. More (Source: Fox News - Mar 25)
SECOND LIFE FOR FAILED RUSSIAN SATELLITE? - It's not dead yet! A Russian satellite on the brink of being de-orbited could still have a second life—as communications support for scientists in Antarctica. That's the idea of William Readdy and Dennis Wingo, co-founders of Polar Broadband Systems Ltd., a company created last December exclusively to repurpose the satellite for Antarctic broadband communications. More (Source: Science Now - Mar 25)
SPACE STATION CREW SCRAMBLES AS DEBRIS PASSES NEARBY - Crew members aboard the International Space Station temporarily scrambled into spacecraft capable of returning them to Earth early on Saturday as remnants of a discarded Russian satellite passed nearby, the latest episode spotlighting the growing amount of space debris encircling the planet. The crew — three Russians, two Americans and a Dutch astronaut — climbed into the two spacecraft as the debris passed within about nine miles of the space station, at 2:38 a.m. Eastern time. Soon afterward, NASA officials allowed the astronauts to return to the station. More (Source: New York Times - Mar 24)
SPACE JUNK THREATENS STATION ASTRONAUTS - A discarded chunk of a Russian rocket is forcing six space station astronauts to seek shelter in escape capsules early Saturday. Rob Navias, a NASA spokesman, said that the space junk would barely be close enough to be a threat. But if it were to hit the station, it could be dangerous, so the astronauts — two Americans, three Russians and a Dutchman — will wake early and climb into two Soyuz vehicles ready to rocket back to Earth just in case. More (Source: New York TImes - Mar 24)
EUROPE LAUNCHES GIANT CARGO SHIP TOWARD SPACE STATION - A huge robot European cargo ship launched to the International Space Station today (March 23), lighting up the night sky over the northeast coast of South America to begin a five-day journey to deliver key supplies to the orbiting outpost. The European Space Agency's third Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-3) lifted off at 12:34 a.m. EDT (0434 GMT) atop an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 23)
ATV-3, ESA SET FOR IMPORTANT RESUPPLY MISSION TO ISS - Thirteen months after the launch of their second ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) mission to the International Space Station, the European Space Agency is set to launch their third ATV to the ISS from the Guiana Space Centre, in Kourou, French Guiana. The ATV-3 spacecraft, highlighting the detailed work of NASA, ESA, and Russian officials, will launch onboard the veteran Ariane 5 rocket at 0431 GMT (0031 EDT) Friday, 23 March 2012. More (Source: NASASpaceflight.com - Mar 22)
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