SATELLITES MADE OSAMA BIN LADEN RAID POSSIBLE - Intelligence officials and a top secret U.S. military strike team called upon a fleet of navigation, communications and imaging satellites in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. With President Barack Obama and his national security team following events from the White House, a group of elite U.S. Navy special forces operators rode helicopters Sunday night to the sprawling compound occupied by Osama bin Laden, killing the wanted terrorist and taking custody of his body. Situated in Abbottabad, a city just outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, the compound was surrounded by walls up to 18 feet high and topped with razor wire. Its existence and location were confirmed in August 2010 after years of questioning detainees and tracking couriers U.S. intelligence officials believed were linked to bin Laden.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - May 6)

U.S. TO LAUNCH MISSILE-TRACKING SATELLITE - The United States is due on Friday to fire into orbit the first of four geosynchronous satellites for the planned Space-Based Infrared System from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Innovation News Daily reported. The launch of the $1.3 billion craft would mark a significant milestone in the deployment of the system, which officials said is expected to markedly improve the nation's ability to detect, track and counter potential enemy missiles.    More
(Source: Global Security Newswire - May 6)

ENDEAVOR TO DELIVER STAMP SIZED "SPRITE" MICRO-SATELLITE EXPERIMENT TO ISS - The Space Shuttle Endeavor currently sits on the launch pad awaiting her final launch. On board is a tiny experiment that, if successful, could become a new and inexpensive tool for the exploration of space. Developed by Cornell University's Space Systems Design Studio, these postage stamp sized satellites named "Sprites" are to be mounted on the International Space Station's (ISS) Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-8) pallet. They will be mounted externally so that they may experience the full affects of space.    More
(Source: Examiner.com - May 3)

NASA SOLAR SAIL PROTOTYPE GETS LONGER LIFE IN ORBIT - Skywatchers who have yet to spot NASA's prototype solar sail in orbit can take heart -- the little satellite will be zipping around Earth for a few more months yet, space agency officials say. NASA's NanoSail-D satellite was originally expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere 70 to 120 days after unfurling its 100-square-foot solar sail, which happened Jan. 20. But the satellite is descending more slowly than anticipated, meaning it should stay aloft at least until July, NASA officials announced today (April 26). "NanoSail-D has lowered its altitude above the Earth by approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) from its original altitude of 400 miles (640 km), and continues to descend," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D principal investigator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in a statement.    More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 28)

SPACE STATION RESUPPLY SHIP LAUNCHED AHEAD OF ENDEAVOUR - Before the shuttle Endeavour can receive final clearance for takeoff Friday afternoon, a Russian-made cargo freighter must make a smooth flight to the International Space Station. Step number one was accomplished this morning when that unmanned resupply ship successfully launched atop a Soyuz booster from Kazakhstan at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 GMT). The preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Apr 27)

ROYAL WEDDING VS. SHUTTLE LAUNCH - England's royal wedding and a space shuttle launch are two huge events set for this Friday. The launch taking on a new significance now that we've learned Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will make the trip to Florida to see her husband Mark Kelly lift off into space. This is just three months after she was shot in the head in Tucson on Jan. 8. Royal Wedding coverage will run on ABC15-TV from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. The shuttle will launch at 12:47 p.m. There is a large amount of attention on these huge news stories this week.    More
(Source: ABC15.com - Apr 27)

OBAMA TO ATTEND NEXT WEEK'S SHUTTLE LAUNCH - President Obama will bring his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha to attend the 25thand final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour on Apr. 29 at 3:47 p.m. He is expected to attend the launch with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who will be watching her husband, Commander Mark Kelly, take the orbiter up for one last mission to the International Space Station. Giffords was severely injured during a shooting rampage last January that saw six people killed in an outdoor event entitled “Congress on Your corner.” Giffords, by all accounts, has made a remarkable recovery; however, her doctors have not given her the final go-ahead to attend the launch.    More
(Source: Examiner.com - Apr 24)

CARGO CRAFT UNDOCKING SETS STAGE FOR MORE ARRIVALS - The departure of an unpiloted Russian cargo craft Friday set the stage for the arrival of the next supply ship and a final visit from space shuttle Endeavour. The ISS Progress 41 cargo craft, filled with trash and other unneeded items, undocked from the Pirs docking compartment at 7:41 a.m. EDT Friday as the International Space Station flew 220 miles over China. As the Progress slowly backed away from the station, Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev photographed the cargo craft through a window in the Russian segment of the orbiting complex to assess the condition of the rubber seals on its docking interface.    More
(Source: Space Fellowship - Apr 24)

ARIANE 5 ROCKET ACHIEVES SUCCESS WITH TWO SATELLITES - Bouncing back from a last-second countdown abort in March, an Ariane 5 rocket smoothly ascended into space Friday with communications satellites destined to serve the Middle East and Africa. The 165-foot-tall rocket rose away from the launch pad at 2137 GMT (5:37 p.m. EDT) Friday, climbing into partly cloudy skies over the French-controlled Guiana Space Center on the northeast coast of South America. Powered by twin solid rocket boosters and a hydrogen-fueled main engine, the Ariane 5 surpassed the speed of sound in 42 seconds. After shedding the solid motors, the rocket's core stage accelerated to a velocity of more than 15,400 mph and an altitude of 104 miles in the first 9 minutes of flight.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Apr 24)

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