Space News Daily

Update on SpaceX COTS 2 Launch 19 May 2012

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:20:13 +0000

– Update on SpaceX COTS 2 Launch 19 May 2012

– Update on SpaceX COTS 2 Launch

– Falcon 9 Dragon Launch Scrubbed

– Report: NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities

– Robotic Refueling Mission Results to be Presented at NASA Satellite-Servicing Workshop

– NASA Chief Technologist To [...]

Space Station

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:53:05 +0000

When SpaceX’s Dragon capsule launches in spring 2012, a very special payload will be on board: 15 student experiments from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. The big deal is that those experiments from “SSEP Mission 1 to ISS” will be part of space history. Dragon will become the first commercial vehicle to dock to the [...]

NASA Invites Media To Annual Lunabotics Mining Competition

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:53:03 +0000

PRESS RELEASEDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: Kennedy Space Center

More than 50 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from eight countries will come to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida May 21-26 to take part in the third annual Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Practice sessions will take [...]

Historic NASA Facility Ready for Deep Space Capsule Prototype

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:53:01 +0000

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Russian Rocket Launches TV Satellite

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:58 +0000

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Launch Webcast: See SpaceX Launch Dragon Capsule Saturday

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:52 +0000

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SpaceX Launch Abort Traced to Faulty Rocket Valve

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:50 +0000

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NASA EDGE: Mission X 2012

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:47 +0000

› Download Vodcast (457MB)

NASA EDGE: Mission X 2012 Transcript

Featuring Mission X 2012 in London - Nubia Carvajal

- Yamil Garcia - Jeremy Curtis - Shamim Hartevelt - Paolo Nespoli - Shin Yamada - Jane Connor - Montell Douglas

[Music]

ANNOUNCER: London, one of the world’s most historic and beautiful cities and the location of [...]

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 19 May 2012

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:45 +0000

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 19 May 2012

STATUS REPORTDate Released: Saturday, May 19, 2012

Source: NASA HQ

ISS On-Orbit Status 05/19/12

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – Crew off duty. Today the AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 02) celebrates its First Anniversary of continuous [...]

NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Friday, May 18, 2012

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:52:42 +0000

PRESS ReleaseDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: NOAA Office of Satellite Operations

SATOPS Morning Report: Friday, May 18, 2012

Customers or users who want to call to ask about problems or report outages can use the following contacts: - For questions about data quality (noisy data, [...]

Stakes high for private launch to space station

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:52 +0000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — Nerves are frayed here on Florida’s space coast as commercial company SpaceX prepares to launch its Dragon capsule on the first-ever flight of a private vehicle to the International Space Station.

The milestone mission is being viewed as a test not only of Dragon but of private spaceflight in [...]

Days of ‘gizmo’ launches return: NASA team to test new vehicle-descent technologies

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:50 +0000

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2012) NASA technologists will get a chance next summer to relive the good old days when Agency engineers would affix space-age gizmos to rockets just to see if the contraptions worked.

In what will be the first of four high-altitude balloon flights to begin in the summer of 2013, technologists at [...]

Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) flight hardware test

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:48 +0000

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2012) A NASA flight test designed to demonstrate the feasibility of inflatable spacecraft technology is coming down to the wire.

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) is the third in a series of suborbital flight tests of this new technology. It is scheduled to launch from the Wallops Flight Facility on [...]

Meals, Equipment Top Cargo List for SpaceX spacecraft Dragon

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:47 +0000

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2012) The Dragon spacecraft built by SpaceX will head to the International Space Station with about 1,200 pounds of cargo during its demonstration mission, including commemorative patches and pins, 162 meals and a collection of student experiments.

Since the company’s rocket and spacecraft are conducting a test flight, the manifest attests [...]

NASA SpaceX Falcon 9 Dragon Pre-Launch Briefing

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:45 +0000

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Editor-in-Chief:Keith CowingEmail | Twitter

Chief Architect:Marc BoucherEmail | Twitter

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Article source: http://spaceref.biz/2012/05/nasa-spacex-falcon-9-dragon-pre-launch-briefing.html

What’s Inside Dragon

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:44 +0000

The Dragon spacecraft built by SpaceX will head to the International Space Station with about 1,200 pounds of cargo during its demonstration mission, including commemorative patches and pins, 162 meals and a collection of student experiments.

Since the company’s rocket and spacecraft are conducting a test flight, the manifest attests to important [...]

NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: May 14-18, 2012

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:40 +0000

STATUS REPORTDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: May 14-18, 2012

- Arsinoes Chaos (14 May 2012) http://themis.asu.edu/node/5892

- Pavonis Mons (15 May 2012) http://themis.asu.edu/node/5893

o Arcuate Fratures (16 May 2012) http://themis.asu.edu/node/5894

- Daedalia Planum (17 May 2012) http://themis.asu.edu/node/5895

- Channels [...]

Not-So-Secret Souvenirs Riding Historic SpaceX Capsule Flight to Space Station

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:37 +0000

Article source: [...]

NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:31 +0000

Observations from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system’s population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results reveal new information about their total numbers, origins and the possible dangers they may pose.

Potentially hazardous asteroids, or PHAs, are a subset of the larger group of near-Earth [...]

Why Sunday’s Solar Eclipse ‘Ring of Fire’ Will Be Rare Sight

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:49:30 +0000

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SpaceX Fuels Rocket for Historic Test Flight to Space Station

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:41 +0000

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ILS Proton Launches Telesat’s Nimiq 6 Satellite

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:39 +0000

International Launch Services (ILS), a world leader in providing mission and launch services to the commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the Nimiq 6 satellite into the planned orbit today on an ILS Proton for Telesat, a leading global fixed satellite services operator headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.

The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 24 [...]

Endeavour Powered Down 20 Years after First Launch

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:37 +0000

Space shuttle Discovery was powered up hundreds of times during prelaunch processing over the course of 26 years of spaceflight. But Dec. 16, 2011 was different. That morning, technicians inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s orbiter processing facility powered the ship up – and then down – for the final time. Less than a week later, [...]

The numbers add up in Arianespace’s latest commercial launch success with Ariane 5

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:36 +0000

Arianespace provided another on-time Ariane 5 launch tonight by orbiting a pair of telecommunications spacecraft at the service of Asian region operators, on a mission that included multiple numerical milestones for the company and its customers.

Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, Arianespace’s heavy-lift workhorse delivered the JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2 relay platforms into [...]

SpaceX Aborts Launch of Private Space Capsule to Space Station

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:35 +0000

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No Launch Today For Falcon 9

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:33 +0000

The launch of a Falcon 9 rocket has been delayed. The next launch attempt could occur on Tuesday May, 22. Photo Credit: Julian Leek / Blue Sawtooth Studios

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla – The countdown clock ticked down to zero and even ticked up for a few seconds – but it was not to be. [...]

“Somewhere Important to Go”: The Need for Apollo 10

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:31 +0000

Over the years, many have questioned the need for Apollo 10 and why it could not be retasked to perform a lunar landing. In reality, the mission was critical in clearing up many unknowns before a landing could go ahead. Photo Credit: NASA

In the annals of space history, few dates are more [...]

SpaceX aborts launch to ISS

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:29 +0000

The California-based company SpaceX on Saturday scrubbed the launch of its Dragon capsule toward the International Space Station at the last second due to a rocket engine problem.

The abort came a half-second before liftoff due to high pressure in the center engine of the Falcon 9 rocket, forcing a shutdown of the launch attempt. [...]

Possible Rocket Engine Problem Triggered SpaceX Launch Abort

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:27 +0000

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SpaceX No Stranger to Launch Day Rocket Glitches

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:48:24 +0000

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SpaceX readies ambitious ISS launch

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:41 +0000

Shaking off jitters, SpaceX counted down Friday to liftoff of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in what may be a historic mission for private spaceflight.

The blastoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the unmanned Dragon and over half a ton of cargo toward the orbiting lab, is scheduled for 4:55 [...]

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 18 May 2012

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:40 +0000

– Report: NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities

– Robotic Refueling Mission Results to be Presented at NASA Satellite-Servicing Workshop

– NASA Chief Technologist To Attend Cleveland Manufacturing Event

– AIA Welcomes Congressional Action on Satellite Export Control Reform

– Global Space Exploration Conference in Washington DC

– [...]

NASA to Watch Solar Eclipse from Grand Canyon Sunday

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:37 +0000

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AIA Welcomes Congressional Action on Satellite Export Control Reform

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:34 +0000

PRESS ReleaseDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: Aerospace Industries Association

Statement by AIA President CEO Marion C. Blakey

Arlington, Va. — The Aerospace Industries Association welcomes House action on satellite export reform in the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. The language would return authority [...]

Hubble Spies Edge-on Beauty NGC 891

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:32 +0000

Hubble Spies Edge-on Beauty NGC 891

STATUS REPORTDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: Goddard Space Flight Center

Visible in the constellation of Andromeda, NGC 891 is located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful wide field Advanced Camera for Surveys towards this spiral [...]

NASA chooses rocket for Orion launches

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:27 +0000

The numbers add up in Arianespace’s latest commercial launch success with Ariane 5

Article source: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_chooses_rocket_for_Orion_launches_999.html

Russia delivers three astronauts to ISS: official

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:26 +0000

The numbers add up in Arianespace’s latest commercial launch success with Ariane 5

Article source: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russia_delivers_three_astronauts_to_ISS_official_999.html

NASA Langley’s SCIFLI Team To Take Images Of SpaceX C2 Launch

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:25 +0000

A team from NASA’s Langley Research Center will have its eyes, cameras and telescopes trained on the skies for the launch of the first commercial spaceflight carrying cargo to the International Space Station.

The SCIFLI (Scientifically Calibrated In Flight Imagery) team, based at NASA Langley, is preparing to capture visual and thermal snapshots of the [...]

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust: Planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:23 +0000

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2012) Researchers at MIT, NASA and elsewhere have detected a possible planet, some 1,500 light years away, that appears to be evaporating under the blistering heat of its parent star. The scientists infer that a long tail of debris — much like the tail of a comet — is following the [...]

EU solar boom sees doubling of capacity

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:03:19 +0000

Europe’s photovoltaic market continued to boom in 2011, with installed capacity doubling across the 27 EU member countries, new research indicates.

EurObserv’ER, an EU-backed renewable energy research group said in a report issued Tuesday that cumulative photovoltaic capacity in the European Union at the end of 2011 was 51.3 gigawatts-peak — up from 29.8 gigawatts-peak [...]

TDRS-4 Mission Complete, Spacecraft Retired

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:59 +0000

› Larger imageAn Artist Rendering of TDRS-4. Credit: NASA

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 4 (TDRS-4) recently completed almost 23 years of operations support and successfully completed end-of-mission de-orbit and decommissioning activities. TDRS-4′s operational life span was well beyond its original 10-year design.

Launched on March 13, 1989, from onboard Space Shuttle Discovery, [...]

05-16-2012

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:57 +0000

ISS On-Orbit Status 05/16/12 All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.

· Sleep Cycle Shift: Due to tonight’s midnight arrival (12:38am EDT) of Soyuz 30 at the station, the ISS crew has a short workday (11h) and a long one tomorrow (14h 30m):o Wake – 2:00am (this morning)o

Article [...]

Moon Rocks Reveal Evidence of Ancient Asteroid Barrage Scientists had wondered what caused the massive impacts 3.9 billion years ago. Read More »

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:55 +0000

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Private Rocket Poised to Make History With Saturday Launch

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:49 +0000

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Arctic Microbe Hunt Could Aid Search for Alien Life

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:47 +0000

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Solar Eclipse Sunday Promises Spectacular Views from China to Texas

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:43 +0000

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Global Space Exploration Conference in Washington DC

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:40 +0000

PRESS ReleaseDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

AIAA, IAF Event Will Bring Together World Space Leaders to Discuss Future of Exploration

What: - Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX)

When: - Tuesday, May 22 – Thursday, May 24, 2012

Where: - [...]

Satellite Industry Association Applauds Passage of Bill With Satellite Export Control Provision by House

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:38 +0000

PRESS ReleaseDate Released: Friday, May 18, 2012

Source: Satellite Industry Association

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2012 – The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) applauds the passage of H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (“NDAA”), which includes a provision that would reform the U.S. framework [...]

CASIS Is Charging Taxpayers For Access To NASA Space Station Research Paid For by Taxpayers

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:36 +0000

– Global Space Exploration Conference in Washington DC

– CSF Lauds the Passage of H.R. 4310 with Smith Amendment for ITAR Reform

– Satellite Industry Association Applauds Passage of Bill With Satellite Export Control Provision by House

– U.S. House Unanimously Approves Posey Commercial Space Legislation

– NASA GSFC [...]

Stakes High for 1st Private Rocket Launch to Space Station … The stakes are high for SpaceX’s planned launch of the Dragon capsule to the space station on Sat… Read More »

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:02:30 +0000

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NASA trains astronauts to land on asteroid

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:29 +0000

Perigee “Super Moon” On May 5-6

Article source: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_trains_astronauts_to_land_on_asteroid_999.html

Sunday’s Solar Eclipse ‘Ring of Fire’: Where and How to See It Get skywatching tips for when and where to see the annular solar eclipse of May 20 in this guide. Read More »

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:28 +0000

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Space Spiders and Wine: Weird Science Launching on Private Space Capsule

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:25 +0000

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Commerical Crew Telecon With NASA

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:22 +0000

Tip your editorstips@spaceref.com

Editor-in-Chief:Keith CowingEmail | Twitter

Chief Architect:Marc BoucherEmail | Twitter

Senior Editor:Randy AttwoodEmail | Twitter

Article source: http://spaceref.biz/2012/05/commerical-crew-telecon-with-nasa.html

Curiosity Mission To Determine Climate Change, Life On Mars, Says Texas A&M Prof

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:20 +0000

PRESS ReleaseDate Released: Thursday, May 17, 2012

Source: Texas AM University

Climate change on Earth is always a big topic. Climate change on Mars could be even bigger.

NASA’s top scientists – including a Texas AM University researcher – hope to find out how Mars’ climate has evolved [...]

Expedition 31 Crew Docks at the International Space Station

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:18 +0000

– NASA GSFC Solicitation: Yaskawa/Motoman Robot Service and Support

– Sierra Nevada Corporation Opens Huntsville, Alabama Office, Expands Key Customer Support Including NASA

– Updated Coverage for NASA/Spacex Launch and Mission to Station

– Cubesats “Land” at National Science Foundation on Thursday, May 24th

– Air Force successfully completes [...]

Image: Daphnis and Pan Perturb Saturn’s Rings

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:15 +0000

Image: Daphnis and Pan Perturb Saturn’s Rings

STATUS REPORTDate Released: Thursday, May 17, 2012

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Saturn’s moons Daphnis and Pan demonstrate their effects on the planet’s rings in this view from the Cassini spacecraft.

Daphnis (5 miles, or 8 kilometers across), on the left of the image, orbits [...]

NASA NLSI Lecture: The Moon as a Touchstone for Solar System Science

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:11 +0000

STATUS REPORTDate Released: Thursday, May 17, 2012

Source: NASA Lunar Science Institute

NASA NLSI Lecture: The Moon as a Touchstone for Solar System Science

Date/ Time of Talk: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 9:00AM PDT, 16:00 UTC

Presenter: James W. Head, Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University

Title: [...]

Eclipsall Awarded Contract to Supply Solar Panels to Ugandan Government

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:08 +0000

Maps of Miscanthus genome offer insight into grass evolution

Article source: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Eclipsall_Awarded_Contract_to_Supply_Solar_Panels_to_Ugandan_Government_999.html

Satellite to Watch Solar Eclipse From Space on Sunday Japan’s Hinode satellite will be the only solar observatoryto study this Sunday’s solar eclipse. Read More »

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02:07 +0000

Article source: [...]