(Space Fellowship) Picture of the Day - Snapshot of the ISS
On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not 'see' surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station's solar g [...]
(Space Fellowship) China's fourth space center to be completed by 2015
MOSCOW, (RIA Novosti) - China's fourth space center, Wenchang, will be put into service between 2014 and 2015, not in 2013 as it was previously announced, the CCTV channel reported on Tuesday. Located in a forest of coconut palms on the northeast coast of the Hainan tropical island, Wenchang will be the country's first low-latitude space center. Its latitude of only 19 degrees north of the equator will contribute to lower fuel consumption and maximum payload. "The construction of the fourt [...]
(Space Fellowship) Inaugural Falcon 9 / Dragon Flight Hardware Update
Today SpaceX performed our first Static Fire for the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. We counted down to an T-2 seconds and aborted on Spin Start. Given that this was our first abort event on this pad, we decided to scrub for the day to get a good look at the rocket before trying again. Everything looks great at first glance. As part of the abort, we close the pre-valves to isolate the engines from the propellant tank and purge the residual propellants. The brief flames seen on the video are normal [...]
(Space Fellowship) Station Crew Focuses on Robotics and Command Change
(NASA) - Robotics and handover activities took center stage Tuesday aboard the International Space Station as Expedition 22 draws to a close and the crew prepares for new residents and a visit by space shuttle Discovery. After breakfast and a checkout of station systems, Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi began his day with a ham radio call to students at Ikaruga Elementary School in the town of Taishi, Hyogo, Japan. Afterwards, Noguchi joined Commander Jeff Williams and fellow flight eng [...]
(Space Fellowship) Historic Deep Space Network Antenna Starts Major Surgery
(NASA) - Like a hard-driving athlete whose joints need help, the giant "Mars antenna" at NASA's Deep Space Network site in Goldstone, Calif. has begun major, delicate surgery. The operation on the historic 70-meter-wide (230-foot) antenna, which has received data and sent commands to deep space missions for over 40 years, will replace a portion of the hydrostatic bearing assembly. This assembly enables the antenna to rotate horizontally. The rigorous engineering plans call for lifting about [...]
(Space Fellowship) ASTRA 3B begins its integration with launcher hardware for Ariane 5’s March 24 mission
(Arianespace) - Satellite preparations for Arianespace’s first mission of 2010 have transitioned into their final phase, with the ASTRA 3B payload making its first contact with Ariane 5 launcher hardware. During activity inside the Spaceport’s S5 payload integration building, ASTRA 3B was installed atop a two-piece adapter unit that will serve as the satellite’s interface with Ariane 5. This clears the satellite for integration in Ariane 5’s payload “stack,” which will be co [...]
(Space Politics) Hanging on to the shuttle
The retirement of the shuttle, which not long ago appeared to be a largely settled issue, seems a little less so now. Last week Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced legislation that would at least study extending the shuttle for up to five more years at up to two missions a year; companion legislation [...](Space Daily) Russian Volga Region Moves To Produce Flying Saucers
Ulianovsk, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - The government of the Ulianovsk Region in the Volga area has approved a five-year program to produce so-called "flying saucers" - a bizarre hybrid of a helicopter and an aerostat. (Space Daily) Space shuttle can fly beyond 2010, if money is there: NASA
Washington (AFP) March 9, 2010 - The US space shuttle fleet can continue flying beyond NASA's September 30 deadline if the money is made available to keep it going, a US space agency official told reporters Tuesday. (Space Daily) Most Extreme White Dwarf Binary System Found
Warwick, UK (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - An international team of astronomers, including Professor Tom Marsh and Dr Danny Steeghs from the University of Warwick, have shown that the two stars in the binary HM Cancri definitely revolve around each other in a mere 5.4 minutes. This makes HM Cancri the binary star with by far the shortest known orbital period. (Space Daily) NASA Launches Interactive Simulation Of Satellite Communications
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - NASA has unveiled an interactive computer simulation that allows virtual explorers of all ages to dock the space shuttle at the International Space Station, experience a virtual trip to Mars or a lunar impact, and explore images of star formations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Space Daily) Historic Deep Space Network Antenna Starts Major Surgery
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 10, 2010 - Like a hard-driving athlete whose joints need help, the giant "Mars antenna" at NASA's Deep Space Network site in Goldstone, Calif. has begun major, delicate surgery. (Space Daily) Russia Shortlists 11 For 520-Day Simulation Of Mars Mission
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - Russia's Institute of Medical and Biological Problems announced on Thursday the names of 11 volunteers on the shortlist to take part in a 520-day simulation of an expedition to Mars, a spokesman said. (Space Daily) China's Fourth Space Center To Be Completed By 2015
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - China's fourth space center, Wenchang, will be put into service between 2014 and 2015, not in 2013 as it was previously announced, the CCTV channel reported on Tuesday. (Space Daily) Russia, India May Jointly Make Glonass, GPS Navigation Devices
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - Russia and India might establish a joint venture to produce navigation equipment for GPS and its Russian equivalent Glonass, the head of the Russian federal satellite navigation operator said on Tuesday. (Space Daily) NASA offers communication simulation
Washington (UPI) Mar 9, 2009 - NASA says it is now offering the public an interactive computer program that allows virtual explorers to experience many space-related simulations. (Space Daily) Competition up in 3-d defense imaging
Albuquerque (UPI) Mar 8, 2009 - International competition in three-dimensional imaging for defense applications is gathering momentum as security industry companies worldwide scramble to develop new technologies, with market forecasts that the sector will see major growth in the coming years. (Space Daily) Combat Interference With New GVF Installation Certification
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - To strengthen VSAT-industry competitiveness, satellite operators and VSAT manufacturers recently called upon the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) to expand the reach of the GVF VSAT Installation and Maintenance Training Programme. (Space Daily) Improving Operational Effectiveness Of Government Satcom Deployments
Fayetteville NC (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - Improved standards of operational effectiveness for U.S. Government agencies is being facilitated through delivery of training that enables high-performance deployments of satellite communications systems. The development arises in conjunction with increasing reliance upon VSAT-based solutions for communications worldwide. (Space Daily) American Aerospace Accepting Research Reservations On Last Shuttle Mission
Radnor PA (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - American Aerospace Advisors has announced that it is accepting commercial reservations for research on STS-133 (ULF-5), the last scheduled Space Shuttle mission, which will provide approximately two weeks of microgravity time. (Space Fellowship) Picture of the Day - A Mosaic of Cassiopeia
This mosaic of images from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explore, or WISE, in the constellation of Cassiopeia contains a large star-forming nebula within the Milky Way Galaxy, called IC 1805 or the Heart Nebula, a portion of which is seen at the right of the image. IC 1805 is more than 6,000 light-years from Earth. Also visible in this image are two nearby galaxies, Maffei 1 and Maffei 2. In visible light these galaxies are hidden by dust in IC 1805 and were unknown until 1968 when Paolo [...]
(Space Politics) Shelby seeks a critical mass
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) hasn’t changed his mind about NASA’s new direction, one that cancels Constellation and seeks to develop commercial systems to transport crews to and from low Earth orbit. He does realize, though, that he has a challenge in front of him: convincing fellow members of Congress that don’t think much about [...](Space Daily) Alternative Energy Crops In Space
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - What if space held the key to producing alternative energy crops on Earth? That's what researchers are hoping to find in a new experiment on the International Space Station. (Space Daily) How Black Holes May Shape Galaxies
Boston MA (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - New observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory provide evidence for powerful winds blowing away from the vicinity of a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy. This discovery indicates that "average" supermassive black holes may play an important role in the evolution of the galaxies in which they reside. (Space Daily) France To Pay Russia One Billion For 14 Soyuz Carrier Rockets
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 09, 2010 - France has put aside some $1 billion to buy 14 Soyuz carrier rockets from Russia, French satellite launch firm Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said Tuesday. (Space Daily) Bully Galaxy Rules The Neighborhood
Paris, France (ESA) Mar 08, 2010 - Located half a billion light-years from Earth, ESO 306-17, is a large, bright elliptical galaxy in the southern sky of a type known as a fossil group. Astronomers use this term to emphasise the isolated nature of these galaxies. However, are they like fossils - the last remnants of a once active community - or is it more sinister than that? Did ESO 306-17 gobble up its next-door neighbours? (Space Daily) An Island Of Stars In The Making On The Outskirts Of Orion
La Silla, Chile (ESO) Mar 09, 2010 - The delicate nebula NGC 1788, located in a dark and often neglected corner of the Orion constellation, is revealed in a new and finely nuanced image that ESO has just released. Although this ghostly cloud is rather isolated from Orion's bright stars, the latter's powerful winds and light have had a strong impact on the nebula, forging its shape and making it home to a multitude of infant suns. (Space Daily) Student Ready To Battle At 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - More than 100 student teams from around the globe will drive their specially crafted lunar rovers through a challenging course of rugged, moon-like terrain at NASA's 17th annual Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala., April 9-10. (Space Daily) How ESA Got Its Tweet Back
Cologne, France (ESA) Mar 09, 2010 - On Friday, Esa Alanen and family visited the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, as guests of ESA, to say thanks for relinquishing the Twitter name www.twitter.com/esa. (Space Daily) New Investment Fund Backs Space Technologies Finding Uses On Earth
Paris, France (ESA) Mar 09, 2010 - For years, ESA has been bringing space technologies down to Earth through its Technology Transfer Programme and Business Incubation initiatives. Now, the Agency will strengthen these initiatives by supporting new businesses using space innovations through a dedicated venture capital fund. 
