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NASA
May 1, 2011 13:55:54 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on May 1, 2011 13:55:54 GMT -6
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NASA
May 1, 2011 15:34:21 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 1, 2011 15:34:21 GMT -6
Oh now THAT is really interesting Sky ...thank you for posting that..our world provides the most amazing goodies ;D
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May 5, 2011 18:27:29 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 5, 2011 18:27:29 GMT -6
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NASA
May 23, 2011 12:28:51 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 23, 2011 12:28:51 GMT -6
www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/kennedy_moon_speech.html President Kennedy's Speech and America's Next Moonshot Moment05.25.11 TO SEE VIDEO OF KENNEDY SPEAKING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK President Kennedy speaks to Congress on May 25, 1961. President Kennedy speaks to Congress on May 25, 1961. Photo Credit: NASANASA is once again charting a new course to extend humanity's presence into the solar system, developing a new heavy lift rocket and crew capsule to take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. This journey into the future has its foundations 50 years in the past, when President John F. Kennedy issued a challenge that transformed the tentative early steps of human spaceflight into a giant leap for mankind. In just a short six weeks in the spring of 1961, a trio of dramatic events set the stage for our first journey to another world: Soviet Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight on April 12, was followed on May 5 by Alan Shepard's first American flight. Then, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy went to Congress for an address on "Urgent National Needs." Kennedy told Congress and the nation that "space is open to us now," and said that space exploration "may hold the key to our future here on Earth." Then he issued an audacious challenge to NASA that seemed unthinkable after just a single U.S. spaceflight: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." TO CONTINUE READING & SEE VIDEO OF KENNEDY SPEAKING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
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May 25, 2011 17:30:35 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 25, 2011 17:30:35 GMT -6
NASA Ever wonder what it's like to hitch a ride on the space shuttle (from the outside)? Check out this video:
Uploaded by NASAtelevision on May 25, 2011
A camera mounted on each of space shuttle Endeavour's solid rocket boosters capture the launch of the orbiter on STS-134 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 16, and documents the SRBs' separation and subsequent landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
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NASA
Jun 17, 2011 11:15:24 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jun 17, 2011 11:15:24 GMT -6
www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1975.htmlCuriosity Taken during mobility testing on June 3, 2011, this image is of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Preparations continue for shipping the rover to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in June and for its fall 2011 launch. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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NASA
Jun 17, 2011 18:53:42 GMT -6
Post by Steve on Jun 17, 2011 18:53:42 GMT -6
You might notice one interesting feature about NASA's new 'Curiosity' Mars rover. No solar power panels for generating electrical power. This new vehicle uses about 10 pounds (4.8 kg) of plutonium dioxide, mostly plutonium-238, as a heat source. It is nuclear powered. No need to conserve energy during long Martian winters. No dust storms to dust the solar cells hampering energy collection. I think this form of powering space craft is fine, as long as the launch from Earth does not go wrong, and it comes down back again. Odds are good this won't happen, and I am sure the power vessel has been designed to survive such a mishap containing any radioactivity. It is certainly not the first time nuclear powered space craft have been launched into space. Cassini orbiting Saturn and giving us breathtaking knowledge of that planetary system is one example. Cassini has been one craft I always follow closely because of the new pictures always sent. In deep space, nuclear power is really the only way to go, since the sun is so distant to provide solar energy to solar collection cells on-board. And on Mars, with it's thin to near non-existent atmosphere, the planet is bathed in radiation from the sun already, so it is not a problem with the martian environment if that is your concern. How do others feel about nuclear energy for this application? The wheels on 'Curiosity' are interesting too, see the different tread? The square holes to evacuate sand as the wheels turn? Steve Image from my free (download on line) Celestia astronomy program.
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NASA
Jun 17, 2011 19:01:18 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jun 17, 2011 19:01:18 GMT -6
That video of the cameras on the outside of the space shuttle while it was launching was pretty cool. It's definitely something you don't get to see every day. I actually watched the entire video. I wonder what they do with the rockets after they crash into the ocean? Do they go out and pick them up or just let them sink? I wonder if they are able to reuse any of the parts from them?
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NASA
Jun 17, 2011 19:15:37 GMT -6
Post by Steve on Jun 17, 2011 19:15:37 GMT -6
The Norton Thyocol solid rocket boosters are recycled and used again.
Steve
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NASA
Jun 17, 2011 19:37:56 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jun 17, 2011 19:37:56 GMT -6
You might notice one interesting feature about NASA's new 'Curiosity' Mars rover. No solar power panels for generating electrical power. This new vehicle uses about 10 pounds (4.8 kg) of plutonium dioxide, mostly plutonium-238, as a heat source. It is nuclear powered. No need to conserve energy during long Martian winters. No dust storms to dust the solar cells hampering energy collection. I think this form of powering space craft is fine, as long as the launch from Earth does not go wrong, and it comes down back again. Odds are good this won't happen, and I am sure the power vessel has been designed to survive such a mishap containing any radioactivity. It is certainly not the first time nuclear powered space craft have been launched into space. Cassini orbiting Saturn and giving us breathtaking knowledge of that planetary system is one example. Cassini has been one craft I always follow closely because of the new pictures always sent. In deep space, nuclear power is really the only way to go, since the sun is so distant to provide solar energy to solar collection cells on-board. And on Mars, with it's thin to near non-existent atmosphere, the planet is bathed in radiation from the sun already, so it is not a problem with the martian environment if that is your concern. How do others feel about nuclear energy for this application? We use nuclear energy to power a lot of things her on Earth also. Power plants, ships and submarines are just a few examples. I'm all in favor of nuclear energy as long as they don't screw up and blow us all to pieces. Nuclear energy is one of those things that need to be used wisely and with extreme caution. Back in the 1950s when the nuclear program was in its infancy people were blasting radioactive material all over the place with no regard whatsoever for what damage it might have caused. I think people are a lot more careful with it now that we understand how deadly it can actually be. If we were able to survive the wild west days of the nuclear program and the cold war than we should be ok now. At least I hope so anyway.
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NASA
Jun 24, 2011 11:48:15 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jun 24, 2011 11:48:15 GMT -6
Building Curiosity: Packing for Florida A last look at NASA's Curiosity rover as it gets packed up for the trip to Florida.Time-lapse movie of the NASA Mars Curiosity rover's last days in the clean room before being shipped to Florida for launch.Uploaded by JPLnews on Jun 21, 2011
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NASA
Jul 7, 2011 14:56:55 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 7, 2011 14:56:55 GMT -6
www.space.com/12196-nasa-final-space-shuttle-sts135-rescue-plan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29Article: NASA's Dramatic Rescue Plan In Case of Shuttle Emergency[/size] by Denise Chow, SPACE.com Staff Writer Date: 07 July 2011
Final Voyage of NASA's Space Shuttle[/color] After completing simulated pad emergency exit training on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-135 crew members pause for a photo. From left are Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. The exercise is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. CREDIT: NASA/Kim Shiflett If anything should happen to the space shuttle Atlantis once it reaches the International Space Station, or if the orbiter is deemed unsafe to return to Earth, NASA has developed an emergency plan to ensure that the shuttle's four astronauts are not trapped in space. In the unlikely event that Atlantis' astronauts cannot return to Earth in their own shuttle, they will remain on the space station until they can be rescued by Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft. The odds that this worst-case scenario will ever happen are very low, but the agency is required to prepare for all kinds of emergency situations, regardless of how remote they may be. Commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are slated to launch on Atlantis' STS-135 mission — the very final flight of NASA's space shuttle program — Friday (July 8) at 11:26 a.m. EDT (1526 GMT). The shuttle will fly a 12-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver crucial supplies to the orbiting outpost. TO CONTINUE READING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
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NASA
Jul 9, 2011 19:25:11 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 9, 2011 19:25:11 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/09/ex-astronaut-story-musgrave-blasts-nasa_n_893596.html?icid=maing-grid7Lee Speigel lee.speigel@huffingtonpost.comEx-Astronaut Story Ex-Astronaut Story Musgrave Blasts NASA, Washington, Over Space Shuttle Program Failures [/color] Houston, we have a problem ... with NASA. As the space shuttle Atlantis orbits Earth in the final mission of NASA's 30-year reusable spacecraft legacy, at least one former astronaut -- and six-time shuttle voyager -- is lashing out at the space agency for what he deems as failures in the overall vision of the shuttle program. "The shuttle did not turn out like we planned," Dr. Story Musgrave told The Huffington Post. "It was going to [fly] 66 times a year and it ended up with about five times a year. It was going to cost $10 million a flight, and two months ago, an independent study showed that it cost $1.2 billion a flight. It was massively fragile, difficult to operate and exceedingly dangerous." Musgrave is a surgeon, mathematician, chemist, biophysicist, physiologist, computer scientist, artist and author of important scientific papers in the areas of aerospace medicine, physiology and clinical surgery. His achievements include designing the spacesuit that was used by shuttle astronauts for space walks. Musgrave performed the first space shuttle space walk in 1983 on Challenger's maiden flight. Ten years later, he was the lead space walker during the first mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. But with NASA closing shop on the shuttle program because of the huge ongoing expense, Musgrave is critical of how the powers-that-be made decisions. TO CONTINUE READING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
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Jul 20, 2011 12:27:52 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 20, 2011 12:27:52 GMT -6
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NASA
Jul 20, 2011 22:50:11 GMT -6
Post by lois on Jul 20, 2011 22:50:11 GMT -6
Auntym..My son just turned 42 I remember this day well as I was holding him a newborn watching the moon landing.. I have made post about this on all forums When I watched them I froze. as I was four years old again looking up at the Saturn shape ufo and seeing the occupants wearing these spacesuits almost like what Armstrong.. was wearing on the TV in front of me. How could I see a suit like this in 47?
We have come a long ways since then. Maybe a tiny step compared to other worlds.. but we were all here to see a great change.. Thanks for posting.
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Jul 20, 2011 23:08:34 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 20, 2011 23:08:34 GMT -6
i remember this day too lois ....i remember listening to it on television .... what a great time we lived in.....
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NASA
Jul 21, 2011 10:21:30 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 21, 2011 10:21:30 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/21/space-shuttle-atlantis-co_n_905383.html?icid=maing-grid7'Job Well Done, America' Just before dawn this morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis made one final touchdown in front of a record crowd of spectators. click above link to see video Space Shuttle Atlantis Makes Historic Final Landing, Ending 30-Year Era See video of Atlantis' landing below. Click here for photos of the touchdown. (AP, By MARCIA DUNN) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Atlantis and four astronauts returned from the International Space Station in triumph Thursday, bringing an end to NASA's 30-year shuttle journey with one last, rousing touchdown that drew cheers and tears. A record crowd of 2,000 gathered near the landing strip, thousands more packed the space center and countless others watched history unfold from afar as NASA's longest-running spaceflight program came to a close. "After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop," radioed commander Christopher Ferguson. "Job well done, America," replied Mission Control. The twilight landing, just before dawn, came 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight in 1981. It will be another three to five years at best before Americans are launched again from U.S. soil, with private companies gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from NASA. The long-term future for American space exploration is just as hazy, a huge concern for many at NASA and all those losing their jobs because of the shuttle's end. Asteroids and Mars are the destinations of choice, yet NASA has yet to settle on a rocket design to get astronauts there. Thursday, though, belonged to Atlantis and its crew: Ferguson, co-pilot Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, who completed a successful space station resupply mission. CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/21/space-shuttle-atlantis-co_n_905383.html?icid=maing-grid7
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NASA
Jul 21, 2011 11:30:33 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 21, 2011 11:30:33 GMT -6
CLICK LINK TO WATCH VIDEO VIDEO of ATLANTIS FINAL LANDING[/color] www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=102483531STS-135 Landing (201107210002HQ) Space shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) touches down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), completing its 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program, early Thursday morning, July 21, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Overall, Atlantis spent 307 days in space and traveled nearly 126 million miles during its 33 flights. Atlantis, the fourth orbiter built, launched on its first mission on Oct. 3, 1985. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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NASA
Jul 21, 2011 14:43:55 GMT -6
Post by Steve on Jul 21, 2011 14:43:55 GMT -6
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NASA
Jul 22, 2011 12:12:54 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jul 22, 2011 12:12:54 GMT -6
NASA Picks Landing Spot for Next Mars RoverPublished July 22, 2011 | FoxNews.comNASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/UA This computer-generated view shows Mars' Gale crater (circled), which NASA has selected as the landing site for the next Mars rover (inset), due to hit the planet in August 2012.Next stop, Gale Crater. NASA has chosen the landing spot for the car-sized Mars Science Laboratory, the successor to the famously successful Spirit and Opportunity rovers and the next visitor to the Red Planet. The Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, is scheduled to launch late this year and land in August 2012. The target crater selected on Friday spans 96 miles and holds a mountain rising higher from the crater floor than Mount Rainier rises above Seattle. Gale Crater is about the combined area of Connecticut and Rhode Island. NASA looked at several sites and assessed their safety thanks to the HiRISE camera, a high-resolution imager mounted in a satellite orbiting Mars. HiRISE is pointed at the Red Planet and allowed NASA to study in ultrahigh resolution the various points that might merit the best landing zones. There were about 30 potential sites that over 100 scientists began studying in 2006; in 2008, the group whittled the list down to four candidate spots. "Scientists identified Gale as their top choice to pursue the ambitious goals of this new rover mission," said Jim Green, director for the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The site offers a visually dramatic landscape and also great potential for significant science findings." "One fascination with Gale is that it's a huge crater sitting in a very low-elevation position on Mars, and we all know that water runs downhill," said John Grotzinger, the mission's project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. "Gale offers attractions similar to Mars' famous Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system." Curiosity is about twice as long and more than five times as heavy as any previous Mars rover. Its 10 science instruments include two for ingesting and analyzing samples of powdered rock that the rover's robotic arm collects. A radioisotope power source will provide heat and electric power to the rover. The new mission isn't merely a "follow-the-water" expedition, as previous trips to Mars have been. The rover's science payload can identify other ingredients of life, NASA said, such as the carbon-based building blocks of biology called organic compounds. Nevertheless, the mission isn't necessarily a go. NASA faces the same issues many households today do: budgetary woes. The space agency's auditors announced in June that, already overbudget and behind schedule, the next rover may need more money to meet its launch date. The price tag has ballooned to $2.5 billion from $1.6 billion. NASA's internal watchdog faulted project managers for routinely underestimating costs and calculated that an extra $44 million may be needed to avoid another delay or cancellation. The rover and other spacecraft components are being assembled and undergoing final testing. The mission is targeted to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this fall, sometime between Nov. 25 and Dec. 18. Read more: www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/22/nasa-picks-landing-spot-for-next-mars-rover/#ixzz1SrIIYXkF
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Jul 24, 2011 9:18:42 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jul 24, 2011 9:18:42 GMT -6
Who says water is hard to find in the Universe?! NASA
Astronomers Find Largest, Most Distant Reservoir of Water Two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe. The water, equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in the world's ocean, surrounds a huge, feeding black hole, called a quasar, more than 12 billion light-years away. "The environment around this quasar is very unique in that it's producing this huge mass of water," said Matt Bradford, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "It's another demonstration that water is pervasive throughout the universe, even at the very earliest times." Bradford leads one of the teams that made the discovery. His team's research is partially funded by NASA and appears in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. A quasar is powered by an enormous black hole that steadily consumes a surrounding disk of gas and dust. As it eats, the quasar spews out huge amounts of energy. Both groups of astronomers studied a particular quasar called APM 08279+5255, which harbors a black hole 20 billion times more massive than the sun and produces as much energy as a thousand trillion suns. Astronomers expected water vapor to be present even in the early, distant universe, but had not detected it this far away before. There's water vapor in the Milky Way, although the total amount is 4,000 times less than in the quasar, because most of the Milky Way’s water is frozen in ice. Water vapor is an important trace gas that reveals the nature of the quasar. In this particular quasar, the water vapor is distributed around the black hole in a gaseous region spanning hundreds of light-years in size (a light-year is about six trillion miles). Its presence indicates that the quasar is bathing the gas in X-rays and infrared radiation, and that the gas is unusually warm and dense by astronomical standards. Although the gas is at a chilly minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius) and is 300 trillion times less dense than Earth's atmosphere, it's still five times hotter and 10 to 100 times denser than what's typical in galaxies like the Milky Way. Measurements of the water vapor and of other molecules, such as carbon monoxide, suggest there is enough gas to feed the black hole until it grows to about six times its size. Whether this will happen is not clear, the astronomers say, since some of the gas may end up condensing into stars or might be ejected from the quasar. Funding for Z-Spec was provided by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Research Corporation and the partner institutions. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. More information about JPL is online at www.jpl.nasa.gov . Whitney Clavin/Alan Buis 818-354-4673/818-354-0474 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. whitney.clavin@jpl.nasa.gov / alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov Read more: www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/universe20110722.html
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NASA
Jul 24, 2011 14:27:02 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2011 14:27:02 GMT -6
Now to me..that's fascinating! A big puddle of water held in space..
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NASA
Jul 24, 2011 20:21:44 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jul 24, 2011 20:21:44 GMT -6
I wonder if there are any fish swimming around in it?
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NASA
Jul 25, 2011 9:47:54 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2011 9:47:54 GMT -6
Of course...star fish silly
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Jul 25, 2011 20:24:19 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jul 25, 2011 20:24:19 GMT -6
That was a good one. ;D
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Jul 25, 2011 20:27:24 GMT -6
Post by karlitaki on Jul 25, 2011 20:27:24 GMT -6
ooo very interesting thanks
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NASA
Jul 27, 2011 14:19:54 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jul 27, 2011 14:19:54 GMT -6
Russia Plans to Sink the International Space Station in 2020By Jeremy A. Kaplan Published July 27, 2011 | FoxNews.com Russia's space agency announced Wednesday that the International Space Station -- a space base the world's scientists and billions of U.S. tax dollars helped build and maintain some 200 miles above the surface of the Earth -- will be de-orbited and allowed to sink into the Pacific Ocean in 2020, just like its Russian predecessor, Mir. "We will be forced to sink the ISS. We cannot leave it in orbit as it is a very complicated and a heavy object," Roscosmos' deputy head Vitaly Davydov said in an interview posted on the agency's website. "We have agreed with our partners that the ISS would function roughly until 2020," he noted. After sinking hundreds of millions into construction of the space station -- billions if you include the cost of the space shuttle flights that carried the ISS modules into orbit -- knowledgeable government sources and NASA spokesmen were aghast at Davydov's plans to sink the station in the ocean. NASA agreed to construct the International Space Station on January 29, 1998, in conjunction with representatives from Canada, members of the European Space Agency (ESA), and Japanese and Russian space scientists. And the space agency clearly has a different vision for the station than Russia. "The partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028," NASA spokesman Joshua Buck told FoxNews.com. The Roscosmos comments come a day after the U.S. space agency met with the International board managing the ISS -- the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken -- to discuss not the end of the base but how to use it as a test bed for future tech and science projects. NASA characterized the meeting dramatically differently, noting that potential future projects about the station include supporting voyages to an asteroid or Mars, or assisting in the development of a permanent base on the moon. Deorbiting the station in 2020 simply hasn't been discussed at all, knowledgeable sources told FoxNews.com. I have no idea where they came out with that date," a congressional source told FoxNews.com. "NASA would have advised us ahead of time if there were any agreement along those lines." Meanwhile, China moves ahead with plans for a competing space station of its own. China has an ambitious, decade-long plan beginning with the Tiangong-1 module the country plans to launch this year, which will culminate in a large space station around 2020. The Mir space station was in operation from 1983 to 1998 before being sunk in the Pacific Ocean in a "spacecraft cemetery" not far from Christmas Island in 2000. Read more: www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/27/russia-plans-to-sink-international-space-station-in-2020/#ixzz1TL0rRsJr
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Jul 28, 2011 10:38:43 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jul 28, 2011 10:38:43 GMT -6
NASA to Launch Spacecraft Towards Jupiter Next WeekBy Mike Wall Published July 28, 2011 Space.comNASA has attached its next spacecraft bound to explore Jupiter to the rocket that will launch the unmanned probe towards the gas giant next week. Technicians wheeled NASA's Juno probe to its launch pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this morning (July 27), then mated the craft to its Atlas 5 launch vehicle. The event marked a key milestone for the $1.1 billion Juno mission, which aims to shed light on the origin and evolution of the solar system's largest planet. The rocket will launch Juno probe toward Jupiter on Friday, Aug. 5, mission scientists said. Closest-ever look at JupiterJuno will get closer to Jupiter than any other spacecraft in history — but not for a while. After its launch, the probe will cruise through the solar system for five years, finally arriving at the gas giant in July 2016. Once there, Juno will undertake a year-long science campaign, studying Jupiter's structure, composition and magnetosphere, among other things, researchers said. The overall aim is to get a better idea of how, and when, the solar system's biggest planet formed. "If we want to go back in time and understand where we came from and how the planets were made, Jupiter holds the secret, because it's got most of the leftovers after the sun formed," Bolton told reporters today. "We want to know that ingredient list. What we're really after is discovering the recipe for making planets." For example, the spacecraft will measure the amount of water contained in Jupiter's thick, swirling atmosphere. Relatively large amounts of water might suggest that Jupiter first formed farther out in the solar system, then migrated into its present position, Bolton said. And scientists still aren't sure if Jupiter has a solid core of heavy elements, or if it's made entirely of gas. Juno will look into that question as well, by measuring Jupiter's magnetic and gravity fields. An armored tank of a spacecraftJuno will settle into a highly elliptical polar orbit around Jupiter in 2016, coming as close as 3,107 miles (5,000 kilometers) from the gas giant's cloud-tops. This proximity will afford great looks at the giant planet, but it's dangerous for Juno, too. Jupiter possesses the strongest radiation environment of any solar system body beyond the sun. So mission planners have encased Juno's sensitive instruments and electronics inside a titanium "vault" for protection. Jupiter's strong radiation also dictated the particulars of Juno's orbit, requiring mission managers to slot the spacecraft precisely between several dangerous belts on its laps around the planet. Juno weighs about 8,000 pounds (3,627 kilograms), but about half of that is fuel, researchers said. For power, the spacecraft relies on three huge solar arrays, each the size of a tractor-trailer. The arrays' 18,698 solar cells will generate about 400 watts of power out at Jupiter, which sits about 400 million miles (644 million km) farther from the sun than Earth does. Out there, sunlight is 25 times less intense than it is here on our home planet. Juno will make 33 orbits of Jupiter over its year-long operational life, then be crashed intentionally into the giant planet. Researchers want to make sure Juno doesn't slam into — and contaminate — any of Jupiter's moons, some of which scientists think may be capable of supporting life. Copyright © 2011 Space.com. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Read more: www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/28/nasa-to-launch-spacecraft-towards-jupiter-next-week/#ixzz1TPfKrsF1
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Jul 28, 2011 19:23:55 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jul 28, 2011 19:23:55 GMT -6
Russia Backtracks on Plan to Sink International Space StationPublished July 28, 2011 FoxNews.com A watery fate may have to wait. Russia’s space agency backpedaled Thursday from an international outcry over comments by deputy head Vitaly Davydov, who said Russia planned to sink the International Space Station into the Pacific Ocean in 2020. Indeed, NASA claimed they were in talks to extend the station's services: "The partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028," NASA spokesman Joshua Buck told FoxNews.com. Russian officials now claim the focus was always on the method of disposal and not about setting concrete deadlines. Read more: www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/28/russia-backtracks-on-international-space-station-sink-date/#ixzz1TS6MKMnT
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NASA
Jul 28, 2011 19:55:33 GMT -6
Post by Steve on Jul 28, 2011 19:55:33 GMT -6
Russia Backtracks on Plan to Sink International Space StationPublished July 28, 2011 FoxNews.com A watery fate may have to wait. Russia’s space agency backpedaled Thursday from an international outcry over comments by deputy head Vitaly Davydov, who said Russia planned to sink the International Space Station into the Pacific Ocean in 2020. Indeed, NASA claimed they were in talks to extend the station's services: "The partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028," NASA spokesman Joshua Buck told FoxNews.com. Russian officials now claim the focus was always on the method of disposal and not about setting concrete deadlines. Read more: www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/28/russia-backtracks-on-international-space-station-sink-date/#ixzz1TS6MKMnT Glad to see the ISS flight certifications being extended in the works. After all, 16 countries just completed building this darn expensive thing. Steve
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