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Two Canadian astronauts to return to space

Mon, 11/02/2008 - 23:50 by MT Bureau

St. Hubert, Quebec -- Two veteran Canadian astronauts were named in Quebec Monday for separate space missions next year, the Canadian Space Agency announced.

At a news conference at its St. Hubert, Quebec, headquarters, Industry Minister Jim Prentice said Julie Payette, the second Canadian to fly in space would work as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle Endeavor in April.

In a separate mission, Robert Thirsk would become the first Canadian to take on a long stint living aboard the International Space Station in May for between four and six months, the Ottawa Citizen reported. The station has been inhabited continuously by rotating shifts of astronauts from various countries since 2000.

Thirsk was one of the first six astronauts Canada selected when it entered the space program, and eight Canadians have flown on NASA space shuttles on 11 missions since 1984, the agency said.

NASA robot to be tested in Wisconsin

Mon, 11/02/2008 - 23:36 by MT Bureau

Madison, Wis. -- A U.S. space agency-funded robotic probe will be tested under ice in Wisconsin to see if it can operate in a similar environment on Jupiter's moon Europa.

Testing of the Environmentally Non-disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer will be conducted this week in Lake Mendota on the campus of the University of Wisconsin.

The $2.3 million probe funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an autonomous underwater vehicle designed to swim untethered under ice, creating three-dimensional maps of underwater environments. The probe also will collect data on conditions in those environments and take samples of microbial life. Researchers then plan to ship the probe to a permanently frozen lake in Antarctica for operations later this year.

Space mission postponed

Mon, 11/02/2008 - 12:59 by MT Bureau

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- A spacewalk to install a module on the international space station was rescheduled Sunday because a German astronaut fell ill, NASA officials said.

NASA spokesman John Shannon said another member of the crew will stand in for German astronaut Hans Schlegel who is suffering from a "medical issue," CNN reported Sunday.

Astronauts commonly experience nausea and sickness following a launch and Shannon said the undisclosed illness would not "impact the objectives of this mission."

U.S. astronaut Stan Love will replace the 56-year-old Schlegel, who is on his second space trip. Officials rescheduled the space-walk for Monday.

NASA officials briefed reporters Saturday on their assessment of two areas on the space shuttle Atlantis possibly damaged during Thursday's launch.

Shuttle crew inspects heat shield

Sat, 09/02/2008 - 21:02 by MT Bureau

Houston -- U.S. space officials said the crew of Atlantis inspected the shuttle's heat tiles Friday to see, if any damage occurred during the craft's climb to orbit.

The shuttle lifted off Thursday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on a mission to the International Space Station.

Crew members Friday morning used Atlantis' robotic arm to check spacecraft's underside, nose cap and the leading edges of its wings. A 50-foot boom extension on the end of the arm was used to inspect some of the hard to see shuttle surfaces, NASA said in a release.

The crew also made preparations for Saturday's scheduled docking with the space station, where the crew is to install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory. NASA said the mission is to include three spacewalks, delivery of a new crew member to the station and the return of another astronaut after nearly four months aboard the ISS.

ESA preparing Herschel for 2008 launch

Sat, 09/02/2008 - 20:10 by MT Bureau

Noordwijk, Netherlands -- The European Space Agency's Dutch research center is in the final steps of preparing the infrared observatory Herschel for launch later this year.

Herschel's telescope, which will carry the largest mirror ever flown in space, will allow scientists to look deep into space at long infrared wavelengths. Herschel's spectral coverage, which ranges from far-infrared to sub-millimeter wavelengths, will make it possible to observe and study relatively cool objects everywhere in the universe, the agency said Friday in a release.

The telescope will be assembled with its spacecraft in the next few weeks and then engineers and scientists at the European Space Research and Technology Center will begin testing the telescope's interface with the spacecraft. The agency said the spacecraft will undergo extensive environmental and functional tests before being shipped to Guiana Space Center, near Kourou in French Guiana, for the launch campaign.

Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off

Fri, 08/02/2008 - 14:47 by MT Bureau

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Thursday afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center, beginning an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.

The 2:47 p.m. launch came despite some developing storms in the Cape Canaveral, Fla., area. National Aeronautics and Space Administration meteorologists said none of the storms violated NASA's strict flight rules for weather conditions, including limits on cloud height, storms in the area and clouds that might produce lightning.

The criteria are set, in part, by conditions a shuttle crew would need if they had to make an emergency landing soon after liftoff.

NASA astronaut Steve Frick is commanding a crew of six, including Pilot Alan Poindexter and astronauts Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and the European Space Agency's Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. It is the first spaceflight for Poindexter, Love and Melvin.

ESA satellites to produce air quality info

Thu, 07/02/2008 - 15:24 by MT Bureau

Copenhagen, Denmark -- The European Environment Agency announced an agreement with a European Space Agency-led consortium to provide information on air pollution.

Under the agreement, the EEA will use a service that combines and processes satellite data with surface measurements from 29 European nations to deliver daily air-quality information.

"Sophisticated processing and satellite data from ESA will combine to deliver state-of-the-art information on air quality," said EEA Project Manager Tim Haigh. "This will allow EEA to get the most from ground-based measurements collected through its networks (providing) … timely information on Europe's environment at an unprecedented level."

The "Integrated Air Quality Platform for Europe" service was developed to provide end-users information about air quality and is providing forecasts for up to 72 hours at a resolution of approximately 30 miles, officials said. The service includes data on ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, including dust, smoke and pollen.

ESA spacecraft provides 3-D images of Mars

Thu, 07/02/2008 - 14:45 by MT Bureau

Berlin -- The European Space Agency said a three-dimensional picture of Mars is now available on the Internet, thanks to data from its Mars Express spacecraft.

A new high-resolution Digital Terrain Model data set just released will allow researchers to obtain new information about the Red Planet in 3-D, ESA said.

Digital Terrain Models, or DTMs, allow scientists to "stand" on planetary surfaces. Although ordinary images can provide spectacular views, they do not convey topographical information.

The high resolution stereo camera aboard the spacecraft was designed to provide such 3-D information.

"Understanding the topography of Mars is essential to understanding its geology," said Professor Gerhard Neukum of Germany's Freie University, the study's principal investigator.

Thursday Atlantis launch is problematic

Thu, 07/02/2008 - 14:08 by MT Bureau

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- The U.S. space agency said weather conditions might force postponement of the scheduled Thursday launch of space shuttle Atlantis.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said weather forecasts for the Kennedy Space Center called for a 70 percent probability of unfavorable weather conditions at the 2:45 p.m. EST Thursday launch time, which is the middle of the 10-minute launch window.

A weather front is forecast to produce low clouds and lightning at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and might even stall over the area, NASA said.

NASA must follow strict flight rules that include limits on cloud height, storms in the area and clouds that could produce lightning. The criteria are set, in part, by the conditions a shuttle crew would need to make an emergency landing soon after liftoff.

A Saturn moon feeds the planet's rings

Wed, 06/02/2008 - 21:52 by MT Bureau

Greenbelt, Md -- U.S. scientists have determined ice being ejected from geysers on one of Saturn's moons is being captured by one of Saturn's rings.

Observations from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Cassini spacecraft show the ice geysers on Enceladus, one of Saturn's smaller moons, travel to the outer edge of Saturn's A-ring. Earlier research had shown the geysers adding material to Saturn's E-ring.

"Saturn's A-ring and Enceladus are separated by 100,000 kilometers (62,000 miles), yet there's a physical connection between the two," said William Farrell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Prior to Cassini, it was believed that the two bodies were separate and distinct entities, but Cassini's unique observations indicate that Enceladus is actually delivering a portion of its mass directly to the outer edge of the A-ring."

ESA 'incubate' gets $6M in venture capital

Wed, 06/02/2008 - 14:02 by MT Bureau

Noordwijk, Netherlands -- A European Space Agency-assisted German-Dutch company, "iOpener," has been awarded $6 million in venture capital for start-up operations.

The company -- a business "incubate" of the ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands -- has developed a technology for mapping real-world competitions such as Formula 1 racing to an artificial world, allowing gamers to participate in the race both virtually and in real time.

The ESA center provided iOpener with access to engineering support from ESA experts as well as other resources. Moreover, the ESA said its pre-seed funding enabled iOpener to develop the proof of concept needed to convince German Venture Capitalist Triangle to invest in the concept.

Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Sun, 03/02/2008 - 17:01 by MT Bureau

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- U.S. and Indian officials have signed an agreement for cooperation in space exploration.

The signing ceremony took place Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Indian Space Research Organization Chairman G. Madhavan Nair signed the framework agreement, which replaces a 1997 agreement for research in Earth and atmospheric science.

The two countries already have a joint project. NASA has supplied two of the 11 instruments carried by Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar probe. The Chandrayaan is to be launched this year.

"This agreement will allow us to cooperate effectively on a wide range of programs of mutual interest," Griffin said. "India has extensive space-related experience, capabilities and infrastructure, and will continue to be a welcome partner in NASA's future space exploration activities."