Solar Eclipse opportunities for 2010

Will you be near one? unlikely for the total solar ecclipse opportunity unless you happen to have a Yacht in the South Pacific Ocean on December 21st 2010

Read more: http://bit.ly/6B39TT

Russia wants to build Asteroid Deflector Craft to protect Planet Earth

Apophis is a Near Earth Object (NEO) or in other words a potential planet wrecker worse than many Hiroshimas or Chenobyls, which apparently no space agency is currently tasked with preventing from hitting our planet.

NASA hasn't even been allocated a ring fenced budget for discovering and monitoring NEOs and instead the administration is left to figure out on its own how to fund the search and still maintain all of the other scientific and exploration programs it is mandated to carry out.

So the Russian Space Agency appears to be making the first bold move to propose a NEO mission to learn how to deflect the orbit of these menancing objects and stave off mass destruction, which may or may not come from Apophis.

Read more: http://bit.ly/6FqBuE

Venus Plunger or NEO/Lunar Polar Fetcher?

NASA has whittled down its next mission to another Solar System body to three potential candidates:

1) The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer or SAGE

2) The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer spacecraft or Osiris-Rex

3) Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission, or Moonrise

Each proposed mission development team will recieve $3.3M to flesh out their proposals and one will be selected in 2011 for the budgeted $650M space mission scheduled to launch no later than 2018.

Personally I would like to see a new mission to Venus, since Moon and NEO are likely to receive scientific funding via the human spaceflight program if Augustine's Flexible Path set of missions is implemented by the Obama administration as an alternative to the current severely under funded Moon then Mars Constellation program.

Read more: http://bit.ly/4ySwTu

Flat bottomed valleys of the Uranus moon Ariel

In 1986 Voyager 2 took images of this Uranus satellite and it was found to exhibits flat profiled valleys which are characteristics of expanding surface crust when compared to similar geological features on Earth.

Due to it being the southern hemispheres summer during the Voyager 2 flyby only the bottom of Ariel could be imaged. However, later on it was discovered that due to sunlight reflected from Uranus's surface, some features of the northern hemisphere could be discerned with more analysis of the Voyager 2 data.

Read more: http://bit.ly/7h0oQ9

A change in opinion on the origins of Galactic Cosmic Rays

Galactic Cosmic Rays are defined as ones which have energies below 1x10^18 eV and they are made up of ions and electrons travelling close to the speed of light. In the past it was believed that Supernova remnants were the likely source of Galactic Cosmic Rays.

But now some scientists are doubting whether there is sufficient occurrences of Supernova within our own Milky Way Galaxy to account for the relentless bombardment from all directions and are turning to extragalactic regions which contain clusters of stars with the potential to go Supernova.

Read more: http://bit.ly/8a3voO

Partially Eclipsed Blue Moon for New Year's Eve

A Blue Moon in astronomical terms is where a Full Moon occurs twice within the same month.

On News Year Eve this Blue Moon will also appear slightly red in Eastern Longitudes due to a partial Eclipse, which means the Earth will come between the Sun and Moon blocking off some of the sunlight getting to the Moon, making it appear dimmer and slightly red.

Read more: http://bit.ly/7KgJwv

From Earth to the Edge of Space and Time and Back Again

From Earth to the Edge of Space and Time and Back Again http://j.mp/6dPeEs

Download the WISE Space mission 2 page PDF fact sheet

Mission overview for the Wide Angle Infrared Survey Explorer http://j.mp/8OuxEO

Watch WISE launch live via Spacevidcast or Spaceflight Now

The Wide-Angle Infrared Survey Explorer is scheduled to launch from the Vanderberg Air force Base in Pasadena, California today between 14:09hrs and 14:23hrs GMT/UTC.  WISE will look for dim objects that have yet to be discovered and map their location for further investigation by more analytical space missions in the future. http://j.mp/PUdak

Hard to imagine that there is a man-made object orbiting that oval speck to the right of the Moon

Image of the Moon up close alongside a distinct but distant Saturn and it's Rings which currently has the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around it. http://bit.ly/4oL6X2

Simulated Explanation for Norwegian Spiral Light Show

Animated simulation of the expected fuel/exhaust plume from a spiralling rocket http://bit.ly/73Ae5P

Red Dwarf Star found in the Great Bear

Ursa Major, the Great Bear, the Big Dipper, the Saucepan or whatever you would like to call it, just got a new star allocated to it, its invisible to our eyes so they will not have to change any constellation maps for which is one of the most recognisable objects in the night sky http://bit.ly/8XMzWt

Press bowled over by Virgin Galactic SS2 launch......almost literally!

Mojavewood Virgin Galactic SS2 event tent demolished by storm minutes after evacuation http://bit.ly/7RVLuS

Saturn's Flying Saucer shaped Moon Atlas

Dust deposits originating from Saturn's rings which have built up around Atlas' equatorial region gives it a distinct UFO appearance http://bit.ly/6n5qBm

Caught between a Neutron Star and a Black Hole

A new class of star has been predicted by Astrophysicists called an Electroweak Star http://bit.ly/7jMnJr

Mystery of Spiral in the Sky over Norway resolved

A combination of halos generated by the early morning sun rise and a failed missile launch from a Russian submarine appear to be the cause of the mysterious UFO over Norwegian skies http://bit.ly/4ptmeS

Strange Spiralling Light observed by many in Norway

Was it a tiny Black Hole, Worm Hole or a UFO? http://bit.ly/7vEOtL

Insight into the Man behind Virgin Galactic

Sir Richard Branson is no stranger to launching major new enterprises and Virgin Galactic is arguably the boldest of them all, which may turn out to be the one he is most remembered for http://bit.ly/82pcKu

Prospects for Mars Rover Spirit Escape are looking Bleak

Attempts to free Spirit will now be hampered further since another drive wheel appears to have failed.  This addition problem which reduces the available traction already compromised by a previous wheel failure earlier in the mission, will make it even more difficult to extricate the rover from its sand trap. http://bit.ly/52Drm2

Discovery Space News interviews Meteorwatch Organiser

Dr Ian O'Neil of Discovery Space News interviews Adrian West of the Newbury Astronomical Society about the upcoming Geminids Meteorwatch and his use of twitter to promote awareness of the event around the world http://bit.ly/6c6wHy

Change to Endeavour STS130 move date from Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB

Due to an approaching storm, the move of Space Shuttle Endeavour from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) has been brought forward one day.  Endeavour's STS130 mission is currently scheduled to launch on the 4th February 2010 http://bit.ly/7SyOKz

Cassini spots Saturn hexagon cloud formation

Cassini spots Saturn hexagon cloud formation, not seen since the Voyager missions, only just revealed due to the commencement of northern springtime http://bit.ly/5i3LyF

What Drugs Are Our Astronauts On?

Certainly not the recreational ones it would appear http://bit.ly/6LPAqc

A much cooler Extrasolar Planet has been photographed

Positively tropical at a cool 326 degC and at a distance equivalent to Neptune's distance from the Sun, this Exoplanet is in its formation stage and the heat is generated from the gravitational crushing. http://bit.ly/7oxQZd

What would it look like to view Saturn like Rings here on Earth?

Fascinating imagining of what Rings would look like from various latitudes on the Earth's surface during night and day.

Similar to when the Moon is visible, such a large dominant Ring System omnipresent in the night sky (unless you're at the North or South Pole) would create a lot of light pollution due to Sun's illumination, so the trade off would be very poor star-gazing for astronomers. http://bit.ly/6kiHHv

Image Of Saturn System Moon Dione

Cassini discovered that the bright lines on Dione were fresh surface fractures rather than fresh volcanic flows which was suggested by the Voyager science team http://bit.ly/58QTR6

What is inside Asteroid Mathilde?

The internal structure of Mathilde has a density slightly greater than that of water, so what is making this asteroid so lightweight, is it large empty voids, porous rock or something else that is creating such a low overall density. http://bit.ly/7aIwB2

Making the case to go back to Europa

How the surface of Europa formed still remains a mystery despite it being a focus on the relativley recent Galileo mission to Jupiter. http://bit.ly/6DNqAb

New Zealander's Commercial Rocket makes it into Space!

No luck yet with finding the 2nd stage with the payload, but the 1st stage was retrieved and they have a bunch of telemetry data to analyse http://bit.ly/6yQOh4

Riddick on Earth looking for Planetary Locations for his next Chronicle

Vin is off to New Zealand to scout for new locations for the third installment of Riddick, I wonder if Hobbiton is on the list http://bit.ly/5RAToR

Are these the Ten Worst SciFi Movies of the Last Ten Years

Should, The Chronicles of Riddick, Mission to Mars, Red Planet and Star Wars - Attack of the Clones, really be on this list?  Not perfect I would have to admit but what SciFi is. http://bit.ly/5hgo82

Star Trek's Forgotten Pilot from the Original Roddenberry Series

This recently found lost pilot of the original Star Trek series is said to be the version that convinced TV executives to go ahead with the series following their rejection of the first pilot The Cage which was considered too heavy going and casted a woman in a senior role.  There was also issues with Spock's satanic looking pointy ears.  This alternative pilot features different theme music, is broken down into Acts and has longer action sequences http://j.mp/4zoOmp

Join The Planetary Society today and receive latest edition of The Planetary Report featuring new LightSail project

Started by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman, the Planetary Society was formed in 1980 to engage more of the public in Solar System exploration.  Now a major influencer within the space exploration community, the society utilises part of its membership funds to undertake citizen funded programs such as the search for Exoplanets or the development of new technologies for future space missions. http://j.mp/7WGhTe

Mars Rover Spirit makes another atempt to free itself

Another carefully planned maneuver was executed on the 28th Nov 09 to extricate Spirit, but it ended with another wheel stall. This JPL post shows a brief animation of the wheelspin. Since starting the extrication process, Spirit has progressed a total of 16mm in the forward direction http://bit.ly/8TkIQ6

Naked Quasars and their Galaxy forming Ray Guns

The long debate over what forms first; a Black Hole or a Galaxy, maybe closer to being resolved following observations of a Quasar that has no host Galaxy.  Jets emanating from the Quasar can be seen firing out to a neighbouring Galaxy suggesting they are stimulating stellar formation. http://j.mp/7ZIAxk

Memorials in Space

For those of you interested in finding out more about whats behind the New Zealand rocket memorial messages, Celestis are one of the collaborators http://j.mp/8tv4ML

Launch into Space with messages for the deceased

New Zealand based company Rocket Lab successfully launched their first rocket from Great Mercury island into Space carrying a payload of 23,000 messages to deceased family relations. http://bit.ly/8zY6ED

The greatest apocalyptic robot movie you will see all day

Apparently this 5 minute short cost $500 to make and the director Fede Alvarez has been offered the opportunity to direct a movie based on it http://bit.ly/7F9GZh

A cynical take on Stargate Universe

After spending the majority of this article tearing Stargate Universe apart, the reviewer admits to being compelled to watch it each week, perhaps because SGU does, after all, fill that void leftover by the demise of BSG http://j.mp/7z7DZw

TV show Flashforward is based on SciFi book of CERN experiment that went wrong

As if mini black holes that will destroy the planet are not enough, CERN is now being blamed for a mass human blackout where everyone sees a glimpse of their future for good or for worse. http://bit.ly/5qKdSH

CERN playing Billiards with Protons again, top retweeted webpage for wk48 09

CERN has restarted its quest to find the Higgs Boson a yet to be discovered elementary particle predicted by the standard model for unification of electromagnetic and weak interation forces.  
http://bit.ly/578FKq

Worms Attack! Set Phasers to Stun!

Star Trek related articles always seem to do well, even if they involve minuscule worms http://bit.ly/6pYGC0

Creating Starfleet Academy

This article, which is more of an invitation to contribute your thoughts on a real life Star Trek inspired Star Fleet Academy, received the most click throughs yesterday via waybis.  The webpage now has a growing list of suggestions in the comments column if you want to take another look or make a contribution.  http://j.mp/5WyQ4X

NASA tv schedule for Space Shuttle Atlantis returning today

This is the NASA webpage where you can go to download a regularly updated copy of the tv schedule for every space shuttle mission http://j.mp/1o3WzN

Impressive Edit of STS-129 Ascent Highlights

Impressive Edit of STS-129 Ascent Highlights http://bit.ly/7USkUx

NASA's Twitter Army marches forward

Will twitter and other social networks provide the conduit for winning the PR war to attract greater public attention to space exploration. http://bit.ly/7EHIqY

WISE wll look for Dark Asteroids and Brown Dwarf Stars - NASA mission briefing

The purpose of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is to find hidden cosmic objects that are not detectable by natural light telescopes within our own Solar System and beyond.

WISE will look for Dark Asteroids within our own Solar System, Brown Dwarf Stars in our solar neighbourhood and Ultra-Luminous Galaxies in Deep Space.

The map generated by WISE will be used as a guide for other Space Telescopes such as Hubble, Spitzer, and upcoming Sofia and James Webb which will look more closely at these objects.

NASA highlights and briefings for the STS 129 mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis

Collection of NASA video covering pre-launch operations, launch, ISS docking, EVAs and landing.

One wriggle at a time, sand trapped Mars Rover Spirit makes tracks

Extricating a stuck vehicle remotely on another planet requires a lot of patience, Spirit makes it's first minute manoeuvre on the long road to freedom. http://bit.ly/916CrY

NASA 'A' team maybe given 1000 days to make Project M happen

Rumoured Project M apparently already initiated at Johnson Space Center will aim to send an unmanned lander to the Moon within a very short period of 1000 days by recruiting a group of the best engineers in the world and without involving any major contractors. http://bit.ly/5LtRMR

Pummelling Snowballs likely source of LCROSS water findings

Where did the Moon water come from? The science data is pointing strongly towards Comets because high level readings of volatiles were recorded during observations of the LCROSS lunar impact. http://bit.ly/8pdouJ

Hubble on the Edge

Recently released Hubble Space Telescope natural colour image of the NGC4710 galaxy, taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in 2006. http://bit.ly/5oi09f

Next best thing to watching on IMAX - STS129 HD Shuttle Launch Footage

If your broadband connection is up to it, select the HD and Full Screen mode and turn up the sound very LOUD! to watch this high definition NASA Footage of STS 129 Space Shuttle Atlantis launching from Kennedy Space Center's Pad39a on Monday 16th November 2009.

Holy Cow Thats So Cool! - Space Shuttle Really Trucking!

Not today's launch but happened to stumble across this video which shows a previous launch from a passenger plane. This unique wide field of view amateur footage shows really well how the Space Shuttle punches its way into orbit, which you don't really appreciate from the usual zoomed in shots.

Follow the position of the Space Shuttle whilst in orbit

The Space Shuttle is observable with the naked eye from the ground whilst in orbit, the above graphic shows the current position, but if you would like to know more about when and where to observe the Space Shuttle at your location go to www.n2yo.com

Toggle between Spacevidcast and Spaceflight Now Live Launch Coverage

View both streams on the same page

Both Spacevidcast and Spaceflight Now supplement the live NASA TV feed with their own live commentary of Space Shuttle launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

Spaceflight Now present their coverage from the KSC press area and include interviews with space industry guests during the build up to launch.

Spacevidcast present their show from a studio and provide a high definition NASA TV stream with informative explanations of each stage of the launch process.

The Last "Grand Old Man" of the Space Age

The Last "Grand Old Man" of the Space Age http://bit.ly/2qe5vE

Countdown briefing for Atlantis on eve of STS129 mission launch

10% chance of weather prohibiting launch at KSC tomorrow and no technical issues being worked currently.

2012 Movie Trailer

STS 129 Space Shuttle Atlantis Pre Launch Briefing

Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.

Ares I-X On-board High Speed Main Parachute Footage

Who can possibly fill the Pecs of Kirk's Nemesis in the next Star Trek movie

JJ Abrams Talks About Recasting Khan in "Star Trek" Sequel http://bit.ly/28ZZLR

What happened after the booster separation of Ares I-X

Amazing NASA aerial video footage of the Ares 1-X test flight including what happened after the solid rocket booster (SRB) separation. The SRB appears to barge the Orion dummy capsule out of the way, although they probably never touched in reality. The SRB then proceeds on its tumbling freefall trajectory, eventually deploying the drone chute at a relatively low altitude prior to releasing all three of the main parachutes. At this point one of the parachute canopies collapses due to a cord failure and with the parachute still partially attached to the booster it interferes with a second parachute. The resulting 50% loss of drag causes the SRB to splash into the ocean at a much greater vertical and horizontal velocity than normal. This high velocity splashdown is believed to have caused the crease to the Ares I-X outer rocket casing and similar damage has been seen on Space Shuttle boosters following parachute failures.

Star Blast from the Past

The oldest object so far detected in the Universe was recently observed by Astronomers following a gamma-ray burst that was picked up by NASA's Swift Gamma-Ray Telescope.  The after-glow was also observed by Leicester University's Infra-Red telescope in Hawaii.  The object responsible for the explosion was a progenitor star which has since been designated GRB 090423 and is estimated to have exploded 13 billion years ago, a mere 600 million years after the Big Bang occurred. http://j.mp/sDR2H

Ten ways to cheer up a 2012 doom and gloomer

If that sandwich board chap is still walking up and down London's Oxford Street prophesying "The End is Nigh", someone should show him this article http://j.mp/3ny2TZ

Carl Sagan on the Tunguska Event

Was it a Black Hole passing through the Earth's Core, a UFO crash site, an Anti-matter collision or a Meteorite impact? Watch to find out what Carl Sagan thought was the cause of the huge Tunguska Explosion.

NASA has announced the intended launch date for the STS129 mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis to be November 16th, but this may slip a day depending on whether an Atlas V launches on the 14th or the 15th from Cape Canaveral  http://j.mp/3gU9us

Tumbling ARES 1-X 2nd stage after 1st stage booster separation was predicted in flight simulations prior to launch.  The expected tumble was caused by the upper stage's unusual centre of gravity due to the location of dummy fuel loads and the lack of 2nd stage J-2X engine to stabilise the vehicle following separation http://j.mp/49wBsG

Buckling of ARES-I X booster was due to a heavy sea landing at an angle.  Only one of the three parachutes deployed correctly, one failed completely and interferred with a second parachute reducing its effectiveness http://j.mp/25H9b7

NASA Post ARES I X Launch Press Briefing

A jubilant NASA launch team talk about the ARES I-X launch which took place earlier today. Despite a rogue freighter entering the launch safety exclusion zone, the delayed removal of a reluctant probe cover, red green red green weather conditions and launchpad lightning strikes yesterday, Ares I-X eventually made it to sub-orbit today with very little drama. The only unexpected observation so far appears to be the tumbling of the upper stage after separation.

ARES I X Development Rocket Test Flight

Launch video of the ARES I-X Rocket from Kennedy Space Center on 28th October 2009, the first launch of a new crew launch vehicle system which is intended to replace the Space Shuttle for transporting Astronauts to the International Space Station and facilitate rendezvous with exploration support modules and landers for missions beyond Earth's orbit.

However this maybe the first and last flight for the Ares 1 concept since the recent Augustine Commission report favors the development of a COTS solution for crew transport to Low Earth Orbit rather than one developed by NASA.

Beam us up Scotty

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic may establish a spaceport in Scotland for sub-orbital spaceflights. In anticipation of the first fully commmercial Space Tourism operation, Virgin Galactic is busy signing up wealthy daredevils for its first flights and plans to build a number of spaceports in strategic locations around the world. http://bit.ly/Vhx7e

ARES I X Rocket Post Flight Test Readiness Review Press Conference

NASA press briefing for ARES I-X which took place earlier today following the FTRR meeting with all the engineering teams involved. The flight test launch vehicle was cleared to launch from the Kennedy Space Center, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday 27th October 2009 at 8am EDT subject to acceptable weather conditions.

Black Hole found on Moon! fortunately not the all matter and light swallowing variety but an ominous looking pinhole in the lunar surface which maybe connected to a lava tube. This is of particular interest to lunar scientists since sink holes may provide a naturally protective habitat for future lunar explorers and easy access for material and resource mining http://j.mp/4Gxchi

Ares I-X Flight Test Mission Animated Simulation

Video animation of the ARES 1-X flight test which explains the planned sequence of events during launch. This will be the first flight of NASA's new crew launch vehicle concept which combines an adapted Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) motor for the Launch Vehicle with an Apollo Command Module like capsule on top to simulate the flight characteristics of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).

For detailed information on the ARES I-X flight test this is the official NASA webpage which includes the press kit, fact sheet, mission specification, launch blog, image and video gallery http://j.mp/3pnp1H

Following its Flight Test Readiness Review Meeting today, the Ares I-X Rocket has been given the go ahead to launch on the 27th October. You can follow the launch preparation on twitter here http://j.mp/Y4B5o

Norm Augustine introductory remarks on the Human Spaceflight Review final report

10 minute overview of the Augustine Commission final report which commenced the press conference today in Washington DC. The main thrust of the report is to introduce missions which will visit/land on objects such as Asteroids, NEOs, Moons of other planets, visit Lagrange points and/or circumnavigate a planet such as Mars.

These new missions will be lower cost and achievable within a shorter timeframe than the current objective to land on the Moon and Mars, which requires the development of complex landers and larger heavy launch vehicles. The committee has not excluded the landing of humans on Mars ultimately, but believes that smaller steps are required in order to ensure continued public interest and funding of human spaceflight in the future.

PDF download page for the 157 page Augustine committee final report for future human spaceflight options, which has been submitted to the Whitehouse this week to assist the Obama administration in formulating a new manned spaceflight strategy for NASA http://j.mp/9UOmZ

One way ticket to Mars, just a concept for a future Science Fiction novel or Science Fact, more debate and discussion on the controversial Mars suicide mission http://bit.ly/MZtw8

Norm Augustines work is nearly done, the final report is currently being scrutinised by the Whitehouse and NASA staff and will be released on Thursday from the Human Spaceflight Review website to the public http://bit.ly/3zcZ3p

Geologists point to outer space as source of the Earth's mineral riches http://bit.ly/3H2aUA

The trouble with exploring Venus http://bit.ly/c7GAl

Skywatchers guide to the Geminids meteor shower which will be the focus of #Meteorwatch on 12th December 2009 http://j.mp/1Qo9Bm

Moonwatch and Meteorwatch Coming Soon to a Garden Shed Near You

From a well equipped Garden Shed in England, the Newbury Astronomical Society in collaboration with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 will be holding a twitter Moonwatch on the 26/27th October 2009 and a twitter Meteorwatch for the Germinids Meteor Shower on the 12th December 2009.

Sky Map Presentation from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer - IBEX Science Team

IBEX scientists present the first sky map of the Sun's Solar Wind interaction with the Milky Way Galaxy as the Solar System passes through the harmful material that exists between the stars

Mission Overview for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer - IBEX

IBEX is a low cost mission to investigate the interaction between the Suns protective Heliosphere and harmful Galactic Cosmic Rays

What rolled down the crater wall first, the boulder or the avalanche?  look to the right of the boulder and you will notice some lighter ground that suggests the boulder was their prior to the sand blasting http://j.mp/7wvIX

Other than our own, which planet or moon in our Solar system holds the most potential for supporting human life http://bit.ly/1BxuGX

30 foot wide Asteroid only just discovered this week will skim past Earth tonight at a distance closer than the Moon http://bit.ly/1VhDjE

LCROSS team have found the impact plume and imaging shows that it expanded to a diameter of 5 miles over the lunar surface http://bit.ly/3RoVnI

Professor of Geology Peter Schulz a co-investigator for LCROSS mission science data is elated that all the spacecraft's scientific instruments provided loads of interesting data during the precious 4 minutes between the 2 impacts of the Centaur upper stage and sherpherding spaecraft http://bit.ly/3YoJR1

KBO Quaoar unusually high density and moonlet Weywoot lack of circullar orbit is challenging current scientific understanding of what lurks beyond the orbit of Neptune http://bit.ly/4ooKAq

These two specks look familiar, a Martian Astronomers view of their nearest neighbour http://bit.ly/2aFzXU

NASA to present new IBEX science data on Thursday that promises a new view of our Galaxy http://bit.ly/2gZwMU

1st come 1st served for STS129 Space Shuttle Atlantis launch tweetup, NASA will be allocating tickets to the first 100 applicants and will add another 50 to a waiting list, registration commences from 12noon EDT on Fri 16th Oct http://j.mp/8gc1S

Doug Naylor writer and co-creator of Red Dwarf has been commissioned by Dave channel to write 6 new episodes http://bit.ly/RRvtM

Bono and The Edge from U2 chat with International Space Station crew during visit to Mission Control Houston http://j.mp/Y1Boo

David Bowie's Space Oddity 40 years on http://bit.ly/LQpoZ

if you are wondering what DJ 09 is, its The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club convention Dimension Jump XV being held this weekend http://bit.ly/2DwFdS

Leonard Nimoy is Concerned About the State of Science Fiction on TV http://bit.ly/2vYkJ0

Prepare for Impact! Watch LCROSS briefings, mission updates and launch video

Collection of videos gathered over the last few months for the Lunar Crater Observation Sensing and Satellite (LCROSS) mission including NASA briefings from the mission scientists and engineers, mission progress updates and launch of the LRO/LCROSS from Cape Canaveral on the 18th June 2009. Impact is currently scheduled for 11:31 UTC on Friday 9th Oct 2009.

LCROSS impact preview from The Planetary Society blog including critical mission milestones, links to webcasts and CGI animation charting its course from launch to impact http://bit.ly/X2b92

What happens when Black Holes collide? scientists would like to understand the interactive behaviour of coalescing singularities as they move slowly.......very slowly together http://bit.ly/4gNluf

Eve of silent thud! last 24 hours of LCROSS will involve a critical series of nail-biting flight team operations to ensure precise impact and separation of shepherding spacecraft from the spent Centaur rocket impactor. Everything has to come together without delay since there will only be 4 minutes worth of science data gathering between the two impacts http://bit.ly/4v5NgR

NASA scientists are watching our backs, probably no Apocalypse from Apophis

Chance of Asteroid Apophis the size of 2 1/2 football fields smashing into Earth in 2036 has been revised from 1 in 45,000 to 1 in 250,000, let's hope they're correct despite no dedicated government budget for NEO monitoring http://bit.ly/CXrni

Consequences of Viking not digging 5cm deeper in 1976, science behind lunar surface water discovery and will Messenger hiccup happen again during New Horizons flyby of Pluto http://j.mp/ZqEfy

Watch LCROSS impact live coverage on NASA TV or observe with Telescope in the Pacific region http://bit.ly/35No4

Citizen Science NASA Apps homepage for downloading LCROSS impact images contributed by astronomers http://bit.ly/8mkHD

Selected NASA mission highlights for STS-125 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission for maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope http://bit.ly/1vmAjY

Comet Formation Theory May Not Be Set in Stone (or Ice)

Comet Formation Theory May Not Be Set in Stone (or Ice) http://bit.ly/RFUdn

Moon crash will create six-mile plume of dust as Nasa searches for more signs of water beneath the surface http://bit.ly/njami

MESSENGER Gains Critical Gravity Assist for Mercury Orbital Observations

MESSENGER successfully flew by Mercury yesterday, gaining a critical gravity assist that will enable it to enter orbit about Mercury in 2011 and capturing images of five percent of the planet never before seen. With more than 90 percent of the planet's surface already imaged, MESSENGER's science team had drafted an ambitious observation campaign designed to tease out additional details from features uncovered during the first two flybys. But an unexpected signal loss prior to closest approach hampered those plans.
http://bit.ly/19kaz2

LCROSS Smash and Augustine summary report on Astrocast TV for October 2009

Greg talks about NASA’s LCROSS and it’s planned October 9th plung into Cabeus A crater on the Lunar surface. Greg also reports on the Augustine Committee summary Report on Human Spaceflight.

This episode of A Green Space - A Green Earth (GSGE in the menu tab) Bente reports on Earth observation from Space and how satellites measure Ocean currents and Gravity helping determine weather patterns, climate change and more.

The Astronomer’s Universe, Carolyn Collins Petersen takes a closer look at the first Stars in our Universe.

This month in Our Night Sky, Yvonne Garcia filling in for Tavi Greiner, and reports on the Great World Wide Star Count and IYA09’s Galilean Nights and how you can participate in both events in October.

New search for Dark Energy goes back in time

Baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) sounds like it could be technobabble from a Star Trek episode. BAO is real, but astronomers are searching for these particle fluctuations to do what seems like science fiction: look back in time to find clues about dark energy. The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey(BOSS), a part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), took its "first light" of astronomical data last month, and will map the expansion history of the Universe.

Read the rest of New Search for Dark Energy Goes Back in Time

© nancy for Universe Today, 2009

The MESSENGER Mission to Mercury book by Deborah Dominique

NASA's MESSENGER mission, launched on 3 August, 2004 is the seventh mission in the Discovery series. MESSENGER encounters the planet Mercury four times, culminating with an insertion into orbit on 18 March 2011. It carries a comprehensive package of geophysical, geological, geochemical, and space environment experiments to complete the complex investigations of this solar-system end member, which begun with Mariner 10.
The articles in this book, written by the experts in each area of the MESSENGER mission, describe the mission, spacecraft, scientific objectives, and payload. The book is of interest to all potential users of the data returned by the MESSENGER mission, to those studying the nature of the planet Mercury, and by all those interested in the design and implementation of planetary exploration missions.

http://bit.ly/xcHtX

For purchasing from Amazon UK go to this page: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/waybis-21/detail/0387772111

Report Calls Arecibo 'Uniquely Powerful' for Detecting NEOs

The Arecibo Observatory provides "unmatched precision and accuracy" in detecting asteroids or comets that could hit the Earth, says a report by the National Academy of Sciences. That statement could help secure the observatory's future. http://bit.ly/AS9zw

Odd Russian Space Rituals

Before a Russian rocket blasts into space, cosmonauts have some what may be considered to be "strange" rituals. Personally, I think that it's quite warming to know that age-old traditions still persist in the modern world of space travel... http://bit.ly/QC27q

Acrobat Space Tourist Rockets Into Orbit

A Canadian space tourist and new space station crew launched toward the International Space Station Wednesday. http://bit.ly/43vGzN

Microbe-ferrying Russian probe reportedly won't head for Mars orbit until 2011

Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe, which had been slated to head off this year on a sample-return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons, will not launch until at least 2011, according to the Russian Interfax news agency . [More]


http://bit.ly/3WocXL

MESSENGER re-acquired following Mercury 141 mile high flyby, 1st images expected to be released tomorrow

Shortly before 5:55 p.m. EDT, MESSENGER skimmed 228 kilometers (141 miles) above the surface of Mercury in its third and final flyby of the planet. Radio signals received after the spacecraft emerged from behind the planet indicate that the spacecraft is operating nominally. Its instruments are now collecting images and other scientific measurements from the planet as it departs Mercury. http://bit.ly/YKdSA

JAXA's HTV-1 Approaches the ISS

On Sept. 17, Ralf Vandebergh captured a historic event through his telescope. He spotted the first ever Japanese cargo vehicle docking with the space station... from 300km below in his back yard in the Netherlands. Great skills! http://bit.ly/jTNSM

LHC gets warning system upgrade

An early warning system being installed at the Large Hadron Collider could prevent incidents of the kind which shut it last year. http://bit.ly/2mvc1D

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO Press Briefing 17th Sept 2009

Craig Tooley, LRO Project Manager, Michael Wargo, Chief Lunar Scientist, Richard Vondrak, LRO Project Scientist and David Smith, LOLA Principal Investigator discuss the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission mapping the Lunar South Pole.

LCROSS fate has been decided, NASA AMES pinpoints lunar crater for impact

The Moon crater Cabeus A has been named as the impact site for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) on the 9th October 2009. The site has been picked because it is optimal for volume and predictability of ejected material, concentration of Neutron emissions (which is an indicator for Hydrogen which increases the likelihood of water molecules) and permanent shading from the Sun.

STS-128 mission highlights round-up for the Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew

All the best moments from NASA's mission to the International Space Station to expand its scientific capability and deliver the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. exercise treadmill. The Space Shuttle Discovery returned returned on Friday 11th September 2009 following a very successful 15 day flight.

The first human colonisation of a another planet or a one way suicide mission, neither makes sense

I'm not sure how this debate is going to get us to Mars sooner, what seems to be overlooked is the cost of sustaining life for an indefinite period on the Martian surface as opposed to conducting short sorties and bringing the crew back.

If the other one way plan is to maroon the crew on the Martian surface without the technology and resources to survive it will never get funded due to public and political outcry. 

So why muddy the Martian waters with proposed missions which are likely to take longer on a larger budget or never get approved politically? 

We already have a perfectly good plan to get us to Mars in the Constellation program, it just needs the funding that was promised to it, to make it happen.

Which part of the world is the International Space Station flying over right now?

Track the current position of the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbits the Earth every 91 minutes at an altitude of ~200 miles

ARES all fired up and no place to go in possibly more ways than one

After the successful firing of the Ares Development Motor 1 solid fuel rocket, the Ares rocket program will now be competing with the Shuttle Derived and Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) options that will be presented to the White House as part of the Augustine Commission review of Human Spaceflight.

If you missed the Japanese JAXA H-II Transfer Vehicle HTV launch you can watch the replay here

The Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) launched at 1:01 p.m. EDT from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The HTV will carry about 3.5 tons of supplies to the International Space Station and is scheduled to be attached Thursday, Sept. 17, using the stations robotic arm. Additionally, this was the first flight of the H-IIb rocket, which is a new variant of Japans H-IIa vehicle.

How the Russian MIR space Station was almost handed over to commercial enterprise

Spacevidcast interviews Michael Potter who produced the documentary film Orphans of Apollo which tells the true story of how a group of business men formed a company called MirCorp and came very close to taking over operation of the Russian MIR space station.

Concern raised over lack of dedicated funding for Near Earth Object monitoring on Astrocast TV for Sept 09

NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador Greg Redfern explains the difficulties imposed on NASA to fund continued monitoring of Near Earth Objects (NEO) for the purpose of predicting collisions with the Earth.

It is feared that without this capability there would not be sufficient time to prevent or prepare for a disastrous impact that would affect the environment over a widespread area or worst case, an extinction level event such as the one attributed to the demise of the dinosaurs.

Launch day highlights for STS128 Space Shuttle Discovery

Relax with a flight over Neptune's Moon Triton

This simulated voyage over the surface of Neptune's large moon Triton was produced using topographic maps derived from images acquired by NASA's Voyager spacecraft during its August 1989 flyby.

Mike Moses and Pete Nickolenko explain technical reason for 2nd launch scrub of STS128 Space Shuttle

Bush plan to discover oil in Heaven, tubby Astronauts and COLBERT send off message

Stephen Colbert's greeting message to NASA prior to the launch of arguably the most important payload yet delivered to the International Space Station. The C.O.L.B.E.R.T. exercise treadmill will be delivered to the ISS by Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-128 NASA mission.

COLBERT treadmill will power International Space Station

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Space Module: Colbert - Sunita Williams
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

Astronaut Sunita Williams on the Colbert Report earlier this year announces the chosen name of Tranquility for International Space Station's Node 3 module, despite Colbert winning the popular vote. In consolation an exercise treadmill will be named after Colbert called the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill or C.O.L.B.E.R.T for short??? and will be installed inside the Node 3 module during the STS128 flight to the space station.

Augustine Human Spaceflight decision options for launch vehicles and missions

Integrated Options - Part 1

Integrated options - Part 2

Ed Crawley, Augustine Committee member presents at the Washington DC Public Meeting on 12th Aug 09 the various decision scenarios for developing launch vehicles including shuttle derived side and top mounted, heavy evolved expendable launch vehicle, Ares 1, Ares V and Ares V lite. This presentation also covers the types of possible missions including Moon base, Moon global, deep space or Mars direct.

The story of how the UK launched its first and only satellite with a British rocket

In 1971 a British made Black Arrow rocket launched the Prospero satellite into orbit from the Woomera launch facility in Southern Australia. This documentary recounts the events leading up to the launch of Prospero and includes interviews with the engineers involved in the development and launch of the Black Arrow rocket.

Rocket Science related products USA, UK

Mars Society Robert Zubrin presents his shortcut to Mars before the Augustine Human Spaceflight Review Committee

Mars Society President Robert Zubrin delivers an enthusiastic presentation at the 5th August public meeting in Washington DC, making the case for a low cost human mission to land on Mars within 10 years. It is argued that much of the training for adapting humans to the Martian environment can be conducted for a fraction of the cost in the Arctic region.

ESA Herschel infrared telescope will investigate the birth and life cycle of Stars and Galaxies

Herschel which is a European Space Agency space observatory, will be the most powerful infrared telescope flown in space so far. Herschel's mission is to study the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies to help us understand how the Universe came to be what it is today.

ESA Planck overview of its mission to study Cosmic Microwave radiation leftover from the Big Bang

ESA's Planck mission is the first European space mission to study the Cosmic Microwave background which is the relic radiation from the Big Bang. Planck will provide the sharpest picture ever obtained of the young Universe and will help to describe its birth and evolution.

Charlie Bolden, planetary systems and eclipsing binary Epsilon Aurigae on Astrocast TV for August 09

In the August 2009 edition of Astrocast TV: Charlie Bolden becomes NASA's new administrator and faces the planned ending of Space Shuttle program and technical problems and delays with the Constellation program.

Current understanding of how planetary systems following Star formation is explained and compared to the formation of our own Solar System, plus amateur astronomers are being invited to take part in observing the upcoming eclipsing Binary Epsilon Aurigue.

Astronaut office chief Steven Lindsey presents Astronaut opinions on the future of human spaceflight

Appearing at the Augustine Committee public meeting in Houston on 28th July 2009, Steven Lindsey comments and answers questions on the future of human space exploration.

Astronauts would like to see a doubling in the safety factor for ascent and descent to be incorporated into new spacecraft and launch vehicles. The Space Shuttle is a 1 in 77 vehicle (1 in 64 based on number of missions flown so far) which compares to the risk in climbing Mount Everest (1 in 62) and a D Day landing soldier (1 in 62), considering this Steven Lindsey did not consider NASA to be a risk adverse organization. However if there was to be another Shuttle failure and subsequent loss of crew, it would probably mark the end of the Space Shuttle program altogether.

Currently there are concerns about not only the up mass capability to ISS beyond Shuttle but also the down mass capability, despite support from the smaller cargo spacecraft Russian Progress, ESA's Automatic Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems (COTS).

In order to concentrate the NASA budget on missions beyond low earth orbit (LEO), Steven Lindsey would like to see the COTS program takeover responsibility for LEO missions.

Not enough is known about manned planetary missions and long duration missions to ISS and Moon are considered essential steps for understanding and learning how to conduct a successful long duration mission to Mars.

Google Lunar Xprize team, Mars 500 and SpaceX Falcon 1 launch on Spacevidcast 16 July 09

Includes interview with Jason Dunn of Google Lunar Xprize team Omega Envoy, first successful launch into orbit of a working payload by SpaceX with Falcon 1 flight 5 carrying the RazakSAT Earth Observation satellite and the European Space Agency Mars500 experiment to observe how humans will cope with a long duration Mars mission over a 500 day period.

Gustav Holst The Planets, all 7 pieces performed by a live Orchestra

Gustav Holst's Planets Suite including:

1. Mars, the Bringer of War
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
6. Uranus, the Magician
7. Neptune, the Mystic

Audio CD of Holst's - The Planets UK, USA

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Chris Kraft speak about Apollo Space Program

This is a rare treat for space historians, all three members of the Apollo 11 crew plus the man who was in charge of Mission Control during the Apollo era speak at the annual John Glenn Lecture series at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The audience included many key NASA people including the new NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the STS125 Space Shuttle crew which recently conducted a service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Books

Neil Armstrong - First Man : The Life of Neil A. Armstrong - USA, UK

Buzz Aldrin - Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon - USA, UK

Michael Collins - Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys - USA, UK

Chris Kraft - Flight: My Life in Mission Control - USA, UK

Spacevidcast Live High Definition Broadcast Feed of Launches and Newscasts

Live video by Ustream
Spacevidcast is a regular weekly round up of global Space news presented by Benjamin and Cariann Higginbotham. In addition to their regular program broadcast live on Thursday, they also discuss and comment on significant events which are broadcasting live on NASA TV such as launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Spaceflight Now Live Broadcast Feed for Space Shuttle Launches

Miles O'Brien, David Waters and Leroy Chiao present coverage of NASA Space Shuttle launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Spacefight Now

Max Launch Abort System test, SEDS interview and NASA-ESA Mars cooperation on Spacevidcast 10 July 09

Includes footage of NASA's test of the Max Launch Abort System which is an alternative system for firing the Orion Capsule to safety if required during launch. Grant Atkinson who is Director of Chapter Affairs for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) explains the purpose of SEDS and how members will benefit from joining their organisation. Press invited to mystery Google Moon event to celebrate first Apollo lunar landing on the 20th July. NASA and ESA sign agreement to cooperate on future Mars missions to coordinate science and mission objectives.

Senate Science Committee nominations hearing for NASA administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Lori Garver

Senators and Representatives speak in support of the nomination of Charlie Bolden to become the new Administrator and Lori Garver the Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver also address the Senate Science Committee and answer questions on their vision for NASA and how they plan to lead the administration.

STS127 tanking test, Hubble crew visit Stennis and Pathfinder on Mars, all on This Week @ NASA 02 July 09

Space shuttle Endeavour's external tank was successfully tested with no detectable Hydrogen gas leaks. The Hubble Space Telescope service crew from STS125 visited Stennis Space Center to conduct a presentation to the workforce of their mission. Work commences at Wallops Flight Facility to build a new launch complex for the Taurus II rocket which will run re-supply missions to the International Space Station. Comedian Mark Malkoff spends 30 days on airliner to cure his fear of flying and stops at Langley Research Center to hear about research on making aircraft more environmentally friendly. Pathfinder used air bags to safely land on Mars in 1997 and along with its rover Sojourner conducted experiments that suggested Mars was once warmer and wet. In 2005 the Deep Impact spacecraft collided with Comet Temple 1 to produce spectacular images. Apollo 11 crew will be celebrated at the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC on the 20th July.

Jean-Jacques Dordain explains lessons learned from ESA working with NASA on ISS

Jean-Jacques Dordain - Director General of European Space Agency comments on ESA's cooperation with NASA on the International Space Station and highlights the lessons learned and what should be addressed in the future to speed up the utilisation of Space hardware so that more benefits can be realised earlier.

Rumours of Space Shuttle Atlantis early retirement on Spacevidcast 03 July 09

This episode of Spacevidcast includes Guinness promotion for a flight on Virgin Galactic, Rock band U2 calling the International Space Station, rumour of Space Shuttle Atlantis early retirement and debunking news reports of sabotage at Kennedy Space Center.

Interviews with the leaders behind Spaceport America

Kathleen Koch interviews Governor Bill Richardson, Executive Director of Spaceport America Steve Landeene, Virgin Galactic CEO Stephen Attenborough, Seinor Space Analyst Jeff Foust of the Futron Corperation and UP Aerospace President Jerry Larson.

Apollo milestones, star birth and rising sea levels explained on July 09 edition of Astrocast TV

Greg Redfern runs through the milestones of the Apollo program to mark the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. Carolyn Collins Petersen explains how Stars are born, Bente Lilja Bye explains how we observe the rising sea level due to global warming. Tavi Greiner focuses on the Moon for the night sky in July.

New GUCP seal design for Space Shuttle STS127 External Tank H2 venting passes tanking leak test

Mike Moses - Launch Integration Manager provides an epic explanation of the solution to fix the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate or GUCP seal that failed on the last two attempts to launch STS127 Space Shuttle Endeavour.

To compensate for a build up of tolerances during manufacture of the External fuel tank and other misalignment issues, a new seal type has been developed for STS127. This new two part seal was tested successfully in real conditions by filling the External tank with liquid Hydrogen and no leaks were measured by the mass spectrometer which is the device used to monitor Hydrogen gas concentrations of the surrounding air around the GUCP.

This clears the way for a targeted launch date of 11th July at 23:39 UTC/GMT for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

NASA STS127 Mission Briefings

Space Shuttle Merchandise UK, USA

How the UK followed Apollo 11 to the Moon on the BBC

As part of the BBC Moon season to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, I recently watched this Sky at Night special on BBC iPlayer, which is a 2 hour documentary of the BBC live coverage of the Apollo 11 mission to land the first men on the Moon. What makes this programme extra special is that it includes actual replay of live pictures and commentary from Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore and BBC Science Reporter James Burke of the key stages of the Apollo 11 Moon mission.

The footage we are all familiar with of the Saturn V launch, Lunar landing and first steps on the Moon are all there but they have been extended to include the moments after and leading up to these familiar clips, such as the build up to launch, interviewing the crowd at the Kennedy Space Center, launch up to 1st stage separation and escape rocket jettison, entering the Lunar Module (LEM) in lunar orbit for the first time, detaching from the Command/Service Module, Lunar descent & landing, first steps on the Moon for Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin plus sample collections, photographic tasks & scientific experiments and finally the ascent from the Lunar surface to re-dock with the Command/Service Module.

If you did not get the chance to watch the 1st Lunar landing first time around or you are feeling nostalgic, this will transport you back to July 1969 to experience the tension and excitement of each critical stage of the mission as it was watched live on BBC television in the UK.

This documentary also includes special reports from James Burke which were used as time fillers on the night and include explanations of what would happen if the Astronauts had to evacuate the Command Module prior to launch, dismantling/undressing of a complete Spacesuit and tour of the inside of the Command Module.

If you cannot find this programme on BBC iPlayer (UK locations only and for a limited time period following the date of broadcast) you can purchase the DVD in the UK or USA from Amazon via these links:

Click here to view UK Region 2, PAL version

Click here to view USA NTSC, Region 1 version

WB Blog Store: UK, USA

Meet Timothy Peake the new Brtish Astronaut selected by ESA

The European Space Agency recently selected 6 new astronauts which they intend to train for llong duration missions on the International Space Station.

Timothy Peake was most recently an Apache Helicopter test pilot for Augusta Westland and previous to that was a helicopter instructor in the British Army Air Core.

Interestingly the UK does not currently contribute any money to the ESA human spaceflight program, so it is hoped that this selection may encourage the UK government to start contributing directly to the human spaceflight program.

Scientists explain LRO and LCROSS Lunar mission objectives and instruments

This presentation from the chief scientists working on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) covers the mission objectives of both spacecraft including a guide to the array of sensing instruments and their role during each mission.

LRO will map the topography and surface temperature of the Moon in order to identify regions which are safe for a lunar landing and are of scientific interest.

LCROSS will be a short lived mission in terms of data collection since it sole purpose is to observe a controlled lunar impact by its spent upper stage Centaur rocket prior to its own impact shortly afterward.

In addition to LCROSS other assets will observe the impact of the Centaur rocket and LCROSS itself which will include the Hubble Space Telescope, earthbound telescopes and the LRO.

LRO Video Playlist

LCROSS Video Playlist

Moon Links

Animated simulation of how Virgin Galactic will take you into Space

The journey to Space inside the Virgin Galactic Spaceship will involve an initial climb to 50,000 feet attached to the Virgin Mothership VMS Eve at which point it will be released and the rocket propulsion engine ignited to take the Spaceship on an almost vertical ascent to an altitude of 360,000 feet (68 miles). At maximum altitude or Apogee the space tourists will be allowed to leave their seats to experience zero gravity weightlessness and observe the view of Earth from Space. In preparation for re-entry the spaceship switches to a unique feather wing configuration which act as an air brake and ensures a stable and controlled descent. Once the spaceship returns to an altitude of 60,000 feet the feathered wing tips will be rotated back gradually to enable the spaceship to transition to a glider. The Virgin Galactic spaceship will then land in a similar to which the Space Shuttle does currently with an un-powered glide back to the Spaceport.

Catch up with Astronomy Science News from Astrocast TV for June 09

This June edition of Astrocast includes an overview of NASA LRO/LCROSS mission to the Moon, space observation of Seismic activity, interaction and collision of Galaxies, STS125 Space Shuttle mission to service Hubble Space Telescope, explanation of how Spectrographs analyse the chemical composition of objects by examining their light, finding & observing the Spica variable binary system and finally observing International Space Station & Iridium Satellite flares

Astrocast.TV is a public educational outreach internet broadcast hosted by the following volunteers:
Greg Redfern, Dr Harold Geller, Bente Lilja Bye, Carolyn Collins Petersen, Tavi Greiner

This 1.5min LRO promo is like a big SciFi movie trailer

LRO launched successfully yesterday and this promo demonstrates very succinctly the purpose of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission.

Surprisingly there is very little known about the geography of the Moon, in fact more is known about Mars, so it is hoped that there will be some exciting discoveries made over the next few years as scientists analyse the data coming back from LRO.

LRO Video Playlist

Lunar Links

STS127 ascent profile, shows you how high and fast during Space Shuttle launch

Notice the thrust reduction as the shuttle passes through the sound barrier where it experiences maximum aerodynamic stress. While listening to mission control, CapCom will announce "Endeavour go at throttle up!" once it has passed this point.

Spaceflight Now | STS-127 Shuttle Report | Ascent Timeline

STS127 launch scrub may bump LRO and LCROSS launch by 2 weeks

They say lightning never strikes twice but it did today, exactly the same reason for launch scrub as STS119. The reason for the scrub was a leaking H2 gas vent on the outside of the upper portion of the shuttle external fuel tank. Now this has happened on two occasions so close together there will probably be a major review of procedures to prevent this happening again on future launches.

Last time this happened the problem was resolved successfully within the predicted timescale on STS119, so assuming nothing unusual is found after inspection on Sunday the main debate will center around the impact on the LRO/LCROSS mission which was scheduled for launch on 17th June. Due to the number of days required for pre and post launch work by the ground support crews its becomes very difficult to overlap launches at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.

With the looming ISS Beta cutout, ISS build/servicing schedule, Soyuz docking, termination of Shuttle program etc... it seems fairly likely that STS-127 will get prioritised and LRO/LCROSS will be bumped by NASA to the next available launch window in 2 weeks, unless they can figure out a way of overlapping launch windows for both STS127 and LRO/LCROSS.

STS127 NASA Briefings

Mike Moses from STS127 MMT on top form here explaining shuttle readiness for launch

STS127 pre-launch briefing from 11th June 2009 with Mike Moses - Mission Management Team Chair, Pete Nickolenko - Shuttle Launch Director, Koki Oikawa - Function Manager - IEM Project Team - CSA Rep, Pierre Jean - Space Station Program Manager - CSA, Kathy Winters - Shuttle Weather Officer includes detailed explanation of risk management of Flight Control System issue from STS125 launch.

STS127 Mission Briefings

Brief introduction to NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) due to launch in Nov 09

SDO will study solar cycles, flares, solar wind, magnetic fields and corona heating in order to understand the Sun's behavior and make better predictions of Atmospheric interference to communications. SDO will be placed in geosynchronous orbit above New Mexico and will stream huge amounts of Solar data down to the dedicated ground station specially built for the SDO mission.

SDO Video Playlist

SDO Reading Links

LCROSS mission to discover water on the Moon by impacting the lunar surface

The LCROSS mission will analyze the impact of the spent upper stage Centaur rocket colliding with the Moon. The impact target will be located in the lunar polar region where it is believed water may exist buried beneath the surface of a crater. The discovery of water on the Moon is important to the long term plans for settling humans on the Moon to conduct long term scientific research. LCROSS is scheduled to be launched with LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) on the 17th June from Cape Canaveral

LCROSS Video Playlist

Buzz Aldrin wants US to push to Mars and Global Alliance to push to Moon

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin lays out his vision for human spaceflight during his keynote speech at ISDC 2009: US should concentrate on going to Mars, establish stronger partnerships with existing ISS participants and also initiate new partnerships with China and India to explore the Moon.

Constellation program for human scientific exploration of our Solar System

NASA's Constellation program to develop the next generation of spacecraft and launch vehicles to take humans back to the Moon and onto Mars and beyond.

Constellation Program Video Playlist

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission to map Moon for optimal landing sites

The purpose of the upcoming LRO mission currently scheduled for 17th June 2009 will be to identify safe places for landing which are also of scientific interest to investigating the Moon's natural resources.

LRO Video Playlist

Post flight readiness review briefing for STS-127 mission - 3rd June 2009

Bill Gerstenmaier - Associate Administrator, Space Ops, Mike Moses - Manager of Shuttle Program Launch Integration and Pete Nickolenko - STS-127 Launch Director brief the press on Space Shuttle Endeavours flight readiness following its move from Pad 39B to 39A. Apart from a slight concern over the short that caused a failure with part of the flight control system on launch of the previous STS125 mission, everything looks good for the target launch date of 13th June.

Ares launch vehicle projects office quarterly progress report 12

Not a single Astronaut in this video, just the engineers working on the development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle and Ares V heavy-lift cargo launch vehicle. A lot of negative press surrounds this program, but there are precious few government projects that are ever completed on time and inside budget, if they were, funding would never be approved in the first place.

If you take the view that there is far too little public spending on Space Exploration, then perhaps a large unstoppable oil tanker of a space program is the best platform to expand frontiers in Space, spawn new technologies and inspire more of the population to pursue a career in science and engineering.

Leroy Chiao want's your view on future direction for human spaceflight

Now a member of the Augustine Commission which will advise President Obama's administration on the future of NASA's human spaceflight program, Leroy Chiao is inviting you to share your thoughts on the best way to utilize the proportion of NASA's budget allocated to sending men and women into space. At time of posting there are already 125 comments posted, so you may want to browse these even if you do not intend to comment.

Astronaut Leroy Chiao's Blog: Augustine Human Space Flight Review Commission

Masten Space Systems flight 7 of XA-0.1B-750 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator

This latest test, Masten is obviously making progress with the flight control system and achieving a controlled hover whilst performing 45 degrees rotations.

How does Charles Bolden compare to previous NASA administrators

With a recent change in US president, a huge escalating US deficit and the Augustine Commission about to re-examine the future of human spaceflight, Charles Boden will be taking the reigns of NASA at a very difficult time. Does Mr Bolden have the right political connections, skills, experience and vision to lead the administration successfully through the transition from Space Shuttle to Constellation.

Is Bolden right for NASA? | csmonitor.com

STS 127 Space Shuttle Preflight Briefing Program Overview

John Shannon - Space Shuttle Manager and Kirk Shireman Deputy ISS Program Manager outline the schedule of work and answer questions for the upcoming Space Shuttle Endeavour launch to the International Space Station.

Leroy Chiao aka @AstroDude on Twitter possible member of Augustine Commission

Although the panel members of the Augustine commission have yet to be officially announced there is much speculation on who they will be. Following the unofficial disclosure of 8 possible members a possible ninth member could be Astronaut Leroy Chiao who is ex-NASA and is now working as a consultant and public speaker plus he is here on Twitter.

Orlando Sentinel - Chiao another likely member of Augustine commission