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.