GOOGLE EARTH, GEOEYE BRING SATELLITE PHOTOS OF HAITI’S DEVASTATION - Satellite images of the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake are now available on Google Earth. The search giant partnered with imagery specialist GeoEye to provide a markup that shows satellite photos of Haiti from around 7:30 a.m. Pacific time today. The company lets you download the markup here and open it in Google Earth. There’s also a browser plug-in here. Pictured right is a birds-eye view of the Presidential Palace before and after the quake. More (Source: VentureBeat - Jan 14)
NASA DEVELOPS PLAN TO AVOID SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH DELAY - NASA managers decided Tuesday to modify existing space station ammonia coolant hoses by welding shorter sections together to replace a longer hose design that failed a recent ground pressure test. If the work goes well - and the schedule is tight - NASA hopes to launch the shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 7 as planned to deliver a new module to the orbiting lab complex. The primary goal of the three-spacewalk mission is to attach a pressurized module known as Tranquility to the left side of the space station's central Unity module. Tranquility will be used to house critical life support systems and exercise gear that currently are located elsewhere in the laboratory. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Jan 13)
USAF AWARDS ULA WGS-4 SATELLITE LAUNCH - The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center recently awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to perform the launch services for the Wideband Global SATCOM-4 (WGS-4) satellite aboard a Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch period is December 2011 - February 2012 from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. More (Source: Space Daily - Jan 11)
STS-130 SHUTTLE FLIGHT FACING DELAY DUE TO PAYLOAD TECHNICAL GLITCH - The launch of Shuttle Endeavour on the STS 130 flight now faces a potential delay due to technical problems with the external ammonia connecting lines which are designed to provide critical cooling capability to the new Tranquility module. Tranquility is a pressurized module being brought aloft as payload in the cargo bay of Endeavour on the STS 130 mission. Launch of Endeavour is currently set for 4:39 AM on Feb. 7. More (Source: Universe Today - Jan 10)
FALCON 9 PASSES ITS FINAL REVIEW - As NASA is getting ready to retire its space shuttle fleet, later this year, its ability to put astronauts in orbit will all but disappear. The agency will be able to continue using Russian-built Soyuz space capsules to get its crew members on the International Space Station (ISS), but will have no orbital capabilities of its own. Therefore, the private sector will have to step in. This is precisely the aim of the new Falcon 9 rocket, developed by SpaceX. More (Source: Softpedia - Jan 9)
EU AWARDS GALILEO SATELLITE-NAVIGATION CONTRACTS - A German/UK consortium has been asked to supply the first operational spacecraft for Europe's Galileo satellite-navigation system. OHB System and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) will build 14 satellites in a contract valued at 566m euros ($811m; £510m). The contract was announced by the European Commission in Brussels. More (Source: BBC News - Jan 7)
SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD - The first space shuttle mission of the year is a step closer to launch. The shuttle Endeavour, atop the mobile launcher platform, was moved Wednesday from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, shortly after 4:00 a.m. The 3.4 mile journey usually takes about six hours. Endeavour and six astronauts are scheduled for a February 7 launch to the international space station. More (Source: CBS4 - Jan 7)
JUST 5 MISSIONS LEFT FOR NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLES - The end is beginning for NASA's three aging space shuttles, with just five more missions on tap this year before the orbiter fleet retires in the fall. That is, unless NASA needs a few more months to fly those remaining missions or President Barack Obama chooses to extend the shuttle program to fill a looming gap in U.S. human spaceflight capability. Though the ultimate path forward for NASA has not yet been decided, the space agency is at a turning point after nearly 29 years of shuttle flight. More (Source: MSNBC - Jan 6)
LAUNCH VIEWING TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY FOR FEBRUARY 7 SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH - The final night launch of the Space Shuttle Program will light up the early morning sky as space shuttle Endeavour blazes toward the stars. Launch viewing tickets go on sale Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. ET to see space shuttle Endeavour lift-off from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. STS-130, targeted for Sunday, February 7, 2010, at 4:39 a.m. ET, will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) delivering the last major component of the space station, the Tranquility Node 3 module, and the seven-windowed Cupola, an observatory module giving astronauts a unique, panoramic view outside the space station. More (Source: Hospitality 1st - Jan 5)
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