WATCH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TRAVEL ACROSS THE SOLAR ECLIPSE - In this video, the International Space Station is seen in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second during the solar eclipse on Monday near Banner, Wyoming. A high speed camera, shooting at 1,500 frames per second, was used to capture the event. The total solar eclipse was sweeping across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States on Monday, from Oregon to South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent, along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe.   More
(Source: TIME - Aug 23)

SATELLITE CAPTURES SHADOW OF ECLIPSE CROSSING THE U.S. - As millions of Americans were looking up at the total solar eclipse, the GOES-16 weather satellite was looking down at the United States. The shadow - a corridor just 60 to 70 miles (96 to 113 kilometers) wide - came ashore in Oregon and then traveled diagonally across the heartland to South Carolina, with darkness from the totality lasting only about two to three wondrous minutes in any one spot. The rest of North America was treated to a partial eclipse, as were Central American and the top of South America.   More
(Source: - Aug 22)

WHY AN ECLIPSE IS BETTER VIEWED FROM EARTH: AN ASTRONAUT'S PERSPECTIVE - In one day, we will be treated to a total eclipse of the sun over a large portion of the United States. This has not happened since 1979. I remember observing part of a total eclipse when I was in grade school, back in 1970. The next day, I saw a newspaper article about a girl who became blind because she watched it for several minutes without any eye protection (when the sun was not totally obscured). Her mother came into her room and caught her, and made her stop.    More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 22)

ORS-5 SATELLITE PREPPED FOR LAUNCH - With a Flight Readiness Review successfully concluded Aug. 17, the Air Force's Operational Responsive Space (ORS)-5 satellite is now ready for its journey to equatorial orbit from Space Launch Complex-46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It is scheduled for launch on Aug. 25 during a four-hour launch window that opens at 11:15 p.m., EDT, after being stacked and mated atop a five-stage Orbital ATK Minotaur IV launch vehicle. ORS-5, also known as SensorSat, was encapsulated Aug. 11 at the Astrotech Space Operations Florida processing facility in preparation for its upcoming launch. Encapsulation of ORS-5 marked the satellite's completion of all major testing prior to transfer to LC-46.   More
(Source: Space Daily - Aug 21)

EYES ON THE GROUND: NOAA SATELLITES FOCUSED ON THE GROUND DURING ECLIPSE - While nearly everyone else will have their eyes focused up in the air during Monday’s eclipse, scientists with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration will have their weather satellites focused on the ground. “We’ll be using those to track and acquire imagery of the moon’s shadow as it crosses across the United States,” said Vanessa Griffin, the director of satellite operations for NOAA.   More
(Source: WTOP - Aug 21)

JAPAN LAUNCHES SATELLITE FOR ADVANCED GPS OPERATION - Japan on Saturday launched an H-2A rocket carrying a geo-positioning satellite into orbit after a week-long delay, the government said. The launch of Japan's third geo-positioning satellite is part of its plan to build a version of the U.S. global positioning system (GPS) to offer location information used for autopiloting and possible national security purposes. The government postponed the launch a week ago because of a technical glitch.   More
(Source: Reuters - Aug 20)

STATION CREW ENDS WEEK PREPARING FOR ECLIPSE 2017 - The Expedition 52 crew wrapped up a busy week on Friday with more science work, cargo unloading and cleanup after a Russian spacewalk on Thursday. They are also busy preparing for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse on Monday with the chance at several unique views of the event. The crew participated in several studies including Vascular Echo Ultrasound, a Canadian Space Agency investigation that examines changes in blood vessels and the heart while the crew members are in space.   More
(Source: NASA - Aug 20)

ATLAS 5 ROCKET DELIVERS NASA DATA ROUTER INTO SPACE FOR ASTRONAUTS AND SATELLITES - Bulking up NASA’s constellation of tracking stations in the sky that provides critical links between orbiting spacecraft and ground control, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket successfully deployed a new communications hub in space today. NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite series, a program that revolutionized mission operations for U.S. human spaceflight and robotic craft, is now in its fourth decade and this morning orbited its 12th satellite.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 19)

PROTON LAUNCHER TAKES OFF WITH DUAL-USE RUSSIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE - A high-power Russian satellite designed to deliver broadband Internet connections and relay television and videoconferencing signals fired into orbit Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Destined to serve the Russian military and civilian customers, the first Blagovest communications satellite rode a Proton rocket into space at 2207 GMT (6:07 p.m. EDT) Wednesday, according to a statement released by ISS Reshetnev, the spacecraft’s manufacturer. Liftoff occurred at 4:07 a.m. local time Thursday at Baikonur, a sprawling spaceport leased by the Russian government from Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 18)

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