TRAVEL DELAYS EXPECTED ON YEAR'S BUSIEST DAY... DEVELOPING... Nov 30, 2008
According to NASA, If a landing is not possible in Florida early Sunday afternoon, it could be moved to Edwards Air Force Base in California later Sunday afternoon, followed by a costly piggy back ride to Florida via jet aircraft at a later date ... Discover the powerfulnasal allergy symptomrelief of XYZAL. (The Drudge Report)
The fools gold of carbon trading Nov 30, 2008
Jim Hansen, director of the Nasa God-dard space centre and a renowned critic of global measures to combat climate change, believes carbon trading is a terrible approach. Carbon trading does not solve the emission problem at all, he says. (Times Online)
John William Kosick Nov 30, 2008
Also, he was assigned to work with NASA to determine weather patterns for the launching and re-entries of space missions. Tracking hurricanes and flying into their eyes to gather information was one of his favorite assignments. (The Herald-Palladium)
Shuttle to try for KSC touchdown Nov 30, 2008
A crescent moon, a red star representing Mars and the constellation Orion depict NASA's vision for next-generation spacecraft. Endeavour's flight -- dubbed STS-126 in NASA's numbering system -- is Gagnon's first shuttle patch, but not his first NASA work ... If the forecast doesn't improve for Monday, NASA could choose to land Endeavour today at Edwards Air Force Base in California, at 4:24 p.m. or at 5:29 p.m.. (Florida Today)
Endeavour undocks; crew looks for damage Nov 30, 2008
Pilot Eric Boe maneuvered Endeavour from the station just before 10 a.m. Friday and guided the shuttle in a tight loop so NASA could photograph the outposts exterior condition ... Now its just a matter of getting Endeavour home, said Mike Sarafin, a NASA flight director. (Florida Today)
Two more Chandrayaan instruments to be activated in mid-December Nov 30, 2008
Five instruments were indigenously built by ISRO, while the remaining six payloads are of foreign origin- three from the European Space Agency, two from the US space agency NASA and one from Bulgaria. Built jointly by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and the Space Physics Laboratory of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VKSC) at Thiruvananthapuram, SARA will study the composition of moon, the way its surface reacts to solar wind, how its materials change and the magnetic anomalies. (Economic Times)
Chandrayaan-1 Starts Observations Of The Moon Nov 30, 2008
21, 2008) Two NASA instruments to map the lunar surface will launch on India's maiden moon voyage ... (May 10, 2006) NASA will have two scientific instruments on India's maiden voyage to the moon ... Tuesday, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and his counterpart, Indian Space Research Organization Chairman G.. (Science Daily)
Endeavour deemed fit for landing; weather a concern Nov 30, 2008
NASA on Saturday declared the shuttle Endeavour fit for today's descent to Earth but told the astronauts to prepare for a touchdown in either Florida, where stormy weather is possible, or California, where the weather outlook is better ... "One is just as good as the other in our mind," said NASA's LeRoy Cain, chairman of Endeavour's mission management team ... That could be a factor in the agency's decision to select Edwards today, said NASA flight director Bryan Lunney, who will supervise the... (Houston Chronicle)
Endeavour leaves space station a better place Nov 30, 2008
NASA hopes to double the space station population - currently at three - by the middle of next year. The space shuttle dropped off an extra bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms, and a new system designed to turn astronauts' urine and sweat into drinking water. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Shuttle crew prepares for Sunday homecoming Nov 30, 2008
Endeavour is set to touch down at NASA's Florida base at 1:19 p.m. EST (1819 GMT) to wrap up the agency's fourth and final mission of the year ... The shuttle could stay in orbit until the weather clears or land at Edwards Air Force Base in California instead, said Bryan Lunney, a NASA flight director ... NASA wants to have the system running for three months before adding three more residents to the orbital research base. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Endeavour Is Coming Home Nov 30, 2008
NASA is planning to use the water recycling system for longer space flights, journeys in which water may become an issue. Endeavour is set to land on Sunday after a spectacular atmosphere reentry. (eFluxMedia)
A Networking Idea That's Out of This World Nov 30, 2008
NASA is testing a network layer technology that can withstand the rigorous demands of space communication better than the standard TCP/IP () protocol, which dominates terrestrial (non-space) networking technologies ... "In fact, far more research has been done to date on the application of DTN to terrestrial communication problems than on its use in space flight missions," said Scott Burleigh, a senior engineer for the Deep Impact Networking Experiment of NASA's JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) ... In... (Datamation)
NASA closely monitoring weather for space shuttle's Sunday landing Nov 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- As the crew of U.S. space shuttle Endeavor prepare for landing, NASA mission managers are closely monitoring a cold front that could affect Sunday's entry and landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Forecasters are predicting the front could bring rain, possible thunderstorms and crosswinds that would violate the shuttle's flight rules into the Florida spaceport area, according to updates posted Saturday night at NASA's official website ... NASA's ground... (Xinhuanet, China)
Europe to spend $13 bln on Mars rover, space plans Nov 30, 2008
ESA ministers capped their contribution to ExoMars at 1 billion euros, leaving another 200 million euros to be funded through co-operation with NASA of the United States or Russia. The compromise allows an ExoMars launch to go ahead in 2016, without new German contributions for the time being, while Berlin secured pledges that Europe's 1. (EETimes)
Is NASA's Answer 'Desperate Astronauts'? Nov 30, 2008
NASA Faces Public Relations Quandary: How to Hold Attention of Preoccupied Earthlings ... In this image from NASA TV, the crew from the International Space Station and Space Shuttle ... In this image from NASA TV, the crew from the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour hold a joint news conference from space, last week. (ABC News)
Endeavour's Astronauts Await Permission to Land Nov 30, 2008
On a Handheld Device. SIGN UP FOR FREE NEWS ALERTS. (Newsmax)
Endeavor Crew Says 'Bye To Space Station Nov 29, 2008
In this image provided by NASA taken from inside Endeavour, one of the STS-126 astronauts recorded this view of part of one of the International Space Station trusses and part of a solar panel, backdropped against a blue and white Earth on the eve of Thanksgiving Wednesday Nov. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/NASA). (CBS News)
Work done, shuttle leaves space station Nov 29, 2008
(Reuters/NASA TV) November 29, 2008 ... NASA hopes to double the space station population - currently at three - by the middle of next year. (Boston Globe)
Back to Earth Nov 29, 2008
NASA wants to test the samples and run the equipment in orbit for at least three months before allowing anyone to drink the recycled stuff ... NASA added a 16th day to the flight to give the astronauts extra time to work on the balky urine processor. (Fox News)
Picks of the Week: Hacking, Rangel and Bad Loans Nov 29, 2008
Security Breaches Plague NASA. A yearlong investigation by BusinessWeek found that hackers and foreign operatives -- many allegedly linked to China -- have been breaking into NASA computers for years, on satellites, rocket engines and the Space Shuttle from the nation's military and scientific institutions ... BusinessWeek's Keith Epstein and Ben Elgin found internal NASA documents that showed cyber-burglars had "slipped into the digital network of NASA's supposedly super-secure Kennedy Space... (Washington Post)
Look up, its the Space Station Nov 29, 2008
The Gillette News-Record: Yesterday. Friday, November 28, 2008. (Gillette News-Record, WY)
Grow fresh air in your home Nov 29, 2008
NASA researchers recommend that 1,800- square-foot homes (and orbiting space stations) have 15 to 18 houseplants to cleanse the air. And there is less dusting to do in a room graced by several houseplants. (Lake City Reporter, FL)
Endeavour crew leaves space station, set for Sunday landing Nov 29, 2008
And the water system didn't work for a few days, causing NASA some concern ... While the crew was in space, NASA celebrated the station's10th anniversary on Nov. 13. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Betelgeuse is Making Waves Nov 29, 2008
Year after year, NASA continues to rack up amazing discoveries with its vast assortment of missions. However, even as the U.S. agency wrestles with trying to build its next-generation space ferry amid , other nations are making space-exploration gains as well. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Endeavour prepares for return Nov 29, 2008
The Endeavour astronauts were able to enjoy Thanksgiving on the station after NASA decided to extend the planned 15-day mission by one day. That provided more time to successfully install a crucial new water recycling system and collect water samples that will be tested for quality before the system is fully activated. (Florida Today)
* FEATURE: Bangladeshis get that awful sinking feeling Nov 29, 2008
James Hansen, director of the US-based NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, says Bangladeshs entire 144 million population will become environmental refugees by the end of the century because its entire landmass will be under water. In September, the Bangladeshi government launched a campaign against rich countries, saying they needed to cough up billions of dollars to help it, one of the poorest nations in the world, fight climate change. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Delving Into Mysterious Irregularity Of Earth's Magnetic Field: Observatory Being Built In Middle Of Atlantic Ocean Nov 29, 2008
(May 4, 2004) NASA scientists discovered pollution could catch an airborne "express train," or wind current, from Asia all the way to the southern Atlantic. (May 11, 2005) Scientists at the University of Liverpool are embarking on a research cruise to help them understand recent major changes in the temperature of the. (Science Daily)
'The Photon Force Is With Us': Harnessing Light To Drive Nanomachines Nov 29, 2008
(July 6, 2000) In two breakthrough developments, NASA scientists have beamed microwaves and laser energy to "fill" lightweight sails in laboratory demonstrations of how these technologies might provide. (July 5, 2007) Physicists at the University of California at Berkeley have produced images that show how light can control some of the smallest possible. (Science Daily)
Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere Nov 29, 2008
The evidence comes from NASA's now-retired Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft ... Brain is pinning his hopes on a new NASA mission named MAVEN. Short for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution," MAVEN is an upper atmosphere orbiter currently approved for launch to Mars in 2013 ... (July 14, 2007) Scientists are using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter to monitor a large dust storm on the Red Planet. (Science Daily)
Meteorite: 10-ton Rock Responsible For Fireball In Western Canada Nov 29, 2008
17, 2000) A meteorite that exploded over a remote area of northwest Canada in January may offer a new window into the universe before the solar system was created, said a NASA scientist who has. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Shuttle starts return trip after avoiding space junk Nov 29, 2008
This NASA image shows Endeavour departing the international space station on 00004000 Friday, ending a 12-day visit that left the orbiting complex with better living quarters for bigger crews ... NASA will prepare both the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif ... With pilot Eric Boe at the controls, Endeavour backed 450 feet away from the station and began a slow "fly around." During the looping maneuver, the shuttle fliers aimed cameras at the station to document... (Houston Chronicle)
Endeavour Waved the International Space Station Good-Bye Nov 29, 2008
Magnus, who is scheduled to remain in orbit until NASA's next shuttle mission in February, replaced Greg Chamitoff, 46, an aeronautical engineer eager to return home to his loved ones ... Approximately two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a media briefing to discuss the mission ... The participants will be: - Michael Griffin, NASA administrator, Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations. (eFluxMedia)
Astronauts busy collecting recycled urine samples Nov 29, 2008
NASA officials were just as thrilled with the way a newly repaired rotary joint was working ... NASA extended the flight by a day to give the astronauts more time to work on the urine processor. (ABC 7 News, DC)
Students competing on design of orbiter Nov 29, 2008
The top three teams from each day of the preliminaries will win a Challenger Space Center Simulated Space Mission and will advance to finals on Jan. 2 at the Challenger Space Center in Peoria, where they will present their projects to a panel of NASA astronauts and Honeywell engineers. The first-place team and teacher at the finals will be awarded a VIP trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to experience a behind-the-scenes look at the NASA facilities. (AZCentral -- News)
Galaxy : Hubble solves puzzle about loner starburst galaxy Nov 29, 2008
Astronomers, using NASA s Hubble space telescope, have resolved a long standing puzzle about why a small, nearby, isolated galaxy is pumping out new stars faster than any galaxy in our local neighborhood. Now, the Hubble has helped astronomers solve the mystery of the loner starburst galaxy, called NGC 1569, by showing that it is one and a half times farther away than astronomers thought. (Entertainment and Showbiz!)
Thanksgiving in space: stiff turkey, bland yams Nov 28, 2008
Michele Perchonok, a NASA food technologist, explains Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 at Houston's Johnson Space Center how astronauts would prepare a helping of green beans while in space ... He added: "We'll have a true Thanksgiving feast.' Instead of sitting at a large Thanksgiving dinner table, the astronauts will float around as they eat. The food pouches have Velcro tags which allow them to be attached to the astronauts' suits. The food also can be fixed to Velcro patches on metallic food trays,... (Washington Post -- Technology)
Astronauts toast holiday in orbit Nov 28, 2008
24: NASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates his teardrop-shaped cup, which lets him drink beverages (such as a Thanksgiving toast) in the weightlessness of space without a straw ... Take a virtual VIP tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, powered by Photosynth. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Zero-gravity cup means no more straws Nov 28, 2008
"The way this works is the cross-section of this cup looks like an airplane wing. The narrow angle here will wick the coffee up," Pettit explained in a video radioed to NASA's Mission Control Centre in Houston and broadcast on NASA TV. ... 470332NASA TVhttp://www ... 470332NASA TVhttp://www. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
Woman who inspired 'Contact' still listening Nov 28, 2008
" Thanks to advancements in technology, scientists hope to get an answer sooner rather than later. Rovers have snapped photographs of the surface of Mars that show fossil-like shapes. NASA hopes to launch within a decade a Terrestrial Planet Finder, an orbiting observatory that would detect planets around nearby stars and determine whether they could support life. "In Search of Aliens" Watch Miles O'Brien's five-part series on aliens and UFOs, every day this week on CNN's "American Morning" 6 to... (CNN -- Tech)
India launch aims to map the moon Nov 28, 2008
The mapping instruments are a joint project with NASA.. Until now, India's space launches have been more practical, with weather warning satellites and communication systems, said former NASA associate administrator Scott Pace, director of space policy at the George Washington University ... Those missions took high resolution pictures of the moon, but aren't as comprehensive as Chandrayaan-1 will be or NASA's upcoming half-a-billion-dollar Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Pace said. (CNN -- Tech)
Clouds And Climate Change: CERES Flight Model Moves Toward Launch Nov 28, 2008
27, 2008) NASA s Langley Research Center s Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments have been observing clouds and the radiation budget for nearly a decade now ... Since its inception, CERES, which measures all wavelength radiation, has gathered that important data, building on the prior observations of NASA s Earth's Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) data to create a 30-year record of radiative flux at the top of Earth's atmosphere ... Four CERES sensors currently... (Science Daily)
Jupiter's Rocky Core Bigger And Icier, According To New Simulation Nov 28, 2008
"The simulation was in pretty good agreement with what the Galileo probe measured" when the NASA spacecraft descended through Jupiter's atmosphere in 1995, Hubbard said ... Future data from NASA's Juno mission, to be launched in 2011 and orbit Jupiter by 2016 to measure the planet's magnetic field and gravity, will provide a check on Militzer's predictions ... 27, 2008) NASA is officially moving forward on a mission to conduct an unprecedented, in-depth study of Jupiter. (Science Daily)
NASA Prepares For New Juno Mission To Jupiter Nov 28, 2008
27, 2008) NASA is officially moving forward on a mission to conduct an unprecedented, in-depth study of Jupiter ... "Juno gives us a fantastic opportunity to get a picture of the structure of Jupiter in a way never before possible," said James Green, director of NASA's Planetary Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington ... The Juno mission is the second spacecraft designed under NASA's New Frontiers Program. (Science Daily)
Dogs'll get stung, says Schultz Nov 28, 2008
Former graduates from both schools working at NASA on the current space shuttle mission. Three Tech grads flying it. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
2 crews on space station feast, then part ways Nov 28, 2008
NASA VIDEO NASA VIDEO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES ... The fare was packaged by NASA in plastic containers designed to prepare the meal for months without refrigeration. (Houston Chronicle)
Astronauts spend Thanksgiving in space Nov 28, 2008
After a freeze-dried Thanksgiving dinner Thursday and a round of good-byes to their comrades aboard the space station, the hatches between the shuttle and the orbiting scientific research facility were closed at closed at 7:31 p.m. EST, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration reported. Undocking is scheduled for 9:47 a.m. Friday, with the final separation burn at 12:14 p.m.. (United Press International)
Astronauts share freeze-dried Thanksgiving feast at space station Nov 28, 2008
NASA wants to test the samples and run the equipment in orbit for at least three months before allowing anyone to drink the recycled stuff. Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff, who has lived at the orbiting outpost for the past six months, spent his last night with space station colleagues. (KHOU.com, TX)
Astronauts share freeze-dried Thanksgiving feast Nov 28, 2008
NASA wants to test the samples and run the equipment in orbit for at least three months before allowing anyone to drink the recycled stuff ... NASA: http://spaceflight. (AZCentral -- News)
Student excited to start NASA internship Nov 28, 2008
NASA officials provided few details about her internship, other than her project title Software Assurance Claims-Evidence Diagram Development and an indecipherable description of it that includes phrases such as Student to help build a claims-evidence diagram for software assurance ... I was just talking with (another spring intern), and we re both pretty excited to get our official NASA badges. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Amateur astronomer captures lost NASA tool bag on video Nov 27, 2008
Lost NASA tool bag tracked and caught on camera ... According to Mr. Fetter, he was able to locate the positioning of NASA's missing tool bag by using an orbital calculator found on astronomy Web site SpaceWeather ... Those worried about being struck on the head by a flaming grease gun or solar panel wrench should take solace from space experts who say the NASA tool bag will burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere when it finally loses orbit. (The Tech Herald)
Mission impossible? Stargazers seek astronaut's lost toolkit Nov 27, 2008
Officials at Nasa had expected the bag, and any embarrassment associated with it, to burn up on reentry into the Earth s atmosphere ... Nasa has lost three lunar buggies on the Moon, although whether this is because astronauts forgot where they parked them remains classified ... Source: Nasa; Times archives. (Times Online)
Astronauts busy collecting recycled water samples Nov 27, 2008
Endeavour delivered the 154 million recycling equipment on Nov. 16, along with other home improvement gear that will allow NASA to double the size of the international space station crew next year ... NASA officials were just as thrilled with the way a newly repaired rotary joint was working ... NASA extended the flight by a day to give the astronauts more time to work on the urine processor. (Rensselaer Republican, IN)
Shuttle Crew Gets Ready to Leave Space Station Nov 27, 2008
NASA wants to test the samples and run the equipment in orbit for at least three months before allowing anyone to drink the recycled stuff ... NASA added a 16th day to the flight to give the astronauts extra time to work on the balky urine processor. (Fox News)
Watch the Skies! Nov 27, 2008
Asteroids are small planetary bodies that revolve around the sun, according to the NASA Web site, which states that many scientists believe an asteroid collided with Earth about 65 million years ago, helping cause environmental changes that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Schweickart, a former Apollo 9 crew member, spoke at a news conference after briefing U.N. officials on a recent report called "Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response.". (Fox News)
Astronauts pack up for return to Earth Nov 27, 2008
NASAEndeavour astronaut Don Pettit works on the international space station's water recycling system on Nov. 19 ... Take a virtual VIP tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, powered by Photosynth ... NASA wants to test the samples and run the equipment in orbit for at least three months before allowing anyone to drink the recycled stuff. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Grow fresh air in your home Nov 27, 2008
NASA researchers recommend that 1,800- square-foot homes (and orbiting space stations) have 15 to 18 houseplants to cleanse the air. And there is less dusting to do in a room graced by several houseplants. (Lake City Reporter, FL)
NASA Plans for Return to Jupiter Nov 27, 2008
The Juno mission will be the first project in which a spacecraft is placed in a polar orbit around the solar system's largest planet to understand its formation, evolution and structure, NASA officials said Monday. "Jupiter is the archetype of giant planets in our solar system and formed very early, capturing most of the material left after the sun formed," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Experts Offer Anti-Asteroid Plan Nov 27, 2008
Asteroids are small planetary bodies that revolve around the sun, according to the NASA Web site, which states that many scientists believe an asteroid collided with Earth about 65 million years ago, helping cause environmental changes that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs ... NASA on asteroids: http://www. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Time nears for filing for school board candidate Nov 27, 2008
Steffes informed the School Board of a poster, sent from NASA and signed by the entire elementary school, students and staff. It was returned to NASA, put on a CD and is now in space with the shuttle on mission STS-126. (California Democrat, MO)
RPI's quest for life Nov 27, 2008
NASA grant, the New York Center for Astrobiology will be investigating the origins of life on Earth, the conditions under which atoms become life, and ways to detect whether that process can occur elsewhere, particularly on Mars and other planets in this solar system. Just listen to the optimism of John Delano of UAlbany, the associate director of the new center. (Albany Times Union)
Astronauts feast Nov 27, 2008
Though only six holiday meal portions launched with Endeavour on Nov. 14, NASA officials said that amount complemented what was already stowed at the station, so there's plenty of bird to go around. The two crews and NASA likely will give thanks for what has been a productive 12-day stay on the station, including upgrades needed to double the station's permanent crews to six people next year ... The two crews were able to spend Thanksgiving together after NASA earlier this week extended... (Florida Today)
Europe meets to set space goals Nov 27, 2008
Such is the cost of this type of venture that it is almost certain to be undertaken in partnership with other agencies, most probably the US space agency (Nasa). INDEPENDENT ACCESS TO SPACE. (BBC News -- Science)
Dawn Spacecraft Glides Into New Year Nov 27, 2008
27, 2008) NASA's Dawn spacecraft shut down its ion propulsion system this week as scheduled ... "Dawn has completed the thrusting it needs to use Mars for a gravity assist to help get us to Vesta," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif ... The Dawn mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres is managed and operated by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible... (Science Daily)
Source Of Geysers On Saturn's Moon Enceladus May Be Underground Water Nov 27, 2008
The team of researchers also includes Brad Wallis, and Amanda Hendrix from Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Larry Esposito (principal investigator of the UVIS investigation), Bonnie Meinke and Kris Larsen from the University of Colorado; Wayne Pryor from Central Arizona College; and Feng Tian, from NASA's postdoctoral program ... 11, 2008) NASA's Cassini spacecraft will make an unprecedented "in your face" flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wed ... 6, 2005) Jets of fine, icy particles streaming from... (Science Daily)
Space Waste: Handling Garbage When Your Dumpster Is 100 Million Miles Away? Nov 27, 2008
to develop a cutting-edge trash dryer for NASA. The space agency will need a new solid waste strategy before it sends astronauts on extended missions to Mars or an outpost on the moon ... A prototype heat-pump dryer is currently being tested at the NASA Ames Research Center ... If NASA selects the Cornell/ORBITEC model (which Hunter describes in several peer-reviewed Society for Automotive Engineer technical papers) over dryers developed by competing groups, ORBITEC will make a prototype that... (Science Daily)
