Harimedia Forum

Photo of former Soviet Union Space Shuttle Buran flying in space


• http://titantorg.ru • Videos


During the 1980's the Soviet Union developed their own version of the space shuttle. The first orbiter was named Buran (snowstorm). It flew on 15 November 1988, without a crew for a total of three orbits. Some commentators believe the Soviet version was superior to the US space shuttle for a number of reasons; Continued...


• Photos: Space Shuttle Buran

- Although many thought the Buran was a superior design to the US space shuttles funding was cancelled in the early 1990's.

1th American to orbit the Earth


• Friendship 7 (MA-6)


On Feb. 20, 1962 at 9:47 am EST, John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 to become the first American to orbit the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters his Friendship 7 capsule with assistance from technicians to begin his historic flight.

Glenn rejoined NASA in 1998 as a member of the STS-95 Discovery crew. This 9-day mission, from Oct. 29-Nov. 7, supported a variety of research payloads including deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform and investigations on space flight and the aging process. (more)




- The Friendship 7 spacecraft, mounted on a Redstone rocket and with astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. onboard, lifts off into Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 20, 1962. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. He returned to Earth after three orbits. • More Photos


• Photos: Friendship 7

- The Atlas Mountains of North Africa were photographed by John Glenn on the flight of Friendship 7 in 1962. - NASA Photos.




- US President Bill Clinton samples some space food while visiting the Kennedy Space Center. Holding the food packet is US Senator and former astronaut John H. Glenn. Looking on is astronaut Curtis L. Brown Jr., STS-95 mission commander. (more)


• Purdue.edu: > View the Vulcan carbon dioxide map on Google Earth
• NASA: NASA-Funded Carbon Dioxide Map of U.S. Released on Google Earth
• Google Ocean: Google Maps & Google Earth as visualization tools for marine data • Web Links and News

ecanadanow.com

Are we alone in the universe?





Hamilton (ECN) - It seems that everyone has a different belief when it comes to answering the question, are we alone in the universe? NASA is launching the Kepler telescope to try and answer that question. The Kepler telescope is looking for another Earth among the stars and will attempt to do that by measuring the brightness of stars.

It will be able to detect blinks in brightness when a planet passes in front of its star. This NASA mission will have other benefits as well, our knowledge about the universe will change because we will become aware of the types of planets that actually exist around different stars and that information will revolutionize the field of astronomy. Other forms of intelligent life in the universe have been on the minds of scientists, as well as individuals all over the world for centuries.

Other life forms have been written about and described in detail using the imagination found in the human mind. If we are capable of imaging other intelligent life forms, then are we alone? Imagination does play a role in reality in some way. In order to believe that other intelligent life exists, it must be rationally confirmed or we say it is false and life is our exclusive; other intelligent forms do not exist.

The Kepler telescope will be searching for Earth-type neighbors for at least three years, maybe more. We already know that the galaxy is literally filled with planets, so the odds are better than good that it will discover what Star trek has been preparing us for, over the last thirty plus years. Or has it been our imagination that has been preparing us for this wonderful event of connection? Our beliefs do create our reality; it looks like another reality may be ready to make itself known and then perhaps the question will be, are they another version of ourselves?

Foxnews.com

Space Telescope Launches Friday to Find New Earths
By Andrea Thompson, March 06, 2009


• Kepler Space Observatory • Spaceflight: Kepler Coverage • Wired Blog


If Friday's launch goes according to plan and successfully lobs NASA's new Kepler space telescope into orbit, the mission stands to potentially change the way we look at the universe. Kepler is designed to turn its eye on thousands of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy and look for signs of Earth-sized planets orbiting in a region conducive to supporting life.

"Kepler will push back the boundaries of the unknown in our patch of the Milky Way galaxy, and its discoveries may fundamentally alter humanity's view of itself," said Jon Morse, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The probe is slated to launch on Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a Delta 2 booster. NASA delayed the mission by one day for extra rocket checks after the loss of another probe just after its launch last week.

The $600 million Kepler mission is named for Johannes Kepler, the 17th century German scientist who pioneered the fields of optics and planetary motion. "Now, 400 years later, we're using his discoveries in order to answer a profound and fundamental question about our place in the universe: Are there other Earth-like planets out there?" Morse said. Kepler will use an unprecedented combination of light detectors (adding up to about 95 million pixels) to capture the subtle shifts in light that characterize an extrasolar planet orbiting its star. For comparison, a high-end digital camera on Earth might have 10 megapixels, but Kepler's detectors add up to 95-megapixel array, mission researchers said.

• Looking for Goldilocks

Over the last two decades, scientists have spotted more than 300 extrasolar planets circling other stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Most of these planets have been about the size of Jupiter or larger, making it unlikely they would harbor life. But those aren't what Kepler is aiming to find. "We're interested in planets like that of Earth, rocky planets in an orbit where life might be possible," said principal investigator for Kepler science William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

Kepler will be pointing its 0.95-meter diameter telescope and array of 42 charge-coupled devices (light-sensitive microchips also found in standard digital cameras) at a pre-selected target group of 100,000 stars. Kepler will be looking for fluctuations in the light of each star that result from a planet transiting – or moving in front of – its parent star as seen from the perspective of Earth. These fluctuations can tell scientists how big the planet is, as well as how far away its orbit is from its parent star. "When a planet goes across a star, it blocks some light," Borucki explained. "The bigger the planet, the more light it blocks, so we get the size of the planet from the size of the dimming."

By looking for multiple transits, the Kepler team can determine the planet's orbital period, or how long it takes the planet to circle its star. Each planet will need to be observed through at least three transits, Borucki said, to determine the period and to make sure the dimming isn't due to some other astronomical phenomenon, such as a spot on the star. "We don't want to have false discoveries; we want to be very, very sure that when we say it's an Earth, it really is an Earth," Borucki said.

If the potential planet has a short orbital period (a few days or weeks), that means it orbits very closely to its sun. A long period (of several years) would mean it sits closer to the edge of the star's gravitational grip. In general, such extreme orbits would make the planet too hot or too cold, respectively, for life to arise there. Borucki and the rest of the Kepler team are interested in finding a planet with a more middle-of-the-road orbit, one that is "not too hot, not too cold, but just right," he said. Such orbits, which fall in what is called the sun's "habitable zone," would mean that the temperature of the planet was mild enough for liquid water to exist on the surface.

• Stellar continuum

• Photos: Kepler Space Telescope

- German Astronomer Johannes Kepler, best known for the laws of planetary motion. Kepler documented the explosion of a supernova in 1604, which was the last such event observed in our Milky Way galaxy and would later be known as "Kepler's supernova." • Johannes Kepler: The Laws of Planetary Motion


Of course, this Goldilocks orbit won't be in the same place for every star, which can have large variations in the amount of light they put out. Kepler will be looking at three main types of stars: A-type stars, G-type stars (the group our sun belongs to), and M-dwarfs. A-type stars are the hottest of the bunch, which shifts their habitable zone further away from the star.

They "are very luminous, they put out a lot of energy, and their habitable zone is actually much further away from the star than for our Sun," said astronomer Debra Fischer of the San Francisco State University, who is not directly involved with the Kepler mission. The habitable zone for G-type stars would lie in the range of Earth's orbit, so any likely exoplanet candidates would have an orbital period of about one year.

M-dwarfs, meanwhile, lie on the other extreme. "These very low luminosity stars are not giving out as much energy," Fischer explained. "To be in the habitable zone around one of these low-mass stars, you have to move in a little bit so you can warm up, basked in the starlight." So planets in the habitable zone of an M-dwarf will have much faster orbital periods than those in the habitable zones of G-type or A-type stars. "And so what Kepler will be doing is watching as the planet goes across, blinks the starlight out, and with the M-dwarfs, the frequency of the blinks of planets in the habitable zone is going to be much higher," Fischer explained.

• Hot Jupiters and twin Earths

Kepler won't be sending back news of a twin Earth right away though. Once it is up in orbit and properly calibrated, it will likely churn out detections of bigger planets first. The first planets to "roll out the Kepler assembly line" will likely be the so-called 'hot Jupiters,' Fischer said. The planets are intriguing to astronomers because they are the size of Jupiter but sit at the orbit of Mercury. "The shear number of these objects that Kepler will find is going to help us learn a lot about these systems," Fischer said.

Next to roll out will likely be the similarly-named 'hot Neptunes," and then finally, "the hardest detection, and by far the most exciting, is going to be the detection of bonafide Earths," Fischer said. While Kepler won't be able to tell astronomers what the planets look like, Fischer thinks there will be great variety in the other potential Earths out there, for example, 'water worlds' covered entirely by oceans. "I think that the science fiction writers are going to be challenged to imagine the diversity that we could expect to find even in these types of planets," she said.

Just how many other Earth's Kepler will find is anybody's guess though. "because we don't really know what's out there," Borucki said. "Kepler's designed to find hundreds of Earth-size planets if such planets are common around stars; dozens of these planets if they're in the habitable zone," Borucki said. "If we find that many, it certainly will mean that life may well be common throughout our galaxy, because it's an opportunity for life to have a place to evolve." "If on the other hand, we don't find any, that will be another profound discovery. It will mean that Earths must very rare, we may be the only extant life in our universe," Borucki added. "It'll mean no 'Star Trek." Borucki emphasized that no matter what Kepler finds, it won't find little green men. "Although Kepler will not find E.T., it's helping to find E.T.'s home," he said.


› Launch Processing Images / 2

• MSNBC: Earth-hunter telescope prepared for launch
• Ntxe-news: NASA's Kepler spacecraft ready to ship to Florida
• Great Observatories May Unravel 400-Year-Old Supernova Mystery
___

More information about the Kepler mission is at: www.nasa.gov/kepler - http://kepler.nasa.gov - More Links
More information about extrasolar planets and NASA's planet-finding program is at: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov

AP

Planet-hunting spacecraft launches from Cape Canaveral
By AP, March 6, 2009


• Launch Video

- $600 million Kepler mission to seek Earthlike planets circling distant stars • Delta II 7925 rocket


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, rocketed into space Friday night on a historic voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy.

It's the first mission capable of answering the age-old question: Are other worlds like ours out there? Kepler, named after the German 17th-century astrophysicist Johannes Kepler, set off on its unprecedented mission at 10:49 p.m. ET, thundering into a clear sky embellished by a waxing moon. Its mission will last at least 3 1/2 years and cost $600 million.

The goal is to find, if they're there, Earthlike planets circling stars in the so-called habitable zone — orbits where liquid water could be present on the surface of the planets. That would mean there are lots of places out there for life to evolve, said Kepler's principal scientist, Bill Borucki. On the other hand, "if we don't find any, it really means Earths are very rare, we might be the only extant life and, in fact, that will be the end of 'Star Trek.' "


• Web Photos • NASA: 5 Things about Kepler

- The Kepler telescope works by analyzing slight changes in the brightness of more than 100,000 stars, specifically looking for blips, which could signify a planet in orbit. Depending on the distance of the star and the size and speed of the blip, scientists can determine the size of the newly discovered planet. Since the prospective planets will take about a year to orbit their star, NASA estimates the mission to last three and a half years, but possibly as long as six. While it is unlikely the Kepler program will confirm the existence of extra-terrestrial life, it may provide the next step in determining whether or not we are alone in the universe. (more...)


Once it's settled into an Earth-trailing orbit around the sun, Kepler will stare nonstop at 100,000 stars near the Cygnus and Lyra constellations, between 600 and 3,000 light-years away. The telescope will watch for any dimming, or winks, in the stellar brightness that might be caused by orbiting planets. Astronomers already have found more than 300 planets orbiting other stars, but they're largely inhospitable gas giants like Jupiter. Kepler will be looking for smaller rocky planets akin to Earth.

Kepler is designed to find hundreds of Earthlike planets if they're common and, perhaps, dozens of them in the habitable zone, Borucki said. The telescope is so powerful that from space, NASA maintains, it could detect someone in a small town turning off a porch light at night. It won't be looking for signs of life, though. That's for future spacecraft. NASA was counting on a successful launch to offset the loss one and a half weeks earlier of the space agency's Orbiting Carbon Observatory. That environmental satellite ended up crashing into the Antarctic because of rocket failure. It was a different type of rocket than the one used for Kepler.


• Space News: NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting mission is ready for launch. • Launch Images

- Feb 26, 2009: On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers watch closely as the second half of the fairing is moved into the mobile service tower for placement around NASA’s Kepler spacecraft (left) to complete encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The liftoff of Kepler aboard the Delta II rocket is currently targeted for launch in a window extending 10:49 to 10:52 p.m. EST March 6 from Pad 17-B. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star’s “habitable zone,” a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are. Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Science Daily

European Space Agency Launches 1. Earth Explorer Mission Goce
By Science Daily News, March, 17, 2009


• ESA: Mapping mountains from space with GOCE (Photos) • GOCE Info


— The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) was lofted into a near-Sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit by a Rockot launcher lifting off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia on March 17. 2009.

With this launch, a new chapter in the history of Earth observation in Europe has begun. GOCE is the first of a new family of ESA satellites designed to study our planet and its environment in order to enhance our knowledge and understanding of Earth-system processes and their evolution, to enable us to address the challenges of global climate change. In particular, GOCE will measure the minute differences in the Earth’s gravity field around the globe.

The Russian Rockot launcher, derived from a converted ballistic missile, lifted off at 15:21 CET (14:21 GMT) and flew northward over the Arctic. About 90 minutes later, after one orbital revolution and two Breeze-KM upper-stage burns, the 1052 kg spacecraft was successfully released into a circular polar orbit at 280 km altitude with 96.7º inclination to the Equator. The launch was procured from Eurockot Launch Services, a German/Russian company based in Bremen, Germany.

Contact with GOCE was established via ESA’s tracking station in Kiruna, Sweden, shortly after separation. The spacecraft is now under the control of ESA’s teams at its European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Contact with GOCE was established via ESA’s tracking station in Kiruna, Sweden, shortly after separation. The spacecraft is now under the control of ESA’s teams at its European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.


• ESA: GOCE Satellite Mission Control


"GOCE is ESA’s first science satellite dedicated to Earth observation since Envisat in 2002. The size has changed, but the rationale remains the same: to provide the best science our technology can deliver for the maximum benefit of the science community and ultimately the citizens of Europe and the world," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General.

GOCE was selected in 1999 as the first Earth Explorer Core Mission under ESA’s Living Planet Programme. The satellite was developed by an industrial team led by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. EADS Astrium Space in Friedrichshafen, Germany, provided the platform. Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France, developed and integrated the main instrument using ultra-precise sensors developed by Onera of France. A total of 45 European firms have contributed to the building of the satellite.

For 24 months, GOCE will collect three-dimensional gravity data all over the globe. The raw data will be processed on the ground to produce the most accurate map of the Earth’s gravitational field to date and to refine the geoid: the actual reference shape of our planet. Precise knowledge of the geoid, which can be considered as the surface of an ideal global ocean at rest, will play a very important role in further study of our planet, its oceans and atmosphere. It will serve as the reference model for our measurement and modelling of sea-level change, ocean circulation and polar ice cap dynamics.

A unique payload onboard a unique spacecraft. Continued...
___

Earth geoid

- The GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) mission will measure high-accuracy gravity gradients and provide a global model of the Earth's gravity field and of the geoid. The geoid (the surface of equal gravitational potential of a hypothetical ocean at rest) serves as the classical reference for all topographical features. The accuracy of its determination is important for surveying and geodesy, and in studies of Earth interior processes, ocean circulation, ice motion and sea-level change. Credits: ESA


• Envisat Images

• Web Links related to: Earth from Space
• Bavarian Academy of Sciences: Observation of the System Earth from Space (Pdf)
• Global Media Coverage: The European Space Agency has launched its Goce gravity mapping satellite

On the Net:
ESA: www.esa.int

Space.com

ESA launches Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer.
03/17/09





This afternoon, the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) was lofted into a near-Sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit by a Rockot launcher lifting off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

1: With this launch, a new chapter in the history of Earth observation in Europe has begun. GOCE is the first of a new family of ESA satellites designed to study our planet and its environment in order to enhance our knowledge and understanding of Earth-system processes and their evolution, to enable us to address the challenges of global climate change. In particular, GOCE will measure the minute differences in the Earth's gravity field around the globe.

The Russian Rockot launcher, derived from a converted ballistic missile, lifted off at 15:21 CET (14:21 GMT) and flew northward over the Arctic. About 90 minutes later, after one orbital revolution and two Breeze-KM upper-stage burns, the 1052 kg spacecraft was successfully released into a circular polar orbit at 280 km altitude with 96.7 degrees inclination to the Equator. The launch was procured from Eurockot Launch Services, a German/Russian company based in Bremen, Germany. Contact with GOCE was established via ESA's tracking station in Kiruna, Sweden, shortly after separation. The spacecraft is now under the control of ESA's teams at its European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.





2: 'GOCE is ESA's first science satellite dedicated to Earth observation since Envisat in 2002. The size has changed, but the rationale remains the same: to provide the best science our technology can deliver for the maximum benefit of the science community and ultimately the citizens of Europe and the world,' said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General. GOCE was selected in 1999 as the first Earth Explorer Core Mission under ESA's Living Planet Programme. The satellite was developed by an industrial team led by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. EADS Astrium Space in Friedrichshafen, Germany, provided the platform. Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France, developed and integrated the main instrument using ultra-precise sensors developed by Onera of France. A total of 45 European firms have contributed to the building of the satellite.

(3): For 24 months, GOCE will collect three-dimensional gravity data all over the globe. The raw data will be processed on the ground to produce the most accurate map of the Earth's gravitational field to date and to refine the geoid: the actual reference shape of our planet. Precise knowledge of the geoid, which can be considered as the surface of an ideal global ocean at rest, will play a very important role in further study of our planet, its oceans and atmosphere. It will serve as the reference model for our measurement and modelling of sea-level change, ocean circulation and polar ice cap dynamics.

The main payload instrument is a state-of-the-art Electrostatic Gravity Gradiometer incorporating six highly sensitive accelerometers, mounted in pairs along three perpendicular axes on an ultra-stable carbon-carbon structure. The mission will measure not gravity itself but the tiny differences in gravity between the accelerometer pairs 50 cm apart.





4: The data collected by GOCE will yield accuracy of 1 to 2 cm in the geoid altitude and 1 mGal for the detection of gravity-field anomalies (mountains, for instance, usually cause local gravitational variations ranging from tens of milligals to approximately one hundred). The spatial resolution will be improved from several hundreds or thousands of kilometres on previous missions to 100 km with GOCE.

In order to get the maximum performance from the Gradiometer, GOCE is designed to provide a highly stable and undisturbed environment, despite its low-altitude orbit which forces the spacecraft to endure slight but significant drag from the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. This is the main reason for its slender 5 metre-long arrowhead aerodynamic shape design. The spacecraft also incorporates two low-power xenon ion engines, one primary and one backup, each able to deliver 1 to 20 milli-Newtons of thrust (the force equivalent to our exhaling). These thrusters will be used to make real-time compensation for atmospheric drag, based on the mean acceleration detected by the two accelerometers mounted along the velocity axis.

The spacecraft's structure and design were also optimised to filter out all kinds of disturbance, by using ultra-stable materials to limit thermal cycling effects, without any deployable or moving parts. Over the coming six weeks, the teams from ESA and its industrial partners will check and commission GOCE. The spacecraft will then be transferred to its operational orbit at 263 km altitude and its payload will undergo a further six weeks of commissioning and calibration. Mission operations are scheduled to start in summer 2009.


(5): The mapping of the Earth's gravity field with such precision will benefit all branches of Earth science. For geodesy, it will provide a unified reference model for height measurements worldwide, eliminating discontinuities between height systems for the various landmasses, countries and continents. This will enable better surveying of sea-level change, allowing scope to revisit a 200 year-plus history of recorded sea levels around the globe.

For oceanography, a better knowledge of the gravity field will significantly reduce current uncertainties regarding ocean heat and mass transfer, which will translate into tremendous improvements to global ocean-circulation and climate-forecasting models. GOCE will also improve our knowledge of the polar cap bedrock in Greenland and Antarctica. The precise geoid map will enable better orbit determination for satellites monitoring the ice sheet and thus increased measurement accuracy.

For geophysics, combining GOCE's results with magnetism, topography and seismology data will help produce detailed 3D mapping of density variations in the Earth's crust and upper mantle. This will be a major contribution to the improvement of all modelling of sedimentary basins, rifts, tectonic movement and sea/land vertical change, enhancing our understanding of the processes responsible for natural hazards. 'This launch success marks the dawn of a new generation of Earth sciences satellites in Europe,' said Volker Liebig, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA. 'It is the first of a new generation of small, dedicated science satellites and it paves the way for more Earth Explorer missions. The scientists are urgently awaiting the data sets from these missions. We have four more launches due over the next two years; this means that we are in for a very busy time.'

(6): GOCE is the first Earth Explorer Core Mission under ESA's Living Planet Programme which was initiated in 1999 to foster research on the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and interior, their interaction and the impact of human activities on these natural processes. Two more Core Missions, selected to address specific topics of major public concern, are already under development: ADM-Aeolus for atmospheric dynamics (2011), and EarthCARE to investigate the Earth's radiative balance (2013). Three smaller Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions are also under preparation: Cryosat 2 to measure ice-sheet thickness (2009), SMOS to study soil moisture and ocean salinity (2009) and Swarm to survey the evolution of the magnetic field (2011).

Images:

1: Liftoff of GOCE on 17 March 2009 at 15:21 CET. Credit: ESA

2: About 90 minutes after launch and almost one orbit around the Earth, the Rockot Breeze upper-stage is oriented to inject the GOCE spacecraft into orbit. This happens around 295 km above central Europe within range of the ground stations in Kiruna in northern Sweden and Svalbard north of Norway. At this point, the first confirmation that all is well with the satellite is expected. GOCE is launched into a Sun-synchronous, near-circular orbit with an inclination of 96.7 degrees. Credit: ESA - AOES Medialab

3: The GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) mission will measure high-accuracy gravity gradients and provide a global model of the Earth's gravity field and of the geoid. The geoid (the surface of equal gravitational potential of a hypothetical ocean at rest) serves as the classical reference for all topographical features. The accuracy of its determination is important for surveying and geodesy, and in studies of Earth interior processes, ocean circulation, ice motion and sea-level change. Credit: ESA

4: Forming the heart of GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer), the gravity gradiometer consists of three pairs of identical ultra-sensitive accelerometers, mounted on three mutually orthogonal 'arms'. One of the arms is aligned with the satellite's trajectory, one pointing towards the centre of the Earth, and the third is perpendicular to the other two. This allows the simultaneous measurement of six independent but complementary components of the gravity field. Credit: ESA - AOES Medialab

5: A better understanding of Earth's gravity field and its associated geoid will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth system works. In particular, an accurate model of the geoid will advance our understanding global ocean circulation patterns and sea-level rise. Credit: ESA

6: Earth Explorers are developed in direct response to the needs of the science community and cover a broad range of science issues to further our understanding of the Earth system. Earth Explorers focus on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and the Earth's interior with the overall emphasis on learning more about the interactions between these components and the impact that human activity is having on natural Earth processes. Credit: ESA

- courtesy of European Space Agency

Today's Highlights, March 18, 2009

Walking in Space: On this date in 1965, cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov took the first walk in space. Leonov was the pilot of Voskhod 2. His 12-minute walk, tethered up to five meters (16.4 ft.) away from the craft, took him from north-central Africa to eastern Siberia. While he was outside, Leonov's spacesuit had inflated so much that he was unable to reenter the capsule until after he had released some of the air. After overcoming a few other problems, the crew's capsule landed back on Earth in the Ural Mountains; they waited overnight for a rescue team, surrounded by wolves. Later, doctors reported that Leonov's body temperature had increased so much during the walk that he nearly suffered heatstroke. More...http://today.answers.com


Allposters.de


Quote: "I felt red, white and blue all over." — Edward White II, on his walk in space

Question of the Day: What would happen to an astronaut if he got a hole in his space suit during a space walk?

Space suits can be punctured by pieces of space junk, as even the shuttle itself has been damaged slightly. Tiny flecks of paint or rock particles have the same ability to damage as a bullet does. Spacewalking astronauts have found their gloves punctured on at least two occasions. Once, the object that pierced it remained in place and kept it sealed, and the other time the puncture extended only through two of the five glove layers. Should the hole cause depressurization of the suit, an astronaut would die.... More

Space.gs

STS-119: Friday's Flight Readiness Review to decide on official launch date


Space Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Launch Pad.

- January 14, 2009: Space shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform, reaches the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is the White Room, attached to the end of the orbiter access arm. Behind the shuttle can be seen the Atlantic Ocean. Discovery had originally been targeted to launch to the International Space Station Feb. 12. Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder


STS-119 Discovery Home

January 21, 2009: After practicing emergency egress from the pad, the STS-119 crew members pose on the 225-foot level for a crew photo. From left are Mission Specialists Richard Arnold and Steve Swanson, Pilot Tony Antonelli, Commander Lee Archambault, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, John Phillips and Joseph Acaba. The crew also took part in a simulated launch countdown, part of the prelaunch preparation known as Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. The TCDT also includes equipment familiarization. Discovery had been targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12. During the 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


http://marsrovername.jpl.nasa.gov

- Jan 14: Space shuttle Discovery atop the mobile launcher platform moves on the Apollo-era crawler-transporter through the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its way to Launch pad 39A.Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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Space.gs

STS-119: Discovery is Go for Launch on March 11.
03/06/09


Space Shuttle Launch Deferred

- Jan 14: Space shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform, reaches the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is the White Room, attached to the end of the orbiter access arm. Behind the shuttle can be seen the Atlantic Ocean. Discovery’s first motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:17 a.m. EST. Discovery was secured to the pad at 12:16 p.m. Discovery had originally been targeted to launch to the International Space Station Feb. 12. Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder




- Jan 21: At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-119 crew members pause in front of the Astrovan before boarding it to head to Launch Pad 39A for a simulated launch countdown. From left are Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, John Phillips, Richard Arnold, Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Commander Lee Archambault. The astronauts are at Kennedy to prepare for launch through Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT includes equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. The crew is targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12 on space shuttle Discovery. During the 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett



NASA managers completed a review on Friday of Space Shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and selected the official launch date for the STS-119 mission. Commander Lee Archambault and his six crewmates are now scheduled to lift off to the International Space Station at 9:20 p.m. EDT on March 11Discovery's launch date was announced following Friday's Flight Readiness Review. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the Shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight.

The review included a formal presentation of the Shuttle's flow control valve work, initiated after NASA identified damage to a valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. Using a detailed inspections, there are three valves that have been cleared of crack indications now installed in Discovery to support the STS-119 mission.




- Jan 15: Space shuttle Discovery rests on Launch Pad 39A after a seven-hour rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left are the fixed service structure (next to the shuttle) and the rotating service structure. Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder


Discovery's STS-119 flight will deliver the International Space Station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The 14-day mission will feature four spacewalks to help install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and the deployment of its solar arrays. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water.

Archambault will be joined on STS-119 by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace space station crew member Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the station for more than four months. He will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-127, targeted to launch in June 2009.

Former science teachers Acaba and Arnold are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They will make their first journey to orbit on the mission and step outside the station to conduct critical spacewalking
tasks.




- Jan 21: On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are being closed. The cargo consists of the integrated truss structure S6 and solar arrays for the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the shuttle's seven astronauts will install the S6 truss to the starboard side of the space station, completing the station's truss, or backbone. Launch of Discovery on the STS-119 mission is targeted for Feb. 12. Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Space.gs

Endeavour STS-119 Mission: countdown proceeds; astronauts refine training.
03/10/09:




- March 8: On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 Commander Lee Archambault is seated in the Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice shuttle landings. The mission crew members arrived in the afternoon at Kennedy to prepare for launch. The mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Space shuttle Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and truss element, S6. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett



Commander Lee Archambault and Pilot Tony Antonelli took turns landing the Shuttle training aircraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to practice landing Space Shuttle Discovery in a couple weeks. Flying over the space center, the astronauts would have had no trouble seeing their spacecraft on Launch Pad 39A where a small team of workers were going through their own procedures leading up to tomorrow night's liftoff planned for 9:20 p.m. EDT (01:20 UT). The weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions and NASA Test Director Steve Payne reported no technical concerns with the spacecraft. "We have no real concerns and we are ready for the exciting mission that lies ahead of us," Payne said.




- March 8: One of the two Shuttle Training Aircraft approaches touchdown on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STS-119 Commander Lee Archambault and Pilot Tony Antonelli are practicing shuttle landings on the runway. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space.gs

Endeavour STS-119 Mission to the ISS: Space Shuttle launch now targeted for Sunday, March 15.
03/11/09


(Full article)

- A nearly full Moon sets as the Space Shuttle Discovery sits atop Launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Space.gs

Endeavour STS-119 Mission: Repairs underway; Sunday launch still targeted.
03/13/09


• Full article

- March 11: A closeup of the 7-inch quick disconnect that will be replaced on the hydrogen vent line to the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. The replacement will be made on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A leak of hydrogen at the site during fueling caused the STS-119 mission to be scrubbed at 2:36 p.m. March 11. The vent line is at the intertank and is the overboard vent to the pad and the flare stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Mission management teams believe they have sufficient understanding of the repair plan to continue toward a March 15 launch at 7:43 p.m. EDT. Photo courtesy of United Space Alliance




- March 3, 2009: On Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install three gaseous hydrogen flow control valves on Space Shuttle Discovery. The valves were retested after installation. Part of the main propulsion system, the valves channel gaseous hydrogen from the main engines to the external tank. NASA and contractor teams have worked to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. Space Shuttle Program managers decided to replace Discovery’s valves with others that have undergone a detailed eddy current inspection. Program managers will review the testing and determine whether to meet on March 6 for the Flight Readiness Review for the STS-119 mission. Launch of Discovery tentatively is targeted for March 11. Credit: NASA/Chris Rhodes (more)




- March 11: Seen in the photo is the hydrogen vent line attached to the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. The shuttle is on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A leak of hydrogen at the location during tanking caused the STS-119 mission to be scrubbed at 2:36 p.m. March 11. The vent line is at the intertank and is the overboard vent to the pad and the flare stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Mission management teams believe they have sufficient understanding of the repair plan to continue toward a March 15 launch at 7:43 p.m. EDT. Photo courtesy of United Space Alliance


• Crew Boarding Begins

- March 11: On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the orbiter access arm and White Room are extended toward space shuttle Discovery after rollback of the rotating service structure. The White Room provides crew access into the shuttle. Above the external tank is the oxygen vent hood, called the 'beanie cap.' The rollback is in preparation for Discovery's liftoff on the STS-119 mission with a crew of seven. The rotating structure provides protected access to the shuttle for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. After the RSS is rolled back, the orbiter is ready for fuel cell activation and external tank cryogenic propellant loading operations. The mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Liftoff of Discovery is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. EDT on March 11. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett



• STS-119: Space Shuttle Discovery Launch from Cape Canaveral


Technicians had their first up-close look this afternoon at the gaseous hydrogen vent line that began leaking during the countdown to Wednesday night's launch attempt. The leak prompted a postponement of the STS-119 launch of space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Today's inspection has set a course for repair options that would allow another launch attempt as soon as Sunday. Discovery's astronauts remain at Kennedy Space Center. They're spending today reviewing their mission objectives, monitoring developments arising from yesterday's launch scrub, spending time with their families at crew quarters and making phone calls to family and friends. Today's scheduled 4 p.m. EDT status meeting to discuss yesterday's scrub of space shuttle Discovery was cancelled. Based on all of the work done over the last 24 hours, teams believe they have sufficient understanding of the hydrogen leak to continue toward a Sunday launch at 7:43 p.m. EDT. A Launch Day minus one (L-1) Mission Management Team meeting has been scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT.

www.space.gs



March 16, 2009: The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are primed for rendezvous and docking operations that will link their ship to the International Space Station this afternoon and deliver a new crew member. Astronaut Lee Archambault (left), STS-119 commander, uses a communication system on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during flight day two activities. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, mission specialist, is at right. Continued...

STS-119 mission coverage

Space.gs

The space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station
March 17, 2009


The space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station at 4:20 p.m. CDT, delivering the final truss segment and pair of U.S. solar arrays and a new crew member to take up residence aboard the growing orbital scientific complex. Discovery Commander Lee Archambault guided the shuttle to a docking as the two spacecraft flew 220 miles above Western Australia. Before closing the final 600 feet to the station, Archambault commanded Discovery through a 'backflip', allowing the station's Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus to take photos that imagery experts will review to assess the health of Discovery's heat shield.




- March 17: Space Shuttle Discovery is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 18 crewmember on the International Space Station during rendezvous and docking operations. Before docking with the station, astronaut Lee Archambault, STS-119 commander, flew the shuttle through a Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver or basically a backflip to allow the space station crew a good view of Discovery's heat shield. Using digital still cameras equipped with both 400 and 800 millimeter lenses, the ISS crewmembers took a number of photos of the shuttle's thermal protection system and sent them down to teams on the ground for analysis. A 400 millimeter lens was used for this image. Docking occurred at 4:20 p.m. (CDT) on March 17, 2009. The final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment are visible in Discovery's cargo bay. Credit: NASA



• ISS Status Report & more images

- March 17: The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by a STS-119 crewmember as Space Shuttle Discovery and the station approach each other during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three. Docking occurred at 4:20 p.m. (CDT) on March 17, 2009, as the two spacecraft flew over Western Australia. Credit: NASA




- March 23: Astronaut Richard Arnold, STS-119 mission specialist, participates in the mission's third scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA




- The International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-119 and Expedition 18 crews concluded 9 days, 20 hours and 10 minutes of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 2:53 p.m. (CDT) on March 25, 2009. Credit: NASA