TCS - What's News in Space
What's News in Space
In this issue:
1. SPACE STATION - Has 8th Residents!
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/
2. GENESIS - Launched 8 August to the Sun
http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/
3. CASSINI - To Arrive SATURN July 2004
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
4. MARS ODYSSEY 2001 - Now on Orbit
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/
5. MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR - Now on Orbit
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/
6-1. MARS EXPEDITION ROVER A ( Spirit )
Launched - 10 June to land Mars 4 January 2004.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/
6-2. MARS EXPEDITION ROVER B ( Opportunity )
Launched - 7 July to land Mars 25 January 2004.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/
7. STARDUST - Comet rendezvous 2004
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/
8. SPACE SHUTTLE - Next launch - On Hold
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/
1. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Expedition 8 crew's workweek is filled with science experiments including related spacewalks. Nov. 2 marked the completion of 3 years of permanent human presence onboard ISS. See URL:-
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/index.html
When complete the million-pound space station will include six laboratories with more space for research than any spacecraft ever built. Internal volume of the space station will be roughly equal to the passenger cabin volume of a 747 jumbo jet. Now orbiting at 240 miles the 197-ton, 146-foot long, 240 feet wide, 90 feet high. The ISS can be viewed from the ground - for opportunities see URL:-
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
2. GENESIS - Mission to the Sun (Launched 8 Aug 2001)
While the spacecraft is in orbit around L1, a point between Earth and the sun where the gravity of both bodies is balanced, it is collecting particles of the solar wind in specially designed high purity wafers. After two years, the sample collectors will be re-stowed and returned to Earth for an exciting mid-air recovery of the sample return capsule - Sept. 2004. The samples will be stored and cataloged under ultra-pure cleanroom conditions and made available to the world scientific community for study.For orbit/flight info go to:-
http://www.genesismission.org/mission/index.html
3. CASSINI
Mission to SATURN (Launched 15 Oct 1997)
Launched from Kennedy Space Center the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will reach the Saturnian region in July 2004. The mission is composed of two elements: The Cassini orbiter that will orbit Saturn and its moons for four years, and the Huygens probe that will dive into the murky atmosphere of Titan and land on its surface. The sophisticated instruments onboard these spacecraft will provide scientists with vital data to help understand this mysterious, vast region. Images showing the entire planet of Jupiter are available online from JPL at:-
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/jupiter
and from the Cassini imaging science team's site at:-
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu
Cassini will begin orbiting Saturn on July 1, 2004. For pictures of Jupiter and information on where Cassini is today, see URLs:-
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/current/cassini.html
4. MARS ODYSSEY 2001
NEW MISSION (Launched 7 Apr 2001)
Mars Odyssey has changed our understanding of the materials on and below the surface in it's mission is to explore the planet from February 2002 through August 2004.. For the first time, this mission will map the amount and distribution of chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martian surface and will especially look for hydrogen, most likely in the form of water ice, in the shallow subsurface of Mars. It will also record the radiation environment in low Mars orbit to determine the radiation-related risk to any future human explorers who may one day go to Mars. Follow mission progress at:-
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/
5. MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
(Launched 7 Nov 1996 - arvd Mars 12 Sep 1997)
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) is now well into its third martian year of daily global weather monitoring and high resolution imaging from its nearly-circular, nearly-polar "mapping" orbit. The spacecraft began orbiting Mars in September 1997, and began its mapping activities in March 1999. The mission is currently planned to operate through September 2004. Images are now available at URLs:-
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs
http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/E01_E06_sampler2002/
and http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/
6-1. MARS EXPEDITION ROVER A
A Delta II rocket is now carrying the roving robot 'Spirit'.
6-2. MARS EXPEDITION ROVER B
A second Delta II rocket is carrying the roving robot 'Opportunity'.
The two rovers will land three weeks apart in January (the 4th & 25th) at opposite sides of Mars and will closely study the surface of the planet. They will bounce and roll inside cocoons of inflated airbags. Unlike the much smaller Sojourner rover of the Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997, each Mars Exploration Rover will be independent of its stationary lander, capable of communicating directly with Earth and carrying a full set of cameras for scouting locations to explore. At selected rocks it will extend an arm bearing geological tools for close-up analysis. The landing sites were selected as places likely to hold geological clues about the history of water on Mars. For details see:-
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/
For a great video of the Mars Mission see URL:-
http://athena.cornell.edu/the_mission/rov_video_popups/rm_mer_full_med.html
7. STARDUST
Launched 7 Feb 1999 to meet Comet Wild-2 in 2004 (Lockheed Martin)
Is now less than one year away from its encounter with Comet Wild 2 in January 2004. The spacecraft will fly through the comet's coma and only about 100 kilometers from the comet nucleus. Dust particles coming off the nucleus will be captured in aerogel, and returned back to Earth in 2006. Sent out to collect and return with the samples from a comet, has begun collecting samples of cosmic dust. If you look at the Milky Way on a dark night, you may see a black band stretching along the center. The band is interstellar dust blocking the light from distant stars. These are the particles that Stardust will be collecting, Scientists will analyze those particles when the samples return to Earth in 2006. For latest status, images and their relative trajectories see URLs:-
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/scnow.html
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/
8. SPACE SHUTTLE
Current Launch (by Team of Lockheed Martin & Boeing)
Next - STS-114 Launch, Space Shuttle Atlantis, ULF-1 (USA)
International Space Station Flight ULF1 / MPLM, Crew Rotation.
Return to Flight Preparations - NASA is continuing its Return to Flight efforts. The Agency is giving reporters the opportunity to see Space Shuttle Atlantis as it is prepared for its next mission, STS-114. Among the activities that the media will see at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is reinstallation of the Atlantis' Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Panels.
For schedule update see URL:-
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-114/mission-sts-114.html
9. Space Calendar
For 15 Feb to 15 Mar 2004 (JPL - 1/1/2004)
Feb ?? - Deadline To Submit Names To Deep Impact Mission
Feb ?? - Direct-TV 7-S Sea Launch Launch
Feb 16 - Asteroid 2003 WE157 Near-Earth Flyby (0.165 AU)
Feb 26 - Rosetta Ariane 5 Launch (Comet Orbiter & Lander)
Feb 26 - ROC-Sat 2 Taurus XL Launch
Feb 27 - MB-Sat 1 Atlas 3B Launch
Feb 28 - Asteroid 2000 EV70 Near-Earth Flyby (0.164 AU)
Mar ?? - Intelsat 10 F-2 Proton M Launch
Mar ?? - Chuang Xing 1 CZ-4B Launch (China)
Mar ?? - TWINS-A Pegasus XL Launch
Mar ?? - Cartosat 1 PSLV Launch (India)
Mar ?? - MTSAT-1RA H-2A Launch
Mar ?? - Monitor E N1 Rokot KM Launch
Mar ?? - TacSat 1 Falcon Launch (Inaugural Test Launch)
Mar ?? - Cosmos-Tselina 2-22 Zenit 2 Launch
Mar 05 - Asteroid 2000 UL11 Near-Earth Flyby (0.148 AU)
Mar 08 - GPS 2R-11 Delta 2 Launch
Mar 10 - Asteroid 2002 CD Near-Earth Flyby (0.167 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid 2002 SY269 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 2002 GD2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.120 AU)
Mar 20 - Vernal Equinox, 06:49 UT
One Astronomical Unit (1.0 AU) = distance from Earth to Sun (93,000,000 miles)
Only asteroids passing near Earth under half this distance are noted.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here
Tulsa Computer Society 2/01/2004
Don Singleton, President