Universe Today - August 14, 1999 |
|
the U N I V E R S E T O D A Y Space Exploration News From Around the Internet, Updated Every Weekday. August 14th, 1999 - Issue #83 http://www.universetoday.com info@universetoday.com To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". An HTML version of this Newsletter is available at: http://www.universetoday.com/html/misc/today.html ************************************** Important Message: Please note that there won't be an issue of Universe Today on Monday or Tuesday, so to feed your appetite for space news, this is a special, double-sized edition of Universe Today. Regular coverage will continue on Wednesday. Thanks, Fraser Cain Publisher ************************************** -- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY -- * Iridium Files for Bankruptcy * NASA Working on Frozen Hydrogen Fuel * Mir Cosmonauts Watch Eclipse From Space * China Provides News on its Manned Space Flight Agenda * Stars Often Consume Planets Believe Astronomers * Indonesian Satellite Launches * Endeavor Shuttle Mission Delayed to Search For Faulty Wiring * Chandra Telescope Opened to Space IRIDIUM FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY ------------------------ Iridium announced late Friday that it was filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. code. Suffering under an overwhelming debt-load, and with a fraction of the subscribers they targeted, this announcement from Iridium came as little surprise. http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/iridium-99f.html http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/13b.html NASA WORKING ON FROZEN HYDROGEN FUEL ------------------------ NASA researchers are working on a revolutionary new fuel which could lower launch weight requirements by a factor of 5 - or increase payloads by a factor of 4. The technology is based on suspending frozen hydrogen in liquid helium, and taking advantage of the chemical recombination of atoms into molecules. http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/fuel-99a.html MIR COSMONAUTS WATCH ECLIPSE FROM SPACE ------------------------ Cosmonauts on board Mir were the first people ever to watch the shadow of the moon as it passed across the Earth's surface during Wednesday's solar eclipse. Russian NTV television broadcast video captured by the cosmonauts of the historic event. http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9908/12/mir.eclipse.reut/index.html CHINA PROVIDES NEWS ON ITS MANNED SPACE FLIGHT AGENDA ------------------------ Chinese officials recently released details about its space program to the public which described its goals of placing a spacecraft in orbit later this year, and a manned mission around 2005. China also recently test-fired the new Dong Feng-31 long-range ballistic missile which US officials believe was based on stolen technology - allegations denied by China. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/081399/shuttle.sml http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/13a.html STARS OFTEN CONSUME PLANETS BELIEVE ASTRONOMERS ------------------------ Based on the number of exosolar planets recently discovered, astronomers believe there are as many as 100 million sun-like stars in the galaxy with close-orbiting planets. And using the Hubble telescope, Mario Livio believes he can spot the stars that recently consumed their planets. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_418000/418752.stm http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9908/13/star.gluttons.reut/index.html http://explorezone.com/archives/99_08/13_star_swallow.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/14a.html INDONESIAN SATELLITE LAUNCHES ------------------------ After several delays, Indonesian satellite TELKOM 1 was successfully lifted into orbit on board an Ariane-4 rocket, launched from the European Space Agency facility at Kourou, French Guiana. TELKOM will provide telecommunications for Indonesia and neighbouring countries. http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9908/13/space.ariane.indonesia.reut/index.html http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/intelv/ariane/v118/index.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/12b.html ENDEAVOR SHUTTLE MISSION DELAYED TO SEARCH FOR FAULTY WIRING ------------------------ After the wiring accident nearly caused an emergency landing with last month's Columbia mission, NASA engineers aren't taking any chances with the upcoming launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Originally planned to launch Sept. 16th, it's been delayed until early October to allow time to check for the same flaw. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/081399/shuttle.sml http://www.flatoday.com/space/today/081399c.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/12a.html CHANDRA TELESCOPE OPENED TO SPACE ------------------------ After orbital adjustments, and a series of tests, the Chandra X-Ray observatory is nearly ready to begin operations. The large door at the end of the 40-foot telescope was opened on Friday - one of the most critical post-launch procedures. NASA officials expect to begin observations by the end of the month. http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/space/astronomy/news/1999/ds/990814.html To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". All contents copyright (c) 1999 Universe Today |