Universe Today - August 31, 1999 |
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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 31st, 1999 - Issue #89 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 ************************************** Space News from SpaceDaily.com for today Nevada Set To Become New Space Port http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/rlv-99r.html Leonids To Blaze Brightly Until 2002 http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/leonid-99b.html ICO Joins Iridium In Chapter 11 http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/ico-99c.html Hughes Retains Army Air Force VSAT Contract http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/vsat-99g.html QuikSCAT Makes Quick Work of Oceanography http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/quikscat-99h.html OrbTrac Keeps San Mateo Moving http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/orbtrac-99d.html ************************************** -- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY -- * Last Cosmonauts Leave Mir * Detailed Pictures of Asteroid Captured * Pulsar Puzzles Astronomers * Atlas II Rockets Approved for Launch * Investigations Discover Wire Damage on All Shuttles * New Images of Io * Arianespace Suffers More Delays LAST COSMONAUTS LEAVE MIR ------------------------ After 13 years of use, Mir has nearly reached the end of its service. Russians cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Sergei Avdeyev and Frenchman Jean-Pierre Haignere exited the station, closed the hatch, and returned to Earth - they were the last cosmonauts to visit the station. The station is expected to return to Earth sometime next year. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/mir990828.html http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9908/28/mir.farewell.reut/index.html http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/brief2.html?ct=37cb55e3 http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/083099/mir.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/303767.asp http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/27c.html DETAILED PICTURES OF ASTEROID CAPTURED ------------------------ Astronomers working from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory captured the most detailed images of an asteroid ever. Dubbed 1999 JM8, the object is 3.5 km across, and passed within 8.5 million kilometres of the Earth earlier this month. http://explorezone.com/archives/99_08/27_asteroid_pic.htm http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/asteroid-99g.html http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/29a.html PULSAR PUZZLES ASTRONOMERS ------------------------ Australian astronomers have discovered a slow-rotating pulsar (PSR J2144-3933), with a rotation period of only 8.5 seconds - several times slower than previously thought possible. It's theorized that the pulsar has slowed down because of its age; as much as 260 million years old. http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/29b.html ATLAS II ROCKETS APPROVED FOR LAUNCH ------------------------ After a series of launch accidents and a subsequent investigation, officials at Lockheed Martin have given the Atlas II launch program the go ahead to resume. The first launch will be September 10th with the Echostar V on board an Atlas IIAS. http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9908/30/atlas2.cleared/index.html http://www.flatoday.com/space/today/083199d.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/30b.html INVESTIGATIONS DISCOVER WIRE DAMAGE ON ALL SHUTTLES ------------------------ After the launch of the space shuttle Columbia was nearly aborted because of an electrical shortage, NASA decided to inspect all the shuttles for similar damage. It was a wise move, as it appears all of the shuttles have wire damage to some extent - twenty instances of damage on Endeavor alone. It's expected all upcoming shuttle launches will be delayed as the damage is repaired. http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/brief6.html?ct=37cb55e3 NEW IMAGES OF IO ------------------------ Galileo has snapped new images of Io, Jupiter's pockmarked moon, showing more detail than previously seen. The images, first released on Friday, were taken by Galileo on July 3 at a range of about 130,000 km. http://explorezone.com/archives/99_08/30_io_images.htm http://www.msnbc.com/news/305452.asp http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/27b.html ARIANESPACE SUFFERS MORE DELAYS ------------------------ Two more Ariane 4 launches have been delayed, because of problems with the satellites that were planned for launch in September. The delayed launches are for the Korean Koreasat 3 and the Telstar 7 communication satellites. http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/08/30a.html To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". All contents copyright (c) 1999 Universe Today |