Universe Today - September 13, 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. September 13th, 1999 - Issue #95 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 China Expected To Increase ICBM Targeting http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/china-99e.html Indosat CFO Fired Over Irregularities http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/indonesia-99a.html World's oceans Draining Away http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/earth-99b.html Japan To Launch Australian Satellite http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/aust-99c.html Australia Developing ScramJet Engines http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/aust-99d.html ************************************** -- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY -- * Hubble Repair Mission Next * Russian Rocket Launches with European Satellite * NASA Working on Personal Satellite Assistant * Black Holes Could Account For Half the Universe's Energy * Chandra Views Supernova Remnant * Atlas Launch Delayed * Mechanical Problems Delay Japanese Launch * Mars View From Climate Orbiter HUBBLE REPAIR MISSION NEXT ------------------------ NASA has announced tentative launch dates for the next two shuttle missions: STS-103, which will service the Hubble Space Telescope, and STS-99 - the Space Radar Topography Mission. These launches depend on the engineers currently inspecting the shuttles for wire damage. http://www.astronomynow.com/breaking/9909/09shuttle/index.html http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/brief2.html?ct=37dca222 http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/09d.html RUSSIAN ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH EUROPEAN SATELLITE ------------------------ Now that the disagreement has been settled between Russian space officials and the Kazakhstan government, it's space business as usual. The Baikonur cosmodrome launched a Russian Soyuz booster carrying a satellite equipped with research devices from several European countries. http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/10/space.russia.reut/index.html http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/10a.html NASA WORKING ON PERSONAL SATELLITE ASSISTANT ------------------------ To help astronauts perform many of their more mundane tasks, NASA engineers are developing a new, softball-sized robot. Designed to float in a weightless environment, the robot - currently named the Personal Satellite Assistant - is being tested at NASA's Ames Research Center. http://explorezone.com/archives/99_09/09_nasa_psa.htm http://www.msnbc.com/news/309828.asp BLACK HOLES COULD ACCOUNT FOR HALF THE UNIVERSE'S ENERGY ------------------------ New research on black holes by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland indicates they expend a tremendous amount of energy, mostly obscured from our view by dust and gas. As matter swirls into the black hole, it releases heat - it's thought that half the energy in the universe is produced in this manner. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/blackholes990910.html http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/10/space.holes.reut/index.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/091299/blackholes.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/309409.asp http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/blackhole-99a.html CHANDRA VIEWS SUPERNOVA REMNANT ------------------------ Hubble has some serious competition. The Chandra X-Ray observatory's High Resolution Camera was pointed at its first target: a point-like source of X-Rays called LMC X-1 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It was then pointed at N132D: a remnant of an exploded star in the Large Magellanic Cloud. http://www.astronomynow.com/breaking/9909/11chandra/index.html http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/10/space.chandra.reut/index.html http://explorezone.com/archives/99_09/13_chandra_test.htm http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/091299/chandra.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/284079.asp ATLAS LAUNCH DELAYED ------------------------ Oncoming Hurricane Floyd has pushed back the launch of an Atlas 2AS from Cape Canaveral Sunday. The rocket contains an EchoStar 5 satellite, which will join the four other satellites operated by Echostar. A new launch date hasn't been set. http://www.astronomynow.com/sfn/atlas/index.html http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/1999b/091299m.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/12b.html MECHANICAL PROBLEMS DELAY JAPANESE LAUNCH ------------------------ The launch of a Japanese H2 rocket from the Tanegashima space center was delayed when it was discovered that an fastener connecting its weather satellite cargo had detached. The launch was delayed at least 48 hours, with another launch attempt after that. http://cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/10/japan.launch.reut/index.html http://www.flatoday.com/space/today/091299k.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/12a.html MARS VIEW FROM CLIMATE ORBITER ------------------------ It's still a long way from its destination, but the Mars Climate Orbiter snapped its first pictures of the Red Planet. The spacecraft is currently 4.5 million kilometers away from the Mars, and is due to enter orbit around September 23rd. http://www.astronomynow.com/breaking/9909/10marspic/index.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/310187.asp http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/10b.html To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". All contents copyright (c) 1999 Universe Today |