Universe Today - December 3, 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. December 3rd, 1999 - Issue #131 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 ************************************** Do you know someone who would appreciate reading Universe Today? Please forward this newsletter, and encourage them to subscribe. Thanks! Fraser Cain Publisher ************************************** -- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY -- * Polar Lander will Arrive Later Today * Hubble Repair Mission Set for Dec. 11th * SOHO is Having Problems * Sounds from Mars Could Be Delayed POLAR LANDER WILL ARRIVE LATER TODAY ------------------------ After a long flight, the Mars Polar Lander is due to arrive at the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST. The spacecraft will enter the Martian atmosphere at precisely the right angle, separate from its heat shield, deploy a parachute and touch down with its thrusters on the surface. The spacecraft should communicate its status back to NASA within 24 minutes of its arrival. http://abcnews.go.com/ABC2000/abc2000science/marspolar_landing991203.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_546000/546366.stm http://cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/03/mars.polar.lander/index.html http://explorezone.com/archives/99_12/02_mars_lander.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/120299/mars.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/342058.asp http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/12/03b.html HUBBLE REPAIR MISSION SET FOR DEC. 11TH ------------------------ NASA is performing last-minute repairs on the Space Shuttle Discovery in preparation for its launch to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and it looks like they're a little behind schedule. Subsequently, the official launch date has been set for December 11th at 12:13am. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/9912/02delay/index.html http://cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/02/shuttle.delay.02/index.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/120399/shuttle.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/330873.asp http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/shuttle-99j.html http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/12/03a.html SOHO IS HAVING PROBLEMS ------------------------ The U.S.-European Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft went into emergency safe mode when one of its attitude control units reset. Controllers don't know what caused the problem, but it's similar to a situation that occurred in November, 1997. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/9912/01soho/index.html http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/12/01d.html SOUNDS FROM MARS COULD BE DELAYED ------------------------ On board the Mars Polar Lander is a tiny microphone designed to "listen" to the sounds of Mars: wind blowing, sand scraping, the Polar Lander humming. Unfortunately, officials with the Planetary Society (the team who built the microphone) realized the microphone's memory was filled with test sounds from Earth, and wasn't reset. Fortunately the microphone is designed to reset its memory once a day, so sounds from Mars should come one day after landing. http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/12/02a.html ************************************** Space News from SpaceDaily.com for today Leave Earth Fast http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/life-99g2.html All systems go to land Mars probe http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/mars-polar99-99n.html What Will Mars Whisper http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/mars-polar99-99k.html Sun Helps Mars Jive http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/mars-polar99-99m.html Discovery Delayed Until Dec 11 http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/shuttle-99j.html Orbcomm In Seventh Heaven http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/orbcomm-99h.html To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". All contents copyright (c) 1999 Universe Today |