Universe Today - June 18, 2001

the
U N I V E R S E
T O D A Y

Space Exploration News From Around the Internet
Updated Every Weekday.

June 18, 2001 - Issue #444
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-- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY --

* Red Centre: Next Stop Red Planet?
* Africa Prepares for Total Solar Eclipse
* Proton Launches Communications Satellite


RED CENTRE: NEXT STOP RED PLANET?
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Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin recently announced that Australia could be the recipient of hardware to be used to build a Mars analogue research station in the outback. Jennifer Laing reports on proposals for Mars-Oz, which could complement existing Mars research facilities in Canada and the United States, and form the backbone of the Mars Society Australia's research program known as Operation Red Centre.

http://www.universetoday.com/html/articles/2001-0618a.html


AFRICA PREPARES FOR TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
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Residents and visitors to Southern Africa will get a chance to see a total eclipse of the sun later this week. On June 21st, the moon's shadow will move across our planet, starting in Angola, and then passing through Zambia, Zimbabwe, the southernmost tip of Malawi and Mozambique. Any point in the 200km-wide shadow will see the sun completely covered by the moon for a total of 4.5 minutes. This will be the first total eclipse to pass over Africa in 20 years.

Original Source:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/TSE2001/TSE2001.html

Internet Coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1394000/1394463.stm
http://www.msnbc.com/news/583064.asp
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/solar_eclipse_010618-1.html

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http://www.universetoday.com/html/topics/sun.html

Related Sites:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/directory/eclipses.html

Related Books:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/books/solarastronomy.html


PROTON LAUNCHES COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE
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A Russian Proton rocket successfully launched an ASTRA 2C broadcasting satellite on Saturday at 0149 GMT (9:49pm EDT) from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Once in its final position, the ASTRA satellite will join a constellation of 12 others that provide television and communications services to European countries.

Original Source:
http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec154/

Internet Coverage:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/proton_launch_010615.html
http://spaceflightnow.com/proton/astra2c/

Similar Stories:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/topics/russia.html

Related Sites:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/directory/satellites.html

Related Books:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/books/satellites.html

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