Universe Today - July 12, 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.

July 12, 2001 - Issue #453
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A note from Fraser...

If you see the web version of today's Universe Today (http://www.universetoday.com), there's a really cool long exposure picture of the Atlantis launch.

I put it as my computer's background, and I figured other readers would want to do the same, so here's a link to the original NASA image, fresh from their website.
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/2001/jul/01pp1284.htm

Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today

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-- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY --

* Dying Star Surrounded by Comets
* Weather Behaves for Atlantis Liftoff


DYING STAR SURROUNDED BY COMETS
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Astronomers have discovered a giant red star that is vapourizing a cloud of comets as it expands. The team observed CW Leonis, a red giant star 500 light years away, using NASA's Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) - a small radio observatory launched in December 1998. The team believes this expansion and comet destruction is a glimpse at the future of our own solar system

Original Source:
http://sao-www.harvard.edu/swas/pr010711/pr010711text.html

Internet Coverage:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/07/11/star.comets/index.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/reu/20010709/water.html
http://www.space.com/searchforlife/swas_water_010711.html

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

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

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


WEATHER BEHAVES FOR ATLANTIS LIFTOFF
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Although poor weather threatened today's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on Mission STS-104, this morning turned out to be a perfect day to launch a spacecraft. Atlantis lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 904 GMT (5:04am PDT) and carried 5 astronauts and a new airlock for the International Space Station into orbit. Atlantis is expected to reach the station and dock on Friday evening.

Original Source:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/reports/sts104/STS-104-01.html

Internet Coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1431000/1431917.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/07/12/atlantis.launch/index.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/reu/20010709/liftoff.html
http://www.msnbc.com/news/598045.asp

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

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

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

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