Space News for April 18, 2002
Astronomy
Hubble Searches for More Plutos
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| Image credit: NASA |
The Hubble Space Telescope's latest task is to track down elusive Pluto-like objects that lurk at the very edge of our Solar System - many of which seem to travel in pairs like Pluto and its moon Charon. These objects are classified as Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) and can be found in a vast belt past Neptune. So far, 1% of KBOs have been found to be binary systems, a fact which puzzles astronomers.
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Apr 18, 2002, 3:05pm
Space Flight
Atlantis Undocks from the Station, Prepares for Landing
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| Image credit: NASA |
After a week of successful construction work, the 7-astronaut crew of the space shuttle Atlantis said their goodbyes to the crew of the International Space Station, closed the hatch, and undocked. During their time at the station, the crew of Atlantis installed $790 million in equipment, including a new girder and railcar which will support future expansion of the station. The shuttle is expected to land back in Florida on Friday.
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Apr 18, 2002, 2:47pm
Astronomy
Planets Line Up in Spectacular Show
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| Image credit: Harvard |
During late April and May you'll get an opportunity to see the five brightest planets lined up in a single evening. Look West in the early evening sky and you'll be able to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn grouped up. The grouping is fairly rare and won't be seen again until 2040.
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Apr 17, 2002, 3:36pm
Space Flight
Ariane Launches Communications Satellite
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| Image credit: Arianespace |
An Ariane 44L rocket lifted off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou on Tuesday evening at 2302 GMT (7:02 EDT). Twenty one minutes later the rocket deployed a Lockheed Martin-built NSS-7 telecommunications satellite which will provide Internet and data relay services to the Americas, Europe and Africa.
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Apr 17, 2002, 3:21pm
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