News from Space
Hubble's Universe Unfiltered #11: Hubble is Back!
During the May 2009 servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, astronauts completed a wide range of maintenance tasks, upgrades, and repairs. The process for checking out the observatory and confirming the success of that work has taken months. Finally, the results of those incredible efforts are ready to be exhibited to the world. Quite simply, they are spectacular. Hubble is back, and it is better than ever! Join us for a look at the new images, the new capabilities, and the promise of continued cutting-edge astronomy for years to come.
The Future of Our World
"A small glimpse into a timeline of epic scale" is the subtitle of a curious and captivating two minute slideshow. An epic musical score heightens the drama as you witness the history of earth flash past a million years at a time. I've watched it quite a few times now, though I've heard from several people it's view of continental drift is flawed, it seems that regardless of the less than perfect science it may represent it still presents an important view of our Earth's jouney. Ultimately the future of the fragile living systems of our planet becomes something we are responsible for, instead of just witnesses to. Where will we go when life can no longer exist on Earth?
How to Follow the Live Action of #STS128 Launch
Friday, Aug 28th - 11:59PM EST is the scheduled launch time for the STS-128. The Internet has officially replaced the television for space launch coverage. Here is how to get the true insider's view of the launch - directly from the scientists, engineers, and astronauts. The best official, and non-official sources of live web, video and Twitter coverage.
"Live" Web Resources
CBS Space Place - this page has links to everything from weather to payload and gives an "at-a-glance" update on the current status of the launch.
NASA's Launch Blog - new post every 3-10 minutes during launch window with a summary of events and status of the launch.
Spaceflight Now Forum - the very best forum to get a real ringside seat on the action. Posts increase to many per minute as the launch progresses, and include amazing ring-side seat photos taken at the launch site only moments before.
Video sources:
Live NASA TV - the traditional launch view from the folks at NASA
Leroy and Lacrosse on a Rocketship to the Moon
I call them Leroy and Lacrosse, the two spaceships that launched this week. I Know. NASA calls them LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and LCROSS ( Lunar Crater and Observation Sensing Satellite) but who can say that while watching them soar skyward with the roar of gravity screaming in defiance.
World of Warcraft players will also appreciate the analogy as Leroy is ultimately fated to witness the crash landing on the Lunar Surface by his partner in launch - LRO and the Centaur will self-destruct on the Moon minutes apart while he watches. Perfect. Leeeeeeeerooooy!!! Jenkins!
Star Trek is Orbiting the Earth
With a wink from Paramount the new Star Trek movie was digitized and beamed to the International Space Station (ISS) and viewed by the three current residents on a laptop in the Unity Module on Saturday.
“I remember watching the original Star Trek series and, like many of my NASA co-workers, was inspired by the idea of people from all nations coming together to explore space,” Barratt said in a statement provided by Paramount. “Star Trek blended adventure, discovery, intelligence and story telling that assumes a positive future for humanity. The International Space Station is a real step in that direction, with many nations sharing in an adventure the world can be proud of.”
CREW:
View the Herschel-Planck Launch Live on ESA TV
Thursday, May 14th - Watch the Herschel and Planck launch live
Live web streaming of Herschel-Planck launch on Thursday 14 May, starts at 8:40 ET and lasts until 7:52 ET. The launch itself is scheduled to take place at 7:12 ET.
ESA Special Live Launch Report We don't carry ESA embedded here yet. Maybe for next launch. For now, please visit Live ESA TV on the ESA webiste to watch live as the two telescopes launch from ESA's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
I found this great launch timeline, but I could not find the public launch forum for this event.
Watch the Shuttle Launch Today on Live Nasa TV
Monday, May 11th On my last check at the status review at CBS Space Place we were at a 90% chance to launch. So please use our link to Live Space TV on our left menu to get a ringside seat as the Shuttle launches at 2PM ET out of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (You can double-click the TV image to full-screen)
If you want the real scoop on what is happening on the NASA TV stream you can follow along with space scientists who are commenting live on the NASA coverage by opening the link to this forum. You can't post anything in that official thread, but in many threads of the spaceflight forum you can participate with the NASA launch conversation - directly with the folks at NASA.
Here is a twitter feed coming from one of the Atlantis astronauts.
Launch Location:
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Did Earth Collide with another Planet to Create our Moon?
That is just one question the twin STEREO probes hope to help answer in the coming months. "The name of the planet is Theia," says Mike Kaiser, STEREO project scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
"It's a hypothetical world. We've never actually seen it, but some researchers believe it existed 4.5 billion years ago—and that it collided with Earth to form the Moon."
Now that's an exciting quote, right out of science fiction. Imagine an entire planet striking our earth even a glancing blow. Two molten globes collide in space and debris from the collision is spread throughout the solar system. The physics of our system predicts that remnants of this planet, if it existed, might be found in this gravitational sink hole in space that the STEREO probes now approach. I'm staying tuned.
The Search for Remains of an Ancient Planet near Earth
