Messenger spacecraft OK after brief shutdown
Updated: 2009-09-30 19:05:00
Other editions : Mobile Text News Feeds E-Newsletters Electronic Edition Find it : Jobs Cars Real Estate Apartments Shopping Classifieds Sponsored : by The Flame Trench : Messenger spacecraft OK after brief shutdown Subscribe via RSS Latest news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Wednesday , September 30, 2009 Messenger spacecraft OK after brief shutdown NASA's Messenger spacecraft is healthy after a brief shutdown during Tuesday's flyby of Mercury . Four minutes before the closest approach at 5:55 p.m . while the spacecraft was flying on battery power in Mercury's shadow , signals were lost and on-board systems went into safe mode . Mission managers said that apparently was a reaction to an unexpected configuration of the power system while in shadow , or eclipse . Systems returned to normal operations at 12:30 a.m . today . Although the events did not transpire as planned , the primary purpose of the flyby , the gravity assist , appears to be completely successful , said Eric Finnegan , mission systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel , Md . The shutdown meant that Messenger could not conduct all the imaging and
In a discussion I seem to keep having these days when I mention that human spaceflight is actually a valuable endeavour for a nation, I’m usually met with a look of incongruity. Then the question: What has space exploration ever done for us?
I used to get a little angry about this question (of course space [...]Post from: Astroengine.comWhere Are The Protests Now?
It’s great when art and science come together to produce something that is both entertaining and intellectual. The video that follows is an excellent example of that. Nothing like science set to music. The video Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn featuring Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed) stars the words and vocalizations of Carl Sagan [...]
My first glimpse of Ganymede ran like this:
Three dead men walked across the face of hell. Their feet groped past frozen rock, now and then they stumbled in the wan light, and always they heard the thin, bitter mumble of wind and felt the cold gnawing at their flesh. Around them there was death, naked [...]
I first came across Ralf Vandebergh’s outstanding astrophotography when I was inquiring about a “mystery” object that appeared to be stalking the International Space Station (ISS) in July. As it turned out, it wasn’t a UFO, it was in fact a Russian Progress re-supply space vehicle testing out a new automated docking procedure with the [...]Post from: Astroengine.comThe H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-1) Photographed… from 300km Below
The biggest factor hanging over human settlement of other worlds is the question of water. We need it to drink, we need it to cultivate food, we need it for fuel (indeed, we need it for the first lunar microbrewery); pretty much every human activity requires water. Supplies of water could be ferried from Earth [...]Post from: Astroengine.comMoon Water, Confirmed
It’s a long way from the back of an envelope to a deployed spacecraft, which is one reason why scientists write papers in journals and gather at conferences. Such venues are where ideas get shaken out, problems identified and solutions proposed. We sometimes talk about realistic technologies like solar sails as if all that remained [...]
When I came across this image in NASA’s Human Space Flight gallery, I stopped. I was looking for the “perfect” shuttle image during the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station earlier this month, but I got sucked into browsing through the hundreds of EVA photographs NASA has stockpiled in their archives.
This particular scene was [...]Post from: Astroengine.comA Visor Filled With Awesomeness
The shapes of fractals appear in nature all the time, but when I saw this Earth Observatory image from the International Space Station, I thought I was looking at a zoomed-in portion of the famous Mandelbrot set graphic. This picture wasn’t formed by the calculations of a computer, however. This is what nature does when [...]Post from: Astroengine.comThere’s a Fractal in My Brazilian Rainforest
There is some good news coming out of the ashes of the horrendous Station Fire that continues to burn some parts of LA County: Stony Ridge Observatory is safe.
The observatory, located approximately 5 miles north east of the larger Mt. Wilson Observatory, was built and is run by amateur astronomers. Also, the site is a [...]Post from: Astroengine.comConfirmed: Stony Ridge Observatory Survived the Station Fire
GALILEO and GMES headline EU space conference Space blog GALILEO and GMES headline EU space conference On October 15th and 16th , the great and the good will descend on Brussels to discuss the future of the European Space Policy . The conference , which is named The ambitions of Europe in Space” will address Europe’s most ambitious programmes : GALILEO and GMES and their prospective benefits to technology , industry and . society Prominent guests will include President of the European Commission , José Manuel Barroso , the President of the new European Parliament , Jerzy Buzek , and the President of the European Investment Bank EIB Philippe Maystadt . Several others European leaders , such as Vice-Presidents Antonio Tajani and Jacques Barrot , or Jean-Jacques Dordain , General Manager of ESA also confirmed their . participation Conference organiser Business Bridge Europe BBE will bring together European Institutions , national and local public authorities , R centres , manufacturers and everyone interested in meeting and discussing space policy , space systems’ applications and their . financing On the 15th SSTL CEO , Dr . Matt Perkins will deliver a keynote speech about The
Astrium and SpaceX announce launch deal Space blog Astrium and SpaceX announce launch deal SSTL’s owner Astrium and Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX have announced a contract which will see an Earth observation satellite designed by Astrium or SSTL launched by Falcon 1e , a SpaceX launch vehicle . Falcon 1 The Falcon 1e is an enhanced’ version of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle . Falcon 1e has been designed completely by SpaceX and benefits from upgraded propulsion , structures and avionics systems , allowing for more reliability . The original Falcon 1 was launched almost a year ago on September 28th 2008. SSTL and Astrium provide a range of innovative , cutting edge Earth Observation satellite products Through this partnership , they can offer customers a turnkey solution , with in-orbit delivery of a low Earth orbit satellite system . Both parties have told of their joy at the partnership : SpaceX's Falcon 1e launch vehicle was designed to provide the highest level of reliability as well as the lowest dedicated mission price of any orbital launch system said Elon Musk , CEO and CTO of . SpaceX SpaceX is pleased to be the launch services provider for this . mission Evert Dudok ,
No Wahala Nigerian space advances Space blog No Wahala Nigerian space advances Nigeria’s space programme has made further progress this month , as the NigeriaSat-2 and NX Earth observation satellites passed environmental . tests Nigerian engineers work on NX click to enlarge Environmental tests comprise a series of rigorous checks that are conducted to simulate the environment in which the spacecraft will operate in space . All spacecraft undergo these tests to validate the designs and to ensure quality control . It is a formal review milestone and a point at which SSTL engineers can identify potential issues for . correction The NX satellite has been integrated and tested by Nigerian engineers working at SSTL during the past 2 years as part of their training and development . programme This is the second such programme that SSTL has supplied to NASRDA . In 2003, NigeriaSat-1 was launched into the Disaster Monitoring Constellation DMC and remains operational . The launch of two further Nigerian satellites into the DMC will ensure continuity of the nation’s space assets as well as a significant advancement in capability through NigeriaSat-2’s high-resolution . capability Under the
The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India’s moon orbiting satellite was almost lost earlier this y
Artist's concept of Chandrayaan-1 in lunar orbit
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) 
New DMC satellites deliver stunning images Space blog New DMC satellites deliver stunning images It's a busy time for both SSTL and DMCii as the new DMC satellites UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 which were launched on the 29th July are commisioned and their imaging systems thoroughly tested and calibrated . Just a week after launch , DMCii had already begun acquiring stunning satellite imagery from both satellites using the new 22m multi-spectral imaging payloads that they carry onboard . This would not have been possible without the new 22m multi-spectral imager that was developed by SSTL's Optical Payloads Group OPG in Sevenoaks , Kent . In a addition to the more obvious resolution increase it has over the previous 32m DMC imager , it includes a number of technological advances that improve the quality and calibration of the images DMCii . receives First UK-DMC2 satellite image This first image shows the states of Texas and Oklahoma , USA . The DMC satellites are specifically designed to image very large areas with rapid response and at regular intervals , as shown in this first multi-state image . The new satellites can image much larger areas in a single pass than the previous DMC
Russian spacecraft landed on moon hours before Americans
A previously unheard recording of a Russia
Nigerian satellites tested at RAL Space blog Nigerian satellites tested at RAL Nigeria's NigeriaSat-2 and NX earth observation satellites are undergoing tests at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s STFC’s Rutherford Appleton . Laboratory The two satellites in the SSTD at RAL NigeriaSat-2 and NX are being built for Nigeria's National Space Research and Development Agency NASRDA and will form part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation DMC when they are launched next year . NigeriaSat-2 was designed and built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited SSTL and is based on their latest SSTL-300 earth observation satellite platform will deliver a high-resolution 2.5 metre imaging system onboard a highly agile platform . NX , which is based on the SSTL-100 platform was built by Nigerian engineers as part of their training and development scheme at SSTL in Guildford , UK . It will provide 22-metre imaging , enhancing the capability that is currently provided by NigeriaSat-1, which was launched in 2003. These latest satellites will provide not only continuity to Nigeria’s current space capability , but significantly advance the country’s space assets . The testing of the
No this isn’t the movie, Total Recall where then actor and not governor Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a plot where he ended up on the red planet. This is legit- well sort of – chance to go to Mars.
Last month, the U. S. celebrated the 40th anniversary of the moon landing in grand style. National [...]