June 2004 Space News |
- SATURN ARRIVAL WRAP VOA 01 Jul 2004 -- An American-European spacecraft has entered orbit around the ringed planet Saturn -- the first to do so. The maneuver ended a seven-year journey and began a four-year inspection of the giant gas planet and eight of its 31 moons.
- SPACEWALK WRAP VOA 01 Jul 2004 -- The two U.S. and Russian space station crewmen repaired a vital steering mechanism during a spacewalk late Wednesday.
- SPACEWALK VOA 30 Jun 2004 -- The U.S. and Russian crewmen of the international space station are carrying out a maintenance spacewalk. It is a repeat effort to fix a vital control mechanism following last week's aborted attempt.
- Mapping Agency Correcting Afghanistan Charts AFPS 30 Jun 2004 -- Mapmakers at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency have detected errors in topographic line maps of Afghanistan and are working to correct these mistakes, agency officials said today.
- Length of Saturn's Day a Puzzle to Scientists Washington File 29 Jun 2004 -- The Cassini spacecraft, now approaching Saturn, has measured the planet's day at 10 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds, a finding that conflicts with measurements taken by the Voyager One and Two missions in 1980 and 1981.
- U.S., EU Reach Agreement on Satellite Navigation Services Washington File 26 Jun 2004 -- At the European Union Summit held June 26 in Ireland, the United States and the European Union reached an agreement covering their satellite navigation services, the U.S. Global Positioning System, and Europe's planned Galileo system.
- INDIA/US/SPACE VOA 27 Jun 2004 -- India and the United States are exploring ways to step up trade and collaboration in civilian space-related activities. New avenues in commerce between the two countries have opened up since the United States eased decades of restrictions on high-technology exports to India.
- MORE MARS WATER VOA 25 Jun 2004 -- A U.S. robotic rover on Mars is finding evidence that the shallow salt water sea that once covered part of the red planet was deeper than suspected. The signs come from a crater that allows mission geologists to peer beneath the surface of Mars.
- SPACE STATION / SPACEWALK VOA 24 Jun 2004 -- The two international space station crewmen have aborted a maintenance spacewalk because of a faulty oxygen tank on one of them.
- World: 'Cassini' Probe Nearing Historic Rendezvous With Saturn RFE/RL 24 Jun 2004 -- After a seven-year journey, the U.S. space probe "Cassini" is about to reach its destination, the ringed planet Saturn. "Cassini" is the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built -- at nearly six tons and the height of a three-story house -- and is designed to explore the massive planet and its 31 moons over the next four years.
- India`s ISRO nears deal with US based Raytheon IRNA 24 Jun 2004 -- The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is about to sign a major contract with a US company, Raytheon.
- US policy may deter India`s growth in satellite-launch market IRNA 23 Jun 2004 -- Nations wanting to take advantage of up to 30 percent cheaper satellite launches by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) were unlikely to be allowed to do so if they had either bought US-made satellites or satellites that had US-made components, the local media reported here Wednesday.
- SHUTTLE PROGRESS SLOW VOA 22 Jun 2004 -- The head of the U.S. space agency NASA says returning the space shuttle fleet to orbit is proving more challenging than expected. His comments raise the prospect that the first shuttle mission after last year's Columbia accident will be delayed again.
- State's Morin Encourages Greater U.S.-India Space Cooperation Washington File 22 Jun 2004 -- Increased U.S.-Indian cooperation in space technologies could lead to tremendous advances in economic development, according to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lee Morin.
- SPACE FLIGHT VOA 21 Jun 2004 -- A California team has achieved the first manned space flight by a commercial venture, an event being hailed as an aviation milestone. Pilot Mike Melvill completed the flight Monday, becoming the world's first commercial astronaut.
- President Bush Praises U.S.-India Space Cooperation Washington File 21 Jun 2004 -- Following is the text of a message from President Bush to participants in the India-United States Conference on Space Science, Applications, and Commerce that took place in Bangalore, India, June 21.
- SPACE FLIGHT PREVIEW VOA 20 Jun 2004 -- Early Monday, a private team will try to send a human into space after launch from an aircraft high above the California desert. The team hopes to send a manned rocket 100 kilometers above the earth's surface, achieving the first private space flight.
- World: First Private Manned Space Mission Set To Blast Off RFE/RL 18 Jun 2004 -- A commercial aerospace company is planning to launch the first private manned mission to space. If successful, the spacecraft's creators will be a step closer to winning a $10 million dollar offered as an incentive for private industry to catch up with government space programs. But can the private sector really reinvigorate space exploration as some backers claim?
- Space Commission Launches New Approach To Space Exploration Washington File 16 Jun 2004 -- A specially appointed presidential commission on space policy issued a report June16 charting out a new vision to pursue U.S. ambitions in outer space. Titled "A Journey to Inspire, Innovate and Discover," the 64-page document calls for firm national commitment to the continued exploration of space, increased involvement from the private sector, and a transformation of the way in which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) manages its programs.
- U.S. SPACE / REORGANIZATION VOA 16 Jun 2004 -- A U.S. presidential commission says the government should shift many of its space tasks to private industry so the government can focus on human space exploration.
- MARS ROVERS VOA 15 Jun 2004 -- One of the two U.S. robot rovers on Mars has developed a problem in one of its six wheels. Ground controllers do not know how long the wheel will operate, but say it should not prevent the machine from continuing to roll along.
- Spacecraft Offers Look at Saturn Moon Washington File 15 Jun 2004 -- The Cassini spacecraft is seeing a surface that appears battered, cratered and somewhat icy on the Saturn moon Phoebe as the spacecraft sends back the closest pictures humans have ever seen of this satellite circling the solar system's ringed planet.
- Cassini Spacecraft Approaches Saturn Moon Washington File 10 Jun 2004 -- The Cassini spacecraft is entering the Saturn planetary system and is set to make its closest approach to the outer moon Phoebe June 11. On arrival at Saturn itself June 30, Cassini will begin a four-year tour of the Saturn system.
- MARS / WATER VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- A U.S. rover on Mars has discovered more evidence of ancient water, revealing that the liquid was once widely distributed on the red planet. The other U.S. robot is about to begin a risky trek into a crater from which it might not return.
- ROCSAT-2 SENDS BACK FIRST BATCH OF PHOTOS CNA 04 Jun 2004 -- ROCSAT-2 has sent back its first batch of test photos, with better-than-expected results, the National Space Program Office (NSPO) reported Friday.
- New launch site for Russian rocket IRNA 01 Jun 2004 -- The last details of a project to launch the Russian Soyuz rockets from the Kourou space center in French Guiana have been settled.
