September 2004 Space News |
- SPACE LAUNCH VOA 29 Sep 2004 -- The private spacecraft SpaceShipOne has briefly entered space above the California desert, completing the first of two qualifying flights for the 10-million dollar X Prize. There were some nervous moments for spectators as the craft was on its way up, but it glided safely to a landing.
- BRITAIN / SPACE VOA 27 Sep 2004 -- British airline magnate Richard Branson says his company will begin launching paying customers into outer space by 2007 on the world's first commercial space flights.
- Space: British Tycoon Announces Ambitious Venture For Commercial Space Travel RFE/RL 27 Sep 2004 -- British entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson -- known for placing his Virgin brand on everything from airplanes to trains -- wants to put his logo on a spaceship next. He says he has signed a deal that could put paying customers into space within the next five years. Called Virgin Galactic, the venture joins Branson's business know-how with the technology of Mojave Aerospace Ventures, the firm behind the first private manned voyage into space in June. Branson hopes that some 3,000 amateur astronauts could fly into space over the next five years.
- International Scientists See Head-On Collision of Galaxies Washington File 24 Sep 2004 -- An international team of scientists, led by a NASA-funded researcher, has observed a nearby head-on collision of two galaxy clusters, according to a September 23 NASA press release.
- GALAXY COLLISION VOA 23 Sep 2004 -- An international team of astronomers has obtained the clearest images yet of the merger of two distant clusters of galaxies, calling it one of the most powerful cosmic events ever witnessed. The merging clusters bring together thousands of galaxies and trillions of stars into a single, bigger cluster, perhaps destined to merge yet again someday.
- India successfully launches EDUSAT satellite for education IRNA 21 Sep 2004 -- India`s Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) successfully launched EDUSAT, the country`s first thematic satellite dedicated exclusively for educational services, into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR) in Sriharikota, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on Monday.
- India to launch Indonesian satellite IRNA 18 Sep 2004 -- India`s Antrix Corporation Limited concluded a contract for commercial launching of a satellite of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), Indonesia.
- Space mission critical to Air Force success AFPN 16 Sep 2004 -- The commander of Air Force Space Command made his point perfectly clear to those whose focus remains firmly on the ground -- wars cannot be won without space supremacy.
- Teets: America must reach for space dominance AFPN 15 Sep 2004 -- On the anniversary of the first man-made object reaching the moon, the Department of Defense's executive agent for space urged America to strive for dominance in space.
- Iraq Jamming Incident Underscores Lessons about Space AFPS 15 Sep 2004 -- As the Air Force prepares to observe its 57th birthday Sept. 18, the nation's youngest military service continues to keep a sharp eye on the future.
- World: Space Probe Finds New Ring, New Moon Around Saturn RFE/RL 13 Sep 2004 -- The "Cassini-Huygens" Saturn probe is continuing to bring new information about the sixth planet in the solar system. The latest discovery involves a new ring around the planet and new moon -- Saturn's 34th known satellite. The discoveries indicate the planet's moons may influence the shape of the rings.
- NASA Scientists Measure Size, Strange Contents of Neutron Star Washington File 10 Sep 2004 -- Scientists have obtained their best measurement yet of the size and contents of a neutron star, an ultra-dense object containing the strangest and rarest matter in the universe, according to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration September 8 press release.
- GENESIS CRASH VOA 08 Sep 2004 -- Scientists with the U.S. space agency NASA have begun investigating the crash landing Wednesday of the Genesis space capsule in Utah. The mission came to a disastrous end when a parachute attached to the capsule did not open, sending the vehicle crashing to the ground. Scientists are hoping to recover as much data as they can from the wrecked space probe.
- GENESIS CRASH VOA 08 Sep 2004 -- The highly-publicized capture of the Genesis space craft came to a catastrophic end when the capsule crashed to the ground in Utah. A parachute designed to slow the space vehicle's descent did not deploy, resulting in a disastrous landing.
- United States Presents Draft Plan for Earth Observation System Washington File 08 Sep 2004 -- The United States released the draft 10-year Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System September 8, a milestone in developing a Global Earth Observation System that involves 48 other countries, the European Commission and 29 international organizations, according to a press release from the president's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
- NASA Genesis Capsule Crashes on the Utah Desert Floor Washington File 08 Sep 2004 -- The NASA Genesis capsule, carrying samples of solar wind particles, crash landed and broke apart in the desert of west-central Utah September 8, according to a press briefing at the Michael Army Air Field at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
- Israeli spy satellite falls into sea after faulty launch IRNA 06 Sep 2004 -- An Israeli spy satellite has plunged into the Mediterranean minutes after it was launched into space at a site near Tel Aviv Monday, the Israeli media reported.
- SPACEWALK VOA 03 Sep 2004 -- A U.S. astronaut and Russian cosmonaut have taken a spacewalk outside the international space station to work on an aging air conditioner and install communications antennas.
- Saturn's Rings Run Cool to Warm, Cassini Spacecraft Discovers Washington File 03 Sep 2004 -- The Cassini spacecraft has taken the temperature of Saturn's rings as it pulls in close to the planet, finding that they are both cool and relatively warm, report scientists at mission headquarters at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
- Report shows space programs improving AFPN 02 Sep 2004 -- Space programs are improving and cultural change is under way, according to a recent review of the May 2003 Task Force on Acquisition of National Security Space Programs report.
