2004 Space News

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October 2004 Space News

Cassini Radar Shows Titan's Young, Active Surface Washington File 29 Oct 2004 -- The first radar images of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, show a very complex geological surface that might be relatively young, according to an October 29 NASA press release.
U.S. set to have missile defense by year's end Army News 28 Oct 2004 -- The United States will have the capability to defend itself against a limited attack by long-range ballistic missiles when the missile defense system becomes operational later this year.
International Spacecraft Peeks Below Cloud Shroud Around Titan Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- Scientists are getting their best view ever of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, from early analysis of images and other data captured during the October 27 close flyby of the Cassini spacecraft, according to a NASA press release.
Astronomers Identify Surviving Star of 1572 Supernova Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- An international team of astronomers has identified the probable surviving companion star to a supernova explosion witnessed in 1572 by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and other astronomers of the era.
CASSINI / TITAN THURSDAY VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- Scientists say new images from the U.S.-European Cassini spacecraft support the view that Saturn's giant moon, Titan, has conditions similar to that of early Earth before life appeared. As expected, it has detected the presence of organic chemicals in the atmosphere and ground that are the precursors to life.
CASSINI PICTURES VOA 27 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. space agency has released the first close-up pictures of Titan, Saturn's secretive, giant moon. Photos from the international Cassini spacecraft show the orbiting object shrouded in haze, and astronomers say the new images do not answer many questions surrounding the mysterious moon.
Cassini Completes First High-Resolution Reconnaissance of Titan Washington File 27 Oct 2004 -- The first high-resolution reconnaissance of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, shows dark and light features and possible striations on the surface, but scientists at an October 27 NASA press briefing are "not quite sure" yet what the images mean.
DPRK's Stand on Peaceful Use of Space Clarified KCNA 26 Oct 2004 -- The space, the common heritage of humankind, must be used under all circumstances for the wellbeing of the peoples of all countries, urged the DPRK delegate in his speech in the discussion of the agenda "International Cooperation in Peaceful Use of Outer Space" at the Fourth Committee of the 59th UN General Assembly on Oct. 18.
NASA Helps Find Lifelong Gene Activity in Live Organisms Washington File 25 Oct 2004 -- NASA scientists and colleagues are learning how DNA encodes instructions for controlling basic biological functions, work that may change the understanding of human diseases, according to an October 22 NASA press release.
World: Soyuz Brings Russian, U.S. Astronauts Safely Back From Space RFE/RL 24 Oct 2004 -- A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has brought back American and Russian astronauts from space. The capsule landed safely in Kazakhstan early today, precisely on time and on target. Two of the three men on board were returning from a six-month mission to the International Space Station, which now has a new Russian-American crew in charge.
Earth Drags Space and Time as It Rotates, Scientists Say Washington File 22 Oct 2004 -- An international team of NASA and university researchers has found the first direct evidence that the Earth drags space and time around itself as it rotates, according to an October 21 NASA press release.
World: U.S.-European Mission To Solve Mystery Of Saturn's Enigmatic Moon RFE/RL 22 Oct 2004 -- A U.S.-European spacecraft is preparing to explore the planet Saturn's huge moon, Titan. The "Cassini-Huygens" spacecraft that has orbited the ringed planet since July is to venture within 1,200 kilometers of the cloud-covered moon on 26 October. The fly-by is to be the first of as many as 45 close encounters with Titan over the next four years. The space probe is scheduled to land a capsule on Titan's surface in January. The impending pass will examine the moon's surface, including the target area.
Planets Born from Turbulence, Scientists Find Washington File 20 Oct 2004 -- New planets are formed by massive collisions of rocky embryonic planets, according to new observations made by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Navy Transfers Space Surveillance Mission to Air Force Navy NewsStand 20 Oct 2004 -- The Navy transferred operation of the former Naval Space Surveillance System, the nation's oldest sensor built to track satellites and debris in orbit around the Earth, to the Air Force during formal ceremonies here Oct. 1.
NASA Scientists Predict Next Period of Minimum Solar Activity Washington File 19 Oct 2004 -- Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center have found a simple way to predict the date of the next solar minimum, one extreme of the sun's 11-year activity cycle, according to an October 18 NASA press release.
Officials activate National Security Space Institute AFPN 18 Oct 2004 -- Air Force Space Command officials stood up a space education and training organization here recently that they said will provide the foundation to creating a new generation of space professionals.
Scientists Prepare for Space Probe's Plunge into Titan Atmosphere Washington File 18 Oct 2004 -- On January 14, 2005, the Huygens probe will plow into the orange atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan, becoming the first spacecraft to attempt to land on a moon in the solar system since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 touched down on Earth's moon in 1976, according to an October 14 press release from the University of California (UC), Berkeley.
New Propulsion System Could Make Possible 90-Day Mars Round Trip Washington File 18 Oct 2004 -- NASA-funded researchers at the University of Washington are developing a new way to propel spacecraft that could cut the time for a 154-million-kilometer round trip to Mars from 2.5 years to 90 days, according to an October 14 University of Washington (UW) press release.
RUSSIA/SPACE DOCKING VOA 16 Oct 2004 -- A three-man crew has arrived at the International Space Station, after a two-day trip in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Two of the men will replace the crew now on the station as part of the normal six-month rotation.
NASA Stratospheric Monitoring Satellite Marks 20 Years in Orbit Washington File 14 Oct 2004 -- A NASA instrument that monitors Earth's upper atmosphere -- from volcanic eruptions to ozone holes -- marks 20 years in orbit, according to an October 13 NASA press release.
New U.S., Russian Crew on its way to International Space Station Washington File 14 Oct 2004 -- The tenth crew of the International Space Station successfully rocketed into space October 13, beginning a six-month mission, according to a NASA press release.
Italian-Built Space Station Cupola Arrives at NASA Washington File 13 Oct 2004 -- The world's ultimate observation deck, a control tower for robotics in space, has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on its way to the International Space Station, according to an October 12 NASA press release.
State Department Uses Satellite Imagery as Key Foreign Policy Tool Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. State Department is using remote-sensing technology on board satellites in an increasing number of nonmilitary applications to support U.S. foreign policy objectives, and one of the fastest-growing applications may be humanitarian assistance.
NASA Rovers Find More Evidence of Water on Mars, Scientists Say Washington File 08 Oct 2004 -- NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers have found more evidence of past liquid water on Mars, raising the possibility that areas of the Martian surface were soaked long ago, before it dried and eroded into a wide plain, according to an October 7 NASA press release.
Edwards system monitors SpaceShipOne during flights AFPN 08 Oct 2004 -- As SpaceShipOne rocketed over the Mojave Desert on Oct. 4 to claim the famed Ansari X Prize, a team of engineers here collected data about the spacecraft's trajectory thanks to the spaceport arrival and departure safety system.
Officials unveil new space badge AFPN 07 Oct 2004 -- Air Force Space Command officials unveiled a new space badge at the Strategic Space 2004 Convention in Omaha, Neb., on Oct. 7.
MARS / WATER VOA 07 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. space agency NASA says one of its two rovers on Mars has found possible fresh evidence that liquid water existed there in the past
AFRL technology flies on SpaceShipOne AFPN 05 Oct 2004 -- Cutting-edge technology developed by experts at Air Force Research Laboratory's human effectiveness directorate is being used with SpaceShipOne. The privately manned spaceship reached 328,491 feet (62.2 miles) for the second time in five days Oct. 4.
NASA Administrator Congratulates the SpaceShipOne Team Washington File 05 Oct 2004 -- NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe congratulated the SpaceShipOne team on the third successful flight of a private human spacecraft. The team also wins the $10 million Ansari X Prize competition for its October 4 achievement.
NASA Studies Space Railway to Explore Planet Origins Washington File 05 Oct 2004 -- A NASA-led team is studying the construction of a railway in space for a pair of telescopes that will provide views of planet, star and galaxy formation in unprecedented detail, according to an October 5 NASA press release.
New US jamming system endangers Russian telecom sats - expert IRNA 05 Oct 2004 -- New US system of active jamming of satellite communications poses a serious danger for the Russian satellite orbital grouping, in particular telecommunications and navigation, Dr Ivan Mescheryakov, the vice president of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, told Itar-Tass Tuesday.
X PRIZE FLIGHT VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- The privately funded craft SpaceShipOne has completed a flight into space after an airborne launch above the California desert. The flight will bring the spaceship crew the 10 million dollar X Prize. Mike O'Sullivan reports from Mojave, California, the project is being hailed as the start of a new space age.
Reconnaissance Office Transforms Space ISR AFPS 04 Oct 2004 -- The National Reconnaissance Office serves as the nation's eyes and ears in space. And while other organizations are working to transform military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on the ground, the NRO is looking at that transformation with a bird's-eye view.
NASA Display System Gives Pilots Electronic View of Ground Washington File 01 Oct 2004 -- NASA has developed a revolutionary cockpit display technology that gives pilots a clear electronic 3-D perspective of what's outside, no matter how their vision may be impaired by weather or darkness, according to a September 30 NASA press release.