November 2004 Space News |
- Iran, Russia resume talks on Zohreh Satellite IRNA 27 Nov 2004 -- Iranian and Russian officials will resume talks on the project concerning Zohreh Satellite as of Monday, it was announced here Saturday.
- NASA Names Next International Space Station Crew Washington File 24 Nov 2004 -- NASA astronaut John Phillips and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev will be the next International Space Station (ISS) crew, according to a November 23 NASA press release.
- Memorandum of Understanding for the Provision of a Satellite Communications Capability Signed NATO 23 Nov 2004 -- NATO completed on 22 November the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Governments of France, Italy and the United Kingdom for the provision of a satellite communications capability for fifteen years, commencing 1 January 2005. This new NATO satellite capability will primarily be used to provide the communications support of NATO's deployed forces.
- NASA Launches International Swift Satellite Washington File 22 Nov 2004 -- NASA's Swift satellite, launched November 20 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, is intended to pinpoint the location of distant, fleeting explosions that seem to signal the births of black holes.
- NASA X-43A rockets to Mach 9.8 at Edwards AFPN 19 Nov 2004 -- After postponing the mission because of a problem with the X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, NASA officials said they could not have hoped for a better flight than the one they had here Nov. 16.
- INTERNATIONAL SPACE COOPERATION VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- Delegates from 18 spacefaring countries, the European Space Agency, and the European Commission held an unprecedented meeting in Washington this week to discuss ways of cooperating with the new space exploration program on which the United States is embarking. China was among the participants, even though political obstacles stand in the way of U.S.-Chinese space cooperation.
- NASA Scramjet Breaks Speed Record Washington File 17 Nov 2004 -- NASA's X-43A scramjet-powered research vehicle broke the air speed record November 16 and showed that an "air-breathing" engine can fly at nearly 10 times the speed of sound.
- Space assets critical to winning war on terrorism AFPN 16 Nov 2004 -- Space-based assets are proving critical to winning the war on terrorism, according to the commander of Air Force Space Command.
- U.S. AIR SPEED RECORD VOA 16 Nov 2004 -- A U.S. space agency jet has broken the air speed record for the second time this year. The unpiloted X-43A aircraft achieved nearly 10 times the speed of sound over the Pacific Ocean.
- EUROPEAN MOON PROBE VOA 16 Nov 2004 -- European Space Agency officials say the continent's first Moon probe has arrived for a six-month geological survey. The orbiter has already completed its main goal -- to test a revolutionary type of spacecraft engine.
- NASA Advances Water Recycling for Space Travel, Earth Use Washington File 15 Nov 2004 -- NASA is using several strategies to develop dependable ways to recycle water -- one of the most crucial provisions for astronauts in space.
- U.S. AIR SPEED RECORD VOA 12 Nov 2004 -- The U.S. space agency NASA plans to launch an experimental aircraft Monday that it hopes will set a new world record for air speed.
- GPS satellite blasts off from Cape Canaveral AFPN 08 Nov 2004 -- A Delta II launch vehicle carried a Global Positioning System satellite nearly 11,000 miles above Earth from here Nov. 6.
- ROBOT SPACE DOCKING VOA 08 Nov 2004 -- The U.S. space agency is planning to conduct its first completely automated rendezvous in space Tuesday. In a test of new technology, a spacecraft is scheduled to be launched to track and meet an orbiting satellite with no human intervention, a capability now enjoyed only by Russia.
- World: Spacecraft Begins To Unravel Mysteries Of Saturn's Moon RFE/RL 05 Nov 2004 -- Titan -- the enigmatic, cloud-shrouded moon of the planet Saturn -- is still largely a mystery despite a successful recent approach by the "Cassini-Huygens" spacecraft. The U.S.-European vessel made some discoveries, sending back photos, radar images, and measurements. But more studies are needed to understand the exact nature of the moon's surface, where no lakes or seas of hydrocarbons have been spotted. Scientists are puzzled, but still hope to find a "primordial soup of life" similar to what may have existed on Earth. They say it could help explain the origins of life. The spacecraft is due to pass by Titan again in December, sending home further data. In January 2005, the vessel is expected to release a European-built probe onto Titan's mysterious surface.
- International Space Station Crews Learn to Live, Work in Space Washington File 03 Nov 2004 -- The four years during which humans have continuously staffed the International Space Station have provided exceptional opportunities to discover what it takes to live and work in space, according to a November 2 NASA press release.
- International Mission to Study Black Hole, Gamma Ray Link Washington File 01 Nov 2004 -- NASA's Swift mission, an international collaboration, is dedicated to studying the connection between black holes and gamma-ray bursts (GRB), the most distant and powerful explosions known.
- NASA Sets May-June 2005 for Shuttle's Return to Space Washington File 01 Nov 2004 -- After an extensive review, NASA is planning its Return to Flight space shuttle mission, STS-114, for a launch window that opens in May 2005.
