January 2005 Space News

Iranian satellite purpose to be purely civil - Russia official IRNA 31 Jan 2005 -- The purpose of the first satellite Zohre (Venus) will be purely civil, the head of Russia`s federal space agency Roskosmos said here on Monday.
Russia, Iran sign agreement on Zohre satellite IRNA 31 Jan 2005 -- Iran and Russia signed on Sunday an agreement on the designing and launch of the first Iranian communications satellite Zohre (Venus).
Iran, Russia sign `Zohreh` satellite deal IRNA 31 Jan 2005 -- Iran and Russia here Saturday signed an agreement on the design, consultations, testing and lift off of `Zohreh` satellite.
Zohre project opens new prospects for Russia-Iran ties - view IRNA 31 Jan 2005 -- The launch of the Iranian Zohre (Venus) will open new prospects for cooperation Russia and Iran, Iranian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Ahmad Motamedi said in Tehran on Monday.
Kazakhstan Adopts State Space Program RFE/RL 28 Jan 2005 -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed a decree on developing Kazakhstan's space sector.
Satellite to Map Line Between Solar System, Interstellar Space Washington File 27 Jan 2005 -- NASA will sponsor a satellite that will map the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space, the first mission designed to detect the edge of the solar system.
International Space Station Crew Performs Space Walk Washington File 27 Jan 2005 -- The crew of the International Space Station performed a five-hour, 28-minute spacewalk January 26 to install a work platform, cables and robotic and scientific experiments on the exterior of the Zvezda service module.
Scientists Announce First Assessments of Titan Data Washington File 24 Jan 2005 -- The first scientific assessments of data from the Huygens probe's descent to and landing on the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan shows the moon to be a world with Earth-like geophysical processes operating on exotic materials in alien conditions.
NASA Salutes Successful Landing on Titan of Huygens Probe Washington File 18 Jan 2005 -- NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe congratulated the European Space Agency (ESA) January 14 on the successful touchdown of its Huygens probe on Saturn's moon, Titan.
SATURN MOON REVEALED VOA 15 Jan 2005 -- Scientists are describing Saturn's biggest moon, Titan, as a frigid world of coastlines, wind, mists, and blocks of ice strewn about the landscape. Their first impressions of this hidden world come from data sent back by the European Space Agency's Huygens [HOY-genz] spacecraft, which landed on the mysterious moon Friday. The space probe has returned enough data to keep researchers busy for months.
EUROPEAN SATURN MOON PROBE VOA 14 Jan 2005 -- A European spacecraft landed on the Saturn moon Titan Friday for the first close-up look of a celestial body scientists say may give clues to what Earth might have been like billions of years ago. It pierced Titan's murky atmosphere and revealed a world of coastlines and drainage channels.
U.S.-European Mission Lands Craft on Saturn Moon Titan Washington File 14 Jan 2005 -- Humankind left its first mark on another world in the outer solar system January 14 when the Huygens probe landed on the surface of the Saturn moon Titan.
U.S., European Space Mission to Study Supermassive Black Holes Washington File 14 Jan 2005 -- As big fish eat little fish in the Earth's vast oceans, so too do super-massive black holes gorge on smaller black holes and neutron stars -- making themselves more massive in the process.
EUROPEAN SATURN MOON PROBE VOA 14 Jan 2005 -- A European spacecraft has plunged onto the Saturn moon Titan for the first close-up look of a celestial body scientists say may give clues to what Earth might have been like billions of years ago. It pierced Titan's murky atmosphere and was expected to transmit its first images from Titan's surface later Friday.
NASA's Deep Impact Spacecraft Launched, Flying Toward Comet Washington File 13 Jan 2005 -- NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, began its 431 million-kilometer journey to comet Tempel 1 January 12.
Global Space Cooperation Helps Tsunami Relief Effort Washington File 11 Jan 2005 -- The recent tragedy that struck the coastlines of the Indian Ocean highlights the benefits of international cooperation in earth observation for managing disaster relief and suggests future opportunities for these activities.
U.S., French Scientists Measure Tsunami Height from Space Washington File 11 Jan 2005 -- Scientists have measured the height of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami after reviewing data from four Earth-orbiting radar satellites, according to a January 10 press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NASA Details How Indian Ocean Quake Affects Earth Rotation Washington File 11 Jan 2005 -- NASA scientists using data from the Indian Ocean earthquake have calculated that it affected Earth's rotation, decreased the length of day, slightly changed the planet's shape and shifted the North Pole by centimeters.
US / COMET EXCAVATION VOA 10 Jan 2005 -- The U.S. space agency NASA [is about to launch] [has launched] a spacecraft that could create celestial fireworks when it sends a missile crashing into a comet on America's Independence Day, July fourth. Scientists want to know what a comet's nucleus is made of, and believe the best way to find out is to blast a hole in one.
NASA Satellite Imagery Helps Protect African Mountain Gorillas Washington File 10 Jan 2005 -- NASA satellite imagery is giving scientists and conservationists tools they need to gain information on land-cover and land-use changes in wild areas.
Elements in Place for NASA's Space Shuttle Return to Flight Washington File 07 Jan 2005 -- NASA marked a major milestone for the space shuttle's return to flight, as the redesigned external fuel tank rolled out January 6 from the barge that carried it to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA To Operate Tropical Rainfall Satellite Through Spring 2005 Washington File 05 Jan 2005 -- NASA will operate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft through spring 2005, according to a January 4 NASA press release.
Rovers Pass First Anniversary on Mars Surface Washington File 04 Jan 2005 -- One year has passed since the rover vehicles Spirit and Opportunity touched down on the surface of Mars, allowing U.S. space scientists to celebrate an anniversary they never expected.
MARS ROVERS: 1ST ANNIVERSARY VOA 03 Jan 2005 -- Two U.S. robot rovers are still gathering scientific data about the history of water on Mars, one year after the first one landed. It is about nine months longer than the robots were expected to last. The mission team gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California Monday to celebrate the first anniversary of the landing and to reveal new discoveries being made on Mars.