April 2006 Space News |
- International Space Station Update NASA 28 Apr 2006 -- The 13th crew of the International Space Station this week began unloading some of the more than 5,000 pounds of new supplies that arrived
- NASA Postpones Further Space Shuttle Safety Upgrades VOA 28 Apr 2006 -- The U.S. space agency NASA has completed its initial safety modifications to the space shuttle's external fuel tank and wants to see how it flies before making any more
- Delta II launch successful AFPN 28 Apr 2006 -- A Delta II rocket was launched from here today at 3:02 a.m. The rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 2 carrying NASA’s Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations, or CALIPSO, and CloudSat satellites.
- NASA Launches Satellites for Weather, Climate, Air-Quality Studies NASA 28 Apr 2006 -- Two NASA satellites were launched on missions to reveal the secrets of clouds and aerosols.
- Los Angeles AFB dedicates new Schriever Space Complex AFPN 27 Apr 2006 -- The Space and Missile Systems Center here officially dedicated its Schriever Space Complex April 24.
- The ISS Progress 21 Arrives At The International Space Station NASA 26 Apr 2006 -- The ISS Progress 21 is filled with 2.5 tons of food, fuel and personal items for the station's Expedition 13 crew.
- NASA Strives to Keep US at Forefront of Space Exploration VOA 26 Apr 2006 -- The U.S. space agency NASA says the next decade poses challenges as great as those engineers and scientists faced two generations ago when the space program was in its infancy
- NASA's Chandra Finds Black Holes Are 'Green' NASA 24 Apr 2006 -- Black holes are the most fuel efficient engines in the universe.
- International Space Station Status Report NASA 24 Apr 2006 -- A shipment of supplies is on its way to the International Space Station.
- European Columbus Laboratory For ISS Ready For Delivery ESA 24 Apr 2006 -- The Columbus laboratory is Europe’s cornerstone contribution to the International Space Station.
- Atlas V rocket successfully launches satellite AFPN 21 Apr 2006 -- The 45th Space Wing supported the successful launch of the Astra European telecommunications satellite on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 here at 4:27 p.m. April 20.
- Mars Express’s OMEGA Uncovers Possible Sites for Life ESA 20 Apr 2006 -- Scientists have discovered the three ages of Martian geological history.
- Russia scraps ISS orbit adjustment, cargo launch to go ahead RIA Novosti 20 Apr 2006 -- Russia's Mission Control said Thursday it had cancelled plans to widen the International Space Station's orbit, but the launch of a cargo ship to the world's sole civilian space station remained unaffected.
- ESA’s ISO Provides the First View of Monstrous Stars Being Born ESA 20 Apr 2006 -- Scientists have secured their first look at the birth of monstrous stars.
- Atlas V Astra launch planned AFPN 18 Apr 2006 -- The Air Force’s 45th Space Wing will support the launch of an ASTRA European telecommunications satellite on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 20.
- NASA Achieves Breakthrough in Black Hole Simulation NASA 18 Apr -- NASA scientists have reached a breakthroughthat allows them to simulate what gravitational waves from merging black holes look like.
- Minotaur launch successful AFPN 17 Apr 2006 -- A Minotaur rocket was successfully launched at 6:40 p.m. April 14 from Space Launch Complex-8 on south Vandenberg.
- The 13th Crew of the International Space Station Wraps Up Its First Week Flying Solo NASA 14 Apr 2006 -- The crew's work has included station maintenance, medical and other experiments and standard daily exercise.
- NASA Releases First Mars Images from Two Orbiter Cameras Washington File 14 Apr 2006 -- Researchers released the first Mars images April 13 from two of three science cameras on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
- Mars Orbiting Cameras Debut As NASA Craft Adjusts Orbit NASA 13 Apr 2006 -- Researchers today released the first Mars images from two of the three science cameras on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
- U.S.-Taiwanese Innovative Satellite Array To Launch April 14 Washington File 13 Apr 2006 -- A globe-spanning constellation of six satellites expected to improve weather forecasts, monitor climate change and enhance space weather research will head into orbit April 14.
- NASA Rovers Head for New Sites After Studying Mars Layers Washington File 13 Apr 2006 -- NASA's Mars rover Spirit has reached a safe site for the Martian winter; its twin, Opportunity, is making fast progress toward a safe destination of its own.
- Unexpected Detail in First-Ever Venus South Pole Images ESA 13 Apr 2006 -- ESA's Venus Express has returned the first-ever images of the hothouse planet’s south pole from a distance of 206 452 kilometres, showing surprisingly clear structures and unexpected detail.
- Missile defense site named after President Reagan AFPN 12 Apr 2006 -- The missile defense site here took on a new name April 10.
- Space superiority a priority for Air Force authority AFPN 12 Apr 2006 -- They almost scrapped the mission. An Air Force weather officer and the satellites at his disposal talked them out of it.
- Hubble Finds "Tenth Planet" is Slightly Larger Than Pluto NASA 11 Apr 2006 -- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has seen distinctly the "tenth planet," currently nicknamed "Xena," and has found that it is only slightly larger than Pluto.
- NASA Chooses New Spacecraft To Search for Water on Moon Washington File 11 Apr 2006 -- NASA officials have announced that the agency will send a small “secondary payload” spacecraft to the moon with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scheduled for October 2008.
- International Project Improves Satellite Measurements Washington File 11 Apr 2006 -- Researchers in France and the United States have improved a technique for obtaining satellite radar images in areas where calm or covered seas usually prevent accurate recordings.
- European 'Venus Express' Begins Orbiting Earth's 'Evil Twin' Planet VOA 11 Apr 2006 -- A European spacecraft has arrived at Venus to study Earth's hot, hazy sister planet
- Europe Scores New Planetary Success ESA 11 Apr 2006 -- Venus Express enters orbit around the Hothouse Planet.
- Russia prepares lunar program to recover energy resources RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2006 -- Russia is preparing to launch an ambitious lunar project which could provide access to alternative energy resources, a company involved in the project said Tuesday.
- U.S., Russian, Brazilian Space Station Astronauts Back on Earth Washington File 10 Apr 2006 -- After orbiting Earth more than 3,000 times during six months on the International Space Station, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev returned to the planet April 8 in Kazakhstan.
- NASA Will Send Spacecraft on Death Dive into Moon as Part of 2008 Mission VOA 10 Apr 2006 -- America's return to the moon in 2008 will make a big impact - in the literal sense. The U.S. space agency NASA says an unmanned spacecraft that will orbit the moon will be accompanied by projectiles that will smash into the moon's south pole and raise clouds of debris visible from Earth.
- NASA Chooses New Spacecraft to Search for Water on Moon NASA 10 Apr 2006 -- The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite will travel independent of the orbiter to search for water ice.
- Three Crewmen Return to Earth in Russian Soyuz Spacecraft VOA 09 Apr 2006 -- A three-man crew landed in Kazakhstan early Sunday local time after a flight from the International Space Station
- ISS Crewmen Return to Earth NASA 08 Apr 2006 -- Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev returned to the planet Sunday morning in Kazakhstan. With them was Marcos Pontes, Brazil’s first astronaut.
- Vandenberg launches Minuteman III AFPN 07 Apr 2006 -- An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from Vandenberg today at 6 a.m.
- ESA’s Venus Express to Reach Final Destination ESA 07 Apr 2006 -- ESA's Venus Express spacecraft is about to reach its final destination. The rendezvous is due to take place on 11 April.
- Next Phase Reached in Definition of Mars Sample Return Mission ESA 07 Apr 2006 -- ESA has taken a further step in preparing for participation in Mars Sample Return (MSR), the landmark mission to return samples from the Red Planet.
- Russian govt. to spend more on space in 2006-15 - official RIA Novosti 07 Apr 2006 -- Government spending on space programs will increase in the next ten years, the country's top space official said Friday.
- DoD Official: Rudimentary Missile Defense System in Place AFPS 06 Apr 2006 -- The United States now has a rudimentary missile defense system in place, a senior defense official told the Senate's strategic forces subcommittee here April 4.
- NASA, Space Tourism Company Agree on Shuttle Runway Use Washington File 06 Apr 2006 -- NASA and a private space entertainment and tourism company announced April 4 that the company will begin regular use of the space shuttle's runway and landing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- NASA's Spitzer Finds Hints of Planet Birth Around Dead Star NASA 05 Apr 2006 -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has uncovered new evidence that planets might rise up out of a dead star's ashes.
- Astronomers Find Signs Planets Might Form Around Dead Stars VOA 05 Apr 2006 -- New evidence from an orbiting U.S. telescope indicates that planets might rise up out of a dead star's ashes.
- International Cooperation on Missile Defense Capabilities Growing Washington File 04 Apr 2006 -- Growing international cooperation in building missile defense capabilities represents a new, forward-looking consensus on defending against current and future threats, says Paula DeSutter, assistant secretary of state for verification, compliance and implementation.
- NASA and Zero-G Agree on Regular Shuttle Runway Use NASA 04 Apr 2006 -- NASA and Zero Gravity Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced that ZERO-G will begin to regularly use the space shuttle's runway and landing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
- New Crew Docks with International Space Station Washington File 03 Apr 2006 -- A new crew docked at the International Space Station late March 31 to start a six-month mission.
- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Begins Adjusting Orbit Washington File 03 Apr 2006 -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter March 30 began a crucial six-month effort to shrink its orbit gradually into the best geometry for the mission's science work.
- New Crew Arrives at the International Space Station NASA 01 Apr 2006 -- A new crew pulled into port at the International Space Station late Friday to start a six-month mission.
- Russian Spacecraft Docks at International Space Station VOA 01 Apr 2006 -- The three-man crew of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, including the first Brazilian to go to space, has joined the two-man crew in the International Space Station.
