Ariane Trifecta: moon probe, two other craft launched
-----------------------------------------------------
Relying upon an experimental ion engine and miniaturized instruments, Europe's first robotic lunar orbiter has launched to study the Moon's history while serving as a technology testbed for future missions. The SMART 1 spacecraft shared the ride into space Saturday [26 September] with two communications satellites aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket.
Smart 1 fires up its ion engine for first time
----------------------------------------------
The ion engine aboard the European Space Agency's newly-launched
SMART 1 lunar probe was successfully ignited high above Earth on
Tuesday [30 September].
SMART-1's ion engine tuned
--------------------------
After more than 32 hours of accumulated thrust, the electric propulsion system aboard the European Space Agency's newly-launched SMART-1 satellite is now fully tuned for nominal operations under space conditions.
After 14 years in space, NASA's Galileo spacecraft will plunge into Jupiter's crushing atmosphere Sunday [28 September] to conclude its productive and successful mission. With its fuel supply nearly gone, the craft is on a collision course with Jupiter to eliminate any chance of an unwanted impact with the Jovian moon Europa, which is likely to have a subsurface ocean and possibly life.
Galileo spacecraft crashes into Jupiter
---------------------------------------
One of the enduring and exciting episodes of the planetary exploration came to an abrupt end Sunday afternoon when NASA's battered Galileo spacecraft was crushed, melted and then assimilated into the planet Jupiter's all-embracing atmosphere. However, the 14-year mission leaves behind a rich legacy.
The Galileo trials
------------------
If it were possible to label one day as "the worst" of spaceprobe Galileo's career, most scientists would choose Thursday, April 11, 1991. Ben Evans tells Galileo's chequered story.
Future Jupiter exploration on the drawing boards
------------------------------------------------
The next mission to Jupiter will be revolutionary - a nuclear powered monster, a hundred times more capable than Galileo. Never before in space exploration has such a dramatic improvement in capability been encountered.
China makes history with manned launch
--------------------------------------
Over a decade in the making and four decades behind the Soviet Union and United States, China became only the third nation on the planet to mount a manned space mission Wednesday when a single crewman vaulted into space inside a capsule for a one-day flight.
China's first man in space stops for lunch
------------------------------------------
In Earth orbit, Yang Liwei, China's first space traveller, has taken a
rest and eaten a traditional Chinese meal. And back on Earth, China's President Hu Jintao has hailed the success of the Shenzhou 5 launch. Check our status center for updates on the mission.
China's first manned spaceflight safely returns to Earth
--------------------------------------------------------
Wrapping up a historic day in space, the Shenzhou 5 return capsule parachuted to a soft touchdown late Wednesday, bringing to an end China's first manned voyage into space and opening the door for a wide variety of future plans in the final frontier.
First laser-powered aircraft successfully flies
-----------------------------------------------
Ever since the dawn of powered flight, it has been necessary for all aircraft to carry onboard fuel -- whether in the form of batteries, fuel, solar cells, or even a human "engine" -- in order to stay aloft.
Odyssey orbiter continues to share Mars adventure
-------------------------------------------------
NASA's Mars Odyssey team has released another significant installment of science data for the public and science community to review and analyze.
Asteroid in near miss
---------------------
Last week a small asteroid became the closest natural celestial object to pass by the Earth. It was found by astronomers at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, which conducts a sky survey for so-called Near Earth Objects.
Evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan found
---------------------------------------------
The smog-shrouded atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has been parted by Earth-based radar to reveal the first evidence of liquid hydrocarbon lakes on its surface.
Saturn-bound spacecraft tests Einstein's theory
-----------------------------------------------
An experiment by Italian scientists using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, currently en route to Saturn, confirms Einstein's theory of general relativity with a precision that is 50 times greater than previous measurements.
A galaxy far, far away eyed by Hawaiian telescopes
--------------------------------------------------
A galaxy far beyond our own Milky Way, with a monstrous, churning black hole in its center, has been observed by two optical telescopes working in unison as an interferometer. These observations reveal the finest level of detail in a galaxy ever produced at infrared wavelengths.
Hubble uncovers Uranus' smallest moons yet seen
-----------------------------------------------
Astronomers have discovered two of the smallest moons yet found around Uranus. The new moons, uncovered by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, are about 8 to 10 miles across -- about the size of San Francisco.
'Transparent' galaxy discovered
-------------------------------
Astronomers have announced the discovery of a new galaxy, termed Andromeda VIII. The new galaxy is so widespread and transparent that astronomers did not suspect its existence until they mapped the velocity of stars thought to belong to the well-known and nearby large Andromeda spiral galaxy and found them to move independently of Andromeda.
