LEE WAVE IRIDESCENCE: Invisible to the human eye, air flowing over the Rocky Mountains bobs up and down in giant waves known as Lee Waves. On 2009 Jan. 2nd, these waves became temporarily visible when clouds caught in the wave-pattern lit up with beautiful iridescence:

"The pastel colors were lovely and the billowing cloud shapes were quite fascinating," says photographer Harold Leinbach of Boulder, Colorado. "I took the picture using my Canon Rebel XT."

Iridescence is caused by droplets of water diffracting sunlight. We often see hints of iridescent color in ordinary clouds far from mountain ranges. Lee waves intensify the phenomenon, creating a sky-wide tableau of vivid pastel.

Atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley explains: "For brightly-colored iridescence you need cloud droplets of all the same size. You get that if all the droplets have formed at the same time and experienced the same history. Dynamic conditions inside a lee cloud are just what the doctor ordered. The clouds look stationary but inside there is a 'factory conveyor' with uniform droplets formed at one end and evaporated at the other. Voila - iridescence."

Lee waves may be found downwind of all mountains--not just the Rockies. If you live in the lee, keep an eye out for pastels in the sky.

FROM SPACEWEATHER.COM FOR JAN 22

AURORA WATCH: Sometimes, a gentle gust is all it takes. On Jan 15 the solar wind pressed oh-so-gently against Earth's magnetic field and triggered an unexpected display of auroras around the Arctic Circle. Pete Lawrence and Dr Chris Lintott send this snapshot from Tromso, Norway:

"[It was] a fantastic and awe inspiring display with lots of variety and incredible diversity of structure," says Lawrence, "all the more appreciated bearing in mind that this was supposed to be a quiet night for the aurora!"

A less-gentle gust is on the way. A stream of solar wind flowing from a coronal hole on the sun is blowing toward Earth, due to arrive on Jan. 18th. High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend.

UPDATED: Jan. 2009 Aurora Gallery

[Previous Januaries: 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2001].

FROM SPACEWEATHER .COM

APPROACHING COMET: Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3), discovered in 2007 by a Strait-bridging team of astronomers from Taiwan and China, is swinging around the sun and approaching Earth. Astronomer Karzaman Ahmad sends this picture taken 2009 Jan. 7th from the Langkawi National Observatory in Malaysia:

"I used the observatory's 20-inch telescope for an exposure of 24 minutes," he says. "The image shows the comet's bright tail and an anti-tail."

Right now, Comet Lulin is gliding through the constellation Libra in the southeastern sky before dawn: sky map. It glows like an 8th magnitude star, so a mid-sized backyard telescope is required to see it. Visibility will improve in February as the Earth-comet distance shrinks. At closest approach (0.41 AU) on February 24th, the comet should brighten to about 5th magnitude--dimly visible to the unaided eye and an easy target for binoculars: ephemeris.

Surprises are possible. The near-parabolic orbit of Comet Lulin suggests this could be the comet's first visit to the inner solar system. How it will react to increasing sunlight is anyone's guess. Stay tuned for updates in the weeks ahead.

more images: from Babak Tafreshi in the Alborz Mountains of Iran; from Riccardo Di Nasso of Pisa, Italy

SEE MORE ON THIS COMET LULIN UNDER RECENT DISCOVERIES AT LEFT MENU

AND AT COMET LULIN GALLERY AT LEFT MENU

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AN ARTIFICIAL TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDE SOLAR OBSERVATORY ON TOP OF

MAUNA LOA, HAWAII ON 2009 JAN 12 WITH THE USE OF A CORONAGRAPH - 1 PM LOCAL TIME

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STRANGE DIP: "The last night of 2008 was exceptionally clear here in southwestern Turkey, thanks to cold and strong northerly winds," says Tunç Tezel of Kumluova, Fethiye. "I watched the Moon and Venus take a strange dip into the Mediterranean. They were heavily distorted by air layers above the sea."

Click on the image to set the scene in motion:

Play the movie

"Venus became double, and the Moon looked even more strange," he says. "After the bright crescent finally went down, Earthshine remained for more than another minute. I lost sight of the faint glow before it actually disappeared, but my camera (a Canon 5D) caught the Earthshine sinking beneath the waves."

More Images: from Sam Cole of Austin, Texas; from Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex, UK

Both articles above are from Spaceweather.com

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LEARN CLASSIC & MODERN COSMOLOGY at:

http://www.universeadventure.org/

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SEEN FROM A BACKYARD TELESCOPE IN POLAND

THE SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR AHEAD OF THE ISS

AFTER UNDOCKING ON NOVEMBER 29

From SPACEWEATHER.COM for Nov 29

DO YOU WANT TO FEEL LIKE AN ASTRONAUT?????

THEN SEE THIS AMAZING EXTENDED SLIDE SHOW at:

http://www.greatdanepro.com/Blue%20Beauty/index.htm

NOTE THE FULL EARTH SHOTS IN THE MIDDLE SECTION SHOWING WHERE

THE WORLD' s LIGHT POLLUTION IS COMING FROM AND

FINALLY YOU WILL SEE THE ENDEAVOUR ASTRONAUTS WORKING ON THE ISS

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Fireball sparks amazement in Canada

Meteor ranks among the top displays of the decade, expert says

STORY FROM msnbc.com at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27848645/

updated 7:35 p.m. ET, Mon., Nov. 24, 2008

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Scientists say they hope to find remnants of a meteor that brilliantly lit up the sky before falling to earth in western Canada.

University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand called it one of the largest meteors visible in the country in the last decade.

Widely broadcast video images showed what appeared to be a speeding fireball Thursday night over Saskatoon that became larger and brighter before disappearing as it neared the ground.

FIREBALL FRAGMENTS FOUND !!

Pictures of Canadian Meteorite Fragments

Written by Nancy Atkinson

On Nov. 27, planetary scientist Dr. Alan Hildebrand from the University of Calgary and graduate student Ellen Milley brought reporters to a site where they have found numerous meteorite fragments from the bolide that streaked across the sky in Western Canada on Nov. 20. The area where the meteroite fragments were found is called Buzzard Coulee, about 40 kilometers from the town of Lloydminster, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. There, around a frozen pond, numerous small rocks and pebbles could be seen that the scientists said were from the meteorite. No large chunks were spotted, however, reporters said.

The fireball that streaked across western Canadian skies was witnessed by thousands, and Hildebrand believes it was a 10-ton fragment from an asteroid. Videos from surveillance and police cameras showed the meteor exploding before it hit the ground. Reporters were told those observations, combined with the physical evidence, give scientists a treasure trove of data that could give them a better understanding of the solar system. The reports don't offer any indications of the type of meteorite the fragments are, but from the images they appear to possibly be iron. We'll add more images and information as they become available.

Sources: CBC.com,

, Washington Post, Phys.Org

Hildebrand said Friday that he received about 300 email reports from witnesses.

“It would be something like a billion-watt light bulb,” said Hildebrand, who also co-ordinates meteor sightings with the Canadian Space Agency.

Tammy Evans was wakened by her 10-year-old daughter who ran into the bedroom.

“She said there was a flash of light, the house shook twice and it sounded like dinosaurs were walking,” Evans said.

Hildebrand suspects it broke up into pieces and he plans to investigate around Macklin, Saskatchewan, near the Alberta border.

Rick Huziak, an amateur astronomer in Saskatoon, helped operate a camera on top of the University of Saskatchewan physics building that captured video of the meteor.

“It was quite spectacular. The ground lights up all over the place,” he said.

Martin Beech, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, said meteorites are valuable to learning about the history of the solar system.

“Picking up a meteorite is almost equivalent to doing a space exploration mission between Mars and Jupiter,” he said.

From www.Universe today.com for 2008 Nov 29 at:

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/11/29/pictures-of-canadian-meteorite/

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ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2008 November 17

HR 8799: Discovery of a Multi-planet Star System

Credit: C. Marois et al., NRC Canada

Explanation: How common are planetary systems like our own Solar System? In the twelve years previous to 2008, over 300 candidate planetary systems have been found orbiting nearby stars. None, however, were directly imaged, few showed evidence for multiple planets, and many had a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting inside the orbit of Mercury. Last week, however, together with recent images of Fomalhaut b, the above picture was released showing one of first confirmed images of planets orbiting a distant Sun-like star. HR 8799 has a mass about 1.5 times that of our own Sun, and lies about 130 light years from the Sun -- a distance similar to many stars easily visible in the night sky. Pictured above, a 10-meter Keck telescopeHawaii captured in infrared light three planets orbiting an artificially obscured central star. The 8-meter Gemini North telescope captured a similar image. Each planet likely contains several times the mass of Jupiter, but even the innermost planet, labelled d, orbits out near the orbit of Neptune. Although the HR 8799 planetary system has significant differences with our Solar System, it is a clear demonstration that complex planetary systems exists, systems that could conceivable contain an Earth-like planet. in

STAR DESIGNATED HR 8799 HAS

THREE EXOPLANETS PHOTOGRAPHED AND DISCOVERED BY THE KECK AND GEMINI OBSERVATORIES ON EARTH

Arecibo Message Sent 34 Years Ago on 1974 Nov 16

The Message is Now 34 Light Years Away with about 25,000 LY to go!

BOTH Full Stories Under SPECIAL NEWS at Left Menu

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For More on this STS-126 Photo Go to Great Astrophotos at Left Menu

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO MANNED SPACE MISSIONS at Left Menu

*See the Space Station with the Space Shuttle Docked to it Pass Through Your Skies:

Scroll Down through CURRENT SKY EVENTS at Left Menu for Details

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Landing at the Moon's South Pole Earlier the Same Day as STS-126 Launch

The Moon Impact Probe was successfully crash-landed on the lunar surface on 2008 November 14, 20:31 Indian Standard Time (15:01 UTC) near the South Pole.^[8] MIP is one of the 11 other scientific instruments (payloads) on board Chandrayaan-1.^[9] India became the fourth nation to have its flag on the Moon's surface, and the first to make a controlled lunar descent since Soviet probe Luna 24 in 1976.

MIP separated from Chandrayaan-1 at 20:06 hrs IST, starting its 25 minute journey^[10] to the lunar surface. After separation it fired its spin up rockets, it then fired its retro rocket to start its descent.^[10][8] As it fell it kept sending information back to the mother satellite which beamed the information back to earth. The probe functioning terminated after its planned hard landing on the lunar surface.^[10][9]

Much More on this at UNMANNED SPACE MISSIONS - See Left Menu

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.

FIRST PLANET AROUND ANOTHER STAR VISUALLY PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

SEE SPECIAL NEWS AT LEFT MENU

AND

ON OCTOBER 7 THE EARTH WAS STRUCK BY A SMALL ASTEROID CALLED 2008TC-3

SEE SPECIAL NEWS AT LEFT MENU

ABOVE IS A VIDEO OF THE NEW CYCLE SUNSPOT GROUP 1007 EMERGED ON HALLOWEEN

AND MARCHED ACROSS THE FACE OF THE SUN OVER A 4 DAY PERIOD IN EARLY NOV 2008

Credit: the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

SEE MORE AT THE SUN AT LEFT MENU

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Space Shuttle Retirement Date in Jeopardy - see NASA at Left Menu

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New 90 minute PBS Documentary called The Journey to Palomar premiered Monday, 2008 November 10

about construction of the giant 19th & 20th Century telescopes at the Yerkes, Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories.

For more information go to: www.journeytopalomar.org

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CASSINI MADE ITS 2nd FLYBY OF ENCELADUS on 2008 OCT 31 at a MUCH CLOSER

DISTANCE THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED - FIRST REPORT IS IN - See Details at Left Menu

GO TO: CASSINI MISSION at SATURN

VENEZUELA JUST HAD ITS FIRST SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM CHINA -

SEE LEFT MENU FOR DETAILS at : UNMANNED SPACE MISSIONS

BOTH INDIAN MOON MISSION AND IBEX WERE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED

SEE UNMANNED SPACE MISSIONS AT LEFT MENU FOR DETAILS

ALSO NASA IS SET TO LAUNCH THE LRO TO THE MOON THIS JUNE 2nd

SEE THE NASA PAGE AT LEFT MENU FOR UPDATES

THE CHINESE LAUNCHED CHANG'E 1 ON 2007 OCT 24

Chang'e 1

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CLICK ON PICTURES BELOW TO ENLARGE THEM

Chang'e 1 spacecraft

Organization - China National Space Administration

Mission type - Orbiter / Impactor

Satellite of - The Moon

Launch date - 2007-10-24 18:05:04.602 CST^[1] Launch Pad 3, Xichang Satellite Launch Center

Launch vehicle - Long March 3A rocket

Mission duration - 1 year

NSSDC ID - 2007-051A

Home page - CLEP

Mass - 2,350 kg

Orbital elements

Inclination - ~64°

Orbital period - ~127 min

Apoapsis - ~200 km

Periapsis - ~200 km JUST REDUCED TO 100 KM SEE UPDATE JUST BELOW:

FROM MOON DAILY

China's First Moon Probe Lowers Orbit For Further Exploration

Objectives

The "Orbiting (Chang’e-1)" phase of the program has four major goals:^[4]

• 1. Drawing "pictures" of the Moon and obtaining three-dimensional images of the lunar surface. Dividing the basic landforms and structures of the lunar surface and initially making outline graphs of lunar geology and structures, so as to provide a reference and basis for later soft landings. The orbit of Chang'e 1 around the Moon will provide complete coverage, including areas near the north and south poles not covered by previous missions.

  2. Probing useful elements on the Moon surface and analyzing the elements and materials, primarily making maps of the distribution of various elements on the Moon's surface. China hopes to expand the number of the useful elements to 14 (potassium (K), thorium (Th), uranium (U), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), tellurium (Te), titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), and lanthanum (La)),^[5] compared with the 10 elements (K, U, Th, Fe (iron), Ti, O, Si, Al, Mg, and Ca)^[6] previously probed by the NASA's Lunar Prospector, and will conduct an overall prospect evaluation on some useful resources on the Moon's surface.

  3. Probing the features of lunar soil and evaluating its depth, as well as the amount of helium-3 (³He) resources.^{[citation needed]}

  4. Probing the space environment between 40,000 km and 400,000 km from the Earth, recording data on the primitive solar wind and studying the impact of solar activity on the Earth and the Moon.

The first three of the four objectives are aimed at the Moon itself, while the last one is focused on the process of sending the Chang'e probe to the Moon, which means exploring the physical environment between the Earth and the Moon.

In addition, the lunar probe engineering system, composed of five major systems - the satellite system, the launch vehicle system, the launch site system, the monitoring and control system and the ground application system - will accomplish the following five goals:

• • Researching, developing and launching China's first lunar probe satellite

  • Initially mastering the basic probe technology of satellites in orbit

  • Conducting first lunar scientific exploration

  • Initially forming a lunar probe space engineering system

  • Accumulating experience for the later phases of the lunar probe project

Design

The Chang'e 1 satellite carries 24 pieces of lunar probe equipment, including a CCD stereo camera, microprobe instruments and a high-energy sun particle detector. The satellite weighs 2,350 kg, with 130 kg of payload, and is designed to orbit the Moon for one year.^[5]

Originally scheduled for April 2007, the launch was postponed to allow a better time for sending the satellite to orbit.^[7] Chang'e 1 was launched at 10:05 GMT on 24 October 2007 with a Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.

After liftoff, Chang'e 1 made three orbits around the Earth, a burn at perigee extending the orbit's apogee further each time, until a final translunar injection burn placed it on course for the Moon on 31 October 2007. Another burn placed it in a polar orbit around the Moon, with burns at the perilune of the first three orbits decreasing the apolune until it entered a final circular orbit. Entrance into Lunar orbit was achieved on the 5 November 2007. At this occasion, the probe transmitted 30 classical Chinese songs and music pieces, including “My Motherland”, “The Song of the Yangtze River”, and “High Mountains and Flowing Water”.

As well as Chinese tracking stations, the Maspalomas Station ESA tracking station is being used to transmit signals to and from the probe.

The first pictures of the Moon were relayed on 26th November 2007.

Instruments

• • Stereo camera with an optical resolution of 120 m and spectrometer imager from 0.48 µm to 0.96 µm wavelength.

  • Laser altimeter with 1064 nm, 150 mJ laser, a range resolution of 1 m and a spotsize of 300 m.

• Imaging spectrometer

  • Gamma and X-ray spectrometer for an energy range from 0.5 to 50 keV for x-rays and 300 keV to 9 MeV for gamma rays.

  • Microwave radiometer detecting 3, 7.8, 19.35 and 37 GHz with a maximal penetration depth of 30, 20, 10, 1 m and a thermal resolution of 0.5 K.

  • High energy particle detector and two solar wind detectors capable of the detection of electrons and heavy ions up to 730 MeV.

Images Obtained

See also:

• Exploration of the Moon

• List of future lunar missions

References

• 1. ^ "China's first lunar probe Chang'e-1 blasts off". SINA Corporation (24 October 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-24.

  2. ^ "China's 1st moon orbiter enters Earth orbit". Xinhua News Agency (24 October 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-24.

  3. ^ "China publishes first moon picture". China National Space Administration (26 November 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-26.

  4. ^ "Chang'e-1 - new mission to Moon lifts off". European Space Agency. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.

  5. ^ ^{a b} Sūn Huīxiān (孙辉先), Dài Shùwǔ (代树武), Yáng Jiànfēng (杨建峰), Wú Jì (吴季) and Jiāng Jǐngshān (姜景山) (2005). "Scientific objectives and payloads of Chang’E-1 lunar satellite". Journal of Earth System Science 114: 789–794. doi:10.1007/BF02715964.

  6. ^ D. J. Lawrence, * W. C. Feldman, B. L. Barraclough, A. B. Binder, R. C. Elphic, S. Maurice, D. R. Thomsen (1998). "Global Elemental Maps of the Moon: The Lunar Prospector Gamma-Ray Spectrometer". Science 281 (5382): 1484–1489. doi:10.1126/science.281.5382.1484. PMID 9727970.

  7. ^ "Chang'e-1 Satellite Launch Delayed". China Radio International (15 March 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-24.

External links

Wikinews has related news:

China launches space probe to the moon

• CLEP Official site

  • Chang'e 1 Mission Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration

• Encyclopedia Astronautica

• The Scientific Objectives of Chinese Lunar Exploration Project by Ouyang Ziyuan

• YouTube video of launch

• Chinese State Media Coverage (CCTV) in English

• Europe, China Cooperate To Radio Lunar Probe

• FACTBOX - Reuters - Planned lunar missions

• Reuters: CHRONOLOGY - Five key dates in the race to the moon

President Obama Honors Apollo 11 Astronauts

President Thanks Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins; Affirms Support for NASA

By NED POTTER and KI MAE HEUSSNER

July 20, 2009

On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, President Obama thanked the Apollo 11 crew for its courage and promised to keep the space program alive for future generations of space pioneers.

At the White House Monday afternoon, the president welcomed Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the crew of the first manned mission to land on the moon. They were joined by NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, who was confirmed as the first African-American head of the agency last week

"I think it's fair to say that the touchstone for excellence in exploration and discovery is always going to be represented by the men of Apollo 11," said President Obama. "The country continues to draw inspiration from what you've done."

He recalled welcoming home Apollo astronauts when he was child in Hawaii and said his grandfather would point to them as examples of American ingenuity and perseverance. He also affirmed support for NASA and vowed to make math and science "cool again."

NASA isn't just about feeding our sense of curiosity, he said, but it also has practical applications.

"On this 40th anniversary, we are all thankful and grateful for what you've done," he said. And as other generations look up at the sky, he said, "we want to make sure NASA is going to be there for them when they want to take their journey."

Related

WATCH: Ex-Astronauts Get Grumpy

Apollo: 'One Giant Leap'? Or a Waste of Money?

WATCH: Complete Video Coverage of Apollo 11

Apollo Astronauts: Renew Commitment to Space

Earlier in the day, at a gathering at NASA's headquarters Monday morning, astronauts from various Apollo missions gathered and defended the space program and called on public leaders chart a course for manned missions to Mars.

Not only would the challenge reinvigorate the country's spirit of adventure and exploration, it could jump-start the economy, they said.

"If a little bit of the stimulus flows toward space, which is a program that brings technology and knowledge back to the people of the Earth, it [would be] part of the stimulus program that would really pay off with a lot of dividends," said Jim Lovell.

Charles Duke, who flew with Apollo 16 in 1972, also said that investing in the space program is investing in the country's future.

"There was not one dime spent on the moon, it was spent in America," he said. "It created technology that we all enjoy today," he said, adding that his BlackBerry has 65,000 times the memory of their Apollo computers. "We should continue to invest some resources as a nation into the future like every company does."

"We opened the door to future of exploration by touching down on another body," said Aldrin, but he said the country now needs to target Mars.

Aldrin, a long-time futurist and proponent of traveling to Mars, suggested creating a plan for sending people on a one-way mission to Mars, saying it is four to 10 times more expensive for explorers to return to Earth.

While the former Apollo 11 astronauts have set their sights on sending astronauts to Mars, the current mandate, laid out by President Bush and so far backed by President Obama, is to send unmanned probes to Mars in the short term, with a goal to eventually use the moon as a base for human exploration of Mars and beyond.

Mr. Bush announced a "vision for space exploration" in 2004, after the loss of the shuttle Columbia. He proposed returning astronauts to the moon by 2020, and then going on to Mars, but he did not give a target date.

At a presentation Sunday night on the topic, he said," It was a great personal honor to walk on the moon, but as Neil once observed, there are still places to go beyond belief. Isn't it time to continue our journey outward, past the moon?"

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Obama honors Apollo 11 astronauts, praises NASA

Stewart M. Powell,Amy D'Onofrio, Hearst Washington Bureau

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

(07-21) 04:00 PDT Washington --

President Obama vowed Monday to "continue the inspirational mission" of the nation's space program, as he marked the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing flanked by the former astronauts who made history.

Images

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  • Obama pushes House on health care initiative 07.21.09

  • Japan PM dissolves parliament, calls elections 07.20.09

Obama used an Oval Office photo session to bring together NASA's legendary past, represented by former astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and its future, represented by newly sworn NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.

"We are confident that they are going to be doing everything that they can in the decade to come to continue the inspirational mission of NASA," Obama said, referring to the new NASA leadership.

Obama recalled sitting atop his grandfather's shoulders in Hawaii as an 8-year-old boy to welcome home the Apollo crew with a waving flag and hear his grandfather say that "the Apollo mission was an example of how Americans can do anything they put their minds to." The crew had landed in the Pacific on their return to Earth and stopped in Hawaii on the way back to the mainland.

The president did not offer specifics on how NASA would recapture the momentum of the Cold War space race of the 1960s that galvanized the space program to put astronauts on the lunar surface barely eight years after President John F. Kennedy issued a national challenge.

Obama awaits the results of a top-to-bottom review of the manned space program due by the end of August that could overhaul the scope, budget and timetable for manned exploration after retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2010. The next generation of manned U.S. spacecraft is not due for delivery until 2015, forcing a five-year gap in U.S. manned space launches.

Obama spoke as a cadre of astronauts pivoted off the nation's moon nostalgia to crisscross the capital urging a renewed national commitment to pioneering manned space exploration, led by a return to the moon to serve as a way station to Mars.

Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut on the moon in 1972, told a news conference at NASA headquarters that the nation could "recapture the kind of spirit" that infused the risk-taking, cutting-edge Apollo program.

"We had to accept challenges, we had to be bold, we had to take risks, we had to make sacrifices," Cernan said.

of exploration."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that Obama would weigh the costs of options for manned space exploration that are expected to emerge from the independent review panel led by retired aerospace executive Norman Augustine.

"I know that the administration is committed to human space exploration," Gibbs said. "We've said that throughout the campaign."

This article appeared on page A - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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Latest Space Shuttle News on STS-127

• STS 127 Mission Updates

  • • STS-127 Crew Completes Second Spacewalk

      • Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:26:20 PM EDT

      • Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn wrapped up a six hour, 53 minute spacewalk at 6:20 p.m. EDT.

      • Wolf and Marshburn completed most of their planned tasks, deferring a video camera setup to a future spacewalk. Wolf removed three hardware spares – a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna, a Pump Module and a Linear Drive Unit, from the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). With each spare in hand, Wolf rode the space station robotic arm from the ICC to the Port 3 external stowage platform (ESP-3), where he and Marshburn attached them for long-term storage. Julie Payette and Doug Hurley operated the robotic arm. Marshburn mounted a grapple bar onto an ammonia tank assembly so that the STS-128 space shuttle mission in August can move the tank by robotic arm. Marshburn also attached two insulation sleeves for the Station to Shuttle Power Transfer System.

      • This was the second of five STS-127 spacewalks, the 127th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 792 hours, 31 minutes. It was the 215th American spacewalk in history. It was Wolf’s sixth spacewalk, totaling 38 hours, 44 minutes and placing him 19th on the all-time list. It was Marshburn’s first excursion.

      • NASA Television airs a Mission Status briefing at 8:30 p.m. with STS-127 Lead Flight Director Holly Ridings and STS-127 Lead Extravehicular Activity Officer Kieth Johnson.

• • • • • • • Image above: Spacewalker Dave Wolf works outside the International Space Station during the second spacewalk of the STS-127 mission. Photo credit: NASA TV

            • Astronauts Conduct Spacewalk on Historic Anniversary

            • The crews aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour honored the legacy of Apollo 11 by conducting a spacewalk on the same day that 40 years ago captured the world’s attention when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon for the first time.

            • Mission specialists Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn performed a six hour, 53 minute extravehicular excursion to complete a number of station hardware installation tasks.

            • Exiting from the Quest Airlock at 10:27 a.m., Wolf removed three hardware spares – a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna, a Pump Module and a Linear Drive Unit, from an Integrated Cargo Carrier. With each spare in hand, Wolf rode the space station robotic arm to the P3 Truss where a stowage platform awaited. There he and Marshburn attached them for long-term storage.

            • Mission Specialist Julie Payette and Pilot Doug Hurley operated the robotic arm. Marshburn mounted a grapple bar onto an ammonia tank assembly so that the next space shuttle crew of STS-128 can move the tank by robotic arm. Marshburn also attached two insulation sleeves for external power connectors to the Station to Shuttle Power Transfer System. Wolf and Marshburn completed most of the planned tasks, but deferred a video camera installation.

            • Expedition 20 commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Frank De Winne replaced components of the Waste Hygiene Compartment toilet in the Destiny laboratory. The system’s dose pump failed Sunday. After Padalka and De Winne replaced the separator pump, control panel and the COT, a container that holds liquid, the system was activated and performed normally.

            • › Read more

            • STS-127 Additional Resources

            • › Mission Press Kit (6.9 Mb PDF)

            • › Mission Summary (429 Kb PDF)

            • › Meet the STS-127 Crew

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Space Shuttle Mission: STS-125

WAS LAUNCHED ON SCHEDULE MAY 11 AT 2:01 PM EDT AND

LANDED ON MAY 24 AT 11:39 AM EDT AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE

THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE IS NOW REPAIRED AND

UPGRADED TO BE FAR BETTER THAN EVER !!!

PROOF OF THE SUCCESS OF THESE REPAIRS AND UPGRADES

WILL BE SEEN WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF TESTING AND

RECALIBRATION OF ALL THE NEW INSTRUMENTS

SUMMARY OF THE STS-125 MISSION WITH ALL 5 SPACEWALKS IS ON MY

NASA PAGE AT LEFT MENU

THIS IS THE ATLANTIS CREW WHO FIXED & UPGRADED THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE:

Space Shuttle Mission: STS-125 SPACEWALK UPDATES:

STS-125 Leaves Improved Hubble Behind

The crew of Atlantis bid farewell to the Hubble Space Telescope on behalf of NASA and the rest of the world Tuesday. The telescope was released back into space at 8:57 am EDT May 19. With its upgrades, the telescope should be able to see farther into the universe than ever before.

Atlantis performed a final separation maneuver from the telescope at 9:28 am May 19, which took the shuttle out of the vicinity of Hubble. The berthing mechanism to which Hubble has been attached during the mission was stored back down into the payload bay.

The rest of the day was focused on the scheduled inspection of Atlantis’ heat shield, searching for any potential damage from orbital debris. The crew used the shuttle robotic arm to operate the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) for the inspection. The crew worked ahead of schedule and returned the OBSS to the payload bay sill Tuesday instead of Wednesday.

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Image above: STS-125 Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld is attached to the shuttle's robotic arm during the fifth spacewalk to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo Credit: NASA

Astronauts Complete Fifth and Final Spacewalk

STS-125 mission specialists John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel completed the fifth and final spacewalk on the Hubble Space Telescope Monday at 3:22 p.m. EDT MAY 18. Outside the airlock hatch, Grunsfeld said, "This is a really tremendous adventure that we’ve been on, a very challenging mission. Hubble isn’t just a satellite- it’s about humanity’s quest for knowledge."

He also thanked several people who contributed to Hubble and the servicing mission, then went on to say,

"A tour de force of tools and human ingenuity. On this mission in particular, the only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible. On this mission, we tried some things that some people said were impossible….We’ve achieved that, and we wish Hubble the very best. It’s really a sign of the great country that we live in that we’re able to do things like this on a marvelous spaceship, like space shuttle Atlantis. I’m convinced that if we can solve problems, like repairing Hubble, getting into space, doing the servicing we do, travelling 17,500 mph around the Earth, we can achieve other great things, like solving the energy problems and climate problems- all of the things that are in the middle of NASA’s prime and core values. As Drew and I go into the airlock, I want to wish Hubble its own set of adventures and with the new instruments that we’ve installed that it may unlock further mysteries of the universe."

Grunsfeld and Feustel finished the mission’s battery replacement work. They worked in the telescope’s Bay 3 to replace the second of two battery modules. Each module weighs 460 pounds and contains three batteries, providing electrical power to support Hubble operations during the night portion of its orbit. The first battery module was installed during the second spacewalk.

They also replaced one of the telescope’s fine guidance sensors. The sensors are used to provide pointing information and also serve as a scientific instrument for determining relative position and motion of stars.

After those two tasks were accomplished, Feustel and Grunsfeld turned their attention to the New Outer Blanket Layer (NOBL) on the outside of the telescope’s Bay 5, Bay 8 and Bay 7, which normally face in the direction of Hubble’s orbital travel. These blankets were expected to deteriorate more in the space environment. The NOBL on Bay 8 was to be installed during the fourth spacewalk, but the crew was unable to accomplish it due to work on a stripped bolt.

Monday’s spacewalk lasted 7 hours and 2 minutes.

Image above: Mission specialists Mike Massimino and Mike Good work outside space shuttle Atlantis during the fourth spacewalk of STS-125. Photo Credit: NASA TV

STS-125 Crew Completes Fourth Spacewalk

STS-125 mission specialists Mike Massimino and Mike Good completed the mission’s fourth spacewalk, May 17 at 5:47 p.m. EDT. The spacewalkers continued repairs and improvements to the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) that will extend the Hubble’s life into the next decade. The spacewalk lasted 8 hours, 2 minutes.

Massimino and Good replaced a low-voltage power supply board, which contains a failed power converter. Due to this power supply failure, STIS has been in “safe mode” since August 2004.

A delay caused by a bolt removal issue forced the spacewalkers to cancel the installation of a new protective thermal insulation panel on Hubble. Ground controllers are working various options for the fifth and final STS-125 spacewalk on Monday, May 18th, scheduled for 9:16 a.m.

Image above: Astronaut Mike Massimino works with the Hubble Space Telescope in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis. Photo Credit: NASA

› View larger image

Astronauts Complete Second Spacewalk

STS-125 mission specialists Mike Good and Mike Massimino completed the mission’s second spacewalk at 4:45 p.m. EDT Friday, May 15.

For their first spacewalk of the STS-125 mission, Massimino and Good removed and replaced three rate sensor units. One of the new upgraded units could not be seated into place. As a result, the spacewalkers installed a refurbished spare unit. The spacewalkers also replaced a new battery module from the telescope's Bay 2.

The second STS-125 spacewalk lasted 7 hours, 56 minutes, making it the 8th longest spacewalk in history.

› View the Launch of Atlantis in High Definition (HD)

The Shuttle Atlantis, left, is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Monday. On a nearby launch pad, Endeavor is on standby to rescue the Atlantis crew if trouble arises.

(John Raoux / Associated Press) April 12, 2009

Great Launch OCCURRED

MONDAY AFTERNOON 2:01 PM EDT MAY 11th

Live countdown and launch coverage began May 11th at 8:30am on NASA TV and on the Web at:

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch_blog.html

Image above: Night falls on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following rollback of the pad’s rotating service structure, or RSS, revealing space shuttle Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

› View larger image

Mission to Service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists rounding out the crew are: veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur.

During the 11-day mission's five spacewalks, astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning into at least 2014.

In addition to the originally scheduled work, Atlantis also will carry a replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit for Hubble. Astronauts will install the unit on the telescope, removing the one that stopped working on Sept. 27, 2008, delaying the servicing mission until the replacement was ready.

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COMET LULIN UPDATE: Last week, observers saw little of Comet Lulin because it was lost in the glare of the passing Moon. The glare is subsiding now and Lulin is back--better than ever. Observers say it is visible to the naked-eye (magnitude +5.6) as a faint gassy patch in the constellation Virgo before dawn. Backyard telescopes reveal a full-fledged comet, vivid green, that moves as you watch it. On Feb 17th, Joe Gafford of Deer Trail, Colorado, caught a solar wind gust tearing away part of Comet Lulin's tail:

The view will improve in the nights ahead. Comet Lulin is approaching Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter on Feb. 24th. At that time, the comet could shine two or three times brighter than it does now, and photographers will record it using cameras alone--no telescope required. Browse the gallery for a hint of things to come:

UPDATED: Comet Lulin Photo Gallery

[Comet Hunter Telescope] [Sky maps: Feb. 18, 19, 20]

SATELLITE DEBRIS: More than a week has passed since the Feb. 10th collision of Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 over northern Siberia, and the orbits of some of the fragments have now been measured by US Strategic Command. Orbital elements are available for 8 pieces of debris from Iridium 33 and 18 pieces from Kosmos 2251. Satellite observer Daniel Deak has plotted those orbits on a 3D map of Earth for readers of Spaceweather.com. Click on the image to view the distribution of Iridium debris on Feb. 18th:

A similar map highlights the Kosmos debris, and a polar view is available, too.

In the maps, hollow circles denote primary fragments still being tracked with the same catalogue number as the original satellite. "We can say it is what remains of the satellite after the collision," explains Deak. Solid circles denote lesser fragments; they are scattered almost all the way around Earth.

A comparison of Kosmos vs. Iridium maps shows that Kosmos debris is scattered more widely than Iridium debris in orbital phase, eccentricity and inclination. For some reason, Kosmos fragments seem to have been ejected from the crash with a greater velocity than Iridium counterparts.

This is just the beginning. More fragments, perhaps hundreds of them, will be catalogued in the days and weeks ahead. As they are added to the map, new information about the crash and its aftermath will naturally emerge. Stay tuned to Spaceweather.com!

SATELLITE DEBRIS UPDATE: US Strategic Command has identified a new batch of fragments from the Feb. 10th satellite collision over northern Siberia. "The count is now at 49 pieces for Iridium 33 and 85 for Kosmos 2251," says Canadian satellite tracker Daniel Deak, who has prepared some 3D maps of the debris for readers of Spaceweather.com. Click on the image to view a snapshot of Iridium fragments on Feb 20th:

A similar map traces the Kosmos debris.

Observations: Both satellites are now smeared all the way around Earth; the original orbits are completely populated with fragments. Furthermore, for reasons not fully understood, Kosmos is more widely scattered than Iridium.

"The Kosmos debris ranges in altitude from 260 to 1450 km, so some of the pieces now reach lower than the 350-km orbit of the ISS," points out Deak. "For the Iridium debris, the fragments are confined to orbits between 687 and 1127 km."

This doesn't mean the ISS is in immediate peril. Most of the Kosmos scatter occurs over Antarctic latitudes. For comparison, the ISS stays within 51.6 degrees of Earth's equator, so the dangers are slight. The situation could change, however, as more fragments are identified and their spread increases. Stay tuned for updates.

A complete set of debris maps: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

February 2009 Aurora GallerySPECIAL NEWS

THE SMALLEST EXOPLANET (A PLANET IN ANOTHER SOLAR SOLAR SYSTEM)

EVER TO BE MEASURED JUST ANNOUNCED ON FEBRUARY 3:

COROT-Exo-7b is an exoplanet orbiting around the star CoRoT-Exo-7. It was detected by the French-led COROT mission in 2009. It is the smallest exoplanet to have its diameter measured, at 1.7 times that of the Earth. Its mass is estimated to be 5–10 earth masses.^[1] It orbits very close to its star with an orbital period of 20 hours. The star, in the constellation Monoceros, is 390 light-years (120 pc) away and is slightly smaller than our own Sun.

MORE AT LEFT MENU AT RECENT DISCOVERIES

ON FEB 2 at 11:32 AM EST - A SMALL (12m) NEAR EARTH OBJECT (AN APOLLO NEO)

2009 CC2 MISSED THE EARTH BY ONLY 107,600 MILES - LESS THAN HALFWAY TO THE MOON - TECHNICAL DATA PAGE WITH INTERACTIVE DIAGRAM FROM JPL at:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2009%20CC2;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=1#cad

APOLLO OBJECTS DEFINED at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_asteroids

NEO DEFINED at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-Earth_object

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RUSSIAN AURORAS: On the night of Feb 4, the sun's magnetic field near Earth tipped south, opening a crack in Earth's magnetosphere and allowing solar wind to stream inside. Promptly, the skies over northern Russia turned green:

NOTE THE PLEIADES STAR CLUSTER ON THE LEFT

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Aleksander Chernucho photographed the auroras from Mt. Khibiny in Russia's Kolyskia peninsula. "I used a Nikon D700 set to ISO 640 for this 6-second exposure," he says.

Another outbreak of Northern Lights is due on Feb. 13th or 14th when a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole is due to hit Earth. The coronal hole is not yet visible from Earth, but NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft can see it approaching over the sun's horizon. Stay tuned for updates.

February 2009 Aurora Gallery

[Previous Februaries: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002]

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HERE BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF THE SKY's NEW COMET WHICH PEAKED ON FEB 24

AND WAS IN THE SAME BINOCULAR FIELD OF VIEW AS SATURN ON FEB 23

MUCH MORE AT COMET LULIN GALLERY at Left Menu

ANATOMY OF A COMET: Backyard astronomers watching Comet Lulin approach Earth are getting a nice lesson in the anatomy of comets. This photo was taken on Feb. 2nd by Italian observer Rolando Ligustri:

From Spaceweather.com for Feb 3

COMET LULIN BRIGHTENS: Veteran sky watcher Mariano Ribas of Argentina has been monitoring Comet Lulin in the skies of Buenos Aires. "In the past ten days, the comet has brightened by almost 60% (half a magnitude) to Magnitude +6.5," he reports. "Even with our heavy urban light pollution, the comet is an easy target for small telescopes and binoculars. Soon, I believe, it will become a naked-eye object for people in the country."

"My retired eyes still can't see it," says Jack Newton of Arizona, "but my 14-inch telescope picked it up quite nicely." He took this picture on

Feb. 1st:

Comet Lulin is approaching Earth for a 38-millon-mile close encounter on Feb. 24th. Look for it before dawn in the constellation Libra. A date of note is Feb. 6th when the comet passes by double star Zubenelgenubli. Zubenelenubi is not only fun to say (zuBEN-el-JA-newbee), but also it is a handy guide. You can see Zubenelgenubi with your unaided eye (it is about as bright as stars in the Big Dipper); binoculars pointed at the binary star reveal Comet Lulin in beautiful proximity: sky map.

Comet Lulin Photo Gallery

[Comet Hunter telescope] [sky map] [ephemeris]

PHOTO BELOW SHOWS 75 MINUTES OF COMET LULIN's MOTION ON JANUARY 24.

FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IT MOVES RIGHT TO LEFT OPPOSITE

TO OUR VIEW IN THE NORTH WHICH IS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.

IN BOTH HEMISPHERES THE MOTION IS FROM EAST TO WEST

COMET LULIN PHOTO BY CHRIS BRENNAN FROM BARBADOS WITH A 7" TELESCOPE ON JAN 24

SEE MORE AT COMET LULIN GALLERY at LEFT MENU AND

CURRENT FINDER CHARTS AT CURRENT SKY EVENTS at LEFT MENU

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Lee waves may be found downwind of all mountains--not just the Rockies. If you live in the lee, keep an eye out for pastels in the sky.

FROM SPACEWEATHER.COM FOR JAN 22

China's First Moon Probe Lowers Orbit For Further Exploration

Objectives

The "Orbiting (Chang’e-1)" phase of the program has four major goals:^[4]

• 1. Drawing "pictures" of the Moon and obtaining three-dimensional images of the lunar surface. Dividing the basic landforms and structures of the lunar surface and initially making outline graphs of lunar geology and structures, so as to provide a reference and basis for later soft landings. The orbit of Chang'e 1 around the Moon will provide complete coverage, including areas near the north and south poles not covered by previous missions.

  2. Probing useful elements on the Moon surface and analyzing the elements and materials, primarily making maps of the distribution of various elements on the Moon's surface. China hopes to expand the number of the useful elements to 14 (potassium (K), thorium (Th), uranium (U), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), tellurium (Te), titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), and lanthanum (La)),^[5] compared with the 10 elements (K, U, Th, Fe (iron), Ti, O, Si, Al, Mg, and Ca)^[6] previously probed by the NASA's Lunar Prospector, and will conduct an overall prospect evaluation on some useful resources on the Moon's surface.

  3. Probing the features of lunar soil and evaluating its depth, as well as the amount of helium-3 (³He) resources.^{[citation needed]}

  4. Probing the space environment between 40,000 km and 400,000 km from the Earth, recording data on the primitive solar wind and studying the impact of solar activity on the Earth and the Moon.

The first three of the four objectives are aimed at the Moon itself, while the last one is focused on the process of sending the Chang'e probe to the Moon, which means exploring the physical environment between the Earth and the Moon.

In addition, the lunar probe engineering system, composed of five major systems - the satellite system, the launch vehicle system, the launch site system, the monitoring and control system and the ground application system - will accomplish the following five goals:

• • Researching, developing and launching China's first lunar probe satellite

  • Initially mastering the basic probe technology of satellites in orbit

  • Conducting first lunar scientific exploration

  • Initially forming a lunar probe space engineering system

  • Accumulating experience for the later phases of the lunar probe project

Design

The Chang'e 1 satellite carries 24 pieces of lunar probe equipment, including a CCD stereo camera, microprobe instruments and a high-energy sun particle detector. The satellite weighs 2,350 kg, with 130 kg of payload, and is designed to orbit the Moon for one year.^[5]

Originally scheduled for April 2007, the launch was postponed to allow a better time for sending the satellite to orbit.^[7] Chang'e 1 was launched at 10:05 GMT on 24 October 2007 with a Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.

After liftoff, Chang'e 1 made three orbits around the Earth, a burn at perigee extending the orbit's apogee further each time, until a final translunar injection burn placed it on course for the Moon on 31 October 2007. Another burn placed it in a polar orbit around the Moon, with burns at the perilune of the first three orbits decreasing the apolune until it entered a final circular orbit. Entrance into Lunar orbit was achieved on the 5 November 2007. At this occasion, the probe transmitted 30 classical Chinese songs and music pieces, including “My Motherland”, “The Song of the Yangtze River”, and “High Mountains and Flowing Water”.

As well as Chinese tracking stations, the Maspalomas Station ESA tracking station is being used to transmit signals to and from the probe.

The first pictures of the Moon were relayed on 26th November 2007.

Instruments

• • Stereo camera with an optical resolution of 120 m and spectrometer imager from 0.48 µm to 0.96 µm wavelength.

  • Laser altimeter with 1064 nm, 150 mJ laser, a range resolution of 1 m and a spotsize of 300 m.

• Imaging spectrometer

  • Gamma and X-ray spectrometer for an energy range from 0.5 to 50 keV for x-rays and 300 keV to 9 MeV for gamma rays.

  • Microwave radiometer detecting 3, 7.8, 19.35 and 37 GHz with a maximal penetration depth of 30, 20, 10, 1 m and a thermal resolution of 0.5 K.

  • High energy particle detector and two solar wind detectors capable of the detection of electrons and heavy ions up to 730 MeV.

Images Obtained