Spacesuit Malfunction Ends ISS Spacewalk Prematurely

Yesterday's spacewalk to repair a faulty Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) on the International Space Station (ISS) was ended after only 14 minutes and 22 seconds when Russian ground controllers noticed the pressure dropping more rapidly than expected in Astronaut Mike Fincke’s space suit. Neither astronaut was in any immediate danger.

Four Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs), one of which receives power from the faulty RPCM, maintain the station's orientation in space. Although two CMGs are now offline, the remaining two gyroscopes can keep the ISS stable until repairs are complete. The spacewalk will be re-scheduled, but will not occur earlier than June 29.

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Boeing Delta II Launches GPS Satellite

At 6:54 p.m. (EDT) yesterday, a Boeing Delta II rocket successfully launched a GPS IIR-12 global positioning system satellite from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. This was the 58th consecutive launch success for the Delta II and the 11th successful launch of a GPS IIR satellite. Lockheed Martin built the satellite for the U.S. Air Force and is also the prime contractor for the next generation system, GPS III, which will provide such enhancements as anti-jam capability and improved security. The GPS satellite constellation provides precise, three-dimensional position, timing and velocity information for both military and civilian users.

  

Venus Transit Continues To Draw Public Interest and Involvement

More than 54 million hits to the European Southern Observatory's Venus Transit 2004 (VT-2004) web site in an 8-hour period during the latest transit testify to the level of public interest in space. As do the many transit-inspired works of art, writing, photography, websites, and music. But the public involvement is more than just cultural, it's also scientific. Over 1300 observing teams have already provided approximately 3700 contact times for the transit, helping to more accurately define the measurement of the mean distance between the Earth and the Sun, referred to as the Astronomical Unit (AU). These timing inputs to the VT-2004 database will be accepted from observing teams until 10 July, 2004.

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GLIMS Project Provides Global View of Glacier Changes

Changes in glaciers can have widespread impact, affecting global climate and local water supplies, or even causing local flooding. As part of the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project, scientists have been creating a database to track changes in the glaciers around the world - approximately 160,000 of them. Dozens of scientists from 24 different countries collect and analyze high-resolution satellite imagery of their region and provide the data to a Coordination Center, which inputs these data into the GLIMS database. Space-based assets such as the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) provide vast amounts of raw data, relatively cost-effectively. Currently, the GLIMS project is still in it's early years, so data only cover a subset of Earth's glaciers.

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Greece to Join ESA

Greece applied for membership to the European Space Agency (ESA) in September 2003 and will now sign the Accession Agreement to the ESA Convention on Monday, June 28. After a transition period, full membership will be granted no later than December 2005. The signing will occur between Jean-Jacques Dordain (Director General, ESA) and Dimitris Sioufas (Minister for Development, Greece) at the ESA's headquarters in Paris.

  

New Photos of Valles Marineris from Mars Express

Controllers used the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) to take photos of the southern rim of the Melas Chasma - a region of the giant Valles Marineris canyon. Scientists will study the revealed morphology of the region to find clues as to the processes involved in altering the surface of the red planet at Valles Marineris. Photos of the area reveal some past volcanic activity and effects possibly due to water.

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Scaled Composites Craft Makes First Private Flight Into Space

At 9:47 am (Eastern) this morning, WhiteKnight took off from the Mojave Desert in California carying SpaceShip One in it's first attempt to reach an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles). After being released from WhiteKnight at 50,000 feet and accelerating to three times the speed of sound (Mach 3), SpaceShip One achieved its goal of entering space and then landed safely back in the Mojave Desert. Piloted by Michael Melvill, this marks the first spaceflight not sponsored by a government in which the crew earns astronaut wings.

For this test flight, Melvill comprised the entire crew, but to win the Ansari X-Prize, Scaled Composites must launch the craft with a crew of three to 100 kilometers, return them safely to Earth, and then do it again within two weeks. Although a number of other organizations are in the running for the X-Prize, Scaled Composites, led by Burt Rutan, is expected to make the first official attempt.

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