New Software Plug-In Opens Astronomy Photo Processing To All

A recently developed software plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® or Adobe Photoshop Elements allows anyone with a PC to process astronomy photographs like an expert. The new software, called the Photoshop FITS Liberator (FITS = Flexible Image Transport System), was developed by imaging experts at NASA, The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

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Loral To Exit Chapter 11 By Year End

According to a recent press release, Loral Space & Communications Ltd. has reached an agreement concerning its chapter 11 reorganization plan with the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors. Under the plan, Loral will exit chapter 11 debt free as a publicly-traded company with it's two businesses, Loral Space and Loral Skynet, intact and under current management. Loral Space designs and builds satellites while Loral Skynet operates a fleet of four communications satellites.

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Mass Of Single Star Measured

Using a combination of ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have directly measured the mass of a single star approximately 1,800 light-years from Earth. This is the first time this has been accomplished, other than for our own nearest star, the Sun. Normally, star mass measurements are made only in binary star systems, but in this astronomy first, scientists employed a gravitational microlensing technique. The small red star's mass is about one tenth that of our Sun.

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Earth Observation Satellites Prove Existence Of Monster 'Rogue' Waves

Synthetic aperture radar images from the European Space Agency's (ESA's) two ERS satellites, launched in the 1990s, have provided proof that 'rogue' waves do exist, and with greater frequency than anyone realized (project MaxWave). These giant waves can reach heights of over 100 feet and are suspected as the leading cause of sinking for large ocean-going ships. Future studies are planned to learn more about how and why these events occur.

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Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission To Be Decommissioned

NASA plans to decommission the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) later this year. TRMM was originally launched as a three-year demonstration mission in 1997 and will be replaced later this decade by the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM) through a partnership with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). TRMM measures precipitation distribution over land or sea and aids in predicting dangerous weather, as well as in understanding Earth's hydrological cycle and climate.

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'Jules Verne' ATV Arrives At ESTEC

'Jules Verne', the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) flight model, arrived at European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), Noordwijk, Holland on 15 July, where it will undergo extensive testing for the next six months. If all goes as planned, 'Jules Verne' will launch from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket for the first ATV voyage. The ATV is an unmanned, automated re-supply vehicle designed to carry supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

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Greece Signs ESA Accession Agreement

Yesterday, Greece's Dimitris Sioufas, Minister for Development, and the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, signed the accession agreement allowing Greece to become a full member state by December 25, or earlier, after a transition period. Greece had formally applied for ESA membership in September 2003.

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Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Landing Technology For CEV

Late in June, Lockheed Martin performed a number of tests that successfully demonstrate new airbag technology that could be used in a future Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) design. Airbags would cushion the spacecraft's landing enough to allow an astronaut crew to safely set down on land, as opposed to the water landings required during the Apollo moon missions of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

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ESA's Aurora Program To Be Remodeled

Earlier this month, the participating states in the Aurora Program agreed to remodel the program into a Preparatory Phase of the European Space Exploration Program (ESEP). Aurora is a component of Europe's long-term space strategy. This Preparatory Phase will allow industrial work for the program to continue and could help increase the number of program participants.

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Ariane 5 Launches Largest Telecommunications Satellite Ever

Early Saturday morning, an Ariane 5 launcher carried the Anik F2 telecommunications satellite into its geosynchronous orbit from Kourou, French Guiana for Telesat Canada. With a 5950 kg mass at launch, the Anik F2 is the largest telecommunications satellite ever launched. The satellite will provide services, including Internet and high-speed digital communications, to users in North America.

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