Space Shuttle Return-To-Flight: Discovery's Preparations Continue

Space Shuttle Discovery continues to receive upgrades in preparation for the Shuttle's return-to-flight after the breakup of Shuttle Columbia as it reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 1 February 2003. NASA hopes to launch Discovery mission STS-114 in March 2005.

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Two More Moons Of Saturn Discovered

In case you have not yet heard, scientists have discovered two more Saturnian moons using images from the Cassini spacecraft now in orbit around the ringed giant. These two "new" moons are provisionally named S/2004 S1 and S/2004 S2 and are very small at 2 to 2.5 miles across.

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Bipolar Jets Discovered In Supernova Remnant

A recently released one million second exposure image from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, now celebrating five years of operation, show bipolar jets of material emanating from supernova remnant Cassiopeia A.

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Mars Odyssey Mission Extension Approved

The Mars Odyssey orbiter, studying Mars since February 2002, has received approval from NASA for a mission extension through September 2006.

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ESO Telescope Outfitted With New Adaptive Optics Instrument

The European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Very Large Telescope (VLT) recently received a new instrument assisted by adaptive optics: SINFONI ("Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observation in the Near-Infrared"). This new instrument was successfully commissioned in June 2004.

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Sand Dunes Formed In Martian Crater

The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Mars Express orbiter imaged a large field of sand dunes (about 7 x 12 km) in the floor of a large Martian crater (approximately 45 km wide and 2 km deep) in Argyre Planitia. Similar sand dunes are found on Earth, such as the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Colorado, US (featured as an Image Of the Week on the Space Imaging website in 2003).

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Student Rocket Contest Announced

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and National Association of Rocketry are co-sponsors of the "world’s largest model rocket contest for middle and high school students" with the American Association of Physics Teachers as the exclusive educational partner. Registration applications will be accepted until November 30, 2004 but only the first 1,250 completed applications will be accepted. For contest details, visit www.rocketcontest.org.

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Loral's Telstar 18 Enters Service

Loral Space & Communications announced that its Telstar 18 satellite has reached its orbital desitination and has completed on-orbit testing. It's now in service and expected to last for its entire 13-year design lifetime, despite having to use some of its fuel reserves due to a lower than intended initial orbital insertion.

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Endangered Turtles Tracked By Satellite

Scientists are satellites to both track the critically endangered leatherback sea turtles and overlay their paths with data gained from other remote-sensing satellites.

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