Spacecraft

ROSAT Re-Entry

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again, another man-made satellite is expected to crash into the Earth sometime on or around October 23, 2011.  This time, the potential noggin’ basher is the ROSAT satellite.

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Space Shuttle Atlantis - Final Flight

The final flight of the Space Shuttle Program is scheduled for tomorrow – July 8, 2011.  The Space Shuttle Atlantis is being prepped for launch scheduled for 11:26 am Eastern Standard Time.  I encourage all of you – our loyal Outer Space Universe Fans  – to watch this historic event live on NASA.gov.

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Mars Rover

Sadly, NASA announced yesterday that it has ended operational planning activities for the Mars Rover named Spirit.  The last time that Spirit communicated with Earth was on March 22, 2010 – over one year ago.  As Mars was heading into winter, Spirit became immobile and NASA was unable to adjust the tilt of Spirit’s solar panels to optimize the angle to capture the maximum amount of solar energy to keep the craft powered up. 

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Endeavour on the Launch Pad Prior to Launch

The Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) left the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center today at 8:56am in what looked to be a flawless lift off.  For those of you who had a chance to watch it live, it was a fantastic finish to Endeavour’s nearly 20 years of service.

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STS-134 Space Shuttle Endeavour Crew

A new launch date for STS-134, Space Shuttle Endeavour has been set for May 16, 2011.   Endeavour’s original launch was set for April 29, but was scrubbed due to an electrical problem in what is called the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2).  This piece of equipment distributes power to various systems in the Shuttle and is believed to have caused fuel line heaters for Endeavour’s auxiliary power unit-1 (APU-1) to fail.

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