In ten years of operation, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has transformed our view of the high-energy universe with its ability to make exquisite X-ray images of star clusters, supernova remnants, galactic eruptions, and collisions between clusters of galaxies.
Tags: satellite X-rays observatory universe galaxy
NASA astronaut TJ Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi, all flight engineers, launched in their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:52 pm PST Sunday to begin a two-day journey to the International Space Station.
Early Friday morning at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft left its processing facility on a rail car then was vertically set up at its launch pad. On Sunday at 3:52 pm PST, three new crew members will launch aboard the TMA-17 to join the Expedition 22 crew after docking to the International Space Station. They dock to the International Space Station Tuesday.
On Sunday at 1:52 pm PST, three new crew members will launch aboard the TMA-17 to join the Expedition 22 crew after docking to the International Space Station. They dock to the International Space Station Tuesday. NASA astronaut TJ Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will expand Expedition 22 to five crew members. Residing onboard the station since Oct. 2 are Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev.
Tags: ISS space station international
Arianespace wrapped up another successful year of operations with today's orbiting of the French Helios 2B military observation satellite, which was lofted on the seventh Ariane 5 launch in 2009. This daytime mission underscored Ariane 5's capability to accommodate a full range of satellite payloads by placing Helios 2B into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit during a flight lasting just under one hour.
December 18, 2009, marks the tenth year since the launch of Terra, one of nasa's 'flagship' Earth observing satellites. But the decade is more than just a mechanical milestone. With each additional day and year that the satellite monitors Earth, scientists achieve a lengthened record of Earth's vital signs. It's that record that helps scientists assess the health of Earth's ocean, land, and atmosphere, and determine how these systems are changing.
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, NASA astronaut TJ Creamer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi are making final preparations for their launch Sunday aboard the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft. After docking with the station on Tuesday, the trio will join Williams and Suraev as the newest Expedition 22 crew members.
The CFHT observatory hosts a world-class, 3.6 meter optical/infrared telescope. The observatory is located atop the summit of Mauna Kea, a 4200 meter, dormant volcano located on the island of Hawaii. The CFH Telescope became operational in 1979. The mission of CFHT is to provide for its user community a versatile and state-of-the-art astronomical observing facility which is well matched to the scientific goals of that community and which fully exploits the potential of the Mauna Kea site....
Tags: telescopes Mauna Kea astonomy CFHT
GJ1214 is a star five times smaller than our Sun and three hundred times less bright. Located only 40 light-years away from us, it is found to be surrounded by a super-Earth planet whose interior is likely mostly made of water ice. The planet appears to be rather hot and surrounded by a thick atmosphere, which makes it inhospitable for life as we know it on Earth.
Tags: telescopes interferometer astronomy ESO
