The Official Space Exploration Thread

[DSJ™]

Chinese test missile obliterates satellite   

Russia honors Sputnik designer

Cargo ship docks with space station

[Darth_Anton]

In regards to the Pluto probe, it's going to take 8 years to get there from Jupiter and it's still the fastest man-made object ever. Amazing.

[DSJ™]

Forty years ago today we remember Apollo 1 & her crew. 



Apollo 1 astronauts pose in front of Pad 34. From left: Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II, Roger B. Chafee. credit: NASA.

Tomorrow we remember the Challenger & her crew on the 21st anniversary. 



Official portrait of the STS 51-L crewmembers: (Back row from left) mission specialist Ellison Onizuka, Teacher in Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnik. In the front row are pilot Michael Smith, commander Francis 'Dick' Scobee, and mission specialist Ronald McNair. Credit: NASA/JSC.

This Thursday, February 1st on the 4th anniversary we remember Columbia & her crew. 



This image of the STS-107 crew in orbit was recovered from wreckage inside an undeveloped film canister. The shirt color's indicate their mission shifts. From left (bottom row): Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Rick Husband, commander; Laurel Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. From left (top row) are astronauts David Brown, mission specialist; William McCool, pilot; and Michael Anderson, payload commander. Ramon represents the Israeli Space Agency. Credit: NASA/JSC.

"We shall never forget them nor the last time we saw them, as they prepared for their mission and waved good-bye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."

Still hurts listening to Reagan's Challenger's Tragedy Address.   

[DSJ™]

Just thought this was a good place to put this. 

'Star Trek' actor's ashes heading to space this month

[Lady Jaye]

Still hurts listening to Reagan's Challenger's Tragedy Address.   

If you don't mind me asking, why do the deaths of the Challenger crew move you so?? Are you, or were you, a part of some space program?? If not, just wondering why it affects you still, especially the moving speech by Reagan?

Oh and I remember the day it happened. We didn't watch it, but were told about it in class by my teacher, who was obviously shaken up by it. We were so young, we really didn't know what to make of it, but saw the pain in our favorite teacher's eyes! So we were saddened as well.

[DSJ™]

Why? I grew up watching the launches, from the days of Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz & the Shuttle. I'm from an Air Force family, I grew up with flight but space... it intrigues me. I have a space collection, books, pics, patches, models, coins, plates etc. I'd give Brents left nut up to go into space. 

Thanks for bumping this up Scott, it's a day I remember very well. 

20 years ago today I was in Las Vegas with friends. We rented a car and were on our way to tour Hover Dam that morning, on the radio I heard there was an accident with Challenger. We checked out the Dam then headed back to Vegas, once in the hotel there was a strange feeling, very quiet.

I went to my room and my roommate who stayed back was watching TV, he said "I think you better watch this". It was a replay of the launch, I watched then my heart just sunk. I just stared at the TV, they kept playing it over and over. There was a bottle of tequila next to the set and I poured a glass and shot it down, then I went out on the the balcony and broke down. After awhile I went to the lobby, TV's were on and Regan was addressing the nation.

The next day, my friend and I drove to to Edwards Air Force Base for a tour but sadly the base was close. This was I trip I planned long before and I was very happy to return that year in September. 

   

[DSJ™]

Whoa! Been awhile since anything really happened. The Lisa Nowak female astronaut that went wacko is not really space worthy me thinks. 

After a long delay of fixing the external tank from hailstorm damage, the shuttle Atlantis is off & running. 

Atlantis rockets to space

Great pics in the NASA image gallery & if you missed the launch, you can view the video in the NASA video section.

Also noted that on May 3rd 2007, Wally Schirra passed away at 84. He was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and the third American to orbit the Earth. Of the Mercury 7, only John Glenn & Scott Carpenter  are still alive.

Bye, Wally. You will be missed.

[DSJ™]

Shuttle docking a 'go' despite gap in heat blanket



This view from a camera mounted to the space shuttle Atlantis' robotic arm shows the torn thermal blanket seen just after the orbiter's June 8, 2007 launch into space. Credit: NASA TV.

[DSJ™]

Shuttle docks successfully



Space Shuttle Atlantis is pictured moments after docking to the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory. Image credit: NASA TV

[DSJ™]

Astronauts begin spacewalk to fix space station



STS-117 Mission Specialist John "Danny" Olivas (top) exits the International Space Station's Quest airlock during the early moments of the mission's first spacewalk. His partner, Jim Reilly, prepares tools that will be used during the excursion. Image credit: NASA TV.



This photograph, taken by an STS-117 crewmember, shows the damaged thermal insulation blanket on the left OMS pod of the space shuttle Atlantis on June 10, 2007. Credit: NASA.



This close-up view of the space shuttle Atlantis' damaged OMS pod thermal blanket was captured by the orbiter's sensor-laden inspection boom during a heat shield survey on June 9, 2007 of the STS-117 mission. Credit: NASA.

[Nicklab]

I was watching some of the helmet cam video today on NASA's tv channel.  Great stuff!  Who knew that they could get that good of a signal from the spacesuit and distribute that worldwide.

[DSJ™]

Yepper, great stuff indeed. 

Space station gets a new set of solar wings



The space station's new solar array wings wait to be fully unfurled. Credit: NASA TV.



A new solar wing, known as the 3A array, is half-unfurled at tip of the International Space Station's new S4 truss on June 12, 2007 during NASA's STS-117 mission. Credit: NASA TV.



The starboard 1A solar array extends out from the newly delivered S4 truss at the International Space Station after a successful deployment on June 12, 2007. Credit: NASA TV.

[Darth_Anton]

Mystery of oceans on Mars solved?

[DSJ™]

Small problem earlier today with the computers that control the oxygen and water supplies & navigation & attitude control . All is good thus far but will take a little time to fix.

Space station computers rebooted, partial power restored



This close-up view details how medical staples will be used to secure a loose thermal blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis during the STS-117 mission. Credit: NASA.



A view of the damaged shuttle blanket on the Atlantis orbiter's left Orbital Manuevering System pod during the STS-117 mission. Credit: NASA.



STS-117 astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas (visible among Reilly's helmet reflections participate in their mission's first spacewalk. They will perform a shuttle blanket fix and help stow an ISS solar array on a June 15, 2007 spacewalk. Credit: NASA

Other space news:

Honey, the baby's spacewalking

European company unveils space plane

Europe unveils space plane for tourist market. Plane will look like business jet with long wings and rocket engine



The space plane would take off from an as-yet undetermined spaceport using two conventional jet engines. The plane would climb to 7.5 miles (12 km) in altitude before its rocket engine ignites, powering the vehicle through a coast phase that would provide passengers with one and one-half minutes of near-zero-gravity experience.

Also check out the animation video clips of the Astrium space jet here & here.

Now to come up with $199,000-$265,000. 

[Darth_Anton]

That picture is just amazing.

BTW, I saw on Nova that they now have the material with which to build the cable for the space elevator, and nano-carbon tube.