A new reconnaissance satellite was launched on January 17, reportedly to spy on terrorists. Supposedly, it has equipment that allows it to actually listen in on communications of hostile governments and organizations.
Whatever its capabilities, it seems to be very big. It was launched using the powerful “Delta 4-Heavy” booster. Based on the choice of the rocket, the spy satellite should be 5 or 6 tons—at least when it isn’t weightless.
The X-38 was a spacecraft designed to bring crews to the International Space Station. It was an alternative to the Russian Soyuz and a successor to the Shuttle. It was canceled in 2002. Now the latest “shuttle successor” is in danger of cancellation…and the X-38 is headed to a museum. That’s right. A nearly “flight-ready” [...]
Paul Haney, in the early years known as “the voice of mission control” has died at 80. From 1965 through 1969, Haney’s voice was featured on live broadcasts of NASA manned space launches.Working in the public affairs department of the space agency, Haney promoted openness. Sometimes, he clashed with the top brass. Disagreements and split [...]
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is getting company in the form of a repair crew from the shuttle Atlantis. But the HST is also getting another kind of company: two more space telescopes were launched today. An Arianne 5 rocket put the European space telescopes, Herschel and Planck, into space. Herschel has a 3.5m diameter [...]