SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn astronaut launch until at least Aug. 30 due to bad weather

Weather delays SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronaut launch | Paralympic Games shaped astronaut's space career | Night sky for tonight: Visible planets, stars and more Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com |  Web Version August 29, 2024 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad Weather delays SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronaut launch (SpaceX) SpaceX's historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission has been delayed again. Polaris Dawn was originally scheduled to launch early Monday morning (Aug. 26) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but SpaceX pushed things back a day to perform more preflight checkouts. The company then called the planned Tuesday (Aug. 27) attempt off after detecting a helium leak, targeting Wednesday (Aug. 28) instead. But now Mother Nature has foiled that plan. Full Story: Space (8/27)  Paralympic Games shaped astronaut's space career (Andrew Wong/Getty Images) Astronaut John McFall medaled in the Paralympics in 2008, and the lessons he learned from that experience are helping him today as a person who may one day fly to the International Space Station. Full Story: Space (8/28)  Skywatching Night sky for tonight: Visible planets, stars and more (Chris Vaughan/Starry Night) On Friday morning, Aug. 30, early risers can see the waning crescent moon forming a line below Gemini's two brightest stars in the eastern sky. Pollux, the lower star is brighter and more yellowish in color than its "twin", the double star Castor, above it. Even as the sky begins to brighten ahead of sunrise, the bright stars of winter will sparkle off to the right of Gemini and the moon. Full Story: Space (8/7)  Spaceflight New Glenn to debut this October with NASA Mars launch (Blue Origin) The inaugural flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift rocket, which will send NASA's ESCAPADE mission on its way to Mars, now has a tentative launch date. NASA announced on Monday (Aug. 26) that the mission will launch no earlier than Oct. 13. Blue Origin's first New Glenn rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, debuting at last after years of delays in its development. Full Story: Space (8/29)  Science & Astronomy Astronomers discover 'odd radio circle' near center of galaxy (Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)) A mysterious ring of radio light could have been created by a type of massive star with a powerful wind of radiation blowing away its outer layers, according to astronomers who made the discovery with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. Full Story: Space (8/28)  SpaceX FAA requires investigation of Falcon 9 landing failure (SpaceX) A Falcon 9 successfully launched 21 of SpaceX's Starlink satellites this morning (Aug. 28), sending them to orbit on the record-breaking 23rd mission for the rocket's first stage. That booster encountered a problem during its return to Earth, however, toppling over shortly after landing at sea on a SpaceX droneship. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it's requiring an investigation into the failed touchdown - and that the Falcon 9 won't fly again until that inquiry has wrapped up. Full Story: Space (8/28)  Technology Japan declares its SLIM moon lander dead at last (JAXA) Japan has called an end to its SLIM moon mission after failing to make contact with the lander since April. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on a H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on Sep. 7, 2023. The diminutive lander made a successful, yet lopsided, landing on the rim of Shioli Crater on Jan. 19 this year. Designed to operate for a single lunar day on the surface, the 440 pounds (200 kilograms) solar-powered lander sprang a major surprise by surviving three separate frigid lunar nights. Full Story: Space (8/28)    Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036

Fatal shuttle disasters led NASA to bring Boeing Starliner astronauts home on SpaceX Dragon

Shuttle disasters led NASA to Starliner decision | Hubble photo captures peculiar ring-shaped galaxy | Auroral substorm sparks stunning northern lights Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com |  Web Version August 28, 2024 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad Shuttle disasters led NASA to Starliner decision (NASA) The Columbia and Challenger tragedies weighed on the minds of agency decision-makers. Full Story: Space (8/27)  Hubble photo captures peculiar ring-shaped galaxy (ESA/Hubble & NASA, I. Chilingari) A galaxy's outstretched arms form a nearly perfect circle around its central disk in a striking new image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Full Story: Space (8/27)  Skywatching Auroral substorm sparks stunning northern lights (Monika Focht) Aurora chasers were treated to a dynamic and vivid northern lights display. Full Story: Space (8/28)  Spaceflight India to launch crew capsule test flight by end of 2024 (ISRO) India aims to fly Gaganyaan uncrewed this December, in a crucial trial ahead of astronaut missions. Full Story: Space (8/27)  What time is Blue Origin's private NS-26 astronaut launch? (Blue Origin) Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and RSS First Step capsule will launch 6 people to suborbital space on Aug. 29. Here's when and where. Full Story: Space (8/28)  Science & Astronomy NASA's DART asteroid crash trashed space rock target (NASA/JHUAPL) "For the most part, our original pre-impact predictions about how DART would change the way Didymos and its moon move in space were correct." Full Story: Space (8/27)  Star Wars 'Star Wars Outlaws' enters our galaxy this week! (Ubisoft) This open world 'Star Wars' game opens Aug. 27 for early access, and will be released in full on Aug. 30. Full Story: Space (8/27)    Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036