On 11 May, Space Shuttle Atlantis will launch with a crew of seven to visit the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and carry out the fifth and final servicing mission. The replacement and repair of several instruments will see Hubble equipped to continue its programme of discovery well into the next decade.
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ESA will present the world premiere of Touching the Edge of the Universe, a stunning new planetarium show, starting 7 May 2009 at 30 planetaria in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The premiere comes just days before the launch of Herschel & Planck, two of the show’s starring missions, scheduled for 14 May.
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Now that additional checks on the Ariane 5 ECA launcher have been completed, Arianespace and ESA have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for Thursday 14 May.
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The Dublin Fire Brigade is using mobile communication technology, originally developed for astronauts on the International Space Station, to get crucial information about emergency situations while en route to accident scenes. Firefighters can intervene faster, saving precious time and possibly lives.
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The first International Academy of Astronautics Planetary Defence Conference is being held in Granada, Spain, on 27–30 April. Among the topics under discussion will be preparations for the near-Earth flyby of asteroid Apophis in 2029.
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SPACE.com – Its exquisite images have graced thepages of astronomy books and calendars all over the world and providedastronomers with invaluable information on the mysteries of the universe.
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The verification of operations procedures for Herschel and Planck at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) has now positively concluded. However, during final checks on the spacecraft, concerns have arisen and a short delay is proposed in order to allow ESA and Arianespace to carry out a final and independent check of the safety margins. Therefore, the final decision on the date of the Herschel and Planck launch will be postponed by a few days.
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These images, taken by the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera, show the region of Ariadnes Colles on the Red Planet.
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AFP – NASA said Thursday it will launch its final shuttle mission to the Hubble space telescope on May 11, a day earlier than planned, to avoid conflicts with other scheduled missions.
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SPACE.com – A small satellite the size of a bread loaf could helpscientists figure out how drugs work in space.
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