Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 21.12.17

Front Page / Titelseite

Interstellar Visitor Stays Silent: No Signs of Life Yet on `Oumuamua
The first interstellar asteroid ever discovered in our solar system remains silent, at least for now. An initial search for artificial signals coming from ‚Oumuamua, the needle-shaped…
Holiday Lights Shine Bright in NASA Satellite Views (Video)
Festive light displays that shine brightly in neighborhoods can be seen all the way from space, and new satellite views are helping NASA scientists learn more about human culture and energy…
Hubble Space Telescope: Pictures, Facts & History
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided a dazzling array of images that have awed and inspired the public. More than just pretty pictures, the dozens of…
Viel ISS-Verkehr: Soyuz gestartet, Cygnus oben
Diese drei – ein Foto von Alexander Gerst aus dem Bus zur Startrampe – sind gestern zur ISS gestartet und sollen morgen ankommen: viele Fotos der NASA und Screenshots aus dem Webcast,…
Elon Musk Unveils Falcon Heavy Rocket Photos Ahead of Maiden Flight
Falcon Heavy at the Cape pic.twitter.com/hizfDVsU7X – Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2017 SpaceX founder Elon Musk unveiled a tantalizing first glimpse at his company’s new megarocket -…

International Spacestation (ISS) /

Internationale Raumstation

Crew Set to Say Goodbye and Close Soyuz Spacecraft Hatch
Three crew members who have been living and working aboard the International Space Station are set for return to Earth on Thursday. Coverage of the farewell and hatch closure is now…
Soyuz Capsule Lands on Frozen Kazakh Steppe with Three-Man Crew from Russia, U.S. & Italy
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a three-man crew from Russia, the U.S. and Italy touched down on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan on Thursday after 2,224 orbits of Earth over a mission…
Expedition 53 Leaves Station, Begins Ride Home
Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA and Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) and Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos undocked from the International Space…
Touchdown! Veteran Space Travelers Back on Earth
Three crew members who have been living and working aboard the International Space Station have landed in Kazakhstan. Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA and Flight Engineers…
Photos: Soyuz Touches Down in the Depths of Winter with International Crew Trio
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a three-man crew from Russia, the U.S. and Italy touched down on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan at 8:37 UTC on Thursday, December 14, 2017 after 2,224…
ISS: Paolo Nespoli zurück auf der Erde
Der ESA-Astronaut Paolo Nespoli ist zurück auf der Erde: Gemeinsam mit zwei Kollegen landete er am Morgen in der kasachischen Steppe. Nespoli hatte insgesamt fünf Monate an Bord der…
"Sooty" Falcon 9 Lifts Flight-Proven Dragon into Orbit, 1st Stage Aces 2nd Land-Based Return
Sporting a sooty attire from a previous voyage, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted the fourth Dragon mission of 2017 into orbit on Friday to deliver science gear, systems…
SpaceX Launches (and Lands) Used Rocket on Historic NASA Cargo Mission
SpaceX launched and landed a used rocket today (Dec. 15), pulling off yet another spaceflight double play during a delivery mission for NASA that gets the company a big step closer to its…
Auf dem Weg zur ISS: Deutsche Experimente in Smartphone-Größe
Forschung mit Immun-, Nerven- und Krebszellen auf der Internationalen Raumstation Am 15. Dezember 2017 hat eine Falcon-9-Rakete drei Zellkultur-Experimente von deutschen Wissenschaftlern…
Videos: Falcon 9 Sends Dragon to Orbit, Flight-Proven Booster Returns to Cape Canaveral
On Friday, for the first time, SpaceX launched a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket and a previously used Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on the company’s fourth ISS resupply mission in 2017. The…
In Photos: SpaceX Launches Used Falcon 9 Rocket, Dragon Capsule on CRS-13
SpaceX launched its 13th cargo delivery to the International Space Station on Dec. 15, 2017, flying both a reused Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship. [ Full Story and Launch Video]…
Previously-Flown Dragon Cargo Craft Captured by Space Station Crew for Second Supply Delivery
A science-laden SpaceX Dragon spacecraft pulled up ten meters underneath the Space Station on Sunday in a high-fidelity orbital link up to be captured by the Space Station’s robotic arm to…
Dragon Attached to Station for Month of Cargo Transfers
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was installed on the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 8:26 a.m. EST. The 13th contracted commercial resupply mission from SpaceX…
Astronauts Capture Dragon Loaded With New Science
While the International Space Station was traveling overhead between Australia and Papua New Guinea, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba captured the Dragon spacecraft at 5:57 a.m….
Recycled SpaceX Dragon Capsule Makes 2nd Delivery to Space Station
A used SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station for the second time Sunday (Dec. 17), delivering more than 2 tons of NASA supplies just in time for Christmas. The…
SpaceX gelingt Start recycelter Raumkapsel und Raketenstufe
Am Freitag hat SpaceX zum 12. Mal erfolgreich eine Rakete auf den Weg zur Internationalen Raumstation gebracht. Erstmals waren sowohl die erste Raketenstufe als auch die Raumkapsel nicht…
Weihnachten im All: Drei Raumfahrer zur ISS gestartet
Ein Russe, ein US-Amerikaner und ein Japaner haben sich kurz vor Weihnachten auf den Weg zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS gemacht. Die Sojus-Rakete startete am Sonntagmorgen planmäßig…
Crew Members from Russia, U.S. & Japan Arrive at Space Station after Two-Day Soyuz Flight
Three new arrivals pulled into their orbital docking port at the International Space Station Tuesday morning after a flawless two-day rendezvous executed by the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft with…
Soyuz Rocket Braves Freezing Temperatures, Sends Next Space Station Crew to Orbit
Three crewmen from Russia, the U.S. and Japan blasted off in freezing temperatures on Sunday to set sail on a two-day rendezvous with the International Space Station to kick off a half-year…
Photos: Soyuz Takes Flight with ISS Crew Trio from Russia, Japan & the U.S. - Soyuz MS-07 | Spaceflight101
Three days after a Soyuz spacecraft touched down on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan with three ISS crew members, the next crew vehicle took flight from an equally frigid Baikonur Cosmodrome…
Videos: Soyuz MS-07 Launch
Three days after a Soyuz spacecraft touched down on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan with three ISS crew members, the next crew vehicle took flight from an equally frigid Baikonur Cosmodrome…
Crew From U.S., Russia and Japan Expands Space Population to Six
NASA’s Scott Tingle, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency joined Expedition 54 Commander Alexander Misurkin…
Space Travelers Arrive at Station after Two-Day Trip
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA’s Scott Tingle, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency docked to the…
Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Ends Successful Mission after Extended Free Flight Demonstration
The S.S. Gene Cernan, Orbital ATK’s eighth operational Cygnus spacecraft, closed out a 36-day mission on Monday via destructive re-entry – completing a 22-day stay at the International…
NASA Still Has No Clear Idea How To Use the International Space Station
Keith’s note: After spending decades and tens of billions of dollars NASA still cannot implement a strategic plan for the use of the ISS or explain how it plans to transition from the ISS…
The International Space Station Is The Undiscovered Country
„The International Space Station is one of the few nonstellar things up there that we can see from down here without instruments. It’s a prefab home the size of a football field, 462 tons…

Earth / Erde

FireBIRD beobachtet Waldbrände in Kalifornien
Waldbrände in Kalifornien: Infrarot-Aufnahmen der amerikanischen Pazifikküste Der Satellit TET-1 (Technologieerprobungsträger) des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)…
Tracking aerosols from California`s fires
The new Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite captured the presence of elevated absorbing aerosols – caused by fires – in the atmosphere off the west coast of the US on 12 December 2017.While…
Close-Up Photos: Ariane 5 Leaps Off from French Guiana with Four Galileo Navigation Sats
Europe’s Ariane 5 launch vehicle blasted off from the ELA-3 launch pad at the Guiana Space Center at 18:36:07 UTC on Tuesday, December 12 on its sixth and final launch of 2017. Hidden under…
Spy Satellites Reveal Ancient Lost Empires in Afghanistan
Spy satellite imagery is revealing lost Silk Road outposts and the traces of vanished empires in the forbidding desert regions of Afghanistan, new research reveals. The new archaeological…

Solar System / Sonnensystem

Surprise! New Horizons Probe`s Next Flyby Target Has at Least One Moon
NEW ORLEANS – When NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft arrives at its next destination in 2019, it may find more primordial objects than NASA had anticipated: Researchers have announced that the…
Dawn to fly closer to Ceres than ever in mission`s final phase - SpaceNews.com
NEW ORLEANS – NASA’s Dawn mission to the main asteroid belt, granted a second extended mission earlier this year, will end later next year after a final set of close-up observations of the…
Der Mars steht Kopf
Mission Mars Express – seit 14 Jahren im Einsatz Dieses außergewöhnliche Bild der vom Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) betriebenen, hochauflösenden Stereokamera HRSC an…
Mars upside down
Which way is up in space? Planets are usually shown with the north pole at the top and the south pole at the bottom. In this remarkable image taken by ESA’s Mars Express, the Red Planet is…
Catalog Page for PIA21915
Dawn’s mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight…
Rhea Retrospective: Cassini Probe`s Last View of Battered Saturn Moon
Rhea, an icy cratered moon that provided the first direct evidence of an oxygen atmosphere in the Saturn system, shines in its final image by the Cassini spacecraft. The Cassini spacecraft…

Beyond Solar System / Milchstraße & Kosmos

Cosmic Crash: Galaxies Head for Collision in Stunning Hubble Image
A stunning new Hubble Space Telescope photo shows „a riot of color and light“ emanating from the galaxy NGC 5256, according to the European Space Agency. The bizarre shape and colors in…
ESA Science & Technology: Galactic David and Goliath [heic1712]
Jahresrückblick 2016: Einsteins Wellen, Merkurs Transit und der neunte Planet Kepler: Planetenfunde durch den Computer Lensnova: Supernovae durch die Gravitationslinse Simulationen: Wie…
Exoplanet Discoveries
Today, as shown in figure 10, we know of over 3,500 confirmed exoplanets, with more than 2,500 of those found in the Kepler data. These planets range in size from larger than Jupiter to…
Kepler-90 System Planet Sizes
The Kepler-90 planets have a similar configuration to our solar system with small planets found orbiting close to their star, and the larger planets found farther away.
Kepler-90 Planets Orbit Close to Their Star
Kepler-90 is a Sun-like star, but all of its eight planets are scrunched into the equivalent distance of Earth to the Sun. The inner planets have extremely tight orbits with a „year“ on…
Could Kepler-90 Have More Planets?
This graphic shows that a small area around the Kepler-90 system, on the left, has been searched by the Kepler space telescope. Compared to our solar system, where we know of planets…
Gaia sky scan
This colourful streamer is created from real data that represents the viewing direction of ESA’s Gaia satellite as it scans across the sky.Gaia’s mission is to make the largest, most…

Politics / Politik

George Abbey: Let`s Go Back To The Moon
Former NASA Flight Director Says A Return To The Moon Is Necessary Before Heading To Mars „But what about plans for a return to the moon? „“First, you go to the moon before you go to Mars,“…
National Space Council 101 Overview By Scott Pace
„The United States should seek to ensure that its space activities reflect „our values and not just our technologies,“ Pace urged. „We should seek to ensure that our space activities…
Apply Now To Be On The National Space Council Users` Advisory Group
NASA Invitation for Public Nominations of U.S. Citizens for Potential Service on the National Space Council Users‘ Advisory Group „NASA announces an invitation for public nominations of…
SpaceX Falcon 9 Completes Static Fire Test for Year-Closing Launch
SpaceX on Sunday conducted the Static Fire Test of the final Falcon 9 rocket set for liftoff in 2017, targeting launch from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 23 (UTC) to…

Technology / Technologie

Wie halten sich Satelliten und Raumstationen in ihrer Bahn um die Erde?
Das ist grundsätzlich gar nicht so schwierig, wenn sie erst einmal in einer Umlaufbahn sind. Dann haben sie nämlich genau die Geschwindigkeit, die sie benötigen, um die Erde in diesem…
SpaceX Falcon 9 Completes Static Fire Test for Year-Closing Launch
SpaceX on Sunday conducted the Static Fire Test of the final Falcon 9 rocket set for liftoff in 2017, targeting launch from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 23 (UTC) to…
Blue Origin a year away from crewed New Shepard flights - SpaceNews.com
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – After carrying out a successful test flight of a new version of its New Shepard suborbital spacecraft, a Blue Origin executive said Dec. 18 that the company was now…
Blue Origin`s Test Flight This Week Included Medical Tech, Student Experiments
Astronauts who suffer chest trauma such as a collapsed lung could soon have a new technology to save their lives: The payloads aboard Blue Origin’s suborbital test flight Tuesday (Dec. 12)…
Watch Blue Origin`s New Shepard 2.0 Spacecraft Soar in 1st Test Flight
Blue Origin took its new reusable spaceship out for its first spin yesterday (Dec. 12), and you can watch the test flight’s highlights in a dramatic new video. The video shows the next-gen…
In Photos: Blue Origin`s New Shepard 2.0 Aces Maiden Test Flight
Jeff Bezos‘ spaceflight company Blue Origin performed the first successful test flight of its next-gen New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Dec. 12, 2017. Read our full story here and check…
Rocket Lab Abandons
Rocket Lab is ending its „Still Testing“ launch campaign for 2017, moving the second test flight of the company’s Electron launch vehicle into early 2018 after encountering weather and…
Rocket Lab postpones Electron launch to early 2018 - SpaceNews.com
WASHINGTON – Stymied by poor weather and technical glitches, including one that aborted a launch just two seconds before liftoff, Rocket Lab said Dec. 16 it will delay its next Electron…
Standard `Launch Unit` Could Make It Easier to Send Small Payloads to Space
Does the spaceflight industry need an agreed-upon unit of measurement for space-bound cargo? A nonprofit called The Aerospace Corporation thinks the answer is yes, and it’s assembled a…
Thales Alenia working with three companies on Deep Space Gateway concepts - SpaceNews.com
WASHINGTON – Thales Alenia Space is partnering with three U.S. companies that are working on NASA studies of concepts for the proposed Deep Space Gateway, leveraging its expertise in space…
Moon Rocket Thrust! NASA Tests Powerful Engine with 3D-Printed Part
A NASA engine designed for what will be the world’s most powerful rocket underwent one last test fire for 2017 on Wednesday (Dec. 13) to help the space agency prepare for its Space Launch…
ESA Euronews: Europa baut unter Hochdruck neue Startrampe für Ariane 6
An der Nordostküste Südamerikas arbeiten Europas Raumfahrtingenieure auf Hochtouren an der neuen Startrampe für die Ariane 6-Rakete, die im Juli 2020 zum Jungfernflug abheben soll. Die…

Entertainment / Unterhaltung

`Star Wars` Gear Soars on SpaceX Falcon Rocket As `The Last Jedi` Launches
Two „Falcons“ took flight today (Dec. 15), each lofting „Star Wars“ droids on new journeys into space. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space…

World / Welt

Bigelow Aerospace Had a Secret DoD UFO Study Contract (Update)
Glowing Auras and ‚Black Money‘: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program, New York Times „Contracts obtained by The Times show a congressional appropriation of just under $22 million…
ESA-Astronaut Dr. Alexander Gerst erhält die Urania-Medaille 2017
ESA-Astronaut Dr. Alexander Gerst erhält die Urania-Medaille 2017 ESA-Astronaut Alexander Gerst erhielt die Urania-Medaille 2017. Der deutsche ESA-Astronaut Alexander Gerst sorgt für…
OHB und Arianespace einig: Heinrich Hertz wird mit Ariane 5 starten
Unterzeichnung des Startvertrags für Heinrich-Hertz-Satellitenmission Am 14. Dezember 2017 haben Marco Fuchs, Vorstandsvorsitzender der OHB System AG (2. von links) und Stéphane Israel,…
Heinrich Hertz: Satellit startet mit Ariane 5
In Zeiten von Digitalisierung und „Big Data“ müssen immer größere Datenvolumen schnell und zuverlässig transportiert werden können. Dies ermöglichen neuen Technologien, wie sie auf…
Christmas operations
On 25 December 2003, after a journey lasting 205 days and covering 400 million kilometres, Mars Express entered orbit around Mars. Jose Pereira (pictured) recalls the atmosphere in the main…
"Lift off" für den deutschen Raumfahrt-Nachwuchs / Germany / ESA in your country / ESA
Stipendiaten des „German Trainee Programmes“ (GTP) beim Jahressymposium 2017. „Lift off“ für den deutschen Raumfahrt-Nachwuchs Ihre berufliche Mission ist die Raumfahrt? Sie wollen in…
ESA Science & Technology: Günther Hasinger appointed as ESA Director of Science
The Council of the European Space Agency announced the appointment of Günther Hasinger as the next Director of Science. He will succeed Alvaro Giménez, who has served in the position…
Holiday Miracle? Israeli Moon-Race Team Needs $7.5 Million by Dec. 20
A $30 million private race to the moon will lose one of its five finalists, barring a holiday miracle. The Israeli team SpaceIL will have to drop out of the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) if…
NASA to Reveal Finalists for Next Robotic Solar System Mission Today
NASA will unveil the finalists for its next robotic mission to explore the solar system today (Dec. 20) and you can follow it live online. „The mission, targeted to launch in the…
Virgin Galactic signs SpaceShipTwo research flight deal with Italian space agency - SpaceNews.com
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Virgin Galactic will carry out a dedicated research flight of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane for the Italian space agency ASI, with an Italian payload specialist…

Science / Wissenschaft

Space Aging and Psychology Among Experiments for Canadian Astronaut
LONGUEUIL, Quebec – It’s always a party when a Canadian astronaut is counting down to a space mission. David Saint-Jacques held his first major mission event Nov. 29 at the Canadian Space…
Weightlessness and Its Effect on Astronauts
The sensation of weightlessness, or zero gravity, happens when the effects of gravity are not felt. Technically speaking, gravity does exist everywhere in the universe because it is defined…
Cloudy with a Chance of Radiation: NASA Studies Simulated Radiation
When imagining locations where extraterrestrial life could potentially dwell, few places inspire the imagination like one of Earth’s closest neighbors. For centuries, man has looked to Mars…

History / Geschichte

Kalpana Chawla: Biography & Columbia Disaster
The tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia killed seven astronauts. One of those, Kalpana Chawla, was the first Indian-born woman in space. Born in Karnal, India, on July 1, 1961, Chawla…
Apollo 1 Memorial To Be Placed at Arlington National Cemetery
Keith’s note: Last week President Trump signed the H.R.2810 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 into law. Included in this legislation is a provision that calls for a…
Apollo 11: First Men on the Moon
The historic launch of the Apollo 11 mission carried three astronauts toward the moon. Two of them would set foot on the lunar surface for the first time in human history as millions of…
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