Spirit Moves on Mars by 1/2 Inch

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit moved forward by a mere one-half inch in seeking to gain freedom from a sand trap in which it has been lodged the past six months after commands were sent to from Earth Monday to attempt to extricate itself from sand. The rover wheels are up to the hubcaps in the Martain sand. Mission scientists believe progress has been made in getting the rover free but further analysis is deemed required prior to the next move.

A Step Back in Time: The Pilots of Buran

Part 2 of the The Pilots of Buran - the Soviet Space Shuttle of yesteryear. Within the next few years we will have dozens of American space shuttle pilots sitting around in reflection and recollection of piloting the shuttle to-and-from Earth orbit; so, perhaps this is just a look-see into the future.

Meteor Lights-Up Utah

The University of Utah's new Willard L. Eccles Observatory at Frisco Peak astronomer say the Bolide Meteor was probably a straggler from Tuesday's Leonid meteor shower. There were reports that the meteor was seen in Idaho, Nevada and California.

China and US To Seek Space Cooperation

CNN UPDATE: China and the United States pledged today to step up military exchanges and safeguard the peaceful use of outer space after talks between Chinese President Hu Jintao and visiting US President Barack Obama and in a joint statement said “the two countries have common interests in promoting the peaceful use of outer space and agree to take steps to enhance security in outer space.”

"We are willing to act on the basis of mutual benefit and reciprocity to deepen our cooperation on counterterrorism, law enforcement, science, technology, outer space, civil aviation, and engage in cooperation in space exploration, high- speed railway infrastructure, in agriculture, health, and other fields," the Chinese president said in a seperate statement to Chinese media.

As to the possible areas of cooperation in outer space and in space exploration, the joint statement commits the United States and China to “expanding discussions on space science cooperation and starting a dialogue on human space flight and space exploration.” According to the statement, the two countries will arrange “reciprocal visits of the NASA administrator and the appropriate Chinese counterpart in 2010.” More from AFP and Florida Today.

Now Awaiting the Word from Mars

The commands have been sent to the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit to move from the sand trap but NASA JPL scientists suggest the outlook may be bleak. Whether or not there has been success in moving Spirit will not be known until sometime Tuesday. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity will have been operational on Mars the past six years this coming January 2010. More from SpaceflightNow and MarsDaily.

Atlantis Makes Orbit on Way to ISS

RINGSIDE SEAT VIDEOS: The Atlantis space shuttle was launched on-time at at 2:28 PM EST from the Kennedy Space Center today for docking with the International Space Station Wednesday morning for the last human launch of the calendar year. It was a 'flawless climb to orbit.' And, another vid of the launch from the press site and the VIP site.

Only five space shuttle launches remain to the space station before the shuttle fleet is retired in late 2010. STS-130 Endeavour is set for launch February 4, 2010. President Obama is expected to make key civil and commercial space launch policy decisions prior to the year end.

Atlantis a 'GO' for Monday - 2:28 PM

The Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-129 is set to go for a thundering rumble to orbit Monday at 2:28 p.m. EST (1928 GMT) on Nov. 16 at from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. to carry six astronauts and two cases of large spare parts to the station. The weather outlook is very optimistic for Monday, with a 90 percent chance of clear skies predicted; see the Mission Status Center.

NASA-TV will webcast the launch while many NASA Twitter guests will provide coverage of the event. Linked is a piece on the STS-129 Mission Profile. STS-129 will also deliver the UHF Unit to assist the first SpaceX launch to the International Space Station.

Unlike the recent solid rocket booster launch of the Ares 1-X, the space shuttle will utilize two solid rocket boosters and three liquid main engines to dart of the launch pad and into the clear blue afternoon Florida skies. On-site observation will enable to see the solid rocket booster seperation. Stay-turned for more on the last of the nation's space shuttle missions.

Outer Space Security Report Released

Outer space security has become an increasingly important issue over recent years leaving the interenation community to discuss how to cope with the rising tide of orbital space debris; new international rules of behavior for safe operations in space; and , a sustainable space environment for global space activities, according to a recent press release from the Secure World Foundation.

A new report has flagged a series of recommendations to help address the orbital debris concern, and other issues that can assure enhanced security in space for all. The report -- entitled "Towards Greater Security in Outer Space: Some Recommendations" [PDF]-- has been released, made possible by information gathered during a recent workshop held in Paris, France and co-sponsored by Secure World Foundation and the L’Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri). A discussion of the UN draft treaty banning space weapons is also reviewed.

Moon water: what next?

With the declaration of a significant amount of water on the lunar south pole, many wonder what next? Will there is an attempt to gather the H2O (Rachel Maddow interviews Bill Nye)? NatGeo provides an outlook on how human civilization will seek to gather the first water on the Moon in this video.

But media around the Earth took note - as this NBC report on the Friday nightly newscast; and, an IBN report from India on the potential longer-term impact of lunar water. There will be more spaceprobes sent to the Moon in the coming decade.

NASA Proceeds with Commercial Crew Development with Stimulus Money

The NASA Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) has taken an incremental step in the process to award $50-million in economic stimulus money meant to seed development of commercial crew transportation services to at least six firms, SpaceNews reports.

Among the private sector firms are: Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Boeing Co., Paragon Space Development Corp. with Orbital Sciences Corporation, Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and United Launch Alliance. The firms submitted development proposals to NASA last September.

SpaceX Protests Orbital Sciences Moon Flight Now Set for a Virginia Launch in May 2012

SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp. owned by Elon Musk) has lodged an October 26, 2009 bid protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) against Virginia-based and publicly traded Orbital Sciences Corporation relating to the launch NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft using surplus missile hardware, according to SpaceNews.

LADEE is now set to be launched aboard a Minotaur 5 in May 2012 from Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Accomack County. It would be the first lunar launch from the spaceport. The GAO will make a finding prior to the end of January 2010.

TEDx NASA Hosted by Langley in Virginia

Get your ticket to the Tedx NASA event for next Friday HERE. The unique event will be streamed LIVE from Newport News, Virginia for those who can not otherwise attend. The event may serve as a template for other NASA research centers in the near-term future.

Gallons of Water Splashed on the Moon

"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit. We found a significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete, the NASA lead scientist for the LCROSS lunar mission, holding up white gallon water buckets for emphasis, reports Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, Nature, and NPR.

The stunning amount of water now confirmed on the Moon may drive future lunar exploration. The space policy debate and required federal funding for a civil space program to explore the new find with humans is underway. There are but a few days remaining to particiapte in the Spaceports blog poll on the subject. Please participate to the top right of the web page.

Spirit Ready to Face Challenge to Move

The Mars Rover 'Spirit' will get a critical command Monday to spin the wheels and backout of the salty deposits in which it has been stuck for over six months in the Mars soil. It will be an essential attempt to get out of the stationary position and explore more of the Martain surface features, NPR audio. Meanwhile, Bill Harwood at CBS provides interesting details on the five year old surface rover as it faces "the most challenging situation it's seen yet on the surface of Mars." More from NASA.

View the video of the planned Great Mars Sandtrap Espace.

Earth almost hit by asteroid 2009 VA

A newly discovered small asteroid designated 2009 VA, which is only about 23 feet in size, passed about 2 Earth radii (8,700 miles) from the Earth's surface Nov. 6 at around 4:30 PM EST. This is the third-closest known (non-impacting) Earth approach on record for a cataloged asteroid, according to NASA JPL NEO office. On average, objects the size of 2009 VA pass this close about twice per year and impact Earth about once every 5 years.

Unique about this event was that it was discovered by astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey only 15 hours before the closest appraoch to Earth at 8,700 miles as it came well inside the "Clarke Belt" of geo-stationary satellites above the Earth. Asteroid 2009 VA's orbit brought it 30 times nearer than the Moon, which is a mere 250,000 miles away.

Astronomers tell us that the asteroid was the perfect size to create an amazing show if it had entered the earth's atmosphere but would have most probably burned to fragments upon entry to Earth's atmosphere.

By 2020, NASA aims to have detected most large asteroids and comets that approach the Earth. NASA Masrhall has developed a design for a spacecraft to seek to intercept threatening asteroids. It is not yet built.

Kourou Pad for Soyuz Vertical Integration

The first of many Soyuz boosters will take off from the European Spaceport in French Guiana next year marking a benchmark, It will be the first time a Russian-made Soyuz is launched from a spaceport other than Baikonur or Plesetsk. The above video animation shows how the Soyuz will be vertically prepared for launch at the pad at the Kourou spaceport.

Mars Joint Exploration Initiative Signed by NASA and ESA for New Red Planet Missions

NASA administrator Charles Bolden and the ESA director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain have signed a "letter of intent" recently for the Mars Joint Exploration Initiative in Washington to plan missions to Mars beginning with a European-led orbiter in 2016, and continue with surface rovers in 2018, and then perhaps a network of landers in 2018, according to the BBC.

• 2016: A European-led orbiter to study trace gases, including methane, in Mars' atmosphere. The mission would also put a static meteorological station on the surface. Critically, Europe would handle the entry, descent and landing (EDL) of this station - a capability it has yet to demonstrate.


• 2018: European and American rovers would be despatched to Mars. The US would do the EDL.


• 2020: "Under consideration" is a network of landers focused on geophysics and the environment.

Aviation Week had a report last month on the effort to reach agreement between Europe and the United States on a Mars Joint Exploration Initiative. NASA has conducted a Mars Exploration Status report in July.