太空探索工程 卫星发射 剪报评论

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080615/8/119d8.html

為了讓國內小朋友，也有機會成為小太空人，一家壽險業者特別推出培育計畫。


除了靜態的英文即席演說，現場還準備手眼協調和專注力的測試，包括像是在大型太空球中翻滾，或是在煙霧中進行岩石採樣，最後獲得資格的小朋友，除了可以去美國實際體驗受訓，還可以請父母一起免費陪同，這讓現場小朋友，全都拚出全力參與活動。

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080615/19/119f7.html

（法新社佛羅里達州卡納維爾角十四日電） 美國太空梭「發現號」今天安全返航，降落佛羅里達州卡納維爾角的甘迺迪太空中心，為這次成功的任務劃下句點。太空梭此行運送日本第一個太空實驗室到國際太空站，並且順利安裝啟用。


發現號上的太空人昨天在船艙外右後方發現一個不明漂浮物，方向舵上也出現不明的凸出物，但美國國家航空暨太空總署認為不致於降落時造成危險，仍批准太空梭依計畫降落，結束兩週的旅程。


這次任務的重頭戲是運送及安裝日本的「希望號」實驗艙，任務期間共進行三次太空漫步。


　　希望號實驗艙由三大部分組成，其中核心部位為「日本加壓艙」。長十一點二公尺、重十四點八公噸的實驗艙，將成為太空站上單一最大艙室，可容納四名科學家。

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=news02
A review of the House vote on space shuttle

The huge margin of the House vote yesterday to beef up NASA's budget, add a shuttle flight to the manifest and speed up development of the Ares rockets and Orion spacecraft so far has not altered the White House's stance that President Bush will veto the bill. First, it has to be taken up by the Senate. You can read the full story on the vote here.

In the meantime, here's a summary and some analysis about what the House passed yesterday:

    * $20.2 billion in spending for 2009, more than $2 billion over and above what President Bush proposed for the space agency. It's actually this item that is prompting the reaction from the White House, which says simply that the nation can't afford NASA's budget to grow that much considering other concerns in the nation and the world and the state of the economy.
    * $1 billion of the total is specifically set aside for acceleration of the Constellation program to build new rockets and spaceships that will replace the space shuttle fleet as NASA's human transportation system, carrying astronauts to the International Space Station and later the moon. NASA has said in the past that this additional funding would increase its chances of launching the first human Orion flight by 2015. The agency's leaders have said additional funding could move the launch up to 2013, but independent audits of engineering and design challenges still ahead indicate that reaching 2015 is going to be difficult even with additional funding.
    * Specifically funds two space shuttle missions currently on the manifest as "optional" or "contingency" flights. These two flights are among the 10 left on the official schedule, but they were in jeapordy because of funding shortfalls expected within the shuttle program long-term. The flights are critical to the long-term future of the space station because they will deliver supplies and spare parts that would be too large for Russian and European craft to carry to the space station once the shuttles stop flying. Outside reviews and safety experts have expressed concern for several years that NASA might have to cancel the missions and do serious harm to ISS' future.
    * Pays for one extra mission, bringing the total number left to 11. The new mission would deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the space station, as promised to international partners. The bill indicates that the 11 flights are "expected" to be finished by 2010, but also states in the fine print that the space shuttles are not to be retired until those 11 flights are complete. With a tight schedule unforgiving of a serious technical delay or surprise act of nature, this provision could be the first hint of an extension of shuttle missions - however slight - beyond the presidential deadline of September 2010.
    * Requires NASA to submit a plan for disposition of shuttle program assets. What they really mean is Congress wants to know what NASA's specific plan is for the handing out to museums of three space shuttle orbiters, considering there are at least 10 viable requests to house the priceless spaceships once they finish their service to the nation. The KSC Visitor Complex badly wants Atlantis on display. California, Texas, Alabama and Washington D.C. museums are but a few of those making their case to politicians for getting one of the orbiters. It also requires various reports on NASA's Earth science programs, the status of aeronautics and other programs cut to help fund the development of human spacecraft and efforts to inform the American public about what NASA does.

There's a lot more in there and you can read the entire bill here. It's important to remember the legislation has not come up in the Senate yet and faces a presidential veto. Members of the House made clear, however, that the bill was written as a roadmap for the next president. Should it be vetoed, it could easily resurface in 2009. House leaders, including Tom Feeney, whose district includes the spaceport, says the vote shows NASA has strong support in Congress and that concerns are high about the planned five-year gap between shuttle and Orion.

With a Senate hearing come up next week in Port Canaveral on some of these same issues, particularly the expected loss of 6,400 shuttle jobs in 2011 or shortly thereafter, the political battles over KSC's future certainly appear to be heating up.

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=news02
Sixteen-day window to see twin shuttles

NASA this September will have fully assembled shuttles on both of its Kennedy Space Center launch pads for the first time since 2001 and for only the 17th time in more than a quarter-century of shuttle fleet operations.

The relatively rare sight will come after the planned Aug. 29 rollout of shuttle Atlantis to launch pad 39A in preparation for NASA's fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

The agency now aims to move shuttle Endeavour on Sept. 23 to pad 39B, where it will be poised to launch on a rescue mission in the unlikely event that Atlantis sustains damage that would endanger the crew during atmospheric reentry.

The rollout dates are planning dates and could change. But there should be about a 16-day window for people to see shuttles on both pads -- likely for the last time before the fleet is retired in September 2010.

The best public views would be afforded to people driving out to Playalinda Beach and those taking bus tours offered by the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

You can see a list that details all previous instances when shuttles were perched on both pads by clicking HERE.

In the wake of the February 2003 Columbia accident, NASA decided a second shuttle always should be ready to roll out for a rescue mission should one of its winged orbiters sustain critical damage during a nine-minute climb into space or orbital operations.

Shuttle crews typically would seek safe haven on the International Space Station and remain there up to three months until a second shuttle could be rolled out to pad 39B and launched with a rescue crew.

But the Hubble telescope is in an entirely different orbit, so its crew would not have enough fuel to reach the station in the event of an emergency. A rescue mission would have to be launched within weeks rather than months. So the second shuttle in this case must already be on pad 39B in order to carry out a rescue mission in a timely enough manner to save the Atlantis crew.

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=news02
Jason 2 successfully blasts off

An ocean surveillance spacecraft assigned to monitor rising sea levels successfully blasted off this morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central California coast.

The launch, managed by United Launch Alliance and a NASA launch team from Kennedy Space Center, took place at 3:46 a.m. Eastern time.

[ 本帖最后由 kl90 于 20-6-2008 11:03 PM 编辑 ]

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080626/54/120ia.html



美通社-加州 Moffett Field 電：美國宇航局工程團隊正在對月球彈坑觀測和傳感衛星（Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite，簡稱 LCROSS）進行最後的檢查。該衛星將邁出重要一步，在月球尋找水。

該任務的主要目標是確定月球兩極地區附近永遠處在陰影之下的彈坑有無水冰存在。作為重要的裡程碑，LCROSS 宇宙飛船的熱真空測試於6月5日在加州雷東多比奇的 Northrop Grumman 工廠完成了。

為了模擬嚴酷的太空條件，技術人員對宇宙飛船進行了13.5天的加熱與冷卻循環，溫度最高到達230華氏度，最低達-40華氏度。之前對 LCROSS 飛船進行的試驗包括聲振測試。這些測試模擬了發射條件，檢測連接點與 Atlas V 火箭的 Centaur 上面級以及月球勘測軌道飛行器（Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter，簡稱 LRO）接合環的匹配。

目前正在對衛星進行最終檢測，所有的測試完成後，LCROSS 飛船將准備運送至美國宇航局位於佛羅裡達州的肯尼迪航天中心 (Kennedy Space Center) 進行發射處理和與 Atlas V 的整合，作為 LRO 的次要運載物。按計劃，兩架飛船都將於2008年晚些時候在肯尼迪航天中心發射。

美國宇航局位於加州 Moffett Field 的艾姆斯研究中心 (Ames Research Center) LCROSS 項目經理 Daniel Andrews 表示：“自艾姆斯研究中心2月份交付科學儀器以來，該飛船已經逐步定形。這是對美國宇航局和 Northrop Grumman 團隊辛勤工作、毅力和專長的肯定。該飛船已經提前完成了這些重要測試。”

消息來源 美國宇航局

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080627/19/123dh.html

（法新社莫斯科二十七日電） 據俄羅斯「國際傳真社」報導，俄羅斯今天成功由哈薩克的貝康諾太空中心發射一枚軍事衛星。

「國際傳真社」引述俄羅斯太空部隊發言人佐羅土金的話說，這枚軍事衛星是由「質子K」火箭發射進入軌道。

報導接著說，俄羅斯國防部長謝爾久科夫和太空部隊司令普波夫金將軍也在現場參觀發射過程。

pfg1group

http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-07/05/content_8493328.htm


  方法一：卫星“自杀”

    曾经有科学家建议给每颗卫星添加额外的燃料，在工作寿命快结束时将其推送到高轨地区，以便卫星在坠落到地面前产生高热量燃烧掉，避免对地面造成影响。

    评价： 但这必须有一个前提条件，即卫星上的控制系统能够正常运转。否则，卫星有可能会失去控制并最终成为低轨地区的太空垃圾。

    更重要的是，添加额外燃料使卫星成本大大提高。

    可行性：这种建议被许多科学家所否定。

    方法二：“终结绳索”

    “终结绳索”是一条长度为5000米的细导线，在卫星正常运行期间，这根导线被绕成一个线圈放置在卫星内部。一旦地面指挥中心下达了卫星报废指令，“终结绳索”便会自动打开。在电离层和地球磁场的共同作用下，这条绵延达5000米的导线上可产生持续的电流。这样，地球磁场就会对其产生一种向下的拉力，牵动卫星慢慢下落。这一过程将一直持续到卫星重返大气层并完全烧毁。

    评价：这种方法不仅简便而且非常廉价，而且可以大大加快卫星从轨道上脱离的速度。举例来说，一颗距地面950公里的卫星，如果采用自由下落的方式，大约需要100年的时间才会坠入大气层，而采用“终结绳索”后，这一过程将会在18天内完成。

    可行性：“终结绳索”计划获得了美国国家航空航天局和五角大楼的多笔资金支持，目前已成功进行了数次失重条件下的试验，这种技术在今后几年内就可以投入使用。

    四个步骤

    第一步:当一颗人造卫星完成使命时，这个藏在卫星内部的5000米长的“终结绳索”会自动打开。

    第二步:“终结绳索”产生巨大电流，形成电离层。

    第三步:电离层与地球磁场相互作用，让地球磁场形成向下的拉力。

    第四步：经过几个星期或几个月，这种拉力会使卫星处于更低的轨道平面，直到它在大气中自行燃烧。

    密密麻麻围裹在地球周围的太空垃圾着实让科学家们感到头疼。根据美国物理学会会议今年4月提供的数据，目前太空存在的垃圾已超过1.5亿件。这些废弃的人造卫星、太空站及各种行星探测器的残骸和碎片不仅给人造卫星与空间站造成威胁，而且影响到了人类的日常生活。日前，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和一些公司设计了几种清理太空垃圾的办法。

    方法三：“激光扫帚”

    NASA推出的“激光扫帚”进行试验，可清理国际空间站运行轨迹上直径在1~10厘米大小的太空垃圾，以防止这些太空垃圾刺破国际空间站的外壳。

    目前国际空间站上已经安装了处理直径1厘米以下物体的装置，同时地面检测人员可以检测直径10厘米以上的物体，对宇航员进行早期预警。激光脉冲可以锁定物体，使其减速，然后将其“扫出”空间站的运行轨迹。研究人员目前正在进行地面试验，测试其跟踪物体的能力。

    评价及可行性：这种设备目前面临的一个障碍是国际社会禁止在空间部署激光武器的国际公约。科学家说，这种太空垃圾清理系统的研制将耗资2亿美元，历时2年。

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=NEWS02
Atlantis' External Tank Leaves N.O.

External Tank-127, constructed by Lockheed Martin, left the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana Thursday evening on a six-day voyage to Kennedy Space Center, where the tank will power Atlantis on an early October mission to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope, according to a Lockheed Martin press release.

ET-127 has the same design changes as ET-128, which powered Discovery in May.

Solid rocket booster retrieval ship Freedom Star will tow ET-127 in an enclosed barge 900 miles across the Gulf of Mexico and around Florida, with an arrival date at KSC on Wednesday or Thursday.

Following ET-127 will be ET-129, which Lockheed Martin expects to finish and deliver to NASA in early August.

Atlantis and Endeavour will be on launch pads 39A and 39B at the same time, so Endeavour could mount a rescue mission during the Hubble mission.
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Chamitoff to see brother's premiere in space

Astronaut Greg Chamitoff, now aboard the International Space Station, will be able to watch Friday's premiere of his brother, Ken's, martial arts movie.

The world premiere of "Red Canvas" will be at 6 p.m. at Orlando Fashion Square. Greg Chamitoff will be orbiting among the stars when the PG-rated action/adventure/romance film opens. NASA will beam the movie to the space station.

"This is a passion project for the whole martial arts community," said writer-producer Kenneth Chamitoff, the astronaut's brother.

The film stars several martial arts legends and George Takei, who is famous for his role as Sulu on "Star Trek."

The film opens the same weekend as the Martial Arts Supershow at the Gaylord Palms Resort and the 2008 Woo Tang Soo Do martial arts world championship at the Orange County Convention Center.
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Spacewalkers end work

Two spacewalking cosmonauts have returned to the Russian airlock and closed the hatch, ending their spacewalk after six hours and 18 minutes. It was the 113th spacewalk in support of space station construction and maintenance.

They removed a suspect explosive bolt from the Soyuz spacecraft that will return to Earth in October carrying two cosmonauts and an American space tourist, Richard Garriott, a multi-millionaire computer game creator.

The installation of a docking target was delayed until Tuesday's spacewalk.

Working with a serrated knife, Oleg Kononenko cut through multiple layers of insulation covering the pyrotechnic bolt. Sergei Volkov then used a ratchet to remove the 3-inch bolt, which required ten turns to remove. The bolt was stowed in a blast-proof container. Insulation was replaced.

"Good. Thank God," said one of the cosmonauts, speaking through an interpreter.

Today's spacewalk began at 2:48 P.M. EDT.
On previous Soyuz re-entries in April and October, similar bolts failed to fire, causing a rough, ballistic re-entry for the Soyuz crew. The bolt held a thrusting part of the spacecraft, which eventually broke loose. The bolt has power greater than a cherry bomb or an M-80 firecracker. It will be returned to Earth for study.
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Insulation removed over explosive bolt

Working with a serrated knife, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has cut through multiple layers of insulation covering the pyrotechnic bolt that will be removed from the Soyuz  spacecraft. He is struggling to get safety restraints off wiring to reveal the bolt.

Today's spacewalk began at 2:48 P.M. EDT. Click on the above button to play NASA-TV, which is covering the event live, in a separate screen.

Working with Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov, flight engineer Kononenko will remove the suspect explosive bolt in one of ten spots that hold separate parts of the Soyuz spacecraft together. On previous re-entries in April and October, similar bolts failed to fire, causing a rough, ballistic re-entry for the Soyuz crew. The bolt held a thrusting part of the spacecraft, which eventually broke loose.

With the insulation removed, the spacewalkers will use a ratchet to remove the 3-inch bolt, which has power greater than a cherry bomb or an M-80 firecracker. The bolt will be placed in a blast-proof container. New insulation will be installed.

In October, the bolt will be returned to Earth for study.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_sc/space_station;_ylt=AibQCnh_OtYDIKA52__sTWqs0NUE
Astronauts handle explosives on daring spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a daring spacewalk, two space station astronauts cut into the insulation of their descent capsule Thursday and removed an explosive bolt that could have blown off their hands with firecracker force.

Spacewalkers Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko managed, in the end, to safely disconnect the bolt from the Soyuz capsule that will be their ride home this fall. They immediately slid it into a blast-proof container.

"It is in," one of the Russian spacewalkers called out.

"Good. Thank God," someone replied in Russian.

Before the spacewalk, flight controllers in Moscow assured Volkov and Kononenko that the bolt would not explode and that the unprecedented job would help ensure their safe return to Earth in the Soyuz. Nonetheless, Mission Control repeatedly urged them to be careful as they worked near the explosives.

"Take your time," Mission Control warned. "Be careful; be careful, please."

NASA said that its own engineers were convinced the spacemen would be in no danger, and that it would be all right for them to put the explosive bolt in the blast-proof canister and take it into the international space station for eventual return to Earth.

The past two Soyuz descents have been steep, off-course and bone-jarring, and the Russian Space Agency wants to avoid the problem when Volkov and Kononenko fly home in October. The capsule currently docked at the space station ferried up the two Russians in April.

Kononenko used a serrated knife to cut away the thick shiny insulation surrounding the bolt — a tool normally shunned by spacewalkers because of the possibility of piercing their pressurized suits or gloves. It was a messy job, with shreds of the multilayer insulation floating every which way.

Next, the astronauts installed devices to eliminate static electricity, struggling at times in the small, cramped area. Finally, four hours into the spacewalk, Volkov pulled out a socket wrench and removed the 3-inch pyrotechnic bolt, one of 10 used to separate two parts of the module during re-entry.

During Soyuz descents this past April and in October 2007, these two sections did not separate properly, leading to so-called ballistic entries that subjected the crews to far higher gravity forces than normal.

Russian engineers suspect some of the explosive bolts did not fire. By disabling the bolts in this suspect location, there should be no mechanical hang-up during the October descent, officials said.

The lone American on board, Gregory Chamitoff, was inside the Soyuz for the entire six-hour spacewalk in case an emergency required the two Russians to join him in the capsule. Chamitoff took books, music and a laptop computer with him to while away the time, and could hear everything that was going on.

Each pyrotechnic bolt has the force of a large M-80 firecracker, NASA officials said.

A high-ranking flight director at Russian Mission Control outside Moscow told the crew Wednesday that the bolt could withstand shocks of up to 100 times the force of gravity and would not fire, even if they hit it with a big hammer. "You should not be concerned at all," he said.

The blast-proof container is made of stainless steel. It will remain sealed, with the bolt inside, until it is returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz for analysis.

"We dream of a lot of wild things to do, and after much analysis, sometimes we do them and sometimes we don't," Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said earlier this week.

"We have quite a bit of confidence in this particular case that we're perfectly safe," Suffredini told reporters.

NASA has a keen interest in the Russian-built Soyuz capsules because they sometimes transport Americans to and from the space station, and also serve as lifeboats. Once the space shuttles are retired in 2010, the Soyuz will be the sole means of human space transportation until 2015, when America's new rocketship starts carrying crews.

Before floating back inside, Volkov and Kononenko attached a patch over the cut insulation on the Soyuz. As they wrapped up their work, Mission Control congratulated the pair and noted that Volkov was now "a full-blown crew commander" with his own grenade.

The two Russians will take another spacewalk Tuesday to perform much more routine space station work.

kl90

Mars: short circuit threatens tests

Will the Phoenix Mars lander's next baking test of soil and ice be its last?

Scientists worry that it could be, due to an electrical glitch that threatens the $420 million quest to find the chemical ingredients for life near the Martian north pole.

The lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless.

So they've speeded up their mission, skipping plans for a slow, deliberate set of heating experiments and moving ahead for the dramatic conclusion.

The change in game plan is the biggest challenge yet for a mission that got off to an impressive start.

Phoenix survived a 10-month journey through space and nailed a perfect touchdown on May 25 on the polar plains. It has wowed scientists by touching ice and finding Earth-like soil.

But it's a complicated, odd contraption. The lander's equipment includes the eight miniature ovens, two microscopes and a chemistry lab to conduct experiments. It also has a long arm for digging trenches. Plans called for it to take several scoops of Martian dirt and ice at different depths over a period of weeks. Each sample was to be baked in one of the ovens, with tests run on the vapors produced to check for the carbon compounds essential to life.

Scientists wanted to understand how the soil chemistry changed according to depth, an analysis that would help them when they test the Martian ice.

"We really feel we need a slow deliberate process to make sure that when we go for the pay dirt — that icy soil down at the bottom of the trench — that we're fully prepared to do it properly," chief scientist Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson said last month after confirming the presence of ice at the landing site.

Last week, Smith said in a statement: "We are taking the most conservative approach and treating the next sample to (the oven) as possibly our last."

After the outage that zapped an oven, the science team decided to skip several steps. In recent days, they've been working toward their big ice dig.

This effort too is encountering snags.

Earlier this week, Phoenix used the blade at the end of its robotic arm scoop to chip at the hard ice. None of the ice bits made it into the scoop, forcing scientists to break out a power tool to drill into the ice. The next oven test could happen as early as next week.

Researchers who have no role in the three-month project said they would be saddened if the oven became disabled since it's the only instrument that can detect carbon.

Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said it makes sense for mission scientists to go after the ice. But he worried that studying frozen water without a full knowledge of the soil could make it difficult to interpret the results.

"It's a tough predicament," said Paige, who is not part of the mission. "The fact that they managed to land in such a promising locale makes the potential loss all that more difficult."

NASA's checklist for "full mission success" requires Phoenix to analyze at least three oven samples. So far, the lander has completed only one — enough to achieve "minimum mission success" last weekend, said project manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Results from the first heating of soil detected water vapor and carbon dioxide, but no signs of carbon.

It was that first oven test that led to the problematic electrical short. The scoop dumped so much soil that it clogged a mesh screen filter over the oven. To break up the dirt, technicians shook the instrument for several days.

Engineers think the shaking caused the short circuit, and an independent engineering group reported that the problem could happen again if an oven is turned on.

Goldstein said he doesn't expect future problems, but the team did not want to chance it.

"It's not that we expect one to occur," said Goldstein of another possible short. "It's just us being very cautious."
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Atlantis' crew visits KSC for training

Atlantis' crew will return to Houston this afternoon, after two days of training at Kennedy Space Center, where they became familiar with the craft they will fly to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope.

In a traditional training drill called the Crew Equipment Integration Test, the seven astronauts attended several briefings and actually entered Atlantis to check out the shuttle they will ride to orbit in early October.

During 12 days and five spacewalks, the Atlantis crew will repair and upgrade the telescope, leaving it better than ever and ready for at least five years of research.

Equipment for the mission begins arriving next week at KSC.

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http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080716/78/13atc.html

稱木星比戰神安全便宜

〔編譯管淑平綜合報導〕美國航太總署（NASA）正為2020年重返月球打造新一代火箭「戰神」（Ares），不過私底下卻同時有另一項新登月火箭「木星」正在秘密研發中，宣稱比「戰神」的設計更簡潔，造價更便宜、安全性也比較高。

「木星」和「戰神」都是NASA馬歇爾太空飛行中心和其他各單位工程師腦力激盪下的產物，彼此暗中較勁。「木星」由57名自願參與的工程師參與研發，包括 NASA中階主管，利用自己工作以外的時間，在退休太空人和其他太空愛好者協助下秘密進行，與「戰神」動用數千名政府人員和包商相較，算是小巫見大巫。

誰敢公開 就丟飯碗

「木星」計畫發言人提爾尼說，相關NASA工程師和有些包商其實希望能重新評估「戰神」計畫，卻不敢說出口，擔心因此被降職、調職甚至解雇。

馬歇爾太空中心戰神計畫負責人庫克則說，NASA去年秋天曾非正式的評估過「木星」計畫，最後結論是，這是有瑕疵的計畫。反而是「戰神一號」正積極進展中，不到一年就要首次試射，「這不是草率設計的產物。」

太空飛行方向 出現歧見

「戰神」與「木星」計畫的較勁反映出對美國未來太空飛行任務方向的歧見。NASA現役太空梭預計2010年退役，2015年開始進行戰神一號和重型載貨火箭「戰神五號」的軌道飛行，希望在2020年送太空人重返月球。

「戰神一號」採用改良過的太空梭推進器位於箭身中央核心，太空人乘坐位於接近頂端的乘員艙升空後與「戰神五號」載運的登月艙結合前往月球。

「木星」也採用兩具火箭人貨分離，不過動力來源仰賴太空梭外部燃料箱。支持者指出，「木星」計畫除了設計出結構更簡單、推進力更大的火箭，研發成本也省下190億美元（約台幣5774億），20年的運作成本再省160億美元（約台幣4862億）。

NASA重返月球計畫估計20年內要花2300億美元（約台幣6.9兆），其中研發「戰神」已經花了70億美元（約台幣2127億）。

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http://www.zaobao.com/gj/gj080716_510.shtml

　（伦敦讯）一群科学家经过八个月的努力，提出从火星带回石头样品的计划。

　　据英国《每日电讯报》报道，此举是人类登陆火星准备工作中最重要的一步，人类登陆火星的梦想有可能在2050年后实现。

　　包括31个科学家的这一国际专家组组长、英国开放大学教授格雷迪说，“如果人们无法把火星岩石带回来，就意味着无法将人送至火星，又将他们安全的带回来。人类要继续展开火星探测，这类取样返回行动就势在必行。”

　　自美国的“水手4号”（Mariner 4）探测器1965年首次飞过火星以来，人类已经有七颗探测器成功登陆火星，但是这些探测器都是“有去无回”。

　　国际火星探测工作组上周提出计划，将在2018年至2023年进行取样行动。届时要分别发射着陆器和轨道器，着陆器抵达火星后释放出漫游装置，采集0.5公斤的岩石样本，放入着陆器密封舱。

　　然后着陆器再次升空，与绕火星飞行的轨道器对接，由轨道器将珍贵的火星样品带回地球，送入最高安全级别的实验室中。

　　此一计划以美国宇航局和欧洲航天局的专家和资金为主，还要加上其他航天机构帮助，耗资预计约80亿美元（约108亿新元）。

　　另一个问题是确保火星岩石带有的微生物不会危害地球生物。

　　火星上的任何生命一定非常强健、能够耐受极端的温度和紫外线辐射，如果运载样品的飞行器在返程途中爆炸，火星生物也许能存活下来，给地球生物圈带来难以预料的危险。

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http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080716/17/13c4b.html



火星上是否有生命體的存在，一直是科學家想解開的謎題，歐洲太空總署最近公佈一些最新的探測照片，發現火星上有一個地區具有多處的峽谷景觀，顯示曾經遭到水流切割，型態和美國的大峽谷相當類似。

歐洲太空總署於14日發佈了一組在火星捕捉到的照片，是利用高解像度立體攝影機從多方角度拍攝，再由電腦合成的火星特有景觀照片。

照片中可看到宛如美國大峽谷般的壯麗景象，這是在火星的「艾徹斯查斯瑪」，深切的地形從高處望去，就像是一隻巨型蠍子伏臥著，並被專家認為是火星上最大的水源地之一。

「艾徹斯查斯瑪」位於火星赤道的稍北處，峽谷大約有100公里長、10公里寬，深度約有1000公尺，最高的地方達4000公里高，火星地質學家相信，這樣的地形是由以往火星的地下水流所切割而成，和地球上幹旱、半幹旱地區的峽谷具有相似性，也被視為是火星曾有水的另一項佐證。

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080716/1/13b7c.html



美國正在研發下一代太空載具，現階段已經進行到衛生系統設計，研發單位迫切需要大量尿液，來測試系統效率。

美國太空計劃包商在太空總署網站的內部公告欄上，張貼公告，呼籲德州休士頓太空中心的工作人員，踴躍捐尿，徵求期從七月21到31號為止，因為它們正在研發的登月船，每天需要30公升尿液，來測試太空船的衛生系統。

尿液裡有許多固體雜質，它有可能阻塞排泄孔，如何避免這個問題，是一個頗有難度的技術，這不是太空總署第一次徵求員工捐尿，因為尿液無法人造。30公升尿液，差不多是三十個人一天的排尿量。

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080718/54/13g80.html

美通社-華盛頓電：美國宇航局 (NASA) 已經選派了執行 STS-128 號航天飛機任務的機組乘員。此次飛行將向國際空間站 (International Space Station) 運送科學架和存儲架。


美國海軍陸戰隊上校 Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow 將指揮亞特蘭蒂斯號 (Atlantis) 執行 STS-128 號任務，該任務計劃於2009年7月30日發射。退役空軍上校 Kevin A. Ford 將擔任飛行員。任務專家有美國宇航局宇航員 John D. "Danny" Olivas、退役陸軍上校 Patrick G. Forrester、Jose M. Hernandez 以及歐洲航天局 (European Space Agency, ESA) 宇航員 Christer Fuglesang。此次任務將把一名新的空間站成員 Nicole Stott 送到空間站，並將 Tim Kopra 接回地面。Ford、Hernandez 和 Stott 將開始他們的首次太空之旅。Stott 和 Kopra 先前於2月份被選派執行空間站任務。


亞特蘭蒂斯號將把裝有科學架和存儲架的多用途後勤模塊運送到空間站。，此次任務將包括3次太空行走，以拆除和替換歐洲航天局哥倫布模塊外的材料處理實驗設備，並取回一個空的氨水箱部件。


Sturckow 曾擔任2007年 STS-117 號任務的指揮官，也是2001年 STS-105 號任務和1998年 STS-88 號任務的飛行員。他把加州萊克賽德當作他的故鄉。Sturckow 擁有加州州立理工大學 (California Polytechnic State University) 的機械工程學士學位。他於1994年被選為宇航員。


Ford 將印第安納州 Montpelier 視為其故鄉。他擁有美國聖母大學 (University of Notre Dame) 航天工程學士學位、阿拉巴馬州特洛伊州立大學 (Troy State University) 國際關繫碩士學位以及空軍技術學院 (Air Force Institute of Technology) 航天工程博士學位。他於2000年被選為宇航員。


消息來源 美國宇航局

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http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080718/19/13gb6.html


（法新社巴黎十七日電） 五個合建國際太空站的太空總署負責人今天聚集巴黎，討論如何解決逐漸浮現的國際太空站運輸問題，同時對於延長這個太空站的使用年限到二零一五年之後表達正面看法。


國際太空站預定在二零一零年全部建設完成，屆時必須再進行一次美國太空梭運輸任務，搭載替代的人員和貨物。不過，美國太空梭預定於二零一零年停飛。


美國預計在二零一五年左右，以一種火箭太空船系統Aries-Orion，取代太空梭開始運作。


俄羅斯太空總署署長貝米諾夫告訴記者，美、俄兩國將討論如何利用蘇聯時代建造的聯合號太空船（Soyuz），在二零一一年到二零一四年間，加強運送太空人往返國際太空站任務。


他在歐洲太空總署總部舉行的記者會上指出：「至少在今年底或明年初，整個合作計畫就會呈現出來。」


各國太空總署主管考慮以太空梭取代太空船運輸的都是商業活動，例如日本將在明年首次由H-2火箭發射H-II運輸飛船升空；俄羅斯的補給太空船「進步號」和歐洲太空總署的運輸太空船也會在明年三月自動停靠在國際太空站。


國際太空站建設工作始於一九九八年，預計在二零一零年全部完工。中間歷經哥倫比亞太空梭爆炸和經費透支等事情，造成進度嚴重落後。


美國負擔最多的建設經費，其他四個參與建設的夥伴包括俄羅斯、歐洲太空總署、日本和加拿大。


美國航空暨太空總署署長葛里芬在記者會中表示，國際太空站預計到建設完成時將花費一千億美元，當整套設備的正式營運期限到期時，參與興建的各國太空總署不太可能願意放棄這項投資。


他說：「我相信屆時各國夥伴會各自向政府要求，延長這個太空站的使用期限到二零一五年之後。我個人認為只要這個太空站有效能，就會一直使用下去。」

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http://realtime.zaobao.com/2008/07/080720_33.shtml

（综合讯）执行发射神舟七号飞船任务的长征二号F遥七火箭发射队伍昨天在中国运载火箭技术研究院举行了出征仪式。不久，他们和长征二号F遥七火箭将奔赴酒泉卫星发射中心。目前，长征二号F火箭总装和出厂前的各项测试已经完成。

　　中国网报道，据中国运载火箭技术研究院党委书记兼副院长梁小虹介绍，前往酒泉发射中心的科技人员将多达200余人，他们将在酒泉完成长征二号F火箭的最终测试。

　　据介绍，针对“神舟七号”的发射任务，长征二号F火箭在技术上做了30多项改动，在火箭上安装了3个摄像头，比发射“神舟六号”时还多出一个。通过这些摄像头能够清楚地看到火箭发射飞行的动作和全过程，有助于地面必要的时候进行有效调整保证火箭飞行的安全。

　　另外，在“神五”的时候，杨利伟提出，火箭发射后的120秒，由于震动加大，他感觉非常不舒服，为此，在“神六”期间，火箭研制人员专门针对这个问题进行了技术改进，对火箭的震动量级降低了一半，而这次针对3名航天员上天，他们又再次对这一系统进行了技术改进，希望能够做到把震动消除。

　　据了解，神舟七号载人飞船将于今年10月在酒泉卫星发射中心发射升空。

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080717/19/13e2h.html

（法新社巴黎十六日電） 歐洲太空總署今天表示，歐洲太空總署發射的太空船「火星特快車號」將大膽飛越火星的衛星─福保斯，希望能一探它謎團似的表面、溫度以及它過去的地質特徵。

這艘無人太空船二十三日將以僅僅九十七公里的高度飛越福保斯，運用高解析度立體相機、紅外線掃描以及大氣光譜儀等一系列儀式進行記錄和研究。

火星特快車號已排定飛越福保斯五次，首次在十二日，高度五百六十三公里，第二次在明天，高度兩百七十三公里，其他兩次將於二十八日和八月三日進行，飛越高度分別是三百六十一公里和六百六十四公里。

火星有福保斯和戴莫斯兩個小衛星，以希臘神話戰神愛力士雙輪馬車的兩匹馬「恐懼」和「驚慌」為名。

這兩顆衛星外形不規則，最寬處分別大約二十六公里、十六公里；它們在一八七零年被發現，但對它們所知有限，有些天文學家認為，它們倆是被火星引力拉進來的流浪小行星，從此無法脫離火星的軌道。

俄羅斯將在二零零九年發射福保斯探測器，計劃降落福保斯衛星，火星特快車號這次飛越福保斯，希望能拍攝任務降落地點的影像。俄羅斯的火星任務希望能帶回福保斯的土壤樣本供做分析。

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080721/78/13lt2.html



〔編譯鄭曉蘭綜合報導〕美國航太總署（ＮＡＳＡ）為因應國內太空梭即將於二○一○年除役，考慮購買日本現正研發中的無人運補太空船ＨＴＶ，藉此接替對國際太空站運送物資或實驗器材的運補任務。不過，這項日本太空研發史上的超大型交易是否得以成真，端視ＨＴＶ明年秋天首次試射的成果而定。

接替除役太空梭運補

日本「讀賣新聞」二十日頭版頭條形容，這意味著「全球最大的太空機構高度評價日本的技術能力」。ＨＴＶ售價約一百四十億日圓（約台幣三十九億七千萬），日本至今不曾向國外輸出如此龐大的國產太空機器，若美日雙方成功簽訂ＨＴＶ買賣契約，將是日本太空研發史五十年來首次的超大型交易。

肯定日本太空科技

美國目前負責國際太空站運補任務的太空梭即將除役，而接任的物資運補機，估計最快也得等到二○一八年才可能服役，因此ＮＡＳＡ考慮以日製的ＨＴＶ填補空窗期。

ＨＴＶ由日本宇宙航空研究開發機構（ＪＡＸＡ）與三菱重工合作研發，長約十公尺、為直徑四．四公尺的圓筒狀，最大載運量為六噸，未來將由研發中的大型火箭「H2B」搭載升空。

pfg1group

http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-07/28/content_8784549.htm

39年前，美国成功上演了“阿波罗”号登月计划，就此开创历史。随着时间的流逝，月球漫步者当年留在月球上的东西，我们还能看到哪些呢？

　　国旗已经粉身碎骨？

    美国国旗可能已经不存在了。在39年前的夏天与尼尔·阿布斯壮(Neil Armstrong)一同告别月球时，巴兹·奥尔德林(Buzz Aldrin)眼睁睁地看着国旗被火箭喷射的气流掀翻在地，无奈地躺在月球尘土中，由于可怕的太阳紫外线，国旗的红色和蓝色立即被“漂”成白色。随着时间的一天天过去，国旗使用的尼龙材料可能早已破碎。

    插在月球上的美国国旗是丹尼斯·拉卡鲁巴(Dennis Lacarrubba)位于新泽西的Annin公司制造的，1969年以5.5美元价格卖给美国宇航局。我们不妨想象一下，一面普通的尼龙国旗在地球户外坚守39年将是怎样一副模样？一定是面目全非。在地球上况且如此，更不用说被孤零零地插在月球表面了。拉卡鲁巴说：“我不相信会留下什么。和你说话老实话，国旗应该已经化为灰烬了。”

    除了美国国旗外，静海基地也出现其它老化迹象。在这个月球登陆器基地，当年闪闪发亮的金箔现在早已变得暗淡无光，很久以前可能就已脱落。在阿姆斯壮和奥尔德林上演短时间月球行走之后，生命保障背包便被他们随意丢在月球表面，现在的颜色可能已经发黄。电视摄像机、测震仪、被丢弃的锤子——总之一切由玻璃或者金属制成的设备和工具——可能仍保存完好。著名的脚印可能像当时形成时一样脆弱，或者已经披上一层薄薄的“尘衣”，这应该是由月球表面不断移动的小颗粒造成的。

    毫无疑问，在经历了近40年风风雨雨之后，没有一个人知道当年的“阿波罗”号着陆点现在是怎样一番景象。此外，也没有一个人想到，我们竟然需要这么长时间重返月球。但真实情况就是如此。

    “月亮女神”号发威

    现在，绕月球轨道运行的新型照相机已开始传回照片，照片中呈现的景象是整整一代人从未看到过的。日本“月亮女神”号飞船于2007年10月进入月球轨道，并于2008年2月拍摄“阿波罗15”号着陆点照片。在照片中我们可以清楚地看到，灰黑色地面上出现一个小白点，这是1971年7月戴夫·斯科特(Dave Scott)和吉姆·欧文(Jim Irwin)在“雨海”登陆时，火箭发动机卷起尘土造成的。重返地球家园前，他们也和其他“阿波罗”号月球漫步者一样，在月球轨道回头注视他们的着陆点，并用镜头记录下这些白点。

    “月亮女神”号性能最佳的照相机解析度高达10米(33英尺)，或者说具备将两个物体区分开来的能力，如此高的解析度足以从被扰动的土壤中辨认出白点。但这个照相机不能清晰地呈现位于白点中部30英尺(约合9.14米)宽的“阿波罗15”号着陆点。

    在“月亮女神”号之前，我们并没有如此高性能的照相机，发现自1972年最后一批宇航员离开后月球上留下的“阿波罗”号物品。无论是美国的“克莱门汀”号还是欧洲的“智能-1”号月球探测器——分别于1994年和2003年发射升空——都不具有足够的解析度。

　　印度人要碰破运气

    如果有人产生这样的疑问，地球表面性能最佳的望远镜难道也不能辨认出月球上的“阿波罗”号硬件吗？事实确实如此。它们虽拥有较高的解析度，能够拍摄出较哈勃太空望远镜相比更为解析度更高的图片，但宇航员留下的物品并不具有易于被发现的亮度。这项工作有待月球轨道飞行器完成。

    下一个将要登场的是印度第一艘用于行星科学研究的飞船——“月球初航”号。“月球初航”号将于2008年秋季抵达月球，其所携带的照相机解析度是“月女神”号的两倍。亚利桑那州大学行星科学家马克·鲁宾逊(Mark Robinson)表示，如此高的解析度足以在泥土中发现除污点和涂痕外更多的东西。亚利桑那州大学的高解析度照相机将于11月搭乘宇航局的月球侦察轨道器进入太空。鲁宾逊说：“如果‘月球初航’号不能发现月球登陆器的踪影，我会感到非常惊讶的。”

    在清晰度高达5米的照片中，登陆器基地——其中有6个仍在月球上——将只有大约两个像素，因此很难进行辨识。鲁宾逊说，但在太阳低角度拍摄的照片中，登陆器的阴影将以黑色条纹形式出现，最高可达到10个像素。这种技术过去就曾发挥作用。在第一艘“阿波罗”号登陆前很长时间，科学家便对“月球轨道器3”号(Lunar Orbiter 3)飞船拍摄的照片进行了研究，并最终在照片中发现“观测者1”号(Surveyor 1)机器人形成的一个阴影。“观测者1”号登陆月球8个月后才轮到“月球轨道器3”号出场。

    鲁宾逊说，如果“月球初航”号的科学家运气足够好的话，他们可能发现月球漫游者、宇航员在“阿波罗15”、16和17号着陆点留下的两个月球车投下的阴影。月球车长达10英尺(约合3.04米)，在图片上的大小还不到一个像素，但他们投下的阴影长度可达到4或5个像素。