Discovery is Go!

Precisely as scheduled, the space shuttle Discovery launched from Cape Canaveral this afternoon on the mission to the International Space Station. With it’s 5.02pm EDT launch, Discovery is bringing the Kibo module to add to the ISS, which will be the largest module that will be attached to the station,  thus continuing effort to complete the ISS in the next few years.

The Kibo module is from JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will use the station’s remote arm to remove the Kibo module from the shuttle’s payload pay and attached it to the station.

Discovery is also bringing up some last minute components for ISS, as their waste disposal facility failed a few days ago. So in addition to adding the new module, swapping out tanks, and normal mission objectives, they will help the Expedition 17 crew fix the toilet.

Until docking with the station on Monday, Discovery will be visible in the evening skies tonight and tomorrow night, playing catch up to ISS. Check out the link int he right-hand menu for updated listings on when the shuttle and space station will be visible in your area.

Amazing Images from Mars

Well, everyone in the astronomical community has been following the amazing images and data coming down from Mars since Phoenix landed last Sunday. So in case you missed it, here are some of the most amazing images you will see.

The first image is taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the HiRISE camera. It shows Phoenix as it is descending beneath its parachute!

Click for a larger image

The second image was taken as Phoenix descended, but from a different point of view. The crater is referred to as “Heimdall” and the lander is descending not into the crater, but past it. The POV can fool you.

Click for larger image

This third image shows the Phoenix lander sitting on the surface of Mars, and you can also see where the heat shield, parachute, and backshell have landed as well.

Click for larger image

Aren’t those images amazing? The image of Phoenix descending past the crater is something never before seen in the decades of space travel and missions to other worlds. It is truly a one-of-a-kind shot.

And if these weren’t enough, how about some sound? Yes, you read correctly!! The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter was monitoring the landers’ radio transmissions as it approached the Martian surface, and you can actually hear this audio for yourselves.

Pretty cool, eh?

We hope you will continue to follow the mission (as all of us are) and be amazed and transfixed by the science coming to us from millions of miles away in space.

Links to Image Pages

Phoenix and Parachute
Phoenix and Crater
Phoenix Lands
Phoenix Sounds

Don’t Forget to Look Up This Week

With the great, excellent news about the successful landing of Phoenix on Mars last evening, and the cool images and news coming from that mission, it’s easy to forget there are things going on quite a bit closer to home this week.

The International Space Station (ISS) is continuing its series daily (evening) multiple flyovers. Using the link on the right-hand menu for Heavens Above Grand Rapids predictions, you can see that each night has 2-4 visible passes by the station, each one brighter than most of the stars in the night sky. All you need is clear skies (and we all know who to blame if there aren’t clear skies, right?), and the predictions to see it. And if you want to see it really bright, like last week Friday, make sure you watch on June 4th, 6th, and 8th, as the station will outshine every object in the night sky as it passes over. Plus, by then the space shuttle Discovery will have arrived, adding to the brightness.

Speaking of the shuttle, it’s scheduled to launch on Saturday the 31st at 5.02pm EDT. Discovery will be heading to the ISS to deliver the largest payload to date, the Kibo module.

Stay tuned right here for the latest on the Phoenix mission, the space station, the shuttle, and other things of interest in the night sky and space. We’ll have the latest, most accurate, and up-to-date information available, which you won’t get anywhere else.

Just another word about the Heavens Above site. If you’re not in Grand Rapids, or want to get a more specific location for your area, you can do that on the site as well. you just need your latitude and longitude. We have predictions for the Veen Observatory, and the author even has predictions for his front yard.

So go and and enjoy the night sky.