Space News for March 30, 1999

Hubble Views Stormy Uranus

New views of Uranus by the Hubble Space Telescope have shown the planet to be colourful and stormy. A timelapse movie created from Hubble’s images shows moons circling, rings wobbling, and storms raging across the surface of the distant planet.

Astronomy Now
ABC News
BBC News

CNN Space
exoScience
Space Central
NASA Space Science News

Mars Surveyor Deploys High-Gain Antenna

Although the Mars Surveyor has already sent back stunning images from the surface of the Red Planet, communication with the probe is about to improve, as it deploys its high-gain antenna. Using this and its other instruments, the spacecraft is mapping the surface of the planet, determining potential future landings sites.

Astronomy Now
CNN Space
MSNBC
Space Online
SpaceViews

Sea Launch Satellite Achieves High Orbit

With a successful test launch of a dummy satellite to an orbit of 23,000 miles above the Earth, the Sea Launch is primed to begin commercial operations.

CNN Space

Six Month Delay Between Shuttle Launches

Because of Russian delays and a stalled telescope, NASA engineers will have to wait a total of 167 days between its last Space Shuttle launch and the next, scheduled for May 20th. There’s only been one longer delay, 975 days, after the Challenger accident in 1986.

CNN Space
MSNBC
Fox News