Columbia Launches Successfully After the Third Attempt
After delays from bad weather, and a falsely detected hydrogen leak, the Space Shuttle Columbia finally launched early Friday morning from Cape Canaveral. If the shuttle hadn’t been able to launch on this attempt, it would have been grounded for at least an additional month. This shuttle mission will last 5 days.
ABC News
CNN Space
SpaceViews
New Asteroid Danger Rating Developed
New research indicates that asteroids pass very close to the Earth on a regular basis. To help provide a common measurement for assessing the risk of impact, Richard Binzel from MIT has developed the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. A zero on the scale indicates no risk of impact, while a 10 forecasts global devastation.
CNN Space
explorezone.com
MSNBC
SpaceViews
Moon Crash May Find Concrete, Not Water
As NASA prepares for the Lunar Prospector’s final mission – to slam into the moon in the hopes that its crash will dig up hidden ice – two researchers at Stanford University, Von R. Eshleman and George A. Parks believe that it may just crash into a concrete-like material. We’ll all find out in a week or so when Prospector crashes.
Space Chronicle
SpaceViews