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Boeing to Showcase ‘Low Earth Orbit to Deep Space’ Portfolio at International Astronautical Congress

Virtual exhibit to feature CST-100 Starliner, Space Launch System, International Space Station, Satellites and Collier Award-winning X-37B ARLINGTON, VA (STL.News) Boeing [NYSE: BA] will participate in the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) – The CyberSpace Edition, which is taking place Oct. 12-14, with an innovative virtual exhibit online at iac2020.vfairs.com. Developed to simulate an actual booth at the show, the exhibit will showcase the CST-100 Starliner Commercial Crew spacecraft; the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting laboratory; the Space Launch System (SLS) deep-space rocket; the X-37B spaceplane; and commercial and government satellites. “As a member of the International Astronautical Federation, Boeing applauds the IAC organizers for bringing together the spac...

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Today, September 26, 2020 is International Observe the Moon Night

(STL.News) Today, September 26, 2020, Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide will come together to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. International Observe the Moon Night occurs annually in September or October, when the Moon is around first quarter ? a great phase for evening observing. You can join International Observe the Moon Night from wherever you are. Attend or host a virtual or in-person event, or observe the Moon from home. Connect with fellow lunar enthusiasts around the world through our Facebook page, use #ObserveTheMoon on your preferred social media platform, and join the International...

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USGS News: Larger than average hypoxic area expected for Gulf of Mexico

High spring rainfall, river discharge, nutrient loads into Gulf major contributors to size (STL.News) NOAA scientists are forecasting this summer’s Gulf of Mexico hypoxic area or “dead zone” – an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and other marine life – to be approximately 6,700 square miles, larger than the long-term average measured size of 5,387 square miles but substantially less than the record of 8,776 square miles set in 2017. The annual prediction is based on U.S. Geological Survey river-flow and nutrient data. The annual Gulf of Mexico dead zone is primarily caused by excess nutrient pollution from human activities in urban and agricultural areas throughout the Mississippi River watershed. When the excess nutrients reach the Gulf, they stimulate an overgrowth of algae...

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NASA to Announce New Discoveries at Annual Astronomy Meeting

(STL.News) NASA researchers will present new findings on a wide range of astrophysics and other space science topics at the 235th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Saturday, January 4, through Wednesday, January 8, in Honolulu. NASA-related briefings will stream live on the agency’s website. All briefings will take place at 3:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. EST, starting Sunday, January 5, 2020. Topics include: Otherworldly discoveries from NASA’s planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Hubble Space Telescope findings, ranging from gargantuan galaxies to the smallest clumps of dark matter Extreme insights from the Chandra X-ray Observatory on a famous supermassive black hole New infrared images of the cosmos from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrar...

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Boeing Starliner Completes First Orbital Flight Test with Successful Landing

Starliner touches down safely in Western U.S. two days after post-launch anomaly WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, NM (STL.News) The Boeing [NYSE: BA] CST-100 Starliner's first mission ended historically today when it became the first American orbital space capsule to land on American soil rather than in an ocean. The spacecraft's crew module landed at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range at 5:48 a.m. Mountain time, after spending just over two days on orbit and checking off a number of flight test objectives. The last time a spacecraft landed at the historic White Sands Space Harbor runway was in 1982, when Space Shuttle Columbia touched down, ending its STS-3 mission. Shortly after its December 20 launch and separation from its booster rocket, Starliner experienced a mission timing ano...

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NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, to Discuss Status of Rocket for First Artemis Lunar Mission

New Orleans, LA (STL.News) - Media are invited to accompany NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Thursday, Aug. 15, on his visit to the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where engineers are preparing to add the final section to the core stage of the rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis 1 lunar mission. Bridenstine will meet with members of the Space Launch System (SLS) program to discuss and view progress on the rocket and take questions from media at 11:30 a.m. CDT in front of SLS’s 212-foot-tall core stage. U.S. media who would like to attend the event should contact Tracy McMahan at 256-544-0034 or tracy.mcmahan@nasa.gov no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, and plan to arrive at Michoud by 10:30 a.m. Aug. 15, with at least one form of government-issued photo identi...

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NASA TV to Air Launch, Docking of Russian Space Station Cargo Ship

Washington (STL.News) - A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station Wednesday, July 31. Live coverage of the resupply craft’s launch and docking will begin at 7:45 a.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The Progress 73 spacecraft will lift off at 8:10 a.m., on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (5:10 p.m. Baikonur time) loaded with almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the residents of the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft will arrive at the station three hours after launch and connect to the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the complex. Rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m., with docking scheduled for 11:35 a.m. The spacecraft will remain at the or...