12. February 2013, 13.24
For over 40 years, the US Landsat series of satellites has been delivering multispectral and thermal imaging data of the entire planet at a consistent high quality. As a consequence, the Landsat data archive has become an important tool for Earth remote sensing. It has helped to visualise long-term changes on the ground, to explore the influence of mankind on the biosphere and to manage natural resources.
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02. August 2012, 14.35
Exactly four weeks after the last launch, the next Ariane is, once again, on the launch platform! The final launch preparations are underway for what will be the fourth Ariane 5 launch (VA208) this year from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The 'dress rehearsal' took place last Friday, and the Launch Readiness Review was completed successfully on Tuesday. Yesterday, the rocket was rolled out to the launch platform, so nothing stands in the way of tonight’s launch. The Ariane 5 launch window opens at 22:54 CEST and closes 57 minutes later at 23:51 CEST. Those interested can follow the launch on the 'live-stream' provided by Arianespace. Posted by
Denis Regenbrecht
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06. July 2012, 06.48
Late in the evening, just as the launch window opened at 23:36 CEST, the Ariane 5ECA VA207 launched successfully with the EchoStar XVII and MSG-3 satellites on board. About 34 minutes later, the two payloads were injected into geostationary transfer orbits. This was the 49th successive successful launch of an Ariane 5, and the third one this year.
Posted by
Denis Regenbrecht
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04. July 2012, 16.23
It's that time again! Final preparations for the third Ariane 5 launch this year (VA207) are currently underway at Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. Following a successful launch readiness review on Tuesday and yesterday's roll out to the launch pad, no other formalities stand in the way of tonight's launch. The launch window opens at 23:36 CEST and closes 29 minutes later, that is, tomorrow at 00:05 CEST. The launch window opens at 23:36 CEST and closes 29 minutes later, that is, tomorrow at 00:05 CEST. Arianespace will be live streaming the launch here. Posted by
Denis Regenbrecht
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29. June 2012, 12.50
It's almost here. Our SpaceLiveBlog will be filled with new space-related events. In the future, Thilo Kranz and Denis Regenbrecht will be blogging here. Thilo Kranz isn't a newcomer; he blogged about the final Space Shuttle launches and delivered some striking pictures of the Shuttle's farewell. Together with Denis Regenbrecht, he works for the Ariane programme in DLR's Space Administration. For this reason, they both have front row seats during an Ariane or, more recently, a Soyuz or Vega lift-off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Ready for Ignition! We look forward to details and background information about the upcoming countdowns.
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29. March 2012, 00.12
And we continue here at the ATV Tweetup at CNES in Toulouse, France. Let’s go to the next item in the programme... Posted by
Karin, alt Ranero
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28. March 2012, 20.59
The ‘magical moment’ in the ATV 3 docking process is scheduled to take place at 00:33 CEST; the docking probe of ‘Edoardo Amaldi’ will make contact with the docking cone in the aft port of the Russian Zvezda module on the International Space Station (ISS). This is just the first stage in a process lasting about 25 minutes. Posted by
Karin, alt Ranero
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28. March 2012, 18.14
So that everyone knows what is happening as ATV-3, 'Eduardo Amaldi', approaches and docks with the International Space Station, here is the nominal timeline for this evening's activities: Posted by
Karin, alt Ranero
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28. March 2012, 16.42
After a successful launch on board an Ariane 5 ES rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 23 March 2012, ATV-3, ‘Edoardo Amaldi’, is nearing the end of its journey to the International Space Station (ISS). It is scheduled to dock with the Zvezda module at 00:33 CEST tomorrow morning (29 March – 22:33 UTC [28 March]), where it will remain for five months. Posted by
Karin, alt Ranero
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23. March 2012, 14.56
This blog used to be called 'Shuttle Launch Blog', and reported on the latest Space Shuttle flights and missions. Since the shuttle programme has now ended, we want to use this blog as a source of information for a wide variety of space-related events, such as launches from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, spacewalks at the International Space Station or the docking of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV, with the ISS. For this reason, from now on, it will be the ' SpaceLiveBlog'. Updates coming soon ...
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22. July 2011, 11.24
The Space Shuttle Atlantis announced its arrival at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in the early morning hours of 21 July 2011 with a double sonic boom. Just over three minutes later, the spaceship touched down on the runway and at 05:57:54 local time "wheels stop" was called for the last time. Atlantis and its crew had safely returned to Earth. NASA's space shuttles have travelled into orbit 135 times; this era ended today. The space shuttles have shaped US space policy for the last 30 years and have stood as an icon of human spaceflight for a whole generation.
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29. April 2011, 18.24
For further information check NASA's Space Shuttle RSS Feed. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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29. April 2011, 13.58
The small space shop on site at the Kennedy Space Center gives an indication of the fast-approaching end of space shuttle flights from the cape; everything is reduced in price. Although many people here on the ‘Space Coast’ are unsure about the coming months and years, the spirit needed to carry this historic space location into the future of spaceflight is unbroken. The day before the launch of STS-134, the press conferences were not just looking forward to the imminent mission.
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28. April 2011, 19.38
The alarm clock goes off at 04:45 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). At 05:30, breakfast. At 06:00, the ESA-DLR media delegation, consisting of a dozen journalists and a number of 'Public Affairs Officers' (as NASA calls them) is on the move. At 08:40, after obtaining additional accreditation at two badging stations, we finally arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) press site. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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20. April 2011, 13.00
Since yesterday's Flight Readiness Review (FRR) confirmed a "Go" for Endeavour's Launch on 29 April it's now certain that we (me, that is) will continue blogging here starting next Thursday, 28 April, where there will be first photo opportunities at Kennedy Space Center. Unfortunately my DLR colleague Thilo Kranz, fellow blogger and excellent shuttle photographer, will not be there this time. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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04. March 2011, 14.20
With this new set of images that Thilo recently sent, we start to tie in with Space Shuttle Mission STS-134 which will carry the European-built Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station. The mission won't launch before 19 April 2011, but we already have some great images. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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25. February 2011, 10.09
Last night, Thilo sent back pictures of Discovery's launch that he took himself, including some taken with a remote camera. The latter were taken with the help of a sound sensor that triggered the camera, located directly at the launch pad. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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24. February 2011, 22.25
It's launch day! A very foggy and humid evening, very low clouds caused an almost mystic atmosphere at the launch site. Retraction of the Rotating Servicing Structure at the pad and the Vehicle Assembly Building were enshrouded by the fog. However, on launch day, the weather is good so far - sunny with some clouds passing by. Weather is 90% go and there are no technical issues needing particular attention. So at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, it was time for the astronauts to board onto the "astrovan" that will take them to the pad. This crew walk out is a famous media event that attracts crowds of hundreds cheering and waving at the crew as they board onto the van. After this brief but exciting event, they are off to the pad, where they will be boarding Discovery. Time to get ready for the launch!
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24. February 2011, 12.21
After nearly four months of postponement of the final mission for Space Shuttle Discovery, I am back on site to document it in photographs. On the day before the launch, the press site at Kennedy Space Center is already filling up again but it is much quieter now than it was before the original launch date in November 2010. There are significantly less NASA activities, such as the Tweet-up, and international guests on this occasion. Launches are so complex and elaborate that any technical or meteorological complications can cause plans to change at very short notice. This has been clearly demonstrated by the delay of STS 133. In the meantime, the countdown for Discovery is running mostly according to plan.
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21. February 2011, 14.52
NASA quotes " Launch week" and we're on it again. At this very moment, Thilo is on the airplane to Florida to flickr and phlog the launch of STS-133. Even if on this photo (taken in November 2010) it looks like I am travelling with him: I am not, but will blog from Cologne instead.
Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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05. November 2010, 21.21
As most of you certainly know by now, the launch of space shuttle Discovery has been postponed to no earlier than Tuesday, 30 November 2010. The launch window closes Sunday, 5 December. For our little PhotoBlog this means we’ll pause, most likely until the start of STS-134. Many thanks for reading us! Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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04. November 2010, 05.44
Tonight (that means on the night of 3 November) the Space shuttle’s Rotating Service Structure has been rolled back and revealed Discovery in its entire beauty. The Flickr set shows the respecitve images plus some more, e.g. Thilo’s camera in a bird house, prepared for launch.
Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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03. November 2010, 23.30
Space journalists need to have stamina - in particular when reporting on a shuttle launch. Often, scrub follows scrub follows scrub - which is just normal with regard to the complex matter of space flight. On these images, you see the journalists waiting for a news conference following a meeting of the Shuttle Mission Management Team (MMT) – but the news conference will of course only start after the hours-long meeting has finished. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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02. November 2010, 04.37
Updated 2/11/2010, 11.00 EDT / 16.00 MEZ
Thilo Kranz and myself have been on two different tours today and had the possibility to shoot some behind the scenes footage. Thilo has been on a press tour. It took him to Launch Pad 39B, which in the meantime is being dismantled and rebuild for the requirements of the Constellation programme. I visited the Orbiter Processing Facility OPF-1, Launch Pad 39A with Space shuttle Discovery on it and the 160 metre tall Vehicle Assemby Building.
Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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29. October 2010, 10.27
In my last blogpost I said 'Thilo Kranz and me will be will be 'blogging and flickering'. Hence I've just set up a dedicated Flickr set for our photos of the STS-133 launch. For the moment I've uploaded just a couple of placeholder images, borrowed from our colleagues at NASA. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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28. October 2010, 11.35
Space shuttle mission STS-133 is currently scheduled for launch on Monday, 1 November 2010. STS-133 is currently the penultimate mission of NASA's legendary Space shuttle programme. Via the 'ShuttleLaunchBlog' it is our goal to document these last Space shuttle launches by means of photographs and short captions: The end of an era in - hopefully - fascinating images - in our first photoblog. Posted by
Marco Trovatello
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