The launch of Aura has been delayed for a second time. A problem with a solid-state recorder aboard the satellite stopped the countdown 30 minutes before lift-off yesterday. A launch on Sunday was delayed due to a problem with the rocket nosecone.

NASA said it will be either a 24 or 48 hour hold.

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Eudaimonia

Liftoff was at 6 AM EDT. A problem with the rocket's battery system stopped the countdown three minutes before lift-off on Wednesday.

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Eudaimonia

Cassini has made the first direct observation of lightning in Saturn’s atmosphere.

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Eudaimonia

Jseal what of the Mars probes/landers? Are they still going?

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Half of a set :halo:

Catch22,

Yes they are - and doing very well. NASA has given both rovers additional operating time, but the mission will not be granted additional money. They'll have to squeeze their budget.

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Eudaimonia

As many of you know,I have a 10% diability,that I recieve a Govt. Check for
every month.At the beginning of the year,I recieved a letter,saying that the
allotment amount,would be increased by $? a month.I heard on the news, lately,that(among other things)the military pay,had been given,a $?? increase.
I imagine that my check will also be increased,because everytime,that the
military,gets an increase,it also increases by the same amount as they get!
Maybe that's one of the reasons ,for the space exploration budget,not being
increased. Irish
P.S. There is ONLY a certain amount of money!I imagine that everyone,would
bitch,if the taxes,were increased!

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

Your on a serviice pension Irish? I am on payment as well. I care for an aged relative and it is cheaper for the govt to pay me to nurse then have them in a hospital. We have had a fair bit of cash thrown at us this year. It is a voting year for the Fed Govt.

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Half of a set :halo:

I don't know if you'd call it a pension.I get a 10% disability check,from the Govt!I have gotten it since it was awarded to me,from VN.I don't know if
"pension" is the right terminology.Being wounded,doesn't make you a "Hero",
it just means that you were in the wrong place, at the wrong time.As far as,
I'm concerned,the heros,are the medics,that kept me from bleeding to
death.I'd do it all over again.As Mackenzie said-If you don't stand for something,You'll fall for anything! Irish
P.S.My $.02.

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

Yes, my father was on something the same from WW2. My mother then got a widows one after he died. She was a war widow twice. Her first hubby was killed on a Jap death march.

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Half of a set :halo:

In MY opinion,you are to be commended for that relative.The way that,many,
in VA hospitals,are cared for,is much, worse then death.I was in one,outside
of,Hartford Conn.,for some tests.One of the "old" men,on the ward,couldn't
get out of bed,had to be fed,some concoction,thru a funnel,in his throat,&
existed,for visits from wife & family.I would rather,be dead.Imagine,existing,
for the rest of your life,like that?With my luck,I'd live to be 115.That's why a
"living will" or whatever it's called is a good idea!I would hate to know,that I was just a "burden" on my family.Yes,he served his country,but after a while,
people just feel obligated to be there. Irish
P.S.Sorry,it's a sore spot with me,& I just vented.War is hell,but as I've said before,-The only person,that you can satisfy,is the person,that looks back from the mirror!

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

The Rocsat-2 spacecraft has been in orbit for two months and is studying high-altitude phenomena.

For many years, reports of red streamers, blue jets and strange diffuse glows seen in the upper reaches of the atmosphere were not taken seriously - rather like sailors’ stories of sea monsters. Over the past 10 years or so videos taken from high-altitude aircraft and the space shuttle have persuaded people that that they may be real.

The phenomena are difficult to study as they occur between 50km and 100km up, too high for most aircraft and too low for satellites. To study them, the Taiwanese government built the Rocsat-2 (Republic of China Satellite 2), which includes a sensor built to gather information about the lights.

The first image was returned on July. It showed red sprites - short fluorescent "tubes" glowing like neon lights - reaching to the ionosphere. Another image showed a brilliant lightning flash with a trio of red sprites above it and a sprite halo encircling it.

No obvious benefits here, just basic science.

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Eudaimonia

jseal---I used to see the same thing,before I stopped drinking.Maybe I should
start again.Purely for scientific research! Irish

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

For those who are up late at night, the Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 11 & 12

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/040...seid_guide.html

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Eudaimonia

Here’s a good one: Which spacecraft travels farther to reach its target – Cassini to Saturn, or Messenger to Mercury? If you picked Messenger, you’re right! By the time it gets to Mercury, Messenger will have traveled 4.9 billion miles. Cassini on the other hand traveled “only” 2.2 billion miles to get to Saturn!

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Eudaimonia

NASA has decided it will save the Hubble Space Telescope by sending a robotic mission to repair it. One of the HST's major instruments has already gone off-line.

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Eudaimonia