ASTRONOMY NEWS & LINKS
© Susanne Weimer
HIGHLIGHTS 1997
Jan-Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998  
 
December 1997
Dec 25 [AP] Former MIR Crew finally gets full pay.
Dec 23 [AP] MIR spacewalk postponed to Jan. 6
Dec 17 [STScI] Hubble witnesses the final blaze of glory of sun-like stars.
Dec 16 [NASA] Start of Galileo Mission "Part II"

[UW] Optical Counterpart of GRB 971214 discovered at Apache Point and MDM Observatory.
- see also: Astronomy Picture of the Day, Dec 18, 1997
- see also: GRB Page
Dec 14 [ASI] BeppoSAX discovered X-Ray afterglow of a new Gamma Ray Burst (GRB 971214)
Dec 12 [NASA] Dust storm slowed the progress of Mars Global Surveyor's saerobraking.

[ESO] First VLT 8.2-m Zerodur Mirror Arrives at ESO Paranal Observatory. - see also
- the High-resolution Images (Dec 19)
- and Video Clips (Dec 22).
Dec 11 [MPG] Does solar rotation simulate a planet around the Pulsar PSR B1257+12 ?
Dec 05 [NASA] AXAF (Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility) delivery delayed
Dec 04 [STScI] Hubble captures brief moment in life of lively duo.
Dec 02 [ESO] ESO Paranal Observatory. Final Tests of VLT Main Telescope Structure in Milan
 
November 1997
Nov 24 [AP] Former MIR Crew finally gets full pay.
Nov 20 [STScI] Hubble provides infrared view of Jupiter moon, ring, and clouds.

[STScI] Hubble watches Uranus.
Nov 04 [JPL] No more contact. Mars Pathfinder Mission is winding down.
 
October 1997
Oct 31 [Cornell] Planet Uranus has two more moons. Discovery by Cornell and Canadian astronomers
Oct 29 [STScI] Hubble Catches Up with a Blue Straggler Star
Oct 22 [ESO] Work Progresses at the ESO Paranal Observatory.

[NASA] Launch of Lunar Prospector again rescheduled: now for January 5, 1998 (ftp)
Oct 21 [STScI] Hubble Reveals Stellar Fireworks Accompanying Galaxy Collisions
Oct 08 [STScI] Hubble Identifies What May Be the Most Luminous Star Known

[ESO] Comet Hale-Bopp is still very active. ESO Observations Show Persistent Dust Jets
Oct 04 [NASA] Mars Global Surveyor. First scientific results.

[AP] Atlantis leaves MIR. Evidence of leak.
Oct 03 [NASA] Cassini. White House launch approval (ftp)
 
September 1997
Sep 26 [NASA] Space Shuttle Mission STS-86: Sep 26 - Oct 06
Status Report . Shuttle Tracking Monitor . Timeline
Sep 25 [NASA] STS-86. Daniel S. Goldin's Statement (ftp)

[NASA] STS-86. Panels give astronaut a "go" for launch to MIR (ftp)
Sep 24 [STScI] Hubble sees a neutron star alone in space

[JPL] Galileo observation of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Jovian Temperatures - Highest Resolution
Sep 23 [AP] Astronaut `looking forward to moving into MIR' despite new problems

[JPL] Jupiter's temperature field. High resolution image by Galileo's Photopolarimeter-Radiometer
Sep 22 [AP] MIR's computer goes down again; brown cloud appears outside craft

[ESO] Installation of Motors on the ESO Very Large Telescope
Sep 19 [NASA] Cassini launch rescheduled for Oct. 13
Sep 18 [STScI] Hubble. Blobs in space: the legacy of a nova
Sep 17 [NASA] MGS. Magnetic field around Mars

[NASA] MGS. Surveyor began the aerobraking phase

[STScI] Hubble watches the red planet as Mars Global Surveyor begins aerobraking

[NASA] 2MASS. Twin telescopes with near-infrared "eyes" begin all-sky survey
Sep 16 [STScI] Hubble stays on trail of fading Gamma-Ray Burst fireball, results point to extragalactic origin
Sep 15 [U.Texas] Dedication of the Hobby-Eberly-Telescope on Mt.Fowlkes in Texas on October 8th.
Sep 13 [NASA] MGS. Activation of science instruments (SR Sep 13)
Sep 12 [NASA] Repair work on Cassini Huygens probe successfully completed.

[NASA] MGS. Precision maneuver: 45-hour orbit period (SR Sep 12)

[AP] Adventure continues: Global Surveyor in orbit around Mars

[Reuters] MGS. U.S. Spacecraft Swings into Orbit Around Mars

[CNN] Mars Global Surveyor arrives at red planet
Sep 11 Arriving at Mars !!!
Mars Global Surveyor. Mars Arrival - Real Time Updates
[NASA] Mars orbit insertion executed successfully (SR Sep 11)

Lunar Prospector. Launch rescheduled to November 23, 1997
Sep 10 [AP] Global Surveyor in good shape as it nears Mars orbit.

[STScI] Hubble finds a bare black hole pouring out light

[AP] Private firm plans to land satellite on an asteroid

[ESO] Improving Access to the ESO Paranal Observatory
Sep 09 [Reuters] Mars spacecraft safely executes maneuver.

[Florida Today] Team on edge as Mars Surveyor nears goal

[AP] MIR's crew restarts computer, switches gyroscopes back on
Sep 08 [AP] A red planet encore - Mars Surveyor nearing planet

[AP] Mir's computer system fails, shutting down systems

[CNN] Anti-nuclear groups urge delay for NASA's Cassini
Sep 06 EVA complete! [NASA] MIR Special Report

[AP] American, Russian fail to pinpoint holes in damaged MIR

[Reuters] MIR Crew Ends Spacewalk with Partial Success
Sep 04 [AP] Cassini: Launch delayed at least one week

[STScI] Hubble reveals huge crater on the surface of the asteroid Vesta
Sep 03 [AP] Cassini: Huygens insulation damaged
 
August 1997
Aug 29 [ESO] New photos from the installation of the ESO Very Large Telescope
Aug 28 [KSC] Cassini on the launch pad

[Stanford] Plasma streams inside the Sun. SOHO images reveal complex pattern of streams and currents under the sun's surface.

New Gamma Ray Burst with X-Ray Afterglow. see IAU Circulars 6726 / 6727 / 6728 / 6729 / 6730 / 6731 / 6732 / 6733 / 6735
Aug 25 Successfull Launch: ACE - Advanced Composition Explorer for the investigation of the solar corona and interplanetary and interstellar matter.
Aug 22 [NASA] Mir 24/NASA 5 Status Report, Mission Control Center, Korolev

[AP] Cosmonauts carry out repairs on "super day" aboard MIR space station

ISO Observation of Oldest Galaxies. [RAS] Phantastically high star formation activity found. - see also: Images [Imperial College, London]
Aug 19 [NASA] MIR computer repaired. - Spacewalk planned for Friday.

[CNN] Mir computer fix on track
Aug 18 [NASA] Tumbling MIR - problems without end...
[CNN] Crew rights tumbling Mir after main computer fails
[CNN] Cargo craft docks manually with Mir space station
[CNN] Mir's main computer fails, station begins to tumble
[CNN] Russians plan another docking attempt
Aug 17 [CNN] Another Mir mishap: Docking postponed. Repair spacewalk also could be delayed
Aug 16 [CNN] Mir cosmonauts lash out at critics, including Yeltsin

CRISTA-SPAS recollected. See CNN-report "Discovery's astronauts retrieve ozone-monitoring satellite" and the press release of DARA (in german)
Aug 15 [CNN] Mir crew to videotape damaged module
[CNN] Mir-go-round mission completed
Aug 14 [NASA] MIR-23-Crew safely back on Earth
[CNN] Mir cosmonauts land safely on Earth
Aug 12 European Southern Observatory: Next step towards the Very Large Telescope: VLT Mirror Coating Plant Arrives at Paranal.
Aug 11 Water Vapor in High Altitudes. [CNN] Satellite evidence supports giant snowball theory - Observations by MAHRSI - See also: Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 30, 1997
Aug 09 Cassini launch date not threatened by rocket leak
Aug 08 Cassini. Leaky rocket may delay NASA's Saturn mission
Aug 07 Mission of Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-85): Aug 07-17

Soyuz-TM-26 has docked with Mir. The MIR-24-Crew is on board the space station.
Aug 05 Soyuz-TM-26 started. [CNN] The MIR-24-Crew is on its way to the space station.

[STScI] Hubble separates stars in the Mira binary system
Aug 01 [ESO] Early Universe. Hamburg astronomers found helium-clouds in the spectra of very distant quasars.

[ESO] Comet Hale-Bopp - recent developments
 
July 1997
July 30 [STScI] Hubble Space Telescope. "World's most powerful telescopes team up with a lens in nature to discover farthest galaxy in the universe"
July 25 [ESO] Gravitational lense in the distant universe. European astronomers maybe discovered a gravitational lense made of dark matter.
July 22 Asteroid with "moon" : DLR-scientists discovered a small satellite of Asteroid (3671) Dionysus.
see: ESO-Press Release from July 22, 1997
July 15 Hubble Space Telescope. "HUBBLE sees rapid weather changes on Mars, new dust activity"
July 04 4th July 1997 17:08 Uhr GMT: Mars Pathfinder is landed!
19:08 MESZ: First Telemetry from the Surface of Mars has been Received! We have just detected a radio signal indicating that the lander is now on the surface of Mars! The lander's transmitter is expected to go off momentarily to save battery energy. Air bag retraction will now begin.
20:36 MESZ: Full Deployment: We have just detected a radio signal indicating that the lander has fully retracted the air bags, has opened the petals, and appears to be functioning nominally.
 
 
Jan - June 1997
June 27 Space probe observes asteroid: The NEAR flyby of Asteroid 253 Mathilde
June 11 Asteroid as satellite of the Earth: York University, Canada: The Earth has a Companion...
 
May 17 News from MIR: Atlantis has docked on MIR (STS-84).
 
Apr 28 Antimatter in the Milky Way: Positron-cloud near the galactic center discovered with the Gamma Ray Observatory!
Apr 01 [ESO] Perihelium of Comet Hale-Bopp
see also: VdS Comet Section (VdS-Fachgruppe Kometen)
 
Feb 11 Second Hubble Servicing Mission (STS-82) Feb 11-21 - Live in the "Exploratorium" in San Francisco
Feb 10 The german mission MIR'97: Feb 10 - Mar 02 Reinhold Ewald was 18 days on board the MIR station (in german).
 
1996
Nov Water on the Moon ? Science Article about the analysis of the Clementine Radar Data (Science Vol.274 (5292) November 29, 1996) (costs!!)
Aug Life on Mars ? NASA-pages about the Mars-Meteorite ALH84001
Science: David S. McKay, et al., Science 273(5277) pp.924-230, 16 August 1996

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© Susanne Weimer (info at astrophys.net) - Last update: February 18, 2000