Orbital ATK is targeting no earlier than Oct. 9-13, 2016, for the launch of its Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, carrying cargo to the International Space Station. A more specific date will be identified after completion of final operational milestones and technical reviews. Launch times range from 10:47 p.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 9, to 9:13 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13.
This will be the sixth planned cargo resupply mission by Orbital ATK under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with the company and the fourth launch from Virginia. Cargo resupply by U.S. companies enables a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new science investigations aboard the world’s only microgravity laboratory.
Information about Orbital ATK, its Antares rocket and the Cygnus cargo spacecraft
NASA's Launch Schedule features the planned dates and details for missions by NASA and the partner nations in the International Space Station Program, including Russia, European Space Agency and Japan. To learn more about how the schedule is arranged and what it includes, check out Launch Schedule 101.
@StargazerUSAOn Saturday night, September 19 around 7:50 p.m. EDT, it looked like a passing comet or a giant, luminous amoeba. But this was pure rocket science. Courtesy of Wallops Island Flight Facility, in Virginia.
NASA will provide continuous mission updates online, including a webcast and a blog, at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
On launch day, a blog will update the countdown beginning at 4 p.m. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the spacewalks live. As Discovery's flight wraps up, NASA's blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth.
Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit:
The Complete Guide to Observing Lunar, Grazing and Asteroid Occultations
The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) has just released a new book on Occultations. It's a free, online and ready for downloading PDF file. It is 388 Pages.
If you like to time the disappearance of stars (and asteroids, planets. . . ) and reappearances along the lunar limb, you will find this manual to be a great resource. http://www.poyntsource.com/IOTAmanual/Preview.htm
From the Preview Website: "The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) wants you for the most exciting observations you can make – occultations ! Never before has there been an opportunity to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about the lunar limb profile and the size of shape of asteroids plus a host of other occultation phenomena. . ."
"Occultations occur when one celestial body passes in front of another, temporarily blocking its light. The observation of these "eclipse" events provides important information on the celestial body responsible for the eclipse. . ."
"All astronomers, both amateur and professional, can make occultation observations.This book has all the necessary information one needs to begin a successful occultation program. Whether you are a novice observer, or an advanced observer with a video system, you can assist in the search for asteroidal moons, help discover new double stars and help determine the size of the Sun during solar eclipses. . ."
"Written by IOTA's most experienced astronomers, this is the only book you'll need for occultation observations of stars by the Moon, by asteroids, and other solar system bodies. It includes an extensive set of Appendices, and over 120 figures and diagrams, 388 pages.
