Image credit: NASA/KSC
Success! NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a fast-moving Atlas V rocket. It’s headed for a distant rendezvous with the mysterious planet Pluto almost a decade from now.
The third time was the charm for New Horizons. Two consecutive launch attempts earlier in the week […]

JSC2006-E-01008 (17 January 2006) — Closeup view of a cometary impact (center) into aerogel was inspected by scientists at a laboratory at the Johnson Space Center hours after the Stardust Sample Return Canister was delivered to the Johnson Space Center from the spacecraft’s landing site in Utah. Image credit: NASA
Scientists Confirm Comet Samples, Briefing Set […]

Canon 20D with 50mm F/1.4 prime; 4″ F/3.2 ISO-100
Venus lurks down between the trees; 2-day-old waxing crescent Moon is illuminated by doubly-reflected sunlight.
Taken 8 June 2005.

Ugh. The New Horizons launch has been delayed an additional day according to this latest bit from NASA:
Next Launch Attempt: Thursday, Jan. 19
Today’s planned launch of an Atlas V carrying NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has been delayed for at least one more day. The Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, which operates the spacecraft and […]

Bummer:
No-Go for New Horizons
Today’s planned launch of an Atlas V carrying NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has been scrubbed due to excessive ground winds at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch managers extended the countdown several times, hoping the upper level and ground winds would die down, but the winds surpassed limits during the […]

Image Credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; Southwest Research Institute (JHUAPL/SwRI)
New Horizons is in full flight configuration and on schedule for liftoff tomorrow, 17 January 2006, with the opening of primary launch window coming at 13:24:00 EST. See my previous article for more details about this exciting mission.
New Horizons Update
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, at […]

Image Credit: NASA
Stardust has successfully landed!
After logging billions of miles, the capsule delivering NASA’s first cometary sample return mission has touched down safely. Congratulations to all team members on a job well done in bringing the package home.
Helicopters charged with recovering the sample return capsule are en route this very moment.
More updates to follow.
Update 04:49 […]