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4.29.2005

Friday Flybys (vol. 10)

For you loyal Flybys fans ...

First, delay news (no, not Tom): As NASA announced last night, launch of shuttle Discovery is now officially pushed off to
July. The new launch window opens from July 12 through 31. NASA will hold a press conference this morning. (Meanwhile, don't take off your "return to flight" wristbands just yet.)

Burt Rutan's testimony
before Congress last week, has stirred the space tourism aka "private spaceflight" pot. Here's Jeff Foust's take on Two scenarios and two concerns for personal spaceflight.

Is there trouble in Japan Space? Reuters reports
JAXA may be going belly up. Uh-oh. (As China rises...)

As the Probe
reported, collectSpace continues to follow the saga of Max Ary. And the latest for you space crime aficionados: Ary, the former president and CEO of the illustrious Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center entered a plea of not guilty yesterday in connection with his 11-count federal indictment for fraud, theft and transportation of stolen space artifacts from the museum.

Speaking of space crime, there is no law against imbibing in orbit per se, but beware of operating a space station under the influence of alcohol. What do space lawyers say -- should the ISS crew be allowed to sip wine in space? Nostrovia!

And speaking of toasting, as we celebrate 15th anniversary of Hubble, here are the hottest new images.

Also to mark Hubble's 15-year milestone, the European Space Agency has released an 83-minute DVD documentary film, entitled a Hubble -- 15 Years of Discovery, which you can get free of charge by sending an e-mail to United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs at oosa@unvienna.org.

Speaking of films -- although not quite as lofty as a Hubble documentary -- now playing at a theatre near you, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (via Cosmic Log)

Have a galactic weekend.



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