Hubble Photo Highlights in Galactic Color

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Hubble Photo Highlights in Galactic Color

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA astronomers have found what they believe to be the most distant and oldest galaxy ever detected by researchers. Their finding, reported in the Journal Nature on Jan. 26, 2011, reports tracking a smudge of light from almost 13.2 billion years ago.
This is just the latest finding sent back from the Hubble, which was sent into space in 1990. At NASA, where space hype is (understandably) hardly in short supply, they have described Hubble as the biggest advance in astronomy since the days of Galileo's telescope. Hyperbole, in this case, may be quite justified. In this gallery, we've assembled some of the more mind-blowing images taken by the Hubble during its gallactic peregrinations. Enjoy

Credit: NASA

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-205_162-10006431.html#ixzz1CDuu6Ce6

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2011 Launches

2011 Launches

Date: June 9 *
Mission: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base - SLC 2
Description: The Aquarius mission will provide the first-ever global maps of salt concentrations in the ocean surface needed to understand heat transport and storage in the ocean.

Date: Aug. 5
Mission: Juno
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Window: 12:10 p.m. - 1:40 p.m. EDT
Description: The solar-powered Juno spacecraft is to orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Date: Sept. 8
Mission: GRAIL
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Times: 8:35:52 a.m. and 9:14:35 a.m. EDT
Description: The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

Date: Oct. 25
Mission: NPP
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Window: 2:47:35 a.m. - 2:57:35 a.m. PDT / 5:47:35 a.m. - 5:57:35 a.m. EDT
Description: The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) mission for NASA and NOAA is to measure Earth's atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological activity and cloud and aerosol properties.

Date: Nov. 25 *
Mission: Mars Science Laboratory
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Time: 10:21 a.m. EST
Description: The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life and to determine the planet's habitability.

STS-132 Shuttle Mission Imagery

The STS-132 mission will be the 32nd flight of the space shuttle Atlantis. The primary STS-132 mission objective is to deliver the Russian-made MRM-1 (Mini Research Module) to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis will also deliver a new communications antenna and a new set of batteries for one of the ISS solar arrays. The STS-132 mission patch features Atlantis flying off into the sunset as the end of the Space Shuttle Program approaches. However the sun is also heralding the promise of a new day as it rises for the first time on a new ISS module, the MRM-1, which is also named "Rassvet," the Russian word for dawn. The NASA insignia design for shuttle and space station flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, it will be publicly announced.