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Total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse occurred March 29. This video from Side, Turkey shows the period of totality when the moon slid between the Earth and Sun. The eclipse revealed the Sun's glowing outer halo of million-degree gas, called the solar corona.
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Dawn mission reborn
In early March, NASA cancelled its Dawn mission built to orbit two of the solar system's largest asteroids using ion engine propulsion. Technical problems and cost overruns were blamed. But in this news conference from March 27, agency officials announce NASA's decision to reverse the cancellation and restart the mission.
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CEV planning
Lockheed Martin holds this news conference in Houston on March 24 to announced that it is partnering with the State of Texas to locate the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program office in Houston, as well as systems engineering, software development and qualification testing, if the corporation wins the NASA contract to build the next generation spacecraft for NASA.
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Expedition 12 recap
As the Expedition 12 mission aboard the International Space Station winds down, officials managing the flight from Mission Control in Houston hold this retrospective briefing to talk about the highs and lows, the science, the spacewalks and everything in between.
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Expedition 13 preview
International Space Station officials preview the next Expedition mission to the orbiting outpost, which is scheduled for launch March 29. The preview was given during a briefing March 22 from Johnson Space Center.
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STS-41B: Human satellite
One of the iconic moments of the early space shuttle program was astronaut Bruce McCandless floating above the brilliantly blue Earth completely disconnected from his spacecraft. He was testing the Manned Maneuvering Unit, a jet-powered backpack that would enable spacewalkers to travel away from the space shuttle to service satellites. In this post-flight presentation, the crew of Challenger's STS-41B mission of February 1984 narrate the film highlights from their mission that also included the first shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center.
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New resident crew rockets toward the space station
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: March 29, 2006
The Soyuz rocket launches the new Expedition crew. Credit: Energia
A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome today and streaked into orbit, carrying a fresh two-man space station crew and a Brazilian test pilot making his nation's first trip off planet. Under a clear blue sky, the Soyuz roared to life on time at 9:30 p.m. EST (8:30 a.m. March 30 in Kazakhstan) and quickly climbed away atop a tongue of brilliant flame and a billowing cloud of exhaust. Vaulting away from the same pad Yuri Gagarin used 45 years ago, this was the 100th manned orbital launch from the sprawling Baikonur complex and the 12th Russian flight carrying crew members to the international space station. Live television shots from inside the cramped cabin showed commander Pavel Vinogradov, NASA flight engineer Jeff Williams and Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes as they monitored cockpit instruments during the ride up hill. Pontes smiled and pointed at the Brazilian flag on his spacesuit while Williams and Vinogradov followed their ascent checklist procedures.
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VIDEO: LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 13! PLAY
VIDEO: FULL ASCENT VIDEO FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM LAUNCH CAMERA 1 PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM LAUNCH CAMERA 2 PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM LAUNCH CAMERA 3 PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM LAUNCH CAMERA 4 PLAY
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH ISS MANAGER PLAY
VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM NASA ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SUITUP BUILDING FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY
VIDEO: THE SOYUZ ROCKET IS ROLLED TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ROCKET IS ERECTED ON PAD PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT MISSION BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO: CREW'S PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
MORE: EXPEDITION 13 VIDEO INDEX
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Nine minutes after liftoff, the Soyuz TMA-8 capsule was safely in space, hot on the trail of the international space station. If all goes well, Vinogradov will guide the TMA-8 spacecraft to a docking at the downward-facing port on the Zarya propulsion module at 11:18 p.m. EST Friday. "It was a great launch," said NASA associate administrator Rex Geveden. "This is a very lean operation but it's done very well. Launch was smooth, uneventful, the kind we like. It was great." Said Kirk Shireman, NASA's deputy station program manager, "It was really exciting. It was a beautiful launch and a beautiful day here in Baikonur. It's a really big event for the space station." ISS-12 commander Bill McArthur and flight engineer Valery Tokarev will spend a week showing the new crew the ins and outs of space station operation before returning to Earth with Pontes aboard the Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft that carried them into orbit Oct. 1, 2005. Landing in Kazakhstan is expected on April 8 around 7:46 p.m. EDT. "The hand off is always a busy time," said Shireman. "It will take a little time for BIll McArthur and Valery Tokarev to explain to them, show them exactly where everything is, how to live aboard the space station. ... Hopefully, an easy adaptation for Jeff and Pavel." Vinogradov and Williams will welcome a third crew member, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, when the shuttle Discovery's docks with the space station this summer. Discovery's launch currently is targeted for July 1, assuming a variety of technical issues can be resolved. The space station has been staffed by rotating two-man U.S.-Russian crews since 2003 when NASA's shuttle fleet was grounded in the wake of the Columbia disaster. Without regular shuttle visits, assembly was put on hold and the crew size reduced from three to two, all the smaller Russian Soyuz and unmanned Progress cargo ships could accommodate. But thanks to a flawless launch record, the Russians have successfully kept the station operational while NASA concentrated on fixing the space shuttle. NASA launched the shuttle Discovery to the space station last July, but on-going problems with insulation on the shuttle's external tank have prevented additional flights. NASA hopes to resume regular assembly and resupply missions with Discovery's upcoming flight and with Mir-veteran Reiter on board, the station will have a three-man crew once again to carry out a full slate of experiments and assembly tasks. The ISS-13 mission duration will be 178 days. "I see this as almost a new beginning for the space station," Shireman said. It "sets the table for us to continue construction. It's a really big event and we're looking forward to continuing the build of the international space station." Vinogradov spent 198 days in space aboard the old Russian Mir space station in 1997 and 1998 while Williams is a veteran of a shuttle flight in May 2000. Pontes is a space rookie, flying to the station under a commercial contract between the Russian and Brazilian space agencies.
Marcos César Pontes

 Heute um 04:30 Uhr MESZ ist der erste Brasilianer in den Weltraum gestartet. Vom Kosmodrom in Baikonur startete eine russische Trägerrakete vom Typ Sojus mit drei Mann an Bord zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS. Dabei handelt es sich um den Kosmonauten Pawel Wladimirowitsch Winogradow, den NASA-Flugingenieur Jeffrey Nels Williams und den brasilianischen Astronauten Marcos César Pontes, die mit der Mission Sojus TMA-8 unterwegs sind.

Während des Fluges hatte es leichte Probleme bei der Übertragung telemetrischer Daten gegeben. Der Kontakt zur Rakete sei aber niemals abgebrochen, betonte der russische Flugleiter gegenüber der dpa.

Während Wingradow und Williams für mehrere Monate an Bord der ISS bleiben, wird Pontes zusammen mit William McArthur und Waleri Iwanowitsch Tokarew voraussichtlich am 8. April 2006 zur Erde zurückkehren. Vinogradov und Williams werden die ISS für die Ankunft eines Spaceshuttles vorbereiten, mit dem auch der deutsche Astronaut Thomas Reiter zur ISS fliegen wird. Der Shuttleflug wird frühestens am 1. Juli 2006 stattfinden. Marcos Pontes nahm ein Trikot der brasilianischen Fußballnationalmannschaft und eine Flagge seines Heimatlandes mit auf den Flug, um die Mannschaft bei der Weltmeisterschaft zu unterstützen. Der Raketenstart wurde live im brasilianischen Fernsehen übertragen. Während die BBC von zehn Millionen US-Dollar ausgeht, sagte der stellvertretende Chef der russischen Raumfahrtbehörde Roskosmos Nikolai Moissejew im Oktober, er müsse soviel zahlen wie jeder Weltraumtourist oder ausländischer Spezialist auch. Marcos Pontes hat sich seit 1998 im Johnson Space Center und seit dem Jahr 2005 im einem Trainingszentrum bei Moskau auf die Weltraummission vorbereitet. Ursprünglich sollte er mit einem US-amerikanischen Spaceschuttle ins All fliegen. Marcos Pontes ist am 11. März 1963 in Bauru, Sao Paulo, geboren und bei der brasilianischen Luftwaffe angestellt. Der Brasilianer soll während seiner Weltraummission wissenschaftliche Experimente, unter anderem im Bereich der Nanotechnologie, durchführen. Der Arzt von Marcos Pontes bezeichnete das Ereignis vor dem Start der Rakete als historischen Moment. Es sei, wie wenn Brasilien im Finale der Fußball-WM spiele.

Vor drei Jahren gab es beim Startversuch einer brasilianischen Rakete einen Unfall, als sie auf der Startrampe explodierte. Bei dem Unglück starben 21 Menschen. In Brasilien gibt es große Hoffnungen, dass die Raumfahrt das Selbstbewusstsein des Landes steigern kann. Kritiker in Brasilien sagen, dass man das Geld besser für andere Dinge ausgeben sollte.