[Launch Alert] Delta II/AURA Launch Delayed

[kd6nrp at earthlink.net]

Just a few items of note:


DELTA II/AURA LAUNCH

NASA informed me at 06:10 PDT this morning that next month's Delta II/AURA launch has been delayed. The new date is Saturday, July 10. I wasn't given the exact launch window for the new date, but my rough calculations would put it from 03:02:00 to 03:05:00 PDT. Weather permitting, this pre-dawn launch should put on a good show.


FIRST PRIVATE MANNED SPACEFLIGHT

According to a news release issued a couple of weeks ago, the first private manned spaceflight is scheduled to occur above the Mojave Desert on June 21. For details, go to:

   http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2004-06-02-sc.htm


ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS

There are no major astronomical events during the next several days. However, June 19-20 is a Dark Sky Weekend. It's the best time this month to observe faint objects. A few amateur astronomers have mentioned they'll be up at Mount Pinos this weekend for an observing session.


CALL FOR NEWS AND IMAGES

The ultimate goal of this newsletter and my web site is to cover space and astronomy news that's interesting, but likely to be under-reported or go unnoticed. If you catch wind of any potential news stories involving space and astronomy in the Southwest, please let me know. I'm especially interested in the activities of lesser-known aerospace firms, academic research groups, etc.

Likewise, my web site requires a steady supply of high quality space- and astronomy-related images for publication. What I'm really looking for are unique images taken during the past 10 days. If you're an astrophotographer or aerospace photographer, please keep me in mind.