space mission?

[sneezer1]

when do you think the next space mission will be?

 

[tmccort]

<br />That's a vague question... If you mean the next Shuttle mission then they say it will be around May.

 

[CalliArcale]

Next human spaceflight -- Shenzhou 6 is expected to launch with a Chinese crew on October 13. There is a current mission as well: Expedition 12 launched to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-7, accompanied by a paying guest. Expedition 11 will return from the ISS in a bit aboard Soyuz TMA-6, accompanied by the guest.<br /><br />Next launch of anything into space: a Delta IV Medium+ rocket will deliver a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. This much-delayed liftoff is currently set for Wednesday at Vandenberg AFB, using SLC-6. It will be SLC-6's inaugural Delta IV launch. SLC-6 was originally constructed for the Space Shuttle, but abandoned after the decision was made to not launch Shuttles from California.<br /><br />Next launch of a scientific unmanned mission: a Rockot rocket is set to blast off from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia with CryoSat, an Earth-observing satellite from the European Space Administration. It's primary mission is to study variations over time in the polar ice sheets.<br /><br />The next launch of a deep space mission is Venus Express, set to be launched by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket on October 26 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Venus Express is a European Space Agency spacecraft set to become ESA's second planetary orbiter mission (the first being Mars Express) and their first mission to Venus. It will carry instrumentation designed to produce maps of the surface temperature on Venus. I'm not sure how it will acheive this through Venus' famously dense and hot atmosphere.<br /><br />The next American scientific mission will launch on October 26. A Delta 2 from Vandenburg AFB will launch two spacecraft: NASA's CloudSat and the NASA/ESA joint mission CALIPSO. Both are Earth-observing spacecraft intended to study clouds on Earth.<br /><br />Perhaps one of the more remarkable space missions in the not-so-distant future is New Horizons. The spacecraft has been shipped to the launch site (Cape Canaveral). Primary launch <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[viper101]

Nice summary CalliArcale!<br /><br />I had no idea New Horizons was so close to launching. <br /><br />Finally going to Pluto <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[shuttle_man]

Yes, that was a nice summary.

 

[centsworth_II]

The only thing missing from the list is a USA-launched manned mission. Kind of puts things into perspective. <br /><br />Here's to the CEV and a new future in USA manned spaceflight! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>