What do we have for 2006

[Sporally]

I am very interested in missions that goes beyond our planet, and though it is important to study the universe from a static orbit around our planet i personally keep track of mission that goes beyond our planet. Here is the list for 2006 for missions where we either reach what we were aiming for or missions where we will launch or for missions that is ending in 2006. I hope you can help me add some more mission.

MRO - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Marts, 10th)
Venus Express (April)
DAWN [launch] (May)
STS-121 [launch] (May at earlist)
SMART-1 [ending] (August, 17th)
COROT [launch] (October)

So does anyone have something to add about missions that is starting/ending in 2006.

[Champion_Munch]

NASA's STEREO spacecraft (April 11), courtesy of ToSeek in the post-NH thread.

with regards

[Sporally]

When do i ever learn to read my own thread through before submitting. Well, my point when i said "and though it is important to study the universe from a static orbit around our planet i personally keep track of mission that goes beyond our planet" i meant the mission that had to do with objects such as:

Astroids
Comets
Planets
Moons
Exoplanets

With all due respect to the scientists involved in studies of our sun and everything beyond our solar system, i personally have a very big interest in things involving one of the above stated. Thx for the info though - though that type of mission isn't my favorite i can agree it is an important mission, so thx for the info since i didn't know it was to be launched this year.

[Cugel]

DAWN will not launch this year, because of budget overruns.
There are several ongoing missions (don't know if you want those listed as well?) such as Cassini and MER.

[publiusr]

www.orbireport.com for launch logs.

[Sporally]

Thx for the link, but the reason i started this thread was to make a list of missions that were to start and that had to do with either of these things:

Astroids
Comets
Planets
Moons
Exoplanets
ISS

But thx for finding the link though.

I more or less know about the ongoing misssions, i was more interested in finding the new missions that either were to start (with or launch) or were to meet up with their body they were aimed at - like MRO. Thx for the help, but it seems to we have all the missions for this year on now.

[Argos]

Nothing grandiose at all, but we´re looking forward to launching our humble VLS (that´s been plagued with successive failures), to accomplish the so-called Brazilian Complete Space Mission (deployment of an indigenous remote sensing satellite by an indigenous rocket).

[Sporally]

When is this launch scheduled for?

[Argos]

There´s no date as of yet. The way things go I´d say the second semester (but I wouldn´t be surprised if it was postponed to 2007). Anyway, we´ll get an astronaut up there by March, aboard a Russian ship. It serves as a consolation.

[Sporally]

Is that the first flight with an brazilian astronaut in a brazilian spacecraft?

[Argos]

Yes, He´s our first astronaut. However, there´s a long way to go (hope it´s in my lifetime) before someone gets there aboard a Brazilian ship.

He´s going aboard a Soyuz.

(*) I´m overjoyed because he´s from this town.

[Sporally]

Nice. BTW: Are there any plans of brazilian ppl going to ISS in the future? And does the ISS have a brazilian module? I recall, if it hasn't changed since, that they didn't plan to make one.

[Argos]

Major Marcos Pontes flight next March is due to the ISS. Brazil is one of the original partners for the ISS project. The country will provide a (unpressurized) module called Express pallet, though I´m unable to say how fares the project right now.

[Argos]

Marcos Pontes is now a Lt. Colonel.

[Sporally]

It must surely be great to finally have an astronaut. We danes still don't have any, but on the other hand i'm not that nationalistic anyway, so i don't care that much

What i meant was that if Brazil had any research modules like i know ESA, NASA, Russia and Japan have. Has that EXPRESS pallet been given any STS number?

[Argos]

It must surely be great to finally have an astronaut. We danes still don't have any, but on the other hand i'm not that nationalistic anyway, so i don't care that much

Ditto!

What i meant was that if Brazil had any research modules like i know ESA, NASA, Russia and Japan have. Has that EXPRESS pallet been given any STS number?

Brazil´s space program (coordinated by the Brazilian Space Agency - AEB in Portuguese) has a primary goal of developing launchers to compete in the growing satellite industry (mainly communication and remote sensing). The Express Pallet hasn´t been scheduled for launch yet, afaik.

[Sporally]

Oh ok, commercial stuff..

[Argos]

What else could it be?

[Sporally]

Space exploration vehicles. Studying something in the universe. Of course it would be hard to keep up with the already exsisting space agencies, but there is always a project for futher study. But guess developing launchers for communication satellites is one step going in the direction of some real space exploration.

[Launch window]

more of it

http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php?t=36633
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php?t=7040

[Sporally]

Thx for the links, and a great link ToSeek has posted. So here is what mission stars i look forward to in this year the most:

SMART-1 (mission end though, but still looking forward to say goodboy to this nice satellite )
MRO
Venus Express
STS-121
Corot
DAWN