The Week in Space

August 8-14, 2011

New Life for Leonardo   Seen here in the cargo bay of the space shuttle Discovery, the reusable Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Leonardo made its second trip to the International Space Station ten years ago this week. The STS-105 mission brought the pressurized cargo carrier—one of three built—to the ISS brimming with supplies and equipment; when it returned home aboard Discovery, Leonardo was filled with waste from the space station.  The MPLMs—named Leonardo, Donatello, and Raffaello—were designed to dock at the ISS while supplies were unloaded and then return to Earth. With the space shuttle program ending, however, Leonardo was modified so it could remain docked to the ISS for good after making its final one-way trip into space aboard the STS-133 mission in early 2011.

Image credit: NASA

Weekly Calendar

August 8-14, 2011

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

Monday 8

1978: Pioneer-Venus 2 launched
1989: Hipparcos observatory launched
1989: STS-28 Columbia launched
2001: Genesis spacecraft launched
2007: STS-118 Endeavour launched

Tuesday 9

1965: First static test of SIV-B stage
1976: Luna 24 launched

Wednesday 10

Thursday 11

1960: Discoverer 13 capsule becomes first object recovered from orbit
1962: Vostok 3 launched

Friday 12

Perseid meteor shower

1877: Asaph Hall discovers Deimos, moon of Mars
1960: Echo 1 satellite launched on first successful Delta rocket
1962: Vostok 4  launched
1977: HEAO-1 launched
1977: Space shuttle Enterprise’s first glide test
2005: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched

Saturday 13

Full Moon 2:57 PM ET
Perseid meteor shower

Sunday 14

Neptune 6° south of Moon

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