We’re not just sending Curiosity to Mars for fun. This giant rover has several missions it will attempt to accomplish in one martian year which is nearly 2 Earth Years. The goals are to determine if life could have ever been there, characterize the climate and geology of this alien world, and finally, help prepare for human exploration of this alien world.

NASA is known for its awesome Twitter accounts and the Curiosity Rover is no exception. If you would like to follow real-time update via the tweety bird, hit up the official account @MarsCuriosity or visit the web site via the far more complicated URL which is mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl… Or the bit.ly link at the bottom of your screen will bring you there too.

If you missed the Launch that’s OK! There are plenty of additional rocket launches coming up, and here’s a quick list of everything you can watch or tweet about.

Finally, if you’re a space geek or interested in what is happening within the cosmos, don’t forget to subscribe to our yoUTube channel. Click the big yellow button and new videos will be automagically added to your YouTube homepage from Spacevidcast. We also have a Twitter account @spacevidcast or you can hit up our web site. Spread the word and help us make space exciting again!

Speaking of NewSpace, Virgin Galactic is looking beyond sub-orbital tourist flights to LEO and even uber short trips between continents. Beyond just awesome space trips, it is possible that Virgin Galactic will change how we fly and make the world an even smaller place.

We may spend a lot of time talking about the larger NewSpace companies such as SpaceX, but in this episode we look at a couple of the smaller entities that are doing some amazing things with next to zero budget.

NASA has returned some beautiful videos of the shuttle attached to the ISS while ESA wants to make sure we don’t go stir crazy during our ride to Mars.

All that, a bit of Spacevidcast crazy and your questions answered on this Jun 10th, 2011 edition of Spacevidcast Live.

Total size of STS-133 epic content: 20+GB
Last updated: 2011.03.09 03:34 UTC
To download the content, right click and select “Save as…” (or “Download Linked File As,” or “Save Link As”) and save them to your computer.

Documents
Anything and everything you want to know about the last mission of Space Shuttle Discovery.

NASA Press Kit
Space Shuttle Discovery Fact Sheet
NASA Flight Summary and Info Sheet
NASA TV Schedule (Current as of 2011.03.09 03:34 UTC) (XLS) (PDF)
Remaining Missions Fact Sheet

Flight Data Files
Everything runs on checklists these days, especially Space Shuttle Missions. Now you can get the same checklists the Astronauts use.

Flight Plan
Ascent Checklist
EVA Checklist
Orbital Operations
PDRS Operations Checklist
Photo & TV Checklist
Post Insertion Checklist
Shuttle/ISS Rendezvous Checklist
Entry Checklist

Execute Packages
The day’s agenda, in space.

Flight Day 02
Flight Day 03
Flight Day 04
Flight Day 05
Flight Day 06
Flight Day 07
Flight Day 08
Flight Day 09
Flight Day 10
Flight Day 11
Flight Day 12
Flight Day 13

Video
Animations and footage from STS-133

Discovery Heads to the Pad and Into History
STS-133 Crew Sign the Shuttle Tribute Wall
NASA Tribute to Space Shuttle Discovery
Discovery’s Last Ride
Robonaut 2 Readied for Launch
Robonaut 2 Packed for Launch
Robonaut 2 to join Station Crew
STS-133 Robonaut 2 Movie Trailer
Expedition 26 Observes a Moment of Silence for Tuscon Victims
Discovery Retrospective
Shuttle Era: Launch Directors
Covering the Space Shuttle Program
ISS Assembly (with titles)
ISS Assembly (without titles)
Behind the Scenes: Bowen starts STS-133 Training
Behind the Scenes: STS-133 Gets a “Pinch Hitter”
President Obama Speaks with Discovery’s Final Crew

Welcome to Launch Day!
STS-133 Crew Heads to the Pad
STS-133 Astronauts Aboard!
STS-133 Discovery Launch is GO!
Discovery’s Last Launch: A Spectacular Sight
STS-133 Booster Camera Views
Discovery Is In Orbit
Discovery Performs Terminal Initiation Burn
STS-133 Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver
This Week @ NASA: 25 Feb 2011
This Week @ NASA: 01 Mar 2011

Flight Day Recaps
Flight Day 01 Recap
Flight Day 02 Recap
Flight Day 03 Recap
Flight Day 04 Recap
Flight Day 05 Recap
Flight Day 06 Recap
Flight Day 07 Recap
Flight Day 08 Recap
Flight Day 09 Recap
Flight Day 10 Recap
Flight Day 11 Recap
Flight Day 12 Recap

Spacevidcast epic only content:

Documents
STS-133 Space Reporters Handbook (Revision A) (Original Revision)
STS-133 Boeing Notepad
STS-133 SpaceCalc (Mac) (Windows)

Posters
We can’t have a space flight without some posters, can we?

STS 133 Popup (High Resolution Print, 39MB) (Low Resolution Print, 313KB)
STS 133 Poster (High Resolution Print, 597.5MB) (Low Resolution Print, 403KB)

Video
Pre-Mission Briefing Animations

STS-133 Launch from L-28 minutes to MECO without graphics.
STS-133 Launch from L-28 minutes to MECO with the lower third graphics.
Overview: Payload
Overview: EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 4
Overview: Permanent Multi-Purpose Module
FD02: OBSS Scan of Discovery Port Side
FD02: OBSS Port Survey
FD02: OBSS Port OMS Survey
FD02: OBSS Scan of Port OMS
FD02: OBSS Starboard Survey
FD02: OBSS Heat Sheild Survey
FD03: Discovery Approach to Station
FD03: Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RBar)
FD03: Discovery Docks to Station
FD03: Unberthing and Install of ELC-4
FD04: Relocation of Mobile Transporter
FD04: OBSS Grapple
FD04: OBSS Unberthing
FD04: OBSS Handoff
FD05: EVA 1 Activities
FD05: Relocation of Mobile Transporter
FD06: Unberthing and Install of PMM
FD06: Late Inspection of OV TPS
FD07: EVA 2 Activities
Discovery Undocks from ISS

Kelly Brothers Interviews (Parts 4-8) coming soon!

Mission Audio
It’s all talk…

Full Air to Ground Loop 24 Jan 2011 (T-1 Day) (zip)
Full Air to Ground Flight Loop Flight Day 1 (zip)
Full Air to Ground Flight Loop Flight Day 2 (zip)
Full Air to Ground Flight Loop Flight Day 3 (zip)
Full Air to Ground Flight Loop for further flight days are coming by mid-mission 134!

Preflight Audio:
Preflight EVA Overview (21 Oct 2010) (wav)
Preflight Mission Overview (21 Oct 2010) (wav)
Preflight Program Overview Briefing (21 Oct 2010) (wav)
Preflight Robotics Overview Briefing (21 Oct 2010) (wav)
Preflight Countdown Status Briefing (22 Feb 2011) (wav)
Flight Day Audio Files
Flight Day 2: Crew Wakeup (mp3) (wav)
Flight Day 2: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 3: Crew Wakeup (mp3)
Flight Day 3: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 4: Crew Wakeup (mp3) (wav)
Flight Day 4: Inflight News Interview (wav)
Flight Day 4: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 5: Crew Wakeup (mp3) (wav)
Flight Day 5: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 6: Crew Wakeup (mp3) (wav)
Flight Day 6: Inflight News Interview (wav)
Flight Day 6: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 7: Crew Wakeup (mp3) (wav)
Flight Day 7: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 8: Inflight News Interview 1 (wav)
Flight Day 8: Inflight News Interview 2 (wav)
Flight Day 8: Mission Status Briefing (wav)
Flight Day 8: Call from President Obama (wav)

On Wednesday, December 15th 2010 a Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off carrying the next 3 crew members bound for the International Space Station. Then on Friday the 17th the capsule docked with the space station at 20:11 UT. A couple of hours later The expanded Expedition 26/27 crew opened the hatch and ingressed to the station. The three person crew of Soyuz TMA-20, Dmitri Kon-drat-yev, Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli represent the partner organizations of Roscosmos, NASA and the European Space Agency in the ISS program.

While the US and Russia added more people to the Space Station, China launched a rocket to add more satellites to their upcoming GPS constellation this last Friday. A new satellite navigation and positioning network or Compass System was launched aboard a Long March 3A rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 20:20 UT. This is the 2nd of what will be 35 satellites providing both civilian and military GPS data to China.

Being that we just saw a lunar eclipse, how about a new way to look at the moon? NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO is orbiting the moon creating the most precise and complete map to date of the moons complex surface. Originally launched to help scout out landing sites for the nearly defunct Constellation program, LRO remains in Lunar Orbit gathering data. Using an instrument called the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter or LOLA the spacecraft sends a single laser pulse down to the lunar surface through an optical element that splits the pulse in to 5 beams. These 5 beams then strike the surface of the moon and depending on how long it takes for each to return, LOLA is able to map out what the surface terrain looks like. The end result are some psychedelic pictures of our moon. By artificially adding color in we can get a good idea as to what the surface of the moon looks like. The red areas indicate high elevation whereas the blue areas are the lowest. You can get more pictures and videos at NASA’s LRO web site.

Ever wish you could get rocket and shuttle launch notifications sent to your iPhone? Maybe countdown to the next launch on your iPod Touch? Well now you can! MissionClock is a $5.00 application available now in the iTunes Apple store for iOS devices. This awesome space geek app allows you to see what upcoming missions are launching, when they will launch and even get mission details. It is a great showpiece to help get your friends excited about space flight and for the next 24 hours Spacevidcast is giving away 10 copies to 10 lucky winners! It’s easy to enter! Simply send out a tweet with a link to this video and the hash tag #spacevidcast and you’ll be automatically entered! The contest starts December 21st, 2010 at midnight UT and ends at 23:59 UT the same day. You have nearly 24 hours to enter to win! And if you think this is a cool prize, you should see what we’re giving away during our live show this Friday at 0200 UT. It’s going to be awesome and I know we’ll see you there!

Nexus S in Near Space

New Master Plan for KSC Visitor Complex; includes new space shuttle orbiter home design

iPods in to Space?

Virgin Galactic to go to LEO?

Shuttle Fueling Tests on Friday

Launch costs going up, not down

Yesterday we talked a bit about Orbital Sciences plan to submit a proposal to NASA under Commercial Crew Development 2. Today we have a bit more info and a picture! According to a press release by Orbital the company will be seeking funding from NASA for a “blended lifting body vehicle” which will launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket and return to Earth with a conventional runway landing. Looks a bit like a small version of the space shuttle. The idea is that this vehicle could carry 3 astronauts and 1 paying tourist to the International Space Station and could have test flights as early as 2014. If the Atlas 5 rocket doesn’t work, don’t fret, Orbital says that the vehicle would be flexible enough to launch atop other vehicles. Now imagine finding a lower cost launch vehicle such as something from SpaceX and the amount of money required to put humans in to low Earth orbit may plummet!

Speaking of human space flight, Russia is gearing up to send 3 astronauts to the International Space Station, Cady Coleman, Paolo Nespoli and Dmitry Kondratyev. Lifting off from the Gagarin Launch Pad today at 19:09 UTC the Expedition 26/27 crew will dock with the space station this Friday at 20:12 UTC. Tune in to Spacevidcast to watch this launch live! If you have never seen a Russian launch before, they are a lot of fun. One translator for all crew members make for some very interesting comms chat! Oh, and unlike here in the US, Russia has a camera inside the Soyuz cockpit, so you can watch the crew bounce around and shake as they ascend to space.

A bit further out in the cosmos we have the Voyager 1 Spacecraft which is nearing the edge of our solar system. Ponder that for a moment, humans have created a craft that is now at the very edge of our own solar system! That is nearly 11 BILLION miles away from our sun! So far in fact that the speed of the solar wind is basically zero. Fret not, Voyager 1 is still traveling at 10.5 miles per second and for the foreseeable future will remain the most distant object humans from Earth created by Humans. Someday soon Voyager 1 will reach a planet of artificial life forms where will will be transformed in to a large city. Over time the name will wear off of its nameplate and it will only know itself as VEGER to be later discovered by Captian Kirk of the starship Enterprise.

If you have a Roku box make sure you install the Spacevidcast channel. In the Live section you can watch as the next Martian Rover, Curiosity, is built by NASA! It’s pretty cool to see engineers working on something that will be crawling on the surface of another planet in 2012. To get there just open up the Spacevidcast channel, click on Live Feeds then click on Curiosity Cam. Don’t have a Roku box! Here’s your chance to win. Tune in to Spacevidcast’s live show this Friday at 0200 UTC where we will be giving away a FREE Roku HD unit. The only way to win is to watch live. For those of you in the US that’s Thursday nights at 6:00pm PST or 9:00pm EST. We’ll see you there!