News From Space!

Lt. Walter Haut was the public-relations officer at Roswell in 1947 and was the man who issued the original and subsequent press releases after the crash on the orders of the base commander, Col. William Blanchard.

Haut died in December 2005, but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A mechanical monster grabs the F-14 fighter jet and chews through one wing and then another, ripping off the Tomcat’s appendages before moving on to its guts. Finally, all that’s left is a pile of shredded rubble — like scraps from a Thanksgiving turkey.

Atlantis is making its way back home to KSC - on the back of a Boeing jumbo jet. The piggybacked craft made a stop in Kentucky today, and may stay through the July 4th holiday. NASA reports:

Orbiters on the Move: Atlantis Heads Home as Endeavour Prepares for Mission STS-118

07.02.07 12:00 p.m. EDT
Orbiter Atlantis is one step closer to Kennedy Space Center this morning after a refueling stop at Fort Campbell, Ky. Mounted atop a modified 747 jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Atlantis is on its way back to Florida after landing June 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding the STS-117 mission.

At Fort Campbell, the ferry flight crew received a weather briefing and a determination was made to remain there overnight. Atlantis could arrive at the Florida spaceport on Tuesday if weather conditions permit.

Meanwhile, processing for the next mission, STS-118, continues at Kennedy. Orbiter Endeavour arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building this morning after a short roll from the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility. In the assembly building’s transfer aisle, Endeavour will be lifted vertically, transferred to a high bay and attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters.

The STS-118 mission will deliver the S5 truss to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of an educator astronaut, Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan. Launch is targeted for Aug. 7.

SCA takoff pics are up at the Dryden Gallery. More pics here. SCA video here. Follow the flight here and here.