Hubble Sees One Galaxy Consuming Another.

Aug 8, 2003 - A new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows a large Galaxy gobbling up a smaller one; a process anticipated by astronomers, but never directly seen before. Astronomers used the Keck telescope in Hawaii to confirm that the dwarf Galaxy is being consumed by measuring the rate that stars are streaming towards the larger galaxy. The stars of the smaller Galaxy will eventually form a spherical Halo surrounding the flattened disk of the larger galaxy.

Aug 8, 2003 - The dual-use Echostar IX/Telstar 13 satellite was successfully placed into orbit Thursday on board a Zenit-3SL which was launched from the Sea Launch platform floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The communications satellite separated 66 minutes after launch, and will eventually provide television services to the United States. This is the tenth launch for Sea Launch, which is expected to have two more launches this year.

Aug 8, 2003 - The European Space Agency's first spacecraft mission to the Moon, SMART-1, is being prepared for launch at the end of August. The spacecraft was delivered in mid-July to the ESA's space centre in Kourou, French Guiana, and is expected to launch on August 29. The spacecraft will take 16 months to reach the Moon, following a long spiral trajectory, and using its efficient ion engine to gradually put it into orbit around the Moon. SMART-1 will then search for evidence of water-ice in craters near the Moon's poles.