spacetoday.net: News briefs: July 19

Posted: Sat, Jul 20, 2002, 10:19 AM ET (1419 GMT)

Representatives of the partner nations of the International Space Station project will meet in Washington July 23 to discuss concerns about NASA's commitment to the project, Space News reported late Friday. The meeting, hosted by the State Department, is designed to allow NASA to discuss its revised plans for assembling the station, after other partners criticized US plans to eliminate a crew return vehicle and habitation module. The last such meeting took place four and a half years ago, and resulted in a new agreement among the partner nations.
Boeing plans to begin a series of fueling and countdown tests for its new Delta 4 rocket next week, Spaceflight Now reported Friday. The fueling tests will check the tools and techniques needed to load the rocket with liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Those tests will culminate with an engine firing in late August. Launch of the Delta 4 is scheduled for early October.
The Planetary Society and NASA's Ames Research Center will be conducting tests over the next several days of a robotic aircraft flying over flying over Mars-like terrain in northern Canada. The tests of the aircraft will be part of the Haughton Mars Project on Devon Island. The tests are designed to see how similar aircraft could operate on Mars.