space shuttle

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'Godspeed:' Atlantis Leaves ISS a Final Time

Shuttle takes unprecedented photos of space station on last return trip

(Newser) - Atlantis left the International Space Station for the very last time today, heading home to end the 30-year run of a vessel that kept Americans flying to and from orbit longer than any other rocketship. The space shuttle slipped away after performing a partial lap around the space station. Ten...

Space Shuttle Atlantis Docks a Final Time
 Atlantis Docks a Final Time 
Jul 10, 2011 11:04 AM CDT

Atlantis Docks a Final Time

Last shuttle mission cruising along smoothly

(Newser) - Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station, yet another final milestone as NASA winds down its storied shuttle program with what the AP is perhaps excessively referring to as "a flight full of passion." "Atlantis arriving," called space station astronaut Ronald Garan Jr. as the...

Strangest Passengers in NASA History

From frogs to fish, the space shuttle has carried plenty of crazy critters

(Newser) - You can probably name the first American sent into space (Alan Shepard), but the first monkey, frog, and jellyfish made the trip with far less fanfare. Space Shuttle Atlantis took off yesterday with a few odd passengers: an iPhone and a mutant strain of salmonella. But they're not the...

Atlantis Blasts Off on Final Shuttle Flight

Flight will last 12 days

(Newser) - Atlantis blasted off this morning on the last flight of NASA's space shuttle program. The historic liftoff occurred 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight. Four astronauts are riding Atlantis to orbit, bound for the International Space Station. Massive crowds jammed Cape Canaveral and surrounding...

Up to 1M Gather for Final Shuttle Launch

A 50-mile traffic jam is expected

(Newser) - Up to 1 million people are converging on Cape Canaveral to see the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, surprising many with such a level of interest in the 30-year-old space program. A 50-mile traffic jam from the Kennedy Space Center to Orlando is expected today, despite the 70% chance...

After Last Shuttle Lifts Off, Russia Owns Space

Moscow will have a monopoly on flights to ISS for years

(Newser) - After the last US space shuttle flight blasts off tomorrow, Russia will officially have a monopoly on outer space. The 40-year-old Soyuz capsule will be the only vessel capable of reaching the International Space Station, and Russia can charge dearly for rides, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We are...

NASA's Final Shuttle Crew Readies for Atlantis' Last Ridew
 Meet NASA's Last Shuttle Crew 
Jul 3, 2011 8:46 AM CDT

Meet NASA's Last Shuttle Crew

Four astronauts close out program with Atlantis' final flight

(Newser) - They are the envy of America's space program: Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim, and Sandra Magnus will zip into space on Friday aboard NASA's 135th and final shuttle mission. The smallest crew since 1983 amounts to an afterthought: They were initially groomed as a rescue mission in...

Endeavour Returns to Earth a Final Time

After 299 days in space, space shuttle grounded for good

(Newser) - After 25 missions, 299 days in space, 4,671 orbits around the Earth, and more than 122 million miles, the space shuttle Endeavour has landed for good. It touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at 2:34am this morning after its final 16-day mission, Space.com...

Space Shuttle Endeavour Wraps Mission, Prepare to Undock
 Endeavour Wraps Final Mission 
May 29, 2011 8:56 AM CDT

Endeavour Wraps Final Mission

Mark Kelly and crew will undock tonight, return home

(Newser) - It's all over for Endeavour but the undocking: The shuttle's crew floated out the door this morning and closed the hatch behind them, having completed Endeavour's final mission. "We're looking forward to getting home," said commander Mark Kelly, "and we're going to...

Pope Calls Shuttle Crew, Keeps Giffords in Mind

'I hope her health continues to improve'

(Newser) - Pope Benedict made a very long distance call this morning to the combined crews of shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station, notes SpaceFlight Now . And Gabby Giffords was on his mind. "I know that Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack and I hope...

Endeavour Blasts Off
 Endeavour Blasts Off 
May 16, 2011 8:22 AM CDT

Endeavour Blasts Off

Gabrielle Giffords in attendance

(Newser) - Space shuttle Endeavour is finally on its way. Endeavour blasted off on the next-to-last shuttle flight this morning under the command of Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The wounded congresswoman watched the launch in private from the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Pushes Back Endeavour Again

Shuttle won't launch before May 16

(Newser) - Gabrielle Giffords is getting some extra recovery time before her husband's final space flight: NASA yesterday announced that the shuttle Endeavour would launch no sooner than May 16, reports Space.com. NASA managers made the call after meeting to take stock of repairs to a broken power unit, which...

NASA Scraps Endeavour Launch Tomorrow

Unsure when next opportunity will come

(Newser) - NASA has scrapped tomorrow's tentative launch of space shuttle Endeavour, reports Space.com, saying that it needs more time to fix the broken auxiliary power unit that delayed the launch on Friday. "We're looking more toward the end of the week, maybe next weekend," says a...

NASA Postpones Shuttle Launch Over Technical Glitch

It's off for at least 48 hours

(Newser) - No Endeavour launch today—or probably this weekend either. NASA postponed the high-profile launch to investigate trouble with heaters in the shuttle's power system, reports MSNBC . No word yet on what that means for the day's most awaited spectator, Gabby Giffords. Husband Mark Kelly and crew were less...

Gabrielle Giffords Cleared to Attend Shuttle Launch

Husband says she pumped her fist in excitement

(Newser) - Doctors have officially cleared Gabrielle Giffords to attend the space shuttle Endeavor’s final launch on Friday, Mark Kelly revealed in an interview with Katie Couric set to air on CBS tonight. Asked what Giffords’ reaction was, Kelly replied, “I think she said, ‘Awesome,’ and she pumped...

NASA Decides Homes for Retiring Space Shuttles

Three museums get Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour

(Newser) - NASA's space shuttle fleet has only two flights left, and the space agency announced today where the shuttles are going for retirement, reports CollectSpace :
  • Atlantis: It stays with NASA and will be parked at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
  • Discovery: It's going to the Smithsonian's Steven F.
...

Shuttle Worker Falls to His Death

James Vanover was working on Endeavour

(Newser) - A worker preparing the space shuttle Endeavour for its April 19 launch fell to his death from a launch pad access arm today, according to NASA. Emergency crews at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral tried to revive James Vanover, a United Space Alliance worker, but were unsuccessful. Work at...

Inside the Crazy Museum Battle to Own Discovery

21 places are clamoring for it ... but the quietest spot might get it

(Newser) - Discovery returns to Earth today then will continue on to its final resting place ... location TBD. The 27-year-old shuttle (along with sister orbiters Endeavour and Atlantis) is one hot property these days, with 21 museums angling for the right to house it—and pay the $28.8 million it will...

Captain Kirk Launches Discovery's Final Flight

Shuttle leaves space station, set to land on Wednesday

(Newser) - Discovery left the International Space Station for the last time today, but not before getting a rousing send-off from Captain Kirk himself. As the astronauts woke, they were treated to the unmistakable voice of William Shatner. "Space the final frontier," the recording said. "These have been the...

NASA Marks 25th Anniversary of Challenger Disaster

Agency pays tribute to fallen astronauts

(Newser) - NASA officials will gather at Kennedy Space Center today to mark the 25th anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the history of space travel. The space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after take-off on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts aboard. The widow of Challenger commander...

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