space shuttle

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Space Station Gets Colbert Treadmill

(Newser) - Astronauts hitched a giant chest of drawers to the International Space Station today containing a new freezer, sleeping compartment, and treadmill named for TV personality Stephen Colbert. The Italian-built chest—nicknamed Leonardo, as in da Vinci—was moved from space shuttle Discovery via a hefty robot arm and hoisted onto...

Discovery, on 3rd Try, Blasts Off
 Discovery, on 3rd Try, Blasts Off 

Discovery, on 3rd Try, Blasts Off

Shuttle carries treadmill named for Stephen Colbert

(Newser) - Space shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts blasted off seconds before midnight (EDT) from Florida, lighting up the sky for miles around. It was NASA's third launch attempt. Tuesday's try was called off by thunderstorms and Wednesday's by fuel valve trouble. Discovery is hauling a full load of space station...

Shuttle Returns to Earth
 Shuttle Returns to Earth 

Shuttle Returns to Earth

(Newser) - Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts are back on Earth. Endeavour landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center this morning after a 16-day mission that saw the crew complete its major construction goals at the International Space Station. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, back after 4½ months in space, says he...

Forget Space, Fix Earth Instead
 Forget Space, Fix Earth Instead 
OPINION

Forget Space, Fix Earth Instead

Pareene asks why bother 'getting Americans boldly from one place to another place?'

(Newser) - On today’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing, President Obama should again show bravery and determination by not indulging in more space exploration, Alex Pareene urges for Gawker. NASA has $100 billion earmarked to replace the shuttles, in order to do what? Go “back to the damn moon,...

At Last, Endeavour Reaches ISS
 At Last, Endeavour Reaches ISS 

At Last, Endeavour Reaches ISS

Shuttle arrives nearly a month late for construction mission

(Newser) - Space shuttle Endeavour docked today at the International Space Station, an important milestone in its oft-delayed mission, Space.com reports. The crew is scheduled to board the ISS later today. When the Endeavour's seven astronauts climb on, they will push the station's total population to a record-high 13.

Debris Hits Endeavour On Liftoff
Debris Hits Endeavour
On Liftoff

Debris Hits Endeavour On Liftoff

NASA says it's likely harmless, will examine shuttle tomorrow

(Newser) - When Endeavour lifted off today, onboard cameras captured pieces of debris falling off the exterior fuel tank and striking the shuttle, the Houston Chronicle reports. NASA officials say it's probably no big deal, and the crew will examine the orbiter with external cameras tomorrow. "That's a normal process for...

Weather Pushes Back Shuttle Launch Again

(Newser) - Lightning and thunderstorms in Florida today forced NASA to postpone the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, Space.com reports, the fifth delay for the mission. Officials are now looking at approximately 6:25pm EDT tomorrow, though there’s a 60% chance of bad weather; the forecast looks better Wednesday,...

Plan to Crash $100B Space Station Draws Fire

(Newser) - It’s the largest spacecraft mankind has ever built, it’s cost the taxpayers and US allies $100 billion, and in a few years, NASA intends to crash the International Space Station into the Pacific Ocean, letting it burn up in the atmosphere en route. The station is nearly complete,...

Astronauts Take Final Hubble Spacewalk

The final mission to repair the telescope will finish Tuesday

(Newser) - Spacewalking astronauts ventured out today to finish repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, never to be touched by human hands again. It was the fifth and final spacewalk for the crew of the shuttle Atlantis, and the final planned visit by astronauts, ever, to Hubble. The astronauts outfitted Hubble with...

Smile! Astronauts Fix Broken Hubble Cam

(Newser) - Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing a new high-tech instrument today, then pulled off their toughest job yet: fixing a broken camera. It was the third spacewalk in as many days for the shuttle Atlantis crew, and it was the...

Spacewalking Astronauts Fix Hubble Gyroscopes

Spacewalk is second of five planned

(Newser) - Astronauts from the shuttle Atlantis headed out for another spacewalk today, this time to give the Hubble telescope some new gyroscopes and batteries. The gyroscopes—a top priority—are part of the telescope pointing system, and half of the old ones are broken. The two space walkers ventured out as...

Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble
 Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble 

Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble

(Newser) - The Atlantis astronauts have captured the Hubble Space Telescope, grabbing the orbiting observatory early this afternoon for the first time since 2002. Astronaut Megan McArthur caught the school bus-sized telescope with the space shuttle's robot arm. The crew now faces five days of treacherous telescope repairs to the 19-year-old Hubble.

NASA Space Flight Review Worries Workers

Thousands of jobs at stake when shuttle retires next year

(Newser) - A NASA review of manned space-flight plans has Kennedy Space Center workers and contractors fearing for their jobs, the Orlando Sentinel reports. A panel will investigate whether rockets set to carry humans into space after the shuttle fleet is retired next year are really NASA’s best bets. Some worry...

Discovery Heads for Home
 Discovery Heads for Home 

Discovery Heads for Home

(Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery and its seven-astronaut crew undocked from the International Space Station today after an eight-day mission, Space.com reports. Before heading toward earth, the shuttle flew around the station to get the first photos of its handiwork—the installation of a final set of solar panels that...

Space Station Panels Unfurled, Despite Threat of 'Stiction'

(Newser) - Astronauts on the International Space Station successfully unfurled the last of the craft’s solar panels today, despite the chronic problem of “stiction,” ABC reports. Stiction is, predictably, the engineering term for things sticking together. When panels have had trouble opening in the past, spacemen have resorted to...

Bat Hitched Short Ride on Shuttle

Stowaway clung to Discovery's fuel tank through blastoff

(Newser) - A small bat clung to the space shuttle Discovery's fuel tank throughout its launch Sunday, Space.com reports. Observation teams had hoped it would fly away before liftoff, but images reveal it stayed with the shuttle as it blasted off from Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials, who judged the bat...

Shuttle Docks at Space Station
 Shuttle Docks at Space Station 

Shuttle Docks at Space Station

(Newser) - Space shuttle Discovery has arrived at the International Space Station. The shuttle docked with the orbiting outpost late this afternoon, carrying the station's final set of solar wings. Before arriving, Discovery did a 360-degree backflip so station astronauts could photograph its belly. NASA will examine the photos as a precaution...

Discovery Launch Postponed
 Discovery Launch Postponed 

Discovery Launch Postponed

Fuel valve concerns cause further delays to mission

(Newser) - The Space Shuttle Discovery’s mission to deliver the final piece of a solar power array to the International Space Station was delayed again today, only hours before scheduled launch, CNN reports. The mission had already been postponed a month so technicians could determine whether three valves that control fuel...

For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M
 For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M 

For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M

NASA seeking museums to purchase spacecraft after retirement

(Newser) - NASA is taking the unprecedented step of offering to sell the three space shuttles to museums when the workhorse vehicles are retired some time after 2010, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The space agency is seeking at least $42 million—including $6 million for shipping and handling, and the cost of...

Obama Will Face Shuttle Dilemma

NASA to transition team: We have a problem

(Newser) - America's aging space shuttle fleet will pose some tough questions for Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Bush administration has recommended the shuttle be mothballed by 2010. To avoid leaving a potentially crippling 5-year gap in America's manned space flight program, Obama's NASA team will need to decide...

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