International Space Station

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'Space Fence' to Track Cosmic Junk

Near misses underscore need for new system

(Newser) - As the space shuttle program draws to a close, engineers are focusing on a less glamorous phenomenon of the space age: cosmic junk. The US Air Force is working on a $3.5 billion "Space Fence" scanner to track the estimated 500,000 pieces of space debris bigger than...

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...

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...

International Space Station: Crew Boards Escape Pods Because of Space Debris
 ISS Crew Dodges Space Debris 
Jun 28, 2011 10:45 AM CDT

ISS Crew Dodges Space Debris

Six international astronauts sent into pods for safety

(Newser) - Russian Mission Control says the International Space Station's crew has briefly taken seats in escape capsules due to a close encounter with space debris. The six crewmen spent about half an hour today in two Soyuz escape capsules docked at the station before the space junk passed by without...

3 More Astronauts Join Space Station Crew

New tenants include an American

(Newser) - It's a full house again at the International Space Station after a Russian capsule carrying three astronauts from three countries docked at the orbiting lab yesterday. The new tenants arriving for a five-month stay were American Michael Fossum, Russian Sergey Volkov, and Japan's Satoshi Furukawa. They join American...

Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly Sends Message from Space to Gabrielle Giffords
 Mark Kelly 
 Sent Space 
 Shout-Out 
 to Giffords 
VIA U2 CONCERT...
Jun 6, 2011 5:22 PM CDT

Mark Kelly Sent Space Shout-Out to Giffords

Endeavour commander surprises during U2 concert

(Newser) - Not content to boast one of the best live shows on planet Earth, U2 went even further for a cameo during a recent concert. Space shuttle Endeavour commander Mark Kelly delivered a message to his wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, during the band's concert Saturday night at Seattle's...

Astronaut Plans to Grow Cucumbers in Space

Upcoming ISS experiments will help future space explorers grow food

(Newser) - Cucumbers may be out of favor on earth , but a Japanese astronaut wants to grow them in the final frontier. But even if he succeeds, he won’t be able to eat them. Satoshi Furukawa said he would be growing cucumbers as part of ongoing studies on how future space...

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...

Last Shuttle Spacewalkers Make History

International Space Station is completed with 1K hours spent spacewalking

(Newser) - Two astronauts made history today as the final spacewalkers of NASA's 30-year shuttle program, completing construction of the International Space Station with the smooth addition of an extension boom. It was fitting for Endeavour to be present at the end of space station construction since it was present for...

Stinging Eye Almost Derails Spacewalk

Astronaut Andrew Feustel has an eye irritation ... 220 miles up

(Newser) - Eyelash, space dust, tears … who knows what was, but an astronaut today got something in his eye that stung "like crazy"—and almost interrupted a spacewalk. Several minutes later, Andrew Feustel assured everyone his eye was feeling better and the third spacewalk of the Endeavour continued as...

Astronauts Install $2B Spectrometer

Endeavour astronauts completed the No. 1 objective of their mission

(Newser) - Endeavour's astronauts accomplished the No. 1 objective of their mission today, installing a $2 billion cosmic ray detector on the International Space Station to scan the invisible universe for years to come. The instrument, which has a 3-foot magnet ring at its core, is the most expensive piece of...

Discovery Astronauts Bottling Outer Space

Bottle will remain sealed, hit museums

(Newser) - The Discovery crew will leave the International Space Station today for the first of two spacewalks—and one of their missions is to capture a sample of space in a metal bottle. The bottle will be given to Japan's space agency, which says it will remain sealed and make the...

Discovery Docks Final Time at Space Station

Shuttle's last mission going smoothly

(Newser) - Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the International Space Station today, making its final visit before being parked at a museum. "What took you guys so long?" asked ISS commander Scott Kelly. Discovery should have come and gone last November, but was grounded by fuel tank cracks until yesterday's liftoff.

Discovery Blasts Off on Its Final Mission

It should reach the space station on Saturday

(Newser) - Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time today, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era. The six astronauts on board, all experienced space fliers, were thrilled to be on their way...

Vacationed Everywhere? Try the Space Station

10-day trip will set you back $35 million

(Newser) - If you happen to have tens of millions of dollars burning a hole in your pocket, Virginia-based Space Adventures has vacation plans for you. It can arrange a spaceflight via a Russian Soyuz rocket in which you will not only leave the boundaries of our atmosphere, but spend 10 days...

Robonaut Joining Space Station Crew

'A giant leap forward for tinmankind'

(Newser) - International Space Station astronauts won't need to worry about the newest crew member hogging the oxygen or clogging the toilet. Robonaut 2 will become the first humanoid robot in space when he heads to the station this week on the space shuttle Discovery's final mission, AP reports. "R2" will...

Russians Plan to Launch Space Hotel

Firm says 'comfortable' space station will be up by 2016

(Newser) - A Russian firm has good news for would-be space tourists worried about lousy food or getting cramped by astronauts performing experiments. Orbital Technologies says it aims to have a "comfortable" space hotel circling the Earth by 2016, the BBC reports. Chief exec Sergei Kostenko says the hotel will have...

A Day Late, Soyuz Lands in Kazakhstan

Despite earlier glitch, landing goes flawlessly

(Newser) - Russia's Soyuz space capsule safely touched down in a Kazakhstan steppe this morning, reports the AP, landing flawlessly a day after being delayed by an undocking glitch with the International Space Station. "That was almost a bull's-eye landing," said a NASA spokesman as Russian officials swarmed the landing...

Space Station Cooling System Malfunctions

Spacewalks may be necessary to perform repairs

(Newser) - Half of the International Space Station's cooling system has suddenly shut down, forcing the astronauts on board to power down equipment and face the likelihood of urgent spacewalking repairs. After huddling today, NASA managers gave preliminary approval for a pair of spacewalks, the first of which would take place later...

Spacecraft Spins Out Approaching Space Station

Russian cargo ship is stocked with fresh food and clothes for ISS crew

(Newser) - A Russian spacecraft lost control and missed docking with the International Space Station today, floating past the station and into space. Progress 38 is an unstaffed cargo ship filled with stores of fresh food, clothes, and equipment for the ISS crew. Progress' autopilot somehow lost its navigational lock on the...

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