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News Archive: Sept. 1-30 |
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Titan's shorelines
Shorefront property, anyone? These Cassini radar images taken during a flyby a week ago show lakes on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. The clear shorelines are reminiscent of terrestrial lakes. With Titan's colder temperatures and hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere, however, the lakes likely contain a combination of methane and ethane, not water.
 FULL STORY
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Helene's close-up
This set of Cassini orbiter images exposes details on small and crumpled-looking Helene, a tiny moon of Saturn. Large portions of this Trojan moon appear to have been blasted away by impacts. Cassini passed within 31,000 miles of Helene when these images were acquired.
FULL STORY
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Dim details on Dione
Cassini recently whizzed past Dione, capturing this slightly motion-blurred view of the moon's fractured and broken landscape in reflected light from Saturn. The many canyons on Dione rip through more ancient craters. Some medium-sized craters, like the one right of center, have several others overprinted onto them.
FULL STORY
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NASA's new Mars camera gives clear view of planet
Rocks and surface features as small as armchairs are revealed in the first image
from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter since the spacecraft maneuvered into its final, low-altitude orbital path. The imaging of the red planet at this resolution heralds a new era in Mars exploration.
FULL STORY
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Next shuttle mission to do complex electrical work
Shuttle mission STS-116, a visit to the international space station now planned for launch Dec. 7 at roughly 9:38 p.m. EST, represents the most complex construction flight yet attempted, a three-spacewalk mission to rewire the U.S. segment of the outpost and activate its sophisticated cooling system.
FULL STORY
MISSION QUICK-LOOK
MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
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Soyuz capsule returns from space with station crew
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying outgoing space station commander Pavel Vinogradov, NASA flight engineer Jeff Williams and space tourist Anousheh Ansari undocked from the international lab complex and returned to Earth on Thursday, landing near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, around 9:14 p.m. EDT.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
 VIDEO:
UNDOCKING AS SEEN FROM INSIDE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ CAPSULE CAMERA OF THE UNDOCKING PLAY
VIDEO:
DEPARTING CREW BOARDS THEIR SOYUZ CAPSULE PLAY
VIDEO:
CREWS HOLD CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY
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Opportunity rover arrives at dramatic vista
NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has arrived at the rim of a crater approximately five times wider than a previous stadium-sized one it studied for half a year. Initial images from the rover's first overlook after a 21-month journey to "Victoria Crater" show rugged walls with layers of exposed rock and a floor blanketed with dunes.
FULL STORY
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Solar flares cause GPS failures, researchers warn
Strong solar flares cause Global Positioning System receivers to fail, Cornell researchers have discovered. Because solar flares -- larger-than-normal radiation "burps" by the sun -- are generally unpredictable, such failures could be devastating for "safety-of-life" GPS operations -- such as navigating passenger jets, stabilizing floating oil rigs and locating mobile phone distress calls.
FULL STORY
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Pluto-bound New Horizons craft snaps image of Jupiter
Blazing along its path to Pluto, NASA's New Horizons has come within hailing distance of Jupiter. The first picture of the giant planet from the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) is a tantalizing promise of what's to come when New Horizons flies through the Jupiter system early next year.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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Mineral-mapping imager begins mission at Mars -- The most powerful mineral-mapper ever sent to Mars has opened its protective cover and is about to begin its search for hints of past water on the red planet. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is one of six science instruments aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Last round of Wideband Gapfiller Satellite tests -- Boeing has completed thermal vacuum testing for the first of its Wideband Gapfiller Satellites. The tests evaluated the WGS operating systems' ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of space. Launch is planned for next year.
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Mars rover, MGS, Odyssey missions extended
The team operating the twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have won approval for an additional year of exploration. NASA also is adding two more years of operations for Mars Global Surveyor and the Mars Odyssey orbiters.
FULL STORY
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HiRISE camera to take first close-up pictures of Mars
The most powerful camera ever to orbit Mars will get its first close look at the Red Planet on Friday. The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera flying aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will relay its first low-altitude images to scientists at The University of Arizona.
FULL STORY
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Updating the GPS satellite network takes next step
One year to the day after the Global Positioning System constellation began a modernization effort to improve the accuracy of the navigation network, the next step in that upgrade blasted into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
IMAGES: TOWER ROLLBACK
IMAGES: LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
QUICK-LOOK: GPS 2R-15 CUE CARD
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DELTA ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH GPS 2R-15 QT
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LAUNCH AS SEEN FROM PRESS SITE QT
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MORNING PAD TOWER ROLLBACK QT
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Ansari blog provides insight into life aboard station
Space tourist Anousheh Ansari's space blog is giving armchair tourists on Earth a unique, non-professional's view of spaceflight, including the trials of space sickness and the unique thrill of living and working in weightlessness 220 miles up.
FULL STORY
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Hundreds of young galaxies found in early universe
Astronomers analyzing two of the deepest views of the cosmos made with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered a gold mine of galaxies, more than 500 that existed less than a billion years after the Big Bang. These galaxies thrived when the cosmos was less than 7 percent of its present age of 13.7 billion years. This sample represents the most comprehensive compilation of galaxies in the early universe, researchers said.
FULL STORY
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Scientists discover new ring of Saturn and more
Saturn sports a new ring in an image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft last Sunday during a one-of-a-kind observation. Other spectacular sights captured by Cassini's cameras include wispy fingers of icy material stretching out tens of thousands of kilometers from the active moon, Enceladus, and a cameo color appearance by planet Earth.
FULL STORY
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New evidence about oldest recorded supernova
Recent observations have uncovered evidence that helps to confirm the identification of the remains of one of the earliest stellar explosions recorded by humans.
FULL STORY
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Ground-piercing radar on Mars orbiter ready for work
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has extended the long-armed antenna of its radar, preparing the instrument to begin probing for underground layers of Mars.
FULL STORY
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Solar observatory launched to space by Japanese rocket
Japan launched an international solar physics satellite into orbit Friday with a trio of powerful instruments that scientists hope can answer key questions about the Sun's magnetic field.
FULL STORY
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Atlantis returns from space with predawn landing
The shuttle Atlantis dropped out of a clear, dark sky and glided to an eerie predawn landing Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up a successful space station assembly mission that kicks off a complex sequence of construction flights.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates
LANDING MAPS: ORBIT 186 | ORBIT 187
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE ATLANTIS GLIDES TO SAFE LANDING PLAY
VIDEO:
LONGER LENGTH MOVIE OF ATLANTIS' RETURN PLAY
VIDEO:
VIEW FROM RUNWAY MID-POINT PLAY
VIDEO:
CAMERA ON SOUTH END OF RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO:
VIEW FROM VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING ROOF PLAY
VIDEO:
LANDING WITH NATURAL SOUND FROM THE RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO:
SUN RISES OVER ATLANTIS ON BEAUTIFUL MORNING PLAY
VIDEO:
NASA OFFICIALS EXAMINE ATLANTIS PLAY
VIDEO:
THE ASTRONAUTS WELCOMED HOME PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW WALKS AROUND ATLANTIS PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW DEPARTS THE RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO:
POST-LANDING NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO:
ATLANTIS TOWED BACK TO HANGAR PLAY
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Shuttle Atlantis cleared for Thursday landing
The Atlantis astronauts were cleared for a day-late landing Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center after a tedious robot-arm inspection showed the ship's heat shield was in good shape. The unusual inspection was ordered and the flight extended one day after an unknown object was spotted early Tuesday flying just below the shuttle.
FULL STORY
NO DAMAGE FOUND
MID-WAY UPDATE
INSPECTIONS BEGIN
CREW AWAKENED
PREVIEW STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
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ATLANTIS CLEARED FOR ENTRY DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
WEDNESDAY'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR UPDATE DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
BRIEFING ON THE INSPECTION PLAN DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
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Soyuz spacecraft delivers new crew to the station
The Russian Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft docked with the international space station early Wednesday, bringing a new commander and flight engineer to the outpost along with space tourist Anousheh Ansari.
FULL STORY
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SOYUZ DOCKS TO SPACE STATION PLAY
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POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
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Space shuttle Atlantis' return to Earth postponed
NASA managers Tuesday ordered the Atlantis astronauts to stop their landing preparations and to delay re-entry 24 hours to Thursday to give flight controllers additional time to assess the implications of an unusual object spotted earlier Tuesday flying below the shuttle. The astronauts later saw a second object.
FULL STORY - [updated @ 3:45 p.m.]
EARLIER STORY
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MID-DAY BRIEFING BY SHUTTLE CHIEF DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
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LANDING OF ATLANTIS DELAYED ONE DAY PLAY
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SHUTTLE CAMERA SPOTS MYSTERY OBJECT PLAY
VIDEO:
HOUSTON TELLS CREW ABOUT THE OBJECT PLAY
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Earlier News |
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Shuttle, station, Soyuz crews enjoy orbital chat
The 12 men and women currently off the planet got a chance to chat Tuesday morning, thanks to a long-distance conference call connecting the space shuttle Atlantis, the international space station and a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a space tourist and the station's next crew.
FULL STORY
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LISTEN TO THE 3-SPACECRAFT CHAT PLAY
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Weather threatens Atlantis' Wednesday landing
An approaching front is expected to bring high winds and possible thunder showers to Florida's Space Coast early Wednesday, threatening NASA's plans to bring the shuttle Atlantis back to Earth after a successful space station construction mission.
FULL STORY
SYSTEMS CHECKED FOR LANDING
LANDING MAPS: ORBIT 170 | ORBIT 171
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Jupiter-size planet found by telescope network
Our home solar system may be down by a planet with the recent reclassification of Pluto, but the number of giant planets discovered in orbit around other stars continues to grow. Now, an international team of astronomers has detected a planet slightly larger than Jupiter that orbits a star 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco.
FULL STORY
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Scientists find first brown dwarf in planetary system
Scientists using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered and directly imaged a small brown dwarf star, 50 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting with a planet around a Sun-like star. Such an arrangement has never before been seen but might be common, the scientists say, leading to solar systems with distorted planetary orbits.
FULL STORY
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Oxygen generator problem triggers station alarm
Astronauts activated a smoke alarm in the Russian segment of the international space station Monday morning when fumes from an oxygen generator triggered momentary fear about a possible fire. Flight engineer Jeff Williams reported an unusual smell, but officials said there was no fire and the crew was not in any danger.
FULL STORY - updated
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STATION AND SHUTTLE STATUS BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
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Final shuttle heat shield inspections performed
The Atlantis astronauts carried out a final inspection of the shuttle's heat shield Monday, using a laser on the end of a long boom to look for signs of damage on the ship's nose cap and wing leading edge panels.
FULL STORY
MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
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Next station residents rocket to orbit aboard Soyuz
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying the international space station's next commander, flight engineer and a U.S. entrepreneur who hopes to pioneer commercial space exploration, blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Monday and rocketed safely into orbit.
FULL STORY
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VIDEO:
THE ENTIRE LAUNCH TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO:
EXPEDITION 14 BLASTS OFF ABOARD SOYUZ ROCKET PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH CAMERA REPLAY 1 PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH CAMERA REPLAY 2 PLAY
VIDEO:
CROWDS GREET CREW AT LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW DONS SPACESUITS FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS OF THE CREW PLAY
VIDEO:
NARRATED PREVIEW MOVIE OF EXPEDITION 14 PLAY
VIDEO:
BIOGRAPHY MOVIE OF EXPEDITION 14 CREW PLAY
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Atlantis departs station
The shuttle Atlantis undocked from the international space station Sunday, beaming down spectacular video of the lab complex and clearing the way for launch of the station's next full-time crew early Monday to kick off the 14th long-duration expedition.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
ATLANTIS UNDOCKS [flyaround photos]
HATCHES CLOSED
UNDOCKING PREVIEW
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VIDEO:
SUNDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
STATION BACKDROPPED BY BLACK SPACE PLAY
VIDEO:
STATION SLIDES BY EARTH'S HORIZON PLAY
VIDEO:
SPACE STATION FLYAROUND BY ATLANTIS PLAY
VIDEO:
ATLANTIS UNDOCKS FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
HATCHWAY CLOSED FOR UNDOCKING PLAY
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS BID FAREWELL PLAY
VIDEO:
FLIGHT DIRECTOR EXPLAINS UNDOCKING PLAY
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Veteran credits rookies with saving the day
The successful attachment and deployment of a huge new set of solar arrays on the international space station "bodes well" for a complex set of upcoming shuttle flights to build out the main power truss and ready the craft for attachment of European and Japanese research modules, Atlantis commander Brent Jett said Saturday.
FULL STORY
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VIDEO:
CREW INTERVIEWED BY CBS NEWS' BILL HARWOOD PLAY
VIDEO:
ATLANTIS/STATION FLY OVER HURRICANE GORDON PLAY
VIDEO:
SATURDAY STATUS BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
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Astronauts enjoy off-duty time; Soyuz moved to pad
The Atlantis astronauts, the major tasks of their space station assembly mission behind them, took a half-day off Saturday to relax and enjoy the view from 220 miles up. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft was rolled to the launch pad and erected for blastoff to ferry the Expedition 14 to the station.
FULL STORY
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SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLS TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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ROCKET ERECTED UPRIGHT ON PAD PLAY
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Atlantis crew completes third and final spacewalk
Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper conducted a final spacewalk Friday to close out work on a new solar array truss and upgrade the international space station's communications system.
FULL STORY
PREVIEW STORY
ISS SPACEWALK STATS
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LAUNCH AS SEEN BY HIGH-ALTITUDE WB-57 AIRCRAFT PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: STARBOARD INWARD PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: STARBOARD UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: STARBOARD DOWNWARD PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: PORT INWARD PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: PORT UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO:
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER CAM: PORT DOWNWARD PLAY
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Space station spreads its new power wings
The Atlantis astronauts successfully unfurled a second solar array Thursday, giving the international space station a new set of wings stretching some 240 feet from tip to tip and completing the primary goal of the 116th shuttle mission.
FULL STORY
FIRST ARRAY DEPLOYED
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SECOND SOLAR WING DEPLOYED HALF-WAY PLAY
VIDEO:
FIRST SOLAR WING DEPLOYED HALF-WAY PLAY
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SECOND SOLAR WING EXTENDED ONE SECTION PLAY
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FIRST SOLAR WING EXTENDED ONE SECTION PLAY
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Strange new planet baffles astronomers
Smithsonian astronomers have discovered a planet unlike any other known world. With a radius about 1.38 times Jupiter's, it is the largest known planet. But in spite of its huge size, its mass is only half that of Jupiter. "This planet is about one-quarter the density of water," says one of the astronomers. "In other words, it's lighter than a giant ball of cork!"
FULL STORY
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Vast polar ethane cloud detected on Saturn moon
Cassini has detected what appears to be a massive ethane cloud surrounding Titan's north pole. The cloud might be snowing ethane snowflakes into methane lakes below. The cloud may be the clue needed in solving a puzzle that has confounded scientists who so far have seen little evidence of a veil of ethane clouds and surface liquids originally thought extensive enough to cover the entire surface of Titan with a 300-meter-deep ocean.
FULL STORY
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OTHER HEADLINES Additional stories today
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Russia launches spy satellite -- A secretive new satellite for the Russian defense ministry is now in orbit after successfully vaulting into space on Thursday aboard a Soyuz rocket.
China launches communications satellite -- China quietly launched a new communications satellite Tuesday to bring broadcasting services to users scattered throughout China. The launch was the second for China this week.
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Deployment of station's new solar arrays underway
Running behind schedule because of software problems, flight controllers early Thursday began a slow, careful process to unfurl a new set of solar arrays aboard the international space station. The plan called for first deploying the huge panels just a few feet to let them warm up and decompress after years in storage. Later in the day, the Atlantis astronauts will send commands to fully extend the new arrays.
FULL STORY
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Initial solar array deploy held up for troubleshooting
Flight controllers troubleshooting the problem with the solar array rotary joint determined a software commanding issue prevented the drive assembly from engaging properly. They resolved the problem late Wednesday. But the situation has delayed initial deployment of the solar array blankets.
FULL STORY
EARLIER STORY
ROTARY JOINT CHECKOUT BEGINS
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Japanese spy satellite rockets into orbit
Japan's third spy satellite successfully rocketed into space today to replace a similar craft lost in a 2003 launch failure. The reconnaissance platform will help monitor North Korean nuclear and military facilities.
FULL STORY
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China launches recoverable science platform into space
A satellite bearing the largest payload of plant and fungi seeds ever launched by China was flown into space on Sunday for a reported two-week stay in orbit before being sent on a guided return to Earth.
FULL STORY
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Spacewalkers prep solar array truss for activation
Astronauts Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean, using their combined muscle power, a big wrench and lots of grunts and groans, finally freed an overly tight bolt Wednesday that threatened to prevent a massive rotating joint from operating properly.
FULL STORY - [updated]
ANOTHER LOST BOLT
EVA NO. 2 BEGINS
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POST-EVA 2 STATUS BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
PORT 3/PORT 4 TRUSS KEEL PIN REMOVED AND STOWED PLAY
VIDEO:
HELMETCAM OF BURBANK REMOVING SARJ RESTRAINT PLAY
VIDEO:
SPACEWALKERS PAUSE FOR PICTURE TIME PLAY
VIDEO:
STEVE MACLEAN REPORTS LOST BOLT PLAY
VIDEO:
ROTARY JOINT LOCK REMOVED BY SPACEWALKER PLAY
VIDEO:
STEP-BY-STEP PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAY
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Heat shield OK; Shannon talks night launches, Hubble
NASA's Mission Management Team Tuesday gave the shuttle Atlantis' heat shield a clean bill of health, formally clearing the ship and its crew for a normal re-entry Sept. 20 if no other problems develop.
FULL STORY
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Spacewalkers unfold and wire up new station truss
Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper successfully wired in a new solar array truss segment Tuesday, removed launch restraints and deployed stowed appendages during a nearly flawless six-hour 26-minute spacewalk, the first of three complex excursions planned for the shuttle Atlantis' space station assembly mission.
EVA NO. 1 CONCLUDES - [updated]
SPACEWALK MID-POINT UPDATE
TRUSS INSTALLED, EVA BEGINS
DETAILED PREVIEW STORY
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VIDEO:
POST-EVA 1 STATUS BRIEFING DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
TANNER LOSES BOLT DURING ROTARY JOINT WORK PLAY
VIDEO:
PIPER UNFOLDS SOLAR BLANKET BOXES SHORT | FULL
VIDEO:
SECOND WING'S STRUCTURE DEPLOYED BY PIPER PLAY
VIDEO:
FIRST SOLAR WING'S STRUCTURE DEPLOYED BY TANNER PLAY
VIDEO:
STEP-BY-STEP PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 1 PLAY
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Additional heat shield inspections ruled out
High-resolution photographs of the shuttle Atlantis' underbelly shot Monday during final approach to the international space station show the orbiter's heat shield tiles are in good shape with no obvious signs of damage. Agency engineers decided late today that additional heat shield inspections, a move that would have triggered a one-day mission extension, were not required.
FULL STORY
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New solar array truss pulled from shuttle bay
With only four inches or so of clearance, astronauts Dan Burbank and Chris Ferguson, operating the shuttle Atlantis' 50-foot-long robot arm, carefully lifted a 35,000-pound solar array truss from the orbiter's cargo bay Monday, maneuvered it safely past the ship's heat shield inspection boom and out over the shuttle's left wing.
FULL STORY
IMAGE GALLERY: TRUSS UNBERTHED
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TRUSS HANDED FROM SHUTTLE ARM TO STATION ARM PLAY
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ARM MANEUVERS TRUSS OVER SHUTTLE WING PLAY
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TRUSS SLOWLY LIFTED OUT OF PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO:
ATLANTIS' ARM GRAPPLES THE TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO:
NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING TRUSS UNBERTHING PLAY
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NARRATED ANIMATION OF PAYLOAD BAY CONFIGURATION PLAY
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New solar array truss pulled from shuttle bay
With only four inches or so of clearance, astronauts Dan Burbank and Chris Ferguson, operating the shuttle Atlantis' 50-foot-long robot arm, carefully lifted a 35,000-pound solar array truss from the orbiter's cargo bay Monday, maneuvered it safely past the ship's heat shield inspection boom and out over the shuttle's left wing.
FULL STORY
IMAGE GALLERY: TRUSS UNBERTHED
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TRUSS HANDED FROM SHUTTLE ARM TO STATION ARM PLAY
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ARM MANEUVERS TRUSS OVER SHUTTLE WING PLAY
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TRUSS SLOWLY LIFTED OUT OF PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO:
ATLANTIS' ARM GRAPPLES THE TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO:
NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING TRUSS UNBERTHING PLAY
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NARRATED ANIMATION OF PAYLOAD BAY CONFIGURATION PLAY
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Atlantis docks with station
Commander Brent Jett guided the shuttle Atlantis to a gentle docking with the international space station Monday after a spectacular end-over-end flip across Africa, Italy and the Balkans to let the lab crew photograph the spaceplane's heat shield.
FULL STORY
DAY'S PREVIEW STORY
CREW TIMELINE
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ATLANTIS WELCOMED ABOARD THE STATION PLAY
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DOCKING REPLAY FROM CAMERA ON SHUTTLE ARM PLAY
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SHUTTLE ATLANTIS DOCKS TO THE STATION PLAY
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ATLANTIS' BREATH-TAKING FLIP MANEUVER PLAY
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NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING THE DOCKING PLAY
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Debris analysis update
NASA's Mission Management Team has refined the timing of a handful of launch debris events noted during the shuttle Atlantis' climb to space Saturday. As mission managers reported Sunday, no impacts occurred during the first 135 seconds of flight, the period when atmospheric density is high enough to give debris enough energy to cause heat shield damage.
FULL STORY
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NASA has 'high confidence' Atlantis in good shape
An initial assessment of the shuttle Atlantis' heat shield gives mission managers "high confidence" the spaceplane completed its climb to space Saturday without any potentially dangerous debris impacts, officials said Sunday.
FULL STORY
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TANK'S ONBOARD CAMERA LIFTOFF TO SEPARATION PLAY
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CREW'S CAMCORDER FOOTAGE OF EXTERNAL TANK PLAY
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Atlantis heat shield inspection goes smoothly
The Atlantis astronauts inspected the shuttle's wing leading edge panels and nose cap Sunday as part of a now-standard post-Columbia checkout and while additional observations and analysis will take several more days to complete, no obvious signs of damage were seen.
FULL STORY
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FLIGHT DIRECTOR EXPLAINS INSPECTIONS PLAY
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Atlantis launch photos
This collection of images shows shuttle Atlantis' beautiful blastoff at 11:15 a.m. Saturday to resume construction of the International Space Station. The photos were taken from the Kennedy Space center press site and sound-activated cameras positioned around pad 39B.
ENTER GALLERY
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Gallery: View from VAB roof
This collection of images was taken by photographer Ben Cooper from the roof of the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building during space shuttle Atlantis' liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39B.
ENTER GALLERY
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Atlantis roars into space to restart station assembly
The space shuttle Atlantis took off Saturday on its fifth try, kicking off a long-awaited flight to restart assembly of the international space station three years after the Columbia disaster derailed construction.
FULL STORY
TANK DEBRIS STORY
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LAUNCH OF ATLANTIS! PLAY
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SHEDDING FOAM MAY HAVE HIT ATLANTIS PLAY
VIDEO:
ONBOARD VIEW OF EXTERNAL TANK SEPARATION PLAY
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INSIDE MISSION CONTROL DURING LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO:
STATION CREW TOLD VISITORS EN ROUTE PLAY
VIDEO:
HOUSTON RADIOS DEBRIS REPORT TO CREW PLAY
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POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
VIDEO:
QUICK-LOOK BRIEFING ON DEBRIS DIAL-UP | BROADBAND
LAUNCH REPLAYS:
VIDEO:
BEACH MOUND TRACKER PLAY
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CAMERA IN FRONT OF PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
BANANA CREEK VIEWING SITE PLAY
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VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING ROOF PLAY
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PAD 39B SIDE PERIMETER PLAY
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PLAYALINDA BEACH TRACKER PLAY
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PLAYALINDA BEACH ZOOM PLAY
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UCS 23 TRACKER PLAY
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UCS 11 TRACKER PLAY
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MISSION SPECIALIST 4 STEVE MACLEAN BOARDS ATLANTIS PLAY
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MISSION SPECIALIST 3 HEIDE PIPER BOARDS PLAY
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MISSION SPECIALIST 2 DAN BURBANK BOARDS PLAY
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MISSION SPECIALIST 1 JOE TANNER BOARDS PLAY
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PILOT CHRIS FERGUSON BOARDS PLAY
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COMMANDER BRENT JETT BOARDS PLAY
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ASTRONAUTS EMERGE FROM CREW QUARTERS PLAY
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CREW SUITS UP FOR LAUNCH TO SPACE PLAY
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FINAL INSPECTION TEAM CHECKS ATLANTIS PLAY
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ASTRONAUTS READY FOR SECOND LAUNCH TRY PLAY
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BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON THE SIX ASTRONAUTS PLAY
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SHORT MOVIE PREVIEW OF ATLANTIS' MISSION PLAY
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OUTLOOK ON UPCOMING STATION ASSEMBLY FLIGHTS PLAY
VIDEO:
COMPLETE PREVIEW OF ATLANTIS MISSION PLAY
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DETAILS OF THE THREE SPACEWALKS PLAY
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MEET THE SIX ASTRONAUTS PLAY
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Suspect sensor stays 'wet' after tank drained
Engine cutoff - ECO - sensor No. 3, the one that "failed wet" earlier Friday and derailed an attempt to launch the shuttle Atlantis, continued indicating it was immersed in liquid hydrogen after the ship's external tank was drained this afternoon, officials said. The other three ECO sensors in the hydrogen tank correctly indicated they were dry as one would expect.
FULL STORY
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Faulty fuel sensor scrubs shuttle Atlantis launch
After a dramatic, down-to-the-wire debate, NASA's Mission Management Team called off the shuttle Atlantis' countdown Friday and delayed launch at least 24 hours because of concern about an apparently faulty low-level hydrogen fuel sensor in the ship's huge external tank.
FULL STORY [updated]
EARLIER SENSOR STORY
BACKGROUND ON ECO SENSORS
COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
ASCENT DATA PACKET
LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
MEET THE CREW
DETAILED MISSION PREVIEW
MISSION QUICK-LOOK: Page 1 | Page 2
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FRIDAY'S LAUNCH ATTEMPT SCRUBBED PLAY
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CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR THE PAD PLAY
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ASTRONAUTS SUIT UP FOR LAUNCH PLAY
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CREW'S LAUNCH MORNING SNACK TIME PLAY
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Fuel cell cleared for launch
NASA managers Thursday cleared the shuttle Atlantis for launch Friday despite a suspect electrical generator, deciding the risk of an in-flight fuel cell shutdown that could prompt a shortened mission was not a credible threat to the thrice-delayed space station assembly flight.
FULL STORY
EARLIER STORY
LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST
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Planet or failed star? Hubble finds strange object
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have photographed one of the smallest objects ever seen around a normal star beyond our Sun. Weighing in at 12 times the mass of Jupiter, the object is small enough to be a planet. The conundrum is that it's also large enough to be a brown dwarf, a failed star.
FULL STORY
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Long-lasting Mars rover nears 'bowl' goal
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is closing in on what may be the grandest overlook and richest science trove of its long mission. During the next two weeks, the robotic geologist is likely to reach the rim of a hole in the Martian surface wider and deeper than any it has visited.
FULL STORY
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ESA steps towards a great black hole census
Astronomers using the European Space Agency's orbiting gamma-ray observatory, Integral, have taken an important step towards estimating how many black holes there are in the Universe.
FULL STORY
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Lockheed to sell its interests in ILS partnership
Lockheed Martin announced Thursday the proposed sale of its ownership interests in Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International and International Launch Services. ILS will continue to market the Russian Proton rocket. Lockheed Martin will offer commercial Atlas rocket missions.
FULL STORY
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Launch slips to Friday
NASA managers late Wednesday ruled out an attempt to launch the shuttle Atlantis Thursday but held open the possibility of a last-ditch Friday launching if engineers can resolve a problem with one of the ship's three electrical generators before time runs out.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle managers mull Atlantis fuel cell options
NASA's Mission Management Team met Wednesday to discuss options for launching the shuttle Atlantis on a key space station assembly mission. A launch try Wednesday was scrubbed because of a possible short in one of the shuttle's three electricity producing fuel cells. It does not appear engineers have time to carry out any repairs before the current launch window runs out Friday, but they could opt to fly as is if troubleshooters can show the glitch can be isolated and not cause additional problems.
FULL STORY
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Atlantis launch scrubbed
Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are troubleshooting a problem with fuel cell No. 1 aboard the shuttle Atlantis. Officials have decided to scrub Wednesday's launch attempt. Another launch try could come Thursday, if the problem can be resolved in time.
FULL STORY
EARLIER STORY
IMAGE: STATION STREAKS OVER ATLANTIS
GALLERY: ATLANTIS ON THE EVE OF LAUNCH
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Hale talks foam redesign, mission extension options
NASA managers are holding open the possibility of extending the shuttle Atlantis' mission by at least one and possibly two days to give the crew time to carry out additional heat shield inspections and to handle any unexpected problems that might crop up, officials said Tuesday.
FULL STORY
LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST
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Launch team set for three tries in a row, if needed
NASA managers Monday agreed to make three consecutive attempts to get the shuttle Atlantis off the ground if bad weather or technical problems prevent an on-time liftoff Wednesday.
FULL STORY
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Lunar orbiter impact seen by observatory in Hawaii
Europe's first probe to the Moon went out with a bang this weekend as it deliberately plunged into the lunar surface in a final attempt to gather useful science data. The impact was seen from at least one ground telescope, and more observations of the crash site could come soon.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle Atlantis launch preps going smoothly
Engineers loaded the shuttle Atlantis' fuel cell system with liquid hydrogen and oxygen early Monday, a key step in readying the spacecraft for launch Wednesday on a weather-delayed space station assembly mission. There are no technical problems of any significance at launch complex 39B, officials said Monday, and forecasters are continuing to predict an 80 percent chance of good weather.
FULL STORY
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COMPLETE PREVIEW OF ATLANTIS MISSION PLAY
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Clocks begin ticking for Wednesday's blastoff
The countdown has begun for Wednesday's launch of space shuttle Atlantis to deliver a set of power-generating solar wings to the space station. Clocks in Firing Room 4 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center starting ticking at 8 a.m. EDT Sunday morning.
FULL STORY
LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST
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BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON THE SIX ASTRONAUTS PLAY
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Astronauts arrive at Cape for second countdown
The Atlantis astronauts flew back to the Kennedy Space Center Saturday for launch Wednesday on a weather-delayed space station assembly mission. The countdown begins at 8 a.m. Sunday with launch on tap, weather permitting, at 12:29 p.m. Wednesday.
FULL STORY
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Gallery: Travels of Atlantis
This collection of photos shows space shuttle Atlantis' rollback from launch pad 39B forced by tropical storm Ernesto. Before reaching the Vehicle Assembly Building, however, forecasters lowered their outlook for winds at Kennedy Space Center and officials opted to halt the move in favor of getting Atlantis back on the pad that day.
ENTER GALLERY
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Europe's lunar orbiter smashes into the Moon
A European space probe met a violent end to its mission Sunday morning, crashing into the lunar surface at 0542:22 GMT (1:42:22 a.m. EDT). The impact point is estimated by ESA to be 46.2 degrees West and 34.4 degrees South. Ground-based scientists hope the impact will help answer debated questions about the Moon's sub-surface.
ESA ANNOUNCEMENT
PREVIEW STORY
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Eternal life of stardust portrayed in Spitzer image
Astronomers have combined hundreds of thousands of Spitzer Space Telescope images into a map of the whole Large Magellanic Cloud. They see features throughout the galaxy in such sharp detail that they can count newly formed stars, determine how much dust old stars are pumping into the galaxy and, for the first time, to sensitively map the rate at which stars are forming across an entire galaxy.
FULL STORY
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Incredible cliffs of Dione
This splendid view from the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn showcases the moon Dione's tortured complex of bright cliffs. At lower right is the feature called Cassandra, exhibiting linear rays extending in multiple directions.
FULL STORY
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Toward Melanthius
Cassini looks into the 150-mile wide crater Melanthius in this view of the southern terrain on Saturn's moon Tethys. The crater possesses a prominent cluster of peaks in its center which are relics of its formation. Notable here is a distinct boundary in crater abundance -- the cratering density is much higher in the farthest western terrain than elsewhere.
FULL STORY
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Another launch delay for Sun-watching mission
Internal inspections have been ordered for the Boeing Delta 2 rocket's second stage that will launch NASA's twin STEREO solar observatories. Concerns about the structural integrity of propellant tank structures have delayed the mission twice already. The stage will be detached from the rocket for the upcoming checks. Liftoff has slipped another month to October 18 at the earliest.
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Read our earlier news archive page.
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In this highly entertaining program, commander John Young and pilot Bob Crippen of the first space shuttle crew tell stories and memories from STS-1. The two respected astronauts visited Kennedy Space Center on April 6 to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of Columbia's maiden voyage.
The October 1984 flight of space shuttle Challenger featured a diverse set of accomplishments. The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite environmental spacecraft was deployed and a planet-mapping radar was tested. The seven-person crew was led by Bob Crippen and included the first Canadian in space, Marc Garneau, and the first time two women, Sally Ride and Kathryn Sullivan, had flown aboard one flight. Sullivan and Dave Leestma also conducted a spacewalk to demonstrate techniques for refueling satellites. The crew narrates this post-flight film of STS-41G.
On April 5, 1991, space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory -- NASA's second Great Observatory. Launch occurred at 9:23 a.m. from pad 39B.
The combined Expedition 12 and 13 crews, along with visiting Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, hold this in-flight news conference with reporters in Houston, Cape Canaveral and Moscow on April 3. The crews are handing over duties during this week-long handover before Expedition 12 returns to Earth from the space station.
The Russian Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft carrying the Expedition 13 resident crew successfully docks to the Zarya module of the International Space Station under automated control.
Full coverage of the Expedition 13 crew's launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to begin a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
External cameras on the International Space Station captured this incredible footage of the March 29 solar eclipse. The station flew through the eclipse over the Middle East as the moon passed in front of the sun and cast its shadow on the Earth.
A total solar eclipse occurred March 29. This video from Side, Turkey shows the period of totality when the moon slid between the Earth and Sun. The eclipse revealed the Sun's glowing outer halo of million-degree gas, called the solar corona.
In early March, NASA cancelled its Dawn mission built to orbit two of the solar system's largest asteroids using ion engine propulsion. Technical problems and cost overruns were blamed. But in this news conference from March 27, agency officials announce NASA's decision to reverse the cancellation and restart the mission.
Lockheed Martin holds this news conference in Houston on March 24 to announced that it is partnering with the State of Texas to locate the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program office in Houston, as well as systems engineering, software development and qualification testing, if the corporation wins the NASA contract to build the next generation spacecraft for NASA.
As the Expedition 12 mission aboard the International Space Station winds down, officials managing the flight from Mission Control in Houston hold this retrospective briefing to talk about the highs and lows, the science, the spacewalks and everything in between.
International Space Station officials preview the next Expedition mission to the orbiting outpost, which is scheduled for launch March 29. The preview was given during a briefing March 22 from Johnson Space Center.