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News Archive 2010: December |
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Engineers back in contact with Galaxy 15 satellite
Engineers have regained communications with a rogue Intelsat broadcasting satellite that spent nearly nine months traversing the populated arc of geosynchronous satellites responsible for television services for the Americas.
 FULL STORY
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Snapped connectors led to Indian rocket failure
Investigators have traced the cause of Saturday's Indian rocket failure to snapped cable connectors, which disrupted critical control commands and precipitated a fiery end to the launch of a communications satellite.
FULL STORY
LAUNCH FAILURE STORY
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Inspections reveal four more cracks on shuttle tank
Engineers examining the shuttle Discovery's external tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building have found four more small cracks in three structural ribs, or stringers, on the opposite side of the tank from the orbiter that could not be inspected at the launch pad. Four cracks on the shuttle side of the tank were repaired earlier, and it's not yet clear what, if any, additional work might be needed to develop the "flight rationale" needed for another launch attempt as early as Feb. 3.
FULL STORY
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2010 concludes with Ariane rocket's 199th launch
Two commercial satellites for the expansion of communications services from space were launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket Wednesday, capping another successful year for the heavy-lift booster that saw a dozen payloads amounting to 99,725 pounds deployed in 2010.
FULL STORY
SCRUB STORY
IMAGES: PHOTO GALLERY
OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
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Photos: Lunar eclipse and aerial views of Discovery
Before the space shuttle Discovery was returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building last week, NASA got these stunning pictures of the lunar eclipse in the skies over the spaceship and beautiful aerial views of the launch pad. Check them out!
IMAGES: LUNAR ECLIPSE PHOTOS
IMAGES: AERIAL PHOTO GALLERY
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Shuttle Discovery fuel tank inspections underway
The digital X-ray scans of all 108 structural beams on the ribbed midsection of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank are underway in the Vehicle Assembly Building after the Christmas holiday break.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
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European communications craft rides Proton to orbit
A Russian Proton rocket launched Sunday with a European broadband communications satellite, the continent's first spacecraft dedicated to high-throughput Ka-band connectivity for Internet and television services. Liftoff was at 2151 GMT (4:51 p.m. EST) and spacecraft separation occurred at 0703 GMT (2:03 a.m. EST).
FULL STORY - updated!
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Indian space program hit by another launch mishap
India's largest rocket lost control and erupted in a fireball Saturday, dealing another blow to the country's space program after back-to-back failures of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
FULL STORY - updated!
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Team extends Stardust's fuel mileage for comet flyby
Dispatched on a bonus mission, NASA's Stardust probe is speeding toward a Valentine's Day rendezvous with comet Tempel 1. A team of Lockheed Martin engineers is ensuring Stardust has enough fuel to make it.
FULL STORY
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Space station's Dextre robot passes crucial test
Canadian engineers put the International Space Station's Dextre robot through a workout Thursday, successfully proving the handyman is ready for duty when a Japanese cargo freighter arrives at the orbiting lab in January.
FULL STORY
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Discovery makes return trip to assembly building
Leaving the launch pad and rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building early Wednesday, the space shuttle Discovery will spend the holidays having the external tank digitally X-rayed as engineers look to prove the hypothesis that its structural cracks resulted from pent up stresses accumulated during construction and were unleashed during the strains of cryogenic fueling.
FULL STORY
PHOTOS: ARRIVAL BACK AT ASSEMBLY BUILDING
PHOTOS: DISCOVERY LEAVES LAUNCH PAD
LIST OF PREVIOUS SHUTTLE ROLLBACKS
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
 VIDEO:
WORK UNDERWAY TO REMOVE FOAM AND SENSORS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
SETTING UP ACCESS PLATFORMS AROUND TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE ROLLED BACK TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
DISCOVERY DEPARTS LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
LUNAR ECLIPSE OVER DISCOVERY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FUELING TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
FINAL PREPS FOR INSTRUMENTED TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
STRAIN GAUGES ATTACHED TO TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
BACKSCATTER INSPECTIONS OF TANK MIDSECTION PLAY | HI-DEF
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
HDTV:
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Congress freezes NASA's budget until March
Unable to pass an annual spending bill in this legislative session, the U.S. Congress approved a temporary government funding measure Tuesday, cutting nearly $300 million from NASA's expected budget and potentially limiting action on new space exploration programs.
FULL STORY
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Boeing signs deal for Mexican satellite system
The Mexican government has awarded Boeing Co. a $1.03 billion contract for three communications satellites and an associated network of ground systems, the company announced Monday.
FULL STORY
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WISE asteroid survey will continue through January
NASA has granted funding for the WISE infrared telescope to finish an extra full sky scan, giving scientists an additional opportunity to comb the inner solar system for hard-to-see asteroids that could threaten Earth.
FULL STORY
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Taurus 2 main engine passes gimbal steering test
The Taurus 2 rocket's Russian first stage main engine passed a preflight acceptance test Friday at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, according to NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp.
FULL STORY
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Pentagon orders fourth AEHF communications craft
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. a $1.4 billion contract to manufacture, integrate and test a fourth Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite, the military branch announced Friday.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle Discovery undergoes fueling test
The space shuttle Discovery's external tank was loaded with a half-million gallons of supercold liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel Friday for a knowledge-building test to understand the stresses and strains the external tank endures during a countdown. The shuttle will be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday for detailed inspections.
NO MAJOR SURPRISES SEEN
FUEL LOADING COMPLETED
PREVIEW STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
RECAP OF THE FUELING EXERCISE PLAY
VIDEO:
FUELING TEST COUNTDOWN UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO:
COMMENTS FROM SHUTTLE LAUNCH DIRECTOR PLAY
VIDEO:
GROUND UMBILICAL CARRIER PLATE CHECKED PLAY
VIDEO:
INFO ON EXTERNAL TANK INSTRUMENTATION PLAY
VIDEO:
DETAILED INFORMATION ON SPECIAL FUELING TEST PLAY
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Soyuz arrives at the space station with crew of three
Three new residents arrived at the International Space Station Friday. Docking of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft occurred at 3:11 p.m. EST (2011 GMT) and the multi-national crew boarded the complex a few hours later.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
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Chinese rocket sends navigation satellite to space
Another Chinese Beidou navigation satellite soared into space Friday, the fifth craft to join the country's fleet of positioning satellites in 2010. The successful launch also marked the 15th time this year a Chinese rocket has reached orbit, extending the country's record number of annual space missions.
FULL STORY
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Virgin Galactic aims for orbit under NASA initiative
Already cornering the market for brief up-and-down joyrides for space tourists, Virgin Galactic announced Thursday it has an agreement to sell seats on two lifting body spaceships proposed under NASA's commercial crew development initiative.
FULL STORY
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'Human-rating' document hits the Web with new name
NASA last week released updated requirements for commercial space operators to meet when carrying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, but the agency says not to call it "human-rating."
FULL STORY
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Shuttle Discovery's fueling test set for Friday
Inside Kennedy Space Center's launch control room Wednesday evening, the countdown began ticking for Friday's unique test on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
LIST OF PREVIOUS SHUTTLE ROLLBACKS
THE FLIGHT PLAN
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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Crew from three nations launches aboard Soyuz
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three crew members bound for the International Space Station blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday, kicking off a two-day flight to catch up and dock with the orbital lab complex.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS FROM 3 DIFFERENT ANGLES PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY
MORE:
EXPEDITION 26 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Boeing unfurls antenna on communications satellite
Overcoming an unspecified glitch, the SkyTerra 1 wireless communications satellite has deployed a broad L-band antenna to relay mobile phone calls across North America.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle returns to assembly building next week
Shuttle Discovery's external tank will be loaded with supercold rocket propellants as early as Friday in a critical test to help engineers understand what might have caused cracks in two structural ribs. After the test, the shuttle will be hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections and possible repairs.
FULL STORY
LIST OF PREVIOUS SHUTTLE ROLLBACKS
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
THE FLIGHT PLAN
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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Inspections have begun on Air Force space plane
U.S. Air Force and Boeing Co. engineers will thoroughly review the performance of the first X-37B space plane before committing to launching a duplicate vehicle in the spring of 2011, according to Pentagon officials.
FULL STORY
IMAGES: X-37B TOWED TO HANGAR
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Space station crew's ride rolls to launch pad
Rolling out to Gagarin's launch pad on a bitterly cold December morning, the next Soyuz rocket now stands poised for Wednesday's blastoff carrying Russian, American and Italian crewmates on their journey to the International Space Station.
PHOTO GALLERY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH CADY COLEMAN PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH PAOLO NESPOLI PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH DMITRY KONDRATYEV PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
VIDEO:
WEEKEND BEFORE LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 26 PLAY
VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO:
PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
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NASA solar sail lost in space
NASA has not heard from the experimental NanoSail-D miniature solar sail in nearly a week, prompting officials to wonder if the craft actually deployed from a larger mother satellite despite initial indications it ejected as designed.
FULL STORY
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Final set of space shuttle main engines installed
Space shuttle ground technicians at the Kennedy Space Center have achieved yet another "final" milestone on the road to the program's looming retirement: installing the last set of main engines.
PHOTO GALLERY
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Russia clears Proton to resume flying in December
Russia's Proton rocket could fly again in the last week of December after investigators exonerated the vehicle's core stages in an embarrassing mishap that doomed three Glonass navigation satellites Sunday.
FULL STORY
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Musk 'optimistic' next Dragon will visit station
SpaceX did its best Wednesday to quiet critics and convince NASA the company is ready to deliver supplies to the International Space Station some time next year.
FULL STORY
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Dragon capsule back on Earth after whirlwind flight
SpaceX launched the Dragon spacecraft from Florida on a two-orbit test flight Wednesday, and the company brought the automated capsule back to Earth less than three-and-a-half hours later. Liftoff occurred at 10:43 a.m. EST (1543 GMT) and splashdown was at 2:02 p.m. EST (1902 GMT).
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
VIDEO: FALCON 9 BLASTOFF
COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
FALCON 9 LAUNCH EVENTS
DRAGON ENTRY SCHEDULE
COTS 1 PRESS KIT (.pdf download)
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Photo galleries show SpaceX's historic mission
Check out images showing Wednesday's launch and landing of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spaceship, which circled the Earth twice and parachuted into the Pacific Ocean.
IMAGES: LIFTOFF SHOTS FROM PAD CAMERAS
IMAGES: OUR LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
IMAGES: DRAGON PARACHUTES INTO PACIFIC
IMAGES: SPACEX UNVEILS SECRET PAYLOAD
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SpaceX ready to unleash Dragon capsule in the sky
SpaceX plans to launch a robotic space capsule, fly it around the world two times, then order the craft back home Wednesday in a whirlwind test flight to demonstrate the ship's readiness to NASA.
FULL STORY
IMAGES: FALCON 9 ON THE EVE OF LAUNCH
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Setting the odds: SpaceX boss weighs in on risks
Wednesday's twice-around-the-world test flight of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is fraught with risk, and the company's wealthy founder and chief executive predicts about a 60 percent chance the mission meets all of its objectives.
FULL STORY
IMAGES: ROCKET REPAIRS UNDERWAY
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Japanese spacecraft fails to enter orbit around Venus
Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft missed its chance Monday to enter orbit around Venus, and the next opportunity will not come for another six years, according to statements by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
JAPAN DECLARES ANOMALY
OFFICIALS ANALYZING PROBE'S STATUS
AKATSUKI APPROACHES VENUS
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Proton failure dooms navigation satellites
Three Russian navigation satellites crashed into the Pacific Ocean Sunday during the launch of a Proton rocket from Kazakhstan. Officials have established a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the mishap.
FULL STORY
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Falcon 9 rocket lights engines for readiness test
Accomplishing a crucial test before its scheduled launch next week, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fired nine main engines for three-and-a-half seconds Saturday morning, briefly ramping up to nearly a million pounds of thrust while the booster was firmly held to the ground. The engine firing occurred at 10:50 a.m. EST (1550 GMT).
FULL STORY
IMAGES: FALCON 9 ROLLOUT
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Home again: U.S. military space plane returns to Earth
Flying back to Earth after nearly 225 days in space, the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane blazed through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean Friday and swooped into a California air base under the cloak of darkness. Touchdown occurred at 1:16 a.m. local time (4:16 a.m. EST; 0916 GMT).
SPACE PLANE BACK ON EARTH - with video!
IMAGES: ON THE RUNWAY
SPACECRAFT COULD LAND FRIDAY MORNING
LAUNCH COVERAGE
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Discovery's final launch postponed until February
Launch of the shuttle Discovery on a space station resupply mission will be delayed until at least Feb. 3, NASA managers announced Friday, to give engineers more time to carry out tests to help figure out what caused cracks in the ship's external tank and what, if any, modifications might be needed before the ship can be cleared for flight.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S LAUNCH DELAYED TO FEBRUARY PLAY
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Special fueling test could be ordered for Discovery's tank
NASA managers and engineers met Thursday to discuss the potential root cause of cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank, what additional tests might be needed and what, if any, modifications might be required before another launch attempt can be made.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
INSTALLING DOUBLERS OVER STRINGERS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
GASEOUS HYDROGEN VENT ARM RETURNED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
DOUBLERS TO BEEF UP CRACKED BEAMS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
HYDROGEN FITTING IS REINSTALLED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
OPENING UP TANK'S ENTRANCE DOOR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
GUCP DETACHED AND SEALS REMOVED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
BROKEN FOAM REMOVED FROM THE TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
VENT ARM LETS GO FROM LEAKY GUCP PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
DISCOVERY AWAITS REPAIRS TO TANK PROBLEMS PLAY | HI-DEF
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
HDTV:
HIGH-DEFINITION COVERAGE
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Arsenic-eating bacteria may redefine 'life as we know it'
Researchers have discovered a bacteria that can substitute toxic arsenic for phosphorous, the first organism ever identified that appears to thrive in the absence of an element thought to be critical to life as it has long been defined. The discovery may require a redefinition of the basic requirements for life while expanding the potential environments on Earth -- and across the cosmos -- where life might be possible.
FULL STORY
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NASA, White House officials share budget concerns
Responding to lawmakers' worries over the implementation of NASA's exploration manifesto, the agency's senior financial official and President Obama's science advisor Wednesday blamed a stalled government spending package and budget anxiety for the sluggish start of new programs.
FULL STORY
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Alaska sees opportunity to snare more rocket launches
Nestled on a barren bluff on the southern shore of Kodiak Island - Alaska's emerald isle - a state-owned launch complex is vying to draw space business to America's last frontier.
FULL STORY
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Read our earlier news archive page.
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