William Harwood – Page 15 – Spaceflight Now

Webb’s fate hinges on high-risk sunshade, mirror deployments

December 24, 2021 William Harwood

If you want to see the faint, stretched-out light from the first stars and galaxies that began shining at the end of the cosmic dark ages a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, you’re going to need a big telescope. But not just any big telescope.

Michael Strahan, Alan Shepard’s daughter and four others rocket into space

December 11, 2021 William Harwood

Sixty years after her father became the first American in space, Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, rocketed out of the lower atmosphere Saturday, joining ABC TV host Michael Strahan and four others for a thrilling 10-minute climb to space and back.

Blue Origin poised for first launch with crew of six

December 10, 2021 William Harwood

Sixty years after NASA astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, his oldest daughter plans to blast off Saturday on a sub-orbital flight of her own, joining former NFL star and TV host Michael Strahan, two entrepreneurs and a father-and-son duo aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft.

Japanese billionaire and assistant arrive at space station

December 8, 2021 William Harwood

A Russian cosmonaut, a Japanese billionaire and his production assistant rocketed into orbit Wednesday and headed for the International Space Station for an 12-day visit, the first by paying “space tourists” in more than a decade.

Spacewalkers replace faulty antenna outside space station

December 2, 2021 William Harwood

Running two days late because of concerns about possibly threatening space debris, a veteran astronaut and a rookie crewmate floated outside the International Space Station Thursday and replaced a faulty antenna in a problem-free 6.5-hour spacewalk.

NASA calls off spacewalk due to possible risk of space debris

November 30, 2021 William Harwood

A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station by astronauts Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron was called off early Tuesday after NASA received an overnight warning about possibly threatening space debris.

Astronaut Alan Shepard’s daughter and Michael Strahan named to spaceflight

November 28, 2021 William Harwood

The third piloted flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital spacecraft will launch December 9 with a crew of six, including a network morning anchor and the eldest daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the company announced Nov. 23.

SpaceX crew capsule docks at International Space Station

November 12, 2021 William Harwood

The day after a sky-lighting Florida launch, four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule chased down the International Space Station Thursday and glided in for a problem-free docking, kicking off a half-year stay aboard the orbital outpost.

High winds delay Crew 2 return to Earth until later Monday

November 7, 2021 William Harwood

Faced with high winds in the Gulf of Mexico, NASA managers decided to pass up a Sunday undocking and Monday morning splashdown for four returning space station astronauts, opting instead to aim for a landing Monday night when better weather is expected.

NASA aims to bring station crew home Monday, before replacements launch

November 6, 2021 William Harwood

NASA and SpaceX decided Friday to bring four space station astronauts back to Earth Monday to close out a 199-day mission, pressing ahead with re-entry and splashdown two days before the planned launch of their replacements Wednesday aboard another Crew Dragon spacecraft.