William Harwood – Page 36 – Spaceflight Now

Kennedy Space Center braces for Hurricane Irma

September 7, 2017 William Harwood

With an eye on fast-moving Hurricane Irma, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Thursday while NASA and contractor personnel rushed to prepare the sprawling spaceport for extreme winds, torrential rain and a threatening storm surge.

Soyuz brings Whitson home after record-setting mission

September 3, 2017 William Harwood

Wrapping up a record-setting flight, Peggy Whitson, America’s most experienced astronaut with nearly two years of time in orbit across three missions, returned to Earth Saturday after a 288-day stay aboard the International Space Station, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan with Soyuz MS-04 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Jack Fischer.

NASA’s most experienced astronaut set for return to Earth

September 2, 2017 William Harwood

Peggy Whitson, America’s most experienced astronaut with nearly two years in orbit over three missions, returns to Earth Saturday after an extended 288-day stay aboard the International Space Station, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan with Soyuz MS-04 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA flight engineer Jack Fischer.

NASA flight controllers shelter in place during storm

August 27, 2017 William Harwood

Flight controllers and other essential personnel at NASA’s Johnson Space Center just south of Houston are sheltering in place, maintaining contact with the International Space Station during torrential rain and flooding across south Texas from the slow-moving remnants of Hurricane Harvey.

Eclipse chasers keep fingers crossed for clear skies

August 21, 2017 William Harwood

With thrilling cosmic clockwork, the moon will pass in front of the sun Monday, casting a 70-mile-wide shadow that will sweep across the United States from coast to coast, giving millions along the “path of totality” a chance to marvel at one of nature’s grandest spectacles, a total eclipse of the sun.

Russian cosmonauts complete long spacewalk

August 17, 2017 William Harwood

Two Russian cosmonauts floated outside the International Space Station Thursday for a planned six-hour spacewalk to manually launch five small satellites, to test a variety of spacesuit upgrades, to retrieve an external experiment and to carry out routine inspections and maintenance.

Space station crew looks forward to eclipse

August 11, 2017 William Harwood

The International Space Station’s crew will enjoy views of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse during three successive orbits, giving the astronauts a unique opportunity to take in the celestial show from 250 miles up as the moon’s shadow races across from the Pacific Ocean and the continental United States before moving out over the Atlantic.

Planetary protection is serious business at NASA

August 3, 2017 William Harwood

A NASA post advertising an opening for a new Planetary Protection Officer provided a field day for headline writers who apparently couldn’t resist having a bit of fun at the agency’s expense by suggesting, in large type, that whoever filled the post would be defending Earth from aliens. And making good money to boot.

Soyuz rockets into space with three bound for station

July 28, 2017 William Harwood

A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from Kazakhstan Friday, boosting a three-man crew into orbit for a six-hour flight to the International Space Station.

Soyuz crew set for Friday launch to space station

July 27, 2017 William Harwood

Launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Friday carrying three fresh crew members to the International Space Station will boost the lab’s crew back to six and, most important from NASA’s perspective, dramatically boost research with four crew members — three NASA astronauts and a veteran European flier — available to operate experiments in the American segment of the laboratory.