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NASA official says new mission selections on track despite InSight woes
A $150 million cost overrun and two-year launch delay for NASA's InSight Mars mission could mean fewer opportunities for new planetary science missions in the next few years, but the head of the agency's science division said this week NASA will still approve development of at least one new solar system probe in December.
OSIRIS-REx reaches launch pad with money to spare
The scientist in charge of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission hopes to apply more than $30 million in leftover funding toward reducing the risk of the probe's touch-and-go maneuver to snag a piece of asteroid Bennu, then eventually hire more experts to analyze the primordial specimens when they return to Earth in 2023.
Soyuz spaceship lands in Kazakhstan
Less than a week after winding up a successful spacewalk, outgoing space station commander Jeff Williams, America's most experienced astronaut, joined two Russian cosmonauts for a fiery return to Earth Tuesday, closing out a 172-day mission with an on-target landing in Kazakhstan.
VideoLive coverage: Soyuz capsule brings home station crew
Soyuz commander Alexei Ovchinin, flight engineer Oleg Skripochka and outgoing space station skipper Jeff Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday with a parachute-assisted touchdown in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz TMA-20M capsule undocked from the station at 2151 GMT (5:51 p.m. EDT) and landed at 0113 GMT (9:13 p.m. EDT).
Station fliers set for return to Earth after 172-day mission
Less than a week after winding up a successful spacewalk, outgoing space station commander Jeff Williams, America's most experienced astronaut, will join two Russian cosmonauts for a fiery descent to Earth Tuesday evening to close out a 172-day mission covering 2,752 orbits and 72.8 million miles since launch last March.
Lost Philae lander found on comet
Scientists culling through images taken last week by the Rosetta spacecraft's sharp-eyed science camera have finally pinpointed the exact spot the Philae lander settled on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a daring descent nearly two years ago, the European Space Agency announced Monday.
Juno beams back dramatic new pictures of Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft, making its first scientific run over Jupiter's poles Aug. 27, captured remarkable images of Jupiter's atmosphere, showing that the equatorial bands and zones familiar to even amateur astronomers completely disappear at high latitudes.
Astronauts complete problem-free spacewalk
Space station commander Jeff Williams and flight engineer Kate Rubins completed a smooth 6-hour 48-minute spacewalk Thursday, retracting a spare cooling radiator, installing two high-definition TV cameras and inspecting a massive solar array rotation mechanism that has experience subtle vibrations in recent months.
VideoAstronauts set for second spacewalk in two weeks
Space station commander Jeff Williams and astronaut Kate Rubins plan to carry out their second spacewalk in two weeks Thursday, venturing back outside to retract a cooling radiator, install a high-definition TV camera, replace a burned-out light and inspect struts attached to a large solar array rotary mechanism.
Juno gets its closest look at Jupiter
Nearly two months after NASA's Juno spacecraft slipped into orbit around Jupiter, the solar-powered probe made a passage 2,600 miles over the giant planet's colorful banded clouds Saturday, the closest planned encounter during its 20-month exploration of the solar system's largest world.