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News Archive 2011: March |
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Main engines removed from retired shuttle Discovery
The cryogenic powerplants that propelled space shuttle Discovery on her final eight-and-a-half minute climb to orbit last month were removed from the spacecraft this week. Here's some photo galleries of the three-day process.
 PHOTOS: REMOVAL OF FIRST ENGINE
PHOTOS: SECOND ENGINE REMOVED
PHOTOS: THIRD ENGINE PULLED OUT
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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NASA to set exploration architecture this summer
NASA's top human space exploration official told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday the agency expects to settle on a design and schedule for a new heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule by this summer, but experts say it's unlikely the vehicles will meet a mandate to be ready for flight by 2016.
FULL STORY
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Ariane abort produces fire and smoke, but no blastoff
With its hydrogen-fueled Vulcain main engine already spewing flame, an Ariane 5 rocket was dramatically grounded Wednesday by a last-second abort moments before two mighty solid rocket boosters were to have ignited to send the 1.7-million-pound launcher toward space.
FULL STORY - includes video!
PREVIEW STORY
OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
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MESSENGER's images tell tale of mysterious Mercury
Fresh images of Mercury show previously unseen regions of the scorching, metallic world as scientists on Earth brace for an onslaught of data shedding light on the planet's internal structure and mineral make-up.
FULL STORY
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Stacking of final shuttle rocket boosters underway
The last-ever set of space shuttle solid-fuel rockets began taking shape Tuesday evening as technicians started stacking the boosters that will power Atlantis this summer.
FULL STORY
MISSION FLIGHT PLAN
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Japan's HTV cargo freighter proves useful to the end
Japan's HTV cargo craft plunged back to Earth overnight Tuesday with a unique sensor designed to record the heated death throes of the throwaway garbage-filled spaceship.
FULL STORY
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
 VIDEO:
HTV JETTISONED FROM STATION AFTER 2-MONTH STAY PLAY
VIDEO:
FASCINATING VIDEO INSIDE CUPOLA DURING HTV ARRIVAL PLAY
VIDEO:
HATCHWAY OPENED TO ENTER INTO THE HTV PLAY
VIDEO:
HTV 2 ATTACHED TO SPACE STATION DOCKING PORT PLAY
VIDEO:
STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM GRABS THE FREE-FLYING HTV 2 PLAY
VIDEO:
HTV 2 CARGO SHIP APPROACHES THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH OF H-2B ROCKET WITH HTV 2 FREIGHTER PLAY
VIDEO:
H-2B ROCKET ROLLED TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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Shuttle crew comes to town for practice countdown
The six astronauts to fly Endeavour's final orbital voyage have jetted into the Kennedy Space Center for this week's countdown dress rehearsal with the space shuttle launch team.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates and video!
LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
STS-134 ARCHIVE
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Decommissioning work starts for shuttle Discovery
And so it begins. Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center have begun taking apart the shuttle Discovery, the ship now a laboratory specimen for engineering forensics before her future date with a museum.
FULL STORY
PHOTOS: DISCOVERY'S NOSE POD REMOVED
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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NOSE PIECE REMOVED FROM DISCOVERY PLAY | HI-DEF
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DISCOVERY TOWED OFF RUNWAY PLAY | HI-DEF
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Japanese satellites survived deadly quake in clean rooms
Inspections show Japan's next space station cargo freighter and two other large Japanese-built satellites due for launch over the next year suffered no major damage from the March 11 earthquake that ravaged parts of the country, according industry officials.
FULL STORY
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Trash-laden HTV cargo ship departs space station
Concluding a 60-day stay at the International Space Station, a Japanese robotic cargo freighter left the complex Monday and headed for a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean later this week.
JAPAN'S CARGO CRAFT LEAVES STATION
HTV DUE FOR DEPARTURE
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Endeavour's cargo bay loaded for space station run
Inside launch pad 39A's cleanroom Saturday, technicians completed inserting a $2 billion physics instrument and a pallet of spare parts into the payload bay of shuttle Endeavour for hauling to the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
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PAYLOADS ARRIVE AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
CANISTER ROTATED UPRIGHT FOR PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
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PALLET OF SPARE PARTS INTO CANISTER PLAY | HI-DEF
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AMS PAYLOAD PUT INTO TRANSPORTER PLAY | HI-DEF
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Lights go out on NASA's Stardust comet mission
Fresh off a bonus flyby of comet Tempel 1 in February, NASA's Stardust spacecraft fired its four main engines for more than two minutes Thursday, draining its fuel tank as managers said goodbye to the well-traveled comet chaser after more than 12 years in space.
FULL STORY
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NASA weighs Soyuz photo op during shuttle flight
A few weeks after managers rejected a similar plan during the last shuttle flight, NASA officials hope extra lead time and better planning will permit a three-man Russian Soyuz capsule to undock from the space station and collect never-before-seen imagery of the shuttle Endeavour and orbiting lab linked together.
FULL STORY
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Kelly still hopeful injured wife can attend launch
Astronaut Mark Kelly told reporters Thursday he believes there is a "pretty good chance" his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will be able to attend his launching April 19 aboard the shuttle Endeavour.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle awaiting resolution to space station conflict
Preparations to ready Endeavour for blastoff are proceeding smoothly, the shuttle program manager said Thursday, but U.S. and Russian officials must complete negotiations about conflicting International Space Station traffic plans next month.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates and video!
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PREVIEW BRIEFING ON MISSION'S SPACEWALKS PLAY
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THE ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
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MESSENGER in right place for science observations
Nearing the end of its first week at Mercury, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is in good health, in the right orbit and almost ready to snap its first pictures of the solar system's innermost planet since it slipped into orbit last Thursday.
FULL STORY
MESSENGER ENTERS ORBIT
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Shuttle commander opts out of media interviews
Astronaut Mark Kelly, scheduled to command the shuttle Endeavour's 25th and final mission next month, abruptly removed himself from planned round-robin media interviews Thursday, citing a reluctance to discuss his personal life and that of his wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, NASA officials announced Wednesday.
FULL STORY
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European states finally agree to station extension
European Space Agency member states agreed last week to continue their involvement in the International Space Station program through 2020, but the nations will re-evaluate funding at the next space ministers' meeting in 2012.
FULL STORY
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Endeavour payloads to put final touches on the station
The cosmic experiment headed for the International Space Station to probe the mysteries of physics and more spare parts to keep the outpost flying after the space shuttles are retired have arrived at the pad for launch aboard Endeavour four weeks from Tuesday.
FULL STORY
PHOTOS: PAYLOADS ARRIVE AT PAD
PHOTOS: READYING THE PAYLOADS
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VIDEO:
SUN RISES OVER THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
ENDEAVOUR ARRIVES ATOP PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
ROLLOUT FROM VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
HOISTING ENDEAVOUR TO TANK AND SRBS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
ORBITER GOES VERTICAL PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
ENDEAVOUR LEAVES PROCESSING HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
PAYLOAD MEDIA DAY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
THE ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
PAYLOAD REMOVED FROM C-5 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
AMS ARRIVES FROM EUROPE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
EXPRESS LOGISTICS CARRIER NO. 3 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
HIGH-PRESSURE OXYGEN GAS TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
PUTTING STATION ANTENNA ON CARRIER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
TANK UNLOADED TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
THE EXTERNAL FUEL TANK ARRIVES PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
BOOSTER SEGMENT MOVED TO VAB PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SRB CEREMONY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
ENDEAVOUR FITTED WITH MAIN ENGINES PLAY | HI-DEF
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ORBITER TOWED OFF RUNWAY PLAY | HI-DEF
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Spring showers on Titan
The Cassini spacecraft has spotted the first evidence for methane rain soaking the surface around equatorial regions of Saturn's moon Titan.
FULL STORY
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Station-bound trio heads for Soyuz launch site
The next three men headed for a long-duration mission at the International Space Station traveled from their Star City training base outside Moscow to the launch site in Kazakhstan Monday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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VIDEO:
CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
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Kennedy Space Center team poses for unique portrait
Thousands of Kennedy Space Center employees stand side-by-side to form a full-scale outline of a space shuttle orbiter outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. The unique photo opportunity was designed to honor the space shuttle program's 30-year legacy and the people who contribute to processing, launching and landing the vehicle.
PHOTO GALLERY
VIDEO OF HOW PORTRAIT WAS TAKEN
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Craft successfully becomes first Mercury orbiter
After a six-and-a-half-year voyage from Earth, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft performed a crucial 15-minute rocket firing Thursday evening to brake into orbit around hellish Mercury, becoming the first probe to take up residence around the solar system's innermost world. The burn, which began at 8:54 and concluded at 9:09 p.m. EDT, went according to plan.
FULL STORY
PREVIEW STORY
ARCHIVED LAUNCH COVERAGE
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Pricey planetary probes could fall under budget ax
Grand robotic missions to Mars, Jupiter and beyond are the embodiment of planetary scientists' most audacious dreams, but it's up to researchers to make their case in Washington, where a bogged-down budget process threatens to kill any future NASA flagship solar system exploration probe.
FULL STORY
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Photos and quotes from Soyuz capsule's landing
Parachuting to the frigid landscape of Central Asia early Wednesday, the Soyuz TMA-01M capsule brought American astronaut Scott Kelly and his two Russian crewmates back to Earth after a half-year living aboard the International Space Station.
PHOTO GALLERY
LANDING STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
PREVIEW STORY
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Shuttle Endeavour work proceeding at launch pad
The space shuttle Endeavour is one-week into her final launch pad processing campaign for the planned April 19 blastoff. Since rolling to the seaside complex last Thursday night, work immediately began.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates and video!
LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
STS-134 ARCHIVE
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Another commercial imager picks Atlas 5 for launch
Having already won the competition to launch one commercial Earth-imaging satellite, the Atlas 5 rocket has been picked by the rival spacecraft company to deploy its bird too.
FULL STORY
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Satellites catch startling views of tsunami aftermath
Images from satellites circling hundreds of miles above Earth show widespread debris and flooded coastlines from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan Friday.
IMAGES: SATELLITE VIEWS OF THE DEVASTATION
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Russia orders rare delay for next Soyuz crew launch
The launch of the next three-man crew to the International Space Station will be delayed from March 29 after Russian engineers discovered a glitch in the Soyuz capsule's communications system.
FULL STORY
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Worker dies at shuttle pad
A United Space Alliance worker at launch complex 39A, where the shuttle Endeavour is being processed for launch April 19, fell to his death early Monday, a NASA spokesman said. An investigation is underway and all work at the pad was suspended for the rest of the day.
FULL STORY
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Research finds asteroid Itokawa is an ancient rock
A preliminary analysis of asteroid samples returned last year by Japan's Hayabusa probe show evidence the dust grains have a similar composition to stony meteorites that commonly fall to Earth.
FULL STORY
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Delta 4 rocket launches with clandestine satellite
A medium-class version of United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 rocket gave a lift to the National Reconnaissance Office and a clandestine cargo Friday night with blastoff from Cape Canaveral at 6:38 p.m. EST (2338 GMT).
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
IMAGES: LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
IMAGES: DELTA'S COLORFUL CLIMB INTO SPACE
IMAGES: PRE-FLIGHT VIEWS OF THE DELTA 4
OUR DELTA ARCHIVE
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Japanese quake disrupts space station operations
The deadly 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan Friday ravaged the country's International Space Station control center in Tsukuba and forced NASA to take over the lab's Japanese systems, according to an agency spokesperson.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle Endeavour makes final crawl to launch pad
A day after shuttle Discovery entered forced retirement, sistership Endeavour emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building and rolled to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad overnight for her 25th and final flight.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates and video!
IMAGES: ENDEAVOUR ROLLS OUT
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HTV cargo ship relocated after space shuttle visit
With space shuttle Discovery's mission complete, astronauts on the International Space Station robotically moved Japan's reflective orange cargo freighter Thursday to the bottom of the lab's Harmony module.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Discovery's final landing marks beginning of the end
The shuttle Discovery made a graceful landing at Kennedy Space Center, returning from her final voyage after a remarkable three-decade life of service spanning 39 flights, 5,830 orbits of the planet, 365 days spent aloft and 148 million miles traveled. Discovery becomes NASA's first orbiter retired as the space shuttle fades into history over the next few months.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER
IMAGES: DISCOVERY MAKES PERFECT LANDING
IMAGES: SHUTTLE TOWED BACK TO HANGAR
IMAGES: LANDING GROUND TRACK
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. L (.pdf download)
STS-133 ARCHIVE
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ASTRONAUTS WELCOMED BACK TO EARTH PLAY | HI-DEF
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COMMENTS BY BOLDEN AND LINDSEY PLAY | HI-DEF
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POST-FLIGHT CREW BRIEFING PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: VAB ROOF PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: RUNWAY EAST PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: RUNWAY WEST PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: RUNWAY MID-FIELD PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: PATRICK AFB TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
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LANDING REPLAYS: PILOT'S WINDOW PLAY
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Shuttle astronauts reflect on the legacy of Discovery
On the eve of returning to Earth to close out the shuttle Discovery's 39th and final flight, the ship's crew said the nation should be proud of the shuttle program's accomplishments, but expressed concern that a replacement vehicle is not waiting in the wings to replace it.
FULL STORY
WEATHER FORECASTERS OPTIMISTIC
MORNING STORY
IMAGES: DISCOVERY DEPARTS SPACE STATION
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INTERVIEW WITH 3-TIME DISCOVERY FLIER PLAY
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UPDATE FROM MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM PLAY
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ABC, CBS AND AP MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITH CREW PLAY
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SPECIAL ENGINEERING FOOTAGE OF LAUNCH HI-DEF
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WILLIAM SHATNER TRIBUTE TO DISCOVERY HI-DEF
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Voyager continues exploring space frontiers
Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have commanded one of NASA's daring Voyager probes to spin around this week in a bid to detect a bend in the solar wind at the edge of the solar system.
FULL STORY
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Scientists tell NASA to focus on smaller science probes
Challenged by a volatile federal budget, a board of respected scientists recommends NASA should continue with small and medium-class planetary science missions over the next decade, even at the expense of potential flagship probes to collect samples from Mars and survey Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
FULL STORY
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Officials anticipate more flights of X-37 space plane
The U.S. Air Force and Boeing anticipate more missions of the X-37B space plane to finish testing the craft's flight characteristics and carry top secret experiments into orbit, but there is no firm timetable for additional launches of the robotic mini-space shuttle, according to military officials.
FULL STORY
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Shuttle crew gets 'Star Trek' sendoff before undocking
The crew of the shuttle Discovery, awakened by actor William Shatner reading a "Star Trek" tribute marking the veteran spaceplane's final voyage, undocked from the International Space Station at 7 a.m. EST Monday to close out an extended assembly and resupply visit. The orbiter is scheduled to land on Wednesday.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. K (.pdf download)
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VIDEO:
FLIGHT DAY 12 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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EXTRAORDINARY TIME-LAPSE OF STATION FLYAROUND PLAY
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MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
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BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF DISCOVERY DURING FLYAROUND PLAY
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SHUTTLE DISCOVERY UNDOCKS FROM THE STATION PLAY
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NARRATED PREVIEW OF UNDOCKING DAY PLAY | HI-DEF
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NASA's humanoid Robonaut to be unpacked this month
A humanoid robot delivered to the space station by the shuttle Discovery should come out of its packing crate by the end of March, and ground crews could start tinkering with the Robonaut soon after. But it could be months before NASA trusts the robot to help astronauts do chores on the complex.
FULL STORY
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SBIRS missile warning craft shipped to Cape Canaveral
The first dedicated satellite for the U.S. Air Force's SBIRS next-generation missile warning system arrived at its Florida launch site last week to prepare for liftoff on an Atlas 5 rocket in early May.
FULL STORY
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Atlas rocket sends secret military shuttle to space
Shot into orbit Saturday by a gleaming white and gold Atlas 5 rocket, the U.S. Air Force's second top secret X-37B space plane will push the boundaries of the craft's design and could stay in orbit longer than its predecessor.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
PREVIEW STORY
IMAGES: LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
IMAGES: PRESS SITE'S LAUNCH VIEW
IMAGES: X-37B READIED FOR FLIGHT
IMAGES: ATLAS ROLLS TO LAUNCH PAD
IMAGES: STORM SPAWNS RAINBOW OVER PAD
OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
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Shuttle crew bids farewell to space station residents
After transferring a final few items to and from the International Space Station -- and enjoying a bit of zero-gravity fun in a roomy new storage module -- the Discovery astronauts bid their station colleagues farewell Sunday, floating back aboard the orbiter to rig the ship for undocking early Monday to wrap up this shuttle's final visit.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. J (.pdf download)
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FAREWELL CEREMONY BETWEEN CREWS PLAY | HI-DEF
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SUNDAY MORNING FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY
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Crew services station's air purifier, oxygen generator
The Discovery astronauts and their space station counterparts continued unloading a newly attached storage module and successfully performed electronic surgery to bypass a short circuit in a U.S. carbon dioxide removal system. Station commander Scott Kelly also installed a filter in an oxygen generator and helped flight controllers test the refurbished system.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. I (.pdf download)
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UPDATED HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO LISTING:
FLIGHT DAY 9: CREW'S HOME MOVIES HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 7: ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPACEWALK HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 7: ROBONAUT MOVED INTO DESTINY LAB HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 7: EXERCISING ON SHUTTLE'S BICYCLE HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 7: SPACESUIT LEAK FOUND AND FIXED HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: PREPS FOR SPACEWALK NO. 2 HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: THE SPACEWALKING TOOLS HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: MODIFYING STATION EQUIPMENT HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: FUN TIME FLOATING IN PMM HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: CREWS ENTER INTO THE MODULE HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: PMM HATCHWAY IS OPENED UP HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: OPENING PASSAGEWAY TO MODULE HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: NEW "PMM" MODULE ATTACHED TO STATION HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 6: BREAKFAST TIME ABOARD THE ORBITER HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 5: TIRED BUT HAPPY SPACEWALKERS HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 5: FLY SPACE STATION'S ROBOT ARM HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 5: CHOREOGRAPHING THE SPACEWALK HI-DEF
FLIGHT DAY 5: SPACEWALKERS GET READY TO LEAVE HI-DEF
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SATURDAY MORNING FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY
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FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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NASA science satellite lost in Taurus launch failure
A Taurus XL rocket and its climate-probing satellite payload failed to reach orbit Friday after the launcher's protective nose shroud did not jettison as planned, marking back-to-back mishaps for the small booster. Liftoff from the California coast was at 2:09 a.m. local time (5:09 a.m. EST).
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
OUR TAURUS ARCHIVE
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Discovery crew helps unpack new station module
The Discovery astronauts Friday focused on unloading the newly attached Permanent Multipurpose Module, moving science gear and other equipment into the International Space Station and transferring packing material and unneeded gear to a Japanese cargo ship for disposal at the end of the month.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. H (.pdf download)
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CREW'S HOME MOVIES FROM FLIGHT DAY 9 PLAY
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CREW'S HOME MOVIES FROM FLIGHT DAY 5 PLAY
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FRIDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
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CREW IN-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING WITH U.S. AND ITALY PLAY
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EDUCATIONAL EVENT WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN PLAY
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FRIDAY MORNING FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY
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Awe-inspiring views of shuttle Discovery's launch
Onboard rocket camera footage always dazzles and the video from Discovery's external fuel tank and solid boosters didn't disappoint during the afternoon blastoff last week. A camera mounted in the pilot's window looking outward also provides an amazing view of the spacecraft rocketing toward orbit, which is presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus users with launch audio.
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LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
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RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
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RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING INBOARD PLAY
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RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING DOWNWARD PLAY
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Orbiting astronauts receive presidential phone call
The Discovery astronauts worked through a busy morning in space Thursday, took the afternoon off and enjoyed a long-distance call from President Barack Obama, who praised NASA's oldest shuttle for a "critical and iconic" final flight to the International Space Station. NASA managers, meanwhile, decided to extend Discovery's mission a second day to give the crew more time to help unload a newly attached storage module.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. G (.pdf download)
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PRESIDENT OBAMA CHATS WITH ORBITING CREW PLAY | HI-DEF
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DISCOVERY'S FLIGHT EXTENDED ANOTHER DAY PLAY
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MSNBC, ATLANTA AND FOX RADIO INTERVIEWS WITH CREW PLAY
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Spacewalk wrangles 'cats and dogs...no elephants'
Venturing outdoors from the International Space Station on Wednesday for their second of two EVAs during shuttle Discovery's mission, spacewalkers Steve Bowen and Al Drew successfully accomplished a long list of maintenance chores. The assorted collection of odds and ends was described as "cats and dogs but no elephants" because none of the various tasks were major.
FULL STORY
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. F (.pdf download)
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO:
WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO:
SPACEWALKER TAKES RIDE OF A LIFETIME PLAY
VIDEO:
EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT BRACKET MOVED TO SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO:
RESIDUAL AMMONIA VENTED FROM FAILED PUMP PLAY
VIDEO:
WEDNESDAY MORNING FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY
VIDEO:
NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
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Stack 'em up: Endeavour bolted to burnt orange tank
The shuttle Endeavour was securely fastened to its bullet-shaped external fuel tank Wednesday morning, two days after the ship left its hangar and rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building in a major milestone before launch.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
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Endeavour rides slow-motion crane for final time
Suspended from a heavy-duty crane, space shuttle Endeavour was methodically transported from the floor of the vast 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building to join the fuel tank and solid rocket boosters that will help launch the space plane into orbit for the 25th and final time next month. The breath-taking journey spanned all night and all day, and Spaceflight Now was there to capture the extraordinary scene.
IMAGES: ENDEAVOUR ROTATED VERTICAL
IMAGES: SHUTTLE HOISTED TO THE CEILING
IMAGES: ORBITER JOINS SHUTTLE STACK
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No surprises in who will lead NASA space programs
NASA's leading human spaceflight centers in Florida, Texas and Alabama will have responsibility for new heavy-lift rocket, space exploration and commercial crew programs, the agency announced Tuesday.
FULL STORY
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Special photo gallery from Discovery's final launch
Take another look back at the space shuttle Discovery's last launch with this beautiful series of photographs from NASA cameras around the Kennedy Space Center.
PHOTO GALLERY
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International Space Station gets a roomy float-in closet
An Italian-made module that will give the International Space Station a bonus room to help ease the outpost's storage woes was successfully installed Tuesday while flying 220 miles over the Sahara. The vessel is the modified Leonardo reusable cargo van that had visited the station seven times, but now it's a permanent fixture.
ULTIMATE STATION PHOTO OP REJECTED
NEW MODULE ADDED TO STATION
MORNING STORY
NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. E (.pdf download)
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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO:
SEATTLE AND HOUSTON TV INTERVIEWS WITH CREW PLAY
VIDEO:
TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO:
'NO GO' FOR SPACE STATION PHOTO OP PLAY
VIDEO:
PERMANENT MULTIPURPOSE MODULE ATTACHED PLAY
VIDEO:
ROBOT ARM MANEUVERS MODULE TO ITS NEW HOME PLAY
VIDEO:
STATION'S NEW MODULE UNBERTHED FROM SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO:
ROBOT ARM GRAPPLES MODULE ABOARD DISCOVERY PLAY
VIDEO:
ORBITAL SUNRISE OVER PMM BEFORE LEAVING SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO:
TUESDAY MORNING FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY
VIDEO:
ANIMATED EXPLANATION OF NEW MODULE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO:
NARRATED PREVIEW OF MODULE INSTALLATION PLAY | HI-DEF
MORE:
STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
HDTV:
HIGH-DEFINITION COVERAGE
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Read our earlier news archive page.
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