NASA – Page 34 – Spaceflight Now

Crew Dragon astronauts arrive in Florida for launch preparations

November 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

With eyes on Tropical Storm Eta approaching South Florida, the four astronauts set to launch next Saturday on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday after flying from their home base in Houston.

Live coverage: Crew launch delayed to Sunday

November 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA and SpaceX have delayed the launch of the Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center until 7:27 p.m. EST Sunday (0027 GMT Monday) to wait for improved downrange weather and sea conditions, and better onshore winds at the launch site.

Crew Dragon “Resilience” meets Falcon 9 rocket at Florida spaceport

November 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

Fully fueled for a flight to the International Space Station later this month, SpaceX transferred the Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship Thursday to a hangar near pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for attachment to its Falcon 9 launcher.

SpaceX launches GPS navigation satellite from Cape Canaveral

November 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Cape Canaveral with the U.S. Space Force’s newest third-generation Global Positioning System navigation satellite, helping clear the way for the launch of SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon astronaut mission later this month.

Scientists release new view from OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid smash and grab

November 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

Scientists say the touch and go landing by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on an asteroid last month revealed fresh insights into the structure of loose rocks that may cover the surfaces of many small planetary bodies — material that is more akin to a playground ball pit than solid bedrock.

International Space Station offers ‘blueprint’ for exploration, first crew says

November 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

Bill Shepherd, a former Navy SEAL-turned astronaut who arrived at the International Space Station 20 years ago Monday to begin the continuous occupancy of the orbiting research outpost, says the experience gained by NASA and its global partners over the last two decades provides a blueprint for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Asteroid samples sealed in OSIRIS-REx return capsule

October 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

A collection chamber that could contain more than 2 pounds of samples gathered from an asteroid in deep space last week has been sealed inside of a return capsule on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to bring the extraterrestrial specimens back to Earth in 2023, officials announced Thursday.

OSIRIS-REx begins stowing asteroid sample into return capsule

October 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

Working under close supervision from ground controllers more than 200 million miles away, the robotic arm on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has begun placing specimens collected from an asteroid last week into a return capsule to bring the material back to Earth in 2023, officials said Wednesday.

OSIRIS-REx overflows with asteroid samples after bagging bounty from Bennu

October 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

The sampling mechanism on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is stuffed with specimens captured from asteroid Bennu earlier this week — so full that some of the rocks are floating out into space. Officials said Friday they will stow the samples inside the mission’s Earth return capsule sooner than planned to minimize the loss of asteroid material.

Soyuz brings three space station fliers back to Earth

October 22, 2020 William Harwood

One week after two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut arrived at the International Space Station, the three crew members they’re replacing strapped into their own Soyuz spacecraft, undocked and returned to Earth Wednesday with a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out a 196-day mission.