Space Exploration news

Shuttle, station crews seal hatches for departure

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

35 minutes ago | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- After nearly a week together, the crews of shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station said goodbye Tuesday and closed the hatches between them.

Astronauts rest up after 3 spacewalks

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

8 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle-station complex are resting after their three successful spacewalks.

Kepler Mission Manager Update

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

7 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Kepler experienced a safe mode event on Nov. 18, 2009.

Baby can wait as expectant dad finishes spacewalk

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 21, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (3) | 0

(AP) -- A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and blazed through his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday.

Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 20, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (15) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- When NASA's Cassini spacecraft began orbiting Saturn five years ago, a dozen highly-tuned science instruments set to work surveying, sniffing, analyzing and scrutinizing the Saturnian system.

Astronauts await word of baby girl on Earth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 20, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Atlantis' astronauts anxiously awaited word on the birth of one crewman's daughter Friday, as they moved more supplies into the International Space Station and geared up for another spacewalk.

Before Darkness Falls: Cassini to Scan Enceladus on Winter's Cusp

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 20, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft will fly by Saturn's moon Enceladus this weekend for a last peek at the intriguing "tiger stripes" before winter darkness blankets the area for several years.

Astronauts get extra moving time at space station

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 20, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- The astronauts aboard the shuttle-station complex are getting some extra moving time.

Planet 51 Star Brings NASA's Message of Exploration Down to Earth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 20, 2009 | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Actor Dwayne Johnson, usually known for his action and comedic film roles, takes to the stars as an astronaut in a new animated feature that brings important messages about the importance of space exploration ...

Astronauts get extra work done in 1st spacewalk (Update)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 2

(AP) -- A pair of spacewalking astronauts, one of them a surgeon, hustled through antenna and cable work outside the International Space Station on Thursday and even whipped off an extra chore.

SOFIA Seeks Secrets of Planetary Birth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 1

You don't always have to have a rocket to do rocket science. Sometimes a mere airplane will do - that is, a mere Boeing 747 toting a 17-ton, 9-foot wide telescope named SOFIA.

Second Planned Extrication Drive is Straight Ahead Again

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Because the first extrication drive for Spirit, on Sol 2088 (Nov. 17), stopped as soon as it began due to an exceeded tilt limit, the plan for an extrication drive on Sol 2090 (Nov. 19) wil ...

SMOS satellite instrument comes alive (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

The MIRAS instrument on ESA's SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the ...

NASA Supercomputer Ranks Among World's Fastest

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's premiere supercomputer located at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has garnered the sixth spot on the Top500 list of the world's most powerful computers.

NASA Provides Venerable Hubble Hardware to Smithsonian

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two key instruments from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have a new home in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington after being returned to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis ...

Shuttle docks at space station, unloads parts (Update 2)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 18, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost ...

Meteor showers in Asia disappoint

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 18, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- Thousands of stargazers across Asia stayed awake overnight to catch a glimpse of what was advertised as an intense Leonid meteor shower, but the show fizzled rather than sizzled for many because of ...

NASA and Microsoft Allow Earthlings to Become Martians

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (5) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA and Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., have collaborated to create a Web site where Internet users can have fun while advancing their knowledge of Mars.