News tagged with space missions

Next manned ISS mission to launch May 15: Russia

Russia said Thursday that its delayed next manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) would blast off May 15, 45 days later than its scheduled date, after a problem was found in testing.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Feb 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

NRL's SoloHI instrument selected for flight on solar orbiter mission

The Naval Research Laboratory's Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI), part of the Solar Orbiter mission, is headed for space. The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen the Solar Orbiter mission as the ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cassini sees the two faces of Titan's Dunes

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new analysis of radar data from NASA's Cassini mission, in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, has revealed regional variations among sand dunes on Saturn's ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Cassini testing part of its radio system

Engineers with NASA's Cassini mission are conducting diagnostic testing on a part of the spacecraft's radio system after its signal was not detected on Earth during a tracking pass in late December. The spacecraft ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Russia hints at foul play in its space failures

The head of Russia's beleaguered space programme hinted on Tuesday that foreign powers may be behind the string of failures that struck his agency in the past year.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 10, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 7

NASA says it's working to resolve items' ownership

(AP) -- The head of NASA met Monday with former astronauts to discuss who owns space artifacts from moon shots and other missions, saying afterward that the agency will work cooperatively with them to resolve what's recently ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

NASA's RXTE detect 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Dec 15, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (10) | comments 27 | with audio podcast

Using many instruments to track a comet

(PhysOrg.com) -- In 16 years of data observations, the Solar Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) -- a joint European Space Agency and NASA mission –- made an unexpected claim for fame: the sighting of new comets at an alarming ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Preparing for future human exploration, RAD measures radiation on journey to Mars

The Radiation Assessment Detector, the first instrument on NASA's next rover mission to Mars to begin science operations, was powered up and began collecting data Dec. 6, almost two weeks ahead of schedule. ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 6

Caltech-led team of astronomers finds 18 new planets

Discoveries of new planets just keep coming and coming. Take, for instance, the 18 recently found by a team of astronomers led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Dec 02, 2011 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (15) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

NASA's Apollo 13 checklist sells for $390,000

A checklist used to guide the wounded Apollo 13 spacecraft home after the explosion that led to the famed "Houston, we've had a problem" call sold at auction in Texas Wednesday for just under $390,000.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 30, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 3

NASA's Nanosail-D 'sails' home -- mission complete

After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around the Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth orbiting ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 30, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Russia brings astronauts safely back to Earth

Three astronauts landed safely in the Kazakh steppe aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule on Tuesday after a stay of over five months aboard the International Space Station, Russian mission control said.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

'Little chance' of saving stranded Mars probe: Russia

Russia's space agency admitted Tuesday there was little chance of saving a probe that aimed to bring back soil from Mars's largest moon but has been stranded in Earth orbit since launch.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 19

Reliable nuclear device to heat, power Mars Science Lab

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, which is scheduled to launch this week, has the potential to be the most productive Mars surface mission in history. That's due in part to its nuclear heat and power ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 21, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (12) | comments 16 | with audio podcast