Dutch astronaut's cheesy request

2011-11-26T15:30:30Z

Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers will have a special treat waiting for him in orbit when he arrives in space next month: five kilogrammes of Amsterdam's finest cheese, its maker said Saturday.

The 53-year-old Kuipers is due to blast off on board a Soyuz rocket on December 21 with two other astronauts for a five-month-mission on board the

Russia brings astronauts safely back to Earth

2011-11-22T10:30:33Z

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.

American Mike Fossum, Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and

International space trio lands in Kazakhstan

2011-11-22T03:30:32Z

ALMATY (Reuters) - Three astronauts inside a Russian Soyuz capsule parachuted safely back to Earth Tuesday after nearly six months on the International Space Station (ISS), the first landing since

China spacecraft returns to Earth after docking test

2011-11-17T04:30:16Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - An unmanned Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth successfully on Thursday after more than two weeks in orbit, marking a pivotal moment for the rising power's plans to secure a long-term manned foothold in space.

The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft touched down in northern China's Inner

US honors astronauts for pioneering space flights

2011-11-16T19:30:24Z

The US Congress on Wednesday bestowed its highest civilian honor on four American space pioneers of the 1960s, marking the first time the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to astronauts.

Winners included Neil Armstrong, 81, who was the first man to walk on the Moon; his colleague Buzz Aldri...

NASA budget plan saves telescope, cuts space taxis

2011-11-16T06:30:35Z

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A compromise spending plan for NASA preserves the over-budget replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope and halves President Barack Obama'...

US space pioneers to get congressional medals

2011-11-15T19:30:30Z

The US Congress on Wednesday will award the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to four American astronauts including the first man to walk on the Moon, 81-year-old Neil Armstrong.

Other recipients are Buzz Aldrin, 81, who was second man to walk on the Moon, and

Analysis: Botched Mars mission shows Russian industry troubles

2011-11-13T04:00:11Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's unsuccessful launch of a Mars moon probe points up the problems of a once-pioneering space industry struggling to recover after a generation of brain drain and crimped budgets.

An unmanned craft, launched la...

Shot US lawmaker speaks out in first interview

2011-11-11T06:31:26Z

US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, shot point-blank in the head during a January meeting with voters, has spoken out in her first interview since the attack, discussing her remarkable recovery.

Asked by ABC News's Diane Sawyer whether she was still in pain, Giffords replied: "It's diff...

NASA adds test flight for deep-space capsule

2011-11-11T06:00:43Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA plans to add a $370 million unmanned test flight of a new deep-space capsule designed to send astronauts to asteroids, the moon, Mars and other destinations in the inner solar system, officials said ...

NASA plans 2014 test-flight of deep-space capsule

2011-11-08T13:30:39Z

NASA said Tuesday it will launch in 2014 an unmanned test flight of its Orion deep space capsule, made by Lockheed Martin to someday carry astronauts to the moon, an asteroid or Mars.

The test launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida aims to send the capsule into orbit, where it...

China completes nation's first space docking

2011-11-07T10:02:30Z

China took a crucial step towards fulfilling its ambition to set up a manned space station on Thursday by completing its first successful docking in orbit high above the Earth.

The Shenzhou VIII spacecraft joined onto the Tiangong-1 experimental module just after 1.36 am (1736 GMT Wednesday), silently coupling more than 343 kilometres (213 miles) above the Earth's surface, said Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space prog...

Mars crew "lands" after 520 days in isolation

2011-11-04T08:00:14Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pale-faced but smiling, the crew of a long-duration isolation study emerged bleary-eyed to daylight and applause Friday after 520 days locked away in windowless, cramped cells to simulate the length of a journey to Mars.

The $15 million Mars500 experiment aims to answer one of the bi...

Fake Mars mission to open hatch on 520 days isolation

2011-11-03T10:31:01Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The crew of an isolation experiment to simulate a 520-day mission to Mars are in the final countdown before the opening on Friday of the hatch on the windowless cells in which they have been locked away since June last year.

The $15-million Mars500 experiment aims to answer one of th...

Russian craft delivers supplies to space station

2011-11-02T06:30:35Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An unmanned Russian spacecraft delivered supplies to astronauts in orbit Wednesday after the crash of the previous cargo flight left the three-man crew on the International Space Station wit...

China launches spacecraft ahead of docking test

2011-10-31T19:30:33Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China launched an unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday ahead of a docking exercise that will be a key test of the rising power's plans to secure a long-term manned foothold in space.

A Long March rocket blasted off from northwest China before dawn, lofting the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft into an i...

China plans 2012 manned space flight after docking test

2011-10-31T00:30:05Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will launch up to two manned space missions in 2012 as it hones the skills needed to secure a long-term manned presence in outer space, an official spokeswoman said on Monday, on the eve of the launch of an unmanned spacecraft.

The spokeswoman for MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia launched its first unmanned space flight to supply the International Space Station Sunday since an August crash left a half-sized crew on t...

Russia poised to resume space station flights

2011-10-28T12:00:55Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A Russian cargo ship is poised for liftoff on Sunday to the International Space Station following a launch accident in August that cut staffing ...

Jet packs rule, say deep-sea astronauts

2011-10-25T18:30:39Z

Battery-powered jet packs are definitely the best part of tooling around on the ocean floor in practice drills for an eventual visit to an asteroid, an international crew of astronauts said Monday.

The team is nearly midway through a 13-day trip to the ocean floor off the coast of Florida to see what it might be like to try to maneuver around an asteroid where there is little gravity and walking around is not an option.

"Most fun? Jet packs. Definitely jet packs,...

U.S. astronaut eager for "sports car" space ride

2011-10-24T10:00:07Z

STAR CITY, Russia (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. astronaut Daniel Burbank said on Monday he was eager to fly Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to the International Spa...

Russian rocket deploys first Galileo satellites from Kourou

2011-10-21T13:30:31Z

A Russian rocket on Friday deployed the first two satellites in Europe's Galileo geopositioning system after its maiden launch from the European space base, mission chiefs said.

Flight managers applauded loudly as the two satellites were placed in orbit nearly four hours after a Soyuz rocket, a veteran from the dawn of the space age, lifted off from the base in French Guiana<...

Europe sets sights again on Soyuz launch

2011-10-20T20:30:32Z

Engineers were eyeing a second bid at the historic launch of a Soyuz rocket from Europe's space base in South America after a countdown was scrubbed by a refuelling hitch.

The Soviet-Russian lifter, which traces its ancestry to the dawn of the space age more than half a century ago, is set to make its first launch outside of Russia<...

Maiden launch of Soyuz with sat-nav payload delayed

2011-10-20T12:00:29Z

Europe announced a 24-hour delay in the maiden launch Thursday of a Russian rocket laden with the first satellites in a rival scheme to America's GPS geopositioning system.

The first launch of the legendary Soyuz from Europe's space base was scrubbed some two hours before lift-off after a problem developed in fuelling the rocket's third stage, LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (Reuters) - An extra year of buying rides for astronauts to the International Space Station will cost the <...

Russians see room for moonbase in lunar lava caves

2011-10-19T09:01:22Z

STAR CITY, Russia (Reuters) - The United States may have put the first man on the moon, but Russian scientists and space explorers are now gazing at a new goal -- setting up a colony on the moon.

The discovery of volcanic tunnels on the moon could provide a natural shelter for t...

Russia blames scientists for rocket crashes

2011-10-18T20:30:34Z

Russia's chief prosecutor on Tuesday blamed a recent spate of disasters threatening the future of the International Space Station (ISS) on negligence by the country's underpaid rocket scientists.

A probe into the August 24 crash of the unmanned Progress cargo ship and an August 18 error that put Russia's biggest satellite in the wrong orbit blamed both m...

Branson opens world's first 'spaceport' in US

2011-10-18T06:31:25Z

British billionaire Richard Branson opened the world's first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.

The eccentric businessman, with usual flair, sported a black jacket and waves of hair flying as he inaugurated the building by breaking a ch...

Huge stakes riding on maiden Soyuz launch from Kourou

2011-10-16T15:30:28Z

Prestige and a multi-billion-dollar gamble in satellite navigation will be riding on a Soyuz rocket next Thursday when the Soviet-era workhorse launches from Europe's space base in South America.

It will be the first time that the legendary rocket, which traces its lineage to Sputnik and Gagarin, has been deployed outside Russia

NASA-backed space taxi to fly in test next summer

2011-10-11T12:30:44Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A seven-seat space taxi backed by NASA to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station will make ...

Obama under fire over space plans

2011-10-02T17:30:24Z

High-profile critics fear President Barack Obama's commercial overhaul of human spaceflight is going nowhere and could mark the end of half a century of US supremacy among the stars and planets.

"We will have no American access to, and return from, low Earth orbit and the International Space S...

Neil Armstrong says US space program 'embarrassing'

2011-09-22T17:30:20Z

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, told lawmakers Thursday that the end of the space shuttle era has left the American human spaceflight program in an "embarrassing" state.

"We will have no American access to, and return from, low Earth orbit and the International Space Sta...

Astronauts dive deep in practice for asteroid visit

2011-09-19T15:30:22Z

When human space explorers reach an asteroid for the first time, NASA figures the experience will be more like swimming in space than walking on the Moon.

So the US space agency is taking a deep-sea approach to practicing for the first deep-space mission, which President Barack Obama has said could become a reality by 2025.

A team of international astronau...

Space station astronauts safely return to Earth

2011-09-16T08:30:27Z

Three spacemen made a safe delayed return from the International Space Station on Friday as Russia again pushed back the launch of their replacement crew because of a recent rocket crash.

Space officials said the Soyuz capsule landed on its side in the wind-swept steppes of the ex-Soviet republic of K...

Russia postpones next manned launch to ISS

2011-09-16T07:30:24Z

Russia on Friday said the next manned launch taking astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) would take place two days later than previously announced, on November 14.

"The next manned launch is planned for November 14," the head of the Russian space agen...

Crew makes safe return to Earth after space crash

2011-09-16T02:33:28Z

Three astronauts returned safely to Earth from the International Space Station aboard a Soviet-era capsule whose mission follows an unprecedented spate of Russian space accidents.

Space officials said the Soyuz TMA-21 capsule landed on its side in the wind-swept steppes of the ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan at 0400 GMT on Friday.

U.S.-Russian space trio lands safely in Kazakhstan

2011-09-15T22:00:06Z

ALMATY (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz space capsule with three astronauts on board landed safely in Kazakhstan on Friday, NASA television reported.

U.S. astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrey ...

Crew leaves space station in Soviet-era capsule

2011-09-15T19:30:23Z

Three astronauts began their return to Earth from the International Space Station on Friday aboard a Soviet-era capsule whose mission follows an unprecedented spate of Russian space accidents.

The Moscow-based Roskosmos space agency said the ...

Trio of space station crewmembers set for landing

2011-09-15T16:00:15Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Three International Space Station crewmembers climbed aboard a Soyuz capsule prepared for their return to Earth on Thursday, with their replacem...

Virgin aims for first space launch within a year

2011-09-15T03:30:26Z

Business magnate Richard Branson hopes to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 months, kicking off an era of commercial space travel.

"The mother ship is finished... The rocket tests are going extremely well, and so I think that we're now on track for a launch within 12 months of today," he told CNN's

NASA unveils new launcher design for Mars missions

2011-09-14T17:30:32Z

NASA unveiled its plans Wednesday for a massive new launcher capable of powering manned space flights well beyond low-Earth orbit and ultimately to Mars.

NASA chief Charles Bolden made the announcement of the design for the new Space Launch System, which the space agency touted as the most powerful rocket since the Saturn ...

Russia sets first post-crash manned flight for November

2011-09-13T16:30:40Z

Russia on Tuesday set its next manned space flight to the International Space Station for November and said it will not let the orbiter be abandoned despite a recent accident involving its workhorse Soyuz rocket.

"According to the schedule ... the launch of the manned Soyuz spaceships (has been set for) November 12 and December 20 of this year,"

Giffords to share story with ABC's Diane Sawyer

2011-09-12T18:30:07Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in January, will share her story with ABC journalist Russia said Monday it would return three of the six international crew members on board the International Space Station to Earth later this week despite no immediate plans to send up their replacement.

A Russian Mission Control Centre official told RIA Novosti that the two Ru...

Giffords to give first TV interview in November

2011-09-12T12:30:09Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in January, will give her first television interview since the shooting to ABC journalist

Rocket failure exposes space station vulnerability

2011-09-08T10:00:19Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - When a Russian rocket failed on its way to orbit last month, it exposed a vulnerability in the International Space Station program that a former...

NASA mulls 'what-ifs' of unmanned space station

2011-09-06T17:30:26Z

NASA is mulling the worst-case scenarios of leaving the $100 billion International Space Station unstaffed for a period of time following the crash of a Russian rocket, US astronauts said Tuesday.

Two Americans aboard the ISS, Ron Garan and Mike Fossum, told reporters in a video ...

New photos show traces of man's lunar visits 40 years ago

2011-09-06T16:00:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New high-resolution pictures taken by an orbiting NASA camera show clear evidence of man's lunar explorations nearly 40 years after the last U.S. spaceflight touched down on the moon, the agency said on Tuesday.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration released three pictures on Tuesday snapped ...

NASA fears leaving space station unmanned

2011-08-31T03:30:17Z

The possible first-ever evacuation of the International Space Station, if a Russian spacecraft is not launched in November, would risk the loss of the orbiting lab, a NASA official has warned.

"There is a greater risk of losing the ISS when it's unmanned than if it were manned," Michael Suffredi...

NASA warns 'risk of losing' space station rising

2011-08-30T19:30:38Z

The risk of an unprecedented evacuation of the International Space Station will spike if Russian craft cannot resume their missions and return by November, a senior NASA official has warned.

"There is a greater risk of losing the ISS when it's unmanned than if it were manned," Michael Suffredini...

Russia delays next manned space flight

2011-08-29T15:30:38Z

Russia on Monday delayed its next manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by at least a month after an unmanned cargo vessel crashed into Siberia instead of reaching orbit.

The head of Russia's manned spaceflight programme also warned that a significantly longer delay would force the six peopl...

Russia 'may delay manned space launch' after crash

2011-08-26T06:30:25Z

Russia may delay the next manned launch for the International Space Station (ISS) after an unmanned space vessel crashed into Siberia instead of reaching orbit, a news report said on Friday.

The planned September 22 launch could be delayed to give specialists time to work out the precise cause of the crash of...

Russia's recent catalogue of space disasters

2011-08-25T09:30:21Z

The failed launch of the unmanned Progress cargo space craft which crashed into Earth instead of delivering supplies to the ISS was the latest in a spate of mishaps in the Russian space programme.

The accidents are particularly embarrassing for Russia in the year it celebrates the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first manned space flight and has become the sole nation...

Neil Armstrong urges return to the Moon

2011-08-24T19:30:34Z

Astronaut Neil Armstrong has urged a return to the Moon to train for missions to Mars as the United States contemplates the future of its space programme following the end of the shuttle era.

The first man to walk on the Moon is due to address the US...

Russian spaceship crashes back to Earth

2011-08-24T18:30:23Z

An unmanned Russian spaceship with tonnes of cargo for the International Space Station crashed into Siberia shortly after blast-off Wednesday in the latest blow to the country's embattled space programme.

The unprecedented accident raised concerns over the reserves of the six crew members on board the station and clouded the future of an ISS programme ...

Russia plans orbiting hotel in space

2011-08-19T04:00:09Z

ZHUKOVSKY, Russia (Reuters) - A hotel in orbit, lunar sightseeing flights and luxury rides into the cosmos -- all are part of Russia's vision to ensure it is not left behind in the growing space tourism industry.

Russian firms unveiled their plans at the country's premiere air show this week at Zhukovsky, outside Mo...

Space first: Live 3-D images from orbit

2011-08-17T15:30:24Z

Astronauts have produced the first live 3-D video images in the 50-year history of space travel, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday.

On August 6, NASA astronaut Ron Garan used a stereoscopic camera to film the inside of the Russia (Reuters) - Moscow no longer sees manned spaceflight as its top priority but remains committed to its International Space Station obli...

Russia space chief regrets focus on manned missions

2011-08-11T08:30:32Z

The new chief of Russia's space agency on Thursday said it had put too much emphasis on manned space flight and needed to increase financing on projects that brought a tangible return.

Roskosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin, in one of his first interviews since taking office this year, said the agency was spending almost half its budget on manned flight and it was no longer good enough j...

Cosmonauts launch Gagarin satellite on second try

2011-08-04T11:30:29Z

Two Russian cosmonauts on Thursday completed a marathon spacewalk in which they launched a student-made satellite honouring the first spaceman Yuri Gagarin after initially aborting the delicate task.

The Russian space agency announced that the six hour and 22 minute mission from the

Post-shuttle, U.S. space explorers need not be human

2011-08-04T07:00:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Now that the shuttle fleet is permanently grounded, the U.S. space spotlight could shift toward the path-breaking astronomical science that NASA does without human beings on board.

Human spaceflight has historically grabbed most of the public's attention and NASA's budget, but robotic probes and observatories have br...

Russians abort satellite launch during space walk

2011-08-03T15:30:33Z

Two Russian cosmonauts on Wednesday embarked on a six-hour space walk from the International Space Station that ran into immediate problems when they aborted a bid to launch a mini-satellite in honour of Yuri Gagarin.

Television pictures from space showed Sergei Volkov and Alexander Samokutyaev -- wearing Russian Orl...

Spacewalkers ready space station for Russian upgrade

2011-08-03T15:00:21Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A pair of spacewalking cosmonauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday to prepare the orbital outpost for upcoming Russian ...

Private space race heats up as US shuttle retires

2011-07-13T07:30:28Z

Private companies, aided by NASA's cash and expertise in human space flight, are rushing to be the first to build a space capsule to replace the retiring US shuttle in the next few years.

With Atlantis wrapping up its final mission and the end of the 30-year US program just days away, NASA is pinning its hopes on commercial indust...

US astronaut recalls 'roller coaster' shuttle flight

2011-07-08T10:30:32Z

Riding a space shuttle is sort of like surging skyward aboard a high-speed, rickety roller coaster and then returning through a pulsing cosmic nightclub, US astronaut Terry Virts says.

Asked to describe his most savored moment in space, the Air Force colonel and 11-year NASA veteran was unable to settle on a single high point during his first and only two-week flight aboar...

Showers, storms could delay shuttle launch: NASA

2011-07-05T15:30:30Z

Showers and thunderstorms are likely to force a delay to this week's planned final launch of the space shuttle, NASA's weather officer said on Tuesday.

"We are going with a 60 percent chance of KSC (Kennedy Space Center) weather prohibiting launch due to the potential for showers and isolated thunderstorms in the area," shuttle weather officer Kathy Win...

U.S. looks to private sector as shuttle program ends

2011-07-05T08:30:11Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - After the U.S. space shuttle program ends this month, NASA will rely on Russia and its Soyuz craft to deliver Americans to the ...

Russia gains edge in space race as US shuttle bows out

2011-07-03T18:30:24Z

As the United States winds down its shuttle programme in a symbolic twist in a long-running space rivalry, Russia will gain complete control of access to the International Space Station.

The Russian space ag...

Debris narrowly misses International Space Station

2011-06-28T20:30:33Z

A piece of space debris narrowly missed the International Space Station on Tuesday in a rare incident that forced the six-member crew to scramble to their rescue craft, space agency officials said.

The high-speed object hurtled toward the orbiting lab and likely missed it by just 1,100 feet (335 meters). The crew moved to shelter inside two Soyuz spacecraft 18 minutes before the debris was expecte...

ESA chief: 'anarchy' over space station planning

2011-06-20T14:30:32Z

Europe's space chief on Monday said the International Space Station faced lean times as a result of the US shuttle phase-out and said project planning for transport to the ISS had been "anarchy".

Jean-Jacques Dordain, director general of the

Japan astronaut tweets about space sickness

2011-06-15T13:30:49Z

Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa has tweeted from the International Space Station that he suffers from travel sickness in space.

"Space motion sickness got me. Especially when I move my head suddenly, I really feel sick. My head feels heavy. Help!" Furukawa, who is also a medical doctor, said in a message posted on his

Astronaut trio blasts off for space station

2011-06-07T13:30:18Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Soyuz spacecraft blasted off for the International Space Station on Wednesday with a Russian, an American and a Japanese astronaut on board.

The cramped Russian craft is to deliver ...

Lockheed Martin says it repelled cyber attack

2011-05-29T17:30:16Z

Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest defense contractors, was on Sunday investigating the source of a major cyber-attack one week ago against its information network, the company said.

"Lockheed Martin detected a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network," the company said in a statement late Saturday night.

The company said the cyber-assault took place on Ma...

Lockheed Martin confirms attack on its IT network

2011-05-29T08:30:27Z

Top US defense contractor Lockheed Martin said late on Saturday that it had successfully warded off "a significant and tenacious" attack on its information systems network.

The company's information security team detected the attack almost immediately and took "aggressive actions" to protect all systems and data, a company statement said.

New deep space vehicle to be based on Orion: NASA

2011-05-24T19:30:40Z

NASA said Tuesday that a new spacecraft to ferry humans into deep space will be based on designs for the Orion crew exploration vehicle and built by Lockheed Martin.

The Orion capsule, originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon, is a surviving component of the Constellation manned space exploration program canceled by International Space Station, NASA said.

Known in part as the "slow motion hokey pokey," the exercises are designed to prevent decompression sickness known as the bends, the type scuba divers can face if they ri...

ISS astronauts land safely in Kazakhstan

2011-05-24T04:30:20Z

A Soyuz space capsule carrying an Italian, a Russian and an American back from the International Space Station has landed safely in Kazakhstan, Russian mission control said Tuesday.

"They have landed and all is well. They landed at approximately 0627 (0227 GMT)," a spokesman for mission control told AFP.

Europe's space base in South America has been scheduled for October, a spokesman for launch operators Arianespace said on Tuesday.

"Right now we are looking at mid-October" for the first launch, said spokesman Mario de Lepine.

Soyuz will c...

NASA marks 50th anniversary of U.S. manned space flight

2011-05-05T11:00:15Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - The United States space program was down and out when Alan Shepard climbed inside a one-man capsule on May 5, 1961, for a 15-minute ride.

Rival

China to attempt first space rendezvous

2011-04-29T11:30:38Z

China will attempt its first space docking between two unmanned vehicles this year, the first step in efforts to build a Chinese space station, a senior official said Friday.

Yang Liwei detailed the next stages of China's human spaceflight programme during a press visit to Space City in Beijing, a research and training...

Next-generation US space racers outline plans

2011-04-28T17:30:25Z

A handful of companies competing to make the spaceship to replace the iconic US shuttle said Thursday they are racing to shrink what will be a long gap in flying Americans into space aboard US craft.

Boeing, SpaceX and <...

Rep. Giffords arrives in Florida for shuttle launch

2011-04-27T18:30:38Z

US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords arrived in Florida Wednesday for a space launch, as a Houston television station aired the first video of the lawmaker seen since she was shot earlier this year in Tucson, Arizona.

A grainy video showed Giffords slowly climbing the stairs of a sm...

Boeing, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX win NASA funds

2011-04-18T14:30:15Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA awarded more than $269 million on Monday to several companies vying to build commercial spaceships to carry astronauts to the NASA breathed a sigh of relief Friday after Congress approved a government spending bill that secured $18.5 billion for the US space agency, sparing it from the prospect of cuts.

"We appreciate the work of Congress to pass a 2011 spending bill," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement after the passa...

Soviet space capsule sells for nearly $3 million

2011-04-12T18:30:43Z

A Soviet space capsule sold for nearly $3 million at auction to a Russian businessman in New York, the 50th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin's historic conquest of space.

The spherical Vostok 3KA-2 Space Capsule went under the hammer at Sotheby's for $2.88 million, the lower end...

Gagarin could have died on glitch-prone flight: scientist

2011-04-11T13:30:40Z

Yuri Gagarin's first space flight was plagued with technical problems and his ship would never have left the ground if it had been subject to today's safety standards, a top rocket scientist said Friday.

"During Gagarin's flight there were around 11 criticisms made and abnormal situations of various levels of complexity," said veteran Soviet rocket scientist Boris Chertok, the Yuri Gagarin's 108-minute trip around the planet.

But what if the past half-century has been just a cosmic waste of money?

Presidents and space agencies insist manned missions will always be at the heart of their space programmes.

An astronaut not only embodies the human quest t...

Russia releases Gagarin's secret last words

2011-04-11T07:30:15Z

One of the last things Yuri Gagarin did before making his pioneering voyage into space 50 years ago was make sure he had enough sausage to last him on the trip back home to Moscow.

This tidbit was among more than 700 pages of once-secret material linked to the life and times of the world's first spaceman that were released by Russia ahead o...

108 mins that stunned the world: Russia honors Gagarin

2011-04-11T06:30:25Z

STAR CITY, Russia (Reuters) - His 108-minute flight into space 50 years ago set new a horizon for humanity and overnight turned a farmworker's son named Yuri Gagarin into one of the century's heroes.

But half a century after his exploit captured the world's imagination and fueled a space race ...

Asia's star burns ever brighter in space

2011-04-10T09:30:11Z

Asia's extraterrestrial ambitions have rocketed from nowhere in the 50 years since the first human space flight, with China shooting for the moon while India and Japan fuel up their own programmes.

Since China in 2003 became the world's third nation to put a man in space independently, after the Asia's extraterrestrial ambitions have rocketed from nowhere in the 50 years since the first human space flight, with China shooting for the moon while India and Japan fuel up their own programmes.

Since China in 2003 became the world's third nation to put a man in space independently, after the Russia (Reuters) - Russia will boost its efforts to explore the solar system and seek a bigger share of the market for space launches in the next decade, Prime Minister Vladmir Putin said on Thursday.

Speaking ahead of the 50th anniversary of

Soyuz docks 50 years after Gagarin's voyage

2011-04-07T02:00:10Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Soyuz craft adorned with a portrait of the first man in space docked with the International Space Station Thursday, days before the 50th anniversary of NASA TV shows the space shuttle Discovery on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center Friday morning Dec. 17, 2010 as a tanking test begins. Teams will fill the spacecraft’s external fuel tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen just as they do during a launch attempt to verify r...

Kazakhstan Space Launch

2010-12-15T16:04:23Z

In this photo provided by NASA, the Soyuz TMA-20 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. Russia's Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut International Space Station, ISS, blasts off from the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. The Russian rocket carries ...

Kazakhstan Russia Space

2010-12-15T12:30:46Z

U.S. astronaut Catherine Coleman, center, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratiev, bottom, and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, crew members of the mission to the Internatio...

Kazakhstan Space

2010-12-15T10:08:34Z

A Russian Orthodox priest blesses the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The crew of NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and

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