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

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...

New crew arrives at ISS

2011-11-16T14:30:53Z

A spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American docked Wednesday with the International Space Station in the first Russian manned mission for five months after a spate of technical failures.

The glitch-free docking of the Soyuz TMA-22 came after a textbook launch on Monday and was a huge boost to Russia which postponed the mission in the...

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'...

Russian, U.S. crew safely dock with space station

2011-11-16T06:30:28Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three astronauts in Russia's Soyuz spacecraft safely docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday, to the relief of agenc...

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

U.S. and Russian crew blast off safely for space station

2011-11-14T03:30:14Z

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Three astronauts blasted off on Monday to return a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) as Russia seeks to restore confidence in its space program after the crash of ...

Russian, U.S. crew blast off safely for space station

2011-11-13T22:00:05Z

Russian, U.S. crew blast off for space station

2011-11-13T21:00:19Z

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Three astronauts blasted off Monday to restore a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) after the crash of a Russian cargo spaceship disrupted operations and undermined...

Russia to return full crew to space station after crash

2011-11-13T14:00:14Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three astronauts will take off Monday returning a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) after the crash of a Russian cargo spaceship disrupted operations and undermined faith in...

Exclusive: Orbital solar power plants touted for energy needs

2011-11-13T05:30:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The sun's abundant energy, if harvested in space, could provide a cost-effective way to meet global power needs in as little as 30 years with seed money from governments, according to a study by an international scientific group.

Orbiting power plants capable of collecting solar energy and beaming it to Earth appear "technically feasible" within a decade or two based o...

Mars explorers will include women, experts say

2011-11-11T14:30:37Z

Men walked on the Moon, but women will be among the pioneering explorers who someday step foot on Mars, said a gathering of top female space experts this week.

Plenty has changed since Neil Armstrong and 11 male successors left their footprints on the Moon from 1969 to 1972, but lingering stereotypes still harm young girls and not enough women reach the...

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...

NASA's new Mars rover reaches Florida launch pad

2011-11-03T11:30:27Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, a $2.5 billion rover designed to assess that planet...

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...

Russia launches first space flight since crash

2011-10-30T06:00:06Z

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...

Boeing to sign lease for U.S. space shuttle hangar

2011-10-28T13:00:12Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Boeing Co plans to build space taxis at a mothballed space shuttle processing hangar at Kennedy Space Center in

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,...

Bear at California NASA lab sends workers indoors

2011-10-25T12:30:16Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Employees of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles were advised to stay indoors on Tuesday after a 200-pound bear was spotted roaming the campus.

The lab arranged escorts for workers at the north sid...

Prototype passenger spaceship poised for launch

2011-10-24T13:30:16Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A prototype passenger spaceship developed by privately owned Space Exploration Technologies arrived in Florida on Su...

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...

Back space taxis or pay more for Russian rides: NASA

2011-10-20T11:01:34Z

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (Reuters) - An extra year of buying rides for astronauts to the International Space Station will cost the <...

Space taxi delays spur Bigelow Aerospace layoffs

2011-10-19T17:00:11Z

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (Reuters) - A start-up space company building inflatable habitats for commercial and government lease has laid off half its staff because of delays developing space taxis needed to fly people to the outposts, the company president said on Wednesday.

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...

NASA's space shuttle operations chief heading to Virgin

2011-10-11T17:30:10Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Deputy space shuttle program manager and former flight director Mike Moses is leaving NASA to oversee operations for Virgin Galactic, the commercial spac...

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 ...

Giffords awards medal to astronaut husband in Washington

2011-10-06T14:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Gabrielle Giffords gave her astronaut husband a medal at his retirement ceremony on Thursday and got a warm welcome on her second visit to Washington since a gunman tried to kill her in January.

Giffords, who is recovering fro...

Commercial space deliveries 'within months': NASA

2011-10-03T14:30:31Z

The US space agency NASA said Monday it expects commercial operators will deliver cargo to space within months, stressing that private missions were crucial to its future human activities.

"It is months before we have commercial entities carrying cargo to the 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...

Doomed satellite landed in Pacific, NASA says

2011-09-28T13:30:27Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Debris from a defunct six-ton NASA science satellite that crashed to Earth on Saturday fell harmlessly in a remote area of the South Pacific Ocean, NASA said on Tuesday.

Expe...

NASA satellite plunges into Pacific off California

2011-09-24T21:30:09Z

A bus-sized US satellite that hurtled unpredictably toward Earth crossed over Africa and the northern Atlantic before likely plunging into the Pacific Ocean off California, NASA said on Saturday.

The six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Researc...

NASA satellite lands in unknown location

2011-09-24T07:30:12Z

A decommissioned NASA satellite, the biggest piece of US space junk to fall in 30 years, has crash-landed but the precise location is not yet known, the US space agency said early Saturday.

NASA has repeatedly said there is only a "very remote" risk to the public from the 26 fragments of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) which were expected to survive the fiery re-entry into the atmosphere.

The satellite fell back to Earth ...

Dead satellite could strike Canada, Africa, Australia

2011-09-23T19:30:30Z

The biggest piece of US space junk to fall in 30 years is taking aim at a vast span of territory that includes Canada, Australia and Africa as well as plenty of open ocean, NASA said.

The US space agency stressed there was a "very remote" risk to the public from the 26 fragments of the Upper Atmosphere Rese...

Countdown to impact: Space junk hurtles toward Earth

2011-09-23T17:30:23Z

The biggest piece of US space junk to fall in 30 years could hit Earth late Friday or early Saturday, NASA said as it struggled to predict where and when the defunct satellite would crash.

NASA stressed there was only an "extremely small" risk that the 26 fragments expected to survive re-entry would hit any of the planet's seven billion inhabitants.

As rumors of potential crash sites lit up the Internet, 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...

NASA rules out North America for satellite crash

2011-09-22T16:30:27Z

A six-ton NASA satellite that is on course to crash back to Earth on Friday is not expected to hit North America, the US space agency said in its latest update.

"Re-entry is expected sometime during the afternoon of Sept. 23, Eastern Daylight Time. The satellite will not be passing over North America during that time period," NA...

NASA says satellite will hit Earth Sept 23 US time

2011-09-21T18:30:29Z

The US space agency has narrowed down its prediction of when a defunct six-ton satellite will crash back to Earth, saying on Wednesday that it is expected to land on September 23, US time.

"The time reference does not mean that the satellite is expected to re-enter over the United States. It is simply a time reference," NASA said on its website.

"Although it is stil...

NASA bus-sized satellite to crash-land this week

2011-09-21T05:30:30Z

What goes up must come down. But where?

That's the big question when it comes to a 20-year-old NASA satellite the size of a tour bus which is careening toward Earth and set to crash-land later this week.

The US Department of Defense and NASA are tracking the six-ton spacecraft, which poses a one-in-3,200 risk of hitting one of the seven bill...

NASA unveils new plan to buy rides for astronauts

2011-09-19T17:30:15Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA plans to spend $1.6 billion over the next two years bolstering industry efforts to develop space taxis, officials said on Monday.

The U.S. space agency will be looking for complete systems -- launchers, spaceships, mission operations and gr...

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...

Defunct NASA satellite to crash to Earth this week

2011-09-19T14:00:17Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A defunct NASA science satellite is expected to fall back to Earth on Friday, showering debris somewhere on the planet although scientists cannot predict exactly where, officials said.

The 6.5-ton Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, wa...

US satellite may crash back to Earth Sept 23: NASA

2011-09-16T19:30:29Z

A 20-year-old satellite that measured the ozone layer is expected to crash back to Earth late next week, but NASA said it still does not know where it will fall.

The US space agency stressed that the risk to public safety from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is "extremely small," and said that most, but not all, of the gear will burn up on re-entry into Earth's atmospher...

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...

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...

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 ...

Defunct NASA rocket to be reborn as commercial offering

2011-09-13T17:30:09Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA will work with developers of a proposed new commercial rocket, made in part from its now defunct Ares 1 crew launcher, which could eventually move crews and supplies to the 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,"

Space food, shuttle tiles for sale by NASA

2011-09-12T16:30:15Z

The US space agency is offering schools and universities a special deal on astronaut cuisine and heat tiles from the now extinct space shuttles, just over 20 dollars a pack, NASA said Monday.

"The lightweight tiles protected the shuttles from extreme temperatures when the orbiters re-entered the Earth's atmosphere," NASA said in a statement.

"The food, which was precooked or proc...

Russia sets space crew's return after crash

2011-09-12T15:30:19Z

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...

NASA launches twin satellites to map inner Moon

2011-09-10T14:30:08Z

NASA on Saturday launched a $500 million pair of washing-machine-sized satellites on a mission to map the Moon's inner core for the first time.

The twin spacecraft took off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:08 am (1308 GMT) aboard a Delta II rocket on a three-month journey to the Moon.

"We are on our way, and early indications show e...

NASA to try Moon satellite launch Saturday

2011-09-09T08:30:45Z

NASA has postponed until Saturday its next attempt to launch a $500 million pair of unmanned spacecraft that will use gravity tools to map the Moon's inner core for the first time.

The launch team said early Friday it needed more time to review technical data following the de-tanking operation of the Delta II rocket carrying NASA?s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL).

"The postponement will allow the launch tea...

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 twin spacecraft to map the inner Moon

2011-09-07T16:30:47Z

The US space agency plans to launch two unmanned spacecraft Thursday that will chase each other around the Moon as they use gravity measurements to draw an unprecedented map of its inner workings.

Known as the GRAIL mission, or Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory, the satellites will launch together on a single Delta II rocket as early as 8:37 am Thursday (1237 GMT), when the launch window opens.

Rese...

US astronaut shortage 'poses risks'

2011-09-07T13:30:25Z

The United States does not have enough astronauts to meet the changing needs of human spaceflight in the coming years, warned a report Wednesday by a non-profit group that advises on science policy.

The shrinking American astronaut corps poses risks to the US investment in human spaceflight and NASA should take steps to boost the size of its space-flying crew, the

NASA orbiter shows moon surface in stunning clarity

2011-09-06T16:30:32Z

A NASA spacecraft has snapped the clearest views ever of the surface of the moon, down to the tire tracks and footprints left by visiting astronauts decades ago in the lunar soil.

A trio of razor-sharp images relayed by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show precise new detail of moon la...

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 ...

Space junk at dangerous 'tipping point': study

2011-09-02T15:30:23Z

Clouds of space junk orbiting the Earth have reached a dangerous "tipping point", threatening to smash satellites and endanger astronauts, US scientists warned in a study this week.

"The current space environment is growing increasingly hazardous to spacecraft and astronauts," said Donald Kessler, chair of the committee that wrote the report and retired head of NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office.

"NASA needs ...

Space junk reaching "tipping point," report warns

2011-09-01T14:00:21Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla,. (Reuters) - The amount of debris orbiting the Earth has reached "a tipping point" for collisions, which would in turn generate more of the debris that threatens astronauts and satellites, according to a U.S. study released on Thursday.

NASA...

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...

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...

NASA boosts Webb telescope cost to $8.7 billion

2011-08-24T20:30:21Z

NASA has boosted its cost estimate of a major telescope project to 8.7 billion dollars, even as lawmakers have threatened to slash the space agency's budget, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The James Webb Space Telescope, which aims to replace the Hubble Space telescope with great power and accuracy, woul...

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 ...

SpaceX plans November test flight to space station

2011-08-15T19:30:32Z

California-based rocket maker SpaceX said that it will make a test flight in late November to the International Space Station, now that NASA has retired its space shuttle program.

"SpaceX has...

NASA funds 30 new space research projects

2011-08-08T17:30:28Z

The US space agency announced funding for 30 new space projects Monday, including ways to protect astronauts from deep-space radiation, eliminate space debris and improve spacesuit technology.

Each of the proposals will get $100,000 in funding for a one-year period as part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), the agency said in a statement.

"These innovative concepts ha...

NASA launches Juno robot to explore Jupiter's birth

2011-08-05T10:30:08Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday, sending a robotic scout on its way to Jupiter to sniff out details about how the solar system formed.

The rocket carrying CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA confirmed on Thursday that a large piece of debris from space shuttle Columbia, which was destroyed in 2003, has b...

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...

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 ...

US shuttle debris surfaces amid Texas drought

2011-08-02T18:30:19Z

A piece of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia has surfaced in eastern Texas, where a severe drought has dried up a lake and exposed debris from the 2003 accident, NASA said Tuesday.

The globe-shaped object that turned up in Lake Nacogdoches, north of Ho...

NASA's Juno to circle Jupiter for 'planetary recipe'

2011-07-29T20:30:16Z

The US space agency plans to launch next week a solar-powered spacecraft called Juno that will journey to the gassy planet of Jupiter in search of how the huge, stormy giant was formed.

The $1.1 billion unmanned orbiter is scheduled for launch on August 5 -- the start of a five-year odyssey toward the solar system's most massive planet in the hopes that it will ...

SpaceX eyes November 30 cargo launch to space station

2011-07-28T15:30:15Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies, a privately owned firm developing a space taxi with U.S.-government backing, plans to launch its second test capsule on November 30 and send it...

NASA probe poised for launch to Jupiter

2011-07-27T14:00:25Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A NASA satellite was hoisted aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday in preparation for launch next week on an unprecedented mission to the heart of Jupiter.

The robotic probe called Juno is scheduled t...

A hunger to explore

2011-07-27T02:32:53Z

Space shuttle's final flight marks a remarkable 30-year journey

Millions of Americans followed the space shuttle Atlantis' final mission this week, which was the last of the 30-year-old shuttle program. Atlantis touched down early Thursday in Florida and was showered with accolades.The attention was well deserved. The shu...

With space shuttle era over, U.S. robot set for Mars

2011-07-22T13:30:48Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA moved to a new chapter in space exploration on Friday, a day after the end of its shuttle program, by announcing details of plans to determine if Mars has or ever had the ingr...

With space shuttle era over, robot set for Mars

2011-07-22T13:00:13Z

End of an era for US spaceflight as Atlantis lands

2011-07-21T14:30:34Z

The shuttle Atlantis cruised home for a final time Thursday, ending its last mission to the International Space Station and closing a 30-year chapter in American space exploration.

Under cover of darkness, the shuttle glided seamlessly to a predawn landing at

2011-07-21T02:31:02Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA downsized the crew for the final flight of its shuttle program as a safety precaution.

Instead of the usual six- or seven-person crew, only four astronauts were aboard the CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The shuttle Atlantis astronauts closed their spaceship's cargo bay doors on Thursday, aiming to conclude the final U.S. space shuttle mission with...

Crew of Atlantis shuttle awakes to prepare for landing

2011-07-20T20:30:28Z

The Atlantis crew woke to the song "God Bless America" at 0129 GMT early Thursday as they prepared to make the final touch down in NASA's 30 year shuttle program.

The shuttle was set to land early Thursday at 5:56 am (0956 GMT), 42 years after US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

Shuttle Atlantis counts down to final landing

2011-07-20T18:30:19Z

Atlantis made its final laps around the Earth on Wednesday as NASA prepared to bring down the curtain on its 30-year shuttle program.

The shuttle was set to touch down early Thursday at 5:56 am (0956 GMT), 42 years after US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to step fo...

Space shuttles will soon be museum pieces

2011-07-20T17:30:12Z

The end of the US space shuttle program brings the start of a new chapter for the remaining orbiters, which will soon take up residence as museum pieces in Florida, Virginia, California and New York.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - As the United States prepares to end its space shuttle program, technologies developed to nurture the reusable spaceships through three decades of flight will live on in day-to-day use on Earth.

Atlantis undocked Tuesday from the International Space Station, wrapping up the last visit by a US shuttle to the orbiting outpost and setting its sights on an emotional homecoming.

With a spectacular orbital sunrise illuminating a vessel in the sunset o...

Last U.S. space shuttle leaves station

2011-07-19T02:00:38Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The last U.S. space shuttle departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, endin...

NASA inks agreement with maker of Atlas V rocket

2011-07-18T20:30:14Z

NASA said Monday that it had reached an agreement with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to try to adopt the Atlas V commercial rocket to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Atlantis bade a bittersweet farewell to astronauts on the International Space Station Monday, wrapping up the final visit by a space shuttle to the orbiting outpost.

As the shuttle age draws to a close after 37 dramatic rendezvous, their crews held a moving ceremony, exchanging embraces and kisses before sh...

Space shuttle prepares to depart station for last time

2011-07-18T12:00:30Z

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The crew of NASA's final space shuttle mission closed the hatch to the International Space Station for the final time on Monday in preparation for the shuttle's last flight back to...

US astronauts somber as shuttle era comes to an end

2011-07-18T05:30:14Z

The Atlantis roars back to Earth this week ending America's vaunted space shuttle program and frustrating a generation of astronauts who see their chance to soar into the cosmos sharply limited.

US astronauts bound for space will now have to hitch a ride on the Russian Soyuz rocket, at more than $50 million per seat, until a new US space craft -- a c...

APTOPIX Total Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T05:01:27Z

In a photo provided by NASA the Washington Monument is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth during a total lunar eclipse on the arrival of the winter solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Washington. From beginning to end, the eclipse lasted about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. (AP Photo/NASA/Bill Ingalls)...

Total Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T03:31:29Z

Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T01:31:06Z

A photo provided by NASA shows a total lunar eclipse beginning as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Arlington, VA. From beginning to end, the eclipse will last about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. (AP Photo/NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Copyright 2010 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

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